Becky Beholds Beauty

Becky Beholds Beauty-Finding art in Second Life

There is a saying that goes, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". Technically, that saying is not a truism. Research shows that when a group of people are shown pairs of pictures and asked to pick the most beautiful or aesthetic of them, 99% will pick the same ones. The 1% will, generally, pick the others, just to be contrary. For this writer, the same can be said for art. If you give a chimp a paint brush, some might call his work 'art', but it won't be something that this reporter recomends you spend time and money to go see. In scriptures, it is written that we would know the end of days were upon us, when bad is called good. In the destination guide, in the 'Art' category, they list 108 locations, second only, in number, to shopping places. While exploring for places to include in this report, I trudge through the first 9 and nearly gave up. If this art was 'good', surely we are all about to meet our maker. I was delighted to find the tenth to be a brilliant ray of sunshine. With that, we begin our list.

Haven Gallery

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There are a half dozen display areas, all connected by TP, which allows lots of space around each art piece. Even when there are others about, you have the space to contemplate the beauty, in peace. The artists displayed clearly had something to say in their works and had spent years in developing their skills. The name, Haven Gallery, is very fitting.

Artists for Second Life

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This skybox gallery is huge. From the landing point, you can TP or walk to each of it's 50 exhibit rooms, with a different artist's display on each wall. Be sure to make a LM when you arrive, because there's just to much to see in one visit. I went there 3 times, to make sure I saw everything. All of the works displayed are quallity, done by seasoned artists and most can be purchased at reasonable prices. If you're looking for some paintings to dress up the walls of your home, this place is a must see. There were also a number of great sculptures available. If you want to contact any of the artists, their names are given at the top of each display wall and many provide notecards with contact information and the location of their shops. A custom portrait would look great over your fireplace and make an impressive profile pic. I wondered how they got the avatars to pose in these paintings, then discovered that some also sold poses. I was also pleased to find that the sim was free of lag.

Ub Yifu Gallery Park

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You have to see this place, to believe it. When I landed here, I thought a man was chatting me up, but it turned out to be one of the sculptures they make. He even moved his head and had a group tag on. He welcomed me and said his creator could make one of me. That would be a hoot, if you walked into my house and saw a realistic sculpture of me, at the computer, writing my next Newser article. I'm sure it's more than I want to spend, but they do have other premade ones for $499. They also have Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, Marylin Monroe and other stars, for $2499. And, if size matters, check out the Gulliver for $10000. There are many other sculptures and even several free ones. I've seen similar life size avatar sculptures, but this was the first time I tried to chat with them.

Petit Chat Art Gallery

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This is a small shop, with paintings by Trinity Yazimoto. The paintings are mostly landscapes and very affordable. Near the landing, you can get the LM to her main shop and a catalog HUD. Upstairs, you find a painter's studio, with more paintings. I liked her style. I also got a kick out of seeing somebody with a Japanese name, who calls her shop Petit Chat, French for little cat. I like clever, when I see it.

Nitroglobus Gallery

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Normally not a fan of 'modern art', the style here is a blend of Primitive and modern, which I found enjoyable. Be sure to explore all three rooms of Dido and Nitro's works, which includes paintings and kinetic sculptures.

I have been an illustrator and wood carver since childhood and enjoyed being on the viewer side for this article d'art. Perhaps I will do another in the near future.
Sha