1) When viewing a work of art, or listening to one, can we see the truth? Can we feel it?
When viewing or listening to a work of art, we cannot see the truth. We can only see our interpretation of the artist’s interpretation. By the time we comprehend what we are viewing, the truth could not be further away. Truth is fact. It is proven and widely accepted. Everything else is theory, and theory can perhaps be viewed through art.
2. Medieval artists resorted to geometry to express a spiritual truth, and Baroque composers built their cannon on a mathematical symmetry. Do these methods limit our definitions of truth and therefore of beauty?
Creating art that is based on concrete, mathematical observations is the best way to convey truth. In order to be universal, truth and beauty need to express things that everyone can see, and mathematics is almost able to force art away from “intrinsic” observations. Math-loving artists deserve respect for their courage; they try to show what is actually there, so that more of their audience is able to relate to something concrete. This is a significantly more difficult task than the task of creating something abstract or unrealistic.
