Is Beauty Really in the Eyes of the Beholder?
I live in a cubicle wonderland. What better place could there be to explore personal differences in beauty and inspiration? For example, within eyeshot I see a fuzzy chicken, a functional waterfall, a super-hero made of yarn, a framed picture of Tony the Tiger, a ton of Monet and Smurf calendars, and too many objects d'art to list.
I will refrain from identifying which of those is my personal choice of aesthetic enhancement. However, I can say that I'm not sure I could function normally if my calendar had a picture of a pig in a tutu on it. (Oops! Sorry, that's a lei and a muumuu on the pig, and it's under a beach umbrella.) Regardless, it's not my office. The woman who sits next to me functions quite well with that calendar and several other personal touches on her desk.
The fuzzy chicken resides in an office that houses scratchings of haiku on the wall, a day-at-a-time Barbie calendar and a small image of the painting "Dogs Playing Poker." Again, the inhabitant of that particular space sports remarkable mental dexterity and manages quite well to get through each day. Personally, even though she has a sunshine personality and we get along great, I don't know if I could handle seeing "Dogs Playing Poker" every day.
It just goes to show that everyone's view of beauty and inspiration is different. I'm not sure I'd call a framed picture of Tony the Tiger "art" or "beautiful," but it helps to make the point that "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." And although this is a fairly common maxim, I'd like to add: "and appreciation is capable by all."
I realize that office space decorations don't necessarily qualify as a stepping stone for an artistic debate, but it does provide a platform for discussing diversity and understanding. There are a myriad of personal conflicting views on "art", "beauty" and "inspiration" that pass through our lives every day. Recognizing different points of view, and dealing with them tactfully, is one of the most difficult challenges you (or a relationship) can face.
She wants to put THAT in our house?!
I remember a particular work of art that a girlfriend of mine had. Granted, she was an art major, and made this piece of art in school, but there was just something about it that screamed "please recycle me!" It was a painted, plastic relief mold of a cowboy boot, a hat and a rope. Arguments against: It was plastic and nasty and there was not one other element in the apartment that implied "cowboy motif." Arguments for: she made it and loved it because it reminded her of when she used to raise horses.
After vehemently voicing my objections to the presence of this "thing" in our apartment, I was quickly put in my place by those seven words that pretty much say you've already lost: "It would mean a lot to me." Needless to say, I caved. I can honestly say that my feelings about its aesthetic qualities changed very little over time, regardless of my concession, but I did convince myself to try and appreciate it in a different light.
I tried to see it from her point of view by taking a deep, hard look at some of my questionable decorating choices. At one point in my life, posters of Charlie's Angels, a black Trans-am with a gold bird on the hood and a silhouetted woman in spandex lifting weights under the title of "Sweat" graced those same walls. (Fortunately, I gave up the black light posters in high school).
"Beauty" is in the Eye of the Beholder - "Appreciation" is in us all
Just as an individual's idea of "art" or "beauty" changes over time, someone else's idea of "beauty" can be different than our own. This is not because of the object itself, but because of the interpretation.
The fact that there are differing points of view on the beauty of things is ESPECIALLY true when it comes to members of the opposite sex. Your views on "beauty" and "art" will most likely not mesh 100% of the time. In fact, the odds are pretty good that, until you get to know and understand each other, your views may be as different as Rush Limbaugh and Joan of Arc, although I would hope not quite as adversarial.
The realization is that art and beauty are subjective, just like the porcelain kitty she wants on the television. You think it's ugly. She has it as a keepsake to remind her of her grandmother and her high school kitten, Fluffy. It takes an understanding of her desire to have it visible, not agreement by you that it belongs there. "Understanding" and "agreement" are mutually exclusive thoughts, and one absolutely does not equate to the other.
Always remember: when it comes to appreciation of art and beauty, there is no "right" and "wrong." There is only perception and varying degrees of understanding. Beauty is truly in the eyes of the beholder, and if you can guide yourself near enough to another's view of beauty to appreciate it for what they see in it, you might still dislike it, but it will make all the difference in the world.
I live in a cubicle wonderland. What better place could there be to explore personal differences in beauty and inspiration? For example, within eyeshot I see a fuzzy chicken, a functional waterfall, a super-hero made of yarn, a framed picture of Tony the Tiger, a ton of Monet and Smurf calendars, and too many objects d'art to list.
I will refrain from identifying which of those is my personal choice of aesthetic enhancement. However, I can say that I'm not sure I could function normally if my calendar had a picture of a pig in a tutu on it. (Oops! Sorry, that's a lei and a muumuu on the pig, and it's under a beach umbrella.) Regardless, it's not my office. The woman who sits next to me functions quite well with that calendar and several other personal touches on her desk.
The fuzzy chicken resides in an office that houses scratchings of haiku on the wall, a day-at-a-time Barbie calendar and a small image of the painting "Dogs Playing Poker." Again, the inhabitant of that particular space sports remarkable mental dexterity and manages quite well to get through each day. Personally, even though she has a sunshine personality and we get along great, I don't know if I could handle seeing "Dogs Playing Poker" every day.
It just goes to show that everyone's view of beauty and inspiration is different. I'm not sure I'd call a framed picture of Tony the Tiger "art" or "beautiful," but it helps to make the point that "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." And although this is a fairly common maxim, I'd like to add: "and appreciation is capable by all."
I realize that office space decorations don't necessarily qualify as a stepping stone for an artistic debate, but it does provide a platform for discussing diversity and understanding. There are a myriad of personal conflicting views on "art", "beauty" and "inspiration" that pass through our lives every day. Recognizing different points of view, and dealing with them tactfully, is one of the most difficult challenges you (or a relationship) can face.
She wants to put THAT in our house?!
I remember a particular work of art that a girlfriend of mine had. Granted, she was an art major, and made this piece of art in school, but there was just something about it that screamed "please recycle me!" It was a painted, plastic relief mold of a cowboy boot, a hat and a rope. Arguments against: It was plastic and nasty and there was not one other element in the apartment that implied "cowboy motif." Arguments for: she made it and loved it because it reminded her of when she used to raise horses.
After vehemently voicing my objections to the presence of this "thing" in our apartment, I was quickly put in my place by those seven words that pretty much say you've already lost: "It would mean a lot to me." Needless to say, I caved. I can honestly say that my feelings about its aesthetic qualities changed very little over time, regardless of my concession, but I did convince myself to try and appreciate it in a different light.
I tried to see it from her point of view by taking a deep, hard look at some of my questionable decorating choices. At one point in my life, posters of Charlie's Angels, a black Trans-am with a gold bird on the hood and a silhouetted woman in spandex lifting weights under the title of "Sweat" graced those same walls. (Fortunately, I gave up the black light posters in high school).
"Beauty" is in the Eye of the Beholder - "Appreciation" is in us all
Just as an individual's idea of "art" or "beauty" changes over time, someone else's idea of "beauty" can be different than our own. This is not because of the object itself, but because of the interpretation.
The fact that there are differing points of view on the beauty of things is ESPECIALLY true when it comes to members of the opposite sex. Your views on "beauty" and "art" will most likely not mesh 100% of the time. In fact, the odds are pretty good that, until you get to know and understand each other, your views may be as different as Rush Limbaugh and Joan of Arc, although I would hope not quite as adversarial.
The realization is that art and beauty are subjective, just like the porcelain kitty she wants on the television. You think it's ugly. She has it as a keepsake to remind her of her grandmother and her high school kitten, Fluffy. It takes an understanding of her desire to have it visible, not agreement by you that it belongs there. "Understanding" and "agreement" are mutually exclusive thoughts, and one absolutely does not equate to the other.
Always remember: when it comes to appreciation of art and beauty, there is no "right" and "wrong." There is only perception and varying degrees of understanding. Beauty is truly in the eyes of the beholder, and if you can guide yourself near enough to another's view of beauty to appreciate it for what they see in it, you might still dislike it, but it will make all the difference in the world.
