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

Shabti of Sati

Posted on September 20, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Allyson Gonzalez, Teresa Lau, Michaela McGovern, Jacqueline Bosco,


We mostly discussed the ambiguity of this pieces origins. There was a lack of detail in the caption that led to a lot of hypothesizing about its origins, uses, and why there were so many other “shabtis” in the museum. We didn’t discuss the materials or the historical context and hope that next time we are in this situation, we can be better informed commentators.
Direct Link to your video (for embedding on a class site or saving on your computer)

Lydia Field Emmet

Posted on September 20, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Michel Fallah, Tamir Pinhasov


In the museum, my partner and I reflected on the painting’s formal properties such as the painter’s techniques, the subjects position, the painting’s colors, etc.
Additionally, we briefly touched on the historical context of the image, which helped us to analyze the painting further. In this painting in particular, the setting was the Victorian Era, in which the color schemes used were bleak with streaks of vivid color. This explained much about the painter’s choice of color.
We didn’t deeply discuss the subject matter, as the meaning behind the woman in the painting seems very ambiguous.
If we had more time, we would have liked to view more paintings. We very easily lost track of time when speaking about few works of art, and didn’t realize that time was of the essence in the museum.
Direct Link to your video (for embedding on a class site or saving on your computer)

Family Group

Posted on September 20, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Jon, Casey, Laura, Olivia


We looked at and discussed the objects in the painting. We did not talk about the artists purpose in their choices.
Direct Link to your video (for embedding on a class site or saving on your computer)

A Discussion on “Foundering” by James Hamilton

Posted on September 20, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Peter Fields, Vanessa El-Kallassy


In this conversation we focussed mainly on the subject matter. We analyzed the meaning of the ship and the flag within the historical context in which this work was painted. We also did formal analysis of the painting, how dark and gloomy it is, and how the specific details within the painting relate to this theme. However, we did not do as much formal analysis as we would of liked to. Had we more time, we would have analyzed more the relationship between foreground and background, the indiscriminate framing of the picture, and the use of horizontal and vertical lines.
Direct Link to your video (for embedding on a class site or saving on your computer)

George Washington

Posted on September 20, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Hussain Bokhari, Benjamin Akhavan, Kylie Lang, Dominic Zareba


In the conversation, mainly historical information was discussed and used to analyze the formal properties.
Direct Link to your video (for embedding on a class site or saving on your computer)

Shipwreck

Posted on September 20, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Laureen Chan; Nubia Fields


We talked about how the colors and lines used by the artist influenced the meaning of the painting. We did not talk about if there may be a historical context behind the painting and whether or not the painting may be telling a story.
Direct Link to your video (for embedding on a class site or saving on your computer)

FAILE AT BROOKLYN MUSEUM

Posted on September 20, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Maria Tsampas, Ariana Stefanidis


At the museum, our analysis was mostly theme based. We talked about the meanings behind the art pieces and the context of the room they were in. We didn’t do much of an analysis of the materials used or the interactive aspects of the exhibit. If we had more time, we would have liked to explore more of the pieces in the room and really delve into the cultural aspects.
Direct Link to your video (for embedding on a class site or saving on your computer)

Faile Arcade

Posted on September 20, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Geraldine Perral, Genie Gorbonosov, Shlomo Klahr


We analyzed the artwork on the walls. We analyzed the physical characteristics of the exhibit and the possible meanings behind the piece. We did a lot of close analysis by examining the little details of the pinball and arcade games. We didn’t discuss how the artwork made us feel emotionally or spiritually. If we had more time, we would like to have discussed the physical sensations and the experiences of the room as a whole.
Direct Link to your video (for embedding on a class site or saving on your computer)

Seated Faun, 1924

Posted on September 20, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Matthew Lam, Alyssa Romero, Stephen Esposito, Seung Won Chung, Bernard Kessler, Saifeldeen Zihiri


During our conversation in the museum, we talked about all the historical, subject, and structural features of the sculpture. We attempted to use the historical aspects of the sculpture in order to understand the authors intent of the piece, what kind of message the author was trying to portray and how it might have been perceived. The subject itself was obviously essential to the conversation, as it served the foundation of our discussion. As for the structural features, we discussed its relevance to the other pieces in the museum, trying to understand if it had any relevance to the other artworks. If we had more time, we would have loved to do more cultural analysis of both the art piece and the author. We knew the basic Greek mythology about the mystical creature known as the Faun but we didn’t understand its connection to the author nor to America during the time. This analysis would have allowed us a more clear understanding of the movement during the time and why the author felt it necessary to be involved in the movement. If we had more time we would have liked to see the other pieces related to the movement and connect the artworks together. Possibly, we could have seen a clearer picture of not only the artwork but the movement all together.
Direct Link to your video (for embedding on a class site or saving on your computer)

Fallen Bierstadt

Posted on September 20, 2015 by John Sorrentino

by: Rabab A, Max K, Danielle U


We did a holistic analysis of the idea behind the work of art. We focused on the entirety of the piece and its implications. We did not focus the specifics of the aesthetics of the work art. If we had more time, we most likely would’ve focused on the painting and what it could’ve been prior to it being burnt.
Direct Link to your video (for embedding on a class site or saving on your computer)

Comments by John Sorrentino