Although Umberto Eco’s name might feel intimidating, this book is not an academic tome for silent libraries. Instead, it is a journey through time and perception: from the classical harmony of ancient bodies to the artistic rebellion of the 20th century, and on to today’s fragmented aesthetics.
Eco shows us that beauty is not a fixed concept, but a story in constant transformation. Every era has had its own idea of what is beautiful, and none has been definitive. What remains unchanged is our need to seek it —in faces, in forms, in thoughts. Inside and outside ourselves.
As you leaf through the book, it becomes clear that beauty does not live only in appearances, but also in meaning, in imperfection, in gestures that convey authenticity. In this, Eco still speaks to us today, in an age where beauty races across screens, at risk of losing its depth.
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“Every era has had its own idea of beauty, and none of these ideas has been definitive. What seems beautiful today may appear ridiculous tomorrow, and what was once despised may seem sublime. Beauty is a form of sensitivity that changes along with humanity.”
— Umberto Eco, History of Beauty (Bompiani, 2004) —
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“History of Beauty” is an invitation to look closer, to recognise the wonder behind what we see every day. As Eco reminds us, beauty is not defined, it is recognised. And when we learn to do so, we discover it is much closer than we ever imagined.
