Trigger Warning: Discussion of homosexuality and gender identity; Bullying
I believe that this song is beautiful because not only does the artist Todrick Hall hit his notes and has a beautiful voice but the message portrayed in not only the lyrics but in the music video is impactful and something that is truly beautiful enough to bring someone to tears. I personally chose this because it played a role in me being able to come to terms about being bisexual despite my lack of a support system.
According to Kant’s Critique of Judgment His third moment is, “According to the Relation of Purposes Which are Brought into Consideration in Them” (Kant 293). The song itself is called “It Gets Better” and is an anthem to people dealing with having to face judgment by the people around them for their sexual orientation and gender identity.
This song serves a purpose to provide hope and a sense of community to someone who is struggling with a significant piece of their identity. This song and music video allows for people to reflect both to relate and feel understood but also to see another point of how their opinions if voiced could impact people.
One counter argument that I have personally heard that this song is not beautiful came from my mother. My mom believed that the song convinced people to turn to homosexuality or changing their identity in order to gain attention and love from a community and that the song is an invitation to join the LGBTQ+ community. I do not agree with this because this is not an invitation but an extension of love.
Gregory Block, “Doors of Perception,” 2018, oil on panel, 22 x 28 inches
I decided to focus my second blog post over an article I found on art.newcity.com titled, “Brilliant Still-Lifes With Few Hints Of Today’s World: A Review of Gregory Block at Zolla/Lieberman Gallery” by an art critic named Chris Miller. This article was published in March 2018 reviewing an oil paint gallery by Gregory Block. In the article Miller seems to have a positive approach and outlook on the paintings. He claims to be captivated by them. However, he describes the painting themselves by saying “the colors are muted, not vibrant…” and believes they are supposed to provide a “melancholic” tone that makes you reflect instead of having a feeling of sensual delight that is typically expected when viewing and reviewing art. While reading Kant I took note of the amount of times that the term “good” or “pleasant” is used within his writing in relation to the judgement of art. He fuses together the idea of sensation and pleasure as a basis or form to base one’s judgement from. With these specific pieces of art, the critic itself admits that the artist is not searching for a sensual feeling of pleasantry and delightfulness but is instead going deeper below the surface to the beauty of the thoughts that form while pondering the art.
Gregory Block, “Little Saigon,” 2018, oil on panel, 40 x 30 inches
I feel as though the art critic, Miller, falls more in line with what Hume argues. More specifically Humes arguments in relation to cultural context, age, and the belief that universal rules about what is art cannot be applied here. The pieces themselves are darker in nature with undertones. These pieces are still art and they are still thought of as beautiful and captivating in the eyes of an art critic because of the experience that the art provides which is an argument of Humes. Hume discusses the feeling of sentiment and how experience if a key factor in art and the judgement of it. In these oil paintings by Gregory Block you get this feeling of a story line or plot that is derived from the painting.
Gregory Block, “Sacraments (Sinner, Saint, Shroud, Salvation),” 2018, oil on panel, 22 x 24 inches
For example, in the painting, “Sacraments” when looking at this work you develop a story (for me personally I thought that the white sheet was covering a severed head) and you search for pieces of the painting that connect. You go to a place within yourself where you think and reflect on what could have happened here even though it is a fully fictional set up with no proof of realism. Miller had a different outlook on this specific painting was more along the dark humor aspect and saw this as an it looks like a head but it’s really not and that’s what’s ironic type of look and he had a separate but equally full self-reflection about this painting.
To conclude, I find these pieces of art to be beautiful in a darker and deeper way than just bright colors that are pleasing to the eye. Nowadays, people wat to immerse themselves into things not take things at surface value. It’s the same reason why rollercoasters get more intense with each new launch and technology keeps innovating in an effort to make the audience feel more involved in what they have decided to invest their time in. By giving paintings a story, even if it is a dark or melancholic people are going to be intrigued because we are people and we will always have the natural instincts that allow for us to look at something as seemingly small as a still picture of a skull, a typewriter and some old bottles and put together an entire story line that will fascinate us and make us ponder.
Growing up I have not had many moments in my life where I have had the opportunity to ponder what is or I not beautiful. Therefore, I have not been moved by many beautiful things in my life. One beautiful thing that has moved me personally is my service dog Oliver. More specifically the relationship that Oliver and I have as service dog and handler.
The reason I felt so moved by our relationship is because it is such a raw feeling of love and care. Not Only does having Oliver give me a sense of love but it also gives me a sense of independence. Not only did our relationship and its dynamics move me and allow me to grow and change as a person but Oliver as a whole has moved me with his external and internal beauty. I will always say that Oliver is beautiful physically. His eyes are a captivating piercing black and his fur is extremely soft. He has also nailed the classic puppy dog eyes which is a pretty hard facial expression to master. 😊 Most importantly his internal beauty really moves me and makes me want to grow and develop positively as an individual and gives me a sense of gratitude that I have him in my life. Oliver is task trained to alert to my medical condition. However, he does react to my balance problems on his own without being trained to do so. Oliver has pushed me out of the way of moving vehicles and has broken my fall at the risk of his own safety.
Oliver guarding me as I recovered from surgery
The care he has for me and the sacrifices he has made for me is so beautiful and moving. It has made me rethink my outlook on life. It has made me a more positive person and has allowed me to come out of my shell and revamp my disability and turning into a unique part of myself because now it has a beautiful association with it. It allowed me to go through a process of purification with my outlook on myself as a person with a disability and allowed me to accept and love myself as an individual.
PHIL 3366: Aesthetics (Fall 2019) 