We Love Beauty
1. What do you notice in this work of art?
2. We tend to judge beauty based on a person’s physical appearance. What value does your culture place on outward appearance, such as height, skin color, or choice of clothes?
3. Choose a or b below:
a. Leo Tolstoy, the Russian novelist, published The Kreutzer Sonata in 1889. Regarding a woman’s beauty, he says, “It is amazing how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness.” What do you think about this quote?
b. In the Bible, a man named Samuel was asked to find the next king of Israel. In response to some of his possible choices, God said to him, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). How can we change our thinking and tendency to judge people by their appearance?
4. Looking at the painting, do you find the young man impressive? Draw a picture or find a digital image of something you find beautiful or impressive.