The Arts in NYC Fall 2012

The Rubin Museum really doesn’t look like a museum from the outside.  Its extremely modern and the interior is covered with dark colors and wood.  Even with 6 floors, the Rubin Museum is pretty small.  The walls are covered with art and stone and metal sculptures.  I thought that there would be a variety of art but most of the pieces are Asian in origin.  The pieces included Tibetan, Mongolian and Indian art.  A lot of the art was religious depicting things like the “Four Mandalas of the Vajravali Cycle”, “Major Events of the Buddha’s Life” and “Great Hierarch”.  All of the art was extremely detailed even though it was created centuries ago.  For example, the “Great Hierarch” is covered with monastic robes that are etched with thin and detailed designs.  It can’t be seen from the picture but every inch of the inner robes has a constant pattern and is amazing.

The Rubin Museum has low lighting and the security guards work to keep the noise level down.  It’s very different from the Met.  Instead of high ceilings and bright lights, the Rubin has no windows on the upper floors and gives a more intimate feeling.  Most of the light is focused on the art and immediately places your attention on it. The museum gives free daily tours and the building is small so you can always hear people speaking or walking but the experience was still pretty nice.  All of the floors are connected by one spiral staircase in the center of ever floor.  Every floor was pretty similar with the exception of the art.  A lot of the art was from the 1400’s or earlier and were very well kept.  After Salma’s comments about how museums get the art in IDC, I really had to wonder where all of the pieces came from.  A lot of the pieces are small, especially the little sculptures but there were a lot.

Overall, I think that it was a very different experience and very interesting.

Rubin Museum of Art
After walking blocks of Manhattan streets, I finally reached the museum called “Rubin Museum of Art.” The exterior of the building was fabulous. I walked in; the environment and interior design were luxurious and overwhelming. Everything was fabulously covered in gold toned textures and marbles. I couldn’t help but hesitantly walk up the floor after getting my ticket for free. I was excited to explore this place.

Second Floor: After a fancy spiral stairs up, the second floor exhibited the art works of Himalayan and Tibetan shrine room. I raised my eyebrows and thought maybe the next floor up, there are going to be interesting exhibits. The second floor explained the origins of Buddhism, which was founded by Shakyamuni. Buddhas represent in many forms of manifestation of enlightenment. Many postures and hand gestures suggested a meaning and forms of meditation.

Third Floor: After the tour of Himalayan and Tibetan Buddhism, I walked the fancy spiral floors up to the third floor with excitedly. Again, it disappointed me. The collections of jewels used by the Buddhists were exhibited. Everything was over-embellished in a same manner for every sculpture; well, at least for me. So, I only took a quick glance around the floor and went up the stairs.

Then, I moved up all the way to the fifth floor, where exhibited the Nyingjei Lam collection. On the fifth floor, I was like, ‘so, what’s the difference of the artworks among the ones on the second floor, third floor, and fifth floor. They all look the same.’ Throughout all floors, they exhibited Buddhas in their meditation state embellished with jewels.

After I got out, I was pretty disappointed. The building was so overwhelmingly luxury but the works it held was rather boring and repetitive. So, I said sorry to my friends who went along with me and got ourselves a good meal at Shake Shack.

-Sihun

Today’s gloomy and rainy weather did not provide me with much enticement to take out my Macaulay Honor’s College Cultural Passport and waltz on over to a museum. However, with a few hours to spare and time winding down to complete my final exhibition review for IDC, I treaded over to my beloved museum – the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Sidebar: I initially was not fascinated by the Met. It took me quite some time to adjust to the space because I easily got lost in the midst of the dozens of exhibitions and galleries on view combined with the maze-like pathways between them. However, it is now a joy for me to visit the museum and, as of now, is my absolute favorite museum.

Feeling festive as Eid al-Adha is only a couple of days away, I made my way into the Met’s collection of Islamic Art. I have wanted to see this exhibit for myself since having read a New York Times article about the collection’s opening nearly one year ago. I was particularly intrigued by the mentioning of the Israeli Prime Minister’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, reaction to the viewing – pre-public opening – of this gallery when dignitaries were in town for the United Nations General Assembly in 2011. I was also quite amazed by the pieces on display.

Qur’an Manuscript and Stand for a Qur’an Manuscript

 The beauty of craftsmanship, size, and sheer impact of staring at such a large and old copy of this Holy Book were amazing. 

“Album of Calligraphies Including Poetry and Prophetic Traditions (Hadith)”

“…Screens” and “Folio from the Qur’an”

“Panel,” early 9th century

I was caught off guard when I noticed a panel of a six-pointed star within the collection. Although stars are common within Islamic Art, they are distinct from the six-pointed star the gallery displayed – which I and I would assume, most people associate with the religion of Judaism. Its detailing, “the carved vine leaves, scrolls, border designs, and other details of this panel,” is archetypal of early Islamic woodwork. Interestingly, this star is prominent throughout Islamic art and Roman art.

Another beautiful piece was that of a decorated bottle from the 13th century. The use of the colors blue, red, and white are consistent with the color scheme of Islamic art at the time. The calligraphy-like styling is also another characteristic. Not only do the colors blend well, the art is incredibly detailed and tells a story.

It relates well to the following image, “Zal Expounds the Mysteries of the Magi,” in terms of those two qualities.

Even the preservation of these artifacts dating centuries and decades upon decades back in time is artistry and uniqueness in it of itself.

This art of the Arab lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and later South Asia, emerged as Islam spread throughout this vast land area and as other disciplines developed as well. Literature, poetry, and art grew hand in hand and swept multiple continents during this era.

Gallery passageways

Even more unique was the sense of a divergent culture or religion upon entering the gallery of Islamic Art. The marble and cream colors and various shades of brown used in the rooms where these works are housed mesh quite nicely with the art and aptly represent the cultures influenced by and the religion of Islam. Notorious are the half dome-like entrances used which look like the shape of a mosque.

The design fits in particularly well with pieces like this, the mihrab or prayer niche, where the correlation can be easily seen.

Liking the feeling of connecting with the art I observed, I also decided to stay true to my roots by visiting the Ancient Egyptian Art collection. After all, how could I ignore my peeps! I must say, however, that I could not help but be irked by the fact that so much of ancient Egyptian history was housed in this museum – across the world in New York City. While the opportunity to see these pieces in person would be more than limited if one did not have the ability to see them in Egypt, there are a rather large number of ancient Egyptian mummies, jewelry, busts, and actual pieces of temples or other constructed buildings. I mean really …

“Mummy Mask of a Woman with a Jeweled Garland”

Anyway, mummies and mummy masks are not anything spectacularly new for this collection at the Met, but this one was especially interesting because of how starkly it resembled the woman buried compared to the other mummies of people.

The Temple of Dendur was a treat to see as well, since I did not browse there during my previous visit to the Met.

I can’t imagine the time and effort needed to construct these monuments thousands of years ago and then create images and writing on their walls. It is extremely fascinating to think about and see.

“Burial Chamber of Sobekmose”

With the entrance to the American Wing staring at me at the end of this showroom, I made my way to this exhibit too. Although much more beautiful on sunny spring days, the American Wing did not disappoint.

The American Wing

The “Autumn Landscape” is a favorite of mine to see. The vibrancy and sharpness of tones used compared to, say, the bottle in the Islamic Art collection or the hieroglyphics of ancient Egyptian art was startling to think about because of how completely different they each are. How art has evolved and its consistent use throughout all of humanity’s history is evidence of its impact.

The View…

While not the most exciting of visits, my visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art was a pleasant one. I am excited to see upcoming exhibitions and perhaps my next visit will refocus on contemporary artists.

– Salma

An experience unlike any other, especially in spirit of our recent discussions about rap, slam poetry will rattle your bones and shake the words you can’t find from your lungs. Every tuesday under St. Marks theater, Penny holds his open mic night. While I don’t have a clue who penny is, he’s got quite the gig going on just beneath the streets of St. Marks Place.

For just a $3 cover, you can sit and listen to authentic, original, and powerful spoken word poetry form 9pm to 2am. I was more or less dragged by a friend down to the club, and took a seat hastily in the back wondering what it’d be like to be on the stage. I’d had a poem prepared in my notebook but didn’t particularly feel up to sharing that night. So I sat and observed the wonders of the human mind (and the heave of their lungs) bearing it all before the microphone. I heard songs of love, hate, regret, jealousy, lust, destitution, hunger, need, and even a need for better headphones.

Though I’ve written spoken word poetry before and performed before audiences and friends alike, unraveling my skin and letting loose all within in front of (educated) strangers has still proved to strike fear in my heart. The fear of rejection, the judging eyes crawling like ants up my spine. The unnerving trepidation that overwhelms your step as you approach the stool. It all seems so overwhelming, yet so human.

I found a parallel between our vies for attention and love in our private lives with the performance of the poet on stage. We unhinge our masks for our muse and they see us as we are, despite what we se in a mirror. With no other source of judgment than the content of our souls, our muse, whatever it may be, sees the best and worst sides of us. On stage, the audience sees all that you put out and all that you present. If your poem lacks passion and pride, the effect can be seen in the audience’s eyes.

I feel inspired to find the vigor and fire inside myself that the gifted writers who let it all out on stage possess, and look forward to a day in the future in which I too can stare into the crowd with my chest open wide.

http://pennysopenmic.com/

I came across these photos the other day and found them really interesting. The artist superimposes scenes from World War II with the modern day locations at which they occured.

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/ghosts-of-history-slideshow/

October 16th marked the two year anniversary of the loss of esteemed emcee ‘Eyedea’ from the group Eyedea and Abilities. Michael Larson (Eyedea), passed away in his sleep from an accidental overdose, on a drug which was not released to the public.

Eyedea was known for his wit, charm, and insightful spin on the world around him. A poet by trade, Eyedea rapped about bouts with depression, heartbreak, addiction, and philosophies of life. I encourage you all to give  a few of his tracks a listen. His unparalleled intensity, wisdom, and wordplay bring me back hope for the direction of hip hop culture. There are many artists like him, however, none that could match his talent.

http://rapgenius.com/posts/In-memorial-micheal-eyedea-larsen-november-9-1981-october-16-2010

“History of Rap 2 and 3”

During three guest visits on Jimmy Fallon’s late night show, Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon put together a three-part “History of Rap.” I thought about it today since, as Stephen and Andrew explained, the youth has not been exposed to many of the pioneers of hip-hop and rap. Very contemporary artists are included and, sorry Andrew, there is a short Nicki Minaj piece, however, it was interesting that Timberlake and Fallon put this together and included the artists that they did. Plus Jimmy’s band is The Roots. So check it out! These are parts 2 and 3 compiled into one video.

– Salma

Check it out on my blog: http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/graffitiasart/.

Oh graffiti …

– Salma

So I decided I’d post a particular poem that stood out to me, entitled Mannahatta, by the famed Walt Whitman.

I was asking for something specific and perfect for my city,
Whereupon lo! upsprang the aboriginal name.

Now I see what there is in a name, a word, liquid, sane,
unruly, musical, self-sufficient,
I see that the word of my city is that word from of old,
Because I see that word nested in nests of water-bays, superb,
Rich, hemm’d thick all around with sailships and
steamships, an island sixteen miles long, solid-founded,
Numberless crowded streets, high growths of iron, slender,
strong, light, splendidly uprising toward clear skies,
Tides swift and ample, well-loved by me, toward sundown,
The flowing sea-currents, the little islands, larger adjoining
islands, the heights, the villas,
The countless masts, the white shore-steamers, the lighters,
the ferry-boats, the black sea-steamers well-model’d,
The down-town streets, the jobbers’ houses of business, the
houses of business of the ship-merchants and money-
brokers, the river-streets,
Immigrants arriving, fifteen or twenty thousand in a week,
The carts hauling goods, the manly race of drivers of horses,
the brown-faced sailors,
The summer air, the bright sun shining, and the sailing clouds aloft,
The winter snows, the sleigh-bells, the broken ice in the
river, passing along up or down with the flood-tide or ebb-tide,
The mechanics of the city, the masters, well-form’d,
beautiful-faced, looking you straight in the eyes,
Trottoirs throng’d, vehicles, Broadway, the women, the shops and shows,
A million people—manners free and superb—open voices—
hospitality—the most courageous and friendly young men,
City of hurried and sparkling waters! city of spires and masts!
City nested in bays! my city!

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Guardian, and dozens of other media outlets have covered this story regarding the arrest of a man, Vladimir Umanets, who defaced one of Rothko’s paintings at Tate Modern in London with his tag. This certainly does not help my ‘Graffiti as Art’ project, but I was quite intrigued by the comment the tagger made. The New York Times reported: “Mr. Umanets told the BBC that he is responsible for defacing the painting, saying: ‘I am not a vandal.  I haven’t done criminal damage.’ Comparing himself with Marcel Duchamp, he added, ‘Art allows us to take what someone’s done and put a new message on it.’’’

A photo posted on Twitter of the defaced corner of Rothko’s Black on Maroon. Source:The  Guardian

I have linked the different articles to the newspapers mentioned above. Just hover over and click. What do you all think of this ‘scandal’?

– Salma M.