The Arts in New York City

When thinking of Egypt, thoughts of Mummies, Pyramids and Pharaohs quickly come to mind. It seems as if all of us in the modern world marvel at the ingenuity of this civilization that dates back thousands of years. But what we, as a modern culture, tend to overlook is the artistic nature of the Egyptian people. Now, for all of us that are looking for our fill of Egyptian art, culture and history, we have to look no further than the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Ancient Egyptian Art exhibit. The exhibit displays the various forms of art created during the different ages of the Ancient Egyptians’ dominance, including: various and beautifully crafted hieroglyphics that adorned the temples of the past kings of Egypt as well as true to life sculptures that paid homage to deities and great Pharaohs. The exhibit displays various forms of household art displayed on various jewelry, funerary objects, and household implements that gave an insight into Egyptian daily life. Also on display, for those who have a passion for mummies, are a wide range of sarcophagi that are emblazoned with some of the best and most illustrative Ancient Egyptian art. One cool part about this exhibit is as soon as you enter, there is a reconstruction of the Tomb of Perneb, a palace administrator late in Dynasty 5, which you can walk into and see the paintings that line the walls and in the meantime, get an idea of the inside structure of the tomb. This was a very interesting exhibit because the exhibit distances itself from the stereotypical ideas of Egypt (mummies, pharaohs, and gods) and focuses more on their artistic achievements, which gives another perception and insight of their culture.

I settled myself in Union Square Park among the many white collar workers taking a short lunch from the insipid routines of life as employed adults. From my stone seat, my feet dangled half a foot from the ground, and the statue of George Washington on a horse loomed overhead. The first things I noticed were the animal’s strong flared nostrils, strained veins on its cheek, and its blank grey eyes. Washington sat firmly in the saddle with a powerful sword sheathed on his left flank. His gaze was fixed forward and his right arm reached, his fingers searching. For what, who knows? Perhaps he was reaching for something unreachable or feeling the cool breeze between his fingers on that hot sunny day. Maybe he was commanding his army of squirrels that resided in the garden or demanding the strange dancer before him to cease his jig. As I started to leave, I took a final glance at the frozen man and his pet and came to the conclusion that the steed was a stallion and not a mare, if you know what I mean o_O

After visiting the Museum of Jewish Heritage which is located in downtown Manhattan at Battery place, I was left feeling very weary and somber. The museum itself stands as a memorial dedicated to those died in the Holocaust even though not everything found in the museum’s exhibitions deals with that period of history. I am not Jewish, however I am from Poland which was where most of the Holocaust concentration camps were located. This museum has details and information about the Holocaust which cannot be learned simply by reading a textbook. There are hundreds of pictures as well as many voice recordings in the exhibitions which are really effective in understanding the impact of this tragedy. Also, several items which were recovered such as personal belongings, diaries, and letters are featured in the museum. One of the most interesting and important items in my opinion, was a large book which contains the names of most of the victims who were killed in the concentration camps. It took a long time for this book to be put together and it is really worthwhile just to glance through the pages and really feel the impact in seeing the endless list of people. I also think that the museum’s exhibitions are put together beautifully in a way that really flows and makes sense to visitors. The first section focuses on early Jewish history, the middle section on the Holocaust, and the third section focused on the Jewish renewal or the modern Jewish culture. I would strongly recommend visiting this museum to others, in order to understand the Holocaust from the Jewish point of view, and to get a unique look at Jewish culture and lifestyle.

The Paley Center for Media is a museum that contains 5 floors, as well as a concourse level, filled with theaters, screening rooms, galleries, and a radio listening room that contain a variety of shows that occurred throughout the twentienth century.  Even though my first expectation of the museum was to see the world’s oldest radio and other things, seeing shows and commercials of other generations was classic as one could experience the change of the world around us throughout the years.  Radio shows were very interesting since one could pick whatever they wanted to listen to from the museum’s large collection.  According to me, the most interesting section of the museum was the Edward and Patricia McLaughlin Library where one could browse through over 120,000 programs and commercials that appeared in television as well as radio.  Whoever is interested in a lost generation, this museum is strongly recommended.

Different kinds of art can be found everywhere, from museums to galleries to parks to your own home. It can even be found at coffee shops. At Joe’s Coffee Shop, you can experience latte art. Gabrielle Rubenstein, a co-founder of Joe’s says, “the whole thing behind latte art is that it ensures all the elements come together and are correct.” It is really the art of science; the right amount of milk, expresso, foam, and timing is needed to make latte art. Joe’s latte art comes in forms of hearts, leaves, monkeys, and many other things. Not only does it look good but it tastes great too.

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My trip to the Wax Museum in Times Square was definitely memorable and fun. It was my first-hand experience to see Hollywood celebrities and recognizable political figures so closely. The wax figures looked so realistic that I sometimes cannot differentiate between a tourist and a wax figure. The highlight of my visit was the experience at the VIP room. I experienced to be a part of the hottest party scene in New York, and took pictures with Jessica Simpson, Madonna, and Usher. The pictures came out so real that they fooled many of my friends. A section called the “American Idol” allows tourists to get invovled. I went up to the stage and auditioned for the show’s toughest judge, Simon. I also made his signature eye roll pose beside him. I would say it is worthwhile to visit there for once, getting a close look at your idol’s wax figure while it might be awkward and impossible to do so to the real people. I did not know Angelina Jolie has a tattoo on her back until this time I had the chance to take a real close look at her. I appreciate the work and energy artists put into their jobs in order to recreate the a real person.

When I walked out of The Met, I couldn’t help but notice that everyone was gathered around the staircase in one corner. There were two people addressing the crowd. It didn’t look like anything special but everyone was captivated by their presence. Watching their performance gave me the feeling of watching aspiring actors. They clearly practiced their routine many times before taking it to the street. Their words and movement flowed as if they were totally in sync with each other. They were jumping from place to place and involving the audience. They were prepared to adapt to anything that was thrown their way. They planned out their dialogue, yet played it like the words were just coming to them. They pumped up their performance (jumping over a line of people) but always held back until people donated more money. People paid because they wanted to know what would happen next. They wanted to see what these two had prepared for them. These two are no Elvis and Costello, but they managed to capture the audience as well as accomplish their goal…make some money while entertaining. I credit them for managing to grab the attention of hundreds of people by sharing their simple, yet artistic performance/persuasion. They may be aspiring actors/performers but they managed to get people to pay to watch them perform.

Dance is a lot more weird and complicated than one would think, and what one finds in the Donald and Mary Oenslager Gallery at Lincoln Center Plaza will be surprising. Not knowing much about dance, I was baffled by what I saw at the Invention Exhibition by Merce Cunningham & Collaborators. The first thing I noticed a giant, green tripod-looking structure in the center of room. And that wasn’t the only oddity there. The exhibition included numerous strange costumes. For example, there was a whole line of tights by Jasper Johns in the seven colors of the rainbow so it would create a spectrum when the dancers took a bow. Another one by David Hare looked like a character from Star Trek Voyager, with a ring around its head and paddle-like hands. Aluminum pillows and dresses that opened up like fans hung from the ceilings. Along with a modified piano pierced with screws, sticks, rubber, and plastic, I realized there was more to dance than meets the eye. Music sheets, orchestra lists, stage directions, and choreographic notes displayed showed that there were many components to performances and it took a lot of planning. Sure, the sets may look funky, such as in Walkaround Time where dancers were inside plastic-wrap boxes, but while watching Summerspace on the large projection screen or just observing the photographs lined against the walls, one could not help but admire the dancers for their grace, strength, and balance. I was taken by how different dance was from how I had envisioned it. It was more than just someone in a tutu prancing about. Dance had influenced so many other forms of artwork, including music and paintings. Anyone who may or may not be interested in dance should visit this exhibition because I personally find the strange costumes worth the time. Always a fan of the outlandish and puzzling, I think I will start to appreciate dance a lot more. (more…)

Out of curiosity (or rather beckoned by the numerous signs around area), I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a glimpse of the newly renovated Greek and Roman Galleries. The 15-year project opens up with its signature hallway – gleaming statues stand illuminated by natural light via the glass ceiling. Rooms opened on either sides display smaller, but equally as beautiful, works of art. Further down the hallway, visitors are met with an enormous column from the Temple of Artemis at Sardis. Standing almost twice the height of the average full-grown man, the column is simply mind-blowing and even I, like many other visitors, couldn’t resist the urge in snapping a few pictures. However, the real treat of the renovation lies behind the enormous column – a beautiful sunlit two-story courtyard decorated with never before seen sculptures. A simple fountain, benches, natural light from the sunroof and the dark marble on the floor highlight the sculptures, providing a beautiful environment in which one can study the sculpture. The trip to the mezzanine comes with surprising elevator service and features a display of exquisite Etruscan art. The most interesting note is that all of the pieces upstairs are held in large glass cases with at first what seems to be a complete lack of information panels and tags. Instead, the Met has invested in a state-of-the-art set of computers (along the side of the room) that allow you to locate a piece of art by cabinet, level and position. The newly renovated gallery devoted to Greek and Roman art is a real treat for admirers of art from antiquity and even if you don’t happen to have an interest in the physical artwork, the environment that has been created is fantastic place to rest up. Pictures? If so, (more…)

After staying at the MoMA for more than three hours, writing a blurb could have been the easiest thing to do.  However, I changed my mind on my way home when I set foot in the subway station at 53rd St. (E and V trains).  I could not believe what I saw before me – advertisements posted all over the wall of the station; there was not any space left, not even for an ant.  Though these advertisements had commercial purposes, I still viewed them with artistic eyes.  I honestly hate advertisements in train stations, but I liked these ones because they were either replicas of famous works of art, or perfect photographs of events in the past.  However, all of them had a unison message – “Please come to our museum.”  It was funny to see that every museum near the station, such as the MoMa, the Municipal Art Society, the Museum of Radio and Television, and the American Folk Art Museum, were all advertising there.