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So what is aesthetics? Philosophers have been arguing over its definition for years. In simple terms, it is the interaction or stimulation between man and his creation. How do we react to art? Does it stir any feelings within us? Does it make us think?
We just studied Genesis 1 and over and over we see that God "saw it was good." Then after the creation of man, He called his creation "very good." God displays an appreciation for His creation.
So why does man need to create art? If we start with the earliest known forms or art, we see it is used for communication, decoration, and worship. Early cave painting tell the story of victorious hunts. Their tools and weapons contain decorative carvings. Small sculptures were used as idols.
Aesthetics is not just limited to the fine arts. It is part of our daily lives whether we know it or not. Let's begin on Sunday morning. What clothes do we pick out to wear to church? A shirt with horizontal stripes and pants with vertical stripes? No! A blue sock and a green sock? No! Am I in a blue mood or a brown mood? We make decisions based on our feelings and logic. On our way to church, do we listen to a specific type of music to get us in the mood, or do we select music with a heavy beat so we can get to church on time? In the worship assembly, are all the songs grouped together and all the prayers grouped together. No! Someone has made a decision how to interlace them though the assembly period. These are decisions made almost naturally by our sense of order and taste.
In looking further in the creation story we read, "Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made." (Genesis 3:1a) And then when Eve was being tempted, "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it." (Genesis 3:6a) In this account we see the bad side of aesthetics. Art can be used for bad as well as for good. Aesthetics which makes us close to God also makes us vulnerable to sin.
Explain from the creation story, what it means when it says "God saw it was good," then later, Eve saw the fruit as "pleasing to the eye."
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