Definition Of Beauty Explored: Culture and Perception
My definition of beauty showcased in this luminous portrait of Lisa.
The search for a clear and unambiguous definition of beauty has fascinated philosophers, poets, architects mathematicians and artists for thousands of years. Here’s how their efforts have helped to illuminate my own search for beauty.
The definition of beauty is based around universal concepts of beauty, like symmetry and balance. Yet our perception of the world around us impacts our ability to recognize and appreciate beauty, whether it be manifested internally or externally. Thus beauty is both universal and experiential.
This photo features a young woman placed close to an old, weathered statue. As well as highlighting the beauty of the young woman, the image also explores notions of duality that include the following:
youth and old age
smoothness and texture
organic and inorganic
life and death
It’s my hope that by balancing opposite ideas within the composition the positive aspects of youth and organic life are emphasized.
Table of Contents:
Definition Of Beauty In Human Experience
The definition of beauty has varied over time and across cultures. Indeed the concept of beauty, whether it be cosmic, human or concerned with the natural world, has been central to artistic exploration throughout recorded history.
Landscapes, architecture and well crafted objects are often considered to be beautiful. That’s particularly the case when they exhibit qualities of composition that we find to be visually arresting or pleasing.
Likewise our psyche can find resonance and a sense of assurance in elements from the natural world that we associate with peace, safety and abundance.
No wonder images that portray rivers flowing gently through green verdant landscapes are so popular.
Timeless Quotes On the Definition Of Beauty
As a way of helping to define beauty it might be worthwhile seeing what others have had to say on the subject.
“The autumn of beauty is still beautiful.”
“Art always serves beauty, and beauty is the joy of possessing form, and form is the key to organic life since no living thing can exist without it.”
“Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror. But you are eternity and you are the mirror.”
True Beauty Definition
Beauty brings great pleasure. But it can also bring with it a recognition, on the part of the viewer, that what’s being witnessed at the time is often a fleeting, impermanent state of being.
A touch of melancholy may be associated with such a revelation, but so to can a deep appreciation of the wonder contained within the moment.
Of course opinions on the definition of beauty vary from person to person and, likely, change over time.
I also think it’s important to recognize that the mood in which we place ourselves very much affects the way we view the world around us.
Put simply, our perception creates our reality. If you’d like to further explore my ideas on this concept take a look at the post titled Are Our Lives Really Shaped By Adversity?
There are many forms of beauty and many ways by which we can appreciate beauty including the following:
Outward beauty, regardless of genre, that’s evident in physical attributes associated with the face and body that are considered to be aesthetically pleasing.
Inner or true beauty showcased in a person’s character, virtuous traits and the kindness and compassion they show towards others.
We’re told that inner beauty is far more important than any outward expression of physical beauty.
I agree with that statement, though I recognize the power of attraction and how it’s the primary determining factor in the commencement of many relationships.
Is Beauty Universal?
The concept of beauty is a very open ended topic and it's natural for us to admire something that is pleasing to the eyes whether it be a flower, a sunset or the human form.
Likewise, I’m comfortable with the idea that considerations of beauty are often subjective and, therefore, subject to personal preferences.
While beauty might very well reside in the eye of the beholder I also think it’s true to say that there are certain universal notions of beauty including the following:
Kindness
Compassion
Symmetry
Balance
Symmetry is essential to a universal notion of beauty.
Think about a sunflower. This large, eye catching flower features bright, yellow petals arranged around two highly textured circular disks.
The vibrant color of the sunflower’s bright yellow petals elicits notions of happiness in the viewer.
The counterpoint is the symmetrical design and repetitive arrangement of the petals together with the textured central areas that add a sense of order and solidity to the flower.
While the wash of bright yellow color sends the mind skywards, the symmetry and repetitive nature of the petals and central disk keeps the viewer grounded.
The sunflower, like so much else in nature, is amazing as it offers us a vision of near perfection within a seemingly chaotic world.
Does Perception Determine Beauty?
I believe, more often than not, that we live our lives as mirrors reflecting our perceptions of the world around us. These perceptions become manifested in the way we speak, how we listen and what we make of what we see and hear.
To that end our body language, facial expressions and the way we interact with others is largely determined by the way we perceive what’s happening to and around us.
What we need to do is to live our lives like windows projecting our true nature out into the world around us. Of course we first need to recognize, respect and nurture our own, unique true inner nature.
If you’re interested in exploring beauty, both traditional and unconventional, in more depth I’d recommend the following posts I’ve created on the topic.
As perception determines the reality we create for ourselves, each and every day, I believe that it also determines our recognition, understanding and appreciation of beauty in the world around us.
Portrait showing that beauty means good lighting and a positive attitude.
What Beauty Means to Me
While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, my own definition of beauty is quite straightforward.
For a human to be beautiful you need two things, in particular, which I like to describe as follows:
Good light
A positive attitude
The above photo features a lovely Italian girl, named Lisa, which I’m including to illustrate what beauty means to me in the world of traditional outdoor portrait photography.
I was running a portrait photography workshop in Melbourne which Lisa was attending during her time as an exchange student in Australia.
The group and I were treated with a very special gift: that of rare, natural beauty.
Being able to photograph a subject that’s blessed with clean, luminous skin is a great advantage for the portrait photographer.
As you might imagine we were all very happy when Lisa agreed to play the role of model and pose for a few photos.
Imagination and Beauty For The Creative Soul
I'm a huge Lord of the Rings fan and, despite having photographed a variety of people next to this statue over the years, I was keen to make another attempt.
This place has nothing to do with the LOTR books or films, but somehow the melancholy nature of the statue reminds me of some of the set pieces from the films.
I set up the image and helped workshop participants make great portraits of Lisa.
After everyone else had made their photos, I took a few moments to make a few images which I’m happy to share with you here.
The location and light looked good and it seemed like a great opportunity to make some beautiful pictures of Lisa for her family and as a memory of her time in Australia.
Hopefully she'll be able to look at these images and remember her time in Melbourne for many years to come.
Youth is, after all, that time in one's life when the future should look bright and positive. And a positive attitude has so much to do with where we discover beauty and what we consider it to be.
I'm pleased with the results and I’m very happy I made the effort for all concerned.
One of the things I've learned through life is that there are often only brief moments during which we’re able to interact with random people we meet on our journey through life.
This is as true in daily journeys around town as it is when we travel to exotic locales.
But don’t let that deter you as each moment contains the opportunity for us to preserve the memory of that interaction through the photos we make.
It’s just one way where the photos you make can make a positive, life-affirming statement that helps to change the world, one photo at a time.
Examples Of Beauty: Now And Then
We’re all well and truly aware of how making a role model out of a famous toy doll or celebrity can be harmful to the development of young girls.
You have to be born with very particular genes to develop such a body and trying to emulate that kind of physique through extreme forms of dieting or surgery is worrying.
The promotion of an unrealistic ideal of body image can contribute to physical and mental health issues. And that’s about as far away from beauty as you could imagine.
German philosopher Immanuel Kant believed that there could be no universal criteria for beauty and that the experience of beauty is totally subjective.
Thomas Aquinas described the three conditions of beauty as follows:
Integritas or wholeness
Consonantia or harmony and proportion
Claritas being a radiance and clarity that draws attention to an object’s form
Renaissance and Humanist thinkers rejected this proposal and considered beauty to be the product of rational order and harmonious proportions.
Of course mathematicians have long spoken of the connection between maths and beauty.
In Ancient Greece the golden ratio became the model around which the beauty associated with symmetry and proportion were expounded through architectural design.
Cultures from around the world, who likely had no interaction with Ancient Greek culture, also discovered the beauty of the golden mean and celebrated it in their own grand architectural structures.
Is that not another example of universal principals of beauty?
Conclusion: Beauty In Photography
Personally I think it’s more important to recognize and celebrate beauty than it is to understand it or try and cultivate the same look for yourself.
After all, isn’t that the folly of fashion and how we allow it to control how comfortable we feel, both physically and emotionally, in our own bodies.
I think the best thing we can do is to make the appreciation of beauty, whether possible, to be without judgement.
After all we’re able to recognize and appreciate the beauty of a flower or a sunset. Why then is it so hard for us to see that same beauty manifest in others and, indeed, in ourselves.
Creative endeavors like photograph are all about the search for beauty. That’s why I employ photography, as part of my own life’s mission, to discover and celebrate beauty in my daily life and to share that beauty with an ever wider audience.
