jmonzone – The Arts in New York City (CSI, 2016)

Poetry Readings

Before reading our poems, we read Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”. I love Robert Frosts poems because I’ve had a lot of fun reading them in high school. However in my high school class we never actually heard Frost read one of his poems, so I thought that was cool hearing his voice and how the poem was meant to be read.

I enjoyed the variety of poems that everyone read. I liked the ones about love because I though they were sweet. I do think my own poem, “Robinson Walks Museum Mile” by Kathleen Rooney, was my favorite because I was able to read it multiple times. Although some poems are meant to simply be heard and enjoyed. I find reading them thoroughly and analyzing the use of different literary devices to be more interesting. To really understand a poem it must be read multiple times. After reading my poem multiple times, every time I noticed something new that was meant to be obscure about it. For example, I was always taught that the speaker of poem is its own character unless it is specified to be the author or another character. However Professor Kahan pointed out that the speaker of the poem was Robinson. This was interesting because I felt that the fact of Robinson talking about himself in first and third person added to the character’s obscurity and the obscurity of the poem.

Sculpture Video Presentations

These presentations were unique because of each of their themes, which included the sculptures of famous women, the hidden sculptures in the subways, and the sculptures of famous people on horses. I never gave one thought about what many sculptures in NYC represented, nor did I even notice many of them. The theme of my sculpture presentation was historical figures and my group and I searched the city for these sculptures. I’ve passed by some of the places that these sculptures reside and to be honest I never noticed them. For example, I’ve never looked up in Columbus Circle to see that there is a statue of Columbus. Now that I have noticed these statues, I feel they’re important to at least check out, give some attention to, and read their plaques. I actually feel there should be more information on the sculpture’s pedestal. This would provide a history lesson that relevant to the sculpture, and the place that it stands in, without having to use the internet for more information. For example, it would have been nice to know who Pablo Duarte was at the moment I saw the sculpture. The plaque did say he was the liberator of the Dominican Republic, but I would’ve liked to know more of who he was.

My favorite of the other presentations was the hidden sculptures in the subways. In regards to the way it was presented, I loved this one because it didn’t sound like the speaker was reading from a script. She sounded like she was communicating to us normally like a regular conversation, which made it more likable and entertaining. I also liked the background sound of the train. This made it feel like we were in the same setting of the sculptures. I only wish that there was more of it and it transitioned better. The sculptures themselves were amazing and different from the other above ground sculptures. According to the research of the group, the purpose of some of the sculptures are to show that people are more concerned with where they need to go and pay less attention to everything else. Which is very appropriate and relatable to me because I never gave any attention to these.

Blog 9

This week we had Joe as our guest lecturer and we mainly discussed the movie “A Bronx Tale” such as its themes and its narrative structure. Some reoccurring topics were morality, family, race, and gender. The main thing that stuck in my head in class was our discussion on gender in A Bronx Tale. Joe discussed the failure to represent women as meaningful characters in the movie. The women in the movie were mainly used as plot devices for the men. There were only like two women in the movie and most of their dialogue would be about a man. This same representation of women can be seen in many movies. You can even see it in the Lion King. Theres only like two girl lions and they both always talk about Simba.

We then discussed the changes that can happen to a narrative when it is adapted through different forms of art. For example, a play that is turned into a film, then into a musical. Joe asked us to think of a few stories that have been adapted into different forms. My group and I thought about Annie which has gone through a bunch of adaptations such as a comic to a play to a movie. There are many adaptations to a movie and the most recent one has a really big change with Annie being played as a black orphan in harlem. The significance of this change is to change Annie to being of an ethnicity that is considered to be a minority of modern times.

Dr. Wechler

Dr. Wechler was teaching us a lot about older arts in NYC. He asked the class if we knew different artists, but a lot of us have never heard of them. The only thing that he had shown us was a Betty Boop cartoon which was weird, but also funny.

He was telling us about his life and how he was able to make a living in the music industry. He told us how he wasn’t the best when he was a kid, and how he improved his skills with his flute. He specifically told us how he was the best in the class, but that meant nothing because there were still so many people better than him. I related to that because in high school I was the best at the violin, but I knew for sure that I wasn’t good enough. So I’d still practice outside of school. The most important thing that he said was even though he doesn’t make the most money, he’s still very happy because he’s making money off of what he loves to do.

He also started playing music for us with his flute from Bach. I love playing music from Bach on my violin, and I can see that he was having fun playing the piece. Unfortunately even though I love playing classical music, I have don’t really enjoy it while i’m just listening to it.

At the end of class, he was playing his electronic flute with different effects. The amplifier was right in front of me, so I was getting the full sound of it vibrating in my body. When it’d screech, I’d just feel it in my body. To be honest the sound that it makes wasn’t really something that I’d like to listen to. Although there were particular sounds that were interesting like some Sci-Fi sounds. Other than that, I liked how he enjoyed playing it. It looks like a cool instrument that I’d want to play with.

Bob Dylan

Personally I’ve never heard of Bob Dylan, probably because folk music isn’t a genre of music that I hear often. My brother loves the genre, and I love listening to it because of him. Theres one group that I like called First Aid Kit. They are more modern, but I like they’re style and music. Also when I watch the Walking Dead I like how they use a lot of folk music to match the story. A lot of folk music I listen to come from the show.

In class we listened to ‘A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall’. I actually listened to the song again at home and added it to my playlist. I really liked when Joan sings it though. That is simply because I liked the sound of her voice more than Bob Dylans, even thought I like his voice too. The lyrics of this song are better at telling a story than most of the music of today. Its a kind of song that you can listen to and think about rather then just listen to. In comparison to the music I listen to, a lot of the beauty in this song is the story about what Bob Dylan is actually trying to say about nuclear warfare. While the music I listen to are either just songs I can relate to or just like singing along and dancing to.

However I really liked the song when Joan sings it more. That is simply because I liked the sound of her voice more than Bob Dylans, even thought I like his voice too. In fact I think I liked a lot of Bob Dylans songs when someone else sang it, like when Peter, Paul, and Mary sang Blowin’ in the Wind. I really liked hearing them sing it.

The song I liked the least was probably Girl from the North Country when Bob Dylan sings it with Johnny Cash. I really dislike this song because of Johnny Cash’s voice, I’m just not entirely into hearing his very deep voice.

I can definitely see how Bob Dylan received the Nobel prize for expanding English literature into music. He literally takes a story and sings it, which is really cool and creative. He also makes it seem very easy to put the story with the right cords and melody because now I feel like anyone can easily make a song out of a story, even me. I’m definitely going to be listening to a lot of folk music after being introduced to it, but I probably won’t be listening to Bob Dylan’s music. I’ll probably find other folk artists.

Don Giovanni

I though the opera was entertaining, the plot was decent and I loved the music. At times the actors made me laugh, specifically in the second act. Leporello said something with Giovanni in the last scene, but sadly I forgot what it was. I just remembered that it made me laugh a lot. I actually believe that the last scene was my favorite because of the way the stage was set up. It was a really dark scene with an empty stage, dramatic music, a scary costume, and the special effects. It made me feel kind of scared. Unfortunately the fire was too bright for me, I couldn’t really keep watching because my eyes were beginning to hurt so I didn’t get to see Giovanni be taken. I did see the stage like break down to hell which was really cool.

The other scenes I liked were the ones with a lot of people dancing. I haven’t really watched plays before, so that was a first time experience for me. The actors were really happy while they were celebrating at the wedding. Seeing the group dances were really entertaining and the whole scene experience just made me happy.

Naturally since I play the violin, I was watching the orchestra a lot and seeing them play with the singers in amazing synchronization. I love watching orchestras, but I’ve never watched one playing for a play in person. The two complement each other very well and it creates music that beautifully resonates within the theatre. The singers were really talented and impressive too, I loved to hear their high voices vibrating in my ear. I loved listening to it even when I didn’t entirely understand what they were saying most of time.

Although I do not regret attending the opera, I must say that by intermission it was past my bedtime and I was really tired. I don’t like staying up that late, which is 9 for me. My eyes were really starting to hurt because we were so far and sometimes the lights would get too bright. There was a pole right in front of our seats that just split the stage in two. Also I was getting tired of looking at the translation and the stage, so I eventually stopped looking at the translation and focused on the actors. However I feel like I didn’t understand some of the opera because of it. I did not go to the floor with the orchestra because I was scared to take someones seat and I was already comfy in my seat.

Blog #5

In class we continued thinking about the technical aspects in filmmaking and we watched different clips and finished Ace in the Hole. I don’t really like learning about this because I don’t like thinking too much about a film. Although it is interesting and I think about it a lot now, I’d prefer not to. In class while we finished the movie, I didn’t really like it because I was trying too hard to focus on the camera shots. I had to re-watch the movie at home because I didn’t really understand it in class. After watching it at home, I actually understood the plot and liked it. I also saw how the camera angles and stuff helped develop the movie. However I still didn’t love the movie and would of rather written about another film.

Blog #4

In class we learned about film and about how the film makers frame shots. There are different kinds of shots that usually have specific purposes. Extreme Close Up Shots are sometimes used to characterize the subject visually. In the Godfather they use tracking shots change the shot from a close up to a medium shot on the subject. As the shot got further and further, the importance of the subject started to recede. This kind of shot slowly introduces the viewer to the situation because at first the viewer was given very little information. In Goodfellas, they also use a tracking shot to follow the characters on their path into the club. This kind of shot puts the viewers in the shoes of the characters because both don’t know what to expect when they arrive at the destination. The motion of the camera sets the journey for us. The framing of shots in Psycho to echo certain subjects really adds to the horror of the shower scene. I really liked thinking about how the way the film is shot affects the meaning and effect of the film. Honestly, I’ve started to think about this in the movies and shows I’ve watched, specifically the framing of shots in American Horror Story.

-Johnnan Monzon

Blog Post #3 Photography

In class Professor Reinhart informed us of some techniques that can improve pictures taken by cameras. These techniques allow you to capture a higher quality pictures that allow the picture to evoke a particular meaning that you want the viewer to see. Thicker frames take removes some of the focus you may have on the picture. Different lightings and colors give off different intensities of feelings and emotions.

Photographers usually start with one idea or with one topic and take several pictures revolving around that idea. She showed us her own pictures of the Kumbh Me festival that gave a different perspective than most of the pictures of the Kumbh Me festival. Pictures online show seas of people from afar. Her pictures were up close and in the morning when everyone was spaced out. Her pictures showed the more tranquil and holiest part of the festival when every one is just arriving to cleanse themselves.

Blog #2 The High Line

Last week, the class took a trip to the high line and take pictures. A group of friends and I arrived late because we missed the bus. When we arrived, the first thing I saw was a naked man in front of the stairs. I wasn’t sure if it was real or not, but it must’ve been because nobody would be able to endure the heat and remain still. The look on its face was very unfortunate looking, and it was probably the face I’d make if I was there. I felt bad for the sculpture. Unfortunately I did not take a picture because I was more concerned with finding the class. After realizing that I should just enjoy my time there, I just decided to start taking pictures at the beautiful paintings and architecture. A block away, in between two apartments was an abstract portrait of a woman that was visible from the High Line. When I positioned the portrait in the picture I was considering the rule of thirds. Additionally I decided to use the two apartments to frame the picture evenly . I thought my picture was taken nicely because the apartment frame put a shadow to contrast the light coming off of the portrait.

I also took a picture of a car that had a tree growing out of it. While positioning the photo with the rule of thirds, I also managed to catch other people admiring the car. The way they were looking at the car was unnatural because their admiration of the car looked a bit exaggerated. My favorite picture that I took was of the flowers because one flower looked different from the rest. I positioned that particular flower using the rule of thirds too. After I was done taking pictures I decided to buy myself a cucumber lime pop that I don’t regret buying for four dollars. Last time I went to the High Line, I bought one and I was waiting to buy another.