Author: Marco

1. My chosen artwork, Personas, is not only breathtaking, but it also has a hidden meaning. The piece was created by a sculptor named George Segal and is of Abraham committing an act of sacrifice by killing his one and only son. It is supposed to represent Abraham’s faith and obedience to God. The sculpture is a perfect memesis of the moment when Abraham was about to murder his son with a blade. The son is kneeling down with his hands tied and ready to be taken by his father. In addition to the sculpture, there is also a painting illustrating the same exact moment. The details and facial expressions aren’t quite as accurate and deep as the sculpture, yet it represents the same thing. The lack of details and expression actually makes the killing seem more vulgar when compared to the sculpture. Overall, the combination of these two artworks played nicely together and I really like the way they interacted with each other by demonstrating the same event, yet in two phenomenally different ways.
2. Personas also has very deep political implications. The sculpture was created as a result of the Kent State University Shooting in 1970. In the shooting, the Ohio National Guard killed four and injured nine because of a mass protest against the Vietnam War. The United States government claimed the attack was unjustified which lead to more demonstrations across the country. Then, in 1978, George Segal was commissioned to make a memorial of the event. He decided that the Abraham sacrifice would be a perfect memorial for the tragic event. Both the shooting and the killing represented unwarranted death at the hands of the innocent. I believe it’s message shows that although these people were clearly innocent, life isn’t fair, and they had to move on from the tragedy.
3. There is a clear relationship between the 2 prior answers as well as a hidden relationship. The actual sculpture represents a sacrificial killing to demonstrate obedience. Similarly, the shooting illustrates death for no physical or tangible reason. Both the shooting and the sacrifice could have been avoided but the people chose to kill. This is a clear relationship. However, there is also another hidden one. Whether it be to respect God, to establish military dominance, or any other reason, any person who ends another’s life will always remember what they did, and must live with the internal consequences of their actions.

NYC Erasure Poem STEAM Proposal

What are you thinking of making?

We would like to create a map of Manhattan that has cut openings in different parts showcasing an erasure poem or a quote about that neighborhood or someone famous twowho lives there. Manhattan is so diverse that within the city, there are dozens of enclaves that are very different from each other.

Some of the neighborhoods that we will illustrate through text will be: Morningside Heights, Spanish Harlem, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Times Square, Hell’s Kitchen, Midtown, Chelsea, Gramercy, Chinatown, Little Italy, SOHO, and the financial district.

We were thinking about putting images or cardboard cut-outs to cover the text of the erasure poem. This way, the text and the material covering the text will be related to that specific neighborhood that we are trying to embody. For example, in Midtown, we might print a few different images of the Empire State Building to use as scrap paper to cover the erasure poem. In the Upper West Side, we might print images of famous opera tenors or Isaac Bashevis Singer.

We also had an idea to use cardboard pop-outs on the map to “erase” the poem. We could use iconic buildings such as the Freedom Tower or the Chrysler Building to “erase” our poem and symbolize that particular neighborhood. 

How does this project relate to the themes and readings of the semester?

Our project idea relates to the topic of erasure poetry which we recently learned about in our class. We were inspired by the assignment for our previous blog post, which was to create our own erasure poem from an already existing poem or document. In fact, one poem that stood out to us was Walt Whitman’s “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry”, and so we decided to merge erasure poetry with our love and admiration for New York City. Furthermore, this works out perfectly, since this is an Arts of New York City class and thus our artwork is directly related to the neighborhoods and landmarks in our city. 

Although we have not yet decided exactly who will do which tasks, we plan on having two people write the poem and erasing part of it to make it into an erasure poem. Furthermore, those two people will correlate parts of the erasure poem to certain neighborhoods on the map of Manhattan. Meanwhile, the other two people will work on the layout of the map and add visually appealing elements to our project, including pictures of the landmarks and perhaps even realistic elements, such as bus stops or subway stations. 

How do you imagine (at this point) displaying your project at the STEAM festival?

At this point, we are thinking of using a cardboard base for our map of Manhattan. We would attach our poem on top of the cardboard and then print out a map to put over the poem. This would either stand on the STEAM festival table or we thought of hanging it vertically so that the words that are not erased are able to be seen past the pop-ups. In order to make the words and the pop-ups both visible to viewers, we could display our map on an angle, but the pop-ups would have to be firmly attached to the map so they do not fall down. Additionally, we would have a copy of our poem that is not erased next to our map, so viewers can read the original version. 

Write a list of the materials you will need, and where you plan to obtain these materials.

• A large piece of cardboard for the base of the map
• A large map of NYC
• Scissors to cut out certain areas of the poem (https://www.amazon.com/Scotch-1448-Precision-Scissor-8-Inches/dp/)
• Tape (https://www.amazon.com/Scotch-3105-Magic-Tape-Pack/dp)
• Certain pop ups of famous NYC attractions (we may create our own or print them
• White printer paper

Titanic: Voices From the Disaster

Four balloons, the center of attraction, so bright and colorful,

The ground, making a grid type design, people walking all over,

The sign, a man is behind it, what is he doing?

We can’t see his face, nor his back, yet he seem so concentrated. 

Three men, on the left, each on their cell phones, with bags by their feet

The tree, so green and lively, adds nature to the scene,

In a suburban area, who would have suspected something so natural?

The two people in the back, patiently waiting for a bus to arrive,

It looks like there bus is right around the corner.

The brown car and the yellow taxi, each going opposite ways.

A bank, people go inside to get money, funny that the sign is also green

A bench, a man sitting on it, looking at his phone,

Two more cars, creating a right angle, at a corner.

The building in the back, so massive yet so minor in the picture,

The windows make an orderly grid, similar to the square floor,

Two newspaper stands, red and yellow, quite a bright element next to a taxi,

The balloons once again, what do they mean? Maybe,

Happy Birthday!

Picture Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/B4EBzkwhlca/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

1.   “This fatality (no photograph without something or someone) involves Photography in the vast disorder of objects– of all the objects in the world: who choose (why photograph) this object, this moment, rather than some other? Photography is unclassifiable because there is no reason to mark this or that of its occurrences; it aspires, perhaps, to become as crude, as certain, as noble as a sign which would afford it access to the dignity of a language; but for there to be a sign there must be a mark; deprived of a principle of marking, photographs are signs which don’t take, which turn, as mild does. Whatever it grants to vision and whatever its manner, a photograph is always invisible; it is not it that we see.” (Barthes 6)

Essentially, this paragraph discusses why we take a picture of something. Out of everything in the world you could have taken a picture of, why did you choose this? Barthes then goes on to say how each picture is really a sign, or a mark, of what is actually occurring. Therefore, the physical picture is actually invisible, but its content portrays reality. The passage helped me understand Barthes argument and gave me insight into the true meaning and use of a picture.

      2.    “Something like an essence of the Photograph floated in this particular picture. I therefore decided to “derive” all Photography (its “nature”) from the only photography which assuredly existed for me, and to take it somehow as a guide for my last investigation. All the world’s photographs formed a Labyrinth. I knew that at the center of this Labyrinth I would find nothing but this sole picture, fulfilling Nietzsche’s prophecy: “A labyrinthine man never seeks the truth, but only his Ariadne.” The Winter Garden Photograph was my Ariadne, not because it would help me discover a secret thing (monster or treasure), but because it would tell me what constituted that thread which drew me toward Photography. I had understood that henceforth I must interrogate the evidence of Photography, not from the viewpoint of pleasure, but in relation to what we romantically call love and death. (I cannot reproduce the Winter Garden Photograph. It exists only for me. For you, it would be nothing but an indifferent picture, one of the thousand manifestations of the “ordinary”; it cannot in any way constitute the visible object of a science; it cannot establish an objectivity, in the positive sense of the term; at most it would interest your studium: period, clothes, photogeny; but in it, for you, no wound.)”

This was such an interesting part of Camera Lucida to me because it illustrates how one picture has a profoundly different effect on unique individual. For barthes, the Winter Garden Photograph meant so much to him, while it could mean nothing to anyone else. However, they might have a different photograph that means something to them. This speaks to the uniqueness of each individual and the effect of photography of their lives.

3. How is it possible that such an old picture (the subject is not even alive anymore) seems so real and alive?

4.

This past tuesday, my group explored the Chelsea galleries on 20th and 21st street. Although each piece was beautiful and unique, there were two galleries that really stood out to me. The first one was similar to O’Doherty’s “white cube description. On a blank white canvas were two eye catching drawings. Both were created by Romare Bearden and were named All the Things You Are, 1987, and Blues for R.B.,1981. The name of the gallery is ACA galleries and is located on West 20th street. What made these paintings capture my attention was their sharp contrast to the background. The colors were popping with shades of yellow, orange, and red. Also, the depictions of saxophone players made the paintings even more artistic and beautiful. Despite how beautiful the painting is itself, I believe the true beauty of the piece is derived from its surrounding environment. There seems to be a glowing aura around the paintings while as you go farther away, the lighting gets more dull. This may be done to keep the viewers attention on the piece, but I think it adds another element of depth. This gallery was truly unique to me, and it was unlike any other I have ever seen. That is the main reason I decided to research it further and analyze it today.

After we saw visited the first gallery, my group went on to find some sculptures that would contrast the artwork we had previously seen. We came across a Japanese art gallery on 20th street and decided to go in. It was named Sato Sakura and focused on a type of Japanese art style called Nihonga. Essentially, Nihonga is a concept created “in response to the widespread influence of Western painting (or “Seiyoga”), which first made its way to Japan during the Meiji Era” according to the gallery. I found it so fascinating so I decided to walk around. After looking for ten seconds, I found a piece that was jaw dropping. Unfortunately I didn’t get the name or the artist or artwork, but I still chose to write about it due to immense beauty. Essentially, it was a white precious rock with a reddish purple rock sticking out of it. While it may not represent anything, its beauty is undeniable. Additionally, it is placed in a glass cube and the rock is put upon a white pedestal. That contributes to the grandeur of the work and makes it a focal point. Lastly, there is a beam of light shining on one side of the rock. This creates a dark and light side, adding a further dimension to the piece.

All in all, while these pieces both have white backgrounds, they couldn’t be more different. The first shows actual people and objects, while the latter is simply a part of the world. Additionally, the paintings seem to pop out of their environment, whereas the rock makes the environment . One thing is clear to me however. Despite all of their differences, the two pieces of art are equally beautiful and meaningful.

About a month ago I was fortunate enough to visit Nashville, Tennessee. I was walking near small part of town called the Gulch and I noticed a large group of people interacting and taking pictures with a massive mural. Through the crowd I was able to depict something that looked like an angels wings. I, along with my sister, decided to wait on the line and see for ourselves exactly what was so fascinating about this pair of wings. As we inched closer to the site, we could see the wings in their entirety. The wings were about 20 feet high by 15 feet wide. The wings were completely white, painted on black rectangular tiles. The fringes of the wings look like regular feathers, but as I took a deeper inspection I could tell it was much more intricate. Towards the middle of the wings, there were musical instruments, such as pianos and guitars. It was clear that these wings were meant to deliver a message regarding musicality and strength while having undertones of delicacy. After considering this piece of art, I believe it should be classified as public art. The wings are a major part of the town. People come specifically to view the wings, therefore making it an integral part of the community. It is clear that there is some musical influence behind this artwork. This may be due to the funding body, or it may be due to the culture of Nashville. The town is very centered on music and almost every venue has live music playing at all hours of the day. While it is possible that the mural is influenced by a funding body, I think the mural may simply be a depiction of Nashville’s culture and history.

A few days ago I was walking through Penn Station and I stumbled across a picture of fish. There were dozens of pictures and illustrations there, but this particular one really struck me. This may be because I really like fishing, but I actually think it is because of the precision used when creating this piece of art. Every detail is so accurately placed that I found it hard to resist staring at the piece. The picture illustrates about a dozen fish placed side by side. They are also layered to make it seem like there is depth to the piece. The attention to detail in this picture is amazing. Each scale is shown which gives the fish a natural look. Additionally, the illusion of shadow allows the viewer to see where the sun was striking the fish. The most amazing thing I noticed about this illustration is that although they are all the same fish, the way that the creator gave each fish a small nuance is surreal. For example, one of the fish has a slightly different shape of lips while another fish has a slightly larger eye and another one has a slightly different pattern on its skin. Each fish has something unique about it which helps add to the piece’s individuality. One other important thing to note is that the piece is in black and white. I believe that this piece of art is public art. While not as prevalent nowadays, New York used to be a major fishing port and this depiction may be the catch of a local fisherman. It illustrates the culture of New York and what it once was. However, it is not clear who the funding body is, so it is hard to understand what kind of message is meant to be portrayed through the piece.

While these two pieces of art share a major similarity in the fact that they are both public art, there are also many differences that set them apart. First of all, the angel wings are located in Nashville, while the picture of fish is in New York City. These two places each have such unique cultures and the meanings that the artworks portray are heavily influenced by communities around them. While Nashville’s musical culture is still very much present, New York’s history may be slowly dwindling away. People in Nashville constantly embrace music through innovation and recreation on a daily basis. Many New Yorkers, on the other hand, may not even know that their city was once home to thousands of fisherman. The picture reminds people of what was once there and it helps to keep the memories alive of what was around before us. That is why art is so important in everyone’s life, even if they don’t realize it.

Note: The people in the picture of the angel wings are my sister and I