Is beauty purely in the eyes of the beholder, or is there intrinsic beauty? Let’s see what we can learn from things that many people agree are beautiful.
I googled “beautiful nature scenes” and daresay that most people would consider it more beautiful than this:
The first picture’s blue-centricity may at least partly explain. Why? Across cultures, infants look longer at blues than reds, a preference retained through adulthood. I’m guessing that’s why the Democrats jumped on being blue states leaving red for the Republicans, and the media was happy to promulgate.
I googled “most beautiful face” and this was listed first:
I’ll leave for another day the predictable fact that Google’s algorithm is biased against men, at least white men. (ALL of the first 20 images for “beautiful face” were of women but when I searched on “ugly face,” only 4 of the 20 were.)
Beauty goes beyond the widely cited symmetry. I believe that a face is widely considered beautiful to the extent s/he has the constellation of features liked by most people, by definition, moderation in nose, eyes, hair, lips, etc. That’s true of body as well: The person of moderate proportion is generally considered more attractive than, for example, someone who is too thin, or moreso, too fat, or even who has a much larger than average waist or hips relative to their chest.
Beauty may be more than skin deep. A person can be perceived as more beautiful if, as we get know them, they are, for example, kind. We’ve all met people who, on first glance, weren’t beautiful but if that didn’t deter us from getting to know them, over time, they inexplicably appear, if not beautiful, more attractive.
We deem some art more beautiful than others. But I doubt that most people, if honest, would feel that the world’s most famous painting, the Mona Lisa, is more beautiful than this mere cityscape by little-known Leonid Afremov.
Yes, the Mona Lisa’s expression is ambiguous but so what? Perhaps we must separate beauty from such other factors. Why do I consider the Afremov more beautiful: the innovative blending of color, light, and composition into a coherent whole. As with faces, are we back to beauty being greater than the sum of its parts?
I grow and hybridize new varieties of rose. Some may be functional: no disease, constant rebloom, dense foliage, but beauty? That’s reserved for the likes of Sheer Elegance:
What can we learn from that? We call that bloom shapely: symmetrical with broad petals of a color that melts rather than is solid. That may help us in our efforts to define beauty well beyond roses: I think most people prefer melty colors to monochromatic. Agree?
Nearly everyone would agree that the classic Taj Mahal and the modern Sydney Opera House are beautiful, probably because they manage to be unique and beautiful. Anyone can create something unique but also beautiful? Rare. Side note: It’s remarkable that they were able to build the still-magnificent Taj with only the technology available in 1632.
Another unquestionable beauty is the snowflake. We’re attracted to its symmetry, translucence, and that it’s natural. Yet crystal Christmas tree ornaments like the one below (Amazon, $24.99), isn’t unique nor natural, yet I’d guess that most people would consider it more beautiful than a snowflake. Perhaps that’s because of its even greater translucence, which makes it look a bit surreal.
Let’s turn to more abstract beauty. People often speak of a beautiful baseball swing, chess move, or solution to a real-world problem. Like the Taj and Opera House, that may reflect a combination of excellence and innovation.
After all this analysis, there’s a foundational question: How much does beauty matter? I mean, surgery isn’t pretty but if it cures, who cares? From where I sit, an appreciation of beauty gives pleasure without side effect. Life is hard enough. We should take a moment to appreciate beauty, however we define it.
I read this aloud on YouTube.
Marty Nemko’s face isn’t beautiful but people say his mind is. He is a career and personal coach, and author of 34 books including How to Do Life. You can reach him at mnemko@gmail.com
