An unusual take on the physicality of our reactions to art or beauty, which Esterly attributes to Yeats as the ‘thinking of the body’. I like the wholeness of it, the combination of mind and body in responding to something splendid, man-made or natural.

‘What is this consciousness, evoked by painting or sculpture, or poetry or music, or even a painterly landscape?  It’s the thinking of the body, says Yeats, smelling the salt air when he read of Odysseus, feeling a tingle in the soles of his feet when he saw the Winged Victory.’

See also our quote-rich celebration of David Esterly’s magnificent book, The Lost Carving.

Source: David Esterly, The Lost Carving: A Journey to the heart of making (New York: Penguin, 2013), p. 214

Photo credit: Noel_Bauza at pixabay