Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty 1896 - 1897

"Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty" (1896-1897) by F. Holland Day is a striking example of the Pictorialist movement in photography, which sought to elevate photography to the level of fine art. The image, featuring a young man holding a mirror, is rendered in a soft-focus, tonal style that evokes the aesthetic of Pre-Raphaelite painting. The title, drawn from John Keats's poem "Ode on a Grecian Urn," suggests a philosophical meditation on the relationship between beauty and truth, themes often explored in symbolist and aesthetic art of the late 19th century. Day's work, now held by The Art Institute of Chicago, is a testament to the power of photography to express complex ideas and evoke emotional responses.