Reflections about “Beauty” James Kirwan - Mamtaart.com - Mamta Art

Reflections about “Beauty” by James Kirwan
to the question what is the ‘eye’ in the Pythagorean idea, of proportion and measure, form,
order and also as rhythm, is not only quantitative but also qualitative, that is, certain
relation between thing and soul; metaphysical and transcended harmony. For in all eyes is
the eye of the soul. But the theory of beauty in proportion describes of how a thing is
beautiful, not why it is beautiful. It is according to Kirwan, the lack of coherent metaphysic
in the notion of objectivity of the beautiful, which brings about the termination of ‘beauty
itself’. But metaphysical is still as present in everyday mind as it ever was. Kirwan writes
that beauty “cannot exist for us in a separate state, in the manner of concept, which we
may choose to apply, is all that its attribution to the ‘eye’ can meaningfully signify” (p.
26).
Beauty within the concept of proportion, according to Kirwan then doesn’t explain the
meaning of eye, and therefore cannot be a theory.
Kirwan believes that the significant piece of psychological data for the examination of the
nature of beauty, is to find how the notion of form invested with beauty during the ancient
and medieval period which is the divine origin of beauty, - the apparent attribution of
beauty directly to form, and to understand the implications of the belief in such origin.
He demonstrates his firm belief in the objectivity of beauty on ancient philosophy coming
closer to discovering the identity of eye, is the absolute, the God. It is based on
Neoplatonist theory that was extremely influenced by the Christian world, which is the
rejection of symmetry, beauty in things for which there is no standard of measurement and
describes beauty as reflection and manifestation of God. But this definition of beauty itself,
the God, is beyond comprehension. According to Kirwan, none of the writers makes the
idea of beauty so important. Neoplatonist beauty in phenomenal world is at once a state
and act. Kirwan transcribes its significant element into new significance, transposes it’s
meaning to his own understanding by concentrating on the concept from beauty to
Mamta B. Herland 4