György Jovián firmly believes that the sacred role of paintings has not disappeared, but rather has undergone transformation. We must consider that if the sacred element in works of art, i.e., that which made the viewer pause, think, and reflect, was a response to a thousand-year-old demand, we may not be living in an age that will finally eliminate that need. Basic needs never disappear completely, and if we do not take this into account, our compulsive pursuit of minimalism or expressionism, organicism or abstraction, can easily backfire.
The phrase “the terrible face of beauty” expresses a closely related coherence. Behind the sensation created by a pleasant surprise, there is always the possibility of doubt. How long will the pleasant surprise last? Will it become unpleasant? Will it be disappointing to return to the daily routine after the holiday? It may be that what is fascinating is also frightening. It’s best not to try to deny and cover it up, as it may return with greater force.
The beautiful and the sublime are not contradictory but rather interrelated notions. It is possible that an individual who appreciates beauty and dedicates themselves to its representation may respond to inviting, admirable, and remarkable objects, figures, (even transcendent) persons, or natural phenomena that elicit terror or repulsion in them. Looking through the exhibition’s list of works, we find just that, and not grotesque, twisted situations or the suppression of good qualities by bad ones. We see that something aesthetically and intellectually appealing can also be terrifying in many ways.
Zuh Deodath