Beauty is an eternity that is reflected in the mirror.
But you are both eternity and a mirror.
Kahlil Gibran
Whether it’s dawn or dusk, it doesn’t matter if we look at them or not. They will still be beautiful whether we observe and recognize them or not. From this follows that there is an eternal objective principle in this world that we call Beauty, a principle that does not depend on us. Sometimes we recognize it, sometimes we don’t; it depends on our subjective perspective. If we imagine objectivity as the sky, subjectivity is the closed window.
Objective are the constantly existing absolute principles or forces that we can call whatever we want: archetypes, divinity… it doesn’t matter. Windows are the many aspects of visible human life: art, science, religion, and politics. It is our choice to clean the window or let it remain blurry, to open it or close it. Here, our subjectivity can either obstruct the view or make us channels for the eternal principles of Beauty, Truth, Goodness, and Justice. The fact that everyone can open the window means that somewhere in the heart, without realizing it, we are all capable of being an instrument for those principles.
Regardless of the weather, place, skin color, or status of a person, there is a human longing for the eternal sky of goodness.
Richard Feynman, the Nobel Prize winner in quantum physics, said: “A friend of mine, an artist, picks up a flower and says, ‘Look how beautiful it is,’ and I agree. Then he says, ‘As an artist, I can see how beautiful it is, but you, as a scientist, will break it down into its parts and the flower will become just a boring thing.’… Although I am not as aesthetically refined as he is, I see much more in the flower… beauty in smaller dimensions, internal structure, and processes… and the beauty only grows. I don’t understand how it could diminish.”
The goal of art and science, therefore, is the same: to discover the secrets of life. And any other form that opens a channel to these secrets would serve the same purpose, and thus justice would be expressed. This form, in other words, can be called classical. The word “classical” means “of the highest reach” or “of the highest quality.” Let us take as an example r classical music.
According to Leonard Bernstein, one “atom” of music is not just one tone, but it must be at least two; the result of their relationship is called an interval, which is the heart and soul of a musical composition. Melody occurs when tones follow one another horizontally in time, and harmony occurs when tones sound simultaneously, related to vertical time, whether ascending or descending, in inversion, etc. The relationships between these musical atoms and their intervals in melody and harmony create music.
In classical music compositions, there is a certain creative discovery that, in addition to the domain of art, touches on fundamental questions of mathematics and the physical sciences. Beethoven, perhaps one of the world’s most famous composers, created most of his well-known compositions after he became deaf. How? The answer lies in his genius sensitivity to patterns and the mathematics hidden behind the beautiful sounds.
Nature itself is full of patterns that can be mathematically described. For example, a rainbow, A spider’s web, a honeycomb, patterns on animal fur, etc. Our universe is governed by immutable natural laws. The classical form, like nature, is also mathematically designed and structured by laws that create harmonious coexistence and balance between its different parts.
If we look at ourselves and the world, it becomes clear how far we have strayed from nature, harmony, and balance. I believe that the chaos we see in the world is only a reflection of internal turmoil. Today, we mostly turn our backs to the windows of eternity and are unaware of them. In our fast-paced lives, where time seems to slip through our fingers, every form of art becomes popular. What is it that attracts us to a particular form of music today? For some, it’s the lyrics, for others, it’s the rhythm, for many, it’s the mood in a given moment. In other words, it’s contemporary art – one that pertains to transience, something constantly changing, a trend.
In comparison to contemporary art, classical music stands the test of time. Without the desire to generalize, Today, we can listen to contemporary pop songs that are hits, but the question is whether the obsession they create will continue to endure for three hundred years. On the other hand, Beethoven’s compositions are still highly regarded today and performed in concerts worldwide. The mathematical laws behind classical art, which are similar to the universal laws of nature, give a certain form the ability to convey a sense of timelessness. Like nature, they effectively create a channel for expressing archetypes in the world. Therefore, nurturing the tradition of classical art is of utmost importance today, in a special sense: it is our connection to returning to what is essential because it represents humanity’s greatest achievement in approaching and expressing the eternal essence. Another important element involved in the creation of this artistic form is the artist’s consciousness.
When an individual begins to study a classical art form, the study becomes a journey towards perfection. On one hand, they try to master the technique of this form by denati, održavajući istinitu suštinu svog umjetničkog izraza. Umjetnik ne smije dopustiti da ga vode sebični motivi ili želja za osobnom slavom. Umjesto toga, on mora biti potpuno predan umjetnosti i služiti kao instrument za prenošenje ljepote objektivnog svijeta. to maintain a rhythm, forget about one’s ego. Every challenge the artist overcomes will lead to the discovery of inner strength. Every step towards “cleansing” the subjective window and opening that channel will reveal a new ray of light that has always been waiting to break through. Only when the artist forgets about themselves in art, will they truly find themselves.
There are various studies showing the benefits of listening to classical music. Its effects are not only visible in humans, but also in plants and animals. Classicism in art is therefore a stance of perfecting form, and it signifies a process that enriches both the performer and the audience. Such an attitude of striving to discover eternal divinity through action could be called a classical way of life; an ethical life, in which each individual directs their limited means in space and time to nurture, shape, and explore the possibilities of creating channels through which the secrets of eternity will find a place in their living space. When a person maintains With this endeavor as the center of his life, without deviating from the path, directing every aspect of it, he lives in a classical manner. Such an attitude will truly make the individual noble and society ethical.