Beauty

There are so many definitions of beauty - in the abstract anyway. We can define beauty as an aesthetically pleasing object or as an internal characteristic. Whatever it is, it seems to generally be a desirable thing to possess. But beyond being merely desirable, does it actually define the value of the objects that possesses it?

If something is not beautiful, does that make it less valuable? Certainly there are things in life that are merely practical, but that would not most commonly be called beautiful. A toilet for instance. Surely a toilet has value, even though it is not in most cases the bell of the household appliance ball, as it were. Would a toilet that was beautiful be more valuable than one that was rusted and dirty, but still worked. It wouldn't necessarily be more useful, but would it be more valuable intrinsicly? It would presumably be more desirable, all other things being equal. Obviously you can't judge usefulness on the degree of beauty. Beauty must be a distinct quality all its own, which itself is valuable.

Is the same true of people? Is a person with less beauty (internal or external) more valuable than one without? It seems so wrong to say so, but I wonder how many of us feel that way in the depths of our own self-critical minds.

Then there are those things that most would consider downright ugly, until someone shows you a different perspective. Rust, for example, or cracked concrete have been known to be the subject of some very beautiful photography, but in real life these are things we seek to repair or replace because they are neither beautiful nor practical.

Perhaps the purpose of art is to show the beauty in something, and the job of the artist to find it. Even for art that seeks to make a statement about the ugliness of life, somehow we want the form at least to be beautiful. Even as it is strong and powerful and moving - the picture or the photo or the song or whatever, should itself be beautiful even if the subject is not. Maybe art does not just to find the beauty, but brings a beauty of its own to impart. By doing so, is it actually adding value to the object itself? Art not just as a representation or interpretation of an object, but something which gives back to the object by making it more beautiful.