Adornment as aesthetic philosophy: Cross-cultural perspectives from Kerala murals, Tibetan Thangkas, and medieval European thought

Abstract

This paper explores adornment and metaphysical beauty through Kerala murals, Tibetan Thangkas, and medieval scholastic thought. Aquinas defined beauty through integritas, proportion, and claritas, whereas Asian traditions invest jewels, textiles, and pigments with layered meaning. Such elements work as devotional and epistemic devices, linking material form with the transcendent and opening cross-cultural perspectives beyond Eurocentric aesthetics.