Beauty is an intrinsic constituent of things (objects) and has a relation to a subject (us) So is beauty in the eye of the beholder?
Some complicated-sounding theological descriptions of beauty: Power of reality to please in being contemplated Gives joy in knowing, a superabounding joy because of the object known; beyond the joy of knowing Exalts and delights the soul by the fact of its being given to the intuition of the soul Reveals the inmost knowledge of its ontological reality clearly shows its full reality as understood in the mind of God a flash of the Divine mind
Where is beauty perceived? In the mind Beauty is an object of intelligence; what knows beauty is the mind; it is open to intellectual inquiry Question: How does this compare to I like it? Question: Is a poorly-designed building made of shoddy materials and has no altar suitable for a new cathedral? [consider the process when answering] Natural site of beauty is the intelligible world The mind is made to delight in the beautiful, to know the truth, and love the good
Thomas Aquinas Three Constituent Elements of Beauty Essential elements beautiful thing: Integritas: completeness or perfection Consonantia: consonance, due proportion in relation to an end Claritas: a radiant clarity of being; the power of the reality to reveal itself, reveal its ontological reality, ontological secret 2/3 =pleasant and 3/3 =beautiful Questions: How to analyze God in relation to these three things? Was the crucifixion beautiful? Divine child abuse?
Phrase from Thomas: Pulchra dicuntur quae visa placent. Beautiful are called things which when seen please - Things which implies being, beautiful things have completeness (integritas) - when seen visa is a verb which means apprehended in its completeness, in its ontological reality; really seen (claritas) - please -are consonant with our nature, are proportionate and harmonious, ordered toward the Good (consonantia) Beautiful things therefore, are an experience of the Good, reveal a supernatural reality (to the degree possible on earth); to do this they can t lack anything Beauty is that which pleases upon being seen = Beauty is in the eye of the beholder?
Exercise: Analyze the following according to the previously understood terms: A gazelle with no legs A slug with no legs A church without an altar A musical setting of the Urbs Beata Jerusalem which is chaotic and discordant A well-designed racist propaganda poster A church that looks like an exquisite ski lodge or airplane hangar A catchy and well-composed hymn to Satan at Mass Integritas: completeness or perfection (being) Consonantia: consonance, due proportion in relation to an end (goodness) Claritas: a radiant clarity of being; the power of the reality to reveal itself, to reveal its ontological reality (Truth) 2/3 =pleasant 3/3 =beautiful
Maritain says: In beautiful things the mind is spared the least effort of abstraction and rejoices without labor it is excused its customary task D Mac says: The reality of the object is so clearly, completely, and properly evident that we don t have to ask: what the heck is it? [Wonderama] Ex: -church which looks like a Pizza Hut?? -Hymn to me at Mass? - Tantum Ergo a la My Darling Clementine? -A hymn praising an the beauty of an apple at Mass? At private prayer meeting? - Onward Christian Soldiers vs. singing the Creed?
To be is to be beautiful. So is everything equally beautiful? Is a slug equal to a person? A thing is most beautiful in direct proportion to its perfection in being. Who has perfection of Being? (aka: Being itself) Which of all creatures has the highest potential for perfection in being? Why? Compare: Ant? Rock? Dog? Person? Cow? Daffodil?
Important question: What is the ontology of the sacred liturgy?
Vatican II tells us that the liturgy and its arts should be signs and symbols of heavenly realities (SC, 122), a foretaste of the heavenly liturgy (SC, 8), a sacrament of heaven. What is heaven like? (see Rv) -ordered or chaotic? (consonantia) -centered on God or centered on me? (that is, theo-centric, or some other-centric?) (consonantia) -radiant or obscure? (claritas) -intelligible or confusing? (claritas) -empty or populated? (integritas) [heaven needs you!] -lacking or all that is necessary? (integritas) -joyful or sorrowful? (beautiful)
2. So how do we know what heaven is like and therefore what the sacred liturgy should be like? Go to the Bible!
From the Book of Revelation: Rv 4:2-5: there in heaven stood a throne, with one seated on the throne! around the throne is a rainbow that looks like an emerald. Around the throne are twenty four elders dressed in white robes with golden crowns on their heads around the throne.are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first like a lion, the second like an ox, the third with a face like a human face, and the fourth like a flying eagle. Rv 7:9: After this I looked and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and people and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb [filled with heavenly beings, angels and saints]
From the Book of Revelation: Rv 21:15-21: the angel who talked to me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city is lies foursquare, its length the same as its width its length width and height are equal the wall is built of jasper, while the city is pure gold the foundations of the city were adorned with every jewel jasper sapphire agate emerald onyx and the twelve gates are twelve pearls, each of the gates is a single pearl and the street if the city is pure gold, clear as glass [cubic in shape, gem-like, golden, radiant with light and color]
Integritas: completeness or perfection (being) Consonantia: consonance, due proportion in relation to an end (goodness) Claritas: a radiant clarity of being; the power of the reality to reveal itself, to reveal its ontological reality (Truth) 2/3 =pleasant and 3/3 =beautiful
Saint Monica(-St. George), Cincinnati, OH
Saint John's Abbey Church, 1958-1961, Collegeville, MN
A 1971 article in Liturgical Arts: the small church of the future where the stylistic triumphalism of the past would give way to a more sensible and human solution. It begs the question: what IS church architecture? A factory? A house? An image of heaven?
Is this a beautiful church? Why?
Is this a beautiful altar? What is the process of answering this question?
Is this a beautiful altar?
Is this a beautiful altar?