Miss White Wolf's Terra Travel Journal

"It depends on the situation. If you are going to a banquet or a date, no matter if you are a man or a woman, you must put on makeup seriously, otherwise it would be disrespectful to others. But if you are going out to buy something, then it doesn't matter."

Miss White Wolf thought of the countryside in Hillshire and asked, "Is this a rule for the rich people in the city, or does it apply to all of Victoria?"

"All over Victoria. In places where conditions are not good, people try to look as neat and clean as possible. In short, the main purpose is to show that they value attitude."

"I see. Is it convenient for you to draw your eyebrows? Do you want me to help you?"

Miss Ceylon was delighted: "Of course, it is definitely not as convenient as having others help me."

Miss Bailang took the eyebrow pencil handed to her by Ceylon, stared at Ceylon's eyebrows intently, and carefully drew them twice. The effect was unexpectedly good.

"Do you use this often?" Ceylon asked, looking in the mirror.

“No, I haven’t touched it.”

“Is this your first time drawing eyebrows for someone else?”

"Well, first time."

Xilan's heartbeat quickened, her face flushed, and she whispered, "Why do you suddenly want to draw for me?"

Miss White Wolf scratched her head embarrassedly: "It seems to be quite fun, so I want to give it a try."

Miss Ceylon's face froze, and she gritted her teeth secretly: "Is it just for fun? Nothing else?"

"Otherwise, it's not fun anymore. I just realized it's meaningless after I drew it."

"you……"

Ceylon was so angry that he wanted to hit someone, but when he turned around, he saw Miss White Wolf looking confused and bewildered. She obviously didn't understand why he was angry. She waved her eyebrow pencil in the air twice in vain, and finally sighed helplessly: "You are hopeless."

Since her student days, Ceylon's mind has always been on scientific research and academic studies, and she didn't care about makeup at all. But after meeting Miss White Wolf, she began to care more and more about it. After all, the other party didn't understand why she wore makeup.

From the word "hopeless", Miss White Wolf guessed that Ceylon was making a negative comment on her emotional intelligence, but she thought that this evaluation was obviously unfair, and that she was actually very smart.

"You look really good with makeup on," she said sincerely.

"A trick won't work if you use it twice. Are you trying to fool me?"

"No, as a rational and objective aesthetic subject, I can be responsible for my own judgment."

"Phew, you always make sense."

Ceylon was too lazy to argue anymore, so she put away her cosmetics, took her mini travel bag, and went out with Miss White Wolf.

The two had breakfast in the school cafeteria, and then came to the street outside the college. Ceylon took the initiative to ask Miss White Wolf's wishes: "Is there any place you want to go in particular?"

"No."

"Then let me recommend something to you. Londinium doesn't have any famous natural scenic spots. This city focuses on its cultural heritage, so we'll choose the college area as our destination for today's tour."

"College area?"

"It's where we are, one of the four major districts of Londinium. The National University, the Royal Guards Academy, and various research institutes are all located here. Influenced by the cultural atmosphere, even street thugs will keep a low profile here."

"Is it really the cultural atmosphere that has infected us?" Miss White Wolf couldn't help but interrupt. "Is it possible that the people from the Guard Academy are just too good at fighting?"

"Oh, please stop interrupting me. It's so annoying. Let me talk."

"You said."

"Ahem, although the Royal Guards Academy factor you mentioned is true, you cannot deny that what I said is true. Victorian culture is indeed the pride of Victorians. Even if they leave the protection of the academy and encounter street gangs in other areas, students will be treated well."

Hearing this, Miss White Wolf was eager to try: "Don't we have student certificates? Why don't we try it ourselves? I haven't seen the street gangs in Londinium yet."

Xilan felt the loss again, and he put his hands on his waist and emphasized: "No matter how well the gangs treat students, they are still gangs. It is unreasonable for students to take the initiative to approach them, and..."

She stole a glance at Miss White Wolf's skirt, her face extremely serious: "I seriously suspect that once you go over there, the gangsters might be tempted by your beauty, and even your student status will be useless."

"They can't beat me." Miss White Wolf muttered softly. When she noticed Ceylon's murderous look, she quickly changed her words, "Yes, I'll listen to your arrangements."

"Then listen to me. Based on my years of observation, there are four places worth visiting in the college area. They are the Grand Amusement Park, the Royal Museum, the Civic Cultural Plaza, and the National Art Gallery. Which one do you plan to choose?"

While speaking, Ceylon began to silently prepare detailed introductions of the four places in her mind. She had studied them for a long time last night. No matter what angle Miss White Wolf wanted to choose from, she would provide a professional assessment that was above standard.

However, she miscalculated again. She shouldn't have tried to guess Miss White Wolf's thoughts.

"Which place has the least people?" Miss White Wolf asked immediately.

"The least crowded? Uh, no, shouldn't you ask where is more worth visiting and has a better travel experience?"

"I don't like crowded places. As long as there are few people, it's a good place."

"Then, that should be the art gallery."

“Just go to the art museum.”

Miss Ceylon had no choice but to nod and agree. In comparison, the art museum was actually the place she least wanted to go. She was in the Department of Source Stone Studies and was also good at history, but her knowledge of art was really limited. She also had no idea what was so good about those touted famous works, and there was even a risk of a dull reception after entering.

She looked at the map on her phone and reluctantly led Miss White Wolf into the art museum. She had been to other places before, but this was her first time in the art museum, so she had to use a map.

The two entered the museum smoothly after showing their student ID.

It must be said that the art gallery was indeed relatively deserted and could definitely meet Miss White Wolf's requirements. The one who suffered was Ceylon. She became more and more convinced that coming here would be absolutely boring and a waste of time.

With this mood, they walked into their first independent studio.

Miss Ceylon looked up and saw the huge nude oil painting in front of her. Her pupils shrank and her mentality changed miraculously in an instant.

Chapter 2023 The Utilitarianism of Art10-04-12 00:02:

The painting is about four meters wide and three meters high, about the same size as the wall of an ordinary bedroom.

The protagonists of the portrait are two young men and women, one on the left and one on the right, naked, lying on their sides on the lawn, each extending a hand towards each other, with the outstretched hands hanging in the air, as if they are about to hold each other in the next moment.

The background of the portrait is a green jungle full of life. Two small animals are grazing on grass in a corner of the jungle, butterflies are flying in the air, and a golden sun appears above the hands that the hero and heroine are about to hold.

As a half-medical student, Miss Ceylon was no longer surprised by anything related to the human body. After being surprised, she immediately turned her gaze to Miss White Wolf to see her reaction.

The clever thing was that, as if they had telepathic connection, Miss White Wolf also quietly turned her head, intending to peek at her situation. Their eyes unexpectedly met in the air, and Miss White Wolf turned back as if she was caught doing something wrong, as if she had been electrocuted.

Ceylon didn't say anything. She saw Miss White Wolf's ears turned red.

The two were silent for a moment. Since Ceylon was in a favorable position at the back, she could openly "peek" at Miss White Wolf's situation. She guessed from her expression that White Wolf had recovered, so she coughed and took the initiative to break the silence:

"The name of this painting is 'Life', and it is a masterpiece handed down by Master de Waal. Some people believe that the purpose of this painting is to show the beauty of life to the audience, but others say that this is a religious painting created by Master de Waal under the influence of Lateran religion. The holy expressions and postures of the male and female protagonists, as well as the use of light and shadow on their faces, coincide with the methods of religious paintings."

Miss White Wolf pretended that the previous embarrassment did not exist and calmly commented: "Very professional opinion. It turns out that you have studied oil painting."

"No." Ceylon walked to the front, bent down, and pointed to the nameplate on the lower left side of the painting. "Here is the introduction to the art gallery. I read it."

"Oh."

Miss Ceylon covered her mouth and smiled, then asked, "What do you think of this painting?"

"From a visual perspective, it's very good and comfortable to look at. It gives people a very vivid and real feeling. The people in the painting seem to be one-to-one in size with real people. It can be inferred that this should be the ingenuity designed by Master De Waal, and it is the source of the shocking feeling brought by the whole painting."

"Wow, you seem to understand a lot."

"Like you, I read it."

"Is that right?"

"I changed the word order a little bit and replaced the deterministic words with the subjective words 'seems' and 'should', so that it sounds like my personal opinion."

Miss Ceylon slapped her forehead and said, "You can really fool people anytime and anywhere. Apart from these, do you have any other ideas?"

"Other ideas... I do have them." A strange light gradually appeared in Miss White Wolf's eyes, and Ceylon immediately couldn't take her eyes away.

“I was thinking about something interesting. If this was a social occasion for aristocrats, should I comment on this painting and say, ‘It is indeed a work of art,’ ‘It is indeed the work of Master de Waal,’ and then show my shock and admiration, and be intoxicated by it, even though I don’t know who de Waal is, what country he is from, or what era he lived in.

"This person, this noble, should do that. The purpose of her doing that is not to say that she is really intoxicated by art. She may know nothing about it, just like this white wolf. She doesn't even know who Deval is."

Ceylon was infected by Miss White Wolf's excited tone, and his voice trembled a little: "Why did she do that?"

"Yes, why? Because she wants to show the people around her, the people in her circle, that she can appreciate such art, that her level has reached the standard of Master Deval, and she wants to gain the envious gazes of others and gain a sense of spiritual self-satisfaction. Whether she really understands it or not is not important at all here.

"Victoria is a country of culture. The aristocrats here are obsessed with showing off their cultural capital. Do they also deliberately place the most obscure "masterpieces" in the most eye-catching positions on their bookshelves? Will students be influenced and deliberately talk about profound things that they cannot understand, and show off their knowledge of the subject, pretending to understand it? What exactly is art in their eyes? Is it self-cultivation or a social weapon?

"Ceylon, this is a very interesting phenomenon among social humans. In Xiosta, we see symbols of luxury, in Victoria, we see symbols of culture, in Ursus, we see symbols of force, in Colombia, we see symbols of technology, and in Kjerag, we see symbols of religion. Every place has its own cultural memes. Humans are really interesting social ants, and culture is their pheromone."

Ceylon took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming with obsession and desire: "So this is what you think, it's really different."

Miss White Wolf paced in the exhibition room, looking at the huge oil painting on the wall protected by a protective layer, and continued:

"Now I know de Waal, a Victorian master painter from three hundred years ago. I feel the beauty in his masterpieces, which seem harmonious and comfortable, but that's all. I don't feel intoxicated, nor do I think this painting is genius. I don't have the intention of fanatically admiring it, nor do I feel like I'm looking at a holy miracle.

"If I say this publicly, most of the masters will look at me with contempt, thinking that this person is too low-level, not high enough, and does not understand art at all. In Yan country's words, it is called rampant 'barking'. Only those elegant people who live in ivory towers are worthy of appreciating such high-level works. Ordinary people can only appreciate vulgar stuff.

"But, does art really have levels? What does art really pursue? Beauty itself, or the concept of hierarchy? Yan State's "Classics" is regarded as a typical high art, the art of the best, but wasn't it originally taken from folk songs? Folk songs were regarded as vulgar, but once compiled into a book by a 'sage', they became elegant. Where is the boundary between elegance and vulgarity? Who defined it?"

Ceylon subconsciously asked: "Who is it?"

Bai Lang answered without hesitation: "This is a very complicated question. I think it would be better to analyze it from the perspective of the rights discourse system of cultural capital."

"I don't quite understand it, but I think your idea makes sense. You can consider writing a paper about it."

"No way, absolutely impossible."

"What's wrong? Is it bad?"

“Think about why I came to the art museum.”

“You said it’s because there are few people here.”

“Yes, I like quietness.”

Chapter 2023 Aesthetic Class 10-05-12 00:02:

After learning of White Wolf's intention, Miss Ceylon was not resigned. She sincerely felt that if the other party was willing to participate in academic discussions, he would definitely be a famous scholar in the future.

"Ms. Olicia, how about this?" Ceylon suggested tentatively, "You express your ideas and I will write them for you. The academic discussion should not disturb the peace."

White Wolf still shook his head: "No, this type of comment is different from your paper. The threshold for Originium research papers is high and the circle is small, but this one can be published in the newspaper in a disguised form, directly facing everyone. The degree of discussion it triggers may exceed expectations, and the resistance will be unprecedentedly strong."

"It may not be resistance. Maybe there are many people supporting you."

"You are wrong, Ceylon." Miss White Wolf smiled, "Words should fit the environment. In a broader sense, our world is a world with clear class distinctions. There is a clear boundary between 'nobles' and 'commoners' in various senses. Most people are accustomed to and spontaneously internalize the recognition of aesthetic class. Under such external conditions, it is unwise to throw out ideological bombs."

“But I think that…aesthetic class is not necessarily something that most people spontaneously recognize.”

"Why do you think so?"

"From a feeling, I feel that most of the 'upper class' would think this way, but most of the 'lower class' wouldn't."

"Really?" Miss White Wolf smiled leisurely. "Maybe these terms have distorted the meaning I want to convey. I will assume that the 'lower class' you are talking about refers to people who are at a disadvantage in terms of economic and power status. Now let's consider it from a more fundamental perspective. Do people naturally like the feeling of being superior to others? Will the so-called 'lower class', because they realize their current disadvantaged situation, become more eager to prove that they have more advantages than other 'lower class'?"

"This one……"

"Think about the Tara people, think about the racial divisions in Victoria. At a certain historical period, the so-called 'lower class' gathered together to cheer for the fanatical shouting of racism, and devoted themselves to proving that their race was superior. In summary, human beings are keen on pursuing the transcendence of individuals in their living space. When the space is the country, the dispute is about race or regional differences. When the space is the living circle of ordinary people, the simplest source of dispute is the level of aesthetics."

"I, I'm a little confused, can you explain it again?"

"For example, let's imagine an ordinary person in an ordinary circle of life. How do you think he/she would view the people around him/her?"

"Just like me, both are ordinary?"

"After acknowledging the objective fact of being 'ordinary', he will most likely feel that he is different from other people."

"Everyone is different, especially for myself, and that's as it should be."

Miss White Wolf nodded, then shook her head: "I know what you mean, but the difference here does not refer to individual differences, but to the fact that he feels that he is superior to others. This 'superior' generally refers to the mind, because the current situation is already certain, and he cannot imagine that his current situation is more superior against his will, so he tends to think that he has a mind that transcends the mundane and is superior to others.

"This situation is not directly expressed. For example, when he talks to others, he uses an equal tone and can call others brothers and sisters and interact normally. But in his heart, he feels that he is superior to others, his soul is deeper, and he can see through the essence of this world better. The ordinary current situation may also stir up a trace of compassion in his heart. He is sad for himself, lamenting that the precious pearl is covered in dust, and fantasizing about being discovered by someone who can discern people and thus rise to prominence.

"This mode of thinking, this preset logic, will make 'ordinary people' never reconcile, so they tend to naturally accept the aesthetic class. Aesthetics is a very broad field. As long as people accept this, they can distinguish the subtle differences between themselves and others in all kinds of small things, and happily indulge in them.

"If you have observed the young people in Ursus, you will clearly notice this. As long as they have a little understanding of the Columbian Thought, they can hold their noses high and talk freely in front of their peers. In fact, they don't know what they are talking about, and they don't know whether what they say is appropriate in Ursus at this stage. What they read may have been misinterpreted by others. People who can truly think rationally and have broad knowledge can be described as rare.

"Let's go back to the topic of 'ordinary people'. There is a very interesting point here. If the 'ordinary person' finds that the field he used to boast about and use to gain superiority has a more advantageous and overwhelming existence, and the superior value that he relies on to maintain it has been disintegrated, he is likely to go to the opposite side in anger and fight against the aesthetic class.

"However, this confrontation is sporadic and temporary. If the external environment remains stable, from the perspective of interests, he will choose to become a supporter of aesthetic class in most cases.

"Huh, do you understand now? At this stage, some words will be very difficult to say. I am too lazy to do it, and I don't have the time to be a pioneer in this area. Besides, I am not good at bickering. It is wiser to choose to remain silent."

Ceylon, whose brain was working at high speed, finally had a chance to breathe. She commented sincerely: "In fact, I think you must be good at bickering. I doubt anyone can beat you."

"No, not at all. At most, I can make some sense, but there are many ways to understand the world, and there are many corresponding reasons. There is no absolute right or wrong on this issue. The only meaning of arguing with scholars is to promote academic reflection. The most terrible problem is that the enemy may not be a scholar, but an unreasonable person, or a pseudo-scholar. Then there is nothing we can do. They are best at pulling your ideas to their own level of thinking, interpreting them in their own way, and then defeating you with their incomparably rich experience."

Ceylon nodded thoughtfully: "It seems so. It would be great if everyone could stop quarreling and be more tolerant of special opinions."

"Impossible. Through my observation, I found that humans have a characteristic."

"what?"