The Arts in New York City

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I have never quite understood why modern art is so renowned and valued. I have walked through the Modern Art exhibit in the MET before, but I have never stopped to look at the artworks because I found them to be messy, unprofessional, ugly, and disturbing. Most of the paintings look like the result of paint recklessly splashed across a canvas. In an attempt to learn to appreciate modern art, I attended a tour of the exhibit at the MET. The tour guide, Francia Meiselman, informed us that modern artists emphasized the process of making art rather than the subject matter of the artwork. The paintings that appeared to be careless messes to me are actually abstract expressionist art. The artists painted the way their emotions moved them to paint. Although I still think that modern art is ugly, I now understand modern artists’ purposes and inspirations, and I no longer think their talent is nonsense.

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The six-year-old girl tucked her hair behind her ear with her right hand while holding the book down on her lap with her left. Softly but clearly, her young, immature voice chirped amidst the voices of loud grown-up gossip. “I do not like them in a box. I do not like them with a fox.” She clenched her little baby teeth slightly, and pronounced the x-sound as distinctly as the sound of a shoe crushing a crisp autumn leaf. “I do not like them here or there. I do not like them anywhere.” She lifted the tones of the last words of those sentences, mistakenly reading them as if they ended in questions marks instead of periods. I opened my mouth to correct her, but decided that her mother would not like it if a stranger spoke to her. “I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-am.” She turned the page with her small, delicate fingers, and continued to read. Her audience consisted of just her mother and me, a stranger sitting beside her on the train, listening to every word projected by her high-pitched voice that reminded me of the first time I read that book by Dr. Seuss.

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I have seen all sorts of advertisements for The Phantom of the Opera for as long as I can remember. When I was young, I used to be frightened by the show’s renowned, mysterious image of the white mask and rose against a black background. After watching the movie version of The Phantom of the Opera (2004) and falling in love with some of the songs, I had wanted to see the Broadway show live and up close. Well, I did get to see it live, but not exactly up close. Sitting in the rear mezzanine section of the theater, I could barely make out the performers’ faces. Nonetheless, The Phantom of the Opera was a thrilling performance with hauntingly beautiful music, stirringly seductive scenes, and unforgettably remarkable sets. (more…)

We have all seen artworks in subway stations all throughout the city. People usually do not pause for a split second to admire these pieces of art in the midst of their busy commuting lives. This weekend, however, I actually stopped to take a closer look at a sculpture strategically placed right under the platform label, “Columbia University,” in the 1 train station at 116^th St, Manhattan. The sculpture was a steel chair labeled “Rail Rider’s Throne” that was molded into the ground, located about two feet away from a subway bench. Since the bench seats were filled, people all stopped to take a look at the chair, contemplating whether or not to sit on it. I did some research on that chair and found that its creator, Michelle Greene, built a series of artworks for the MTA that were all aimed at testing how people will interact with them. “Rail Rider’s Throne” is a must-see piece of public art because it does indeed attract attention and wonder. I would have sat on it myself if it was not old and rusty.

I remember going to the NY Hall of Science when I was in elementary school. I had so much fun there then that I had always wanted to go back. I can still remember running around the place wildly, fooling around more than learning about science. When Eilene, Aniruddha, and I planned to revisit the Hall of Science, I was a little worried that I would not find it an exhilarating experience like I did ten years ago because I am older and more mature now. I also worried that I would not find art there. After all, it is a Hall of Science, not a Hall of Art. However, I found that the Hall of Science contains a variety of exhibits that not only engage visitors in creating their own art, but also is extremely appealing to people of all ages. (more…)

Can I upload some videos to accompany my second review onto the blog? How do I do that?

Outside the Met two Fridays ago, two black guys were at the bottom of the steps giving a street performance. They got three willing volunteers to go up and stand in a straight line and one of the performers was going to jump over them. After a minute of mental preparation, they asked for a little kid volunteer. After one guy did a flip in the air over the little kid and then somersaulted once on the ground while landing, the two guys asked for donations in such a humorous, skillful way that I found that it was almost artistic. They said in perfect unison lines they had obviously performed over and over again:

“If you liked the show and would like to see us do the big jump, please make a donation. We are not asking for much, we just want all the money in your wallet.” Whenever a kid donated money, the performers said, “Thank you. Now, go ask your parents for more.”

I was surprised to see that they got almost everyone to donate. Some people donated $20!! Their performance of the art of persuasion was something I will never forget even though I did not stay to see if the big jump was even worth all the money they received.