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

The Peaceable Kingdom Analysis

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Angela (Inhea) Jun, Jessica Bong


The analysis that we did in our conversation at the museum included historical context, observation of light, contrast, biblical reference and predictions of lifestyle. The kinds of analysis we didn’t do were brushstroke, canvas size/type, illusions/depths and overall techniques. If we had more time, we would like to add more interpretations and a deeper analysis into our recordings and video.
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Ultra Feminism & the Brooklyn Museum

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Sindi Cela, Frances Claer Raybaud


We did a lot of visual analysis, contemplating the historical context in which the sculpture was made or was meant to be viewed in, settling on the 1950s for the woman on horseback image. We decided that it was meant to depict in a comic-like style the fear men had in regards to women entering the workforce and their enfranchisement. The other image had decidedly stereotypic Asian imagery in order to prove a point about the fetishization of Asian culture, such as cultural appropriation with anime and manga fans and the usage of Buddha imagery for other things than religion. We should have paid more attention to materials and the other side of the sculpture, but we are content with our analyses.
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Faile Temple

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Benjamin Krasnyanskiy, Daniel Cohen, Andrew Resnick


We analyzed the physical characteristics of the painting. We found the presence of the children odd, due to the fact that they appear to be elder than their mother. We were unsure of the historical significance, however we attempted to connect the attributes of the painting to Asian culture. If we had additional time, it would be helpful to know when this piece was produced. This would guide a conversation closer to the true intention of the artist.
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Clock by Henri Viosin

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Rose Rutkovsky, Paraskevi Roussos, Emily Abrams


In revisiting “Clock” by Henri Voisin, we were given the chance to further analyze the intricate and ornate details of his work. We found many parallels between the clock statue and our previous knowledge of French artwork, Greek idols, and much more, from texture, symbolism, and materials. While we were able to analyze the work in its physicality, it would have been nice to research further into the background of the artist and circumstances in which it was created.
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Night at the Museum

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Sharon Santhosh, Floril Thomas


In our analysis, we examined the the picture as a whole as well as the minute details that furthered the significance of the picture. We focused on the color contrasts of the painting and the potential implications behind the light and dark aspects of it. The dark background represented what could become of our environment if we continue to destroy it while the light shines on the vast terrain, highlighting the natural beauty around us. We also connected the picture to history and the idea of manifest destiny, where Americans had a feverish belief in their right to their land. We could have further improved our analysis by examining the composition of the painting itself, and the mechanics of it such as the brushstrokes, and artistic details. In the future, we could have done this to improve our conversation.
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Fallen Bierstadt

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Sabrina Rich, Emile Jean Baptiste


The analysis in the recording focused on the meaning of the burns in the painting, trying to figure out the reasoning for the painting.
The analysis did not really put the painting in any context.
With more time they could’ve analyzed how the year that this piece of art was created affected the meaning.
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Fallen Bierstadt

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Sabrina Yu, Vincent Gangemi, Jana Abumusallam


We basically analyzed the physical aspects of the painting in our recording. We were very interested in the materials used to create this painting. We also referred to the historical context that this piece was meant to represent. We felt that the idea of Manifest Destiny greatly impacted the artist, and that it was meant to represent many different ideas, particularly those of people whose homes were destroyed.
We didn’t really discuss the use of technique because we were so perplexed by this work of art that we didn’t think of it as a painting, but rather a sculpture. It was most definitely a challenge trying to figure out what this painting represented, and we feel that if we had more time we would have liked to discuss the composition of the piece.
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Brooklyn Museum 2015

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Nicole Cavallo, Greg Maghakian, Cristobal Yanez


We did not do a formal analysis of the dimensions of the painting. We did a physical analysis of the image. We noticed the medium was oil on canvas. We did take note of the social and economic trends of the time period. If we had more time, we would have liked to better analyze the artistic techniques of the image. We also would have liked to make deeper thoughts about why these people were portrayed in the way they were and why it was painted in this way.
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Shepherdess of Rolleboise

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Keri Mallari, Karla Collaguazo


At the museum, our conversations mainly focused on the woman or the shepherdess. We spoke about her emotions, and mostly the physical appearance of the painting. What we failed to analyze were the techniques used by the artists, and his intent. We also failed to consider the historical context of the painting.
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Koch’s The Sculptor

Posted on September 19, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Ariel Avgi and Michael Borrello


At the Brooklyn Museum, we analyzed the subject matter of Koch’s, The Sculptor, drawing conclusions on the meaning of the painting and the artist’s intentions. Formal analysis was used to examine the artwork’s physicalities and how they influenced the emotions of the intended audience. Unfortunately, we had not taken into consideration the historical context of Koch’s work–an interesting aspect of the piece we would like to revisit.
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