That documentary that ruined Petit’s image for dramatic effect….#unfair #violationoftrust #faithinpetitrestored #documentariesgottabehonest
Author: Shahrouk Reza
The First True Modern Art Form
The Leonard A. Lauder collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is, in the Museum’s own words, “unsurpassed in its holdings of Cubist art.” It boasts eighty-one pieces of artwork from four masters of the Cubist art form: Georges Braque, Juan Gris, Pablo Picasso and Fernand Leger. Between the four of them, they started and shaped the Cubism movement, which revolutionized the world of art and influenced modern art, as we know it today.
Our group – Justin and I – went to the Cubism exhibit as part of our third assignment. Our interest in this particular exhibit was because of what it represented. The start of the Cubism movement signaled a time of transition, from the classical illusionist artwork to the era of modern art that we know today. The exhibit was divided into four sections, categorized by the four different artists. There was a noticeable difference between classical artwork and the cubist works. Whereas classical art was “flowy” and depicted clear pictures of nature and culture, cubist artwork was more precise and abstract. Many of the subjects of the paintings were objects encountered in daily life, such as in “Bottle and Wine Glass in a Table” by Picasso. These pictures were broken up into highly geometric shapes, with sharp edges, put back together. Instead of the smooth paintings of the classical world, cubism brought about fragmented, geometric and precise forms of art. Despite this manipulation, we saw that the subject of the paintings could be clearly identified. Cubism expressed the real world in the two-dimensional world of the canvas in such a way as to preserve its identity.
The impact of Cubism on modern art was easily recognizable. Many of the abstract concepts that originated during the cubist movement and could be recognized in the works of Picasso and Braque are reflected in the art of the modern world. Every-day objects and encounters were made abstract yet retained their familiar imagery. Justin and I truly understood why Cubism is considered one of the first truly modern art forms.
Of Shipyards, Sea Shanties and Salgado
The title of Assignment 3 was The Art of Choosing. We were given a list of exhibits and had to choose, whether through research or initial appeal or games of chance, which exhibits and/or performances we would go to. At its core, however, the assignment was a lot more than simply choosing art exhibits/performances that appealed to us. It was about discovering the art lover inside of us; we had to really take a step out of our own selves and analyze what it was about art that appealed to us: our likes, our dislikes, and our preference. By the end of this assignment, I was undoubtedly more aware of my artistic taste.
The first arts event that we went to was The Last Ship, a musical scored by the legendary rock star Sting and performed at the Neil Simon Theater. This score was what initially drew Justin and I to the performance. In addition to that, I had also never seen a musical before and was excited to see one. The first thing I did upon arriving at the theater was to observe the environment. The theater had an elegant feel to it; it was the same feeling that I had at the Metropolitan Opera while watching Figaro. The stage was also beautifully done, with soft lighting and a subtly animated background. Now, onto the actual musical itself: Overall, while not the best performance I’ve seen over the course of this class, “The Last Ship” was thoroughly enjoyable. The highlight of the show was definitely its incredible score, “Dead Man’s Boots” and “The Last Ship” being my favorites. Many of the songs also infused a sea shanty feeling into them, making the shipyard presented on stage come to life. The problem with the musical, in my opinion, was its narrative. At several parts of the musical, I felt that I was watching two completely separate stories unfold, independent of each other. Despite this setback, “The Last Ship” shined; it was an amazing first musical and one that I would unhesitatingly recommend to anyone.
Of the two exhibitions we visited, Genesis and Cubism, I wholeheartedly preferred Genesis. This is not to say Cubism is a bad exhibition; on the contrary, the exhibition presented the origins of modern art and contained the works of masters. However, as soon as I looked up the premise of Genesis, I was enthralled. Actually seeing the exhibition first hand was a powerful experience. The black and white photography conveyed a beauty that I hadn’t seen in colored photographs; an interesting observation we made was, since the photograph did not have any color, Salgado had put more focus on the angle and context to increase its power and message. If that was his intention, then Salgado succeeded marvelously with Genesis; the pictures depicted the raw power of nature in a way that would not be visible to most in their life times. His timing was impeccable; the clouds seemed to almost bend to his will, hovering mysterious and grand in the background of many of his pictures of glaciers, canyons etc. Not only is Genesis powerful in its message of how beautiful the untouched parts of nature remain, but, combined with the brilliance of Salgado’s photography, it almost seems unreal.
The third assignment encompassed everything that we learned and did in this course. We got to know our artistic preferences better, saw shows that we otherwise might not have seen, and all the while, had a great amount of fun doing it. Like the field trips and like the books we read, this assignment made us re-assess our relation to the arts and the impact that it has had on our lives.
Nature Untarnished
Sebastiao Salgado’s “Genesis”, displayed at the International Center of Photography, was the first exhibition that our group – Shahrouk and Justin – went to for our assignment. In “Genesis”, Salgado captured the raw power of nature in a series of black and white photographs. In a project that took 8 years, Salgado traveled to every corner of the world to photograph nature that was untouched and untarnished by man.
“Genesis” covered a variety of landscapes, from mountain ranges to tundras to deserts. From the photographs that were displayed, it was apparent to us that Salgado had gone to great lengths to accomplish his project. There were photographs across from a leopard, as well as at the edge of a lake filled with caymans. Salgado had placed himself in a great deal of danger for these shots, but in doing so, he had taken photographs that most people would never see in their lifetimes. Most of Salgado’s work comprised of his natural landscapes. These were taken at surrealistic angles and times. Many of these photographs, especially those of Brooks Range and Bryce Canyon, look mythical. They portray a powerful side of natural that is not observable in highly urbanized world.
Salgado’s exhibition also sends a clear environmental message. He shows us the beauty of nature when man does not encroach upon it with cities and skyscrapers. This sort of beauty has to be preserved before it vanishes forever from our world. “Genesis” not only shows us the beauty of the natural world around us, but also what we stand to lose should we not take appropriate action to safeguard it.
So Many Arts Experiences!!
I felt that the variety of art that we experienced (Opera, Dance, Play, Concert) was definitely the best part of this class. We got to experience a little bit of everything and figure out what appealed to us. We found our artsy sides.
Walked into class on the first day. No more seats. 3 hours on a vent. #notenoughseats #firstdayofclasses #couldbeanartpiece
