Category: Uncategorized (Page 1 of 3)

Ohara uses the city as a means of inspiration to draw the reader into their world as a means of expression. He brings out moments in time and makes them last as though frozen allowing for one to experience what he did. In this way he draws to the readers attention the idea that a moment lasts only once, but a feeling from that moment can interact with future moments to create a sense of memory which is then influenced by one’s life choices and emotional maturity to produce a result.

This perfectly encapsulates the New York City feel of “The Past” which allows for a broader understanding of the culture which we are submerged in every day but have little time to adapt to.

The video I link to is another means of a similar expression which conveys, I feel, a very similar emotional expression to the poetry in that it allows the viewer to step out of their own shoes and see New York with no reference point but that of a cultural lens in the distant way.

Download (PDF, 42.86MB)

Same document as posted before, but as a PDF. Enjoy

Through the vast ravines of time, art and commerce have always been intertwined in a “dance of the dragons” which has escaped only the most wealthy of emperors and politicians. The end result is, of course, that which can be surmised from the froth of the history books – and that is thusly: “Those who sell their art receive a pension based upon the amount which their patron deem it worth”.

When presented in this way, we can see that art is often viewed as a form of “business exchange”. Andy Warhol could be said to have called this a gilded age of consumerism in which those in charge dictate to others what is more valuable and worth pursuing.

(In the above image we see how the same message can be brought forth and push outward despite it sharing similarities to other images)

Plays are another example.

The intersections between art, business, and advertising is one that has more benefits than it does downfalls. I liked the way the articles highlighted the transcendence of skills in regards to art in the world of business and advertising. Blurring the lines between art and advertising paves a way for a more artistic marketplace as well as for more employment opportunities for artists and advertisers alike. To me, the blurred line between art and advertising is a positive aspect of more modern advertisements and reminded me of the goals of my friends who are pursuing art or graphic design. It is interesting to see a real-world professional application of art that transcends freelance artists. In addition, I found it interesting to hear the personal anecdotes of Glenn O’Brien in his article Like Art as well as the anecdotes in the article On Business. However, the intersection of art, advertisement, and business can be dangerous as corporations gained a larger influence after the supreme court case of citizens united. When it comes to corporate power, the intersection of art, advertisement, and business could be used to deceive consumers and voters– making this intersection perhaps more dangerous than expected. That being said, the problem does not lie with the transcendence of art into fields such as business and advertising, rather the problem is the role of big business in the personal and financial lives of lawmakers and Washington politics.

After reading Langston Hughes’s “Weary Blues” and listening to Bobby Womack’s “Across 110^th Street,” I understood that both of these works depicted the difficult early life experiences of African Americans in New York City. The places in which people of color lived in is hinted as being marginal and at times even dangerous. In “Across 110^th Street,” Bobby Womack tells the life of a character living in Harlem. The character is said to be “the third brother of five” who had to do whatever was at reach in order to survive. The character of the song goes on to explain the difficult reality of living in Harlem with the lines “Trying to break out of the ghetto was a day to day fight/ You don’t know what you’ll do until you’re put under pressure.” In “Weary Blues” a character listens to the singing of an African American “down on Lenox Avenue.” The man sings about his dissatisfaction with life, and how being alone made him long for death.

While looking through the works of art on display in the “We Go As They” exhibit at the Studio Museum, one artist that captured my attention was Andy Robert. Robert’s Check II Check work depicts a check cashier in Harlem near the museum. Reading the depiction of the painting helped me understand the possible motives behind the authors choice of focus for Check to Check. By making the check cashier place the main focal point of the painting in Harlem, Robert perhaps wanted to get across the idea that people in Harlem get ready day after day for what will come. Financially, making a living is does not come without its problems. The painting captures the vibrancy of Harlem at night on Malcom X Boulevard with bright, almost glowing, colors that create a sense of change in the neighborhood from the previous descriptions of Langston Hughes and Bobby Womack. With Check II Check, Robert in this was is able to capture the life in Harlem today. By walking the streets of Harlem today, one is able to appreciate the evolution of the neighborhood through the countless of new businesses running as well as through the greater diversity of the people living in the area.