A systematic analysis of the interdependence and delimitation between all the different concepts around the definition of "art" is not possible without a clear description of the concept of "beauty".

About what is beauty, or “beautiful”, thinkers have been arguing since ancient times and still. Moreover, on the one hand, they constantly emphasize the undeniable importance of beauty as one of the highest, absolute values ​​of life and culture. On the other hand, they just as constantly talk about the relativity of beauty, the variability of its criteria, the subjectivity of assessments. As one popular proverb says: “for some, beauty is in the hair, for others in the bald head.” And at the same time, people die and kill for beauty, they strive for it, they hope that it will help save the world.

Beauty is not the exclusive privilege of nature or art, it covers all phenomena in the world, is contained in every particle of substance, not only in the world of people, but also in the world of animals and plants.

Here are some commonly used definitions and necessary qualities that lead to the appreciation of something as art.

b the beauty -- an aesthetic (non-utilitarian) category denoting perfection, a harmonious combination of aspects of an object, in which the latter causes aesthetic pleasure in the observer. Beauty, along with truth and goodness, is the most important category of culture. In its aesthetic perception, the concept of beauty is close to the concept of beauty, with the only difference being that the latter is the highest (absolute) degree of beauty. At the same time, beauty is a more general and multifaceted concept, largely eclectic. The opposite of beauty is ugliness.

b In a general sense the beauty - the highest degree of expediency in nature, harmonic correspondence and combination of elements (including contradictory ones) in any device, in any thing and in any organism.

That which is useful can also be considered beautiful. In the peasant environment, for example, female beauty was associated primarily with health, necessary both for work and for the production of offspring, healthy workers. In the aristocratic environment, traits of weakness, fragility, effeminacy were valued in a woman, because a woman in this environment had a different destiny than a peasant woman.

l beautiful is what is considered as such in a circle of people of the same level, although occasionally it is something that allows you to somehow stand out. Beauty often comes down to external beauty. Its expressions are external brilliance, brightness, flashiness.

TSB gives the following definitions:

b beauty (beautiful) - a category of aesthetics that characterizes phenomena that have the highest aesthetic value. As an aesthetic value, beauty differs from moral and theoretical values ​​(goodness, truth) in that it is associated with a certain sensual form and refers to contemplation or imagination; in contrast to the utilitarian-useful, the perception of beauty is disinterested.

The value of beauty for a person and society is spiritual and practical character . The perception of the beautiful is disinterested, that is, alien to vulgar utilitarianism, but this is not “disinterest”. On the contrary, the experience of beauty is disinterested because personal and social interests merge in it, a person feels himself personally involved in the social significance of beauty. Thus, the aesthetic relationship to beauty also has an ethical aspect, corresponding to the unity of aesthetic and moral values.

b Beauty in art - its artistic value - is due to a true reflection of life (the beauty of truth), the expression of humanistic ideals, as well as skill that creates a form that harmoniously corresponds to the content.

b beauty as a value , in which the objective aesthetic significance of phenomena is expressed, is mastered through subjective aesthetic assessments, through the prism of people's tastes and ideals. The most important task of aesthetic education is the formation and development of a person's ability to perceive the true value of beauty.

Definition from Wikipedia:

b the beauty is an abstract concept that is strongly associated with all aspects of human existence.

The study of this concept, its meaning is mainly the philosophical discipline of aesthetics.

Like any other assessment, this emotionally positive concept depends on value orientations (value scales), which strongly depend on social, collective conventions (unwritten laws).

The question "On the basis of what value scales is the concept of "art" defined, how are they formed?" is also the object of study of the natural and human sciences.

Depending on the given context, the following definitions can be distinguished:

b household definition :

Wikipedia: In everyday life, as a rule, something that leaves a particularly pleasant impression is denoted as beautiful.

b Philosophy :

Kant (literally): "Beauty as the object of a certain activity of judgment: an aesthetic or taste sentence."

Baumgarten (literally): "Perfection, completeness of sensory knowledge."

b Natural beauty :

Many aspects of the concept of art are determined by the evolutionary process of man. The central question here is: "What ensures the long-term survival of one's own species?" The answer to this question largely depends on what is coded in human genes and depends on the assessment of the qualities of objects for usefulness for the survival of their kind. At the same time, the individual aspects / attributes of beauty are the shape, structure, symmetry, averageness of the shape of the face (for example, in the opposite sex). Social and collective aspects are, for example, the following reactions of the individual to the assessment of the collective: "Beautiful is what is best for the whole team" or "Beautiful is what is beautiful for others" (for example, fashion).

Beauty, do not count. We easily repeat the well-known, quite serious and half-joking formulations of this word. We know that it is a "terrible force", "the language of the superconscious", even "sound and visual pleasure". However, when it comes time to give our own answer to the question of beauty, we most often experience difficulties. Scientists have been experiencing the same difficulties for centuries, trying to explain a seemingly simple concept.

Until a certain time, it was customary to believe that beauty is associated with expediency. Many scientists have argued that the concept of beauty is nothing more than a category of aesthetics, denoting a harmonious combination of many aspects that, in their complex, delight the observer. That is why we use the word “beautiful” to characterize the female or male body, architectural structures, landscapes, etc.

Another part of pundits on the question of what beauty is, gives a completely different answer. They believe that which corresponds to cultural or ethnic concepts that have developed in a particular place.

It is no coincidence that the concept of "beautiful woman" in different nations means different In Europe, for example, a tall, long-legged and thin girl is considered a beauty. Such beauty has a certain status for us.

In Mauritania, daughters are specially fattened, sometimes using torture. Thinness in this country is a shame not only for the future bride, but for her entire family. The Mauritanians believe that only a fat woman is able to endure and then feed a child. So, they approach the concept of beauty from the point of view of survival.

In one of the tribes of North Africa, women cut off all their teeth “for beauty”.

No wonder they say: "How many people - so many opinions." California scientists have come to an unexpected conclusion. When asked what beauty is, they answer: “In fact, beauty does not exist.” After some research, American psychologists came to the conclusion: beauty is stereotyped, primitive, maximum similarity to the majority.

The beauty of a person, say the Americans, is determined by the speed of processing visual information. The simpler the face, the less detail on it, the easier it is to capture a person’s face with one glance, the more beautiful its owner seems to us. This phenomenon is called "lazy brain". Despite the fact that such claims seem rather controversial, in the last century they were confirmed using a computer program. Photos of six hundred generally recognized beauties and beauties were analyzed using a program that takes into account It turned out that they are very similar to each other.

The principle of "lazy brain" works when evaluating people, animate and inanimate nature.

For many centuries it was believed that that average standard of beauty appeared as a result of evolutionary development. It is he who gives more chances for survival or reproduction. It was believed that nature reproduces many copies only when the original sample is worthy of inheritance.

Today, American psychologists have proved the fallacy of this theory.

The classics have their own opinion. They believe that the true beauty of a person is the unity of appearance, the spiritual world, actions and aspirations.

So what is beauty? Apparently, this is a harmonious image that causes only something that causes admiration. Beauty is a feeling of comfort with the image you like, whether it is a person or a beautiful animal.

Let everyone have their own concept of beauty. Some people like mountains, others like steppes. Some like blondes, while others like bbws.

Beauty gives rise to the desire to live, to interact with the outside world, to strive for perfection.

BEAUTY is one of the universal forms of being of the material world in human consciousness, revealing the aesthetic meaning of phenomena, their external and (or) internal qualities, which cause pleasure, delight, moral satisfaction. The highest degree of K., an expression of its essential aesthetic beginning is. In contrast to the beautiful as an aesthetic ideal, the perception of beauty in everyday life is most often not isolated from a holistic perception of the surrounding world, but serves as an emotional and aesthetic continuation of the general picture that is recreated by a person by his senses. Humanized nature, material and spiritual products, first of all, everything is evaluated by him on the basis of the laws of expediency and K. Even in those cases when these laws are violated, and then the starting, direct or indirect, criterion for the aesthetic evaluation of phenomena - up to the extreme of repulsive ugliness (Ugly) - the concept of K. serves. Without the ability to experience K. of nature and artificially created, as well as judgments about K. and evaluate its manifestations, the full existence of a person as a person in the natural and objective environment is impossible. Despite the difference in the objects of aesthetic perception - a physical object, act, thought, event, social phenomenon, their K. is enclosed and reveals itself in a certain harmonic relationship, which acts as an objective source of subjective perception of K. This aesthetic regularity of K.'s being finds the most complete embodiment in the artist . image. The concrete-figurative expression of K. is the result of an act of creative (aesthetic) knowledge of the real world. In his life, in labor, a person creates both according to the laws of needs, benefit, and, as Marx emphasized, according to the laws of K. The latter, along with kindness, nobility, dignity, is an eternal concept, although at different times and in different ethnic regions in it had its own interpretation. But the subjectivity of such an interpretation is not absolute, since it does not break ties with objective reality, since the content of art, the very laws of feeling it, as well as aesthetic thinking as a whole, are a kind of reflection of the external world. The perception of K. (and its many varieties - beautiful, graceful, graceful, idyllic, etc.) is free from selfish considerations: it gives pleasure to the independent value of the mastered object, the sensual expressiveness of its appearance and inner life. Regardless of subjective priorities in the perception of K. form, color or sound, the nature of aesthetic sensation is determined by the relationship of the various components of phenomena, their proportions, rhythm, the relationship of parts and the whole. The feeling of harmony gives the bright joy of experiencing K. A person is also aesthetically concerned about organization as overcoming the disorganization of processes that have not yet been completed to the end and require creative intervention. The interrelation of parts and the whole determines the K. of a person’s actions, his actions. In social relations, the social essence of this key aesthetic concept is manifested to the greatest extent: it is determined to a large extent by national, class, historical, moral, political foundations and ideals.

Aesthetics: Dictionary. - M.: Politizdat. Under total ed. A. A. Belyaeva. 1989 .

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

See what "BEAUTY" is in other dictionaries:

THE BEAUTY- there is only the promise of happiness. Stendhal It is said: beauty is the promise of happiness. But nowhere is it said that this promise will be fulfilled. Paul Jean Thule Beauty is an eternity lasting a moment. Albert Camus Distance is the soul of beauty. Simone Weil Welcome ... ... Consolidated encyclopedia of aphorisms

THE BEAUTY- BEAUTY, beauty, pl. beauty (beauty outdated.), female. 1. only units distraction noun to handsome. The beauty of the drawing. The beauty of northern nature. 2. only units Beautiful, beautiful (as a general concept; book). Truth, goodness and beauty. 3. only pl. Beautiful… Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov

THE BEAUTY- s; honeycombs; well. 1. to Handsome. K. Central Russian landscape. K. hands. K. movements. Soulful, inner k. We saw the city in all its beauty. 2. Beautiful, beautiful. What k. all around! Feeling of beauty. To life. * Beauty will save the world (Dostoevsky). 3.… … encyclopedic Dictionary

the beauty- Beauty, splendor, splendor, picturesqueness, grace, elegance, picturesqueness, prettiness, elegance, charm, prettiness, artistry ... take beauty, give beauty ... Dictionary of Russian synonyms and expressions similar in meaning. ... ... Synonym dictionary

the beauty- n., f., use. often Morphology: (no) what? beauty, why? beauty, (see) what? beauty what? beauty about what? about beauty; pl. what? beauty, (no) what? beauty, why? beauties, (see) what? beauty, what? beauties, about what? about beauties 1. Beauty ... ... Dictionary of Dmitriev

THE BEAUTY- the universal of culture is the subject of an object series, fixing the content and semantic gestalt basis of sensory perceived perfection. The concept of "K." acts as one of the semantic nodes of classical philosophy, centering on itself as ... ... The latest philosophical dictionary

THE BEAUTY- BEAUTY, s, pl. oty, from, otam, wives. 1. unit Everything beautiful, beautiful, everything that gives aesthetic and moral pleasure. K. Russian nature. K. poetic speech. Be distinguished by beauty. For beauty (to be beautiful; colloquial). 2. pl.… … Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov

THE BEAUTY- (symbol b, from English beauty beauty, beauty), additive quantum. number characterizing hadrons, carriers to horn yavl. b quarks; is preserved in the strong and el. magn. interactions, but is not preserved in the weak impact. Introduced for interpretation ... ... Physical Encyclopedia

The beauty- "KrAsota" folklore ensemble of the Novosibirsk State University. Created in 1981 from the vocal group of the NSU academic choir. Initially, he performed his own pop arrangements of folk songs, but later began to perform ... ... Wikipedia

the beauty- Beauty ♦ Beauté Qualitative characteristic of the beautiful, its actual state. How competent is the separation of the concepts of beautiful and beauty? Etienne Surio (***), in his "Aesthetic Dictionary", believes that it is competent: "Regarding about ... ... Philosophical Dictionary of Sponville

Since childhood, I often heard from parents, friends and just acquaintances different statements about beauty. Each of them knew exactly what was beautiful and ugly, beautiful and not beautiful, great and not great. And each of them had their own clear view of beauty, which could radically differ from the opinion of a completely different person about the beauty.

And so I became curious about what beauty is. What do they mean when they say beautiful woman, beautiful child, beautiful man, beautiful eyes... And I turned with my curiosity to Wikipedia.

In general, after viewing this beauty rating, I came to the conclusion that over the years, the standards of beauty are becoming scarier and uglier. Well, I can’t call Sasha Pivovarova the standard of female beauty in 2010 .. I can’t do that. She is not very scary, and not very ugly, but she has such specific facial features that beauty hard to name her. Moreover, there are quite a lot of beautiful girls who look after their beauty by visiting beauty salons and doing various procedures such as anti-aging masks, nail extensions, facial massage, pedicure, etc., and who could rightfully claim the place of the standard of female beauty in 2010.

And now about beauty from Wikipedia

́ is an aesthetic (non-utilitarian, non-practical) category denoting perfection, a harmonious combination of aspects of an object, in which the latter causes aesthetic pleasure for the observer.

And now I think, where is the harmony in the huge bust of Pamela Anderson or perfection in such high cheekbones of Sasha Pivovarova? For me it remains a mystery.

From this definitions of beauty it turns out that each person, through the prism of his vision, determines the level of beauty of an object, person, animal based on his individual understanding of harmony and perfection. And the level of beauty depends on what a person is looking for in the world around him. Some find something in everything beautiful, refined, perfect and harmonious, and others - the absolute opposite of beauty. This is how it happened to me and the opinion of experts about the standard of female beauty, everyone has their own opinion.

If you think so, then beauty with its harmony and perfection is fundamental to almost everything that surrounds us. It helps to love passionately, create perfection, create beauty, pushes us to exploits, makes us better. So do not forget about beauty and try to find it in everything that surrounds us.

I recalled the tale of Sergei Timofeevich Aksakov "The Scarlet Flower", which has an instructive meaning that beauty is beauty, and the inner world of a person must first of all be beautiful, then it will be displayed externally.