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Last night, 12 of us (at the highest) had a great time imbibing Christmas cheer and shooting the breeze with our fellow Ricochetti. The delightful conversation ranged from Christmas plans and pet antics to what is going on in Europe and America. In one discussion of art, painting, and culture, I mentioned a sort of aphorism coined by someone I follow on the X platform. It is:
Beauty is obvious, ugliness requires an explanation.
Everyone thought that was an excellent way to describe what we call "art." Just to be certain, I visited my online friend's profile page to make certain that I had gotten it right, and it turns out that I was almost, but not quite, correct. Here it is in its original manifestation, with an example in one of his many posts.
He is very fond of Bernini's sculpture, and frequently posts examples. Anyway, I have always been taken with that phrase, and I think he should copyright it and use it more widely, since it is short, easy to remember, and impactful. It really gets you thinking about what is Beauty, and what is Art.
Discussion (11)
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It’s a great line.
I don’t watch much TV, but the hideous art hanging on the walls in wealthy characters’ homes always jumps out.
And I won’t go on a rant about abstract sculptures littering the landscape. I mustn’t.
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"Beauty is obvious. Ugliness requires college reeducation."
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I'm always up for a good rant, especially if it's deserved.
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Here's that scene from LA Story we were talking about.
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