Intelligence, Beauty, or Both?

Intelligence, Beauty, or Both? Acrylic 25.5"x47.5"

Koi have come to be known to me as a liminal subject--precarious between passion and peace. I see them as regenerative, determined and contemplative creatures swimming on the edge of something great. Had they seen the floods of Atlantis? Were they in a pond in Hiroshima? Will our views grant them intelligence, or only beauty? Can't one exist and function as both?

(Detail of Intelligence, Beauty, or Both?)