LEONARDO DA VINCI, Rembrandt, van Gogh--these are names known to millions. Even though you may never have seen one of their original paintings, you know these men as great artists. Their art has, in a sense, immortalized them.

They captured on canvas an enigmatic smile, a penetrating portrait, a glimpse of the beauty in creation, which still touches the imagination of the onlooker. We are captivated by what captivated them--even though centuries may separate us.

We may be neither artists nor art critics, but we can still discern artistic excellence. Like the artist whose work we admire, we also possess a sense of beauty. Our sensitivity to color, form, patterns, and light may be something we take for granted, but it is part of our lives. No doubt we like to decorate our homes with objects or paintings that please the eye. Although tastes vary, this sensitivity to beauty is a gift shared by most of humankind. And it is a gift that can draw us closer to our Creator.

The Gift of Beauty

A sense of beauty is one of the many attributes that distinguish mankind from the animals. The work Summa Artis--Historia General del Arte (Comprehensive Treatise of Art--A General History of Art) points out that man could be defined as the animal that has an aesthetic capacity. Because we are different from the animals, we see creation in a different light. Does a dog appreciate a beautiful sunset?

Who made us that way? The Bible explains that God proceeded to create the man in his image, in God's image he created him.Not that our first parents looked like God. Rather, God endowed them with attributes he himself possesses. One of these is an ability to appreciate beauty.

By some unfathomable process, the human brain perceives beauty. First of all, our senses convey to the brain information regarding the sounds, smells, colors, and shapes of objects that attract our attention. But beauty is much more than the sum of those electrochemical impulses, which merely tell us what is going on around us. We do not see a tree, a flower, or a bird in the same way an animal does. Although these objects may offer us no immediate practical benefit, they give us pleasure just the same. Our brain enables us to discern their aesthetic value.

This capacity touches our emotions and enriches our lives. Mary, who lives in Spain, vividly recalls one November evening several years ago when she stood beside a remote lake and watched the sunset. Flying toward me came wave after wave of cranes calling to each another, she says. Thousands of birds were strung out across the crimson sky in spidery patterns. Their annual migratory journey from Russia and Scandinavia had brought them to this Spanish resting-place. The experience was so beautiful that it made me cry.

Author: Flor Ayag

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Article source: Free Humanities Articles.