Author: Jen

The artwork above is “Sedar” created by Nicole Eisenman in 2010. This work constitutes conceptual art because it takes a traditional idea and presenting it in a fashion that take precedence over traditional aesthetic. The painting depicts a family Passover gathering. At the bottom centered was a pair of fleshly pink hands in a similar fashion to the two grotesque individuals in a distorted manner. In an interview, Eisenman reveals that the hands are those of her father, sitting at the closed end of the table, while her mother sits at the other end. From my point of view, the hands also acted as “our” hands. It is an invitation to be a part of this ritual or maybe even of the family. This artwork is a mimesis as it imitates a realistic event through an unconventional form. The members of the artist’s family are painted with experimental shades such as gray or orange for skin color. There are the imaginary figures, who as aforementioned are more monstrous with a sense of affection and humor at the same time. The medium was oil on canvas and Eisenman took advantage of it to play with the textures and colors in this painting. As the figures get closer to the viewer, the texture of the painting changes. The brilliant colors and skillfully portrayed faces become dissonant. Sloppy paint strokes are trickling from the hair with disfigured eyes. Despite the disturbing turn, we can sense familiarity from the open bottles of wine, half-eaten platter at the center of the table with bitter herbs, charoset, charred egg, lamb bone, and orange, and of course, the Haggadot. We would typically imagine enjoyment and pleasure as this group of dinner guests drink and socialize. However, this painting illustrates a different range of feelings in the room. Some people might be engaged and attentive while others look withdrawn or bored. Not to mention the detail with “our” hands that are breaking matzah during the reading of the Haggadah. Though the message is not political, it builds the idea of loneliness, boredom, and awkwardness that can be felt when surrounded by relatives. It denies any form of desire. The distorted contrasted with the charming expresses interest and boredom and portrays a familiar dinner scene with family in a bold way. Sedar’s material expression of Eisenman’s concept effectively captures both a physical and emotional portrait of the people in her paintings. The material allows her to manipulate a change of emotions and create drastic differences between the figures.

MORIYAMA-7

Daido Moriyama is a Japanese photographer known for portraying the contrast of traditional values and modern society in post-war Japan. He was born on October 10, 1938, and often visit the city of Yokosuka, which is home to an American naval base. His black and white pictures can make one feel unsettled or dark. The photograph I choose was named “Stray Dog” and as the name says, the photograph was of a rugged and abandoned dog. It was taken in 1971 in Misawa. The studium of this picture was the dark side of urban life. A lot of Moriyama’s pictures feature this element and idea of darkness and urban life. The picture is a bit grainy and blurry which adds to that unsettling feeling. It reflects a harsher perspective of the reality than we assume. Unlike other photographers that may take pictures to convey messages, Moriyama is more so of an explorer. From his pictures, you see the exploration into the different less-seen parts of the city. The punctum of this picture for me was the unnerving nature and piercing look of the dog. If I were to see this picture within matters of seconds and had to visualize it in head, I would depict a wolf. A wild beast. At the same time, the stare of the dog made me feel like it was looking into me. This made me believe that Moriyama might have taken a picture like this to draw a connection between humans and this lost creature. To put it in other words, from this picture I believe that like this dog, we wander in this harsh society looking for a place that would welcome me. In this big world that holds countless possibilities and danger, we are lost. We would have a similar aggression like this dog had in this picture as we would to strangers. There is also this other perspective that the dog is like those who don’t fit in. In our impression, dogs are adorable creatures and man’s best friend but this stray dog overthrows that idea. This is another idea that frequently appears in his photographs, the “different” ones. Perhaps the word outcast is too harsh in this case but in my experience, this stray dog can also convey a similar meaning. In Moriyama’s photographs, I find that he often depicts the messy and bold views in society and to me, there is a lot of beauty in it like “Stray Dog”. It highlights the erotics and the unconventional beauty of society. Not to mention, his pictures are mysterious and contain this thrill of not knowing what will happen next.

View this post on Instagram

Never Ending Tracks #Brightonbeach :Axel Tolpina

A post shared by NYC Decisive Moment (@nycdecisivemoment) on Oct 25, 2019 at 5:58am PDT

With the coming of dawn, the people slowly fill the platforms,
Looking at the rise of the beaming sun and the gleaming sky,
Looking at my shadow extend south under the rusty roof, looking at the never-ending tracks that carry us on this journey,
Looking beyond and seeing the glistening trains,
The scent of morning dew, the haze on the buildings, the sweet chirps of the winged neighbors,
The rumbling as trains run along the tracks, the screeching as it pulls to a stop, the quick footsteps of passengers exchanging paths,
We share the same space but yet far from being intimate,
What are the chances we cross each other again?
Some are in a rush,
Some are in no hurry and sit back to watch the rushing stops,
Some are sleeping with heads against the poles and walls,
Some are reading in their bubble,
Some are tapping to the beat within their headphones,
Just as any of you, beneath the flickering lights I stand as one of the crowd,
The sun gives way to the silver moon, the beautiful reddish sunset,
Day after day, night after night, the station stays bustling and lively, in the city that never sleeps: New York City.

At the entrance of Canal Street stands the Map of Chinatown. The kiosk is painted bright red, a traditional lucky color in Chinese culture. On top of the kiosk is a dull beige gold dragon that symbolizes power and strength. Finally, on the kiosk is the map, specifically the map of Chinatown, decorated in vibrant shades that makes it even more eye-catching. On the map, one can see many iconic features of Chinatown. For example, the well-loved bubble tea, dim sum restaurant, Asian supermarket, and the Chinese grannies that dance to pop music in the park. It also includes the rustic $5 haircut barbershops that are given by young aspiring hairstylists and old uncles that can still give you a clean cut with fuzzy vision. Once again, one can spot a red dragon but this time paraded by young men in matching outfits. This is a form of traditional dance performance in Chinese culture, similar to the lion dance. Overall, this art paints a vivid picture of the Chinatown community. It highlights the cuisine, the language, the traditions, and how everyone has a role in the community. This artwork is illustrated by Dingding Hu, who was commissioned by the Museum of Chinese in America and Art department of NYC DOT. This documentation of the daily life of the people highlights the signature business throughout the neighborhood and is one of the Chinatown Public Art series named “Welcome to Chinatown” launched at the end of October 2017. The other artworks are of similar fashion, the artist’s representation of Chinatown, and can be found on Walker Street as well as underneath Brooklyn Bridge on Pearl Street in hope of attracting more visitors to Chinatown. 

Not far off from the Map of Chinatown lies another artwork. A side-view of a man with his hood up and staring upward is made with dark and gloomy hues. Underneath him is a sea of three-dimensional hearts and upon close look, one can find “Hart Island” written on the bottom right heart. Above the man is a cloud of similar colors: white, black, and gray. However, surrounding the cloud is the color of the rainbow or LGBTQ pride with a big white X behind it and crown on top. (Turns out there was another part in this mural that I left out in the picture) The mural “Hart Island” was created by the Nomad Clan in 2019 as a dedication to NYC Pride, a non-profit organization that produces the official LGBTQIA+ Pride events in New York City, and produced by thelisaprojectnyc. Next to the mural reads, “Dedicated To the lost, to the forgotten. To the beaten and trodden. To the oppressed, the brave. To the anonymous who lay in mass graves, We see you! To the numbers and the names. To the battles and the gains. To the quiet, the unseen. The kings and queens We see you!!!” This ties to the name of the art, “Hart Island”, which is an actual place and is a burial ground for over a million people in Bronx, New York. Burials on Hart Island include individuals who were not claimed by their families, homeless, and poor. In 1985, sixteen bodies infected with AIDS was buried at the southern tip of Hart Island, meaning away from other corpses. It was believed that the dead AIDS victim would spread the disease to other corpses, hence the separation. The only single grave on Hart Island was given to the first AIDS victim they got. However, with time, thousands of AIDS victims have been buried on Hart Island. 

Both of the artworks I have chosen represent a community. The Map of Chinatown represents the daily lives of those who come together to create the Chinatown we know fondly of.  On the other hand is Hart Island, a mural that embraces and dedicates to the LGBTQIA+ community. Both are composed very differently and gives contrasting vibes. The Map of Chinatown was cheerful and fun since it was made with promoting Chinatown and attracting more visitors in mind. There wasn’t any deeper message because it was a representation of what was there instead. Hart Island, however, was painted with a sense of sadness. The story that this mural holds was simply incredible and it taught me and hopefully others too who saw this mural as well a history lesson. Street art became a messenger of the stories that must be told to us, the public, with beauty and grace. This made me realize how powerful art can be, as it became a integral mean of expression for many communities, including the LGBTQIA+. There is a lot of possibility as to what art can do and there is no right or wrong because it is the interpretation of the artist.

Detailed Information: 

Title: Bronze Handle in the Form of a Lion

Country or Culture of Origin: Greek

Date: 5th century B.C.

Medium: Bronze

Written Analysis:

This piece of bronze handle was molded into the form of a lion. As can be seen, it’s more stylish than realistic. For example, the head of the lion is backward in a sense that wouldn’t be possible for a lion. The lion is slender and depicted rather delicate than dominating and oppressive as we would expect from the king of the jungle. This art piece emphasizes the enormous paws, in comparison to the rest of the body, and bared teeth. This is quite surprising seeing how the artist chooses to create such features for a lion that initially came off as delicate. It counters the tiny mane and slender body and makes it more symmetric to the image we have of a lion. 

This is most likely just a representation of a lion since there isn’t much else besides the lion and the plates the lion’s paws stand on. The plates are decorative, similar to the lion, and molded into a form of a fan or something like so. The overall effect of how this lion is represented is, aforementioned, stylish and decorative. Although not particularly align with the typical image we have of lions, it fits the idea of the object, bronze handle, fairly well.