Beauty A Very Short Introduction by Roger Scruton

Image source Audible

Narrated by the author on Audible

Reading Reflection written August 2020

If flowers are the universal archetype of beauty (that oh so golden ratio), capable of inciting divinity and the paradigm of ethics, also ponder this, that stamped flower icons adorn toilet paper. It seems there is no scenario in which a flower (beauty) isn’t out of context.

The contemporary focus on beauty is designated for the cosmetic industry and what beauty looks like and not how beauty makes humanity feel; what beauty gives us? How can something so vast and influential lay dormant in stimulating discussions? Such a large portion of people/artists vehemently reject the importance of beauty/aesthetics in their life/art. I’m not sure I will ever understand why some seem to focus primarily on the problematic nature of beauty. Whenever I hear that popular saying ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’, or that other ubiquitous paraphrased version ‘beauty/art is subjective’, my jaw clenches with irritation. Nine times out of ten these truisms are a dead weight to any further interesting conversation.

I haven't heard anyone speak about beauty as eloquently and in depth as Rodger does. There are so many references in this book I must return to. This book deserves to be elevated to theatrical form. Just imagine this rhetoric coming to life as characters illuminate concepts of: art, life, the sacred, desire, sexual pleasure, aesthetics, evilness, human nature, objects, sensory interest, rational thought and culture. If this book was a performance, it might cure my craving of being in an audience to passionate and dedicated lectures, an itch hard to scratch since uni. I miss being surrounded by passionate speakers, watching online is never comparable. Twice is nowhere near enough to have read this book, I could read this over and over and forever uncover new insights. 

Read this book when you want to become lost, actually, more catapulted through the rabbit hole of why life is worth living. Read again when you need a slap of passion.

Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Isaacson

Image source Audible

Narrated by Alfred Molina on Audible

Reading Reflection written August 2020

If I could share an intimate dinner with anyone, dead or alive I would choose to dine with a ripe old aged Leo. Well, Leonardo Da Vinci but by the end of our warm candle lit encounter, through our garnet stained lips, I imagine I’d affectionately call him Leo and he’d call me Sam.

I don’t care that this dream is most likely considered an unoriginal choice by contemporary artsy crowds as Leo's image and burnt umber sketches have been distributed to death. Leo’s artworks now seem to evoke a stale apathy towards European art history. In many ways I can relate to Leo, the endless stashes of unfinished artworks which will probably never see the light of day until I’ve decomposed. Leo was a late bloomer, I too started professionally painting around 30. Leo wasn't driven by money or patrons, I too avoid painting things when my heart’s not in painting’s purpose (even when I suspect people will open their wallets for a certain subject matter). I find comfort in Leo’s successes despite him not having a conventional-family and not knowing his paternal father like myself. I also relate to him growing up without money and surrounding himself with successful people. Leo treated curiosity as a verb, he’s a true intellectual-Artist; he's an enigmatic symbol of triumph through perseverance. Leo is a symbol of hope for all weirdos who feel the world’s oyster is only for those born into society's cool-club. 

Read this book when you need reminding that when you are extraordinary, you will lead an extraordinary life.