Rosina K. – An Exploration and Reflection of Philosophies of Art and Beauty
ARTIST STATEMENT
I was born in Amsterdam to two parents in the creative industry; My father has the title of chief creative officer and my mother attended Art Center college of Design in Pasadena. Our family moved between Amsterdam, New York City, and Minneapolis numerous times so my youth was heavily influenced by both the arts and an exciting mix of cultures. My parents’ work in the creative industry served as inspiration for me to pursue my own forms of expression and I naturally gravitated towards the art of photography. I’d been shooting film for 3 years when I realized I had a limited understanding of art, beauty, and inspiration. I questioned whether the work I produced was valuable when our contemporary world offers us so many forms of entertainment and satisfaction. Determined to answer my questions about why and how I felt inspired by the work of beautiful art, I turned to philosophy.
My initial exploration of philosophy was through Hank Green’s Crash Course Philosophy youtube series where he navigates dense conversations around the pillars of philosophical thinking metaphysics, epistemology, metaethics, ontology, and value theory (aesthetics). From 17th century Rene Descartes’ attempt to understand the faults of empirical beliefs to contemporary philosopher Bertrand Russel’s intelligent thought experiments, I learned to navigate the complicated language, questions, and ideas that these major philosophical terms introduced. After completing Hank Green’s course I moved on to a book called “Philosophies of Art and Beauty: Selected Readings in Aesthetics from Plato to Heidegger” which was edited by Albert Hofstadter and Richard Kuhns. Excerpts from Plato’s The Republic offered new terms, like mimesis, to describe phenomena of representation and imitation as well as a foundation for the concept of inspiration and artistic enthusiasm.
Historically, the value of art came only through the work of the divine, which leaves little room today for the average human to create anything meaningful. Though ways of thinking have changed drastically since these pieces were written, I found that the underlying essence of their thinking is still relevant and chose to use them as inspiration nevertheless. I also turned to ideas of color, light, and symmetry, aspects of nature that the human species and philosophers alike have appreciated artistically from long before the common era, to ground the value of my images. I took inspiration for my photography from the writings of Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, Kant, and more, whose quotes will be displayed on my gallery page. Photography itself offers the ability to capture a moment in time and space, through light, that would otherwise be lost. In this way I use my images as a vehicle to approach ideas of value, beauty, pleasure, and reality.
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