“What is capable of restoring enthusiasm and confidence, what can encourage the human spirit to rediscover its path, to raise its eyes to the horizon, to dream of a life worthy of its vocation — if not beauty?” asks Pope Benedict XVI in his November 2009 Address to Artists.

“Beauty is a key to mystery and a call to transcendence.  It is an invitation to savor life and to dream of the future,” explains Pope John Paul II in his Letter to Artists.  ”That is why the beauty of created things can never fully satisfy. It stirs that hidden nostalgia for God which a lover of beauty like Saint Augustine could express in incomparable terms: “Late have I loved you, beauty so old and so new: late have I loved you!”’

Both of these quotes inspire my personal quest for beauty through dance, as previously expressed here and here, but there is much on which to reflect regarding art, beauty, and the Church.  I’ve come across several bloggers who have covered the subject, calling their readers to new understanding and a new appreciation for the beautiful.  And so I’ve decided to start a series here at Dance Immaculata in which I will share with you the articles and links I have collected about the subject of beauty.  Stay tuned for the first installment…

St. Augustine, lover of beauty.  Pray for us!