Blog #4: Reflection on Wartenberg, Thomas E. The Nature of Art. New York: Harcourt College Publ., 2001.

 When going through this reading I kept thinking back to the stories Kip has told us throughout the semester surrounding his hikes. His interpretation of long-distance hiking as a form of pilgrimage, as he discussed in a previous class of his I was in, resonates with the themes in Wartenberg’s anthology, where art is not just an imitation but an experiential journey akin to a hiker’s traverse through the wilderness. The anthology, like a hike, invites readers to embark on a path of self-discovery and reflection, finding beauty in the natural world that surrounds us.  Furthering this understanding, reflecting on this anthology, one appreciates the multifaceted nature of art. It is seen as imitation, as cognition, as expression, and as experience. Art is a mirror reflecting the human condition, a window into the soul, and a hammer with which to shape reality. It is both sacred and profane, a source of pleasure and a means of communication. Overall, its important. I think this helps to exemplify why beauty is also important to human nature as it becomes something many of us seek with or without ever realizing it.