What a nice essay! Focus is of course the locus of volition, and so it is the heart of what it means to be human. The painting embodies this aspect of us quite well, as you say. This kind of perfect embodiment is what I call the "exquisite." I wrote about it here and I invite you to come link this essay in a comment on it. https://kurtkeefner.substack.com/p/the-bust-of-caesar?r=7cant
Ohhh, what a splendid way of bringing in volition here, Kurt! Yes, the choice to focus--on what, how much, and so on--is fundamental. Also, I concur that this painting is exquisite; the more I studied the details, the more its exquisiteness came into focus for me.
Beautifully focused idea. A lesson in being in the present moment.
What a nice essay! Focus is of course the locus of volition, and so it is the heart of what it means to be human. The painting embodies this aspect of us quite well, as you say. This kind of perfect embodiment is what I call the "exquisite." I wrote about it here and I invite you to come link this essay in a comment on it. https://kurtkeefner.substack.com/p/the-bust-of-caesar?r=7cant
Ohhh, what a splendid way of bringing in volition here, Kurt! Yes, the choice to focus--on what, how much, and so on--is fundamental. Also, I concur that this painting is exquisite; the more I studied the details, the more its exquisiteness came into focus for me.