"Ugliness and Beauty" from The Complete Works of Béranger 1836

This lithograph, "Ugliness and Beauty," was created by J. J. Grandville around the mid-19th century, and delves into the complex interplay of appearance and reality. Notice the devil-like figure whispering into the ear of a man who looks at a woman gazing into a mirror. The mirror reflects not the woman's physical form but an idealized version of her. It recalls the myth of Cupid and Psyche, where inner beauty triumphs over outer appearances. This devilish whisperer can be traced back to medieval morality plays, where similar figures tempted humans with false promises of beauty. Think of Botticelli's Venus, similarly emerging from the sea as a vision of perfect beauty. However, Grandville subverts this ideal. Here, the reflection is a product of vanity, a distortion fueled by external influence, while the woman's true essence, like a palimpsest, remains obscured. It’s as if the collective desire for beauty, deeply rooted in our cultural memory, is being exploited. This image is a poignant reminder of the subjective and often deceptive nature of beauty, a theme that continues to resonate across time.