A UNIVERSITY of Worcester academic is exploring whether art can be both beautiful and intellectual through his photographic exhibition at Worcester Cathedral.
David James, a digital arts subject leader at the University, is currently hosting his ‘The Aesthetic Revisited’ exhibition, which includes work that has been created using typical techniques which were common during ancient times, to create supposedly ‘beautiful’ art that is aesthetically pleasing.
Each image in Mr James’ exhibition portrays a scene which is intended to be enigmatic and mysterious, using essential elements of aesthetic art such as the use of colour, shape, light and shadow.
In the photographs, residents will be able to spot regional sights such as Witley Court, near Worcester.
Mr James, who was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society in 2015, said: “I want to revisit what defines beauty, as well as the idea of beauty between observation and the artist.
“We respond to beauty in an emotive way as it elicits an emotional response, whereas conceptual art elicits an intellectual response.
“Art that is concerned with the aesthetic has been called anti-intellectual. My argument is that art can have a strong message intellectually, but be beautiful at the same time.”
The Aesthetic Revisited exhibition ends this Saturday.
