Eye of the Beholder

On one of the online forums that I regularly participate in, someone posted the following: "Who can decide what is lovely and what isn't? Isn't Beauty in the eye of the beholder?" A common saying, a common sentiment. But is it, like many common proverbs, absolute tripe? I say it is.
This idea springs from a larger theory which holds that there are no absolutes (not even tripe) and that all truth is relative and personal. That may be true for you, but that's not my truth they say. Truely? You see, even the most hackneyed of phrases points out the patent absurdity of the concept. If nothing is objectively true, then we have no way of knowing whether that is true or not. Some call that circular reasoning. I call it idiocy. Okay, so let's assume that people like Solomon, Socrates, and Jesus Christ weren't insane, and actually could have been onto something. Just for arguments sake. If there is such a thing as a solid, objective, 'break-your-bones-on-it' truth, then there's no room for Well you know, that pristine waterfall is lovely for you, but I find beauty in the mutilated bodies of children. Extreme, but not absurd - sadly. If there is a Truth, then artists who shunt paint onto canvas with their eyes shut are deluded fools, not abstract geniuses. If beauty is real and not a figment of each of our imaginations, then singers who scream filth tonelessly until they begin to cough up blood are not the largely misunderstood equals of those who master Mozart.
We know, deep inside at least, that some things are true and beautiful, and that others aren't. We are all hardwired for truth whether that fits with our personal tastes or not. Some have buried that instinct, stomped on it, stabbed it and tried to anull it forever. But (oh, triumph) it will never die.