Beauty and Rejection of Vanity
Beauty, as laid out by Emerson, can be divided into three values which the Transcendentalists recognized in nature.
Natural Forms-
Emerson's first perception of beauty was that it can be found in the natural form of any object. Therefore, he sought only what was untainted. Nature is able to astound with just a few simple creations. For example, a leaf may look insignificant at first glance, when in actuality, the power behind the creation of that leaf is earth-changing. Emerson challenged his readers to "give [him] health and a day, and [he] will make the pomp of emperors ridiculous." The bravado and superficiality that kings and people of power surround themselves with pales in comparison to the real might of nature. One cannot, however, appreciate the power of nature without actively participating in it. Emerson expressed that those who merely observe nature will find it "only a mirage as [they] look from the windows of diligence." Those who consume their lives with work rather than nature will never be able to gain wisdom from its beauty.
Divine Beauty-
A spiritual element is necessary for any object or place to be truly beautiful. God created beauty to exemplify virtue. Emerson believed that "every natural action is beautiful. Every heroic act is also decent, and causes the place and bystanders to shine." Virtue can be identified through beautiful acts of decency and sincerity.
Beauty Through Intellect-
Because humans have the ability to think freely, intellect becomes a scope through which everyone sees beauty in an individual manner. Every person has different levels of education, different backgrounds, and different cultures, so everyone analyzes beauty in a different way. Therefore, what is beautiful and what is not cannot be classified definitely. Emerson believed that the "beauty of nature reforms itself in the mind, and not for barren contemplation, but for new creation." Nature never disappears but someone's scope of intellect may change so that their idea of beauty is altered. Art is the creation of beauty. Art is also completely subjective depending on the who is looking at it, but it is an outlet for someone to illustrate their scope of intellect.
Autumn in Argenteuil by Claude Monet
