Down's Syndrome Tiger

I am way overdue on sharing some of McKenna's most recent artwork.  I think my last post was about 4 years ago or so and it was displaying her work when she was about 9 or 10 years old.  This is her latest piece.  Her teacher liked it so much he displayed it in the halls of the High School.  It was a nice moment of validation and recognition for her.

A couple of days ago she overheard a couple of boys looking at it say "Oh look, a Down's-syndrome tiger!"  

She laughed big time....  The little guy does have some slanty eyes because of Mom's enormous tongue, not because of any birth defects.

So, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"  Plato says....True, so true.  It is amazing to me that people can look at seemingly the same thing and yet draw such completely different conclusions. This is across the board.  Although there do seem to be some standards that most do agree with respect to things of quality and beauty there is still never ending room for opinion and individual insight.

I remember thinking a lot about why cool things seemed cool.  Why someone was pretty or not so pretty and why we would even differentiate between such things.  Why does a high end car like a Mercedez actually look "high end" compared to another car.  They are both made of metal, rubber, plastic and painted parts.  Yet the distinction is enormous even beyond that of price to most....not everyone. 

Confucius says:  "Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it."

and we can't forget the very important corollary statement from Miss Piggy:

"Beauty is in the eye of he beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye."

I have found myself seeing things that others do not see and I find that beautiful... the discovery of something just underneath....sometimes the inspired moment of application is the most beautiful thing...not the scripture or words, but the insight that comes as a result of viewing something.  Other times it most definitely is the pure face value of the thing.  A fiery colorful sunset, an impossible goal scored, a smile or a pair of ocean green eyes....

When I look at something my daughter drew, like the "Down's syndrome" tiger above... Do I naturally see more beauty than really is there because I am her Dad and the fact that she drew something like this makes me bust out in pride?  Or is it beautiful despite the fact that she has my DNA?  You know... it doesn't matter.  You see what you want to see.... that is cool.... I know what I see.  I love that about art.  The artist usually is the most generous about what there is to see.  Often they don't even know.  They just knew that they had to create, paint or sculpt the thing.  I think they secretly love to know that there are a million different feelings and views.  The ultimate flattery.... and then maybe that is where the ultimate beauty lies.... in the sharing of it.  The gift of it, the talent that created it to be placed on the altar of life for all to see and partake of....

Thank God for the Artists and the part they play.... you have come a long way McKenna from your computer generated MS Paint images of the past.  They both are beautiful to this beholder. I see a Mom who loves her cub drawn perfectly by someone who loves animals so much....

                                              ....even if she does have Down's syndrome...!