"The satisfaction in the good is bound up with interest"

Kant writes that a concept of an object is not necessary to find it beautiful Instead, he writes, "flowers, free delineations, outlines intertwined with another without design, and called [conventional] foliage, have no meaning, depend on no definite concept, and yet they please." Kant lays this out for us, yet does not explain exactly what it is that makes them beautiful...or at least in a way that I understand!

To me, the part of an object that makes it beautiful is its intangible qualities and the experience that we have with that object. Take for example, the drawing that your kindergarten daughter creates for you later in life - - it is something that you might regard as beautiful but not because it follows conventional art theory or expertise. It is beautiful because of the intent with which it was created and the intangible "love" that you know went into that drawing. The lines might not be straight and the colors probably won't complement each other, but despite that, it is still a beautiful work of art. I think that this follows the point that Kant is trying to make as he argues, "it is part of the experience of beautiful objects that they should affect us as if they had a purpose, although no particular purpose can be found." Pieces of art are able to affect, move and interest us without being created with a hidden intent or purposeful message - - it is even possible to find something beautiful that was created "just because" even though most art critics would deem this shocking!

I think that too often, critics and the public get caught up in the intent behind the art and miss the intangibility of a work. They forget to stop and think about how it makes them feel and the sensation that it gives them - - another of Kant's topics in his writing. We find ourselves guilty of looking to see if the artwork is "good" or "not good" which leads us to define whether or not these pieces follow a concept. If we were simply to interpret these paintings, sculptures, and buildings based on how they make us feel, the sensations in those feelings might help us to stay in touch with those intangible qualities - - I think that those draw the most interest.