Is humanity's pursuit of beauty, its pursuit of art, wrong?
No. It was human nature—an innate instinct that could never be erased.
In a sense, human aesthetics were humanity's most fundamental subjective attitude and pursuit, closely tied to one's stance, tastes, pleasures, and more.
Artists created art, depicting the "beauty" they perceived in their works and conveying their thoughts, aesthetics, pleasures, and subjective attitudes to the world.
Or perhaps they simply "wanted to create."
In Lawrence's understanding, that was the definition of a so-called "work of art."
Yet within society, within the shackles formed by rules and laws, art was inherently unfree. This was inevitable, and relatively reasonable. At least, from society's perspective, the "works of art" created by "artists" with a voice were themselves deafening declarations, so regulation was unavoidable and necessary. This was done everywhere in the world. When Lawrence joined the Florence Painters Association and became a member, he had been warned of this. His teacher, Verrocchio, had told him the same thing.
But—
"Proceed."
Clang—
On January 11, 1469, an execution was taking place in a Florence square.
The three men pushed onto the gallows were all prominent figures well known throughout Florence.
The leader of the Pazzi Family—Francesco.
The Pope—Sixtus.
And—
The artist—Verrocchio.
The platform gave way. The execution was over. Lawrence stood amid the crowd below, his nails buried in his flesh. He closed his eyes, the suffocating sensation and dizziness leaving him barely able to stand.
Anger and grief flooded his brilliant mind. His body swayed. He wanted to cry, yet he did not dare make a sound.
"The shaking of stability will not be permitted." The young sovereign Lawrence knew so well stood before the gallows, looking down at the crowd as he spoke loudly. "I understand that my actions may be