I enjoy it when classes give me a new outlook in life.  I am not saying that seminar changed my perspective on life or anything to that extent but it changed the way I see art, again.  Last seminar, I realized that I should examine a work of art as a whole, not just the centerpiece (thanks to the Mona Lisa). This seminar, it was clear that factoring social status is significant when gazing at art.

One thing I took out of this class was the idea of social class in art.  In order to fully understand this aspect of art, the class examined a photograph of Robert De Niro in a highly recognized event. The actor had multiple features worth talking about, including a fuzzy beard.  The fuzzy beard displayed that the actor was not well groomed.  However, the fact that he had this beard showed power; someone with as much recognition as Robert De Niro can show up at a formal event and be accepted with a fuzzy beard.  I honestly cannot believe how much of an impact that photograph had on me.  Every time I see someone famous on television or the internet, I try to see how they display power.  The one that hit me the quickest was Lady Gaga, I saw her in a abnormal outfit on a Facebook page and thought, “only she could pull this off.”

The rest of class was a discussion of Edward Hopper’s art collection.  I do not want to sound ignorant but I did not enjoy most of the collection.  The only painting I liked was “Night Shadows” because it made me feel like I was stalking the person in the picture.  There was one painting in his collection we did not get to talk about yet but I hope it intrigues me, at least as much as “Night Shadows.”

As long as I can take one little thing from a class I can be content.  Socioeconomics is more relevant in art than I thought and I am glad I see that.

Wednesday’s Honors Seminar further broadened my approach to looking at paintings. Since beginning this class and reading Ways of Seeing I have noticed a change in the way I view paintings. Rather than simply trying to imagine what the artist is attempting to portray when creating his/her work I take more initiative to see the different situations that could have sparked the artist’s imagination. When examining Hopper’s “New York Interior” I first thought that it depicted a girl who had just returned from a ball and was resting following a  night out. Further into our class discussion, however, Professor Kahan shared her opinion, stating that the painting might have been an image of a girl sewing her dress, perhaps after performing at a ballet recital. The idea that she was a dancer definitely came from the fact that the muscles on the woman in the photo were extremely defined thanks to Hopper’s choice of shading and use of harsh lighting.

Harsh lighting, in my opinion, seems to be a recurring theme with Hopper. For example, in  “Nighthawks” another female figure became the victim to harsh lighting. The woman to the back of the painting looked “clown like” as a result of the fluorescent lighting in the painting, which caused her skin tone  to appear ghostly white. It also exaggerated her otherwise subtle makeup.  Another aspect of Hopper’s style is clearly his love for symmetry in his paintings. In my opinion, it almost appears as though he suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) when creating his works. In almost all of the works Professor Kahan showed us, I noticed a constant theme of shapes in each painting. For example, “Night Shadows” was predominantly vertical, “New york Interior” multiple, vertical rectangles, and “Early Sunday Morning” rectangles. I feel like creating a painting without any recurring shapes would lead to Hopper’s anxiety. In addition to different shapes characterizing Hopper’s style, I think his motif is characterized by emphasizing certain times of day (particularly the night or early morning) and specific settings like street corners. These specific traits are evident in both “Nighthawks” and “Night Shadows.”

In addition to Edward Hopper, wednesday’s seminar consisted of defining the ideas of man vs. woman in regards to each gender’s Ways of Seeing. When we looked at the example of Robert De Niro, what immediately registered in my mind was that a woman could never pull off the “I could hardly care about my image” look that Robert was. Because we have seen him play characters with this precise attitude no one would question it.  Other talented actors like Leonardo di Caprio, for example, would have never attended a film festival looking quite as disheveled. If a talented actress like Meryl Streep were to even attempt the same “look” I am sure it would be front page news.

This double standard toward the appearance of men and women has always seemed to be a part of our culture and though I dislike it, I am sure it will not cease to exist.

In Wednesday’s class we actually discussed how “gazing” means to look at something on purpose with an intent to analyze it. Mona Lisa’s reciprocal gaze is a part of the painting that has baffled so many people for years. It is so distinct that if someone was to only show her eyes, I would know it was the Mona Lisa.

We also discussed how the perception of decency and class is different between men and women. For example, Robert De Niro can go to a premiere without shaving and trimming his hair, but every actress or female celebrity must look like she’s spent hours getting ready in order to be presentable. This, in my opinion, is not fair at all. I believe that double standard should not exist in today’s world. It would be unjust and debilitating to say that it is not good for a woman or man to make their own choices and behave however he or she is comfortable. However, this is my opinion.

One line that stuck out to me in class is “we ascribe power to a man because of who he is in the world.” If a man goes out into the world and does adventurous, innovative things, then he is a powerful man. He has been places that nobody has ever gone, and has done things that people are afraid to do. Women could do this, too, if they weren’t wearing their controlling hairnets. I mean to say that women must look modest and controlled at all times.  This is exemplified by the Mona Lisa, who is wearing a hairnet to control her hair. She must keep it perfect because that is the perception of beauty. Her whole life is about being under control, and not being able to venture out and do daring things. This is a very ancient sort of mindset, in my opinion.

Next we looked at the works of Edward Hopper. His works were all of real-life situations. His “American Landscape” work did not idealize rural American life. It actually made it look  quite warped because the dimensions were unique. For example, the cow looks just as big as the house from the point of view the spectator has. This is shows that the rural life of America can be a little scary at times. Hopper does make paintings that look distorted at times, but does so to make a point. This shows how real his work is. I think his style would be realism.

In class on Wednesday, we first discussed the idea of gaze. By definition, it means to be looking at something and thinking about it. For example, the Mona Lisa knows someone is looking at it because the eyes are gazing at us, the spectators. I think the smirk indicates that the gaze is reciprocated. The whole notion of gaze becomes one with the painting. Shortly after discussing that, Professor Kahan brought up the connection between Ways of Seeing, with how one views various pictures and other forms of artwork. We first took a look at a picture resembling Robert De Niro, and how we collectively ascribe power to him because just of the man he is. But, if all of his physical attributes such as: messy hair and scraggly beard were attached to someone other than Robert De Niro; we would most definitely think of that person in a negative manner. The other piece of artwork we stumbled on in relation to gaze was the, Mona Lisa. From what I can see, her face is smooth, her hair is done with curls, and her dress looks like its made of silk, which represents her stature in society. In connection with the picture of Mr. De Niro, women always have to look presentable and they can’t do what Robert does appearance wise, without getting judged significantly. The next order of business was depicting Edward Hopper’s style in his twelve paintings. Style, in relation to fashion, identifies the time period it’s in and what was useful during that particular period. For example, in the Fall 2012 collection, a good portion of various clothing lines represent the military, because it’s a way of showing solidarity, and it epitomizes what exactly is going on in this span of time. I think Edward Hopper’s style has a definite duality, in the way that it pertains to both the past as well as the present. This is seen quite lucidly in his various works of art. In the first painting, American Landscape, a house is placed in the middle of a farm. Some elements that make it look frightening are the size of the cows in relation to the house, the dimensions are flattened out, and it looks as if this particular house is in the middle of nowhere. The way it is painted, doesn’t allow me to see the bottom of it because it is below the train tracks. This artwork looks like it is part of the United States and can represent early America as well as present day. This idea flows coherently in Mr. Hopper’s style because all his paintings are universal and timeless. In his next painting, New York Interior there is a fireplace and painting in the picture, which can clearly relate to the early 1900s and the 21^st century. The clock on the mantel, the ridges in the wood, and the columns are all decorative tools used to depict his style as it relates to classicism. I think, the woman in the painting is probably a dancer or maybe works in a dance hall. The clothes she is wearing leads me to conceive the notion that she could be a ballerina or a wealthy woman who just came back from a ball, and is taking off her heals and massaging her exhausted feet. In the third painting by Edward Hopper, Night Shadows a cartoonish image immediately pops into my head when I first laid my eyes on it. Therefore, from the start, the style embodies a present day take on cartoon shows. It looks as if the person is in a hurry due to his abnormally large strides and the tall lamppost causing a shadow. I think these entire paintings have another side to Edward Hopper’s style, which happens to be the mysterious factor. In American Landscape, New York Interior, and Night Shadows there are many elements in the painting that enable me to formulate questions in my head consisting of: how, why, and what is trying to be actually depicted. Therefore, I presume that the artist’s style exemplifies the duality of the past and present (universality), and the enigmatic side, in relation to the three works of art described.