“Harmony imposes compatibility upon the incongruous.”
Yehudi Menuhin
This observation offers up a juxtaposition of two ideas that seemingly exist in opposition yet are elegantly reconciled. The term harmony derives from the Greek ἁρμονία harmonia, meaning “joint, agreement, concord.” The concept stems from the harmony of nature. Squirrels, birds, flowers, trees—all are lyrically integrated, interconnected, creating something larger than themselves: something glorious. The incongruity, then, can be a veil that obscures deeper connections, the compatibilities in nature. But not only in nature.
In every culture throughout history, mosaics have been the cornerstone of the period’s art. One theory suggests that mosaics represent the harmony of nature, even if unintentionally. These mosaics resonate within us aesthetically: we are able to perceive that harmony.
Contemporary artists play with mosaics, using vivid colors and seemingly incongruent shapes. Their work reflects the true beauty of cultural diversity—its ability to transform both ourselves and the world into something larger, something glorious, something that becomes clear to us only when we step back to see the majestic mosaic of life.
