I noticed there were many terms to describe the different plot pieces in theatre. However, some may say that art (visual art) tells a story/conveys a message. If that were the case, why does visual art not have these terms to describe the story/message within the piece? Could this be evidence that visual art does not tell a story?
Samantha Chiu
Throughout the whole play, Valentine keeps saying that Gloria inspires him. But on the other hand, Valentine also influences Gloria. At the end of the play, how is Gloria’s characteristic different from that at the beginning? How does Gloria change?
– After reading the definitions of formal and contextual criticism, how is it even possible to formally critique without any prior knowledge? How does a professional critique not allow any prior knowledge to affect his/her judgment? (p 87-88)
– How or why does Phillip, Dolly, and Gloria’s outspoken behavior contrast with society’s behavioral expectations and their mother’s secretive nature?
-Why does the delivery of the play seem so rushed? It appears that Dolly and Philip Clandon meet Valentine and are quick to ask him a barrage of questions about personal subjects. The question of their father is brought up to Mrs. Clandon almost as soon as we are introduced to the main characters. Gloria Clandon and Valentine’s relationship is very sudden as well, and even Philip compares it to the fleeting relationship in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (Act II). Is Shaw’s work deliberately this rushed? Is it used for an additional comedic effect? Is it reflective of the time period?
-Language is considered an essential sensory response in theatre (46). Due to the descriptive nature that can set the entire atmosphere of the play, would language itself be considered an art form?
The way a playwright transmits his or her message is by connecting with the audience, which I would think necessitates a high level of verisimilitude. Why would any playwright choose a style of low verisimilitude? I think this would be a less effective manner of transmitting the message. (pp 37-38)
What was going on in Gloria’s relationship with her mother? How did Mrs. C feel about her daughter worshipping her?
Tamar Lichter
Why do the authors contend that most art stems from fear? For example, Frida Kahlo’s “Diego in my Thoughts” displays her fear of her husband’s control, as she paints him taking up the majority of her mind (6). In a similar fashion, Robert Mapplethorpe’s 1988 piece, “Self Portrait,” is a glimpse into his struggle with AIDS and how he must deal with his “inevitable death” (7). Those who practiced religion used art to appease the gods because they feared what might happen in the afterlife (8-9). Is this notion of fear inspiring artwork true, or is it a bias on the authors’ parts?
Humans are creatures of symmetry, order and rhythm, from our constant heartbeat to our proportioned bodies, as illustrated by Da Vinci’s Proportion of the Human Figure. Order comes as a natural instinct to us and to create disorder, one has to go against instinct and consciously generate disorder and to create it, one has to completely grasp the concept of order. Does disorder have its root in order? (13) (73)
Leo Tolstoy expressed that “Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced.” If this feeling is the actual beauty of art, then is it wrong to judge art based solely on technique? Based on this concept of the feeling of a piece determining its value, could one even draw a connection between a piece of art about the Holocaust and a pop-art piece about Marilyn Monroe? (15)
If truth can be found in a work of art, why do people find different meaning in art? Can there be more than one truth hidden in the artwork or is ‘truth’ based on opinion? (6)
Can chaos and balance both be found in a work of art like both balance and disharmony can be found in Romare Bearden’s Piano Lesson? (14)
