Hey, What’s Going On?

aes·thet·ics

esˈTHetiks/

noun

noun: aesthetics; noun: esthetics

1. a set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, especially in art.

   • the branch of philosophy that deals with the principles of beauty and artistic taste.

      

      

      

      

     The Norwegian painter, Odd Nerdrum, lashes out against the inclination of modern artists to speak or write about their work. The artist’s work should speak for itself on the sensory level, where it is meant to communicate. Nerdrum seems to agree with the implied assertion at the St. Olaf Dance Concert organizers last December when they titled their concert What Words Can/Not.  Some things can be better communicated by other artistic means than language.

      

      

     “Well, I’ve always been interested in approaching a big city in a train, and I can’t exactly describe the sensations, but they’re entirely human and perhaps have nothing to do with aesthetics. ”
     -Edward Hopper

      

      

     Edward Hopper, on the other hand, refers to human sensations that exclude artistic principles and taste. He implies aspects of the human experience that cannot be expressed. In their professional lives, both Einstein and the Dutch artist, MC Escher, admit they were  trying to solve the creation mystery. Both men suffered exhaustion; Einstein collapsed. Einstein’s name is almost universally known for his world-changing scientific discoveries. MC Escher was invited to speak at international mathematics conferences because of the sophisticated principles that made his artwork possible, about which the artist denied any knowledge or comprehension.

      

      

     It’s hard to know (really) what it feels like to be another person. Sometimes I wonder how life feels to other people. Are we all afraid, as I often am? Do other people spend (waste) as much time as I have spent looking for physical patterns, wondering what’s here that I just don’t see? Does everything add up to One Thing, as we are sometimes told? Are we all completely unique?

      

      

     Recently, my husband, Jim, enlarged a tiny snapshot of me on his iPhone. I was shocked to see the look on my toddler face. Perched high on my father’s shoulder, staring off across the top of the picnicking congregation–not happy–not relaxed–clearly a puzzled child. Already the question:

      

      

     

     “Hey! What’s going on?”
     Nikko