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

Brooklyn Museum Experience

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Taylor Castro & Rebecca Zinsley


At the museum, we did a lot of talking about the structure of the artwork we saw. We thought it was important to talk about how the physical aspect of the tomb was just as important as the engravings on it and the artwork. The holes in the tomb were functional and beautiful, which was very interesting. If we had more time, we probably would have seen more of the museum instead of just focusing on a few pieces we did our assignment on.
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The Minoan Jug

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Lorén Niu, Nishat Hoque, Yadira Riera, Beatriz DaMotta


We analyzed the physical characteristics of the jug, the fading colors, the uses of the jug, and the structure. We did not analyze the historical aspect of the jug or who could have crafted the jug. If we had more time, we would’ve liked to find out more about its origins.
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Death Cart – Los Hermanos Penitentes Society

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Anumta Raheel, Katarzyna Zaniewska


At the Brooklyn Museum, we looked at the “Death Cart” which was donated by Los Hermanos Penitentes Society. We analyzed the artwork and asked ourselves questions that we wouldn’t have thought of at first glance. We mainly looked at the facial expressions and the physical characteristics of the artwork.
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Our thoughts on the “Foundering”

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Hafeezat Azeez, Danyelle Hershkopf, Mariama Badjie


We’d like to add how the ripped flag also represents the situation as much as the ship does. The Confederate flag represents how it’s nation was doomed and slowly falling apart, hanging by a thread. Whether or not we are to feel sympathy or joy is up to the viewer.
The definition of foundering is when a ship fills with water and sinks. This painting was made before the end of the Civil War. Hamilton is portraying the Confederate State as sinking, meaning he believed that the Confederates would lose the war. From this we can conclude that James Hamilton is a supporter of the Union. From this we can also infer what he values- he is probably against slavery.
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Jan Cornelisz Vermeyen

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Elviris Rodriguez, Selena Bermeo, Yadira Riera, Loren Niu, Nishat Hoque, Beatriz DaMotta


We discussed the contrast of the colors as well as the relationship of the figure to the rest of the space. Something we did not discuss was the historical context of the painting. Something we would like to do is some research about the subject of the painting and his social status.
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Relief With Two Registers

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Nicole Grennan, Taylor Castro, Rebecca Zinsley, Candace Ho, Kavindu Amarasinghe


We discussed mostly what we saw, paying a lot of attention to detail and the physicality of the art. We did not focus a lot on the sort of questions the art provoked, like who would have made it, used it, admired it. If I had more time I would consider the emotional aspects, the reason behind the art, instead of paying so much attention to simply the craftsmanship and the tangible, visible aspects.
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The First Harvest in the Wilderness by Asher B. Durand

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Yoselin Paucar and Sabrina Mammen


We analyzed the contrasting of colors and the distinct differences between the light and dark areas of the painting. The background area of trees and wood looked like it had been negatively affected by humans, with unnatural breaks and cuts in the chopped down trees. We noted how light shown on an area in the center of the painting where trees were completely leveled. This brought to light the destructive impact of human construction. We noticed particular features, such as a storm cloud in the top left corner of the painting, which conveyed a foreboding sense of destruction if nature continued to be affected in this way. We analyzed the actual figures and colors in the painting, and tried to find a secondary/ hidden meaning, like the symbolism of the storm cloud, and the that of the contrast of light and dark colors. If we had more time, we would have liked to incorporate the meaning of the title of the painting, and perhaps how the title, which used the word “harvest”, greatly juxtaposed the elements of destruction found within the painting. We would have also liked to incorporate the summary note beside the painting into our discussion, as well what the time period of the painting could have to do with the painting (i.e. the history of the era and if it was incorporated into the painting).
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The Musicale

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Yeon Ju Kyung, Kevin Becker


There was a lot of focus initially on the formal aspects of the painting, such as how the subjects and objects are arranged. While the people in the painting are all Western, the features of the room appear to be Asian in origin, which sparked an interesting contrast. Questions arose as to what kind of music they were playing, and why the artist chose such a setting for these people. We didn’t pay that much attention to the choice of colors or the style of which this piece was created, which would have been really interesting to tie together why things are the way they are. Overall, we think it was an interesting talk, and could have spent more time with this piece if we could have afforded it.
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Clouds over the Black Sea–Crimea by Boris Anisfeld

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Taulant Kastrati, Lior Agaronov


We discussed the subject matter of the painting, i.e., a ship setting sail. We also talked about which colors were used and the features of the painting. We did not discuss the formal properties of the painting, or how it made us feel, which we would definitely do if we had more time in the museum. In addition to this, we might have discussed the background more because the period in which the piece was made must have been very important.
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First Harvest in the Wilderness

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Video By: Juliana Maronilla & Stephanie Herbert


My group discussed the image depicted in the painting and expounded upon the possible symbolism of the light shining on the settlement vs the darkness of the surrounding trees. We would have liked to discuss the artist technique as well as the time period of the piece.
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