In its most basic form, beauty is a combination of attributes that evokes a feeling of awe and pleasure. Aphrodite, the goddess of love, was once said to be the most beautiful woman in the world. Beauty has been the subject of debate in literature and politics for centuries.
The classical conception of beauty involved a formal treatment of its qualities. It was sometimes expressed in mathematical ratios. For example, the golden ratio is a Fibonacci sequence, and it demonstrates the aforementioned trifecta of pleasure, form and function.
While the idea of beauty was certainly important to the Renaissance, the twentieth century largely discarded the notion as it became the province of the nouveau riche. In the twenties, the fashionable notion was that a great work of art could disguise the destitution of the wealthy. That changed in the thirties as the social and political context demanded a more urgent stance. And so a new generation of artists and designers pursued the more pressing matters of their time.
Today, the concept of beauty is suffused with cynicism and irony. There are multiple theories of what makes something beautiful, with the most common being the color and proportion of a work of art. When a work of art is designed in an exploitative manner, it is no longer an object of art but rather an instrument of brutalization. However, the question of what makes something beautiful is still a relevant one.
Despite its reputation as an academic fad, there are a few theories of what makes something beautiful that stand up to a close inspection. For example, a work of art can be said to be beautiful if it is well lit, has a nice colour scheme and has good proportions. But the most important part of a work of art is the people who enjoy it.
One of the best things about a work of art is its ability to evoke feelings of awe and pleasure. It also connects an individual with a community of appreciation. This is why a work of art is so important to society, a fact that is not always appreciated.
Some of the more interesting theories of beauty relate to the way we experience the world. The modern art movement emphasized the experience of art as a holistic one. Artistic works are not merely things to be looked at; they are things to be touched and pondered. Indeed, it is often argued that a painting of a flower is as much a work of art as a flower itself.
In addition to the usual suspects, there is a growing body of literature that examines the history of the concept and what it signifies. As such, this piece will provide a brief summary of the various approaches to the topic. The article will also touch on the more practical and esoteric aspects of beauty, as well as its historical and cultural significance.
To get to the heart of the matter, let’s consider the triumvirate of the three primary theories of what makes something beautiful. We’ll look at the most enlightened view, the ol’ fashionista’s point of view, and the latest thinking on this topic.