Paulo Ponte | Great Virtues

THE SMALL TREATY OF THE GREAT VIRTUES

They have always been important, but now more than ever they are urgent and vital to confront and overcome these uncertain and difficult times.

No virtue is natural as it is acquired and perfected through constant habits that lead man as a species, individually and collectively, to goodness.

Virtues are moral values, they are our way of being and acting humanly through specific powers and forces that act beyond instinct.

Nothing depends on us as our will and the only way to act virtuously is to act well, because goodness is not something to contemplate it’s something to put into practice without expecting anything in return.

And as the Stoics saw it "it is the virtue that makes happiness".

André Comte-Sponville's “small” and beautiful homonymous book with enormous impact opened new horizons, contributing to the reflection and knowledge of values, ideas and ideals, absolutely precious for understanding humanity, but also ones feelings.

At the same time it led me in an enchanted way to discover and meet thinkers and philosophers such as Alain, Simone Weil or Jankélévitch, who contributed like Philosophy itself to question to think more (and better) increasing the potential of a better life and, I hope, to be more human.

Painting Politeness from the series The Small Treaty of the Great Virtues by Paulo Ponte. Acrylic paint on canvas. Contemporary art. Tribute to the philosophical work of André Comte-sponville.

Painting Prudence from the series The Small Treaty of the Great Virtues by Paulo Ponte. Acrylic paint on canvas. Contemporary art. Tribute to the philosophical work of André Comte-sponville.

Painting Temperance from the series The Small Treaty of the Great Virtues by Paulo Ponte. Acrylic paint on canvas. Contemporary art. Tribute to the philosophical work of André Comte-sponville.

Painting Courage from the series The Small Treaty of the Great Virtues by Paulo Ponte. Acrylic paint on canvas. Contemporary art. Tribute to the philosophical work of André Comte-sponville.

Painting Justice from the series The Small Treaty of the Great Virtues by Paulo Ponte. Acrylic paint on canvas. Contemporary art. Tribute to the philosophical work of André Comte-sponville.

Painting Generosity from the series The Small Treaty of the Great Virtues by Paulo Ponte. Acrylic paint on canvas. Contemporary art. Tribute to the philosophical work of André Comte-sponville.

Painting Compassion from the series The Small Treaty of the Great Virtues by Paulo Ponte. Acrylic paint on canvas. Contemporary art. Tribute to the philosophical work of André Comte-sponville.

Painting Mercy from the series The Small Treaty of the Great Virtues by Paulo Ponte. Acrylic paint on canvas. Contemporary art. Tribute to the philosophical work of André Comte-sponville.

Painting Gratitude from the series The Small Treaty of the Great Virtues by Paulo Ponte. Acrylic paint on canvas. Contemporary art. Tribute to the philosophical work of André Comte-sponville.

Painting Humility from the series The Small Treaty of the Great Virtues by Paulo Ponte. Acrylic paint on canvas. Contemporary art. Tribute to the philosophical work of André Comte-sponville.

Painting Simplicity from the series The Small Treaty of the Great Virtues by Paulo Ponte. Acrylic paint on canvas. Contemporary art. Tribute to the philosophical work of André Comte-sponville.

Painting Tolerance from the series The Small Treaty of the Great Virtues by Paulo Ponte. Acrylic paint on canvas. Contemporary art. Tribute to the philosophical work of André Comte-sponville.

Painting Purity from the series The Small Treaty of the Great Virtues by Paulo Ponte. Acrylic paint on canvas. Contemporary art. Tribute to the philosophical work of André Comte-sponville.

Painting Sweetness from the series The Small Treaty of the Great Virtues by Paulo Ponte. Acrylic paint on canvas. Contemporary art. Tribute to the philosophical work of André Comte-sponville.

Painting Good Faith from the series The Small Treaty of the Great Virtues by Paulo Ponte. Acrylic paint on canvas. Contemporary art. Tribute to the philosophical work of André Comte-sponville.

Painting Humor from the series The Small Treaty of the Great Virtues by Paulo Ponte. Acrylic paint on canvas. Contemporary art. Tribute to the philosophical work of André Comte-sponville.

Painting Love from the series The Small Treaty of the Great Virtues by Paulo Ponte. Acrylic paint on canvas. Contemporary art. Tribute to the philosophical work of André Comte-sponville.