Awakenings

Modern Art Review

Modern Art is something that not everyone can understand and appreciate. The Met museum displayed an exhibit of Abstract Expressionist Art, which include Acrylic on canvas by Kenneth Noland, Soft calendar of the Month of August by Claes Oldenburg and Unfurled by Louis Morris.
Every Modern Art Artist has a unique way of expressing himself or herself. Claes Oldenburg takes every day objects, such as lipstick or a clothespin and distorts them in shape and size making them several stories high. Because of their size, many art works are displayed outdoors all over the country. He is also famous for creating soft, inflatable art such as the “Soft Calendar of the Month of August.”  He took the actual days from a 1962 calendar of August and he distorted the numbers, inflated them, and created a relatively large calendar, as a piece of artwork.
Many of Kenneth Noland’s pieces look like targets. They have layers of rings with a smaller centerpiece. This abstract artist carefully selected colors to create a unique sense of mood and emotion when looking at his artwork. Because of its colors, different sizes of circles, Acrylic on Canvas has a calming effect. Looking at the work you can feel relaxed, even though in a way it does look like a target. Louis Morris is an abstract expressionist painter who used similar techniques to those of Kenneth Noland. He paints strokes in a different array of colors, either to juxtapose the strikes by foiling one strike with another or creating a rainbow effect with peaceful colors. However he leaves most of the page blank and leaves it up to the viewer to interpret however he or she sees fit.
These and many other Modern Arts were hung side by side in one room in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Being able to almost touch the art is as close as anyone can get to these multi-million dollar artworks and the fact that they were not behind glass gave everyone a more intimate feeling.

Words can transform the visual and what our concept of the visual is. The exhibition, “Between Language and Geography” is a stunning representation of how words and images can come together to reveal a story. Artists such as Jerome Liebling, Catherine Wagner, and Candace Scharsu filled the walls with powerful images that depicted themes from political geography to historical geography. Photographers capturing images of streets, villages, and people brought out the true force of a photograph with powerful messages that not only captured an image but also a truth that was hidden away. (more…)

A New Weapon to Fight the War!

With the advent of photography in late 1800s, a new, probably the most powerful weapon came about, a camera. As soldiers fought the war with guns and other weapons with the intentions of killing people, Robert Capa fought the Spanish Civil War with a less gory, but a more powerful weapon.
Robert Capa was arguably the greatest war photographer in the twentieth century. He covered five wars in his career as a photojournalist: the Spanish Civil War, the Second Sino-Japanese War, World War II across Europe, the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and the First Indochina War. His striking images appeared for the first time in the magazines, newspapers and journals acquainting everyone around the world of the true colors of the war. Back then television wasn’t as widespread as it is today; therefore photographs were the first and closest thing to bring the war to the people who are safe in their homes far away from the horrors of the war.
His most famous picture is titled D-Day landing and was taken on June 6, 1944 when he and other soldiers were landing on the Omaha Beach. The image seems to be slightly out of focus; however that didn’t stop numerous magazines from printing it out and in some cases making it a front cover. This is one of the most exciting pictures because it brings war to people’s homes and the image portrays the heart of the fire of the war.
All of Robert Capa’s images are stunning and one reason they are spectacular i s because he was able to get extremely close to the action. His famous quote “If your photographs aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough” says it all. You have to get close to the picture in order to get the best possible live shot and if the photo is not good enough, then you’re just not close enough to the action. Unlike soldiers who are armed with guns, he was armed with a 50mm camera and a couple of rolls of film. Dangerous is not strong enough to describe the danger of snapping pictures in the middle of the war. And unfortunately his fate was that of many soldiers after stepping in a land mine.
The International Center of Photography in their current exhibition on War Photography was able to bring Robert Capa’s work back to life. They were able to juxtapose the original images the Robert Capa took with the same images featured in magazines and newspapers. ICP was also able to blend handwritten notes, his personal letters and of course his photographs to put together a jigsaw puzzle giving us insight into his work and bringing one of the greatest photographers back to life.

Taking photographs – how hard could it be? I soon found the answer to that question. Taking a photograph is simple. Taking a powerful photograph requires knowledge, vision, and expertise. Before this photography project, I did not take pictures of anything other than family or friends. This was a new and challenging experience for me. I found it difficult to get a vision and transform that vision into a photograph. There are so many factors to consider, each one changing the emotion of the picture. By the end of the project, I gained the ability to see and think like a professional photographer. I had gained an understanding and appreciation of the art of street photography. (more…)

The portrayal of overheated adolescence was a bit too much to handle from a cast of twenty to thirty year olds in the production of “Springs Awakening”. The play will definitely merit itself as one of the most innovative rendition of Broadway plays with their chock full of rock and roll numbers but in terms of content, the play was a sad comparison to the book. As an entertainment production, Springs Awakening could not have been more rewarding. The burst of energy and lights brought the audience to life and turned a potentially awkward production into a very comical night.

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          Though it’s been several months since I have seen “Spring Awakening” the experience still holds some very fond memories for me.  It was the first Broadway show I had seen in quite a while.  I had heard about how fresh and entertaining the musical “Spring Awakening” was and I had wanted to see for myself if all the hype was warranted.  I mean, they don’t just hand out Tony Awards like candy on Halloween, right?  Eight of them must mean that this show is something unique, something groundbreaking, something evolutionary, and perhaps even revolutionary.  Through some fortunate circumstances, eventually a ticket found its way into my hands.  With anticipation heavy enough to smell I sat down in my surprisingly good seat and waited for the magic to begin.  So did “Spring Awakening” live up to all the hype?

            No, it went beyond it.  First of all, the music was rock.  It wasn’t pop rock, light rock, synth rock, or even rock masquerading as an opera (as is Phantom of the Opera’s particular style of music); it was heavy, close to the bone, rock and roll.  And I loved it.  I loved every minute of it.  It’s safe to say that “Spring Awakening” was the best rock concert I’ve ever been to.

            Next, the acting: superb from all sides.  Every actor in the cast portrayed their character with verisimilitude skillfully.  It’s also important to mention the lighting on and around the set.  It was almost as if the lights, their ambient effects, and the emotions they helped convey became their own character.

            I have nothing but good things to say about “Spring Awakening.”  Not even taking into account the appearance of a well-developed breast, anyone with even the slightest inclination towards good taste will find something to enjoy in the show.      

Upon waiting a tumultuous span of time for a large conference from artists and performers, young Macaulay Honors students were plagued by hunger and boredom. Those that intended to come for an eventful spectacle of inspiring messages found themselves falling asleep to a panel of unexcited speakers that were not able to communicate any true passion in their respective fields. Perhaps I am being too harsh so in revision of my previous statement I will say that in the slue of speakers, perhaps one and a half speakers communicated any real passion in their work. (more…)

After reading Sigrid Nunez’s book “A Feather on the Breath of God,” I thought it was an autobiography. I could not understand why it was characterized as being a novel. She gave such a personal and realistic account about her parents and experiences. She even included actual quotes from real people. How could someone have called it a novel? However, after listening to Nunez speak, I finally understood why it was called a novel. I also realized she has a very laid-back personality, which is contrary to the image I always had about writers. (more…)