The first event of the Modjesa Cub in 2025 will be on Saturday 1 February 2025 at 430 pm at Bolton Hall Museum in Tujunga CA ( 10110 Commerce Ave., Tujunga, CA 91042), and will feature Dr Adrian Krupa, philosopher from Poland in a lecture."What is beauty? Philosophical lecture on art" - a reception to follow, please bring some beverages and desserts. RSVP to estimate the number of attendees to prezes@modjesKa.org. Free to members and guests.
What is Beauty?
The question of beauty has accompanied philosophy since its ancient sources. During the lecture, aesthetics will be presented as a branch of philosophy that reflects on beauty. Philosophers constantly argue about beauty - some consider it a subjective experience, while others argue for its objectivity. For example, the Pythagoreans understood beauty as harmony expressed in numerical proportions, which they found both in music and in the structures of the cosmos. The Pythagorean concept of beauty will be discussed in relation to classical works of art that realize such an ideal. Then, subjective concepts of beauty will be presented, which recognize that it lies in the eye of the beholder. Modern aesthetics in particular sought beauty in the experiences and emotions of the recipient (David Hume).
Modern philosophers also described the category of sublimity, which expressed the human experience of the power and boundlessness of nature (Immanuel Kant). An important role was played by the artist, whose ideal was a genius creating his own forms of beauty. The lecture will also be an opportunity to reflect on the question of what art is. Ancient philosophers developed a classical understanding of a work of art, which was based on masterful imitation (Aristotle's mimesis and Plato's radical critique of mimetic art). In the 20th century, avant-garde art undermined the traditional understanding of a work of art, which will be discussed using the example of contemporary artistic trends (surrealism, abstractionism, conceptualism and performance). We invite you to listen to a story about the history of beauty, which will be illustrated by famous works of art!
Biography
Adrian Krupa – philosopher, graduate of the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Warsaw and the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium). Scholarship holder at the University of Saarland (Germany). Currently completing his PhD at the Doctoral School of Humanities of the University of Warsaw in the field of philosophy. His doctoral dissertation is about posthumanism with particular emphasis on the concept of "the posthuman". As an educator, he popularizies philosophy in the form of meetings, lectures and workshops. Facilitator of the "Służewskie Forum Filozoficzne" at the Służewski Dom Kultury in Warsaw. Privately, a lover of ancient and modern Greece. Attachment: photo by K. Zdrodowska.
.png)
The second event I would like to draw your attention to is the St. Valentine's Day Ball - the fundraiser for Polish school in los Angeles, on 8 February 2025 at the Polish church on Adams Blvd. During the event, the Club will present Tomasz Sobania who will conclude his run across the U.S. on 26 January 2025 in Santa Monica. Initially we were planning to organize a separate event with him, but fires have put an end to our plans, while arson continues across the city so we have to be vigilant and not organize any private-home events at this time. Please purchase your tickets for 120$,support our school teaching youth Polish language and history and culture, and honor the brave runner!
Alicja Bobrowska
Finally, sad news. Our Honorary Member Alicja BOBROWSKA died yesterday on January 14, 2025. She was honored in 2023 with Honorary Membership. See the story on our bog. I will keep you posted about her funeral and celebration of life events. She was an actress, artist and former Miss Poonia. She will be missed. Her bio is in my report from our 2022-23 season.
https://modjeskaclub.blogspot.com/2023/08/report-from-2022-2023-preview-of-fall.html
