YOUR MIND AND HOW TO USE IT/PART 16
CHAPTER XVI.
The Aesthetic Emotions.
BY
"the æsthetic emotions" is meant those emotional feelings which are
concerned with the perception of beauty or taste, and by reason of which we
"like" or "dislike" certain perceptions of sensory
impressions. In order to get a clearer idea, let us consider what is meant by
"beauty" and "taste."
"Beauty"
is defined as "that quality or assemblage of qualities in an object which
gives the eye or the ear intense pleasure; or that characteristic in an object
which gratifies the intellect or moral feeling." "Taste" (in this
sense of the term) is defined as "nice perception, or the power of
perceiving and relishing excellence in human performances; the power of
appreciating the finer qualities of art; the faculty of discerning beauty,
order, congruity, proportion, symmetry, or whatever constitutes excellence,
particularly in the fine arts or literature; the faculty of the mind by which
we both perceive and enjoy whatever is beautiful or sublime in the works of
nature and art. The possession of taste insures grace and beauty in the works
of an artist, and the avoidance of all that is low or mean. It is as often
the result of an innate sense of beauty or propriety as of art education, and
no genius can compensate for the want of it. * * * Tastes differ so much among
individuals, nations, or in different ages and conditions of civilization that
it is utterly impossible to set up a standard of taste applicable to all men
and to all stages in the evolution of society."
The
æsthetic sense, feeling, and emotion are products of the later stages of the
evolution of the mind of man. Their roots, however, may be seen in the crude
attempts at decoration and adornment in the savage, and still further back in
the tendency of certain birds to adorn their nests or "bowers."
Moreover, some sense of beauty must exist in the lower animals, which are
influenced thereby in the selection of their mates, the bright plumage of the
birds, and the coloring of the insects and higher animals evidencing the
existence of at least a primitive æsthetic sense. Herbert Spencer says that one
characteristic of the æsthetic feelings is that they are separated from the
functions vitally requisite and necessary to sustain life, and it is not until
the latter are reasonably well satisfied that the former begin to manifest in
force.
The
authorities hold that the basic element concerned in the manifestation of the
æsthetic emotional feeling is the sensory element, which
consists of the pleasure arising from the perception of objects of vision
or hearing which are deemed beautiful. There is a certain nervous satisfaction
which arises from the perception of the sensation of the sight of a beautiful
thing, or of the hearing of beautiful sound. Just why certain
sights prove agreeable and others disagreeable, or certain sounds pleasant and
others unpleasant, is very difficult to determine. Association and habit may
have something to do with the beauty of sight object, and there may be natural
harmony of vibration in colors as there is in sound. In the case of sounds
there is undoubtedly a natural harmony between the vibrations of certain notes
of the scale and inharmony between others. Some have held that the secret of
the enjoyment of music is found in the natural appreciation of rhythm, as
rhythm is a cosmic manifestation evident in everything from great to small. But
these theories do not account for the differences existing in the tastes
regarding color and music manifested by different individuals, races, and
classes of people.
Grant
Allen says: "The vulgar are pleased with great masses of color, especially
red, orange, and purple, which give their coarse, nervous organization the
requisite stimulus. The refined, with nerves of less caliber, but greater
discriminativeness, require delicate combinations of complementaries and prefer
neutral tints to the glare of the primary hues. Children and savages love
to dress in all the colors of the rainbow." In the same way persons of
certain types of taste are pleased with "rag time" and cheap,
rollicking songs or dances, while others shudder at these and find delight in
the classic productions of the great composers.
There
is also the intellectual element to be reckoned with in the
æsthetic emotions. The intellect must discover the beauty in certain objects
before the emotion is aroused by the perception. Halleck says: "Every time
the mind discerns unity amid variety, order, rhythm, proportion, or symmetry,
an æsthetic emotion arises. * * * The traveler with a trained intellect will
see far more beauty than an ignorant one. In looking at a cathedral, a large
part of the æsthetic enjoyment comes from tracing out the symmetry, from
comparing part with part. Not until this process is complete will the full
beauty of the structure as a whole be perceived. If the traveler knows
something of mediæval architecture before starting on his European trip, he
will see far more beauty. The opposite of the æsthetic, which we call the ugly,
is the unsymmetrical, the disorderly—that in which we can discover no rhythm,
plan, or beauty."
The
element of associative suggestion also enters into the
manifestation of æsthetic emotional feeling. The mind accepts the
suggestion of the beauty of certain styles of art, or the excellence of certain
classes of music. There are fashions in art and music, as in clothes, and what
is thought beautiful to-day may be deemed hideous to-morrow. This is not
entirely due to the evolution of taste, for in many cases the old fashions are
revived and again deemed beautiful. There is, moreover, the effect of the
association of the object of emotion with certain events or persons. This
association renders the thing popular, and therefore agreeable and beautiful
for the time being. The suggestion in a story will often cause the beauty of a
certain scene, or the harmony of a certain piece of music, to dawn upon
thousands of persons. Some noted person sets the seal of approval upon a
certain picture or musical composition and lo! the multitude calls it
beautiful. It must not be supposed, however, that the crowd always counterfeits
this sense of beauty and excellence which has been suggested to it. On the
contrary, genuine æsthetic feeling often results from the discovery so made.
There
is style and fashion in the use of words, resulting from fashion, which gives
rise to æsthetic feelings regarding them. These feelings do not arise from the
consideration of the nature of the object expressed by the word; of two words
designating the same thing, one causes disgust and the other at least passive
tolerance. For instance, in speaking of the sensible moisture which is
emitted from the pores of the skin, we may use either of the respective terms
"sweat" or "perspiration." Both mean the same thing, and
have an equally respectable origin. But to many persons the word
"sweat" causes unpleasant æsthetic emotion, while the word
"perspiration" is accepted without remonstrance. Some persons abhor
the term "victuals," while "viands" or "food" are
accepted without protest. There is often an unpleasant, low, vulgar association
connected with some words which accounts for the disfavor with which they are
received, and which association is absent from the more "polite"
terms employed to indicate the same thing. But in other cases there is nothing
but the simple suggestion of fashion and style to account for the æsthetic
acceptance or rejection.
It
is possible that some psychologist of the future will establish the truth of
the theory now tentatively advanced by a few investigators, namely, that taste
and the sense of beauty depend almost entirely upon the element of suggestion,
manifested as association, influence of authority, habit, fashion, imitation,
etc. It is known that the emotional nature is peculiarly liable to suggestion,
and that tastes may be created or destroyed by repeated suggestion under the
most favorable circumstances. It is thought likely that if we could
trace back to its roots every emotion of taste, we would find it arising
from some associative, suggestive influence connected with another and more
elemental class of emotions.
Regarding
the fact that there is no universal standard of taste or beauty, Halleck says:
"It has been said that æsthetics cannot be treated in a scientific way because
there is no standard of taste. 'De gustibus non est disputandum' ('there
is no disputing about tastes') is an old proverb. Of two equally intelligent
persons, the one may like a certain book, the other dislike it. * * * While it
is true that the standard of taste is a varying one within certain limits, it
is no more so than that of morals. As men's nervous systems, education, and
associations differ, we may scientifically conclude that their tastes must
differ. The greater the uniformity in the factors the less does the product
vary. On the other hand, within certain limits, the standard of æsthetics is
relatively uniform. It is fixed by the majority of intelligent people
of any age and country. To estimate the standard by which to judge of
the correctness of language or of the literary taste of any era, we examine the
conversations of the best speakers, the works of the standard writers."
The
æsthetic emotions may be developed and cultivated by exercise and practice, and
particularly by association and familiarity with beautiful things, and with
those who have "good taste." Appreciation of beauty is more or less
contagious, up to a certain point of development, at least, and if one wishes
to recognize, understand, and appreciate beauty, he should go where beauty is,
and where its votaries are gathered. The study of standard works of art, or
objects of nature, or the best productions of the composers of music, will do
much to develop and unfold one's higher æsthetic feelings and understanding.
It
is claimed by some of the best authorities that to develop the finer and higher
æsthetic feelings and understanding we must learn to find beauty and excellence
in things removed from ourselves or our selfish interests. The narrow, selfish
emotions kill the æsthetic feelings—the two cannot exist together. The person
whose thoughts are centered on himself or herself very rarely finds beauty or
excellence in works of art or music. Grant Allen well sums up the subject in
the following words: "Good taste is the progressive product of
progressing fineness and discrimination in the nerves, educated attention, high
and noble emotional constitution, and increasing intellectual faculties."
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