Art & Authenticy

Watching, watching, watching, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, watching.

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The exhibit “Looking at Music: Side 2″ embodies the time of the 70’s. As I walked in, the first thing that caught my attention was a song by Patti Smith called “Piss Factory.” The lyrics were full of raw passion and hope. “I’m gonna be somebody, I’m gonna get on that train, go to New York City,/ I’m gonna be so big, I’m gonna be a big star and I will never return.” This represents the spirit of the 70’s. Everyone wanted to break out from where they were, and go some place new. Everyone had bigger dreams; no one wanted to be locked in. In a way it was inspirational, representing people who dreamed big dreams and even encouraging them to go for it. It’s music that speaks to people. Continue Reading »

I have had many assumptions about operas before seeing Barber of Seville. Some of them are from the way operas are mentioned in TV shows, most of them are from my experience with Chinese opera. While waiting for the curtain to rise in the opera house (which was a sight itself), memories of falling asleep in the theaters in China while my grandmother enthusiastically hummed along with the performance under her breath came to my mind. I started hoping that Barber of Seville would have some aerobatic moves, since those where the only factors that kept Chinese operas from being a complete torture for me in my childhood. Continue Reading »

Boy, was I disappointed.

There was nothing of substance in this exhibit.  Nothing to really marvel at.

Maybe it’s just me

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Let me just say – Best. Art. Exhibit. Ever.

If you were fond of the “Looking at Music: Side 2″ exhibition at MoMA, you will definitely appreciate this.  If you weren’t impressed by the one at MoMA, you will appreciate this a lot more.  If you’re a fan of 60s-90s music (particularly Rock) you will appreciate this exhibition tremendously.

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Feminism, as defined by the dictionary, is “the doctrine of advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.” Brooklyn Museum of Art’s participants of the exhibition of “The New Feminist Video” took that notion to a different level.

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Modern films (regardless of the style) that are shown in black and white have a much deeper meaning than just a color malfunction. Nowadays we regard these films as depressing, sad and also, powerful. Much of today’s society functions just like the alien world that was conceived in the short film. We are working nonstop to meet the deadlines because that is how society has pushed us to become. Standards have been raised and thus, if we do not execute, we will be left behind. Similarly, the film featured the alien workers being whipped by the overseer to perform at maximum efficiency-anything less is unacceptable. When we are pushed to our limits, our moral drops dramatically and we seem to lose the will to work any further. And this is when the “genius” plays in. By inventing a device to alleviate our stress and perceive the world in “technicolor” so to speak, we find artificial ways to motivate ourselves to carry on whether or not they are truly motivating in a sense. The malicious, intimidating bosses, look like they’re having the time of their lives and the workers are lulled into believing they’re achieving a purpose when, in reality, they’re still stuck in the same old situation. The film featured a powerful ending, and that was to snap back into reality. While we may not be content with our lives, it is by no means an excuse to live in a delusional world that is too good to be true.

After a tour through the International Center of Photography, nothing was more striking than the group of European young men showing off their “expensive” clothing. Little did I know about the significance of clothes in European fashion and culture. What was amazing about this video clip was that they were showcasing random young adults off the streets and into a private hotel room. Now I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a serious commitment to undertake. Nonetheless, these “youngsters” were more than eager to showcase their stylish, expensive and bizarre wardrobes to the international audience. They discussed how “important” one’s appearance was in Europe. Basically, what you wore defined your social status and therefore, they more than willing to spend that extra money to “look good”. You would think that these boys were rich in order to wear these types of apparel-WRONG! Contrary to what I had thought, they were struggling to make a living. Their measly salary is barely enough to support them in terms of food and rent, however, they do not let that obstacle deter them from heavy spending. To give you an idea of their budgets, most of these young men make around 800 euros a month. Factor in rent, food and other living expenses and they barely have anything left over. The next thing you know, one of them pulls out a 2,000 Euro suit right in front of the camera! It amazes me how much the clothes matter to the European culture-especially the younger age group. Nonetheless, these desires show just how much these values mean to them.

Figaro, Figaro, Figaro, Figaro, Figaro FIIIIGGGAAAAROOOOOO! The willy barber of Seville that always got his way and always got his money. I was able to relate most to his character due to his eccentric personality. He is a lively character and in my opinion carried the entire production on his shoulders.

Much like the clever rabbit we all know and love from our cartoon days, Bugs Bunny, Figaro always has a plan under his sleeve; even when he does not have sleeves. I feel that the action of the opera was misconstrued around the Romeo and Juliet style lovers of Count Almaviva and Rosina. The only reason that anything progressed from that sad serenade below Rosina’s window was due to Figaro’s ingenuity from behind the scenes. The master puppeteers of the world are mostly neglected because credit is never given where credit is due but gold always gets where it has to go.

It wasn’t only the crafty plans that Figaro constructed that kept the plot rolling along but the comedic relief provided by his “swagger”, musical accompaniment, and costume. Among the muck of romantic mushiness, light comedy provided the audience, who are not sold on the “love at first song”, the solid ground by which to follow the plot.

What made Figaro a unique character is that he was removed from the drama of the play and that is what let him slip around unnoticed. Most of the focus and anger of the conniving doctor and his cohorts was directed towards the romance between Rosina and Count Almaviva. This makes for a successful element of the opera that adds depth to the work by having multi-faceted characters interact with 2-dimensional one-track mind personalities.

They all want something from poor ol’ Figaro!

A question that often surfaces when it comes to Michelangelo’s First Painting is its authenticity. Critics feel that this creation should not be wholly credited to Michelangelo because it was based on the work of another artist at the time- Martin Schongauer’s “Saint Anthony tormented by demons”. A closer analysis of these two individual paintings will reveal a much more intricate and astonishing revelation.

Michelangelo is not normally known for his paintings but rather for his sculpturing. This disparity helps create a unique sense to his first painting because of this popular conception. My first encounter with these two similar paintings led to a confusing experience: at first I couldn’t tell which painting was whose and that led me to believe that maybe I had walked into the wrong exhibit. However, a closer observation revealed to me just how fascinating Michelangelo was able to recreate this piece of work. Starting with the fact that Michelangelo’s creation is an oil painting helps separate his work from that of Martin Schongauer’s. This may seem like an obvious difference, however it also creates a sense of originality in Michelangel’s painting because the essence of color adds a new dimension to Schongauer’s original work. This “new dimension” gives the subjects in the painting greater life. Through the addition of color, we are able to witness the individuality of these demons that are harassing St Anthony. Because these demons consist of a different blend of color shades, it is more apparent that St Anthony is being attacked by multiple entities as opposed to a conglomeration of demons that are tangled up in a mess with St Anthony in Schongauer’s engraving. The addition of color also meant that Michelangelo had to use different artistic techniques in his creation. Because Schongauer’s engraving was in black and white, techniques such as shading, contouring and texturing were accomplished in a very different means. Michelangelo’s oil painting was based more on the varying degrees of colors and shades to help accomplish the fine details in his painting.
I also couldn’t help but notice the amount of detail when it came to the fish demon. The scales were counted with a thick amount of paint to outline its rich texture (the skin looks so shiny and glossy that it’s almost surreal). The thick buildup of paint blends quite nicely with the fish’s sharp outline.

Another form of emphasis in Michelangelo’s painting is the mixture of color that contrasts one another. For example one demon has a tremendous amount of red coloring while another demon on top of it contains a bland tone of dirt mixtures. Once again, these contrasting colors help give demons more of an individual identity because of their noticeable physical differences.

The addition of a background scenery in Michelangelo’s First Painting provides a feeling of relief in a sense because it helps take away some of the focus from the main subjects and adds more of a contrast to an otherwise intimidating artwork. All these fine details prove that Michelangelo’s First Painting is truly an authentic creation. Forget the fact that he used the composition from Schogauer’s work. Michelangelo’s masterpiece deserves all the merits associated with any piece of authentic artwork. His painting feels original because of the different techniques he utilized, imaginative because of the way he designed this painting and of course most importantly, this painting feels truly unique in the sense that he was able to blend all these artistic elements into the total package. I just cannot help but marvel at how he accomplished all of this at such a young age.