Henri Matisse’s exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art, “The Cut-Outs,” was especially impressive to me as a testament to the human spirit. In the exhibit, a short video depicted how Matisse composed his cutout pieces. Despite his age, illness, and other limitations, Matisse managed to design extravagant works of art while guiding a partner in how to physically construct them. His work resonated with me because it stems from his sheer determination. Not only did he manage to overcome physical and spiritual obstacles, but also he thrived as an artist on an implausible scale. By the late 50s, his pieces were spanning entire walls and, in a few cases, entire rooms. It left me seriously considering the extent to which artists go in order to create. I was always led to believe that there is certain romanticism in sacrificing for your art. However, there is also a necessary persistence that, despite all odds, you will pour yourself into your work. After this exhibit of Matisse’s final projects, I now believe that this strength of will is what separates mediocre art from true masterpieces.
The political satire Tail!Spin! was performed at the Lynn Redgrave Theater and was much more lighthearted than the other shows we saw, while still being just as clever and eye opening. The genius of the performance comes in the script, entirely composed of quotes from disgraced politicians throughout our country. The actors easily manage to ridicule representatives such as Anthony Weiner, Mark Sanford, Larry Craig, and Mark Foley all while using the politicians’ own speeches, tweets, text messages, and interviews. I often questioned what I was watching; the comedy was so jarring because the politicians did not need help in making themselves look like fools. The perfect juxtaposition of their promises to the public with what they say, tweet, and text while in private left me questioning whether all of our politicians are this disparate between their supposed policies and their actual beliefs. For the most part, I appreciated Tail!Spin! for its entertainment factor. However, the reason that it is so successful is because the portrayed representatives ultimately are the ones embarrassing themselves; Tail!Spin! only brought many of the discrepancies out into the open. This irresponsibility of our nation’s elected officials is troublesome to me, and forced me to wonder whether many others are just as careless or immoral as those featured in the show.
Ayad Akhtar’s Pulitzer Prize winning play Disgraced, which was performed at the Lyceum Theater, opens up one of the most significant questions that can be discussed in our current society: to what extent are we truly an open and accepting culture? As the show specifically deals with Islamophobia in New York City, it presented ideas of underlying resentment toward Muslims and general xenophobia in one of the world’s most progressive societies. The performance particularly impacted me because of the more radical ideas that it brought to the stage, many of which are both anti-American and anti-Muslim. I left that night vastly disgusted with the characters’ frames of mind and could not imagine why someone would create a play to spread such viewpoints. However, the show left me thinking. I realize now that such radical ideas were included purposefully; they were not meant to be agreeable, but rather to present to the audience underlying issues in our own society and make us question our own beliefs and ideals. I loved Disgraced for more than just its depth of characters and enthralling storyline, but for the conversation it opened up which our society desperately needs to have.
