I had never been to an Opera before, so naturally I assumed it would be similar to how it is portrayed in movies and television. I was in for a shock when the Opera actually began. The first thing that caught me off guard was the number of people on stage, it may sound weird to some but I always imagined a scene in an Opera with only one or two people, no more.

I still do not really understand the concept behind the American Folk Art Museum. It is obvious that the art deals with folk art, however, I do not know the real definition of folk art. It was an unexpected visit. A group of us from the IDC class planned to make a trip to see the Tim Burton exhibit at the MOMA. However, we did not realize it was closed on Tuesdays. Next door happened to be the American Folk Art Museum, and when we look on our cultural passports, it happened to be first on the list. Most of the artwork reminded me of a Native American and prairie farm inspiration.

 Firstly, I must say that this was my first experience at an opera and it was definitely not what I had expected. I guess I had imagined a stereotyped version of the opera in which a rather thick woman dominates the stage and sings until her lungs can give no more. Yet, this opera was different on various levels. To begin, the show was mostly composed of men. Next, the singing was actually not as loud as I thought it would be ( I imagined it might be a bit unbearably loud, I guess expect some superpower voice). Thirdly, the performance greatly resembled a theatrical showing.

We all well know that Picasso’s Demoiselles D’Avignon is a modern painting, no doubt. However, what I find really intriguing is the reason for him to chose to paint in that style and the title he gave to this art piece.