Author Archives: John Sorrentino

About John Sorrentino

I am a PhD candidate in French Literature at the CUNY Graduate Center. I currently work as an instructional technology fellow at the Macaulay Honors College of CUNY.

Posts by John Sorrentino

Fallen Biedersdaedt

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Henry Burby, Jack Kern, Isabel Zayas, Isabelle Serrao, James, Kyra Koe, James, Yashoma Boodhan, Sabrina Cohen, Albert Connolly, Sarah Dunford


Our group spent most of our viewing time discussing what we felt we saw in the artwork. The very unique way in which the piece appeared to be painted, then destroyed, was something we also found extremely intriguing. The largest question we would like to know the answer to is centered around the actual creation of the painting – how was it made? We also would have liked to know more about some of Hegarty’s other works, and some facts on Albert Bierstadt, after whom the painting was partially named.
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Ram’s Head White Hollyhock-Hills

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Claudia Mallea, Mone Skratt Henry


We analyzed the structural format of the painting, the medium that was used, themes in the work of the artist, and the symbolism in the work. We did not analyze the historical context. If we had more time, we would look at more of the artist’s work to find more themes and look into the historical context.
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Bicentennial Indian

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Amanda Lee, Rona Joy


We discussed the historical context in relation to the title of the painting and the subject. We talked about how the painting is called “Bicentennial Indian” even though “Indian” is not the term the Native Americans would have used to describe themselves, therefore the art had to be done by a possibly ignorant Westerner (Fritz Scholder). Additionally, we discussed the painting itself and the subject and his clothing. We did not discuss why Scholder felt the need to paint this subject and portray him in such a way. If we had more time, I would have looked at the surrounding artwork in relation to this painting exhibition to see if there was any connection. If there were any other artwork by Scholder in the museum, we could have seen if he had painted anything similar to this painting we discussed.
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George Washington at the Brooklyn Museum

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: sabelle Serrao, Albert Connolly, Sabrina Cohen, Sarah Dunford, Isabel Zayas, Kya Koe, John Kern, Henry Burby, Yoshoma Boodhan


In our conversation at the museum we did a lot of analysis on the physical attributes on the painting. We talked about how the light and dark parts of the paintings drew attention to some areas more than others. We also had many questions of why some things were included in the paintings. Things such as the sword George Washington was holding. We didn’t do much of the analysis where you talk about historical context or the motives of the artist. If had more time we would have liked to have discussed more about the background behind the painting as opposed to the actual painting its self.
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Décontractée (Relaxed) – Louise Bourgeois

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Jamie Cabigas, Gaby Goubran


Our group focused on the physical descriptions of the art piece. The materials used, color, shape, size and texture were all discussed. We also quickly analyzed what the hands could represent in this piece. However, we did not speak of historical significance or go in depth about the artist’s purpose for making the piece. If allotted more time, we would’ve spoken more in depth about these topics. In addition, we would’ve reflected on the piece’s significance to our own lives and to the art community.
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Woman Pouring Wine

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Jack Sixsmith, Young Eon Kim


We analyzed the painting’s color, shadowing and lighting, subject matter, and the relationships between the subjects. We discussed what we thought was going on in the painting. However, we didn’t discuss the specific of the artwork as in the texture and the strokes. If we had more time, we could discuss the details of how the artwork was painted, and furthermore debate on what we thought the painting meant.
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Macaulay Night at the Museum: Bicentennial Indian

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Cassandra Lagana & Olivia Dellston


In our conversation at the museum, we definitely started out by examining the formal properties of the painting. However, we didn’t really discuss how the painting personally made us feel. We did ask questions about the artist’s intentions, but did not examine why it would be in the Brooklyn Museum or how it is presented to us. Our group discussed the story told by the work of art and tried to incorporate a historical perspective. We talked about the feelings of both the artist and the subject of the painting. If we had more time, I feel that we would have elaborated further on our personal opinions of the painting.
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Analyzing Faile’s Temple (2010)

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Demi Moore, Vivian Chen


We focused on the formal properties of the piece to examine how certain elements related to modern-day society. Utilizing contextual references, we were able to conjecture about the meaning of the work as it reflected themes of agony, love, feminism, euphoria, and the struggles of being in relationships.

If we had had more time, we would have relayed what we discussed about the smaller sculpture to the larger structure that made up the framework of the exhibit.
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Museum Commentary on Clouds over the Black Sea

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Derek Chuah, Anthony Alston


We analyzed and discussed the literal contents of the painting, its historical context, and possible figurative meaning. If we had more time, we would have gone more in depth into the possible themes and meanings that the author wished to convey.
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The Musicale by Stacy Tolman

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Syeda Hillary, Aishwarya Das


In our conversation in the museum, we began our analysis by describing the physical features of the painting. We then went into depth about what the author was trying to convey by having a mix of two cultures in the same room. If we had more time we would try to understand the historical context of the painting to understand why two cultures were present. Also, learning about the historical context of the painting would give us insight into the painter’s intent and purpose of the painting. Finally, it would help explain why the woman’s face was not shown.
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