The infinite beauty of silence - Ram

I Begin with a quote
The world is a Mirror of Infinite Beauty, yet no man sees it. It is a Temple of Majesty, yet no man regards it. It is a Region of Light and Peace, did not man disquiet it. It is the Paradise of God . . . the Place of Angels and the Gate of Heaven. — Thomas Traherne

Our perceptions of what is beautiful vary with time & culture, so the accepted concept of beauty lie in the eye of the beholder. From the Florentine art, a composite of perfect & symmetrical features to the Renaissance artist inspired by classical statues and humanist philosophy, beauty varies in form, degree & art. However, silence is a form of infinite beauty, for it is essential to understand art, both of the artist & the perceived form of “to-be”. For beauty can be from the relative forms of the rivers & mountains to the absolute forms of “a lady” & “her elegance”. From neo classical writers to pastoral centric poets like Keats & Shelley immortalize beauty in the form of beings. Beauty is a perceived notion or an illusionary object for a time. Beauty and its perception have therefore always faced a similar dilemma: realism Vs Idealism. There seems to be an innate desire to depict and look at idealized and unattainable features and bodies with a preconceived notion, which then blinds us from facing the reality of life.
Perceptions of beauty are often characterized by the mood or the surrounding. One artist who relished in challenging the accepted formulae of beauty and methods of painting was Leonardo da Vinci. When painting The Mona Lisa, it is said that he set up an orchestra and performers in his studio to entertain his enigmatic model. She was obviously amused by the show, and the genius of Leonardo managed to portray a deeper, more genuine beauty, so rarely captured by an artist of any age. Beauty hence is influenced by factors other than the aforesaid silence.
Beauty by itself is an art. The timelessness in it is its greatest gift. From the flower buds to ripe fruits and the dry leaves covering the pathway, beauty is immortal. The ancient ruins of Greece are equally as beautiful as the city of Venice or Florence still preserved to retain the Avante Garde of the yesteryears. It is metaphysically delicate with an object that later becomes the subject of art. “This is beautiful” could be abstract, a form of art, and a perceived form.
Women were portrayed as an object of beauty from time immemorial. In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), paintings of women occupied an important place in art scene. Its status was above flower and bird painting, landscape painting and others. During this period, the depiction of women in art became formulaic, showing women regardless of social status with slim figures, oval faces and cherry lips. Female femininity and morbid beauty were also depicted by artists in the Qing Dynasty.