I’d say the people who wrote me saying they’d cried because paintings were beautiful were soothing themselves, without really saying anything.
I disagree with this - the beauty that evokes this response is closer to the "spiritual" feeling he describes for the Rothko. There is a quality in beauty that is overwhelming because in contrast to the world it has a perfect grace. It can come from perfection of form, elegance of craftsmanship and ease of evoking emotion. When Roxanna cried in front of the McQueen it was because it was so beautiful, and I suspect because it was something so light and perfect and whole (no element unnecessary), created by a dark mind that understood how rare those qualities are. In a way, it is the opposite of the void of the Rothko. It is a momentary completeness of meaning, linked to sorrow because it is fleeting, but held up in the face of the ugliness of the world, it's message being "Cling to This"
