Make it Beautiful

This essay was originally written as an assigment for my graduate work at the Academy of Art University in 2008. Over the years, I've added to it and mostly consider it a work in progress as I continue to explore the nature of beauty, in philosophy, neuroscience, spirituality, and aesthetics.

This is a work in progress, I may update or modify this work at any time, and am currently working on few new sections that I have recently felt are missing:

• Dissonant Beauty: things can be beautiful when they defy common understanding of what makes something beautiful—beautifully ugly—if you will.
• Natural Beauty: nature is the pattern of beauty, when left to itself, the natural state is beautiful.
• Sublime Beauty: some things defy description and the effect they have on your mind is that of awe and wonder.

I also hope to continue to add images of beautiful things that help illustrate these concepts.

© John Dilworth

Photo of a mosaic taken on the streets of Venice, Italy. I found this glass mosaic a strikingly beautiful object, likely for many of the reasons included in this essay.

The mosaic itself was a small framed image set in a window frame, with protective gates. The weathered frame, paint and settign made the mosaic appear even more precious and timeless.

What is Beauty?

If nature were not Beautiful, it would not be worth knowing, and if nature were not worth knowing, life would not be worth living. —Jules Henri Poincaré

The concept of beauty and what makes something beautiful has been discussed since the dawn of philosophy, and will likely be the topic of many discussions for thousands of years to come.

What is beauty?

What is it that makes something beautiful?

There have been various approaches to answering this question, some are scientific in nature, some are rooted in philosophy and some in religion.

Beauty is something that we all understand and experience, but it is something that none of us can really explain.

Perhaps the great German Renaissance artist, Albrecht Dürer, stated it best when he said:

“What beauty is, I know not, though it dependeth upon many things…”

While we may not all be able to agree on what is beautiful and what is not, we all can agree that there are certain things which seem to have qualities which can touch us deeply.

Understanding these qualities – whether they come from within us, or from within the objects we create–can be powerful tools to enrich our lives and the lives of others.

Defining Beauty

We use the word “beauty” without thinking about what it really means. We use the word almost instinctively to describe qualities of objects, of people, of situations. Typically there is little need to justify the choice of the word, as it is one that we all can seem to agree on in one way or another.

We also have little problem accepting that others can find beauty in things that we cannot. We might be bewildered at the types of objects and things that some people consider to be beautiful, but we also have grown to appreciate that “beauty, at times, must be in the eye of the beholder.” There could be something about the object that they perceive that we don’t, or it could be that they’ve had experiences in their life which make them able to recognize the beauty within an object which we cannot. Perhaps, there is nothing in the object which is beautiful at all, and beauty is nothing more than a neurological experience which takes place only inside of our heads.

The Challenge of Definition

Beauty resists simple categorization. It appears across domains as diverse as:

• Mathematical theorems and geometric forms
• Natural phenomena from sunsets to snowflakes
• Human artistic expression in all its forms
• Moral and ethical ideals
• Scientific theories and their elegant explanations

Each realm suggests different criteria for beauty, yet there seems to be something that unifies them all—a quality that transcends mere preference or cultural conditioning.

A drawing from Leonardo da Vinci’s sketchbook of the brain and neuro system.

Beauty as a Neurological Experience

One way of looking at beauty is the idea that we perceive something as beautiful because it triggers some sort of physical response within us which is agreeable. This response to stimuli can be potent.

We cannot always explain it merely due to the complexity of our physical bodies and systems, but this might seem like a very logical explanation. I can certainly imagine that a work of art might somehow help me recall a positive childhood experience: the colors were just the same, or an object in the room or picture reminded me of something else from my past conditioning.

In 1998 V.S. Ramachandran and William Hirstein published a report called “The Science of Art, A Neurological Theory of Aesthetic Experience.” This was the first study of its kind to investigate how the human brain responded to art. In the study, they suggested that artists consciously or subconsciously used specific visual design principles to stimulate the visual areas of the brain to evoke a direct emotional response. If certain principles of art were defined and employed, the brain would respond to those in a specific way.

Ramachandran’s study even tried to define specific principles of art as they relate to Neuroscience. The idea behind this type of thinking almost says that if we correctly understand all the stimuli(color, shapes, etc.) accurately, we can create a particular and agreeable kind of art which will always invoke the proper emotional response. Artwork ...

Albrecht Dürer's studies of human proportions represent the Renaissance quest to discover mathematical principles underlying natural beauty. Dürer's work created proportions for many different sizes and shapes of human bodies, rather than a single ideal proportion for beauty in the human form.

Beauty and Philosophy

While scientific studies on human perceptions of beauty are relatively recent, the study of beauty in philosophy has been a topic on the philosopher’s mind for thousands of years.

In the philosophical study of beauty, one is allowed to discuss beauty as it relates to things that we may never understand through means of scientific research.

Many classical ideas of beauty that emerged during the Renaissance were inspired by Plotinus, a neo-platonic philospher of the middle ages.

Plotinus spoke of beauty in Ennead 1.6:

Let us, then, go back to the source, and indicate at once the Principle that bestows beauty on material things. Undoubtedly this Principle exists; it is something that is perceived at first glance, something which the soul names as from an ancient knowledge and, recognizing, welcomes it, enters into unison with it.

But let the soul fall in with the Ugly, and at once it shrinks within itself, denies the thing, turns away from it, not accordant, resenting it.

Our interpretation is that the soul—by the very truth of its nature, by its affiliation to the noblest Existents in the hierarchy of Being—when it sees anything of that kin, or any trace of that kinship, thrills with an immediate delight, takes its own to itself, and thus stirs anew to the sense of its nature and of all its affinity.

But, is there any such likeness between the loveliness of this world and the splendors in the Supreme? Such a representation in the particulars ...

Shakers are known best for their beautiful and timeless chair designs. The woven seat provide comfort, the shape was sturdy, and could be easily stored out of the way on the wall

Beauty as a Spiritual Experience

The concept of beauty as a spiritual experience closely relates to Plotinus’ philosophy of beauty— the idea that art can help the mind draw connections to the spiritual aspects of life and nature. If an individual can look upon artwork and relate to it in some way that makes them experience happiness, be reminded of something positive, or recall an event or positive emotions from past experience, they have experienced a spiritual form of beauty.

The Shaker movement of the early 1800’s produced some of the best American design. Their concept of beauty rings true with this idea of a spiritual beauty—a beauty deeper than the surface appearance. In the book “Shaker Built” by Paul Rocheleau and June Sprigg this idea of beauty is expressed as follows:

“The appearance of things—including buildings—mattered in the Shaker world, but not in the same way that it generally mattered in the World…Physical homeliness was perhaps less of a handicap in the Shaker world than anywhere else because the beauty of the spirit was what was deemed important.”

In the Shaker world, the appearance of a thing or person mattered only to the extent that it revealed the underlying function. Whatever did not interfere with function, served the function.

S.N. Nasr in an essay titled “The Interior Life in Islam” discusses the role of beauty as a requirement for spirituality, and a necessary element for survival.

An understanding of the interior life in Islam would be ...

I took this photo of a door inside the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. The Alhambra is considered one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. It was so stunning, that the Spanish royalty kept it and made it their palace after a conquest of the Arabs. The building is filled with ornamentation and thoughtful geometric patterns, gardens and beautiful details.

Natural Beauty

The colorful and iridescent feathers and delicate size of hummingbirds make them naturally beautiful. Their beauty is often out of reach with normal human eyesight as they fly about quickly avoiding humans. Photography lets us capture them in stunning detail and lets us admire their beauty.

The night sky is a natural wonder. It's true colors and beauty can be seen with the naked eye, but much of its beauty cannot be seen due to the limitations of our eyes. Modern photographic equipment with long exposures can capture objects and color, revealing a hidden beauty that is above us always.

Dissonant Beauty

Picasso's Weeping Woman is an example of dissonant beauty. Many do not find Picasso's work "beautiful", but its appeal cannot be denied. Sometimes images that are visually "ugly" reveal details or emotions that communicate or speak to a deeper beauty.

Toward a Holistic View of Beauty

It does not make sense to separate the two views of aesthetic experience. It is a fact that our bodies produce chemical reactions to stimuli. It is also a fact that we don’t know everything about how the brain processes information. We will continue to learn more and more, but we will never understand everything.

The concept of beauty as a spiritual experience is not incompatible with the scientific view. The experience of spiritual beauty comes when the physical reaction to stimuli, triggers a spiritual experience when a connection made between something tangible (the artwork) to a positive thought not necessarily about the work itself. If a work of art could make someone think about the best moments of their childhood, ponder the love between a mother and her child, or reflect upon the mysteries of the universe in an uplifting way, the experience is spiritual in nature. Things that are beautiful for the qualities of their exterior trigger these same responses.

Can a beautifully crafted object trigger a spiritual experience in the viewer? I believe that it can. The human mind is perceptive, it can perceive the work by human hands. Not everyone experiences everything in precisely the same way. Our experiences are influenced by our past experiences, our knowledge, and our current state of mind. A spiritual experience is one that is drawn from our collective experience as members of the human family.

To take advantage of this holistic view...

Make It Beautiful: A Call to Action

Our exploration of beauty across multiple dimensions leads to a simple but profound conclusion: in a world often marked by ugliness, discord, and meaninglessness, the creation of beauty becomes both an opportunity and a responsibility.

Why Beauty Matters

Beauty is not mere decoration or luxury. It serves essential functions:

• Neurological: Beautiful experiences literally rewire our brains for positive states
• Social: Beauty creates shared experiences that unite communities
• Spiritual: Beauty opens doorways to transcendent meaning
• Personal: Beauty enriches daily life and provides hope

The Creator's Responsibility

Whether you are an artist, designer, writer, programmer, teacher, or parent, you have countless opportunities to choose beauty over ugliness, harmony over discord, meaning over emptiness.

This doesn't mean everything must be conventionally pretty. True beauty often emerges from:

• Honest expression of difficult truths
• Courageous confrontation of complexity
• Authentic representation of human experience
• Skillful integration of form and function

Practical Guidelines

To create beautiful work:

1. Study the foundations: Understand the neurological, philosophical, and spiritual principles that underlie aesthetic experience

2. Develop technical skill: Master the craft elements that allow you to express your vision effectively

3. Cultivate spiritual sensitivity: Remain open to sour...