Saving Beauty

This paper engages with the thought of the Korean–German philosopher Byung– Chul Han, but with a focus on the complexity of postmodern conceptions of beauty and the various challenges this notion poses to Christian artistic and cultural expression. The author has developed the critical programmatic principle of “saving beauty” through a series of interrelated analyses, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities of the contemporary cultural moment. In the first section the authors analyze the phenomena of displacement of beauty which is evident in the transition into the digital realm. In the second part, the authors argue the reproduction of the “inner void” as being the result of nihilistic narcissism. Han returns to the conception of beauty in the classical metaphysical sense invoking its original nature: self–enclosure, otherness, festivity, reminiscence and event of truth. Thirdly, the authors develop a critical review of the challenges to Christian liturgical aesthetics by focusing on three interrelated points: the return to the truth of beauty on the fundament of God’s visibility in Christ which is the core of liturgical art; the return to the cultural heritage which is inextricably linked to its evangelization and is deeply rooted in the tradition of the Church and finally , the return to the liturgy as “the wellspring and summit” of all Christian life. These reflections suggest that Christian communities are invited to engage critically and creatively with their own cultural heritage, while continually pursuing new ways to proclaim the truth of beauty within contemporary culture.