Re: Derek, you don't really want to know what anyone means by "aesthetically based" -- do you ? It's got all that terrible baggage! -- and probably the largest, heaviest, and most awkward valise on the cart is the distinction between pleasant and unpleasant."
It's precisely because it has all that baggage - and hence all that vagueness and ambiguity - that I would need to know what you meant it before I could comment. To me 'aesthetic' is a trap word - a word that just makes us *think* we mean something clear .... RE: "How could anyone say that Goya's Saturn is pleasant ? And yet -- what other kind of notions would distinguish that painting from all the other depictions of similar brutality that are worthless ? I don't know whether AM would have remained silent on that question -- but you certainly have been." Malraux thought it absurd to use words like pleasant (or beautiful) about paintings like Saturn. But he thought - as I do - that a painting - or any work of art - can be powerful without being beautiful or 'pleasant'. A very large proportion of the world's masterpieces make very little attempt to be beautiful or to 'please'. DA On Sun, Apr 27, 2008 at 1:02 AM, Chris Miller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Derek, you don't really want to know what anyone means by "aesthetically > based" -- do you ? > > It's got all that terrible baggage! -- and probably the largest, heaviest, > and > most awkward valise on the cart is the distinction between pleasant and > unpleasant. > > How could anyone say that Goya's Saturn is pleasant ? And yet -- what > other > kind of notions would distinguish that painting from all the other > depictions > of similar brutality that are worthless ? > > I don't know whether AM would have remained silent on that question -- but > you > certainly have been. > > ******************************************** > > > > > RE: ' That kind of criticism is not aesthetically based either -- is it? > (Or -- at least our locate advocate of Andre Malraux would tell us so.)' > > This advocate of AM would want to know first what you mean by " > aesthetically based". > _____________________________________________________________ > Click here for free information on starting a business from your home. > > http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL2211/fc/Ioyw6ijlQbII36H3rWJyHZxHxxhpe4 > l2IfMgmcefOqxbSJeJ1Z4Uny/<http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL2211/fc/Ioyw6ijlQbII36H3rWJyHZxHxxhpe4l2IfMgmcefOqxbSJeJ1Z4Uny/> > > -- Derek Allan http://www.home.netspeed.com.au/derek.allan/default.htm
