My ideal in the art world. How the ideals of female beauty have changed. The standard of beauty in different eras

25.08.2023 Drugs

Throughout human history, female beauty has been one of the most powerful sources of inspiration for people of art. However, even generally accepted and replicated standards of beauty with an unbiased approach are unlikely to delight many of our contemporaries. The famous Nefertiti may seem stooped and awkward to some, Rubens's beauties may seem too plump, and others will find Mona Lisa's high forehead and shaved eyebrows unattractive...

So what were the canons of beauty in different periods of the development of our society?

Actually, the first works of art were female figurines. Archaeologists nicknamed them "Paleolithic Venus". Of course, with a fair amount of jokes, because these “Venuses” look extremely unattractive by our standards. The face, arms and legs, as a rule, were not even outlined, but the primitive artist richly endowed the figures with exaggerated female characteristics - sagging breasts, a sharply defined belly hanging down to the knees and large hips.

However, it is unlikely that these figures were canons of beauty. When making “Venuses,” the artist was motivated not so much by erotic as by cult motives: here he showed respect for a mature woman, a kind of “vessel” for pregnancy. Considering that the life of Paleolithic people was difficult and dangerous, such “fertile” women who lived to maturity were at a great price.

Based on later cave paintings, primitive women were slender, muscular and not much different from men.

Beauties of Egypt and Crete

Looking at ancient Egyptian images, it is easy to see that nudity in those days was not perceived in Egypt as something reprehensible. The clothes of Egyptian women are thin and translucent, practically not hiding the lines of the body, and the dancers usually performed topless.

The ideal of female beauty was considered to be a tall, slender brunette with broad shoulders, a flat chest, boyishly narrow hips and long legs. The ancient Egyptian woman's facial features were delicate, and her eyes especially stood out. To give the eyes shine and dilate the pupils, belladonna juice was dripped into them, the so-called “sleepy stupor”.

The ideal shape of the eyes was considered almond-shaped - it was emphasized by circling the eyes with green paint from copper carbonate and lengthening the contour to the temples. It was also considered beautiful to highlight the veins on the neck and temples with blue paint. In ancient Egypt, there were already all the main types of cosmetics: from powder and lipstick to nail paint and various ointments. Even written works on cosmetics are known, such as Cleopatra's treatise On Remedies for the Face.

Egyptian women also loved bouffant hairstyles. True, instead of growing their hair naturally, they acted more simply: they shaved baldly, and put wigs made of sheep's wool on their heads. To enhance the hairstyle, one wig was often worn over another. Wigs were worn not only by noble people, but also by ordinary people (although their wigs should have been "more modest").

The Egyptians strove to ensure that the skin was smooth, without a single hair, so thousands of years ago they practiced waxing, which is also known to our contemporaries. After removing the hair, the skin was anointed with oils and incense, and with the help of white, it was given a "fashionable" light yellow tint.

The clothes were transparent. At the same time, the skirt of noble ladies fit the calves so tightly that the gait became slow and majestic. Egyptian women's breasts were often exposed, but were never specifically emphasized.

The naturalism of Ancient Egypt was restrained, which cannot be said about Cretan fashion. In the ancient culture of Crete, apparently, it was the woman who was the center of special attention. Unlike the elegant majestic Egyptian woman, the woman of Crete was bright and liberated. She tried her best to highlight her charms. Frescoes and figurines depict a female figure with a thin waist and raised breasts, frankly peeking out of the deep neckline of the vest. The hips were emphasized by a wide skirt that completely hid the legs.

The lively snub-nosed faces of the Cretan women in the frescoes are heavily made up and have a coquettish expression. No wonder the images of Cretan beauties led researchers to think about contemporaries (one of the frescoes was even dubbed "Parisian").

Antique sample

Here, for example, are the “model” parameters of Aphrodite of Knidos, performed by the famous Praxiteles: height -164 cm, chest - 86, waist - 69, hips - 93.

From the statues you can get an idea of the ideal facial features of an ancient Greek woman: large eyes with a wide, centuries-old slit, a small mouth and a classic “Greek” nose, straight and actually continuing the line of the forehead. Greek women, like Egyptian women, used cosmetics with all their might: they tinted their eyes and eyebrows, and blushed their cheeks. The most popular hairstyle of those times is also very familiar to us: it is a Greek “korymbos” knot tied at the back of the head. Black Greek women preferred to bleach their hair with alkaline soap and sunlight.

The Greek canons of beauty passed to the Romans with some amendments. The ideal Roman woman was required to be stately, portly, and in no case thin. However, fullness was required, not at all loose, the figure had to maintain grace and harmony. For Roman women, whose skeletons were genetically thinner than those of Greek women, this condition was not easy to fulfill. They actively engaged in physical exercises and also tightly bandaged their chests and thighs.

The desire to become blondes passed from the Greeks to the Romans along with other canons of beauty. It was blond, blond, red hair that was especially valued in Ancient Rome. Prostitutes were simply obliged to have yellow or white hair.

The skin of Roman women was also bleached, and also in a rather dangerous way - with lead white, which often led to poisoning. There were other, less dangerous “recipes”: for example, cream from bread crumb and milk, soap from goat fat and beech tree ash. And the Roman Empress Poppaea was accompanied on all her trips by a caravan of five hundred donkeys, in whose milk she bathed daily.

Women of China and Japan

It seems that nowhere was beauty as artificial as in the countries of the Far East. No wonder one Chinese sage wrote: “It is better to admire a beauty at her morning toilet after she has powdered her face.”

And indeed, the faces of Chinese and Japanese women were heavily made up: such a large layer of white was applied to the face that it resembled a porcelain mask. According to the canon, the beauty’s face should have looked as impassive as possible. The forehead should be as high as possible, for which the hair on the forehead was shaved, and the forehead itself along the edge of the hair was outlined with mascara. The result was the desired elongated oval. Japanese women even shaved off their eyebrows, and instead of them, they drew short, thick lines as high as possible.

The mouth should look small (lips like a bow). Showing your teeth has always been considered bad manners, which is why Chinese women still cover their mouths with their palms when laughing. Japanese women have been blackening their teeth for many centuries from the age of 12-14.

By the way, the kimono was tied so cleverly that undressing the “doll” woman became an art in itself. The Japanese experienced no less pleasure from this ritual than from the sexual contact itself. By the way, the Japanese treated nudity completely calmly and did not give it a special erotic context.

Sultry woman of the East

The idea of female beauty among the Caucasian peoples of Asia (be it Arabs or Indians) is very similar. This should be the “scorching” oriental beauty of Scheherazade from “1000 and One Nights”: large black eyes with a wet cloud (“like a gazelle”), teeth “like pearls”, hair and eyebrows - thick and black “as pitch”, breasts - like “two hills crowned with scarlet cherries, full hips and at the same time thin fingers and ankles.

Completeness was generally highly valued by Asian peoples. Suffice it to recall the compliments of the Indians, which are dubious for our women: “beautiful as a cow” and “graceful as an elephant.”

The beauty's belly is usually compared to many scrolls stacked on top of each other. Ideally, it should have three deep folds and “project nicely.”

In this regard, I would like to note that the recipes of the ancient Indian love treatise “Kama Sutra”, widely advertised in the West, are not always suitable for slender European women. For example, love bites that give pleasure to a plump Indian woman can leave painful bruises on the skin of a European “ideal.”

Beautiful Lady of the Middle Ages.

The satiated antiquity was replaced by the ascetic and harsh era of Christianity. Nudity and, in general, everything bodily was denied as “earthly” and “sinful.” The women's bodies are hidden under loose, shapeless clothes; their heads are covered with a cape. In fashion - paleness, complete absence of makeup, purity and innocence.

However, when in the High Middle Ages (XII-XIII centuries) people's lives improved and morals became softer, the European world again remembered female beauty. She came from the world of art. It was among the Provençal troubadours that the cult of the Beautiful Lady was born, which is the earthly continuation of the cult of the Madonna. The knight had to faithfully serve his chosen Lady, “who knows no leniency.” When going into battle, warriors often took with them some part of their Beloved’s clothing, sometimes even wearing her shirt over their armor. Manifestations of devotion to the Lady sometimes reached the point of insanity: one gentleman proudly declared that he constantly drinks the water in which his Lady washes her hands, another dressed in skin and pranced in front of the “object of desire”, like a faithful dog.

The appearance of the “Beautiful Lady” should have the following advantages. Firstly, a thin and flexible body, preferably an S-shaped silhouette. The hips should be narrow, the chest should be neat and small. This was emphasized by long, tight clothes. A high waist and a slightly protruding belly (as a symbol of pregnancy) were also valued.

Thinness and pallor continued to remain “fashionable,” but the ideal Lady’s cheeks must have a glow on their cheeks, and their eyes must be “clear and cheerful.” Despite the fact that Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury publicly proclaimed blond hair an unholy practice, hair in the Middle Ages was again valued when it was blond and, preferably, curly. True, they could only be seen loose on unmarried girls. Married ladies hid their curls under bedspreads, hats, or put them in a net. In this regard, a high forehead acquires special value.

Revival of the body

Gradually the church lost its comprehensive power in Europe. Social life is gaining more and more weight and is increasingly invading art. Italian humanists are rediscovering the canons of ancient beauty for Europe. The art of Ancient Greece becomes a model for artists and sculptors. Along with it, attention to the human body as such returns. Nudity is increasingly appearing in secular paintings.

The masters of the Early Renaissance were not yet too far removed from the medieval ideal of beauty: Botticelli’s “Venus” has a familiar fragile figure with sloping shoulders. However, with the advent of the so-called “titans of the Renaissance” - da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael - the ideal female figure is transformed. Now she is a stately, full-blooded, “bodily” tall woman with broad shoulders, lush breasts, wide hips, full arms and legs. From afar, it’s easy to confuse the powerful torsos of Michelangelo’s women with men’s. We see the same thing in the paintings of da Vinci, Titian and other masters. The celebration of bodily fullness reaches its climax in the paintings of Rubens.

The tight Gothic dress is also replaced by a voluminous one, the waist takes a natural position. Wide sleeves and skirt, heavy fabrics (satin and velvet) add weight to the female figure. It was at this time that a new word “grandezza” appeared, meaning a majestic, noble appearance.

The fashion for a high forehead remains from the Middle Ages, the smooth lines of which should not be disturbed even by the eyebrows (they were often shaved). The hair is “released” to freedom. Now they must be clearly visible - long, curly, golden.

Baroque and Rococo women

In the Baroque era (late 16th-17th centuries), naturalness again went out of fashion. It is being replaced by stylization and theatricality. The heyday of the Baroque came during the reign of the French “Sun King” Louis XIV. From then on, the French court began to dictate fashion throughout Europe (the so-called “Versailles dictate”). The nobility adopted it from the king's mistresses and spread it further.

The female body in the Baroque period, as before, should be “rich” with a “swan” neck, wide shoulders thrown back and curvy hips. But the waist should now be as thin as possible, and whalebone corsets are coming into fashion. In addition, the corset performs another function - it visually lifts the chest, usually almost open with a bold neckline.

The legs continue to be hidden under the skirt, which is held on by hoops and reaches a considerable width. Lush, frilly clothes have long become one of the main elements of female irresistibility. The pomp of appearance was most clearly manifested in the widespread use of luxurious collars and wigs, which existed among the nobility for almost three centuries. Necessary accessories for ladies include gloves, fans, umbrellas, muffs and jewelry.

At the beginning of the 18th century. The Rococo era begins and the female silhouette changes again. Now the woman should resemble a fragile porcelain figurine. The solemn pomp of Baroque is replaced by grace, lightness and playfulness. At the same time, theatricality and unnaturalness do not go away - on the contrary, they reach their peak. Both men and women take on a doll-like appearance.

The Rococo beauty has narrow shoulders and a thin waist, a small bodice contrasting with a huge round skirt. The neckline increases, the skirt also shortens somewhat. In this regard, close attention is beginning to be paid to underwear. Stockings are in fashion, and the petticoat is richly decorated. The richness of underwear also becomes important thanks to the morning ladies' ceremonies, in which gentlemen also participated.

With all this, the dress hardly emphasizes the figure. Attention is focused on the neck, face, hands, which seemed fragile among the lace frills, ruffles and ribbons.

Gallant ladies put so much makeup on their faces that, they say, husbands often did not recognize their wives. And since powder in those days was made from flour, the excessive demands of fashionistas sometimes even caused a temporary shortage of this food product in the country.

In the Rococo era, wigs took on truly grotesque, bizarre shapes. On their heads they wear entire still lifes of flowers, feathers, boats with sails and even mills.

Special black silk patches called “flies” also came into fashion. They served as a kind of love symbolism, focusing the attention of gentlemen on certain parts of the female body. Due to this specificity, “flies” were often glued not only to open parts of the body, but also under clothing. Some believe that the appearance of the "flies" was caused by the smallpox epidemic, and at first they hid the scars caused by this terrible disease.

Classicism and Empire style

When in 1734 the French ballerina Sale performed in a light transparent skirt, gathered according to an ancient model, the Parisian audience booed her. But in England her attire was appreciated. The fact is that while Rococo was rampant in France, in Foggy Albion they again began to rediscover “Greek taste and Roman spirit,” as the London Society of Lovers of Antiquity declared. Classicism began in fashion.

Even jewelry goes out of fashion for a while. It is believed that the more beautiful a woman is, the less she needs jewelry.

Imitation of ancient clothing (mainly the chiton and peplos) also changed the silhouette of a woman. The dress acquires clear proportions and smooth lines. The main clothing of fashionistas has become the snow-white shmiz - a linen shirt with a large neckline, short sleeves, narrowed in the front and loosely enveloping the figure below. The belt moved right under the chest. Since these dresses were made mainly from thin translucent muslin, fashionistas risked catching a cold on particularly cold days. Therefore, thanks to Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign, cashmere shawls came into fashion as an “addition” to shmiz, which were widely popularized by the emperor’s wife, Josephine.

IN 19th century fashion changed rapidly, crinolines replaced the ancient ideal, they themselves were replaced by bustles, which in turn underwent many changes and by the end of the century almost completely lost their position...

The height of beauty was “aristocratic beauty”: a wasp waist, a pale aristocratic face, excessive elegance of the body.

The ladies tormented themselves with diets and cleansing enemas, which personal healers recommended taking on the eve of the ball - “to increase the sparkle in the eyes.” Dark circles under the eyes were a sign of spirituality. Dumas the son wrote at that time that in Parisian drawing rooms tuberculosis was considered a disease of the intellectual elite. The most fashionable ladies did not use blush, but wore large bows around their necks. Everyone wanted to be like Violetta Valerie from "Lady of the Camellias."

At the end of the 19th century, women completely went mad with a passion for thinness; Even expectant mothers were pulled into the corset, trying to reach the desired mark on the measuring tape - 55. This was precisely the waist size prescribed by the fashion of those times. In 1859, after a ball, a fashionista, 23 years old, died. An autopsy revealed that the overtightening of the corset had caused three ribs to penetrate her liver.

Much later, women discovered that the curvaceous Nana, Zola’s heroine, was much more attractive than the “Lady of the Camellias.” The most senior people began to blush and put on makeup, like the women on the panel, horrified at the thought that they might get tuberculosis. It has become much more popular to die from apoplexy.

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries fashion is overly extravagant. She is ridiculed. This is how N.A. describes the “demonic woman” of this period. Teffi in the story of the same name:

“A demonic woman differs from an ordinary woman primarily in her manner of dressing. She wears a black velvet cassock, a chain on her forehead, a bracelet on her leg, a ring with a hole for potassium cyanide, which will certainly be brought to her next Tuesday.”

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the ideal of female beauty in the West was approaching the Eastern ideal. The beauty looked like a chrysanthemum.

The graceful lady now looks like this: a small head with a high hairstyle goes into an elongated torso, compressed like a flower stalk by a corset; narrow sleeves and drooping shoulders resemble leaves; the narrow skirt is complemented by a bustle; high heels make a woman's gait uncertain, which imparts fragility to the entire figure.

IN XX century There is no single standard of female beauty, but judging by the fashion models, ladies in fashion are slender (at least 170 cm) with developed breasts, a narrow waist, wide hips and long legs.

The Art Nouveau style, which emerged at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, became the defining direction of the era - the feeling of decline, hopelessness, and tragedy led to the emergence of decadence, which marked the crisis of European culture. In their desire to resist generally accepted bourgeois morality, adherents of the movement made a cult out of beauty, even if it was a continuation of vice. Responding to the demands of the time, fashion dictates languor, pallor and emphasized tragedy. Ballet - one of the most refined and abstract forms of art - became a sign of the times and determined everything that became the aesthetic fetish of an entire generation: secular salons adopted all its stage discoveries - motifs of the East, a dramatic image emphasized with makeup, the rejection of corsets and loose silhouettes.

The phenomenal success of Diaghilev's "Russian Seasons" in Paris gave rise to admiration for Russian ballerinas - the name of the legendary Anna Pavlova, the first performer of "The Dying Swan", became the standard of excellence for many years. At that time, the concept of a “sex symbol” did not exist, and the aesthetics of modernism itself did not imply an appeal to the earthly and understandable - men of that time wanted to revere and bow. The fantastic success of the Russian ballerina gave the world the image of an airy and unearthly beauty, which was significant for the formation of the canons of beauty in the context of the era of decadence.

Greta Garbo in 20s also became a symbol of the aesthetics of decadence; the most sought-after actress of silent and then sound films of the early twentieth century, she was the embodiment of men's (and women's) dreams - a thin profile, huge sad eyes, theatrically spectacular detachment and incredible eroticism for that time. Contemporaries considered Garbo the real embodiment of sin - and this in an era of debauchery, the decline of traditional moral values and revolutions!

It was Garbo who became the founder of the androgynous type of female attractiveness, combining the image of a vague and ambiguous vamp woman and a masculine athlete girl in trousers and a wide-brimmed hat. This type of beauty and sexuality very quickly went out of fashion, but in that era Garbo did not and could not have any rivals - strict and seductive at the same time, she gave the world a new type, the erotic attraction of which was based on a feeling of coldness, mystery and unattainability. The screen image became so attached to the actress that, in an effort to remain an eternal mystery, she left cinema at the peak of her career.

30s The twentieth century is a short moment in world history between two great wars, when humanity turned to dazzling luxury in an effort to escape from reality. The Great Depression, wars and revolutions gave rise to a feeling of instability, and, as usual in times of crisis, society played for resistance - at the intersection of modernity and neoclassicism, that same classic glamor was born, when actresses were dazzlingly beautiful, fashion was truly elegant, and Hollywood was experiencing a golden age. an era of impeccable glossy style.

A woman who went outside with unpainted lips was considered naked, and any manifestations of naturalness were considered bad manners. The icons of beauty and style of the time were striking in their grooming, sophistication and sophistication; they were almost desperately glamorous in their desire to live up to the high standards of the era.

IN 40s Hollywood has already become a full-fledged trendsetter in fashion for canonical beauties, but the country lived in anticipation of war, and therefore chic ladies in silks and fogs are temporarily leaving the screens. The imprint of the social position of mass art lay literally on everything - women tried not to be captivating and desirable, but active, decisive, equal to men in almost everything.

The fashion for blondes is becoming a thing of the past - at the peak of popularity, brown-haired women, naive facial expressions, doll-like hairstyles, small, sharply defined lips. A new social phenomenon of the “cover girl” is born thanks to the incredible popularity of Life magazine on August 11, 1941, with the image of the half-naked beauty Rita Hayworth, who adorned the atomic bomb dropped on Bikini Island. Thanks to this photo shoot, the concept of “sex bomb” comes into use, and the model girl overnight becomes an object of desire for all of America.

With the end of the war, femininity naturally returns to fashion. The turning point in the world of “high fashion” is considered to be 1947, when Christian Dior presented the “New Look” collection. The silhouette of the new ideal of beauty from now on became this: round sloping shoulders, a close-fitting bodice emphasizing the chest, a thin waist, a small head and legs in light high-heeled shoes. The dress lengthened to mid-calf and flared out. To enhance the impression of the rounded lines of the chest and waist, large amounts of fabric were draped below the waist, widening the hips. To create the “airiness” of the dress, a multi-layered petticoat was often removed. Corsets began to be used again (but mostly not rigid ones).

Discovered back in 1938, nylon stockings became generally available, eliminated longitudinal seams and won women’s hearts for a long time.

The ideal of beauty 1950s became Marilyn Monroe - a plump blonde with curled shoulder-length hair, “inviting” lips, lush breasts, hips and waist, for the sake of her diminutiveness, the movie star removed two lower ribs.

However, now the couturiers have acted wisely. Instead of promoting one type of beauty, they pioneered the introduction of multiple dress silhouettes. In 1958, Dior presented the public with a “trapezoidal” line of clothing that expanded from the shoulders, as well as a wide “bag-shaped” line in which the waist “disappeared” completely. Fashion becomes, as they say, for every taste...

Mini and sexy, hippie and Twiggy (1960-70s)

The 1960s were marked by a youth and sexual revolution. The young and daring, probably for the first time in history, announced the creation of their own worldview, their own music and their own fashion.

One of the most striking achievements of fashion was the final “liberation” of women's legs, undertaken by British fashion designer Mary Quant. It was she who invented the miniskirt, for which she was even awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1966 (although the interpretation of the award was “for services to English exports”). Stockings are now becoming unnecessarily risky, and tights, especially opaque ones, are coming into fashion.

For advertising "mini" was needed and the appropriate model. If previously the fame of “beauty idols” belonged to “formed” women, mainly actresses, now it has been won by the 16-year-old girl Twiggy (translated from English as “twig”, “twig”). The nickname was given for a reason: with a height of 1m 65 cm, she weighed only 45 kg! The films also preserved the image of other “beauty ideals” of the 60s: the sexy and luxurious BB - Brigitte Bardot and the elegant and sophisticated Audrey Hepburn.

Late 1960s hippies, the so-called "flower children", begin to dictate youth fashion. Ripped jeans, beaded jewelry, long hair, bright floral dresses, along with the preaching of free love and a return to nature, looked extreme and revolutionary back then. Hippies deliberately opposed themselves to "fathers" and embodied "anti-fashion".

However, much of the hippie's radical fashion 1970s, "stroked and combed", becomes "mainstream". First of all, these are flared trousers, bright decor, colorful fabrics, knitted items - scarves, sweaters, turtlenecks. Skirts are lengthening again. Practicality and simplicity prevail in clothing. Women stop wearing bras. Synthetic, wrinkle-resistant fabrics are coming into fashion.
The ideal of female beauty is a fragile, tall, flat-chested blonde with big eyes, side bangs and thin eyebrows. For Soviet people, the female standard of the 1970s is in many ways Barbara Brylska from the film “Enjoy Your Bath!”

In the 1980s, the capitalist world became rich and finally turned into a “consumer society.” Wealth and power, ostentatious chic and luxury became the main values of this era. A business-like, self-confident businesswoman and a vulgar, aggressively sexy girl - these are the two main female images of the 80s.
A strict business suit made of expensive fabrics is again characterized by a wide shoulder line - the personification of the strength and power of feminist women. Pants are worn either straight or “banana” - tapered downwards. To confirm the high cost of things, many fashion brand labels are placed on the front of the clothes.

A woman strives in every way to appear impressive and liberated. Fitness and aerobics are in fashion, which means a slim, athletic body. For the lazy, again, there is silicone and plastic surgery.
Tight dresses, elastic bodysuits, leggings and other items made of lycra and stretch are designed to demonstrate the sexuality of curves. Thanks to the pop singer Madonna, underwear ceases to be something intimate and is brought out to the public for the first time. Cosmetics become bright and provocative, hairstyles become disheveled and multi-colored, jewelry becomes massive (in many ways this is a response to the next “anti-fashion” of punks that made a splash in the late 1970s).

It was in the 1980s that the era of “supermodels” began; now they are role models.
In the 1990s, the fashion pendulum swung in the opposite direction again. Luxury is replaced by minimalism, demonstrative sexuality by unisex, and plump models by skinny Kate Moss. A simple silhouette and lack of decoration are in fashion. The founder of unisex fashion, Calvin Klein, puts forward the slogan “Just be!” Elements of a men's suit penetrate into women's, and vice versa - men's clothing is modeled according to women's canons. Now boys and girls dress the same - T-shirts, baggy pants, thick platform boots. Secondary sexual characteristics are not emphasized in any way.

But already in the late 1990s, “unisex” and “heroin chic” were fading away. Humanity has once again fallen in love with curvy, healthy beauties. However, the fashion industry no longer seeks to commit itself to new models, constantly changing them. Fashion trends are also changing dizzyingly, most of them mixing and quoting past eras.

What's next for us? We'll wait and see :) But to be honest, I wouldn't like fashion to get hung up on any one "canon", we are all so different, it would be unforgivable to deprive us of our individuality, relying on the whims of designers.

The ideal of beauty in different eras .

Beauty has always been a valuable content of human nature. But beauty is as multifaceted as a person is multifaceted, and therefore the ideal of beauty in different eras and among different peoples was so different that sometimes even completely opposite! I wonder how the ideal of other eras and peoples compares with the modern one?

The Ideal of Beauty of Ancient Egypt

A slender and graceful woman, close to our modern understanding of the ideal of beauty. Subtle facial features with full lips and huge almond-shaped eyes, the shape of which was emphasized by special contours. To dilate the pupils and add shine to the eyes, juice from the sleepy stupor plant was dripped into them!

The contrast of heavy hairstyles with a graceful elongated figure evoked the idea of an exotic plant on a flexible, swaying stem. Today we are trying to create approximately the same effect with high heels.

The Ideal of Beauty of Ancient Japan

The beauties of Japan thickly whitened their skin, covering up all the defects on the face and chest, outlined the forehead along the edge of the hair growth with mascara, shaved off the eyebrows and drew short thick black lines instead. Married women in feudal Japan coated their teeth with black varnish. It was considered ideal to collect hair in a high, heavy knot, which was supported by a long patterned stick. Well, as for sticks in the hair and hiding skin defects under powder, even now you won’t be surprised by this, but black varnish on the teeth is not yet in fashion. But oriental motifs in outfits and makeup are in fashion.

The Ideal of Beauty of Ancient Greece

It was in Ancient Greece that the main canonical foundations of beauty were formed. The ideal of beauty is captured in many works of art of this era. The body had to have soft and rounded shapes. The sculpture of Aphrodite (Venus) became the standard for a beautiful body among the Greeks. This beauty was expressed in numbers: height 164 cm, chest circumference 86 cm, waist - 69 cm, hips - 93 cm.

The Renaissance Ideal of Beauty

During the early Renaissance, a pale complexion and long silky strands of blond hair became the canons of beauty for women in Florence. The great poets Dante, Boccaccio, Petrarch and others glorified snow-white skin. A slender “swan neck” and a high, clean forehead were elevated to the rank of standard. To follow this fashion, to lengthen the oval of the face, women shaved the front hair and plucked their eyebrows, and to make the neck appear longer, they shaved the back of their heads. Leonardo da Vinci left us a wonderful standard of medieval beauty and formed a unique system of the “golden ratio”, which is still relevant today.

The ideal of beauty in modern times

It is noticeable that in the alternation of beauty ideals there is a noticeable tendency from naturalness to artificiality. Thus, with the decline of Rome, the era of the glorification of beauty was replaced by a cult of asceticism, detachment from worldly joys. In the Middle Ages, earthly beauty was considered sinful, and enjoying it was prohibited. The body was draped with heavy fabrics that hid the figure in a tight bag (the width of the clothes to the height is 1:3). Hair was completely hidden under the cap; the entire arsenal of means to improve appearance, which were so popular in ancient times, was consigned to oblivion. Blonding hair, already known in those days, was considered an unholy practice.

The ideal woman was personified by the Blessed Virgin Mary - an elongated oval face, an emphatically high forehead, huge eyes and a small mouth.

In the 13th century, the worship of the “beautiful lady” flourished. Troubadours praise the queens of knightly tournaments, their thin flexible figure, like a vine, blond hair, long face, straight thin nose, lush curls, clear and cheerful eyes, skin like a peach, lips redder than a cherry or a summer rose. A woman is compared to a rose - she is tender, fragile, graceful.

An interesting beauty formula developed in modern times is now somewhat outdated. A beautiful woman of that time should have: Three whites - skin, teeth, hands. Three black ones - eyes, eyebrows, eyelashes. Three red ones - lips, cheeks, nails. Three long - body, hair and hands. Three wide - chest, forehead, distance between the eyebrows. Three narrow - mouth, shoulder, foot. Three thin - fingers, hair, lips. Three rounded - arms, torso, hips. Three small ones - breasts, nose and legs.

The ideal of beauty in the 19th century

The ideal of beauty was considered to be “wasp waists,” pale faces, delicacy and sophistication. What we now call aristocratic beauty. A beautiful woman was compared to a thoroughbred horse; she should have an elegant body and thin ankles. But at the same time, everything natural, natural was considered rough, primitive. A healthy complexion and tan, a strong, strong body were signs of low origin.

The ideal of beauty in our century

Thanks to various beauty contests, a special standard of a beautiful woman has been formed. The applicant must have a strong personality and sense of style, emotionality and grace, photogenicity and the ability to adapt to various situations. At beauty contests on a global scale, preference is given to girls with the famous measurements of 90 - 60 - 90, and the applicant must certainly be young. Youth has been elevated to the rank of the beauty ideal of modern society and the entire beauty industry is aimed at prolonging the period of youth.

UNIVERSITY SO-and-so

on "Aesthetic Ideals in Contemporary Art"

The work was completed by a student

such and such faculty

Timchenko O.

Scientific adviser -

Petrov P.P.

City 2013

Introduction

Conclusion

Introduction

Ideological and moral guidelines are constantly changing, in unison with new directions of social development. Such landmarks are the main stimulus for artistic creativity. The modern aesthetic ideal is a cocktail of avant-garde postmodern ideas and a set of traditional universal values. In other words, aesthetic ideals in modern art are concepts of the norm of aesthetic perfection of any work, one of the main criteria by which the quality of a work of art is assessed.

The aesthetic ideal did not appear in modern art yesterday or today; it is a historical phenomenon that dates back to ancient times, during the period of the formation of art in the form in which it appears to us today. As the great Russian literary classic Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky wrote: “This is the sign of real art, that it is always modern, vital, and useful.” The artistic arts of any country develop their own directions of development, their own unique logic, their own laws, reality and possibilities. Works of art live in this reality, giving rise to a variety of unique approaches to assessing the aesthetic ideal, various forms of its expression. Some authors glorify life, others criticize, and others wage an irreconcilable struggle for basic social ideals. Century after century, from era to era, this artistic method, together with the aesthetic ideal, changes and is based on a certain worldview.

Through the aesthetic ideal in art, all the complexities of a person’s inner world and his endless aspirations for perfection are conveyed. Many authors are in search of forms of expression of the so-called “national identity” that are inherent to the people, close and understandable to them. The authors consider such forms to be beautiful and very expressive, and the search for these forms is one of the primary tasks for the national playwright, who is always in search of new ideas. Adhering to the unspoken rules of creating an aesthetic ideal, the author strives to create a perfect work. Moreover, most modern artists believe that a work does not have to teach something, it should be beautiful. By the way, Russian masters of the second half of the 19th century believed the same thing, for whom beauty in art was above morality and teachings.

Johann Wolfgang Goethe wrote in his time that when creating an aesthetic idea, every genius creates a certain sample, which ultimately becomes the measure of everything. In the imagination of every person throughout his life, a certain ideal arises, something that each of us dreams of, or the ideal of a person whom we want to be like. Friedrich Schiller believed that in order to educate a person to feel and think, he must first of all be educated aesthetically. And what if not art will take on this difficult task?

1. The problem of the aesthetic ideal in contemporary art

Let's start by defining what an aesthetic ideal is. It is often defined as “an idea of the norm of aesthetic perfection of a work of art, a criterion by which a work of art can be evaluated.”

The first mention of the problem of the aesthetic ideal appeared in the philosophical works of Plato, who considered the highest ideal not the thing itself, but its image, the so-called eidos. Paradoxically, in his teachings art was understood as something harmful that distances a person from the most valuable content of a thing, its true beauty. Aristotle, on the contrary, believed that any artistic masterpiece combines the most perfect and highest features of reality. In ancient times, the aesthetic ideal had a pronounced religious connotation, be it works of literature, painting or architecture, but today it is not so openly associated with religion and, by and large, is an example of the modern idea of beauty. Ideas about what is filmed today, written in books, painted on canvas. Authors are not just looking for an outlet for their talent, not just satisfying their creative needs, but also trying to find answers to the most pressing universal questions that concern modern society.

A person of art, first of all, turns to nature and the outside world with only one goal - to understand why a person exists and what his purpose is, what awaits humanity in the future and what it is necessary to strive for in order to fully understand the basis of existence.A. Camus called artistic creativity “a country of ideals, a newly discovered paradise, happiness, a radiant haven for pleasure.” It is important for every master that his work of art is appreciated by society, even through criticism. Or through aesthetics, which the German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel called the philosophy of art. The main problem of the aesthetic ideal in modern art is to surprise and shock the viewer, listener, and reader.

The relevance of researchThe aesthetic ideal in modern art is to educate a comprehensively developed personality, capable of simultaneously combining physical perfection, moral and moral qualities, and spiritual wealth. This process is today called aesthetic education of the individual, and it affects almost all spheres of life in modern society, including art. What allows us to say about the relevance of such research? The answer is simple: modern society suffers from such negative phenomena as the decline of its general culture, the division of people according to economic opportunities (this problem is described in more detail in the second paragraph - “An example of an aesthetic ideal in modern cinema,” author), a sharp reduction in cultural institutions educational plan, the appearance in the media of low-quality and low-quality projects in artistic terms.

2. An example of an aesthetic ideal in modern cinema

Let's look at one of the striking examples of the modern aesthetic ideal. Let's turn to cinema. In Nick Cassavetes’ film based on Nicholas Sparks’ novel “The Notebook,” the aesthetic ideal appears before the viewer in the form of endless human love and devotion against the backdrop of difficult circumstances and life’s troubles. The complex relationship between Noah and Ellie, who belong to different social strata of society, cannot but evoke empathetic feelings in the viewer, sincerely rooting for everything to work out for this young couple in love.

Standing in the way of Noah and Ellie's endless happiness are the parents of the young beauty, who do not want their daughter, the daughter of the richest aristocrats, to connect her life with a poor sawmill worker. They try in every possible way to interfere with their relationship, and as a result, the lovers have to part for a long time. But Noah does not lose heart and writes to his beloved every day for a year, 365 letters, which Ellie’s mother hides from her daughter, already engaged to another young man, a rich and prominent groom. Fate gives Noah and Ellie another chance, because their love is undeniable, and as Noah himself says, “nothing is impossible for our love.” They live together to a ripe old age, but Ellie suffers from Alzheimer's disease, due to which she constantly forgets about her Noah and their common children. But when the children ask their father to return home and not sit all the time next to his memory-losing mother, he refuses. "She's my home," Noah says.

The aesthetic ideal in the film “The Notebook” is vividly and multifacetedly shown in the form of the all-consuming love of two completely different people. The authors of this film set themselves the goal of embodying on the screen the beauty of such a feeling as love, pointing out to the viewer the beauty in the world of stereotypes and the “only correct” public opinion around us. As the author of the book “The Notebook,” Nicholas Sparks, on which this film was based, wrote, “Love... is the simplest and at the same time the most amazing thing on earth.”

What is the aesthetic ideal in modern cinema? This is a visual, living, capturing all a person’s senses idea of what is perfect, proper, desirable, something that serves as a criterion for assessing the reality around us.

3. The evolution of the aesthetic ideal

To follow the evolution of the aesthetic ideal, it is enough to study as carefully as possible works of art in which great creators depicted images of people of ancient eras. By the appearance of the main characters in such works, one can trace this very evolution and understand exactly what standards of beauty modern art is lobbying for.

In ancient times, the aesthetic ideal was considered strong and powerful bodies, which people of art depicted in their works. Physical power was especially valued by the creators of countries where a harsh climate dominated, where it was simply impossible to do without endurance and muscle strength. Bodily beauty in those days was firmly tied to practical use. In the Middle Ages, religion significantly influenced ideas about the aesthetic ideal, and concern for the perfection of the human body became a sinful matter, and physical exercises affecting muscle development were considered “the madness of heretics” and the machinations of evil spirits. The return to the origins of the aesthetic ideal (namely, to ancient ideals) began during the Renaissance and continues to this day, showing the world more and more new works of art, one way or another connected with the beauty of the human body.

The modern ideal of body beauty is most vividly embodied in the images of athletes and ballet dancers. The great French architect Le Corbusier said: "... Here the mathematical abilities of our mind come into play: while enjoying the spectacle, we simultaneously find in it a reflection of the laws of the universe." It was the beauty of movements that was recognized by art connoisseurs (and is still recognized) as more ideal than static forms. Therefore, a quite reasonable question arises - what is the foundation, the basis of a person's aesthetic assessments? Probably, the answer will be this: based on the fact that the appearance of a person and his health are closely related, the beauty of human movements clearly shows his mental and physical health, his level of qualification in any kind of motor activity. The beauty of movements and health form a kind of inseparable dual unity: the guarantee of beauty is health, and the habit of moving beautifully and correctly is one of the main conditions on the path to striving for physical perfection and long life.

4. Forms of the aesthetic ideal in a literary work and aesthetic categories

The aesthetic ideal in any work most clearly and concisely demonstrates the position of the author. Through the aesthetic ideal, the creator shows all the phenomena of life, emphasizing its significance for the master.

What are the forms of the aesthetic ideal in a literary work?

Firstly, it is a non-personalized aesthetic ideal - all the images of one work, which the author shows through the plot, conflict, ideological pathos of creation.

Secondly, it is a directly personified ideal, which the author realizes in a positive hero. Such a hero should not be static, it is very important from the point of view of artistic aesthetics.

Thirdly, this is the author's depiction of the ugly in the work, the so-called "principle by contradiction". Such an ideal is used by writers in satirical works, and is transmitted to the reader through laughter, which is an expression of the author's ideal. In such works, the theory of non-conflict is manifested, when the best collides with the good.

In addition, aesthetic ideals are also divided into aesthetic categories. Let's take a closer look at all five of these categories.

Sublime. The category of an aesthetic ideal, where the ideas of infinity are the basis, namely God, the Universe, the soul. These phenomena evoke in the reader sublime feelings that exceed the measure of the human race. Here the aesthetic ideal is the highest measure of phenomena and objects.

aesthetic ideal art cinema

Lowland. The name of the category speaks for itself - vile, that is, what lies beyond the moral norms of human behavior, below the measure of the human race in general. Here there is an aesthetic negation of human vices.

Comic. The attitude in the work to life, birth. In ancient times, namely in Ancient Greece, there were so-called “kommos”, in which the authors ridiculed the shortcomings (both spiritual and physical) of people of high classes, thus trying to drive away evil spirits from these respected people. The basis of laughter in such works lay between the essence and the visible, low and high, false and true.

Ugly. This is something that in no way corresponds to the measure of the human race; such aesthetics have been developed over many centuries. What did she express in herself? And she expressed the negative emotions of humanity: fear of various natural elements, disgust for vices, evil, fear of inevitable chaos. The ugly in the aesthetic ideal especially manifested itself in the era of modernism and became a kind of measure of the balance between death and life, the universe and chaos. Baudelaire believed that the creator is simply obliged to see the beautiful through decay and ugliness, because art is immortal.

Tragic. Aesthetic attitude to human suffering and death. At the same time, it can be closely connected with both the sublime and embodied in the form of the ugly. The ideal in this aesthetic category is formed in various symbolism of funeral rites.

Conclusion

Each type of art has its own materials for creating and embodying an artistic image. Material, like nothing else, determines the very specificity of art, and types of art can be divided into temporal, spatial and spatio-temporal. The philosophy of modern art is also closely related to these concepts. The modern aesthetic ideal is, first of all, the most beautiful thing that correlates with the measure of the human race, and it finds its highest embodiment precisely in art. After all, art shows the world the basic meaning of beauty - spiritual pleasure in beauty, not demanding anything in return, completely selfless. The goal of the aesthetic ideal- most clearly and clearly reveal the position of the author of a work of art, be it a work of art, cinema, music, theatrical production or something else. The aesthetic ideal in art is one of the foundations of aesthetic education of both the younger generation and the already formed thinking and worldview of an adult. Thanks to such ideals, a person’s spiritual culture, his understanding of beauty is fully manifested, and aesthetic taste develops. In addition, the aesthetic ideal develops creative abilities to bring beauty into life itself, to build it, as Karl Marx said, “... also according to the laws of beauty.”

Society is steadily developing, moving from one social stage of its development to another, which contributes to the formation and development of a new spiritual world, and completely new aesthetic ideals are emerging in this world. Such changes undoubtedly lead to a comprehensive enrichment of artistic representation, the emergence of new styles and forms in art. On these styles, in turn, new ideals of society are based. The creator takes themes for his creativity from life, and they also predetermine his ideals. As a rule, the artist depicts in his works those people who are well known to him.

In recent years, realities have confronted people with new situations that were previously unknown to them. Their artistic solution and theoretical generalization pose completely new tasks for him. One of the most pressing tasks today is the search for a prototype of a progressive aesthetic ideal that can penetrate deeply into the consciousness of people.

In this case, both the rich experience of close international cooperation in the field of art and the experience of directly national artistic art can help in accomplishing this task. Indicative in this regard can be considered the attitude of folk craftsmen to the problem of the “positive hero” in art, as well as in human philosophy. Some people of art believe that artistic representation can live without an ideal hero, but not without an aesthetic ideal.

The modern aesthetic ideal in art is characterized by an innovative search for spirituality and expressiveness, a search for the ability to express the ideal of modern society. Today, unlike the art of past years, masters are trying to awaken interest in the rich spiritual world of the individual, increase sensitivity to the demonstration of the inner psychological world, and show as widely as possible the connections of such a demonstration with the aesthetic needs of modern man. Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky always argued that a work must be written in a clear and understandable language, so that, first of all, it is understood by the reader, viewer or listener. .

The Creator, who is inside the “cauldron”, at the very center of the events of the present time, creates ideals that correspond to the basic needs of this time, the needs of an entire era, the dreams and aspirations of man. And this ideal, created by a genius or a simple master, through the most diverse forms of artistic creativity, influences the moral world of a person, making him higher and purer in terms of spirituality.

List of used literature

1.Marx K. and Engels F., Soch., 2nd ed., t.42.

2.Sparks N. Memory Diary. AST, Transitbook, 2005.256 p.

.Goethe I.V. About art. M.: Nauka, 1975.337 p.

.Golubev A. Formula of beauty. Moscow: Soviet Russia, 1967.136 p.

.Reale J., Antiseri D. Western philosophy from its origins to the present day: from the Renaissance to Kant. St. Petersburg: Pneuma, 2002.592 p.

.Feuerbach L. Selected philosophical works: in 2 volumes. M.: Gospolitizdat, 1955. T.2.943 p.

.Dostoevsky F.M. About art. M.: Art, 1973.

.Literature and language: modern illustrated encyclopedia / ed. A.P. Gorkina. M.: Rosman, 2006.

.Schelling F.W.J. Works: in 2 vols. M.: Thought, 1989. T.2.636 p.

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The ideal of beauty in different historical eras... what is beauty and why do people deify it? Is she a vessel in which there is emptiness, Or a fire flickering in the vessel? N. Zabolotsky

Already in ancient times, people, in addition to household items, sculpted human figures from clay. The oldest female figurine known to mankind is 80 thousand years old. The first cultural objects depicted a woman - these are the consequences of matriarchy. The image of the woman had pronounced sexual characteristics, and in many cases she was pregnant. Thus, the ideal of that time was determined by the social status of a woman as the mother of the clan. Primitiveness "Venus of Willendorf"

Ancient world (Egypt) The ideal of beauty in Ancient Egypt was a slender and graceful woman. Subtle facial features with full lips and huge almond-shaped eyes, the shape of which was emphasized by special contours, the contrast of heavy hairstyles with a graceful elongated figure evoked the idea of an exotic plant on a flexible, swaying stem. Green was considered the most beautiful eye color, so the eyes were outlined with green paint made from copper carbonate (later it was replaced with black), they were extended to the temples, and thick, long eyebrows were painted on. Green paint (from crushed malachite) was used to paint the nails and feet.

The most famous beauty of Ancient Egypt is Queen Nefertiti, wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten. “There is no purpose in describing - just looking.” L. Borchardt “beautiful in face” “pacifying the Sun with a voluptuous voice”

Beauty in African style For many African peoples, the concept of beauty does not change over time.

Ancient world (Japan) The beauties of Japan thickly whitened their skin, covering up all defects on the face and chest, outlined the forehead along the edge of the hair growth with mascara, shaved off the eyebrows and drew short thick black lines instead. Married women in feudal Japan coated their teeth with black varnish. It was considered ideal to collect hair in a high, heavy knot, which was supported by a long patterned stick. To strengthen the hair and give it shine, the hair was lubricated with special oils and vegetable juices. Men painted or glued on fake mustaches and sideburns, shaved their foreheads and the back of their heads, and gathered their hair on the top of their heads into a beautiful bun, which they tied with spectacular cords.

Antiquity “Man is the measure of all things” Protagoras The Greeks considered size, order and symmetry a symbol of beauty. An ideally beautiful person was one whose all parts of the body and facial features were in a harmonious combination. A face that could be divided into several equal parts (three or four) was considered beautiful. A typical feature of Greek images is harmony of proportions, natural beauty, youth, partial or complete nudity of the body. Thus, beauty at that time was expressed in the beauty of the body.

In Ancient Greece, the ideal of beauty was considered to be a tall (by those standards) woman with rounded shoulders, a thin waist, a wide pelvis, a flat stomach and slender legs. Ideal - a statue of Venus de Milo. Her height is 164 cm, chest circumference 86 cm, waist - 69 cm, hips - 93 cm. And chastely and boldly, shining naked to the loins, the divine body blooms with unfading beauty. Under this whimsical canopy of slightly raised hair, How much proud bliss spilled into the heavenly face! So, all breathing with pathos passion, all flowing with the foam of the sea, and wafting with all-victorious power, you look into eternity before you. A. Fet. Venus de Milo

The beauty of the face was determined by the so-called Greek nose, low forehead, large eyes, and rounded eyebrow line. The Greek woman's hair was tied in a knot or tied at the back of the head with a ribbon. They bleached them with lye and then rubbed them with lipstick made from goat fat and yellow flowers. Noble ladies in Greece loved cosmetics - powder, lipstick, blush. Antimony was used to decorate the eyes, giving them shine. Henna and basma stained nails and hair. People who knew how to skillfully decorate their bodies were called<косметами>.

Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury publicly declared blond hair to be an unholy practice. With the decline of ancient culture, the era of the glorification of beauty was replaced by the cult of asceticism, detachment from the joys of perceiving the world. In the Middle Ages, earthly beauty was considered sinful, and enjoying it was prohibited. The body was draped with heavy fabrics that hid the figure in a tight bag (the width of the clothes to the height is 1:3). The hair was completely hidden under the cap, and the entire arsenal of means for improving one’s appearance, which were so popular in ancient times, was consigned to oblivion. Middle Ages

The ideal woman at that time was personified by the Blessed Virgin Mary - an elongated oval face, a distinctly high forehead, huge eyes and a small mouth.

An important turning point in the perception of beauty was the turn of the 12th-13th centuries, when culture acquired a more secular character. The accumulation of wealth and the desire for luxury among the knights gave rise to ideals that were very far from asceticism and mortification of the flesh. In the 13th century, the worship of the “beautiful lady” flourished. Troubadours praise the queens of knightly tournaments, their thin flexible figure, like a vine, blond hair, long face, straight thin nose, lush curls, clear and cheerful eyes, skin like a peach, lips redder than a cherry or a summer rose. A woman is compared to a rose - she is tender, fragile, graceful. High hats and fitted dresses are in fashion.

Renaissance During the early Renaissance, a pale complexion and long silky strands of blond hair became the canons of beauty for women in Florence. The great poets Dante, Boccaccio, Petrarch and others glorified snow-white skin. A slender “swan neck” and a high, clean forehead were considered ideal. To follow this fashion, to lengthen the oval of the face, women shaved the front hair and plucked their eyebrows, and to make the neck appear longer, they shaved the back of their heads.

Simonetta Vespucci is the favorite of Florence, the Medici and Botticelli. The artist considered her the ideal of beauty and depicted her in the image of Spring, Aphrodite, Judith, and Mary.

S. Botticelli. Birth of Venus

The High Renaissance brings a completely different understanding of beauty. Instead of thin, slender, agile figures, curvaceous, powerful bodies with wide hips and luxurious fullness of the neck and shoulders triumph. A special golden-red hair color, so beloved by Venetians, is coming into fashion - a color that later came to be called “Titian’s color.” High Renaissance

The riddle of the La Gioconda era is like an ancient enigmatic sphinx that smiles mysteriously from the frame of a Leonardo da Vinci painting and seems to offer the admiring centuries a riddle that they have not yet solved. T. Gauthier

"Madonero", "Divine Sanzio" and his Madonnas

17th century The main line of development of art becomes secular. There are two major art styles: Baroque and Classicism. The first is amazement at the splendor, richness, infinity of the comprehended world. The second is comparison with antiquity, the development of new norms and rules. The taboo imposed by the church was lifted from the human body. The Soul recedes into the background, and the Body appears before us in all its grandeur. Beauty is now intrinsically linked to the body. People remembered that “they had already seen this once,” and art took as its basis the achievements of Antiquity. This is a transition period full of contradictions and struggles, which completed the history of European feudalism and opened up new capitalist relations.

Beauty as understood by Rubens and Rembrandt

France – a trendsetter Since the middle of the 17th century, Versailles has become a trendsetter in European fashion. Life at court is an endless theatrical performance, the actors are the king and the courtiers.

A new image of the courtier is being formed. Rosy-cheeked, flirtatious men, drowning in lace and velvet. Their movements are light and graceful, femininity is in fashion. Women are full of grace and elegance. The body is tightened into the thinnest corset, the powdered small heads equalize the age.

18 century. Rococo Marquise de Pompadour is the ideal and example of gallantry of this time. She came up with many fashionable things. For example - flies. Ideal of beauty: thin hands, small legs, delicate body For an even better look, piquancy was needed. The beauty of the body is no longer associated with nudity - only some parts of the body become naked, and the lady’s clothing actively emphasizes them.

The ideal of beauty changed more than once in the 19th century. At its very beginning, clothes with a very high waist (under the bust), made from thin, translucent fabrics that softly envelop the figure, came into fashion. Then, by the 30-40s, the waist drops to its usual place, is tightened tightly with a corset, and the skirts become fluffy and wide. In the 80s, bustles came into fashion - voluminous draperies and bows at the back, to the bottom of the waist. The silhouette of the figure in profile takes on an unusually feminine S-shaped curve. But in general, nineteenth-century fashion tended toward artificiality. Everything natural and natural seemed rough and primitive. A healthy complexion and tan, a strong, strong body were signs of low origin. The ideal of beauty was considered to be “wasp waists,” pale faces, delicacy and sophistication. 19th century

However, in the 19th century, a woman was depicted from a human perspective for the first time. Artists who adhered to advanced democratic views begin to look for in a woman not just physical beauty, but also the soul and mind. On the face, in addition to the refined features, thoughts appear for the first time. Now in the paintings a woman turns from an object of pleasure into a subject of human relations.

Over the past century, the ideal of beauty has changed several times, but the reasons for these changes were no longer revolutions in social life, but the need for capital to produce more and more goods for the body. A holistic concept of the ideal of female beauty no longer exists. He gradually disappears, regresses, just as his classical image disappears. The last such “most popular” ideal is the standard of beauty formed 25 years ago by the owner of a modeling agency in New York. It is clear that here they do not idealize the beauty and health of the body, but strive to show the beauty of clothing. A woman should look like a mannequin. The body requirements are as follows: at least one meter seventy in height, small breasts, silky hair, soft shoulders, long neck, narrow waist, beautiful hands, wide-set eyes, not a very large mouth and not very narrow lips.

What do ideas about beauty depend on? From time (epoch). From ethnic, national traditions of perception of beauty. From estate or class ideas about beauty. From a personal relationship to the model of the author-artist, who embodies it in a work of art. From all of us - do we know how to understand that what is before us is the Beautiful.

Bibliography: N.M. Arshavskaya, L.S. Shcherbakova. Fashion, taste, beauty Andrey Samarsky. Evolution of the ideal of female beauty Eduard Fuchs. History of morals Internet resources Artistic encyclopedia of foreign classical art on CD. 5555 masterpieces of world painting.

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The ideal of beauty in different historical eras... what is beauty and why do people deify it? Is she a vessel in which there is emptiness, Or a fire flickering in the vessel? N. Zabolotsky

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Beauty in African style For many African peoples, the concept of beauty does not change over time.

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The ideal woman at that time was personified by the Blessed Virgin Mary - an elongated oval face, a distinctly high forehead, huge eyes and a small mouth.

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Simonetta Vespucci is the favorite of Florence, the Medici and Botticelli. The artist considered her the ideal of beauty and depicted her in the image of Spring, Aphrodite, Judith, and Mary.

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My ideal in the art world. How the ideals of female beauty have changed. The standard of beauty in different eras

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