Aesthetics (also spelled æsthetics or esthetics) is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste. More broadly, scholars in the field define aesthetics as "critical reflection on art, culture and nature."
The word aesthetic is derived from the Greek αἰσθητικός (aisthetikos, meaning "esthetic, sensitive, sentient"), which in turn was derived from αἰσθάνομαι (aisthanomai, meaning "I perceive, feel, sense"). The term "aesthetics" was appropriated and coined with new meaning in the German form Æsthetik (modern spelling Ästhetik) by Alexander Baumgarten in 1735.
Examples of pre-historic art are rare. The context of their production and use is unclear. Aesthetic doctrines that guided their production and interpretation are mostly unknown.
Ancient art was largely, but not entirely, based on the eight great ancient civilizations: Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, Greece, China, Rome, India, the Celtic peoples, and Maya. Each of these centers of early civilization developed a unique and characteristic style in its art. Greece had the most influence on the development of aesthetics in the West. This period of Greek art saw a veneration of the human physical form and the development of corresponding skills to show musculature, poise, beauty and anatomically correct proportions. Furthermore, in many Western and Eastern cultures alike, traits such as body hair are rarely depicted in art that addresses physical beauty.[citation needed] In contrast with this Greek-Western aesthetic taste is the genre of the grotesque.
Leon Botstein (born December 14, 1946 in Switzerland) is an American conductor, scholar, and the President of Bard College.
Botstein is the brother of biologist David Botstein and husband of art historian Barbara Haskell. Both of Botstein's parents were physicians.
Botstein is the music director and principal conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra (ASO) and conductor laureate of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra (JSO), where he served as music director and principal conductor from 2003-2010. He is also the founder and co-Artistic Director of the Bard Music Festival. He is a member of the Board of Directors of The After-School Corporation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding educational opportunities for all students. He also serves as the Board Chairman of the Central European University.
Botstein is a leading advocate of progressive education. He is the author of Jefferson’s Children: Education and the Promise of American Culture and Judentum und Modernitaet and has published widely on music, education, history, and culture. He graduated at age 16 from the High School of Music and Art in New York, and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. from Harvard University in music history. He credits David Landes and Harold Farberman as his mentors.
This is where our bodies fail
And our hearts, and our minds take over
Blind as a bat and you're too short to reach
Counting perfection and judging them each
When it's all on the outside
And you can't see in
The lies of glamour are not as great as the heart
Keep searching but make sure you dig deep
I caught a glimpse in the mirror
But I didn't know that looks aren't all you have
It's what you've got on the inside that counts
This is the end of a timeless tradition
Now you see me, now you don't
My heart has been neglected
You don't even know what I have been through
Take me far from this place, oh
One day it will get better
But I'm not quite sure how long we will wait, how long
we will wait
This is the end of a timeless tradition
Let's take a closer look at ourselves
I caught a glimpse in the mirror
But I didn't know that looks aren't all you have
It's what you've got on the inside that counts
This is where our bodies fail
And our hearts, and our minds take over
Force feed your ego for one more day
Force feed your ego for one more day
One day it will get better
But I'm not quite sure how long we will wait, how long
Furnished in fur and afraid of your father
You've choked out the air, burned up the water
Your sin is yourself, a slave to your youth
Too caught up in deceit to come close to a truth
Infinitely infantile,
But ultimately worth each and every while
Why do dreams dissipate upon waking,
Before we're able enough to intake them
Something is missing
Something is missing
Something is missing
Something is missing
Leave me, let me be, what's dead is free
Leave me, let me be, what's dead is free
We froze in frozen time
It all ends now
Furnished in fur and afraid of your father
You've choked out the air, burned up the water
Your sin is yourself, a slave to your youth
Too caught up in deceit to come close to a truth
Infinitely infantile,
But ultimately worth each and every while
Why do dreams dissipate upon waking,