Beauty Part 2

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I have been thinking about the word "eustress" for awhile.  It is one of those words that almost never comes up in conversation, but for which you can imagine lots of possible uses:

"While excavating a new subway line in Rome, workers were stunned to encounter a remarkably well-preserved 3000 year-old Eustressian Temple.”  or

"Scientists at NASA discovered that when placed under extreme pressure between diamond plates, eustress will form precise layers of crystals with unique characteristics."

In reality it has a very different meaning: eustress is "good" stress. Stress that makes you feel good, even exhilarated.  I have a friend whose daughter is an accomplished  "rock climber." I have seen videos of the teenager hanging by her fingertips above empty spaces that make me more than a little queasy. But the youngster is obviously delighted. Hence, the same situation engenders polar opposite reactions in two individuals - eustress for the young climber, distress in me.  

So it seems to me that I had short-changed the notion of beauty in my previous post about "enable beauty."  I would still assert that beauty is the stuff of dreams, while a variety of artists create "art" more suited to our nightmares.

But I would short change beauty if I were to ignore the fact that beauty also can be divided into two parts: tranquility and exhilaration.  And exhilaration is where eustress comes in. My own strong inclination to tranquility makes it more difficult for me to imagine an artwork that I find "eustressian" - exhilarating.  In the world outside of galleries the examples are rampant - thunderstorms, waterfalls, fireworks, and for some, I understand, roller coasters.  So, as I think about it, it strikes me that I have missed some of these exhilarating works within the traditional realm of the arts: Architecture -  Frank Gehry’s works.  The Anasazi constructions in the four corners area of the American Southwest.  Sculpture also springs to mind. The Winged Victory of Samothrace and Michelangelo's David.  Music - well, of course. The myriad of works that set our feet tapping, or move us to some "air guitar," or even "air conducting." Yes, eustress lives there.  Another yin-yang duality circling within the yang of beauty proposed in the previous post. 

I'll continue to think about it.  Your suggestions are always welcome :-)

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