“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” because the saying goes. This expression celebrates acceptance, affirming that the looks of an individual or object doesn’t need to align with magnificence norms to be beautiful. It’s a refreshing theme that runs all through The Ugly History of Beautiful Things: Essays on Desire and Consumption by artwork, design, nature and science author Katy Kelleher.
A frequent contributor to The Paris Review, the place she previously authored a column on coloration referred to as Hue’s Hue, Kelleher writes candidly about her private experiences as a house and design author, which concerned crafting descriptive write-ups of “beautiful things and their various charms.” But throughout this journey, she found that regardless of which glittering objects she wrote about, the ugliness of animal cruelty, employee exploitation, poisonous chemical compounds and different grisly realities nonetheless filtered via the sweetness. “I came to accept that desire and repulsion exist in tandem,” she writes, “and that the most poignant beauties are interthread with ugliness.”
Divided into 10 thought-provoking chapters specializing in topics resembling flowers, gems, silk, fragrance, china and even glass, Kelleher skillfully dissects many sorts of issues that people have discovered fascinating over time. She intertwines these discussions together with her private definition of magnificence and reminds readers that lovely issues could be helpful for greater than their appears to be like. For instance, high-quality dishes are for gathering, feeding and sharing, not simply show.
Combining parts of science, historical past, consumerism and mysticism, Kelleher’s prose is vigorous, informative and, at occasions, humorous. Her private attachment to the idea of magnificence turns what might have been a dry, aesthetic exploration into one thing soul-cleansing and restorative. Ultimately, her hope is that The Ugly History of Beautiful Things “will help you open your eyes to the beauty that already surrounds you, beauty that already exists in your cities and homes and backyards.”
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