What can be considered as beautiful? Can we encapsulate beauty into an equation? Certainly not. Does algorithmic information theory have something to say about aesthetics? Probably yes. This is what this video will suggest. Some authors have observed that simplicity may play a role in aesthetics. Let's explore this possibility. Around 1960, two French engineers working for different car makers pulled Castelljo and Pierre-Bessier defined what is now known as Bessier curves, a tool for designers to draw harmonious automobile bodies. Bessier curves are defined using just a few points here, the red dots, that behave like handles that pull the curve in a particular direction. The curves can be defined just by providing the coordinates of the attractors. This makes them very simple, much simpler than if they had to be defined segment by segment. This simplicity might not be unrelated to the fact that basic curves are perceived as harmonious. They are commonly used to define vector fonts and more generally in computer graphics to control harmonious shapes and movement. The most impressive inference of simplicity on aesthetics, however, is when simplicity is unexpected. This means that what we see is less complex than what we expected. In 1918, Kazimiyama Levitt unveiled his famous Molokrom painting, White on White. It came as a shock for most visitors who had never seen Molokrom paintings before and who did not imagine that they were even possible in a gallery. Their experience was described by many as an aesthetic shock. This explains why this piece of work belongs among the most well-known paintings in the history of art. From an algorithmic information perspective, one cannot help but see the effect of unexpected simplicity. Of course, the 50th Molokrom painting must have been a lot less interesting. In complexity terms, one needs six bits to distinguish it among all previous similar paintings. This additional complexity makes it less unexpectedly simple and therefore less interesting. Larry Kagan, spectacular wire sculptures, offer the best illustration of how aesthetics effects can be obtained through unexpected simplicity. They appear as complex forms. Then the sculpture uses a lamp to protect a shadow on the wall. Again, no particular shape can be recognized. But when it up from an appropriate angle, the sculpture projects a shadow that can now be recognized, for example, as a box, a dog or a bouquet of flowers. Kagan structures are a perfect example of the aesthetic feelings triggered by a complexity drop. We expect a shadow as complex as the wire structure. But what we see projected on the wall turns out to be unexpectedly simple. Human aesthetic sensitivity will remain a mystery for a long time. We may, however, infer from these examples and from many others that algorithmic simplicity is likely to be involved in it. In conclusion, unexpectedness defined as complex G-drop contributes to aesthetics. Thank you for watching.