The reality of beauty

Since the beginning of the semester, we have been given the idea, or the question to think about, "What is reality?"
 This topic came up today, in regards to identity and art. So to start off this blog on reality and beauty, I will first start off with the Merriam Webster Dictionary definition of reality, and beauty:

Reality - The quality or state of being real ; something real ; the totality of real things and events.

Beauty - qualities that give pleasure to the senses or exalt the mind ; loveliness

Now just reading what the dictionary says about reality is in my eyes vague, or one needs more understanding on what "real" means. So we shall look at what the Merriam Webster dictionary says about what "real" is.

(the state of, or being) Real - not artificial, genuine also not imaginary.

So reality, basically means the quality or state of being genuine, and not artificial. It is something tangible that  can be picked up by the five senses directly.

Beauty is defined as qualities that give pleasure to the senses, so basically its a positively modified reality.

When we think of real we think of things we can see and touch. This image for instance, Im sure everyone would agree that these buildings are in fact real.

But is there beauty in these buildings? If you look at them they are bland, and monochrome. These buildings, outside thier right angles, are not beautiful in my eyes. It is real, I can see it, I can touch it, but it doesn't give much pleasure to the senses. Now take a look at this building. It is real, I can see it, and touch it, but this one creates pleasure to the senses, or more exclusively, the eyes.

People have looked within thier mind's eye in the attempt to add a positvely modified reality to liven up the boring walls of this building. This building is now interesing to look at, and has a unique personality that most buildings lack.

Now im sure most of us can relate to beauty in the film/tv/magazine media. Beauty is a key element in that field.

Take Angelina Jolie here. In the first image, its her in her natural "real" state. Many people would still think she is pretty, but not beautiful as seen in the second picture. With a little application, some make up and jewelry she takes real and makes it beautiful. I do, however do find Angie on the left to be just as beautiful as the one on the right.

Glenn was asking the class about clothing and it's purpose. To me clothing do serve a purpose. At its basic level, its to keep people safer from the elements and keep us warm, etc. But that doesn't mean it has to be basic and boring. Clothing do serve a core purpose, but they can also be a canvas of creativity, inspiration and imagination. Clothing is a way to express creativity and personality, just as the tagging on the wall gives the building life and personality.

Reality is everything we deal with on a daily basis. Going to school, the commute to work, our weekly bowling league (no, im not in a league, just used it as an example!!). Sticking to the real life and not adding any pleasure to the senses becomes dull real fast. But on the other hand, spending too much time in the fantasy that is beauty one will start to lose sight of reality, and not be able to do things that need to be done.

Taking a look at this Venn Diagram, one ideally should be in the floating around in the little section where beauty and reality intersect. There needs to be balance, a yin to the yang. With the right amount of balance, anyone can bring beauty into what we call reality!

Now this to me, is pure beauty, in audio form.