Aesthetics Around Us

Author: Zhang Desheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: This is a book about aesthetics. When it comes to aesthetics, many people might think it's a bit mystical, often something that can only be understood but not easily explained. If one tries to express it in words, they often feel "the heart is willing but the hands are not strong." Even Socrates, when faced with the question "What is beauty," sighed, "Beauty is difficult!" Indeed, beauty is like a mischievous little sprite; it's hard to hold it firmly in your hands. Sometimes you think you've grasped it, but in the blink of an eye, it slips through your fingers. Yet, beauty is indeed all around us. The sunrise in the east fills us with surging emotions; the gentle rain like silk stirs our thoughts endlessly. Reading a beautiful poem or hearing a piece of exquisite music makes us feel the presence of beauty. Some use the metaphor of "bathing the soul" to describe the power of beauty's impact, and it's truly fitting. In fact, each of us can feel this kind of impact at any moment. The famous French sculptor Rodin once said, "Beauty is everywhere; for our eyes, it's not that beauty is lacking, but that we lack the ability to discover it." Beauty is everywhere, always present. Yet, we often fail to notice it; we "lack the eyes to discover beauty." This book aims to start from the small details in our daily lives and take students on a whirlwind tour of the "kingdom of beauty." It doesn't seek to find the ultimate truth of beauty but rather to help everyone rediscover the eyes to see it. Chekhov once said, "A person should find beauty in everything—appearance, clothes, soul, and thoughts." Middle school students are at a critical moment of transformation in both body and mind, and they are also very sensitive to beautiful things. Let us open our eyes wide and stretch our arms, to discover, pursue, and embrace all the beauty in life. In this way, life will become richer and more wonderful.