The Museum of Beauty

Trillium/Queen Anne's Lace
[Design by KPA]

I am putting together a website called "The Museum of Beauty." Its accompanying book is almost complete.

Here are the beginnings of The Museum of Beauty, and book soon to follow.

Email Interaction on Publishing a Book on Mississauga

Spikey Non-Christmas Tree outside of Holts Luxury Department store
at the main entrance of the Square One Mississauga Mall
the hub of activity in Mississauga
[Photo By: KPA, December 4, 2018]

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On Thursday Nov 29, 2018, at 12:10 PM
To: Ricardo Duchesne
Kidist Paulos Asrat wrote:

Dear Dr. Duchesne,

I frequently read the articles on the website Council of European Canadians, and I have read your book Canada in Decay.

I have been collecting and filing data on Mississauga, Ontario, for about three years now, to publish a book on the city.

I have been living in Mississauga for about five years, having lived in Toronto before that.

My years in Mississauga exposed me to multiculturalism and it steady and nefarious progression into the Canadian life and landscape. Mississauga is conveniently ignored by major cities like Toronto and Ottawa, and is a destination for Third World immigrants who flock here looking for cheaper housing and a safe suburban life, away from the "big city" problems of Toronto. Mississauga now has one of the largest non-white population in all of Canada.

Mississauga's leaders' intentions are starkly displayed at the Art Gallery of Mississauga, where I was a frequent visitor and recorder of the art and artistic activities promoted and programed by the gallery.

About a year ago, I asked one too many controversial question at an AGM gallery event about the lack of Western art on display at the gallery, and subsequently, I received an email from the galley's (still current) director, Mandy Slater, a white woman, to cease my "antagonistic" behavior and not to frequent gallery any more, with my name submitted to the Peel Region Police and the Mississauga Security division, should I not comply. I haven't entered the gallery since then. But the AGM's prolific website provides me with all the information I require on the gallery's exhibitions and programming to follow and monitor their activities. As well, most of the staff post photographs and commentary on their various social media sites.

Since then, the AGM has been making progressive changes in the gallery's structure and organization, and especially so in the past few months. One of the dramatic changes has been the removal of Kendra Ainsworth, its one (of two) white staff. The other is Mandy Salter, the gallery's director, recently hired only about a year ago. All the other administrative and curatorial positions are [KPA edit: since] filled with non-white, mostly Indian (Asian) and Muslim staff. Most are also relatively new to these posts, stretching back about two years for the most senior.

The AGM's purpose of this newly restructured gallery is is to "build a whole new kind of art institution" as I wrote to a correspondent recently. What I mean by this is a gallery that exhibits and promotes works by non-white, non-Western artists.

I have a background in the arts both as a practitioner and as a researcher. I studied photography at Ryerson University, and painting and textile design through various courses and workshops in Toronto, including the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto.

I started a blog called Camera Lucida in 2005 to "explore and shed light on how art, and culture and society converge."

Several years later in 2013, I started a blog I titled Reclaiming Beauty "to document the contribution that beauty had made toward our Western Civilization," where I still continue to blog.

I believe that the AGM is building an institution that can expand into other regions in the province and the country, as a successful example of an art institution that reflects multicultural and ethnic art, and a gallery which has pushed to the sidelines, and even out of the gallery, works by what now Canadians are being regularly told "racist" white artists, and especially those which reflect a Canada of half a century to a century ago, which of course are almost exclusively white artists.

Mississauga's history originates as a "new city" built around the 1970s, as an ambitious vision by a white Canadian, Bruce McLaughlin, to separate this already existing small town from the influences of Toronto, and to build self-sufficient and independent city. Immigration and non-Canadian residents were far from his, and his colleagues' minds. The AGM itself was established in 1987, as a separate gallery, independent from big-city influences, or even the then encroaching multiculturalism, and its inauguration was celebrated with the visit of the Duke and Duchess of York in July 1987.

I will present this historical material in my book on how a once confident city, with confident citizens, now has devolved into this multicultural outpost, almost forgotten by other regional centres, but which is quietly restructuring society and culture.

At some point it will gain some power and start to promote successful and prosperous multiculturalism as an example for other Canadian cities to follow.

The reality, though, is that Mississauga is far from success and prosperity, with some of the highest poverty rates in Ontario recorded in the city's non-white ethnic neighbourhoods, and a non-existent, true, "mosaic" of mixed multiculturalism, with an increasingly self-segregating population separating itself by race, ethnicity and religion. And the various socio-ethnic groups do not work together, in art or other cultural and social programs, especially where their "identities" are involved, and some are even antagonistic towards each other (Indian Hindu and Muslims, for example).

And the AGM would not exist were it not for the close to the third of a billion of dollars in governmental grants it receives annually to promote this artificial mosaic of integrated multiculturalism through its art exhibitions and art programming.

I propose that we co-author such a book, perhaps as part of a larger subject of the practical realities of multiculturalism in Canada, and use Mississauga as one (perhaps the most important) example of how things really do function when multiculturalism is the Canadian government's policy.

Sincerely,
Kidist Paulos Asrat

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On Monday, December 3, 2018, 11:11:24 AM
Ricardo Duchesne <...@unb.ca> wrote:

Hello,

Why not turn this into an article for CEC? You already have a good draft, and need to have an introduction, and a few other revisions to make it into an article. This is a topic I am interested in, and would like to see this developed into article.

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On Monday, December 3, 2018, at 6:09:37 PM
Kidist Paulos Asrat wrote:

Thank you for your suggestion.

KPA
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On Wednesday, Dec 5 2018, at 6:47 AM
reclaimbeauty@gmail.com
To: Ricardo Duchesne


Dear Dr. Duchesne,

Thanks once again for your helpful comments.

Nonetheless, I will independently write and publish the book on Mississauga rather than produce a very much condensed article.

Mississauga is a unique place. It warrants a full book: a demonstration of how society devovles as rulers and leaders lose confidence in themselves and a government-mandated plan (Multiculturalism) to change society is forced on all policy makers, which they have to comply with if they want to keep their jobs and have some future to look forward to (retirement, children well-educated, mortgages paid off, etc.).

There was something exciting and fresh about Mississauga when it started out as a city built from the ground up - literally.

The saddest part of this bright history is the current demoralized population, both white and nonwhite.

For example, non-white residents and immigrants relate to their ancestral countries much more so now than a decade or two ago. Most of them are bitterly disappointed in Canada, where they have been unable to "integrate," despite tremendous efforts by government officials and policies to assist them to do so. And their children, the Canadian-born second generation, who are experiencing the same lack of integration, are militant in blaming the "racist" white culture that they fervently believe is denying them their "rights." Thus there is no integration, but increasing ethnic and racial self-segregation. And there is also a new (albeit weak) trend of a repatriation and return "home" by some.

But I believe all this is a good thing, a good sign, demonstrating the failures (and cruelty) of multiculturalism, not just to critics like me, but to ordinary people, which is forcing them to search for, and discover, authentic ways of living.

Here is where I can show systematically how we can all salvage what we have. Those who return to their countries of origin can reclaim their ancestry and abandoned homes. And those like me can reclaim the city as it was once envisioned by its pioneers.

I believe that Mississauga, because of its strange "outlier" geographical position, is a perfect blueprint to demonstrate all these points.

Thank you once again for your communication. All the best in your projects.

Sincerely,

Kidist Paulos Asrat

The Franciscan University

I spent three days in this beautiful campus last weekend, during the Power of Beauty Conference, where I was also a presenter.

The week-end went well, my presentation was well-received, and I returned with memories of good discussions, beautiful environment, delicious food, and new visions.

This encourages me, more than ever, to continue with my book project Reclaiming Beauty: Winning Back Our Civilization, especially after I (bought) and read Dietrich von Hildebrand's book My Battle Against Hitler, which tells of his bravery and courage, which he of course diminishes in his humble way, against the evil that beset Germany ("my beloved Germany" he writes) in the early parts of the 20th century.

Our task, now, appears less difficult, but the surreptitious usurpation of our civilization goes on, and astute voices need to make the calls.

Below are photographs I took of the beautiful campus.


[Photo By: KPA]

The view of of St. Kolbe residence hall on the right, after St. Maximilian Kolbe, killed by the Nazis, and the St. Thomas Moore (after the saint) building on the left.

I took this shot while going from one conference presentation to another. The university is secluded from the town and other centers. To get there, one needs a car or some kind of transportation. An entrepreneurial student arranged for a shuttle bus to transport students to and from the campus, primarily to the Pittsburgh International Airport. That is where I met the shuttle, traveling a short (local bus) distance there from the Greyhound station.

Once on campus, the spiritual freshness of the place is beautifully palpable.




[Photo By: KPA]

A small wood near the campus' Rosary Circle.

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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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Book Project: Reclaiming Beauty

Gold Leafs

Photo By: KPA

Significance of Book Reclaiming Beauty

Reclaiming Beauty will be the first book on beauty to make a comprehensive, historical, cultural and societal review of beauty. It will describe the moment (or moments) when beauty was not only undermined, but eventually abandoned, as a paradigm of civilized life. Rather than attributing beauty to a Godly goodness, philosophers, writers and artists began to view beauty as their enemy, and as their nemesis. They saw God as a judge who would not let them do as they wished. In order to pursue the image of beauty they desired, they began to look elsewhere. They began to abandon God, and by abandoning God, they began to change their world, filling it with horror and ugliness.

I maintain that this was not their objective, which was merely to look for a different perspective on aesthetics. The realization of the horror they have created may have come too late, and too weakly, from cultural leaders, but ordinary people, who are most affected by these changes in worldview, are already incurring changes. But they cannot make useful inferences, and hence necessary changes. They still need an elite to help them materialize their desires and observations.

A new elite that is pro-beauty needs to take the cultural reins, to guide and return our world back to its awe and wonder of beauty. To this end, Reclaiming Beauty will add an element which no other book on beauty has attempted: guidelines on how to renounce this world of anti-beauty, and how to progressively bring beauty back into our culture.

The book will be a manifesto for concrete references to these basic ideas. Along with the book, a website will be developed that will be an interactive continuation of the book. On the website, members can post their original articles, shorter commentaries, articles and excerpts from other authors, and encourage feedback and comments from other members. At some point, this group can develop into a more formal society, which can meet in a physical locations a few times a year, building beauty societies, whose purpose would be to develop ideas and strategies for bringing beauty back into our culture.
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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New York Public Library Grant Application for 2013

Objective

Modern man is a literary man, possibly more so than a visual one. Through the written word, with timely examples and with an exhorter’s clarity, I will be able to relay the urgent message that beauty is disappearing.

The book Reclaiming Beauty aims to document the contribution that beauty has made toward our Western civilization, from the earliest records of God’s love of beauty, to a young child who sees beauty almost as soon as he is born. Our civilization thrived, prospered and matured because of beauty. Our great artists, architects, writers, philosophers and scientists have always referred to beauty with awe and wonder. It is in the modern era that beauty began to be undermined and eventually neglected by artists and other intellectual leaders.

Reclaiming Beauty will show that the abandonment of beauty leads to the death of culture, and eventually society. Modern man’s neglect of beauty has initiated the cult of ugliness, leaving us with bleakness and nihilism.

But, people want beauty. And they will surround themselves with some kind of aesthetic quality. Still, beauty is the business of the knowledgeable. The man on the street may be able to recognize beauty, but he would not be able to explain why it is beautiful. That is the task of the experts.

With Reclaiming Beauty, I aim to present my ideas, observations and analyses on beauty, and to provide a guide for recommendations on how to remove oneself from the nefarious influences of our beauty-rejecting world. This way, we can build a parallel world which will eventually form a growing movement of beauty-reclaiming individuals, who can start to shape a world where beauty is not minimized and rejected.

Significance

Reclaiming Beauty will be the first book on beauty to make a comprehensive, historical, cultural and societal review of beauty. It will describe the moment (or moments) when beauty was not only undermined, but eventually abandoned, as a paradigm of civilized life. Rather than attributing beauty to a Godly goodness, philosophers, writers and artists began to view beauty as their enemy, and as their nemesis. They saw God as a judge who would not let them do as they wished. In order to pursue the image of beauty they desired, they began to look elsewhere. They began to abandon God, and by abandoning God, they began to change their world, filling it with horror and ugliness.

I maintain that this was not their objective, which was merely to look for a different perspective on aesthetics. The realization of the horror they have created may have come too late, and too weakly, from cultural leaders, but ordinary people, who are most affected by these changes in worldview, are already incurring changes. But they cannot make useful inferences, and hence necessary changes. They still need an elite to help them materialize their desires and observations.

A new elite that is pro-beauty needs to take the cultural reins, to guide and return our world back to its awe and wonder of beauty. To this end, Reclaiming Beauty will add an element which no other book on beauty has attempted: guidelines on how to renounce this world of anti-beauty, and how to progressively bring beauty back into our culture.

The book will be a manifesto for concrete references to these basic ideas. Along with the book, a website will be developed that will be an interactive continuation of the book. On the website, members can post their original articles, shorter commentaries, articles and excerpts from other authors, and encourage feedback and comments from other members. At some point, this group can develop into a more formal society, which can meet in a physical locations a few times a year, building beauty societies, whose purpose would be to develop ideas and strategies for bringing beauty back into our culture.

Part of the book will be revised versions of what I've been developing over a number of years in my blogs Camera Lucida, Reclaiming Beauty and Our Changing Landscape, and from my full-length articles from Kidist P. Asrat Articles.

All images that head the chapters will be from my own collection of photographs and designs. Some of these images can be found at Kidist P. Photographs and Well-Patterned. Others I will choose from my collection of photographs, mostly in negatives and prints. Others I will take as the project progresses.

The image on the book cover is a photograph I took of the the inner courtyard at the Cloisters Museum in New York. There is a section in the book dedicated to the Cloisters titled: The Sturdy Periwinkle: Linking the New World with the Old, which discusses the Western, European influences in North American culture. The chapter will be a revision of a post at the blog Reclaiming Beauty.

What I plan to accomplish at the New York Public Library

The library’s vast, world class research facilities will assist me in finding the scholarly, historic and artistic information necessary to develop the ideas for my book.

How I plan to use the New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building

I will primarily be using the Arts and Architecture Collections. The material I am interested in is the Western collections (fine art, decorative arts, architecture and design history, as described in the NYPL website). Here are the specific ways I will peruse the library’s facilities:
- Catalogues Raisonnes
This will provide me with specific works of art by specific artists, who played important if not seminal influence on Western art and culture
- Thirty Minute Consultations
Since my time is limited at the library, periodic, short consultations, especially at the beginning of my research schedule, will save me time and help me find relevant and pertinent information.
- Vertical Files
Although vertical files are no longer being catalogued, my research is also concerned with a historical perspective on art and culture, and the perception of beauty. The material that is catalogued between 1910-1950 will be useful to analyze how the detrimental effects of two world wars (1914-1945) affected the culture.
- Photographic Collection
Examining photographic records of recent history will provide me with a documentary of the society's aesthetics when image production started to be more democratic, and more available. Photographs don’t, and don’t need to, eulogize their subjects, as did painters.
- Print Collection
The collection which dates from the 15th century, and which encompasses almost five hundred years of image reproductions, will provide me with a historical survey of how beauty, and beautiful images, were viewed over these centuries.
- Spencer Collection
I will have access to the Spencer Collection through the Photograph and Print Collections, providing me with further material to enhance these two collections, including medieval and renaissance manuscripts.
- The Manuscript and Archives Division
This houses documents ranging from medieval and renaissance illuminated manuscripts, which is also connected to the various other prints divisions in the library, and will enhance my research.
- Map Division
Besides the practicality of maps, there is an aesthetics to maps as well. The Map Division will provide me with this aesthetic survey of maps over the centuries.
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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First-time Publisher

Cover Design and Photo by Kidist Paulos Asrat

I sent the following email to a publisher, whose reputation I discerned from having published a recent book of someone I esteem.

I got back a positive reply.

If anyone has any publisher that would be interested in the kind of book I'm preparing (have been preparing), please let me know at: cameralucidas@yahoo.com.

To whom it may concern,

I am writing a book titled Reclaiming Beauty.

Its premise is that we have been given a world of beauty by God, who is the pre-eminent lover of beauty, and who has told us to make the world more beautiful.

My book explores beauty, historically, culturally, artistically, and through a religious (Christian) lens. My thesis is that we have veered far away from God's desires, especially in the 20th and now the 21st century.

But, I conclude that it is not too late. And that with faith, and our own creativity, we can revive and reclaim beauty.

One way I propose is to start a "beauty movement" which the book can be a reference to, and which can continue online at Reclaiming Beauty, and beyond in communities around the country.

Please let me know how, as a first time writer, I can have my book published.

Here are:
- My resume
- My website: Reclaiming Beauty
- The outline of my book's chapters
- My proposal for a beauty movement

Thank you,
Kidist Paulos Asrat

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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat

A Beauty Movement

Image Title: Cornus Florida. (Dogwood).
Artist: Bigelow, Jacob, 1787-1879
Medium: Engravings, Hand-colored
Source: American medical botany,
being a collection of the native medicinal
plants of the United States,
containing their botanical history and
chemical analysis, and properties and
uses in medicine, diet and
the arts, with coloured engravings
Location: Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Rare Books Division

The New York Public Library's digital gallery has a wealth of images. I found the dogwood illustration above from the Nature Illustrated: Flowers, Plants, and Trees collection, here.


Dogwood Sketch
By: KPA

Below is an excerpt from my grant proposal for the Cullman Center Grant for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library.
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My book Reclaiming Beauty aims to document the contribution that beauty has made toward our Western civilization, from the earliest records of God’s love of beauty, to a young child who sees beauty almost as soon as he is born. Our civilization thrived, prospered and matured because of beauty. Our great artists, architects, writers, philosophers and scientists have always referred to beauty with awe and wonder. It is in the modern era that beauty began to be undermined and eventually neglected by artists and other intellectual leaders.

Reclaiming Beauty will show that the abandonment of beauty leads to the death of culture, and eventually society. Modern man’s neglect of beauty has initiated the cult of ugliness, leaving us with bleakness and nihilism.

But, people want beauty. And they will surround themselves with some kind of aesthetic quality. Still, beauty is the business of the knowledgeable. The man on the street may be able to recognize beauty, but he would not be able to explain why it is beautiful. That is the task of the experts.

With Reclaiming Beauty, I aim to present my ideas, observations and analyses on beauty, and to provide a guide for recommendations on how to remove oneself from the nefarious influences of our beauty-rejecting world. This way, we can build a parallel world which will eventually form a growing movement of beauty-reclaiming individuals, who can start to shape a world where beauty is not minimized and rejected.

Reclaiming Beauty will be the first book on beauty to make a comprehensive, historical, cultural and societal review of beauty. It will describe the moment (or moments) when beauty was not only undermined, but eventually abandoned, as a paradigm of civilized life. Rather than attributing beauty to a Godly goodness, philosophers, writers and artists began to view beauty as their enemy, and as their nemesis. They saw God as a judge who would not let them do as they wished. In order to pursue the image of beauty they desired, they began to look elsewhere. They began to abandon God, and by abandoning God, they began to change their world, filling it with horror and ugliness.

I maintain that this was not their objective, which was merely to look for a different perspective on aesthetics. This realization may have come too late, and too weakly, from the cultural leaders, but ordinary people, who are most affected by these changes in worldview, are already incurring changes. But they cannot make useful inferences, and hence necessary changes. They still need an elite to help them materialize their desires and observations.

A new elite that is pro-beauty needs to take the cultural reins, to guide and return our world back to its awe and wonder of beauty. To this end, Reclaiming Beauty will add an element which no other book on beauty has attempted: guidelines on how to renounce this world of anti-beauty, and how to progressively bring beauty back into our culture.

The book will be a manifesto for concrete references to these basic ideas. Along with the book, a website will be developed that will be an interactive continuation of the book. On the website, members can post their original articles, shorter commentaries, articles and excerpts from other authors, and encourage feedback and comments from other members. At some point, this group can develop into a more formal society, which can meet in a physical locations a few times a year, building beauty societies, whose purpose would be to develop ideas and strategies for bringing beauty back into our culture.

Part of the book will revised versions of what I've been developing over a number of years in my blog posts at Camera Lucida, Reclaiming Beauty and Our Changing Landscape, and from my full-length articles from Kidist P. Asrat Articles.

All images that head the chapters will be from my own collection of photographs and designs. Some of these images can be found at Kidist P. Photographs and Well-Patterned. Others I will choose from my collection of photographs, mostly in negatives and prints. Others I will take as the project progresses.
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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Chapters for Book: Reclaiming Beauty: Winning Back Our Civilzation

Here are the working titles:

Introduction

Chapter One
The History of Beauty
- Myths and Legends
- Antiquity
- The Dark Ages
- The Enlightenment
- Tradition

Chapter Two
Beauty in Culture and Society
- The Transcendent
- Religion
- Worship of God
- Truth and Goodness
- Humanity
- Femininity
- Masculinity
- Tradition

Chapter Three
Beauty in Art
- Architecture
- Painting
- Drawing and Illustrations
- Film
- Photography
- Dance
- Design and Fashion
- Art Criticism

Chapter Four
Beauty in Language
- Literature
- Poetry
- Writing
- Books
- Humor

Chapter Five
Beauty in Science and Nature
- Science
- Nature
- Technology
- Inventions
- The Galaxy
- Earth
- Plants
- Animals

Chapter Six
Beauty in Religion
- Religion
- Christianity
- Judaism

Chapter Seven
Beauty in the Modern Era
- Modernity
- Postmodernism
- Politics
- Multiculturalism

Chapter Eight
Desecration of Beauty
- Rejecting Beauty
- Elimination of Beauty
- Reign of the Ugly

Chapter Nine
Reclaiming Beauty
- Steps to avoid the era of desecration
- Steps toward true beauty
- Influencing family and community
- Changing the World

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Book Project Update

Those of you whom I haven't bothered with a group email, and who would like to know about, and assist me with my latest activities regarding Reclaiming Beauty, book project and website ambitions, please read the following.

Dear Friends of Western Civilization,
Since my last email to you, I had informed you that Jamie Glazov, from Frontpage Magazine, was interest in my book and my ideas on Reclaiming Beauty, and that he had told me he would find a slot for me in his California-based production company Jamie Glazov Productions, to interview me some time in late August/early September.

He has subsequently withdrawn his invitation. I think this is because of the content of my website, and the themes I approach. I have a feeling he had never read my site before my email, but was taken in by my email presentation of my ideas. I've chronicled our interaction here.

Nonetheless, I plan to travel to much closer quarters, to New York City, where I will attend Jim Kalb's monthly discussion/dinner meeting on August 14. An independent sponsor has agreed to fund my transportation (the Greyhound bus from Toronto to NYC - a beautiful 10+ hours drive through upstate New York and parts of Pennsylvania!) and a small per diem.

While in New York, I hope to interview some individuals, beauty experts and non-experts, who I think have thought about beauty, as an added chapter to my book. I also plan to take photographs of various New York landmarks, and select a few as chapter headings for my book. And there are some world-class research facilities, like the New York Public Library, which I can use to fine-tune some research ideas.

It has been a while since I've asked for donations towards my website and my project.

I would appreciate any amount of assistance, in order to make my trip the success I hope it will be.

Please use the paypal button at the side margin on Reclaiming Beauty.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Kidist

Reclaiming Beauty

Jamie Glazov, of Frontpage Magazine, and now also running the Jamie Glazov Productions, produced by the David Horowitz Freedom Center, was to interview me on my ideas on Reclaiming Beauty.

Below is our email communication.

KPA, June 11, 2013:

Dear Mr. Glazov,

I am a designer and an artist.

My work incorporates many Canadian and American themes.

I am writing a book titled: Reclaiming Beauty.

I would like to know if you will have me on your show to discuss my book, and my larger ideas.

I believe that we are now at an impasse in our Western civilization. I have been chronicling these progressions, both in America and in Canada, at my websites, Our Changing Landscape, Camera Lucida, and most recently at Reclaiming Beauty.

I decided to focus on beauty because it is usually the first to deteriorate where civilization begins to break down.

My book (and website) are not simply chroniclers of events, though. I hope that the book becomes a small guide to show the way out of this impasse. And I hope that the website evolves into a kind of a group movement, where we not only discuss these issues online, but become activists in our communities and societies.

I have lived in Canada (mostly Toronto) for the last twenty years. I have lived in France and England, and a short while in Mexico. I left my country of birth, Ethiopia as a young child.

I have also lived and studied in the United States, in Rutgers University, New Jersey, and the University of Connecticut.

I have a digital arts degree, which includes film and photography, and extensive training in painting, drawing and textile design.

My articles have been printed in Frontpage Magazine, The American Thinker, ChronWatch and in the Botanical Artists of Canada.

Here is my resume:

Here are the preliminary chapters to my book Reclaiming Beauty:

And here are my websites:

Reclaiming Beauty

Camera Lucida

Our Changing Landscape

Kidist P. Asrat Photographs

Kidist P. Asrat Articles

Well Patterned

Thank you for your attention,

Sincerely,

Kidist Paulos Asrat

Glazov, June 11, 2013:

where do you live sir? and what is your political disposition?

KPA, June 13, 2013:

I am "Miss" and not "Sir"! Actually, it is a common mistake.

I live in Toronto, Canada.

You may remember me from articles I have written for Frontpage Magazine. Here is a link to my articles published at FPM.

Kidist

Glazov, June 13, 2013:

Ok thanks Kidist...well the show tapes in L.A.....if you are gonna be in L.A. I would try to work something out to make it happen. Cheers, Jamie.

KPA, June 24, 2013:

Dear Jamie,

I'm working on coming out to LA. I have a chapter I want to write about wine (its aesthetic, religious, gastronomic, etc. aspects) and I am contacting some wine experts in the wine country for interviews.

By the way, does your media company have any funding for guests on its show? I'm trying to secure funds for the plane ride and a few nights in a hotel.

Thanks again for your interest and invitation. I look forward to meeting you.

Kidist

Glazov, June 24, 2013:

Hi Kidist, sorry my friend, our budget is very tight and we do not have the means to pay anything for guests. Wish you the best, Cheers, Jamie.

KPA, July 30, 2013:

Dear Jamie,

Once again, thanks for your interest.

It looks like I will be able to make it to California in late August, early September. I will come over for the day, stay over-night, and leave the next day, after the interview.

Please let me know the exact date that you can put me on your program.

And could you also tell me the exact location of your organization, so that I can start booking a hotel. And if you know of any bed and breakfast type of places, please also let me know.

By the way, I was listening to some of your interviews, and your recent one with Ying Ma really struck a chord. Here is the link to my post Chinese Woman Still in the Ghetto on Reclaiming Beauty. I hope I wasn't too harsh.

Glazov, July 30, 2013:

Hi Kidist, I will be away all August and early September so unfortunately I can't schedule anything for this time. Sincerely, Jamie.

KPA, July 30, 2013:

That's fine. I was working on doing one big trip to the U.S. I have a group meeting with Jim Kalb [and] Orthosphere in mid-late August in NYC, and I thought I could make the trip down to California that way. In fact, after Sept. is better since I can book a low-season ticket/hotel early.

Kidist

Glazov, July 30, 2013:

the genre and plans for the show are changing in the future so i cannot promise anything. sincerely, jamie.

Glazov diplomatically changed his mind about my interview. I think it was because of my post on Reclaiming Beauty Chinese Woman Still in the Ghetto. Here is the link. My post is about Ying Ma, the author of Chinese Girl in the Ghetto, whom Glazov had interviewed on his television show. In the eyes of modern conservatives (and modern people in general) any direct reference to someone's race, and attributing their behaviors to that cultural and racial make-up, is tantamount to racism. I am sure this is how Glazov took my post.

He was so busy admiring the many achievement and activities of Ma, that he overlooked one very important fact: all of Ma's activities center around her "Chineseness." I questioned the wisdom of allowing people like Ma to enter important areas of American politics such as Ma's trip to China with the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. At what point will her loyalties be to America only, and not to some ambiguous connection to China? How can we trust her not to relay vital information to the Chinese, directly or inadvertently?

Ma left China around the same age I left Ethiopia. She came to America as an immigrant (legal immigrant, she is happy to inform us). She left China because her parents were looking for better economic prospects. I left Ethiopia because it was a matter of saving my father's life. We were political dissidents. My father was part of the Haile Selassie regime, and he secured a post in the Paris-based UNESCO months before the regime fell apart, and the brutal and vicious dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam took over. Many of my father's colleagues, and friends, were imprisoned. Some were excecuted. This would have probably been the fate of my father.

But, by the grace of God, we ended up in Paris, the most beautiful city in the world! My young years until my late teens were spent between school holidays in Paris, and boarding school in England. My brothers and I got the best of the Western world. We were hardly wealthy. Most of my father's assets had to remain in Ethiopia (and were later confiscated). We lived in cramped apartments. And UNESCO payed the bills for our primary and secondary education. My parents then sent us to college in the U.S. Only one child could secure UNESCOS's college education assistance (which I received, being the eldest), and later, I managed to get a collection of scholarships and grants which took me through graduate degrees.

Soon after we arrived in Europe, we had very little relations with Ethiopia. There were a handful (three of four) Ethiopian families in France since almost all who left Ethiopia had gone to America. I speak Amharic, but my youngest brother barely speaks it. All my post-Ethiopa life has been immersed in the West. But, it wasn't for lack of opportunities that, for me, Ethiopia was in the background. New York and Los Angeles have a huge hub of Ethiopians. When I went to college in the U.S. at seventeen, I could have resumed "where we left off," and started a whole new chapter of "Ethiopianness" with the huge community in New York, but for I opted to stay away from that. I couldn't understand the nostalgic relation to a country which is so far away, culturally, geographically and for me, emotionally.

My blogs and writing will show that I am a unique (odd, some will say) defender of the West, and Western civilization. I have tried to include some Ethiopian elements, primarily its Christian heritage, but that seems to be the only, significant, point of intersection with my Western-oriented work. I have been asked, both in my writings and in my design work, why I don't focus on Ethiopia. Each time, I have ignored those remarks, or made a quick, dismissive reply in order to be left alone. The questions have never been genuine, and were by people who were in some way trying to belittle Western civilization.

And I have been rewarded for my reticence. I have been discovering the extraordinary gifts of Western art and culture since I was a ten-year-old in Paris.

I have maintained this blog (or series of blogs), without any interruption, and without changing my original message and direction, for abut ten years now. And the fruit of that labor is that my writings have enough articles and thought-out arguments that can be published in a book. I hope that will interest, and attract, a much wider scope of people than blog readers.

The book will not be (is not) a "personal" memoir, a la Hirsi Ali, and now Ma, but a theoretical and cultural analysis of art and culture in our West-phobic world, with the aim to reclaim what has been cast aside, and to revive Western culture to the best of my ability, and the best abilities of those whom I hope will join forces with me.
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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David Bentley Hart: The Beauty of the Infinite: The Aesthetics of Christian Truth

Niagara Falls
[Photo By: KPA]

I came across David Bentley Hart’s The Beauty of the Infinite: The Aesthetics of Christian Truth (via Thomas F. Bertonneau's post "What are you reading" at the Orthosphere, where he linked to The University Bookman, a book review site in which he participates).

I went searching for the book in various bookstores. From what I understand, it is out of print, or out of stock. In any case, it is available on Amazon.com ($26 for a used book, from the original price of $40!).

I searched for online versions, and there is an almost complete Google Books version. There is a page missing every few pages, but until I get a hold of a hard copy, I will suffer through that.

This will be a great book to review as I work on my own modest contribution to beauty. One of the sections in my book Reclaiming Beauty is titled: Beauty in the Worship of God. I'm approaching this from the "human" angle, that one of the ways we worship God is through our creation of beauty, of which art plays a large part. But there is also the beauty in the perfect, or perfectible, logic of science. And beauty in the elegance in even the clumsiest of sports (wrestling or even boxing). The true worship of God includes our creation of beauty, as well as our appreciation, recognition and inclusion of beauty.

But Bentley's book has given me a different perspective, although I would have reached it at some point in my research and writing.

From Part 2 of the table of contents of The Beauty of the Infinite: The Aesthetics of Christian Truth (see the list of contents below), Bentley introduces us to the concept of beauty that comes from God, who is a God who would rather win us over through beauty, with "shared regard, delight, fellowship, feasting, and joy." I will venture to say that God created the world to fill it with beauty, to share this world with us, and to bring us closer to Him. We should delight in beauty, as He does, if only to show our appreciation as the chosen partakers of beauty.

I quote Pope Benedict XVI in my chapter Seek and Ye Shall Find (which I've reproduced here as one of a few select chapters to introduce my ideas):

Beauty, whether that of the natural universe or that expressed in art, precisely because it opens up and broadens the horizons of human awareness, pointing us beyond ourselves, bringing us face to face with the abyss of Infinity, can become a path towards the transcendent, towards the ultimate Mystery, towards God. [Meeting with Artists. Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI. Sistine Chapel. November 29, 2009. ]

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Ecclesiastes 3:

He hath made every thing beautiful in his time

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Here are the detailed table of contents of The Beauty Of The Infinite: The Aesthetics Of Christian Truth:

Introduction
The Question
Terms Employed
Beauty
Final Remarks

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Part 1: Dionysus against the Crucified

The Violence of Metaphysics and the Metaphysics of Violence

I. The City and the Wastes
II. The Veil of the Sublime
III. The Will to Power
IV. The Covenant of Light

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Part 2: The Beauty of the Infinite

A Dogmatica Minora

I. Trinity

1. The Christian understanding of beauty emerges not only naturally, but necessarily, from the Christian understanding of God as a perichoresis of love, a dynamic coinherence of the three divine persons, whose life is eternally one of shared regard, delight, fellowship, feasting, and joy
i. Divine Apatheia
ii. Divine Fellowship
iii. Divine Joy

2. The Christian understanding of difference and distance is shaped by the doctrine of the Trinity, where theology finds that the true form of difference is peace, of distance beauty
i. Divine Difference
ii. Divine Perfection

3. In the Christian God, the infinite is seen to be beautiful and so capable of being traversed by way of the beautiful
i. Desire's Flight
ii. Changeless Beauty
iii. The Mirror of the Infinite
iv. Infinite Peace

4. The infinite is beautiful because God is Trinity; and because all being belongs to God's infinity, a Christian ontology appears and properly belongs within a theological aesthetics
i. God and Being
ii. God beyond Being
iii. Analogia Entis

II. Creation

1. God's gracious action in creation belongs from the first to that delight, pleasure, and regard that the Trinity enjoys from eternity, as an outward and unnecessary expression of that love; and thus creation must be received before all else as gift and as beauty
i Analogia Delectationis
ii. The Gift
iii. Desire's Power

2. As God is Trinity, in whom all difference is possessed as perfect peace and unity, the divine life might be described as infinite music, and creation too might be described as a music whose intervals, transitions, and phrases are embraced within God's eternal, triune polyphony
i. The Divine Theme p. 275
ii. Divine Counterpoint p. 282

3. As God utters himself eternally in his Word, and possesses all the fullness of address and response, and as creation belongs to God's utterance of himself (as a further articulation, at an analogical remove, of the abundant "eloquence" of divine love), creation may be grasped by theology as language
i. Divine Expression
ii. Divine Rhetoric
iii. Analogia Verbi

III. Salvation

1. Salvation occurs by way of recapitulation, the restoration of the human image in Christ, the eternal image of the Father after whom humanity was created in the beginning; thus salvation consists in the recovery of a concrete form, and in the restoration of an original beauty
i. The Form of Distance
ii. Christ the Sign
iii. "What Is Truth?"
iv. The Practice of the Form

2. In Christ, totality's economy of violence is overcome by the infinity of God's peace, inasmuch as one order of sacrifice is overcome by another: sacrifice as the immolation of the beautiful is displaced by a sacrifice whose offering is one of infinite beauty
i. The Economy of Violence
ii. A Gift Exceeding Every Debt
iii. The Consolations of Tragedy, the Terrors of Easter

IV. Eschaton

Christian eschatology affirms the goodness of created difference, reveals divine truth to be inseparable from beauty, and exposes the totality as false and marked with a damnable finitude
i. Time's Surface, Eternity's Light
ii. The Last Adam

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Part 3. Rhetoric without Reserve

Persuasion, the Tyranny of Twilight, and the Language of Peace

I. The War of Persuasions
II. The Violence of Hermeneutics
III. The Optics of the Market
IV. The Gift of Martyrs
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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Re-Working the Chapters in Reclaiming Beauty

I have removed some chapter titles from the list (here are the chapters last updated in April 2013). They distract from the theme of the book. The chapter titles I have removed are from Chapter Four: Beauty in Culture and Society.

The removed chapters are:

- Islam
- Politics
- Immigration
- Multiculturalism

From the original list of:

- Religion
- Christianity
- Islam
- Myths and Legends
- History
- Traditions
- Conservatism
- Politics
- Immigration
- Multiculturalism

I have also added a chapter in Chapter Two: Beauty in Art.

This new chapter is Gastronomy, and will include the art of food and drink (both consuming and creating).

I have recently posted several articles on wine and beer:
- Dionysus' Fury
- The God Of Wine
- Nectar For The Gods

And on food:
- McDonalds' Aesthetics
- And a brief paragraph on French cuisine - or the presentation of French food, here.

So it makes sense to incorporate these ideas in the book, as well as other topics on food and drink.

Here are the latest working chapter titles for Reclaiming Beauty:

Chapter One
An Introduction to Beauty
- Seek and Ye Shall Find
- Beauty, Truth and Goodness
- Synthesis of Beauty
- Beauty in the Worship of God
- Beauty and the Transcendent
- Beauty and Humanity
- Beauty and Femininity
- Beauty and Masculinity
- How to be a Beautiful Movie Star
- Beauty: I will be your mirror
- Rejecting Beauty
- Elimination of Beauty

Chapter Two
Beauty in Art
- Architecture
- Painting
- Drawing and Illustrations
- Film
- Photography
- Dance
- Design and Fashion
- Gastronomy
- Art Criticism

Chapter Three
Beauty in Language
- Literature
- Poetry
- Writing
- Books
- Blogging
- Humor

Chapter Four
Beauty in Culture and Society
- Myths and Legends
- Religion
- Christianity
- History
- Traditions
- Conservatism

Chapter Five
Beauty in Nature

Chapter Six
Beauty in Science

Chapter Seven
Desecration of Beauty

Chapter Eight
Reclaiming Beauty

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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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Book Project: Writing

Bookshelf at Kennedy's in New York
[Photo by KPA]

I've been away from books. It used to be that I would have a couple of books on the works, usually one fiction and another cultural/art/biographical book. At school, I would find a quiet place to read a chapter, or half a chapter, before returning to school projects. My favorite place as a young girl was the seat of a tree-trunk. At work, I would use my lunch breaks, or coffee breaks, to read. At home, I would reduce the number of hours sitting in front of the television to resume a chapter I had to leave to return to other pressing matters.

In the past few years, it could be that I became disappointed with the selection of new books available these days, or that I had read enough of the classics that I wanted something modern and fresh. Yet almost all the modern books disappointed me, and I stopped buying books. I left off re-reading the classics. I started to spend more time on short on-line articles on the internet. And I started watching movies, and literary adaptations on television. I read fewer and fewer books.

Recently, I have gone back to books. I sit at a restaurant, or a coffee house, and bring my books, often two at a time, as I explained earlier my reading habits: Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, C. S. Lewis' Mere Christianity, Brian Morton's Starting Out in the Evening (a contemporary book which nonetheless won me over with its writing), Edith Hamilton's Mythology, Candice Bushnell's One Fifth Avenue (a witty contemporary book whose writer is of Sex and City fame), Roger Scruton's Beauty, Ron Chernow's Washington, and Nancy Berner's and Susan Lowry's Garden Guide: New York City.

I bought all but one of these books within the last year, so there's hope yet, except for Hemingway's which is an old edition which I bought at my undergraduate university's used book store (the bookstore's stamp - Paper Back Junction - is still on it, as well as an inscription by a reader dated '71, who wasn't a fan of the book, but I do disagree!).

It looks like I went into a flurry of buying, and reading, to make up for lost time, these past couple of years.

People seem to have some respect for books, and book readers. At the coffee house or restaurant which I visit more frequently (just a drink at both, and occasionally a meal at the restaurant), the owners/waiters/managers don't seem to mind that I choose a seat in the back, and that I could be there for an hour or more with just a coffee refill, or a plate of french fries, reading a book or taking and making notes. They seem to think I bring prestige to their place, and are kind and serviceable towards me.

Well, I did tell them something else, partly to alert them toward my long sit-times. "I am in the process of writing a book." I told one manager. I told him I come there to refresh my ideas, sometimes by reading another book, and other times by going over the notes I've made.

Since then, he takes the back in the back himself to quiet area, if he's not busy. And waiters (who desire to be writers?), actually sit down to chat with me. One in particular is too polite to ask direct questions, so I fill him in on the latest, if I can, and if I want to.

I wondered about this attention.

I think people are interested in those who do things, or who say they do things. And since I am coming into their premises to do something creative, they seem to want to make that as easy as possible for me.

I am often touched and surprised by their attention.

But, there is something else. I think there is a great deal of prestige given to writers. A writer, whether a fiction writer, a biographer, a political/social/cultural writer, invents something new through the sheer determination of his mind. It is creativity at the cerebral level, using the imagination of the writer and the reader to bring the work to life.

It is perhaps like the Bible. We have our created world, yet, in order to make sense of it, to analyze it, to make it a reality, God then created the Word. But the Bible is not just simply a descriptive account of the world around us. Its words create a myriad of things, from a literary masterpiece, a daily guideline, a family saga, a message bearer, a sin-identifier. Without this ability of the written word to convey so much, our Bible would be just another artifact, a prolonged magazine article, convincing no-one it is worthy to spend years to decipher its alphabets and words in order to read it, understand it, and make sense of our world through it.

I think that is what books are trying to do. And in a modest way, that is what I am trying to do.

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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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Book Project: The Neglected Beauty of the Dandelion

This will probably go under a new chapter I will call Neglected Beauty.


Dandelion

Pierre-Joseph Redoute (1759 - 1840)
Pissenlit Dent-De-Lion.
10 1/2 by 14 1/2 inches

This plate is by Redoute from the first illustrated edition of Jean Jacques Rousseau's "La Botanique de J.J. Rousseau, ornee de soixante-cinq planches, imprimes en couleurs d' apres les peintures de P.J. Redoute." Published in Paris in 1805, the plates are Stipple-engraved , printed in color and finished by hand. [Todd Cooper Antique Maps & Prints]

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The Neglected Beauty of the Dandelion

Lawns and grassy patches are now covered with dandelions. The dark, mustard yellow flower brightens up the outdoors, and shows us that we are in the full swing of spring. The name dandelion comes from the French dent de lion (lion's tooth), which became the anglicized dandelion we call it. The name refers to the jagged leaves. But I think the petals also look like the long, sharp canine teeth of a wild animal.

The dandelion is a bright, but ungainly flower. Perhaps that is why no-one has written an ode to this plant (unlike the daffodil, which competes for space and attention with this neglected weed in the over-crowded lawns of spring).

Walt Whitman wrote The First Dandelion, but it is a mere four lines compared to the four verses of William Wordsworth's Daffodils.

The First Dandelion
By Walt Whitman

Simple and fresh and fair from winter's close emerging,
As if no artifice of fashion, business, politics, had ever been,
Forth from its sunny nook of shelter'd grass--innocent, golden, calm as the dawn,
The spring's first dandelion shows its trustful face.
[Source: The Walt Whitman Archive]

William Wordsworth does mention the dandelion (and not even its flower but its seed) in his poem A Narrow Girdle of Rough Stones and Crags

Not seldom did we stop to watch some tuft
Of dandelion seed or thistle's beard,
That skimmed the surface of the dead calm lake,
Suddenly halting now--a lifeless stand!

Emily Dickenson wrote two verses, more a loud proclamation of the coming spring rather than a subtle ode to its beauty:

The Dandelion's pallid tube
By: Emily Dickenson

The Dandelion's Pallid Ttube
Astonishes the Grass,
And Winter instantly becomes
An infinite Alas --

The tube uplifts a signal Bud
And then a shouting Flower, --
The Proclamation of the Suns
That sepulture is o'er.
[Source: American Poems]

The dandelion's crowning glory is its seed head, ready to be dispersed by a small gust of wind, or the puff of a child ever enchanted by this unexpected surprise.

Dandelions are considered weeds, yet they have numerous positive qualities.

The University of Maryland Medical Center has the following on the dandelion:

Overview:

While many people think of the dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) as a pesky weed, herbalists consider it a valuable herb that can be used as a food and medicine. Dandelion is a rich source of vitamins A, B complex, C, and D, as well as minerals such as iron, potassium, and zinc. Dandelion leaves are used to add flavor to salads, sandwiches, and teas. The roots are used in some coffee substitutes, and the flowers are used to make wines.

Traditionally, dandelion roots and leaves were used to treat liver problems. Native Americans also boiled dandelion in water and took it to treat kidney disease, swelling, skin problems, heartburn, and upset stomach. In traditional Chinese medicine, dandelion has been used to treat stomach problems, appendicitis, and breast problems, such as inflammation or lack of milk flow. In Europe, it was used in remedies for fever, boils, eye problems, diabetes, and diarrhea.

So far, there have not been any good quality scientific studies on dandelion. Today, the roots are mainly used as an appetite stimulant, and for liver and gallbladder problems. Dandelion leaves are used as a diuretic to help the body get rid of excess fluid.

Plant Description:

Hundreds of species of dandelion grow in the temperate regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. Dandelion is a hardy perennial that can grow to a height of nearly 12 inches. Dandelions have deeply notched, toothy, spatula-like leaves that are shiny and hairless. Dandelion stems are capped by bright yellow flowers. The grooved leaves funnel rain to the root.

Dandelion flowers open with the sun in the morning and close in the evening or during gloomy weather. The dark brown roots are fleshy and brittle and are filled with a white milky substance that is bitter and slightly smelly.

Parts Used:

Dandelion leaves act as a diuretic, increasing the amount of urine the body produces. The leaves are used to stimulate the appetite and help digestion. Dandelion flower has antioxidant properties. Dandelion may also help improve the immune system.

Herbalists use dandelion root to detoxify the liver and gallbladder, and dandelion leaves to support kidney function.

Medicinal Uses and Indications:

Traditionally, dandelion has been used a diuretic, to increase the amount of urine the body produces in order to get rid of excess fluid. It has been used for many conditions where a diuretic might help, such as liver problems and high blood pressure. However, there is no good research on using dandelion as a diuretic in people.

Fresh or dried dandelion herb is also used as a mild appetite stimulant and to improve upset stomach. The root of the dandelion plant may act as a mild laxative and has been used to improve digestion. There is some very preliminary research that suggests dandelion may help improve liver and gallbladder function, but the study was not well designed.

Some preliminary animal studies also suggest that dandelion may help normalize blood sugar levels and lower total cholesterol and triglycerides while raising HDL, "good," cholesterol in diabetic mice. But not all the animal studies have found a positive effect on blood sugar. Human studies are needed to see if dandelion would work in people.

A few animal studies also suggest that dandelion might help fight inflammation.

Alternative Names:

Lion's tooth; Priest's crown; Swine's snout; Taraxacum officinale. [More information at the University of Marylyand's website]

Lions, priests and crowns. This small flower does keep good company.
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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Working Chapter Titles for Reclaiming Beauty

Here are the working chapter titles for Reclaiming Beauty:

Chapter One
An Introduction to Beauty
- Seek and Ye Shall Find
- Beauty, Truth and Goodness
- Synthesis of Beauty
- Beauty in the Worship of God
- Beauty and the Transcendent
- Beauty and Humanity
- Beauty and Femininity
- Beauty and Masculinity
- How to be a Beautiful Movie Star
- Beauty: I will be your mirror
- Rejecting Beauty
- Elimination of Beauty

Chapter Two
Beauty in Art
- Architecture
- Painting
- Drawing and Illustrations
- Film
- Photography
- Dance
- Design and Fashion
- Art Criticism

Chapter Three
Beauty in Language
- Literature
- Poetry
- Writing
- Books
- Blogging
- Humor

Chapter Four
Beauty in Culture and Society
- Religion
- Christianity
- Islam
- Myths and Legends
- History
- Traditions
- Conservatism
- Politics
- Immigration
- Multiculturalism

Chapter Five
Beauty in Nature

Chapter Six
Beauty in Science

Chapter Seven
Desecration of Beauty

Chapter Eight
Reclaiming Beauty

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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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Book Project An Introduction to Beauty: Seek and Ye Shall Find

The introduction for Reclaiming Beauty is a compilation of various posts from Camera Lucida and other sources (see below for references).

From Camera Lucida:
- Beauty and the Transcendent
- The Sistine Chapel
- He who seeks beauty will find it
- The Destruction of Art by Artists

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The Sistine Chapel

Pope Benedict XVI said when addressing a group of artists assembled at the Sistine Chapel:

Beauty, whether that of the natural universe or that expressed in art, precisely because it opens up and broadens the horizons of human awareness, pointing us beyond ourselves, bringing us face to face with the abyss of Infinity, can become a path towards the transcendent, towards the ultimate Mystery, towards God. [1]

Or to put it in reference to beauty:

God points us towards Beauty.

In our age of spiritual drought, these words from Matthew Chapter 7, verse 8 give encouragement:

Seek, and ye shall find.

What I am seeking in these chapters of Reclaiming Beauty is beauty itself. But my task is bigger than mere seeking. My task is to recover the beauty that our modern world has so meticulously and furtively discarded. This elimination of beauty has to be furtive because an attack on beauty is an attack on the way people live, or aspire to live, and any direct attack would ignite the wrath of citizens who are accustomed to having beauty around them. It is meticulous because a haphazard sweep would not be able to remove the overwhelming presence of beauty, and every corner has to be swept clean of this beauty that has become the fabric of society.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who survived years in a Soviet gulag, wrote [2]:

Dostoevsky once enigmatically let drop the phrase: "Beauty will save the world." What does this mean? For a long time I thought it merely a phrase. Was such a thing possible? When in our bloodthirsty history did beauty ever save anyone from anything? Ennobled, elevated, yes; but whom has it saved?

There is, however, something special in the essence of beauty, a special quality in art: the conviction carried by a genuine work of art is absolute and subdues even a resistant heart. A political speech, hasty newspaper comment, a social program, a philosophical system can, as far as appearances are concerned, be built smoothly and consistently on an error or a lie; and what is concealed and distorted will not be immediately clear. But then to counteract it comes a contradictory speech, commentary, program, or differently constructed philosophy - and again everything seems smooth and graceful, and again hangs together. That is why they inspire trust - and distrust.

There is no point asserting and reasserting what the heart cannot believe.

A work of art contains its verification in itself: artificial, strained concepts do not withstand the test of being turned into images; they fall to pieces, turn out to be sickly and pale, convince no one. Works which draw on truth and present it to us in live and concentrated form grip us, compellingly involve us, and no one ever, not even ages hence, will come forth to refute them.

People are often hard-pressed to define what constitutes beauty, or the beautiful for them. But they recognize it once they see it, and they desperately miss it when its not there.

Modern elites, working as the anti-beauty brigade, diligently work at putting ugliness on the same sliding scale as beauty [3]. They understand that there are different levels of beauty. Something pretty for example is a lower manifestation of beauty. But they know that ugliness is not on a lower hierarchical scale of beauty, and that it has its own separate criteria. They are succeeding in their quest because our civilization is the era of the atheist: a Godless age. They have introduced the cult of ugliness into our civilization, introducing a new language and new ideas to perpetuate their movement. They usurp beauty by reinventing language so that the ugly becomes labeled as beautiful, thus placing a shield across our eyes to prevent us from seeing the transformations.

Pope Benedict continuing with his speech in the Sistine Chapel said:

Too often, though, the beauty that is thrust upon us is illusory and deceitful, superficial and blinding, leaving the onlooker dazed; instead of bringing him out of himself and opening him up to horizons of true freedom as it draws him aloft, it imprisons him within himself and further enslaves him, depriving him of hope and joy.

It is a seductive but hypocritical beauty that rekindles desire, the will to power, to possess, and to dominate others, it is a beauty which soon turns into its opposite, taking on the guise of indecency, transgression or gratuitous provocation.

It is easier to convince Godless societies of the superiority of ugliness than societies where God has a presence. Modern elites separate God from the rest of society. Therefore even if ordinary citizens are believers and worshipers, their surroundings contradict and even negate those messages, and they lose the nimbleness necessary to finds words and arguments to counter the ugliness that surrounds them. Rather than march out in the world with sword and shield to confront ugliness, they give in, and withdraw in their homes to the comforts of their tchotchkes and embroidered cushions.

But beauty is never far away, and raises its eyes towards us at unexpected moments. It is in the lovely smile of a young baby, however dour and dark his mother may be; the budding of a wild flower through concrete cracks at the end of winter; the small shop which manages to decorate its window with color; the lush dresses which movie stars still wear, albeit once a year at competitive awards shows; the chef who works with compromising ingredients, but who produces small delicacies on a daily basis at his local restaurant; the artist who teaches classical painting at a night school since no arts program will hire him. These momentary visions encourage us to seek, and find more.

To seek is to realize that something is missing, something we are familiar with that we have either discarded, ignored, or that which has been taken away from us. It is the result of an emptiness, undefined in our case. Our civilization has reached that point of emptiness.

Our task, together with seeking what has bee lost, is to recognize that it is us who have caused those elements of beauty to disappear, by ceding too easily to the temptations and barriers brought before us. Next comes the arduous task of redefining the beauty we've lost, then reclaiming and recapturing this beauty back into our lives and our society. This is where we take on our Godly shield and sword to fight our existential battle with the dark forces of ugliness, and to rebuild our society, since we cannot do it alone. We may not be successful, and even if we are, beauty may never acquire the same level of sophistication and proliferation it once enjoyed in our lifetime, since took thousands of years to build. But, it would be far worse if we did nothing.

Bill Cunningham, a contemporary fashion critic who is uniquely appreciative of beauty said: "He who seeks beauty will find it. [4]" He may be too optimistic, but, his words are a variation on Matthew's "Seek and ye shall find." We cannot afford to be pessimistic, otherwise we will be pulled into the centrifugal forces of ugliness. Beauty needs our strength and our commitment to bring it back from the abyss.

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References:

1. Meeting with Artists. Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI. Sistine Chapel. November 29, 2009.
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2009/november/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20091121_artisti_en.html

2. Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Nobel Lecture (1970)
Text published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1972
Digitized and Formatted in HTML by The Augustine Club at Columbia University, 1999
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/solzhenitsyn/nobel-lit1970.htm

3. Camera Lucida. The Destruction of Art by Artists. April 25, 2009
http://cameraluc.blogspot.ca/2009/04/destruction-of-art-by-artists.html

4. Camera Lucida. He who seeks beauty will find it. August 3, 2011
http://cameraluc.blogspot.ca/2011/08/he-who-seeks-beauty-will-find-it.html

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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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Cary Grant On Style

Cary Grant
Photo by Harry Benson
1957

Cary Grant On Style
Gentlemen's Quarterly, Winter 1967/68
[Reprinted in the April 2013 issue of GQ]
By Cary Grant

I'm often asked for advice or an opinion about clothes, and I always try to answer the best I can, but I'm not inclined to regard myself as an authority on the subject. Many times during my years in films, some well-meaning group has selected me as best-dressed man of the year, but I've never understood why. The odd distinction surprises me: first, because I don't consider myself especially well dressed, and, secondly, I've never, as far as I can compare the efforts of others with my own, gone to any special trouble to acquire clothes that could be regarded as noticeably fashionable or up-to-date.

Some of my suits are ten to twenty years old, many of them ready-made and reasonably priced. Those that were custom-tailored were made by many different tailors in many different cities: London, Hong Kong, New York and Los Angeles. I believe that American ready-made clothes are the best ready-made clothes in the world: that the well-dressed American man makes a better appearance than the well-dressed man of any other country.

No, it isn't only money that determines how well a man dresses—it's personal taste. Because of the demands of my work, I've purchased dozens of suits over the years and they all have one attribute in common: they are in the middle of fashion. By that I mean they're not self-consciously fashionable or far out, nor are they overly conservative or dated. In other words, the lapels are neither too wide nor too narrow, the trousers neither too tight nor too loose, the coats neither too short nor too long. I've worn clothes of extreme style, but only in order to dress appropriately for the type of character I played in particular films. Otherwise, simplicity, to me, has always been the essence of good taste.

I believe men's clothes—like women's—should attract attention to the best lines of a man's figure and distract from the worst. In all cases, the most reliable style is in the middle of the road—a thoughtful sensible position in any human behavior. Except perhaps on the freeway—but, even then, the middle lane, providing of course, it's on your side of the road, usually gets you where you're going more easily, comfortably, and less disturbingly. And so it should be with clothes. They should be undisturbing, easy and comfortable.

There are many established stores or haberdasheries in each city, and probably in your neighborhood. Look at the suits in the windows. See how they compare with those worn by men whose taste you respect and admire. Think about the practical, functional and long-wearing qualities as they apply to your particular job or social activities. It's better to consider carefully before buying than to regret your purchases for months afterwards. Study the cut, the price.

And here, by the way, is a tip. If the sleeves seem disproportionately wider than customary, it indicates a very deep armhole. Don't contemplate buying if you are of average or slim size—you'll get a well-fitting back but an extremely loose-fitting front and sleeves that tend to ride up if you lift your arms. A deep armhole is popular with many manufacturers because each coat fits a wider range of customers.

How much on should pay depends on how much one has to spend. I'm reminded of a piece of advice my father gave me regarding shoes: it has stood me in good stead whenever my own finances were low. He said it's better to buy one good pair of shoes than four cheap ones. One pair made of fine leather could outlast four inferior pairs, and, if well cared for, would continue to proclaim your good judgment and taste no matter how old they become. The same applies to suits, so permit me to suggest you buy the best you can afford even though it means buying less. Rather like the stock market: it is usually more sensible to buy just one share of blue chip than 150 shares of a one-dollar stock.

What should one buy? Well, if a man's budget restricts him to only one suit, then I would choose something unobtrusive. A dark blue, almost black, of lightweight cloth, serviceable for both day and evening wear. I suggest lightweight because nowadays most restaurants, offices, shops and theaters are well heated during fall and winter. I found that so even, surprisingly, in Moscow. With such modern indoor comfort, one need only be concerned with cold weather while out-of-doors.

Which brings us to overcoats. I've learned to wear overcoats that button up to the neck yet still appear neat when left open. It mystifies me that some men wear heavy single-breasted and even double-breasted, overcoats to protect themselves from cold, yet expose the most vulnerable part of their chests with V-neck openings. By wearing an overcoat that buttons to the neck, there is no need for a scarf.

The topcoat I use for traveling can be worn spring or fall. It's black and therefore not only less apt to show dirt and travel stains, but usable for both day and formal wear. It's made of a gabardine-type waterproof material, with slash side pockets that enable one to reach through easily for change, or to carry a book, or something similar, protected from the rain. There is also a detachable lining that buttons inside for very wintery days. An all-purpose coat.

What about a second suit? Well, I think a grey worsted or flannel would be most serviceable. Not too light in color, not too dark. And, this time, of medium weight but not more than what is known as ten-ounce cloth. It might be advantageous to purchase an extra pair of trousers for wearing separately with a sweater or a sport shirt. A grey flannel suit, with or without extra trousers, together with a sport coat could, at a pinch, be sufficient for a weekend in the country.

A sport coat ought to be easy-fitting, its pattern neither loud nor flashy. If you're unsure which plaid or check to choose, then one of those dark blue, single-breasted blazers that have been worn by all classes in England for years, and have since become popular here, is acceptable for most casual wear.

Except, of course, on very hot days. During summer I've taken to wearing light beige, washable poplin suits. They're inexpensive and, if kept crisp and clean, acceptable almost anywhere at any time, even in the evening. Also, the coat can be worn with grey flannels at the seashore or in the country, and the trousers used separately with a sport shirt and moccasins, or a pair of those heavy-soled white canvas shoes that are popular with young college men.

Poplin or seersucker suits are the mark of no special social class or income group, but are worn by all. And, providing he is well-mannered, a young man wearing such a suit can confidently approach the other fellow's girl, secure in knowing that his way of dress is no deterrent.

A cardigan coat sweater of lightweight wool and conservative color is a useful investment. It can be worn without a coat on many occasions, and has the advantage of being easily slipped on without those arm-raising contortions and the need to re-comb your hair.

How do I feel about ties? If I had only one to choose, then I think a black foulard, not too wide nor too narrow, is best, as it's acceptable with most clothes. An expensive tie is not a luxury—the wrinkles fall out quicker and the knot will hold better. Personally, I wear ties of small, conservative pattern and color.

Shoes? I've already mentioned that good shoes look better and last longer. If a man must limit himself to only one pair of shoes for city wear, then they should be black. If two, then a brown pair of darkest chocolate color are useful with almost all suits and, if he has no moccasins, even with grey flannels. The moccasin type of shoe is, to me, almost essential and especially convenient when traveling, since they can be easily slipped off in the airplane or car.

If your pocket handkerchief is monogrammed, don't wear it carefully folded to show the monogram peeking above your breast-pocket. That's somehow ostentatious.

Shirts should usually be white for the evening, but, in the city's grime, it's practical and permissible to wear a light blue or conservatively striped shirt during the day. The type of collar should suit the contours of the neck and face. As a younger man, I tried wearing a flared, too-high collar that, although modish amongst those I regarded as the sophisticates of that day, looked ridiculous on my 17 1/2- inch neck. Luckily, after the embarrassment of viewing myself from almost every angle on screen, that mistake was soon rectified. Button-cuffed shirts are simplest to manage, but if you wear cuff links, as I do, don't, I beg you, wear those huge examples of badly designed, cheap modern jewelry. They, too, are not only ostentatious, but heavy and a menace to the enamel on your car and your girl friend's eye.

Learn to dispense with accessories that don't perform a necessary function. I use belts, for example, only with blue jeans, which I wear when riding, and content myself with side loops, that can be tightened at the waistband, on business suits.

A tip about trousers. Trouser cuffs seem to me unnecessary, and are apt to catch lint and dust. However, whether you prefer cuffs or not, ask the tailor to sew a strip of cloth of the same material, or a tape of similar color, on the inside at the bottom of the trouser leg where it rubs the heel of the shoe. It will keep your trouser-bottoms from fraying.

Do I have any special do's and don't's about clothes? I can't think of and rules about clothes, since there really aren't any, but I suggest you buy trees to conform to the shape of your shoes, and keep your coats on curved hangers.

Take care of your clothes, keep them clean and in good repair. I suggest you avoid using heavily scented cologne or soaps. When I meet a man I like him to smell like a man, or not to smell at all; certainly he shouldn't smell like a woman. Do see that your socks stay up. Nothing can spoil an otherwise well-groomed effect like sagging socks. Don't stuff your pockets with heavy articles and bulging wallets filled with seldom-used cards. They ruin not only the neatness of your appearance but the actual tailoring of your suit.

Don't be a snob about the way you dress. Snobbery is only a point in time. Be tolerant and helpful to the other fellow—he is yourself yesterday.

Don't overbuy. When you contemplate an article, judge whether or not it harmonizes with items you already own. Again, avoid exaggeration of current fashions. It's best to be inconspicuous. But inconspicuous does not mean dull. Extreme dullness can be conspicuous in itself. Just do the best you can.

Come to think of it, who knows how anything becomes bad or good taste? Who decides a standard of esthetics? If it's the majority, then how is it the minority are the ones considered well dressed? Everything is only exactly what it is. If a man wears the kind of clothes that please him, then, providing they're clean and don't shock society, morals, and little children, what is the difference as long as that man is happy?

Any other thoughts on clothes?

Yes. Somewhere I read that Harvard's Professor Archibald MacLeish was asked by a student about to graduate into our highly competitive world what advice he could give him. Professor MacLeish's answer was, "Wear your Sunday suit every day." The inference, of course, being that the suit would give the young man such confidence in seeking positions that he would eventually own many Sunday suits, for any and all days.

Splendid advice even by itself, but it's probable that the professor meant not only his Sunday or best suit, but also his Sunday or best smile, disposition, and behavior—knowing that each begets the other. So wear, not only your clothes, but yourself, well, with confidence. Confidence, too, is in the middle of the road, being neither aggressiveness nor timidity. Pride of new knowledge—including knowledge of clothes—continually adds to self-confidence.

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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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