Why has so much been written about the aesthetic experience? And what is it?

The aesthetic experience is when art becomes a doorway. You look, listen, feel, and for yet another moment, or for the first time, you are seeing for yourself without the limiting and blinding filters of others—that is, of course, if you’ve got the guts.

Digging deeper: The aesthetic experience is a moment of truth, and you know where you stand without having to ask for a show of hands to corroborate your feeling.

And as we have heard from the poet, truth is beauty, and beauty truth—and so beautifully said to boot.

Here’s repost from seven years ago.

Mr. Bowles’ Buddhist-leaning observation contains a universal teaching we can all prosper from and enjoy in the present moment.

“Because we don’t know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustable well. Yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, some afternoon that is so deeply part of your being that you can’t even conceive of your life without it. Perhaps four or five times more, perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps 20. And yet it all seems limitless.”

—from The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles

"No matter what further purposes artistic expressions may serve, they are produced and valued for themselves; we linger in them; we neither merely execute them mechanically, as we do automatic expressions, nor hasten through them, our minds fixed upon some future end to be gained by them, as is the case with practical expressions. Both for the artist and the appreciator, they are ends in themselves.”

—from The Principles of Aesthetics by Dewitt H. Parker

But are all artistic expressions created equally? Of course, not. Is it art or cotton candy? Is Muzak Mozart?

If you are taken with a painting, do you know why? Guessing or relying on the ‘expert’ opinions of others is not the aesthetic experience of feeling with your higher emotional intelligence—an endeavor that requires work.

Meaningful appreciation rarely happens overnight.

Here’s an excerpt from An Artist Empowered that clarifies terminology I use in the book and on this blog.

I also frequently cite the terms dharma, self, soul, and, as mentioned earlier, the true artist. In the context of this book, dharma is your purpose in life; self is the transcendental essence that is you; not the finite ego self, but the unadulterated self that, by being in direct contact with creation, is the communicator of infinite power and great art; soul is the bearer of intuition, which is the Creator speaking directly to you; and the true artist defies dogma, custom, and social pressure by creating for no other purpose than to create—and should the work edify or entertain, then so be it.

Art and everyday existence are inseparable to the true artist. 

The other day, Walking Man 1, a 6-foot tall bronze by Alberto Giacometti sold at auction for a record-breaking $104.3 million to an undisclosed buyer. Pablo Picasso’s Boy With a Pipe held the previous record of $104.1 million set in 2004.

Of course, in these very high-end cases, the buyers are acquiring artworks that come with a provenance (ownership and history of the work) and the cachet of the artist. The value of these works has escalated due to demand and perceived value—not necessarily based on intrinsic value.

Which brings me to my point.

Where does the art come from? Each story is unique. I’ve written a bio in broad brushstrokes that includes situations that I’m writing about in a bit more detail for the first time. You can read about my journey in About Eden—the link is in the upper right sidebar.

My advice to art lovers still stands: acquire the art of living artists; the departed no longer require your financial support.