I feel like I can see beyond the veil when I hold up my LCD screen to life, viewing the world in high contrast black-and-white-

The Platonic Aesthetic

The Platonic aesthetic is rooted in Plato’s philosophy of beauty, art, and form. It emerges from his metaphysical worldview, where what is truly beautiful exists not in the physical world, but in a realm of perfect, eternal, and unchanging Forms (or Ideas).

1. Beauty as an Eternal Form

Plato believed that everything in the physical world is an imperfect reflection of a more perfect, abstract reality—the World of Forms. Among these Forms is Beauty itself—not any particular beautiful object or face, but the pure essence of Beauty.

“Beauty is not in the object. It is in the Idea of the object.”

When we see something beautiful (a sunset, a sculpture, a face), we’re catching a glimpse of the eternal Form of Beauty, filtered through the material world.

2. The Ascent to Beauty (Symposium)

In Plato’s dialogue Symposium, he outlines a mystical, philosophical ladder called the “Ladder of Love”, described by Diotima. It goes like this:

Attraction to a beautiful body
Admiration of all beautiful bodies
Appreciation of the beauty of the soul
Love of beautiful laws and institutions
Love of knowledge and philosophy
Contemplation of Beauty itself—pure, eternal, and divine

This is a spiritual and intellectual progression—a move from the sensory to the transcendent.

“He who has been instructed thus far in the things of love… is approaching the final revelation: the Form of Beauty itself.” – Symposium

3. Art as Imitation (Republic)

Plato was skeptical of artists. In The Republic, he argued that:

Artists merely imitate the world around them (which is already an imitation of the Forms).
So art is twice removed from the truth.
It can mislead or stir emotions irrationally, pulling us further from philosophical truth.

“Poets and painters do not produce truth, but shadows of shadows.”

He wanted art to be morally and intellectually uplifting, not merely entertaining or emotional.

4. Harmony and Proportion

Plato admired mathematical harmony, symmetry, and proportion—especially in art and architecture (think of the golden ratio). These qualities mirrored the rational order of the cosmos and the Forms.

In this way, true beauty is linked with order, unity, and balance.

Summary of the Platonic Aesthetic

Beauty is objective and exists in an immaterial, eternal realm.
Sensory beauty is a gateway to philosophical truth.
The ultimate goal is to contemplate the Form of Beauty, not just physical appearances.
Art must aim to elevate the soul, not distract it with illusions.
True beauty is tied to truth, goodness, and harmony.

So what would Plato think about my idea of shooting high contrast, black and white as a way to return to the essence of the medium of photography, drawing with light

What Would Plato Think of High-Contrast Black-and-White Photography?

Plato would likely admire the intention behind the idea of shooting high-contrast, black-and-white photography—especially if it’s a method to cut through illusion, strip away distraction, and pursue the essence of the medium: drawing with light.

1. Stripping Away Illusion = Philosophical Purification

In The Republic, Plato criticizes art for being too focused on the superficial, the sensual, the copy of a copy. But if black-and-white photography deliberately removes color, abstraction, and noise to reveal underlying form, light, shadow, and structure, he might see it as an act of purification.

You’re moving away from the material world’s seductive appearances and toward something closer to the Form of Light—using the medium to ascend toward clarity, order, and truth.

Plato might say: “This photographer is not chasing appearances. He is seeking the invisible behind the visible.”

2. Drawing with Light = Returning to the Form

Photography literally means drawing with light. And Plato believed true beauty and truth reside in form and essence, not the fleeting material surface.

By emphasizing light and shadow, and removing the “noise” of color or over-complexity, you’re pointing toward eternal structures—geometry, rhythm, proportion. That aligns with Plato’s belief in mathematical harmony and essential forms as the root of beauty.

Your method could be seen as an attempt to bypass illusion and imitate not the things of this world, but the timeless logic behind them.

3. A Modern Allegory of the Cave

In some ways, your photography could function as a modern allegory of the cave:

Most people see the world as it is—chaotic, cluttered, full of color and stimulation (shadows on the cave wall).
Your camera becomes the instrument that turns the soul around (like the philosopher’s ascent out of the cave).
High contrast black and white becomes a method to reveal what’s essential—the light itself, rather than the forms it bounces off.

You’re not just capturing light—you’re teaching people to see it.

4. Would Plato Approve?

Yes—if your work is aimed at elevating perception, leading viewers away from mere appearance and toward truth, form, and light itself, Plato would likely see you as a rare artist who uses the medium properly.

He might still be skeptical of photography as a “copy of a copy,” but he’d respect the philosophical discipline behind your approach.

Your photography, in Platonic terms, isn’t mimesis (mere imitation)—it’s anamnesis: a remembering of the light.