ART AND BEAUTY
540. The sacred tendency present in the arts has genuinely aimed at opening up a path in the world of manifestation back towards the primordial origin.
541. The real artifex is at the same time pontifex - a priest, that is, a bridge-builder: he makes himself a bridge and walks over it from one end to the other connecting transcendence and immanence within himself.
542. That which is beautiful is similar to its own essence, to its own Ding an sich nature.
543. It is as if the man of today were ashamed of uttering the word »beautiful«. Be it a poem, a musical composition, a painting or a sculpture, a work of art is almost never considered to be »beautiful«, it can only be »pretty«. Not even a woman has the right to be called »beautiful«, she is not more than »pretty« or »good«- in which case »good«, obviously, does not refer to her behaviour but rather to her sex appeal, which clearly shows that even »good« has already lost its meaning. However, once the following was said even about God: Pulchritudo Dei infinita est - »The beauty of God is infinite«.
544. He who wants to be »richer« in infernal artistic experiences does not have to search for a long time.
545. In some sense, every picture is a self-portrait.