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

Clouds Over The Black Sea – Crimea by Boris Anisfeld

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Lior Agaronov, Taulant Kastrati


We did the analysis of the dimensions and the perspectives from which a person could describe a single painting. It was interesting to find out how different aspects of the painting appear to be the most important for different people – I immediately decided that death is the main topic of the painting, other members emphasized how the whole picture looks completely in a single dimension, and how symbolic the trees and the rocks are. We did not really talk about the emotional side of the painting, and we could possibly further describe the mood that the painting that the author sheds on the viewer. If we had more time, I would have tried to explore the emotional background of the author during the time when the painting was made.
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Night at the (Brooklyn) Museum

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Milan Mathew, Sayuj Zachariah, Devina Persaud, Navin Rana, Divya Roy, Ann Kochupurackal, Maisha Kamal


Our group analyzed the relationship between the two sisters in the painting, looking at features such as their physical proximity, eye expressions, hand placement, etc. However, our group did not analyze outside elements or possible motivations for the painting, as well as the historical context of the painting. If we had more time, we would have analyzed the role of the time period or outside events that could have influenced why the painting was created or why it was created the way it was.
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The First Harvest in the Wilderness

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Yorranshell Wattson, Anna Tao, Dylan Kirdahy


We analyzed a lot of the color and lighting, especially the symbolism conveyed by these effects. We also analyzed the intentions of the artist and the role of the human settlers and nature in the painting. Looking at the sky, we discussed the possible divine aspects of the lighting and clouds. The painting also seems to look forward and in a sense describe the future of humanity’s relationship with nature.
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Ivan Mestrovic by Malvina Hoffman

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Thomas Malaickal


In this analysis, we looked into more of what the artist was trying to depict by the different features of the statue. We looked closely into the piece of clay that he held in his hand and the sculpting device. We didn’t go extremely deep into other aspects of the work of art.
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Avarice and Corn

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Nicole Grace, Chynelle Menezes


We analyzed different parts of the artwork going section by section. We discussed how the art relates to world economy and domination in industries. We looked at the many different images in the artwork, but we did not consider the techniques the artist used to create the artwork. If we had more time, we would have looked more at the structure and further considered the pieces of the art and how they related to each other.
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An Analysis of Faile’s Temple

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Julia Correa & Breffni Neary


We discussed the elements of the work of art such as texture, dimension, and text as they convey social themes such as love, agony and ecstasy. We also talked about the substance of the work and its connection to relationships.

We didn’t discuss elements such as composition, color, or the piece as a whole. We also didn’t talk about the artist’s motivations of the piece or its genre.

If we had more time, we would discuss more of these elements while also connecting this piece to the other features on the temple.
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The Shepherdess of Rolleboise

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Faith D’Erasmo & Javiera Morales


We felt as though our analysis was rushed while we were at the museum. We would have liked to take more time to thoroughly analyze the piece as opposed to just looking at what was on the surface. We focused on what the subject was doing and feeling as opposed to technique. Overall, we learned that it takes time to really understand a work of art.
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A Storm in the Rocky Mountains, Mt. Rosalie

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Alexander Nanas; Sing Fung Cheung


At the museum, we observed texture, colors, size of painting, details, contrast, saturation. We discussed the meaning behind the painting, but what we did not do was discuss what we thought the artist meant to portray. If we had more time, we would definitely discuss the artists purpose of the painting.
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Foundering by James Hamilton

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Abijah Akpoforayen, Tara McLean, Navjot Pabla


In our conversation about the painting, we focused on the content and context of the painting. We mentioned the techniques and color schemes Hamilton used to create the image. We tried to connect the methods to an overall meaning and symbolism of the key components of the painting. We didn’t spend time talking about the reason Hamilton decided to create painting instead of photograph of the event. Additionally, we didn’t discuss his possible motivations for recreating this plausible scene in history. We also wonder whose perspective this image comes from: the winners, the losers, or a neutral party.
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Winter Scene in Brooklyn

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Meghna Pai and Ahalya Sanjiv


We talked in the museum about the formal properties and the various activities taking place in the painting. If we had more time, we could have discussed more about the oil painting techniques and provided a more thorough analysis of how the illusion of depth is created.
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