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 Night at the Museum

Posted on September 20, 2014 by John Sorrentino

by: Ross Scopellite, Zach Christian, Nalena Cruzado, Farzana Ruzehaji


Our experience was unique and interesting. We enjoyed the night overall and it was fascinating to listen to each others’ insightful comments about art- something most students don’t often do. We learned that we have different views on art, but could still come to a mutual understanding of what the piece of art means.
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Skipping Girl by Yinka Shonibare

Posted on September 20, 2014 by John Sorrentino

by: Alix Smith, Sarah Franco, Jadxia Carbajal, Alec Levine, Robert Ferrando, Jacob Scherer


The experience was wonderful. We were really able to hear and discuss each others’ intriguing thoughts on the sculpture and to gain different perspectives as to the artist’s intent and what the sculpture might be.
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A Night to Remember

Posted on September 20, 2014 by John Sorrentino

by: Carla Billena, Lesia Dazzell, Elisah Edwards, Ling Jiang, Lauren Poon, Luis Carrasco, Madeline Wong


Art is captured motion. As we walked through the Brooklyn Museum, we didn’t know what to pick from the verity of paintings and artifacts offered . Walking through the halls one painting: “July”, by Larry Rivers, drew us all in. Some of us where confused and some wanted to know why it seemed unfinished. We felt that our minds found the answer through the interpretative community.
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Shooting for the Beef

Posted on September 20, 2014 by John Sorrentino

by: Nicolas Yehya, Alasdair McLean, Eric Luu, Ahmad Shamulzai


Analyzing a work of art, with new friends, in a closed museum, is truly an amazing experience. We each had something unique to say and our own unique perspectives. We bonded through discussing an early American painting of a cow awaiting its death. The frame, author’s intentions, and our curiosity allowed us to record a memorable night.
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Emblems of the Civil War by Alexander Pope, 1888

Posted on September 20, 2014 by John Sorrentino

by: Lora Pavlovich, Vishnu Nair, Sonia Marinovic, Mariam Sleiman


When you see this piece, it’s obvious that this picture is about war and patriotism. The painter has a dynamic use of colors, and in contrast keeps the background very dark with Phthalocyanine Green. The color of the flag hung on the antlers along with a musket is rich. The blue, red and white represent patriotism. The knife on the wall, the worn out canteen, and the crossed guns show the hardships of war. There is also a certain symmetry in this picture, as you can see the antlers, the crossed guns, the musket, and the crossed pistols are evenly aligned. Because of the amount of patriotism, it can also symbolize a sort of ceremonial piece, and can be used to honor the men who fought in the civil war.
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A Resting Place of Prisoners

Posted on September 20, 2014 by John Sorrentino

by: Nabila Akthar, Oscar Rodriguez, and Amir Stewart


The experience of talking thoughtfully about art was new for all of us. We saw beautiful artworks and enjoyed discussing our thoughts about them. We learned that there are multiple ways to appreciate art and that any given art piece will hold a different meaning for each individual viewer. That’s what makes discussion about art so fruitful.
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The Shepherdess of Rollebois

Posted on September 20, 2014 by John Sorrentino

by: Athena, Audrey, Chris, Elizabeth, Maxine, Rebecca


We learned that through discussing art we could reach conclusions or debate what we thought the artist’s intentions are.
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Young Woman Overtaken by a Storm/ Book of the Dead

Posted on September 20, 2014 by John Sorrentino

by: Eldrich Doyogan, Nikita Khalid, Annika Choi, Matthew Choon


It was definitely a new experience having to utilize different resources. It’s interesting to note that we transitioned from more classical media of art to a very contemporary type. Art reaches out its limbs to all cultures and time periods, transcending even the most disconnected peoples.
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The Reprimand

Posted on September 20, 2014 by John Sorrentino

by: Vlad Borisov, Angel Mindanao, etc


The experience was really fun. I learned that you can really get messages from each piece of art just from observing and reflecting upon it. Some things can be implied by the artist; symbolic images and styles create meaningful worlds of endless possibilities.
I really enjoyed discussing paintings with new friends and look forward to analyzing more art that I encounter in the future. I used to walk by works of art like they weren’t anything special, but seeing how much time and effort an artist puts in to make beautiful masterpieces was a very moving experience. I am now extremely inspired as an aspiring artist and have developed a deep appreciation for visual arts.
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Young Woman Overtaken by a Storm by Chevalier Féréol de Bonnemaison

Posted on September 20, 2014 by John Sorrentino

by: Evan Biegel, Simran Patel, Emily Roudnitsky, Jeremy Merchant, Ann Privorotskiy, Rebecca Baron


Our group’s reaction and interpretation of Chevalier Féréol de Bonnemaison’s Young Woman Overtaken by a Storm. The oil on canvas portrays a hopeless women centered around dark scenery during the frightening time of the French Revolution.
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Comments by John Sorrentino