The text discusses the nature of beauty and perception, suggesting that our true understanding of beauty is aligned with God's intention. It emphasizes the importance of proportion in human figures and how they relate to artistic endeavors. Additionally, it references Cicero's insights into how beauty engages us through the harmonious arrangement of parts.
The Beauty of Human Figures
This discusses whether beauty resides in an object or in its cause. It suggests that if our eyes were different, we might perceive objects differently, which is true, but not relevant here because we would see them incorrectly. It becomes apparent from the nature of sight that God intended us to see and judge what belongs to us as they truly are; and regarding things outside our handling and far from our sight, like the Sun, Moon, stars, clouds, and far-off things that appear smaller, we must rely on reason and experience to aid us. We are taught to see them as closely as possible to their true nature according to genuine rules of natural observation. However, this is somewhat related to perspective, which might be discussed later. We must remind ourselves that beauty connected to human studies lies mostly in the proportional harmony of the limbs in human figures, which serve as artistic tools for various activities, ensuring the foundational beauty cannot be taken from artistic skill.
When Cicero boasted about describing beauty, he could only say that true beauty moves our eyes through a suitable arrangement of parts and limbs, providing us with delight primarily due to that organization.
Translation Notes:
- "Schoonheyd der Menschbeelden": Literally "Beauty of Human Figures."
- "Menschkunde": Translated as "human studies" or "figure studies," not "anthropology."
- "Doorfughtkunde": Here related to "perspective."