1. When viewing a work of art, or listening to one, can we see the truth? Can we feel it?
I believe we cannot see nor feel truth because we don’t necessarily know what truth is. We are subject to our own perceptions, which hinders our abilities to ever see truth. Seeing (or listening to) art is attempting to view another’s ideals, but not necessarily truth. Artists can try to convey truth, but it is not possible because truth is subjective. We can see or feel emotions or thoughts, which is perhaps why they become most relevant in interpretation of art. This then implies the questions of whether or not emotions or thoughts are truth. Perhaps they are to some, but no one is ever sure because truth is abstract and undefined.
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?
Geometry and mathematics do not limit our definitions of truth; they elaborate them. As human beings, we find comfort and beauty in symmetry and patterns. By applying such tactics, we are satisfying our innate desires. That doesn’t mean that this application should be the only defining aspect of truth and beauty in art.
