top of page

 

What is beauty?

''' Beauty is a characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure or satisfaction. Beauty is studied as part of aesthetics,sociology, social psychology, and culture. An "ideal beauty" is an entity which is admired, or possesses features widely attributed to beauty in a particular culture, for perfection.

 

The experience of "beauty" often involves an interpretation of some entity as being in balance and harmony with nature, which may lead to feelings of attraction and emotional well-being. Because this can be a subjective experience, it is often said that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder".

 

There is evidence that perceptions of beauty are evolutionarily determined, that things, aspects of people and landscapes considered beautiful are typically found in situations likely to give enhanced survival of the perceiving human's genes. '''

 

This is beauty in the common use but, I would like to speak more about the sensation that it gives me when I am, for example, in a differente place, that is not for everyone 'Beauty' but it is for me.

 

I would like to open a discussion with some of you that are interested to develope more deeply this meaning in contemporary society where everyone...who wants

" Beauty

is but a

promise of happiness "

(Stendhal)

...what do you think about a mysterious word like ' beauty ' ? 

everyone speak about it, everyone thinks to know its meaning...

I think that beauty is also behind natural imperfection... and what You really think about beauty's meaning?

La Gioconda

...'repairing' to something ugly or empty, it represents beauty too...

Millo - street art - Italy

About speach evaluations...

 

It was a long time that me too, thought of writing of thoughts and reflections about what is good and ugly in architecture but I never did. Looking around more and more I became convinced that it was necessary for myself and to realize, put pen to paper these reflections.


I see absurd situations in our cities which, at times, are we guilty because we do not realize and do not rebel. Architectures and entire cities who denounce their inconsistency and ugliness for lack of formal coherence and functionality; degenerations that after years of our carelessness, the needs of citizens of our suburbs especially, too much for lack of a serious redesign. I told to myself that I had to find time to reflect and to think about these situations and be able to see what is bad and consequently what might be considered beautiful and therefore react to this state to push to do something, go back to see with our eyes what surrounds us; help to convey to those who do not understand or who does not see, give pause to even those who cannot think, but above all we must do it for those who in these years is growing and has no terms of comparison and learn from what he sees: to educate is a beautiful opening words ever not to set aside not to get used to the bad. Beautiful things are what appear to heart and are perhaps the simplest and therefore need not be explained.

 

Children today learn from our cities and grow accustomed with these teachings and growing indifferent to the ugly and without understanding what the beautiful is. Behind expressionless eyes often hide ugly things and our indifference, it means that we are getting used to this lack of beauty: this is not good.


The next step should be the action to protect our sites from further metaphysics violence against of our cities and our children too.

 

The cultural impoverishment in regard to the 'Architecture' has generated unaware 'ugliness' and 'made-ugly' nature of reality under the horrified eyes of many, or few, depending on the reader. The beauty is no longer a yardstick but is instead the surprise, capturing the eyes, as is the case in advertising, fashion, and do not extend beyond architecture; this does not belong to my cultural background and cognitive growing, passed through lessons that integrate the new with the existing built and, as sometimes it does not necessarily follow each section will be useful, but the meaning and the value in its intimacy design should be the main foundation.

The desire to go back to the debate on values that can generate beauty and the return to a more conscious design culture, to talk back to a growing awareness of the foundation of society; excluded from the discussion sections of the population also depletes those who design, be it for formal exclusion or understanding of the work, this should be an awareness of all.


Quibble over every policy limit, which now can give a little more to the common sense of the beautiful, the ethical, the proximity to the citizens is a cultural suicide, until the politicians will not change even in their way and in terms of making policy .

 

Architects must learn not to follow a general impoverishment of 'truth', and return to discuss and have interest of the public things. For these and other reasons to mention beautiful, beauty, and more generally, I think it can be a valuable contribution to knowledge in general, and of the time and to improve the relationship between man and works they produced.


This should be the way to go also to bring to an art as well as the complex and extraordinary architecture, our strength (as Italian) for centuries, most of the people, and that is why I feel I can give my humble contribution, as far as I am able to offer and to share with those who feel the spirit of discussion.

The beauty is in its simplicity, is the minimal gesture that helps in the understanding of the design and simplification of concepts that can thus get more directly.

Wabi-Sabi

bottom of page