On Beauty: Chloe Spears

Some say, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” I disagree. I think that it lies somewhere much deeper than that. Works of art that were made to look exactly like what they are based upon are not beautiful. If an artist sits for hours examining one flower with the intention to recreate exactly what has already been created, how is that beautiful?  Beauty is only beautiful once.


When I step outside and see a crystal clear blue-sky, green grass that seems to glow from the ground, and flowers with such vibrant colors, that is beautiful. When I drive down the road and see a wall all decked out in graffiti that seems to jump off at you not only because of the color and composition but also the way it makes you wonder what went through the mind of the artist, that is beautiful.  Seeing a portrait of a person, no matter how well it is done, does not capture my attention and bring forth beauty. An artist could work on a project for years, duplicate exactly what is before him, put in all of the colors in the world and it would not scream beauty to me.


Chris Johanson’s “East meets West” installation, at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia, suggests beauty to me. He did not replicate the scene exactly how it is. He saw it through his imagination. When an artist takes the time to let the subject set in, fully grasps and concentrates on the meaning, creates fact, and does not let their imagination run free, that will not produce beauty.


Beauty should not be so pain staking. It should not be stressed over or set on a time line. Beauty comes from the heart and the imagination. To create something beautiful, look beyond what you see.

source: Beautiful Losers –Contemporary Art and Street Culture