The Evidential Power of Beauty

Thomas Dubay wrote in his book, “The Evidential Power of Beauty: Science and Theology meet,” (Ignatius Press, 1999), that “beauty is perceived not only from within but also from the outside. However, as useful as technical studies may be for some purposes, we cannot appreciate the enchanting character of beautiful objects by mere scientific investigation, from the outside, rendering the study of beauty singularly devoid of wonder and delight.” As an artist, my experience of inner beauty often begins as an observation of outer beauty, such as was the case when I drew this beautiful young woman, as she walked along the beach. Technically, I did my best to capture the roughness of nature’s forms and lines, but inwardly, I wanted to catch a glimpse of that delicate freedom that made the young woman delight in the cool touch of the sand, yet not wanting to be recognized as she holds a hat firmly over her face. The only clue is a red, circular ornament around her neck. I have met her before, as she has been the subject of many of my “Red Moon Diaries” series of drawings. The drawing bears evidence not just of beauty of form and line alone in “the enchanting character of beautiful objects by mere scientific investigation from the outside,” but as well, of a deeper beauty of relationship as a “wonder and delight” of the human experience. Because it is in the human experience, where as an artist, I find a spiritual wonder and delight that supports the evidence that there is indeed something or someone bigger than I, in this great scheme of things.

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 “Young Woman with Hat,” by Gerrit Verstraete, 2012. Cat. No.1221. Wolff’s carbon pencil on Stonehenge Paper ( 22 x 30 in. / 56.7 X 76.4 cm ).