Beauty, bu definition, is that which moves us or impacts us significantly. Some would argue that beauty is found everywhere, from the flowers to the stars. But others would state that true beauty is found only in rare, special instances. After weighing the evidence, it is certain that beauty is the province of the exceptional, not the common place. People are moved most by things that they rarely experience, not the things they experience every day.
Those who would argue that true beauty is everywhere might point to the beauty of a flower, or the starlit night. These experiences are certainly common, but do they show that true beauty is commonplace? Flowers might be considered beautiful, but how often does a person top to look at or appreciate every flower? Flowers are so common that in many cases, they are ignored or viewed as nothing special. However, on those rare occasions - exceptional occasions, one might say - when we want to commemorate an event or express emotion, we notice the beauty of flowers. Thus, it is not the commonplace flower that strikes us as beautiful, but the exceptional situations themselves that move us to appreciate the flower.
Now consider the exceptional. Leonardo da Vinci' s Mona Lisa is surely one of the most exceptional, and beautiful, paintings ever created. Few people who view the painting are not moved by the sheer beauty of it, and the Mona Lisa is instantly recognized as a masterpiece of art. Any yet, there have been literally millions of paintings produced in human history. Is every single one of the beautiful? Does every one of those paintings have the impact that da Vinci' s does? Of course not. In order to find beauty, we must separate the exceptional cases from the common ones. True beauty is such because it stands out from the masses of the average and pedestrian.
Like da Vinci' s Mona Lisa, the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris is an exceptional, and exceptionally beautiful, object. Churches and cathedrals line the streets of most major cities in Western Europe, but few possess the renown of Notre Dame, one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world. Compared to a common church or cathedral, Notre Dame is truly awe-inspiring; Victor Hugo used the building as the backdrop for his magnificent book The Hunchback of Notre Dame and thousands of tourists travel untold miles to view the cathedral. That sort of beauty is not possessed by just anu church on the corner.
In conclusion, it' s clear that true beauty is found not in the commonplace, but in the exceptional. The Mona Lisa sand Notre Dame Cathedral are both exceptional examples of fairly commonplace things and it is these exceptions that are noted as truly beautiful. If anything, the commonplace serves only as a contrast so that we can understand what true beauty really is.
Beauty
,
bu
definition, is that which
moves
us or impacts us
significantly
.
Some
would argue that
beauty
is found
everywhere, from the
flowers
to the stars.
But
others would state that
true
beauty
is found
only
in rare, special instances. After weighing the evidence, it is certain that
beauty
is the province of the
exceptional
, not the
common
place.
People
are
moved
most by things that they rarely experience, not the things they experience every day.
Those who would argue that
true
beauty
is everywhere might point to the
beauty
of a
flower
, or the starlit night. These experiences are
certainly
common
,
but
do they
show
that
true
beauty
is
commonplace
?
Flowers
might
be considered
beautiful
,
but
how
often
does a person top to look at or appreciate every
flower
?
Flowers
are
so
common
that in
many
cases, they are
ignored
or viewed as nothing special.
However
, on those rare occasions
-
exceptional
occasions, one might say
-
when we want to commemorate an
event
or express emotion, we notice the
beauty
of
flowers
.
Thus
, it is not the
commonplace
flower
that strikes us as
beautiful
,
but
the
exceptional
situations themselves that
move
us to appreciate the flower.
Now
consider the
exceptional
. Leonardo
da
Vinci&
#039; s Mona Lisa is
surely
one of the most
exceptional
, and
beautiful
,
paintings
ever created. Few
people
who view the
painting
are not
moved
by the sheer
beauty
of it, and the Mona Lisa is
instantly
recognized as a masterpiece of art. Any
yet
, there have been
literally
millions of
paintings
produced in human history. Is every single one of the
beautiful
? Does every one of those
paintings
have the impact that
da
Vinci&
#039; s does?
Of course
not. In order to find
beauty
, we
must
separate the
exceptional
cases from the
common
ones.
True
beauty
is such
because
it stands out from the masses of the average and pedestrian.
Like
da
Vinci&
#039; s Mona Lisa, the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris is an
exceptional
, and
exceptionally
beautiful
, object. Churches and cathedrals line the streets of most major cities in Western Europe,
but
few possess the renown of Notre Dame, one of the most
beautiful
cathedrals in the world. Compared to a
common
church or cathedral, Notre Dame is
truly
awe-inspiring; Victor Hugo
used
the building as the backdrop for his magnificent book The Hunchback of Notre Dame and thousands of tourists travel untold miles to view the cathedral. That sort of
beauty
is not possessed by
just
anu
church on the corner.
In conclusion
,
it&
#039; s
clear
that
true
beauty
is found
not in the
commonplace
,
but
in the
exceptional
. The Mona Lisa sand Notre Dame Cathedral are both
exceptional
examples of
fairly
commonplace
things and it is these exceptions that
are noted
as
truly
beautiful
. If anything, the
commonplace
serves
only
as a contrast
so
that we can understand what
true
beauty
really
is.