Pretty = Worthy?

It has come to my attention that in this world appearance is absolutely everything. If you don’t dress a certain way, wear your hair in an appropriate style, or exude an outer appearance of someone made for this world, then you essentially are not worthy. You aren’t worthy of any time, nor worthy of any conversation, debate, or attention. Am I wrong or am I right? I sincerely would love to know, please leave a comment below. Is it not true that when you go to a restaurant, you don’t want to get a plate of pasta that has sauce splattered all over and sliced tomatoes that are in a pile on the side? You want a plate that is beautifully designed, with sauce filling the center and tomato slices delicately placed on top. Once again, appearance seems to be everything. Now, what about with art?

Do we art appreciators enjoy and buy art because it is pretty, therefore making it worthy? I’d like to think that is not the case. In the creative world, from fashion to film to portraiture and paintings, there are quite a few images or fashions that are applauded simply because of its lack of traditional constructs of beauty. It can be the way a dress has an outlandish shape or a funny interpretation of  a seemingly normal landscape, and somehow it draws us to it, loving it, appreciating it, and purchasing it. Take the image below for example, it’s not something I would normally picture in my head when someone says I’m going to make an image that works with color! Nor does it have the normative constructs of beauty that we are so inclined, in other aspects of life, to deem worthy. But this is a great image, the way in the colors and the lines overlap, covering the person’s face and leaving their hands criss-crossed and exposed, entices me in a way that makes me appreciate this work.

Brian Vu – True False series

My question is, why is it that this socially constructed idea of beauty favored in some aspects of life making it worthy to others, yet when it comes to the creative field, unique interpretations are favored, yet sometimes misunderstood?