During the twentieth century, the concept of beauty has been questioned and debated. Various thinkers have made attempts to define it and its limitations. The hedonist conceptions are characterized by their emphasis on pleasure and love as the motive for the creation of beautiful objects.
In the classical or neo-classical conception of beauty, the most important aspect of it is the arrangement of integral parts into a harmonious whole. This can be seen in the art of architecture, music, and sculpture. This form of beauty is also embodied in a variety of works of literature.
A classic example of the classical conception of beauty is the arrangement of the leaves on the stem of a plant. It may also be expressed in the relative length of limbs in a well-proportioned person. The ‘Canon’ sculpture, a work of art that was exhibited in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris during the nineteenth century, was a model for the beauty of proportion.
In the eighteenth century, the concept of beauty was associated with pleasure. According to Aristotle, beauty is definiteness, symmetry, and harmony. But these concepts are not the only definitions of beauty. In the Christian tradition, the word beauty is used to describe the creation of God.
It is also possible to find art that does not follow any of the above-mentioned rules. Some of the most notable game changers are the artists who pushed the boundaries of traditional aesthetic norms. Examples include Pablo Picasso and Johannes Vermeer. A more recent artist who pushed the boundaries of traditional beauty is the late Edvard Munch.
Another more mundane observation is that the same object can be perceived as different colors at different times of the day. The color scheme of an urn at midnight can be totally different than the urn at noon.
Despite these differences, the concept of beauty is a common topic of discussion. It is a subject of interest to philosophers, painters, and designers. In the 1990s, a revival of interest in the topic began to flourish, particularly among feminists and the arts-informed.
The most important observation to make here is that there are many ways to look at and describe beauty. This is not to say that there is no such thing as beauty, but that it is an empirical fact in the world. It can be subjective, but it also exists in the mind of the creator. In the modern world, the concept of beauty is associated with economic and political associations. These associations have led to the discrediting of the idea.
The triumvirate of the classical, hedonist, and feminist theories of beauty are all worthy of consideration. Although the most accurate description of the concept of beauty is still a matter of personal preference, it can be useful to consider the concept in the context of other art forms. This means that we should not limit ourselves to the standard or traditional beauty standards. Instead, we should also consider the more esoteric elements of a good thing.