In the early centuries of Western civilization, philosophers sought to understand beauty. They looked at how beauty is perceived and measured. Aristotle, for example, interpreted classical aesthetics more dispassionately than Plato. David Hume, on the other hand, argues against tyrannical notions of taste.
One of the first things that philosophers did to understand beauty was to determine its magnitude. They came to the conclusion that beauty is not a quality, but rather an aspect of something that makes someone feel good. This idea led to the formulation of several aesthetic principles. Beauty is a concept that is both objective and subjective.
For instance, symmetry is a measure of beauty. It refers to the symmetrical relation of parts to the whole. Euclid, for example, uses this to explain the golden ratio. But what does symmetry mean in practice?
According to David Hume, there are two ways to do it: one is a tyrannical way, and the other is a free way. The tyrannical way is to insist that the individual should agree with his or her own sentiment. On the other hand, the free way is to permit variation.
Another way to look at beauty is to consider what constitutes a beautiful object. It’s not necessarily just a painting, but anything that can be admired, be it a sculpture, a musical performance, a dance, or a piece of architecture.
A beautiful object will not be judged just by its looks, but by the logical and mathematical requirements of its design. This includes the proportion, the symmetry, and the beauty of the idea. However, the best and most important of these requirements is that the object is aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
There are two main kinds of aesthetics: the abstract and the physical. The latter includes aesthetic principles such as the golden ratio, which is a Fibonacci sequence in the form of a line. Its significance is often overlooked.
The classical adage, “Form follows function,” has become a mantra of modern aesthetics. It is a cliche, but it certainly has its merits.
It is also a good idea to make the distinction between art and craft. Art is an expression of an artist’s emotions and feelings. Craft, on the other hand, is a more practical matter. As such, it is not necessarily a worthy substitute for art.
It is difficult to know what is the best definition of beauty, but what is important is that beauty exists in the mind. So the best definition of beauty is the one that takes into account both the objective and subjective aspects of the subject.
One example is a painting of a woman with three eyes. While it might be a nice portrait, it lacks the integrity of an actual human being. That is, it does not represent a person in a complete manner, as in having a fully developed interior logic.
One skeptic might say that the classical adage is just that, an adage. In reality, the concept of beauty is a matter of perspective, and a different perspective may result in a more accurate understanding of beauty.