THE ARTS IN NEW YORK CITY

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is, in my opinion, the big kid on campus. So when the trip to the Met rolled around I was excited. The Met is huge, but the little I saw of it really made me want to go back. Anyway, the important part of trip was learning more about the purpose of an art curator. Now, my mom used to be an art curator, but I had never seen her at work, so it was interesting to me to learn more about how art curators work. I have to admit it was very cool. First off, the prints that Nadine Orenstein brought out, most of which were Rembrandt, were really awe-inspiring. I have always thought of drawing, simply with pencil and paper, as hard, but then I try imagining doing that except with a metal etching tool and copper. It astounds me. I can’t even imagine how long it must have taken him, and how patient you’d have to be to create these pictures so clearly and intricately on a piece of metal.
In my opinion, art preservation is an unappreciated work. Just like sometimes I forget that there are people controlling the lights, sound, props, and costumes onstage during a theater performance, I often forget that much of the artwork I am lucky enough to view would not last and remain in the original, beautiful condition that the artist first made it in if it were not for art curators. In terms of comparing Nadine Orenstein’s job with that of Em Thea, the last of the official ten women who knew the original sacred Cambodian dance, I would have to say that their jobs are not so different. They both are responsible for preserving forms of artwork, so that new generations will be able to see them and learn from them. However, in my opinion, Em Thea’s task is much more difficult. There are many people in the United States who have studied to become art curators and have the knowledge to preserve artwork, like Nadine Orenstein. However, in Em Thea’s case she is the last person who has the knowledge to pass on that form of artwork. If she does not pass it on, and teach others, that knowledge will be lost forever.

Dance is one of my favorite forms of art. The human body is such a mobile and flexible instrument that it is perfect for expressing what is in the mind. Dancing is something everyone can do. Dancing is simply moving the body; there is no right or wrong, and that is part of the beauty and release of it. No matter who you are or what you are feeling, dancing can be used to liberate yourself. It’s an independent form of therapy. However, while there are hundreds of forms of dance, there are some forms that are more prominent or important to certain cultures. For instance, Cambodia has a very strict form of dance that requires extensive training, in the same way that forms of dance in the United States like modern dance and ballet require careful training. During the Cambodian dance adaptation of “The Magic Flute” I clearly saw the strength and discipline that Cambodian dance requires. The dancing was so slow and controlled, each movement demanded the complete attention of the dancers, and each muscle was flexed and tense. I was awed by the strength of the performers.
The brilliance of the dance performance was that it incorporated the internationally known opera, “The Magic Flute”, while upholding the integrity and culture of traditional Cambodian dance. In this way, it brought the beauty of Cambodian dance to the New York City stage in an interpreted version of a well-known opera. This mesh of cultures really made the performance even more special and new. In the same way, Zhang Huan brought his unique view of the world and his culture to the United States in a comprehensible form that crosses all borders. He was able to combine the completely different cultures of the United States and China in a unique and interesting way, just like Sophiline Shapiro did.

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 14th, 2007 at 8:00 pm and is filed under