Art & Authenticy

The whole idea of watching an opera wasn’t too exciting; it didn’t seem like the ideal way of spending my Tuesday evening. The Barber of Seville, composed by Gioacchino Rossini had a packed house. I would soon learn why. As an English speaker, I thought I would have some difficulty with managing the Italian with reading the English translations, but I was wrong. The actors’ expressions, dance moves, and tones of voice allowed for me to interpret what was going on without knowing a synch of Italian. Rather than fully relying on the English translation displayed on the screen in front of me, I focused on the stage, grasping every movement and every sound of breath I heard the actors take. Maurizio Benini, conductor of The Barber of Seville, knew exactly what he was aiming for when he conducted the opera. Using the semicircle stage, the pasarella, featured Italian theatre architecture. It’s like a catwalk, extending from both ends of stage over pit and arching over auditorium, allowing the actors and actresses to have intimate closeness with the audience. I wish we were closer to it because I felt Rosina and Figaro breathing from where we were sitting; one can only imagine what it would be like if we were to sit there. All in all, I enjoyed the opera, but I can’t say I would spend a Tuesday night at the MET Opera for fun!

For more about Benini, click here

Ben Brantley’s review of FELA! was pretty accurate. It’s fresh and vibrant, very different from most Broadway plays because in was so engaging. The music certainly made all the difference; it flowed through the audience and made them want to join in. The review is mostly positive; but I also find myself agreeing with the small and obscured negative remarks about the play. It was a little too much crammed into one play and some of the information regarding his life did go in one ear and out the other. Other than that, FELA! was a history lesson that made you want to learn.

Ever heard of Gustav Klimt? No? You should start doing some research then.

Klimt is an abstract painter. I’ve only recently been introduced to Klimt because his name was mentioned in a reading.

His paintings of women are gaudy and elegant. A paradox. His women are all beautiful and pale, with blushing cheeks, but the bodies of the women would be covered with gold paint. The gold looks like a mosaic, but all of it is painted on.

It might be a little hard to believe unless you see it for yourself.

I love Vermeer. I loved Vermeer even before I took Art History. There are controversies about rather his paintings can be considered to be truly genius because he did paint with the aid of the camera obscura (dark room).

His technique doesn’t matter to me as much as his expression. The light on his subjects is almost always so soft and warm.

The Milkmaid was no exception. She may seem homely, but she is bathe in a pure, angelic light. In the description, she is suppose to attract male viewers (the Cupid tile in the corner is proof). The painting is not so large, but it has incredible detail (again the Cupid tile). However, no matter how beautiful The Milkmaid is, it still can’t rival The Girl with the Pearl Earring.

All the videos were supposed to represent some part of a woman’s role. I didn’t get the message. How is this feminist in any way? It was only after I read the descriptions of the videos that I understood what they were trying to convey. Maybe it was a bit too abstract for me to understand.

I liked the visual that the first video provided for the painted boxes on the shelves, but other than that I don’t really know what to say about the other videos.

It was pop-art all over again. It was rebellious and rude but still glamorous at the same time. Even though it felt more like a CD store than an exhibition, I was still enthralled when I first walked in. My favorite audio piece would have to be the vinyl disc Richard Hell & the Voidoids. I can honestly say that I don’t know why I like it. I just do.

My favorite photograph was Untitled (1980) by Richard Prince and Cindy Sherman. It describes punk rock perfectly because of the androgynous quality of the subject (a girl with short hair). In punk rock, girls can sing coarse vocals and guys can leave their hair long (unless we’re talking about skinheads). Gender doesn’t matter anymore.

The display of magazine covers was also quite impressive; it had the icons of the 70s and the 80s (Sonic Youth and the Ramones). I just wished that the exhibit was bigger.

No, it wasn’t that great. The original engraving is better; it was more detailed. I like Saint Anthony’s serene expression Schongauer’s more than his solemn expression in Michelangelo’s. Yes, his form and color are close to flawless and he hinted his own style; but a copy is still a copy. I wasn’t happy with how the Met had made a big deal out of one painting, but I understood the painting’s significance in Michelangelo’s life.

I know that imitation is one of the best ways to practice and grow as an artist. Michaelngelo actually researched on this one piece. He actually studied fish in the markets so he can incorporate the shimmer in the scales on the bodies of the monsters in his painting. But I still can’t accept the fact that his painting had taken the limelight from the original.

Professor O’Connor seemed like the quiet, bookish type. You would never expect him to rhyme AND rap. Let’s just say that, it was a shock to hear an Irish professor, who was reciting memoirs and love poems one minute to rap about New York and Baruch the next. It was even more shocking to that every street corner was described so accurately.

Yeah, the tribute to New York was nice; but I still like the romantic and nostalgic writings more. I really liked the part in the memoir about Tennyson; it showed a bond between father and son, and how his love for literature had started.

Star of the Sea was warm, but it had a bittersweet quality to it. I hope I can find a copy.

If only I hadn’t gotten lost in the opera house. If only I wasn’t as tired that day. I might had enjoyed The Barber more. The exaggerated motions and the strange sense of humor made it feel like a cartoon. It was like watching a Saturday morning toon, the only difference is that this live action. There are live animals (the donkey), the cast moves the props, and there’s an orchestra pit. A really large orchestra pit.

It took a little bit of time to understand the narration through song, but the subtitles help… a little. Sometimes they scroll too fast, and sometimes they don’t appear at all because the singer would be repeating line. It would have be nice if they repeat the subtitles and timed it to the singing.

Besides that, the opera was a pretty nice experience overall. The opera house was covered in gold and velvet red; the ceiling was higher than I expected it to be. It was a little pretentious but not so much that I became intimidated.

Barry Banks’ high squeaky voice really fit the role of Count Almaviva. I didn’t really like Joyce DiDonato’s voice (she plays Rosina), but I can’t really compare her performance to Banks, because their vocals are so different.

If I had to describe the production in terms of art; I’d say that it was like graffiti mixed with voodoo paintings. FELA was a fusion of modern and ancient. It was a splash of new color and sound, yet; it was surprisingly familiar. Yeah, we’ve all read about the Civil Rights Movement and how it change America. After a while we stop listening because it’s constantly shoved into history lessons and even English readings. FELA was different, it didn’t meekly offer lessons of black history; it was more of a punch in the face. And it felt good.

It’s been a long time since I actually become excited over history lessons. I did a little research on the production later and found out that the imitation of The Shrine is actually very close to the original. The actors and actresses were powerful and exotic. The music was familiar afrobeat with a hint of ancient chants and songs. It was nice that the audience actually got to participate; Fela (Sahr Ngaujah) pumped us up for the dancing and cheering. The projections and “shrine” paintings made it feel like the actual Shrine.