The unceasing effort

Julia ♦ February 23, 2020 ♦ Leave a comment

Oleanders accent architectural beauty in Athens, Greece 2008

“Art is the unceasing effort to compete with the beauty of flowers– and never succeeding.” — Gian Carlo Menotti

Humans can create stunning works of art, but the best of these only imitate, echo, enhance or complement the beauty found in nature.  Art is usually made, at least in part, from materials found in the natural world, and is most appealingly displayed in combination with nature — paintings hung in elegant wooden frames, sculptures adorning colorful gardens, buildings surrounded by landscaped grounds.  Whenever you find yourself admiring the work of a painter, sculptor or architect, note how the beauty is accentuated by the inclusion of something that cannot be made with human hands.  How blessed we are, to be surrounded by many forms of mastery!

This post was originally published seven years ago today. You can view the original with comments here.