Makeup “artists,” as they are termed, aim for a sort of aesthetic quality in their handiwork, but, like the photojournalists, their craft explicitly as art is not the purpose. Makeup can visually express or convey something, and, as consequence, have a beauty to it. Yet the goal a lot of the time, especially on a particularly rushed morning, is just to achieve a base level of acceptability in appearance – I just want to look “human” this morning; I’m not trying for anything more. In contrast, high-fashion and Hollywood makeup artists are explicitly trying for something beautiful or sexually appealing or complex in their work, and any aesthetic quality is more deliberate, though the “looks” still aren’t gallery bound, and the aestheticism is often secondary to the suitability of the look to the particular character.
So, how does cosmetology function in the realm of art? Is it art? And if so, what property or process makes it, like photojournalism, art, if the aesthetic quality is a secondary consequence of the handiwork?
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