Taste, Development, & Patterns for Appreciation

The question of why something is found beautiful or appeals to us is one that has been asked continually. If one had the secret, could one always create things which appeal?  Are there even creations which are universally considered beautiful?

The closest we might find to universal beauty, I suppose, would be found in nature. I am not sure if anyone would question the beauty in a glorious sunset, but even that is not 100% certain.

What I have observed - is that each of us brings our experience at viewing, hearing, tasting etc. into each new experience.  Pieces of music which I originally found foreign as well as certain art when first viewed have become familiar over time and quite welcome. It is as though we are being asked to learn a new language when our experience is being challenged.

The point of this is not that we must learn to like things we don’t, but rather that appreciation and taste are developed. The most obvious example of how taste changes, would be how a child’s taste differs from that of the same individual as an adult.

At any level of appreciation, what seems to be the  pattern for whether one likes something - is that it must be enough like what has come before to be somewhat familiar, but enough different and new to be stimulating.

I suppose the real test of such beauty is whether it can continue to be stimulating over time.