That which is not slightly distorted lacks sensible appeal; from which it follows that irregularity – that is to say, the unexpected, surprise and astonishment, are a essential part and characteristic of beauty.
Charles BaudelaireRead
...and the lamp having at last resigned itself to death. There was nothing now but firelight in the room, And every time a flame uttered a gasp for breath It flushed her amber skin with the blood of its bloom.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote captures the beauty of life and death through the imagery of firelight and the brightness of a woman's skin.
In this quote, Baudelaire paints a vivid picture of a room illuminated only by the flickering firelight after a lamp has extinguished. The interplay between light and the woman's amber skin symbolizes the passionate and fleeting nature of life, suggesting that even at the moment of surrender to death, there is a lingering beauty and vibrancy in existence.
Themes
LightDeathBeautyLifePassion
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about the intersections of life and art.
More from Charles Baudelaire
All quotes →The dance can reveal everything mysterious that is hidden in music, and it has the additional merit of being human and palpable. Dancing is poetry with arms and legs.
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Who among us has not dreamt, in moments of ambition, of the miracle of a poetic prose, musical without rhythm and rhyme, supple and staccato enough to adapt to the lyrical stirrings of the soul, the undulations of dreams, and sudden leaps of consciousness.
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There is no sweeter pleasure than to surprise a man by giving him more than he hopes for.
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The priest is an immense being because he makes the crowd believe astonishing things.
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I consider it useless and tedious to represent what exists, because nothing that exists satisfies me. Nature is ugly, and I prefer the monsters of my fancy to what is positively trivial.
Charles BaudelaireRead
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