There's (no) accounting for taste

    “A longlife interest” is a book that contains the interview performed by the french philosopher Didier Eribon to the great Ernst Gombrich from 1991 to 1992 in his residence at London. Art and Science are interlaced by gombrich’s words, as a Twentieth Century Leonardo, who doesn't find any trouble bringing one into line with another. Gombrich used to make reference to others writers and thinkers in order to strenghten his thoughts and is here where I have found one of the more significant texts I have read these months. These words have come to us from “Orator” by Cicero, roman writer, politician and great rethoric from 1st century. His ideas about “Taste”, are suitable nowadays and this makes one to think how little can be written about Aesthetic these days. This paragraph is about artistic “Taste” and you are not going to find here any important conclusión but simple thoughts about “Taste” and art perception we hold nowadays. The words here:

    For it is hard to say why exactly it is that the things which most strongly gratify our senses and excite them most vigorously at their first appearance, are the ones from which we are most speedily estranged by a feeling of disgust and satiety. How much more brilliant, as a rule, in beauty and variety of colouring are the contents of new pictures than those of old ones! and nevertheless the new ones, though they captivated us at first sight, later on fail to give un pleasure - although it is also true that in the case of old pictures the actual roughness and old-fashioned style are an attraction. In singing, hoy much more delightfull and charming are trills and flourishes tahn notes firmly held! And yet the former meet with protest not only from persons of severe taste but, if used too often, even from the general public. This may be observed in the case of the rest of the senses- that perfumes compounded with an extremely sweet and penetrating scent do not give us pleasure for so long as those that are moderately fragant, and a thing that one that suggests saffron; and that in touch itself there are degrees of softness and smoothness. Taste is the most voluptuous of all the senses and more sensitive to sweetness than the rest, yet how quickly even it dislikes and rejects anything extremely sweet! Who can go on taking a sweet drink or food for long time? Whereas in both clases things that pleasurably affect the sense in a moderate degree most easily escape causing satiety. Thus in all things the greatest pleasures are only narrowly separated from disgust.

We may think about any actual matter  using these words as comtemporary. ¿Why don’t we think about these three landscapes for example:

The Hay Wain, Constable

Haystacks, Monet

The talisman, Serusier

    Notice the powerful reflection of those tranquil waters on Serusier’s river. But would you say that it is high art? Nevertheless after visiting a art exhibition this one would be the one which everybody would remenber the following week instead of the expectant dog staring at the wain in Constable’s masterpiece.

   Who wouldn’t get bored with his or her favourite song if had listened to it dozens of times every morning? Who haven’t finished his or her Kebab because not being able to eat all of it although the first bite was amazing? (Above all if you are coming back home after party) Who is able to smell his or her own perfume one hour later its application? Inevitably we must admit something that join us after the aesthetic experience although “Taste” is a personal matter, saciety belongs our sensory perception and that explains for example that Back Street Boys are old-fashioned.

Who wouldn’t get bored with his or her favourite song if had listened to it decens of times every morning? Who haven’t finished his or her Kebab because not being able toe at all of it although the first bite was amazing? (Above all if you are coming back home after party) Who is able to smell hiso r her own perfume one hour later its application? Inevitably we must admit something join us after the aesthetic experience although “Taste” is a personal matter, saciety belongs our sensory perception and that explains for example that Back Street Boys are old-fashioned.

  There’s no accounting for taste, but at the end everything consist of:

Hipsters: You were already invented.