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welcome to another deep dive this time
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you've really thrown us for a loop oh
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how so well you've asked us to do a deep
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dive into the concept of beauty ah and
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to guide us we've got uh selections from
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Umberto EOS on beauty excellent choice
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his work really delves into the
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complexities of Aesthetics throughout
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history buckle up because we're about to
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cover centuries of Western thought from
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ancient Greece to the 20th century
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that's right we're going to be looking
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at how Beauty has been defined and
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redefined through ART philosophy social
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trends and even technology and it's not
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as straightforward as you might think
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right not at all what one culture finds
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beautiful another might find well
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downright strange that's for sure so
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where do we even begin with something as
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broad as Beauty well how about we start
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at the beginning sounds good to me
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ancient Greece land of philosophers epic
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poetry and of course those iconic
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sculptures right everyone pictures those
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perfectly proportioned statues and
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assumes that's all there is to Greek
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Beauty but it goes so much deeper than
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that oh I'm sure but those statues are
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pretty captivating got to give them that
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they are and while the Greeks definitely
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appreciated Symmetry and a well-defined
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physique six-pack abs basically
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basically yeah but their concept of
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beauty went far deeper than just
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physical appearances it was intertwined
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with their entire worldview so it wasn't
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just about looking good no for them
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Beauty wasn't just a pleasing aesthetic
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it was a reflection of a deeper Harmony
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and order in the universe
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so like inner beauty as well as outer
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beauty in a way yes but more than that
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beauty was connected to truth and
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goodness oh interesting so a beautiful
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person was also considered to be morally
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good exactly there was this idea that
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outward Beauty reflected inner virtue
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now that you mention it I do remember
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reading that some Scholars even argue
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that early Greeks didn't have a separate
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word for beauty that's right it was so
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closely linked with concepts of goodness
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and Truth precisely think about the
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choros statue for that's good those
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statues of like young men standing very
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straight yeah exactly with one foot
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slightly forward they embody the ideal
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of physical Perfection right but they
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also represent something more it's an
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embodiment of virtue strength and even
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Divinity oh I see so they're not just
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pretty faces they're like the whole
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package exactly and then there's that
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quote from hessed you remember that one
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something about only that which is
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beautiful is loved sung at a wedding
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Feast yes that pretty clearly shows that
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beauty and goodness were linked even in
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those early days makes sense especially
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at a wedding right you want to celebrate
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Beauty and love absolutely and you know
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even in their art the Greeks weren't
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just focused on static Perfection they
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were constantly innovating trying to
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capture the essence of Beauty from
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different angles give me an example take
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fores shorten in painting for example
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okay for those of us who might not be uh
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art historians sure what exactly is
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foreshortening imagine you're looking at
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a painting of someone pointing right at
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you okay I'm picturing it to make the
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hand look closer and to create that
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illusion of depth the artist would make
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it look bigger Ah that's foreshortening
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and the Greeks they were masters of it
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clever so instead of just painting
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things flat they were trying to make
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them look more realistic exactly they
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were bending the rules of perspective to
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get at a deeper Truth About Beauty it
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wasn't just about ideal proportions it
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was about capturing the dynamic energy
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of life itself so they were kind of
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ahead of their time in a way in many
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ways yes pushing the boundaries of what
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art could do
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absolutely but you know things take a
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bit of a turn a sharp turn even when we
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get to the Middle Ages yeah things get a
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little uh different in the Middle Ages
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don't they to say the least I mean you
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came across it too right in the material
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for this deep dive you mean how monsters
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were considered beautiful I did mention
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it was a sharp turn didn't I yeah that
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one really threw me for a loop I mean
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gargoyles and demons and all that it
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does seem strange at first glance right
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yeah it's not exactly what comes to mind
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when I think beautiful but remember the
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medieval worldview was very different
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from the Greeks Beauty in the Middle
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Ages was deeply intertwined with ideas
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of power and spirituality so A beautiful
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Church wasn't just about Aesthetics it
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was about showing devotion right
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precisely think about those elaborate
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cathedrals stained glass windows all
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that gold exactly the use of precious
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materials like gold and gemstones the
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intricate details in illuminated
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manuscripts all painstakingly made by
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hand they all reflected a belief that
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beauty was a way to honor God a way to
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connect with the Divine okay that makes
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sense but what about those grotesque
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carvings the monsters and demons ah yes
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those well even those served a purpose
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what was beautiful about a creepy
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monster well think about where you'd
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usually find those car
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in churches right places meant to
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inspire awe and reverence yeah that's
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true they served as a reminder you see
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of what the power of evil and the
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importance of seeking salvation so like
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a Scared Straight kind of Beauty in a
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way yes they might not have been
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beautiful in the conventional sense the
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way we might think of a sunset or a
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flower right but they were certainly
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captivating I'll give them that I can't
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imagine seeing a giant stone gargoyle
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and just looking away and you know even
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St Bernard who is known for his well
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auster views not a fan of fancy things
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not really no but even he admitted that
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people couldn't help but stare at them
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so they had a certain power even if it
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wasn't traditional Beauty exactly and
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the Middle Ages weren't entirely focused
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on the grotesque
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thankfully so they did appreciate some
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things we might find beautiful today oh
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absolutely remember Thomas aquinus
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vaguely remind me he was a philosopher
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and theologian he actually added a new
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dimension to the concept of Beauty how
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so he introduced this idea of clarius
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clarius what's that essentially it means
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Luminosity that kind of inner Radiance
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ah okay so Beauty wasn't just about
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physical form or material wealth like
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all that gold in the cathedrals it was
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about a kind of spiritual Radiance that
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emanated from within something deeper
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interesting so Beauty was becoming more
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than just what you could see with your
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eyes exactly and this idea of claritas
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paved the way for a whole new style of
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architecture you're talking about Gothic
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Cathedrals right precisely think about
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those soaring arches the stained glass
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windows bathing everything in colorful
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light yes they were designed to create
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an experience of awe and wonder to lift
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the soul towards the Heavens to evoke
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that sense of claritus I see so it's
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like they were trying to build Beauty
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into the very structure of the building
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exactly and that's a key difference you
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see between the Romanesque and Gothic
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Styles fill me in Romanesque churches
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with their heavy wall and dimly lit
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Interiors they emphasize the power and
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mystery of God a bit like those
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grotesque carvings even trying to scare
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people into being good maybe a little
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but Gothic Cathedrals on the other hand
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they sought to create a sense of
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ethereal Beauty a glimpse of the Divine
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Light Illuminating the world so even
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within the Middle Ages we see a shift in
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how beauty is perceived and expressed a
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definite shift and you know it makes you
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wonder how did all this influence the
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Renaissance ah the Renaissance a Time
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when artists and thinkers were well
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obsessed with the idea of perfect
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proportions and mathematical Harmony I
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guess after all those monsters they
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wanted to get back to something a little
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more uh symmetrical perhaps we'll dive
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into all that after a quick break stay
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tuned we'll be right back with more of
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our Deep dive into Beauty don't go
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anywhere all right we're back and ready
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to tackle the
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Renaissance so where were we ha the
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Renaissance a time when artists and
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thinkers were obsessed with the idea of
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perfect proportions and mathematical
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Harmony it's all about achieving those
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perfect proportions right exactly you
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know like Da Vinci's Vitruvian man oh
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yeah the guy standing in the circle in
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the Square that's the one it's a perfect
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example of their thinking trying to find
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those perfect ratios the ideal human
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form precisely it's all very
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mathematical and precise but then you
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look at the actual art and it's not
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always so straightforward you're right
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it's not take belli's Venus for example
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the one standing on the sh the very same
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she's considered a classic Beauty but
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but she doesn't quite fit those
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mathematical ideals does she she doesn't
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and then you have cranx Venus another
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Venus yes but a completely different
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take on beauty more voluptuous I seem to
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remember exactly so while the
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Renaissance had this theoretical
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framework for beauty artists were still
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you know exploring different styles and
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interpretations it's like they had the
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theory down pat but their taste still
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differed that's a great way to put it
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and then just when they thought they had
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the universe all figured out Along Comes
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yannas Kepler Kepler the astronomer
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what's he got to do with beauty he
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throws a wrench in the works you see oh
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so well he makes this groundbreaking
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discovery that planets don't actually
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move in perfect circles like everyone
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thought they don't nope turns out they
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move in ellipses ellipses like ovals
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exactly and this was a major shakeup for
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the Renaissance worldview it's like
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their perfectly ordered Cosmos suddenly
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got a lot more complex you could say
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that and it got people thinking maybe
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Perfection wasn't about rigid adherence
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to mathematical formulas so maybe a
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little imperfection is actually a good
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thing perhaps maybe variety and
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difference are part of what makes the
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universe and Beauty so fascinating
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interesting so the Renaissance gives us
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this tension between the ideal and the
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real the mathematical and the organic
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absolutely and as we move into the 17th
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century things get even more interesting
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oh how so this is where the idea of
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subjective Beauty really takes hold
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subjective Beauty meaning like what I
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find beautiful might be different from
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what you find beautiful exactly beauty
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is no longer just about objective
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standards there's no one size fits-all
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definition anymore right it becomes
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about individual perception unique
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experiences so what one person finds
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beautiful another might not precisely
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and we see this reflected in the art and
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literature of the time give me an
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example think about the Poetry of Gian
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Batista Marino right refresh my memory
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who was he again he was an Italian poet
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he's writing this incredibly sensual
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detailed poetry describing the beauty of
00:10:38
a woman like love poetry yes but it's
00:10:41
more than that he's capturing these tiny
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specific details what kind of details
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the curve of her neck the scent of her
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perfume he paints a picture with words
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making it a unique almost personal
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experience for the reader so it's not
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just about her outward Beauty it's about
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how he perceived her the feelings she
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evokes in him exactly and this is a huge
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departure from the more objective
00:11:04
Universal ideals of beauty that we saw
00:11:07
in earlier periods so Beauty becomes
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less about a set of rules and more about
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a personal connection a feeling I think
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that's a beautiful way to put it but of
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course with every light there's a shadow
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what do you mean well the idea of
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subjective Beauty it has a dark side too
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oh don't leave me hanging tell me more
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well think about the marquee dad the
00:11:25
Marquee dad that name rings a bell but
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he was a French nobleman and writer and
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his work is shall we say controversial
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I've heard the term sadism comes from
00:11:36
his name that's right his writings are
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well they're disturbing no doubt about
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it but they do show how Beauty can be
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twisted and manipulated Twisted in what
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way he uses Beauty to justify cruelty
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exploitation it becomes a tool for power
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and control that's pretty dark it is but
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it's a reminder that beauty can be both
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a source of great pleasure and a
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dangerous weapon Beauty as a weapon
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that's a pretty powerful concept it is
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and you know it's important to remember
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even in those seemingly rigid earlier
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periods like the Middle Ages there was
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always an undercurrent of passion and
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sensuality you mean even with all those
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gargoyles and stuff even then think
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about the Carina bana but what now it's
00:12:19
this collection of medieval poetry it's
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filled with love songs drinking songs
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even some pretty uh racy verses so they
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weren't all about piety and religious
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devotion not all the time people were
00:12:31
people even back then I guess that makes
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sense it shows that human desire the
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pursuit of beauty it's a constant
00:12:36
throughout history and it takes many
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forms so even in times that we might
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think of as repressed people were still
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finding ways to express their
00:12:44
appreciation for beauty in all its forms
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absolutely and this brings us to the
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Romantic Era the era of poets and
00:12:52
artists all about feeling and emotion
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exactly and with Romanticism that focus
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on feeling on experiencing Beauty on a
00:12:59
deeply personal level it reaches New
00:13:01
Heights so Beauty wasn't just about
00:13:04
pleasing the eye anymore no it had to
00:13:06
stir the soul exactly they saw Broody in
00:13:09
nature in art and in the depth of human
00:13:11
emotion so like a beautiful sunset Could
00:13:13
Make You Weep it could and speaking of
00:13:16
sunsets in nature the paintings of
00:13:18
Casper David Friedrich they're a great
00:13:20
example of romantic Beauty I'm not
00:13:22
familiar with his work he painted these
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dramatic Landscapes you know with Misty
00:13:26
Mountains and vast Skies they evok this
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sense of awe even a touch of the sublime
00:13:32
now when you say Sublime ah yes good
00:13:34
point what exactly do you mean the
00:13:36
sublime for the romantics it was this
00:13:39
feeling of overwhelming awe and wonder
00:13:42
you know that feeling you get when
00:13:43
you're standing on a mountain top
00:13:45
looking out at a vast landscape you feel
00:13:47
tiny insignificant even but also
00:13:51
incredibly connected to something much
00:13:53
larger than yourself I think I know what
00:13:55
you mean it's a feeling of being
00:13:56
completely overwhelmed by Beauty and
00:13:59
often it's inspired by the vastness and
00:14:01
power of nature like standing on the
00:14:04
edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean so
00:14:06
the sublime is about experiencing Beauty
00:14:08
that's both terrifying and exhilarating
00:14:10
at the same time exactly it's a bit of a
00:14:12
paradox isn't it but that's part of what
00:14:14
makes it so powerful intense that's for
00:14:16
sure but this focus on heightened
00:14:18
emotion it had its downsides right
00:14:21
didn't it sometimes lead to what we call
00:14:22
Kit you're absolutely right it's like
00:14:24
they took the Romantic ideal of
00:14:26
emotional intensity and well cranked it
00:14:28
up to 11 so things got a little over the
00:14:30
top a bit think about those paintings of
00:14:32
weeping angels and grieving widows oh
00:14:35
yeah those are pretty sentimental they
00:14:36
are it's like they were trying too hard
00:14:37
to evoke emotion and in the process they
00:14:40
lost the subtlety and depth of true
00:14:42
romantic art so too much of a good thing
00:14:45
could be a bad thing sometimes yes but
00:14:48
overall the Romantic Era gives us this
00:14:50
fascinating mix of deep emotion Sublime
00:14:54
experiences and sometimes a bit of
00:14:55
over-the-top sentimentality exactly and
00:14:58
all of this leads us to the 20th century
00:15:01
a period of Rapid change and upheaval
00:15:04
how did all these changes influence our
00:15:07
ideas of beauty well that's a whole
00:15:09
other can of worms isn't it we'll have
00:15:11
to dive into that after a quick break
00:15:12
stay tuned so we've covered a lot of
00:15:15
ground in this deep dive into Beauty
00:15:17
from the Greeks to the 20th century and
00:15:19
it seems like one thing's for sure
00:15:21
Beauty's always changing always evolving
00:15:23
yeah as we move into the 21st century
00:15:24
who knows what new forms of beauty will
00:15:26
emerge that's what I find so exciting
00:15:29
we've talked about how artists and
00:15:30
philosophers have defined Beauty
00:15:31
throughout history but what about us
00:15:33
what about you dear listener what will
00:15:35
you create or experience that pushes the
00:15:38
boundaries of Beauty in the 21st century
00:15:40
will it be a stunning work of art a
00:15:43
technological Marvel a profound
00:15:45
connection with nature I mean the
00:15:47
possibilities are endless and that's the
00:15:48
beauty of it all isn't it the fact that
00:15:50
beauty is still being written it's an
00:15:51
ongoing conversation we all have a voice
00:15:54
so as we wrap up this deep dive I want
00:15:56
to leave you with this thought don't be
00:15:59
afraid to explore the beauty that
00:16:01
surround you and within you question the
00:16:04
Norms challenge the definitions embrace
00:16:07
the unexpected because beauty is more
00:16:10
than just a pleasing aesthetic it's a
00:16:12
way of seeing the world of connecting
00:16:14
with something larger than ourselves
00:16:16
it's about finding meaning and joy in
00:16:18
the everyday the extraordinary and
00:16:20
everything in between and remember
00:16:22
beauty is in the eye and the Heart of
00:16:25
the beholder that's it for a deep dive
00:16:27
into Beauty thanks for for joining us on
00:16:29
this incredible journey until next time
00:16:31
keep seeking keep questioning and keep
00:16:33
those Beauty receptors firing
