Last Saturday night, I went to a Benny Friedman concert. Benny Friedman is a rising star in Jewish music. His uncle is one of the biggest stars. I hadn’t been to concert in a long time, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I’ve listened to his CDs and they were really good, so I decided to go. Not only is he a great singer, but he’s also an amazing performer. He knew how to play to the crowd really well, singing a few really high-energy songs at the beginning to get everyone into it, and then singing some slower ones. He was also making jokes the whole time, which was cool because it showed that he was really focused on what was happening in who was there, not just playing a set list of songs. Maybe because he’s so new, he’s willing to do things other performers won’t do. Like when a kid got pushed on stage by his friends because it was his favorite song, Benny handed him the mike and let him belt out the last few lines. Not only must it have been really cool for that kid, but the kid sounded pretty good to. Later, when some other kids came on stage, he stepped aside so everyone could see some kid playing the air guitar. I thought that was pretty cool.
He didn’t play so many of his own songs, which was annoying, but its not that surprising because he doesn’t have that many. He opened with one of his own, and he closed with Yesh Tikva, which has become his signature hit. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIPCHjFC9yk). Alot of performs lose something when they perform live, because
they don’t have all the special effects, but he was the same live as he in his recordings. It was pretty awesome.
Daily Archives: December 13, 2013
Yayoi Kusama: I Who Have Arrived In Heaven
Hi all, so Joanna and I visited the David Zwirner gallery in hopes of visiting the Infinity Room but because of time we weren’t able to. But we were able to visit the other parts of the gallery that displayed some of her paintings. Her paintings are all very colorful and portray abstract images:
To give a background of her works: her main interest is in the cosmic realms and she focuses on pop art and minimalism. This would explain the abstract images in her paintings, which are all drawn in different directions and colors. We were wondering why she was drawing in all different directions and at first hypothesized that since the canvas she drew on was quite big (I believe at least 6 feet), she might have painted like this for convenience, but after doing a bit more research, this may have been her original intention. According to a biography, her works focus microscopic and macroscopic universes; I wonder what she was thinking while painting these? Was this her perception on different “universes” and “cosmic realms?” We also noted that for the third picture, the yellow paint looks like different pathways; did each of the different circles represent different cultures or people that she encountered throughout her life? Or perhaps different places, etc. There was a lot going on through my mind, mainly because I did not really understand the meaning behind the paintings.
Some of her pictures also showed signs of depth and dimension, as shown in the last picture. The eyes are spaced closer together as you move towards the center and left. A lot of the paintings made me think of optical illusions; especially since there was definitely a repetition of the eyes and circular looking faces in most of her paintings.
We also got to visit the Tentacle Room.
She also explores many aspects of form, space, and content. Since this room had mirrors all around, it made me feel as if I was like in another world
Definetely recommend to check this place out
Frost Flowers
Some of the must beautiful art we see in this world is not created by famous painters, sculptors, or other artists, but by mother nature herself. The photo you see above is of a frost flower. Frost flowers are not real flowers, though but are formed by capillary action of an exposed stem of a plant when the air is below freezing but the ground is not. The stem of a plant will expand in the cold weather and crack, but water will still be continuously drawn up from the ground and will freeze into thin layers of ice when it is exposed to the air, forming frost flowers. As beautiful as they are though, frost flowers are extremely rare as they only form in specific conditions when temperatures are just right. The plants create them usually at night but they are extremely fragile and as the sun beams through the morning sky, they melt away. I hope to be able to see one one day but if you are ever lucky enough, make sure to take plenty of photos!!!
Spray Painter Artist
Going to school at Baruch, we are located in the heart of a cultural center that is New York City. With art being all around us, in New York, we can find all different kinds of street artists, from caricaturists to painters to this guy in the video! I was very impressed at how this artist was able to create beautiful paintings in such little time using only caps and spray paint. Im not sure what technique this is called or if it even is considered a technique but what ever it is, I still found it very impressive and would love to see it myself sometime in the city. When I first saw this video, I was amazed at this artist’s skill. I share it with you today in hopes that you will find the same amazement that I did.
Metropolitan Opera and Tosca Review
On December 10th, our IDC class went to view the opera Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera House. This was my first time every going to an opera so I was quite curious to what it would be like but I was also very excited to have this new experience. When we go to the opera house and entered the auditorium, I was taken back by the immense size of the theater as I looked up and the ceiling continued to rise. I was also taken back at the immensity of the set that was being used from transitioning to the church, to Scarpia’s house to the castle battlements, each looked almost realistic. We had seats that were fairly close to the stage so the large set seemed to completely fill our scope of vision. Due to the subtitles on the backs of our chairs, following the plot was fairly simple even though the performance was in Italian. As in some cases, when stories are translated and some of the feeling is lost in translation, I felt that this was not an issue because of the emotion that the performers put into the opera. As they performed, you could really sense the drama they were feeling. Along with that, personally, I actually like that this performance was in italian rather than english because it gave me a more traditional feel on the experience of seeing this opera.
Each of the actors seemed incredibly talented, especially the performer who portrayed Tosca. Some parts that stood out in my mind were when she would hold those long high notes. Due to the immense size of the opera auditorium, I was also very impressed at the ability of all of the performers to be able to project their voice out to the audience without the assistance of any microphones or equipment. Each performer must have been very dedicated and it must have taken years to develop that skill. As the first opera I have ever attended, Tosca fulfilled all my expectations on what i imagined operas to be like in my head. Personally, operas are not my favorite forms of entertainment but I will admit that the performance was outstanding and it was a very enjoyable experience to attend this opera.
Subway Masstrainiscope
Everyday, when I come to Baruch from where I live in Brooklyn, I always see this on the manhattan bound Q-train as it leaves Dekalb Avenue. After searching it up to learn more about it and what it is, I now know that it is called the Masstraniscope. In an unusual piece of urban subway art, the masstraniscope consists of rows of still images in slitted light boxes, laid out in formation along the wall of the tunnel and as the train moves, the imagines create the illusion of movement. Apparently the masstraniscope has been there for over 30 years, although I myself was unaware of it until I began taking the train to Baruch this year. It was created in the late 1970’s and was the idea of artist and film-maker, Bill Brand. Bill and a public art organization called, Creative Time contacted the MTA in the late 1970s, even as the system was beginning to crumble, to let him transform the tracks themselves into art. Over the years, it has been viewed by millions of people. For me, traveling early in the morning to Baruch can sometimes be very dull. It is art pieces like this, which make me curious and brighten my day.
Complexions Contemporary Ballet Review
On November 26th, we went to go view the Complexions Ballet at the Joyce Theater. Prior to our seeing the performance, Professor Eversley discussed with us some background information about dance and what we would see at Complexions, which fell under the category of contemporary dance. When we got to the theater I was shocked at the seat we received which was in the first few rows. From all the live performances that I have attended (which is not many) I have never been that close to the stage. The performers were incredible and I can only imagine how much rehearsing, practicing and physical endurance the dancers had to put their bodies through to perform that flawlessly and be able to move in certain positions like that. As I watched the performance I began to take notice on what we discussed in class and how Complexions ballet and contemporary dancing was very different from traditional ballet, which is what we think of when we hear the word ballet. The performers here were very mobile and and in terms of technique, there was a lot of strong leg movements. Sitting so close, we also were able to see the sweat flying off their bodies as they danced. Along with that, with every dance piece that was performed, the dancers poured their hearts out and give the audience 110% of their effort. I could really feel the passion and tension of the performers based on their body language. Overall, Complexions was an incredible performance and an experience I will always remember
Fuerza Bruta
Over Thanksgiving break, my mother and I saw a show called Fuerza Bruta. It was a show that I have never even seen something similar to. First of all there were not seats and the whole show is done while you stand around the moving “stages”. The first stage was a treadmill that used a conveyer belt affect to show the mundane routines of everyday life. Then the staff redirected out attention to the walls and rolled out a foil curtain with dancers hanging from the curtain pole. While we were being told where to look, the treadmill was moved out of the room. Another stage looked like a box and the performers danced inside of that. Fuerza bruta literally translates into brute force. The dancing has a lot of loud bangs and heavy footwork. Nonetheless, it’s unimaginably amazing. I would recommend this show to anybody. If you go, try to get the rush tickets 2 hours before the show because they are much cheaper than the original priced tickets.
Buddha
Seated Buddha Shakyamuni
I went to the Rubin Museum with my art class last week and we went on a tour that described Buddhist art to us. I want to share the iconography I learned about that is seen in all depictions of Buddha. There is always a top knot which is said to hold his curls and it is called a ushnisha. The gem in between his eyebrows is called an urna and it symbolizes his third eye. The positioning of his fingers and hand convey messages and his hand symbols are called mudras. He has elongated earlobes because he used to be a prince and wear heavy earrings. Lastly, his feet are usually crossed and that is called the lotus position. Now you will be able to spot a Buddha before even reading the title of an artwork!
P.S. Baruch students get free admission into the Rubin Museum and its only 15 minutes away from Baruch.
Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary at MoMA Review
René Magritte’s exhibition titled “The Mystery of the Ordinary” at MoMA was my favorite exhibition of the semester. I’m really intrigued by surrealist painters and their visions. Salvador Dali was one of Magritte’s largest inspiration and this is see in the artwork. The Menaced Assassin shares a common characteristic of Dali’s paintings, which is the melting affect. The dead body on the read sofa, the black jacket on the chair, the spine of the chair, and elongated legs of the man next to the music player all look like they are very heavy and are being pulled down by something unseen.
The Menaced Assassin
My favorite painting in the exhibition was The Lovers. A man and a woman are exchanging a romantic kiss but with white cloth over their heads. This painting reminds me of a forbidden love that has been exposed. I interpreted the painting like this: Maybe these two lovers were being unfaithful or maybe these two lovers couldn’t be together because of their families. Whatever the reason, they weren’t supposed to be together. Someone exposed them and the white clothes remind me of what is put in people’s heads before they are hung. The man and the woman will be killed because of their forbidden love. Even though death awaits them, their love doesn’t stop. They are sharing a kiss as intimate as it would be without a cloth dividing them.
The Lovers
Another interesting paint was Not to be Reproduced with featured a man looking into a mirror. The mirror give a reflection of the back of his head instead of the front of his head, which is what is supposed to be seen. The mirror gives the proper reflection for the green book in the right corner because the text appears backwards. For some reason this man doesn’t have a face or maybe he just doesn’t want it seen. After all, the title is Not to Be Reproduced for a reason.
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Not to Be Reproduced
UPDATE: Beyonce’s video for “Mine” has scenes with lovers coverings their heads with white cloth, like in “The Lovers”. Link for video below.
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/videos/id.15063/title.beyonce-f-drake-mine-
