Hence, although
from the point of view of utility the beauty of mere appearance may
seem to be a superfluity, it is almost indispensable from an aesthetic
point of view, since it raises the appreciation of the purpose to the
aesthetic plane. And we can understand how enthusiastic workmen, whose
admiration for their work is already aesthetic, must necessarily desire
to consecrate and communicate this feeling by beautifying the appearance
of their products; how inevitably, through the ages, they have made
things not only as perfect as they could, but as charming.
When developed for the ends of the aesthetic life, the useful object
exhibits, therefore, two levels of beauty: first, that of appearance,
of form and sensation, line and shape and color; and second, that of
purpose spoken in the form. The first is of the vague and immediate
character so well known to us; the second is more definite and less
direct, since it depends upon the interpretation of the object in terms
of its function. The relation between the two is like that which
obtains, in a painting, between color and line, on the one hand, and
representation, on the other. When the first level of beauty is richly
developed on its own account, it becomes ornament. In a Greek vase,
for example, there is a beauty of symmetrical, well-proportioned shape,
delicate coloring of surface, and decorative painting, which might be
felt by people who knew nothing of its use; and, in addition, for those
who have this knowledge, a beauty in the fine balance of parts in the
adjustment of clay to its final cause.
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