Czeslaw Milosz Research Papers

As individuals in this world, we are all affected and captured by different things. There will be moments in which we get a grasp of who we are or for a moment we let go of the thought of ourselves and fully appreciate what is in front of us. Czeslaw Milosz states that “art liberates and purifies, and its tokens are those short moments when we look at a beautiful landscape forgetting about ourselves, when everything that concerns us disappears, is dissolved, and it does not matter whether the eye that looks is that of a beggar or a king.” Milosz describes how impactful art may be and it should not matter whether the viewer is of a certain class, race, gender, etc. Art has the power to fully capture us and in that moment we obtain an experience we have never felt before, one in which we are
In this case, Milosz expresses how two individuals with different backgrounds can be stopped and affected by the same thing, but this leaves an open window as to how these individuals are affected. Only the individuals themselves are fully capable of understanding and expressing how this one thing has affected them, whether it causes them to reflect on their life or if for that one moment they finally felt at peace. “Our intellectual and active powers increase with our affection”, as stated by Ralph Waldo Emerson. When it comes to art many people will ask “How does this make you feel?” or “Were you moved by the piece?”, etc. And relating back to Milosz he said that art is liberating, a moment in which someone is set free, released from a state in which they felt limited or troubled. So when an individual is impacted emotionally based off an event or when viewing art it provides a stronger intellectual experience. We tend to react more to something that speaks to us rather than something that doesn't spark anything within