Aesthetics, to me, is the pleasurable response I have to what I sense. Pleasant tastes, smells, sounds, tastes, tactile sensations, sights – all these things have aesthetic value. Sometimes it’s more than one thing, more of a composition of things. A composition could comprise a view of mountains or a valley, on a bright sunny day, perhaps with a noticeable smell of lilac bushes in bloom.
What I find aesthetically pleasing about something may differ from what others think. In fact others may find nothing aesthetically pleasing about the same things I do. For example, I have a general desire and positive attraction to having a high vantage point, like up on a hill, because of the long views over the landscape. Others may not like being out-of-doors, the colour green, or myriad other of their weird hang-ups.
When I see something that is aesthetically pleasing for the first time, whether on my own or if somebody points it out, it seems like a feeling, something automatic. If I think about how I feel in the moment, I might translate my feeling into an opinion, like “that’s very nice”. So, I think aesthetics are both feelings and considered opinions. There is no way that everyone will have the same feeling response, or the same opinion.
When I look at an aesthetically pleasing thing for a while, trying to figure out what it is that makes me have this feeling and associated opinion, I try to find reasons in order to understand and rationalize it. I suppose this is an effort to further cultivate my aesthetic sensitivity. I do think that my aesthetic sensitivity can, over time, be enhanced with experience, exposure, and thoughtful consideration. Oddly, I may experience the same ‘scene’ again in a few days and find that it doesn’t evoke the same pleasurable feeling. From this, I think that aesthetics are somewhat situational – maybe because of moods, or interests, or other factors. I may be distracted with other problems – maybe it’s raining; maybe I’m not with the same people I was with the first time; maybe there’s a smell in the air, or a cool breeze, or noise; maybe I’m hungry, or over-full, or need a washroom. There are myriad things that could be different in the second situation from the first. In that sense, aesthetics may be serendipitously stumbled upon, fleeting, available only in a moment. For that reason, I have learned to stop when I have a pleasurable response to an aesthetic situation; to take it in and try to understand it.
Generally, I find landscapes to be aesthetically pleasing. A broad view over a river valley from a high vantage point makes me feel good. A seascape and even a broad agricultural field are often attractive to me. If I’m with someone else, who responds to the view the same way, my feelings may be enhanced because of having a shared experience. This aspect of aesthetics serves to enhance the bonds I have with others.
A personal example, relates to the neighbourhood where I grew up and my, somewhat blind, feelings of comfort and well-being I had from my familiarity with that neighbourhood. A colleague asked if I could drive him from our office to a subway station near my family home, where I was living at the time. As we drove along the arterial road towards the subway station, I mentioned that I often walked along this section in the evenings, for exercise, etc. His response was a sarcastic ‘Nice!’ which made me take another quick look around and I became acutely aware of my lack of aesthetic sensitivity. This particular section was lined with run-down walk-up apartments and barely-making-it storefronts with run-down apartments above. My colleague, always extremely well-dressed and coiffed, had grown up with mountain and ocean views in British Columbia. My reaction was immediate and life-altering (and I have often repeated this story) because his one comment had shaken me. From that time, I really became more consciously aware of my surroundings and the positive or negative feelings that arose from them. I learned that I was capable of learning to be more sensitive to aesthetic qualities.
It takes time and effort to appreciate things aesthetically. I don’t think a high-speed drive-by approach does much to improve my aesthetic sensitivities. I am currently sitting on a side deck of my home, overlooking my and neighbour’s front yards that all face a paved road. As a kid, I don’t recall being interested in the design of houses, but over the years I have developed feelings and opinions about what looks good or not. We chose this neighbourhood, in large part, because the houses looked good to us (except ours, which is a little ugly because of a protruding double car garage, but fortunately we look away from, not towards our own house). In addition to the attractive architectural features of the houses, there are large mature trees, lining the broad gardens and driveways. There is a great range of light and dark shades over a diverse range of green and other colours. I have realized how much I enjoy the natural sunlight and the nature in my surroundings and now am somewhat repulsed by anything less. I suppose being more aesthetically sensitive has led me to be more of a snob.
We took a trip, years ago to several European cities (Rome, Florence, Venice, Paris) and visited many art galleries. We walked slowly through the galleries, stopping to look at each wall in every room. Our approach was somewhat grueling and I can’t say I recall much except a lot of repetitious and ‘bloody’ religious paintings. A trip to an art gallery now, for me, is a combination of quickly scanning and briskly walking past ‘art’ that doesn’t appeal to me. I take more of my time, and even sit when possible, in front of art that evokes an automatic pleasurable feeling, stuff that truly appeals to me. I’m not saying that different emotional responses and opinions aren’t valid, but that they will doubtlessly be different from one person to the next. I like the analogy of warm and cold when it comes to my judgment of art – some things bring me a pleasurable warm feeling and others do the opposite.
I think my affinities also affect my sense of aesthetics. I have a significant affinity for sunlight and warmth. I think that my fear of the dark in my early years may have something to do with it. I recall a very strong and fearful response to the Halloween movies!!!! I feel safer in daylight hours, more secure and comfortable. Being in the sunshine and the warmth it provides makes me feel good and is aesthetically pleasing to me.
It scares me a bit that people making significant decisions often seem completely oblivious to aesthetics. I recall a project proposal I was consulted on where a field of solar panels would have been installed on what was supposed to be a public park and green space. Green energy seemed like a great direction, but I was shocked by the prospect of losing a park and green space, and also by the fact that this would have been visible to residents from their newly built houses which overlooked this park and green space. Fortunately, it never happened, but had different forces prevailed, this could have become a huge eyesore and blight to that neighbourhood. Fortunately for us all, there are lots of people out there who can thoughtfully develop practical solutions to real problems while ensuring aesthetically pleasing results. After all, wouldn’t we all prefer to spend more of our lives in an aesthetically-pleasing situations?
Thanks, Jim.