Society has lost touch with beauty, truth, and human dignity in art and culture, but a new Renaissance is possible if we return to life-affirming values. By creating and supporting art that expresses beauty, harmony, and noble human ideals, like the Greeks and Renaissance thinkers did, we can renew our culture, inspire individuals, and build a brighter future.
Summary
Alexandra York begins by using Leonardo da Vinci’s words to highlight that true inspiration comes from the original source, i.e. Ancient Greece, which embodied the ideal of the “undivided self.” For the Greeks, individual excellence in character, fitness, and spirit was the foundation of a strong society, and their art became a universal language capable of communicating philosophical truths. York argues that America once shared similar ideals but, by the mid-20th century, individualism deteriorated into subjectivity, liberty into license, morality into pragmatism, and art into nihilism and ugliness. Instead of celebrating heroes and human achievement, much of modern culture glorifies violence, degradation, and sensationalism.
Despite this decline, York insists that a cultural renewal is possible. She calls for a new Renaissance, one that nurtures both heart and mind through life-affirming values and art. True art, she explains, must embody beauty not just as order and harmony, but as a vehicle for higher meaning. High art transcends time and place, combining beauty with universal human values to inspire individuals. In contrast, art that distorts beauty to offend or degrade is not only anti-art but also anti-life.
Beauty in art, York says, serves as an entry point, seizing attention and leading to deeper reflection. It exists in both natural and human-made forms, and when fused with truth, it creates powerful, lasting works. The Western tradition offers rich vocabularies, i.e. representation in painting, tonality in music, grace in dance, and structure in literature, that allow artists to communicate complex ideas and emotions. Such art, by affirming life and human dignity, unites individuals through shared values rather than dividing them by race, gender, or creed.
Looking to history, York reminds readers that the European Renaissance succeeded not by imitating Greece but by reinterpreting its ideals for their own age. Similarly, America must now create its own rebirth of beauty, humanism, and moral ideals to shape a culture that uplifts humanity. She stresses that this renewal should not be nostalgic or backwards-looking but rather a vigorous, forward-looking movement that affirms what is right and worthwhile in human life.
York warns that failure to achieve such a Renaissance could plunge society into a new Dark Age. But if artists, patrons, and audiences unite, they can foster a positive, humanistic culture that embraces integration of mind, body, and soul. The goal is to create art that celebrates life, hope, and possibility, not as escape, but as an embrace of reality.
Finally, York envisions this movement as a continuation of the “philosophical flame” first kindled in Greece, revived in the Renaissance and Enlightenment, and embodied in America’s founding principles. She calls for courage and unity to carry these values “from the fountainhead to the future,” creating an American Renaissance in art and ideas that could stand among history’s greatest achievements.
Interpretation
Alexandra York is saying that art and culture should guide people toward truth, beauty, and the best in human life. She believes modern society has lost its way by glorifying ugliness, violence, and division instead of celebrating human greatness. To fix this, we need a new cultural rebirth — a Renaissance — that combines beauty with meaningful values. Art should not only please the eye or ear but also inspire the mind and soul, reminding us why life is worth living. If people, artists, thinkers, and audiences work together to promote such art, we can build a stronger, more hopeful future.
York compares today’s situation with Ancient Greece and the Renaissance because both times show how culture can rise to greatness when it is based on strong values. Ancient Greece focused on the “whole person”—developing character, body, and spirit. Their art was not just decoration but a way to express universal truths and inspire people. The Renaissance did not simply copy Greece; instead, it took Greek ideals and reshaped them to fit its own time, creating new art and thought that lifted Europe out of the Dark Ages.
It means the Greeks valued the complete development of the individual. They believed in nurturing character, physical strength, and spiritual wholeness. Their art was not only for decoration but also a way to communicate universal truths and inspire people. Greek achievements remind us that a society becomes strong when it focuses on excellence and the moral growth of individuals.
She also compares today with the Renaissance in Europe. The Renaissance thinkers and artists looked back to Ancient Greece, but they did not merely copy it. Instead, they reinterpreted Greek ideals to suit their own age, producing new art and ideas that lifted Europe out of the Dark Ages. Their creativity gave rise to some of the greatest achievements in human history.
By pointing to these two periods, York explains that our society can also experience a cultural rebirth. Like the Greeks and Renaissance leaders, we must turn to beauty, truth, and human dignity as guiding values. If we reshape these timeless ideals for our own time, we too can inspire people, uplift culture, and create a brighter and more hopeful future.
Understanding
1. What are the elements of beauty, according to the writer?
According to York, beauty is order, proportion, balance, harmony, and grace. Beauty has the power to uplift and redeem life, especially when it is created with human intention.
She believes the heart and soul can be nurtured through life-affirming values and beautiful art. Art that expresses truth, dignity, and hope provides the emotional and spiritual fuel people need.
Modern society is divided by race, gender, mind versus body, reason versus emotion, and art versus meaning. York suggests overcoming these divisions by focusing on universal values, timeless truths, and art that unites rather than separates people.
She praises high art as more than decoration. High art expresses universal human values, transcends time and place, and connects deeply with the human spirit. It combines beauty with meaning, allowing people to experience their “best self.”
Art can be distorted when beauty is twisted to deliberately offend or degrade human dignity. The consequence is that such art expresses hatred for both art and life itself, spreading negativity and despair instead of hope.
This means that Renaissance artists did not simply copy Greek models like Apollo. Instead, they adapted Greek ideals to fit their own time and culture, creating works like Michelangelo’s David that reflected their context and vision.
Today’s artists are challenged to move beyond division, negativity, and ugliness. They must create works that embody beauty, truth, and positive values in order to inspire people and lead society toward renewal.
The Greeks believed that individuals striving for excellence in character, fitness, and spirit would naturally create a diverse but harmonious society where everyone benefited from one another’s achievements.
Greek individualism focused on responsibility, harmony, and striving for excellence. In contrast, American individualism in the early mid-20th century became selfish and irresponsible—turning liberty into license, morality into pragmatism, and art into subjectivity.
She means people today are torn between two false extremes: indulging emotions wildly without reason, or using cold reason that denies emotion. This conflict is reflected in much of modern art and culture.
York values beauty because it uplifts, redeems, and inspires people. She understands beauty as harmony, proportion, and grace that can exist in both nature and art. For her, true beauty connects with truth and human dignity.
When individuals are truly free and responsible, they can create art that expresses universal values. This kind of liberty makes possible a cultural rebirth based on beauty, creativity, and human excellence.
York means we should not copy the past but create fresh, life-affirming art for our own time. This requires people across the nation to join together in supporting positive art that reflects new hope and energy for the future.
We need art because it can inspire joy, hope, and the sense that life is worth living. Positive art helps us celebrate human potential, overcome despair, and build a brighter vision of the future.
Rhetoric/Language/Writing
1. In the last sentence of paragraph 9, Alexandra York says that society is "becoming more illiterate by the minute." What hints and suggestions do you find in the text that lead to this conclusion?
York suggests that many people no longer read deeply or think seriously about ideas. Instead, culture is filled with shallow entertainment, raw sensationalism, and art that shocks rather than inspires. Because of this, people rely less on words and knowledge, making art perhaps the only strong force left to guide society toward truth and beauty.
Paragraph 3 (early mid-20th century decline): American individualism turned negative—freedom became license, morality turned into pragmatism, and art became ugly, subjective, and meaningless.
Paragraph 4 (contemporary society): This decline has produced strong opposing forces that glorify violence, division, and sensationalism in media and art. Society has become emotionally conflicted.
Paragraph 5 (hope for renewal): Despite the destruction, there is a chance to clear a new path by embracing life-affirming values and art that nurture both the heart and the soul.
Each paragraph builds on the previous one. Paragraph 3 shows how the decline began, paragraph 4 describes its effects in modern times, and paragraph 5 offers hope for recovery.
Discussion
1. How can beauty be turned against itself? Do you consider exposure of the human body in modern advertisements an instance of beauty turned against itself?
Beauty is turned against itself when it is used to shock, degrade, or deliberately offend human dignity. Instead of uplifting people, such art or images destroy respect for life and reduce beauty to something empty. Yes, the exposure of the human body in many modern advertisements can be an example of this, because it often treats the body as an object for profit rather than celebrating it as a symbol of human dignity and nobility.
By “rebirth,” York means creating new art that expresses timeless values like beauty, truth, and human dignity in ways that fit our own age. A “revival” would only copy the past, but a rebirth allows us to reinterpret old ideals and make them alive for today’s society. Just as the Renaissance redefined Greek ideals for its time, we too must shape a fresh artistic movement that inspires people now and in the future.
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