This week in NYTimes Arts, 9/5 & 9/7
What have you found of interest in the NYTimes Arts section this week? Add your comments to this post.
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23 comments
The article that first caught my eye today was the one about the musical Shrek. I did not know it was going to come out as a musical. I do not really remember the movies so I should go and watch them again before seeing the musical. I hope the new choreographer makes the musical more fun and lively!
The article about Yale’s new residential halls made me wish Baruch had dorms. I visited Yale my junior year and it was really pretty. The dorms were nice and quiet.
The title of “A Hot Conceptualist Finds the Secret of Skin” drew me to the article. I wondered what was meant by “secret of skin”. The picture in the article reminded me of the famous wax museum in Times Square (which I really want to visit sometime this semester). The work in the show seems very unique.
I saw a small performance in High School that had an African theme like Fela! It was really lively and full off culture. The show was full of passion. I think Fela! would be like that. Wow! The man married 27 women in one ceremony. That was a fascinating fact for me. Recently I heard man had eight something wives. I wonder how he sees all his wives all the time.
When I started reading “Handsome Stranger? Be Careful. He Bites.”, I did not know it was about vampires so I was so confused when they said the blood types. The show seems very interesting because vampires exist and the humans know that. I found it funny that there is a Vampire Equal Rights Amendment and that there are Vampire Washington Lobbyists. It was clever how they incorporated the “separate but equal” idea. The show is R-rated but seems interesting because of the mysteries.
I would like to see “The Masque of the Red Death” . I would be watching it to see “The Tell-Tale Heart”. I wonder if the story would be scary when it is done live. I liked the book but when I saw the movie it was not as good. I’d like to see the performance to see how it is when it is performed live.
“A Hot Conceptualist Finds the Secret of Skin” , to many people do not seem that great of paintings, and seem to have many flaws.
However, the three main paintings that were portrayed in the article seem very deep. To me, art is not something that other people should criticizing. It is not what a person sees in the painting or drawing, but rather, it is what the painter had meant to draw. I want to learn about what the real meaning of the african american man painting is.
It is interesting how the plants, and the back round which seem to look like grapes, is in front of the african american man at the bottom of the drawing, but when drawn around him, seems to be behind him. I think that has a more in-depth meaning which I wish to find out.
To be honest, I really have no clue what the other two artists were thinking when they made those paintings. They seem so… weird and out of the ordinary.
Overall, I don’t think that the reviewers were correct when they said stuff like, “But the paintings’ slick surfaces usually felt dead and mechanical, despite having been painstakingly handmade; their compositions were often fussy and unstable, and the men’s posturing, however undercut, could seem defensive, if not misogynistic.”
I think the author has his own meaning. Deeper than one can comprehend. Or that’s maybe just what I hope.=)
p.s. sorry for not posting last week. I didn’t know how to work e-portfolio, so I wasn’t able to log on. I’ll make sure I post an extra two.
Sorry again.
The article that caught my eyes is definitely “Playing God, The Home Game”. It was featured in the front page of the Arts Section in the Friday NYT with a huge picture of an animated dinosaur. It introduces this video game called Spore, which allows a player to control the evolution of a species. The game was introduced by Maxis and was designed by Will Wright. Once I read that it is by Maxis, I was even more interested in the game because Maxis is also the company that made The Sims, which one of the games I am completely in love with. I love these games where the characters in the game can grow and the player can see them develop day by day and control the outcome of what the characters will become. This Spore game contains really interesting-looking characters that are very cute even though they have weird features that make them look like aliens at the same time. The concept of growing these creatures and watch them evolve into their adult state is so amazing. I am pretty sure I will buy this game as soon as i see it on in the store. Man, I will also definitely look for more creative games by Maxis in the future.
Sophia Ling
One of the articles that definitely caught my attention is the one entitled “Digging Deeply into Depths of Poe.” I am a big fan of Poe’s short stories and I cannot believe they made the “The Masque of the Red Death” into a show, and it is being performed in New York. The article says that the show begins with the “The Tell-Tale Heart” and how the procession of people moves in a morbid manner to the eerily played sounds from the church organ. The actors that played the characters were described as “skeletal performers.” I think this is a very appropriate introduction of the show given the fact that Poe’s stories usually have dark settings, suspense, and gloomy moods. The grotesque personalities of the performers set the right atmosphere for the audience to enjoy the show.
Another article of interest is “Exploiting the Ordinary to Create the Ingenious.” It is about how the latest Picasso sculpture in the Museum of Modern Art resembles ordinary household items jumbled together. I think that it is very creative and unique. These sculptures are definitely not things that can be seen everyday. The shape of the human body is distorted but it still resembles what it was meant to be. He is brilliant to come up with the idea of representing the belly of a pregnant woman with a jar. Picasso is a true artist to create a sculpture from everyday items and amalgamate them into a finished product that resembles a person. Art is opened to interpretations and analysis. With Picasso’s structures, one can break down the final sculpture into the bits and pieces that it was assembled from. I have never been to the Museum of Modern Art before, and I would like to go and see these new sculptures that have arrived!
My favorite article from the Friday’s NYT is “What the British Saw When They Look at China” This article was so interesting because it was about Chinese influence on British Art. I never knew they had a form of decorative art called Chinoiserie and it was something that West created that they thought looked like East. I’ve read of European art and lifestyle that had influenced the Chinese but this is the first time I ever read of Chinese influencing Europeans or British to be exact. The article stated that Chinese porcelain had the value of gold and were usually put on cabinets to show off wealth. WOW! I honestly had no idea that Chinese art was valued that much by the British and it said that the British were inspired by the imports of Chinese porcelain, silk, and lacquer. They also have picture of a picture of a sculpture that has a Asian man holding what should be a drum but it is a French a clock. I was really amazed after I looked at it! It’s like a fusion of two cultures in an art work. The article also said that drawing of Chinese dragons were really popular and wearing Chinese coats and Chinese hairstyles were considered FASHIONABLE! Usually people look to the Europeans for fashion trends but imitating the Chinese!? I’m am really shocked. I think probably around that time the Chinese were trying to copy the way Europeans dressed. The Chinese men would wear suits and the women would curl their hair and wear European styled dresses. This article has definitely enhanced my knowledge about history and art!
One article that caught my interest was “Rejected Bits and Pieces of Dance, Recycled.” In “Accursed Items,” a dance performance produced by Mr. Dinwiddie, dances movements that have been rejected are now being reused! I really like the idea or “recycling” dance because it proves that anything can be art! Even if it was originally rejected!
Another article that I found interesting was “Playing God, the Home Game.” This new game, Spore, is much like many others because it allows you to live a another life, much like you would in SIMS. But it is also different from many other games because instead of controlling a human, you’re involved in the evolution of a creature! Even though the writer says that you’ll get bored with this game because it’s not very competitive, I think it will appeal to a lot of people because games like The Sims and Roller Coaster Tycoon were very popular even though they weren’t very competitive games! I’ve played all the SIMS games before and I loved it ( even though I could never get past a certain stage)! So now I’m really excited about Spore as well! 🙂
The article that I found interesting was “From Fight Dog to Man’s Best Friend.” When I first clicked on the link to view this article, the first words that I saw on the page were Michael Vick, since it was highlighted in blue. It was then I figured out what the article was going to talk about.
If whoever reading this hasn’t heard already, Michael Vick, a former quarter for the Atlanta Falcons, was caught and eventually jailed for his involvement in an illegal dog fighting ring. This article was a review for a two hour special named “Saving the Michael Vick Dogs,” which aired on the National Geographic Channel.
The dogs mentioned in the show were Meryl, Cherry and Georgia, and they all seem to be doing much better after they received aid. The most interesting dog scenario to me was Georgia’s since she was a champion fighter, which cause the owners to want to constantly force her to breed. However she was so violent that they had veterinarians pull out all of her teeth so she wouldn’t bite the male dog from the forced breeding.
My favorite article this week was “Artists, Toe the Party Line “. It is a fantastic article because it evaluates the artistic aspects of the painting without neglecting to assess the culture influence Mao held. Having lived in China for many years, I remember always being taught that Mao was a great leader and a hero for the nation in tough times. However, the cultural censorship that the government has doesn’t allow the people of China to gain information about his failed program and the massive deaths he caused. These paintings are amazing time machines, if you will, that take one back to the birth of prosperity in a defeated nation.
The paintings delineate times of struggle, confusion, and ultimately accomplishment. However, from this gallery, there aren’t pictures that show the millions of people dead from starvation, nor the schools and museums torn down in the Cultural Revolution (though there is a picture of a book-burning event). The picture convey many emotions and evolutions; but most importantly, they show the time period. A time of uncertainty when the poor were willing to do anything so that they wouldn’t starve, and turned to a maverick leader.
So while the picture in the front is a nice bright sunny day with farmers surrounding Mao and fields flushed with green, there is the desolate province, not shown, where the people are digging for anything edible. I really appreciated the writer of this article for shedding light on the pieces of Chinese art in this museum, but also for pointing out that there is much more detail behind the pictures.
One of my favorite articles from the Sunday arts section is the one entitled “Reasons That We’ll Always Have Paris.” It is about how currently museums in New York City will display art from the Modernist period from the 1920s and 1930s. The art focuses on that of cultural diffusion that has crossed the Atlantic between the United States and Europe. All of the objects on display will come from the Modernism period. I think it is cool to travel back in time and recover the pieces of art that have been neglected but are vital for understanding other cultures during that time period. It is fascinating to know that Paris has influenced New York in many aspects of fashion. I have been to Paris before and their fashion is so modern. I wonder what fashion was like in Paris during this time period? This again supports the idea of art appreciation and cultural diversity. The everyday items that we use, such as furniture, all have their roots from Parisian fashion. I think it is appropriate for the museums to exhibit these forms of art for tourists and New Yorkers alike to understand how forms of art are influenced by other cultures and that they are not just produced from a single source.
Another article that caught my interest is “On the Far Shores of Invention.” Although architects nowadays work exclusively for money, fame, and the giant corporations, there are still buildings-great pieces of architecture-that should be noted in New York. There are many examples of great architecture throughout the world, but I think the most fascinating is the low-income housing prototype created by Urbanus of Shenzhen in China. These housing projects will be built on remnants of leftover property to benefit the poor inhabitants of China. I think this is a wonderful idea because this project makes use of every piece of available land so that nothing is wasted. Also it is benefiting the laborers because it gives them a sense of connection. These workers help with China’s economy in many ways and should be given benefits, such as these types of houses to live in. Also the idea that they are building glass bridges in Beijing are fascinating. These bridges will be like urban streets and will enclose numerous shops. The last time I went to Beijing was seven years ago. I cannot believe how much it has changed, just from watching it on TV and reading about it. The city back then was so different from what it is now. China today is truly developing in many new ways. Not only is it a strong economical force in today’s world, but it is also adopting the most modern forms of architecture and using them to enhance Chinese culture.
The picture of the headless man in the article “Twisting His Fascinations With Instinct and Imagination” caught my attention. Art that has an imaginative idea behind it always interests me. I always wonder why and how the artist thought of the image that they drew. Some paintings are scary and some are funny but the paintings are all fun to look at because they are all so different from other paintings. The subject is usually something unique and the idea is something that we have never seen before. When others try to interpret what the artists’ intention was in creating a certain piece of art, I always think if the artists were actually trying to send a message. Many times this may be true but other times I think that someone creative just thought of something and drew it. Whatever the motive was, the paintings are very distinctive and very fascinating to look at.
I think I am going to be one of the watchers of “The Duchess” that was drawn to it because of the parallel to Diana. The plot sounds really interesting also. I had always been fascinated by Princess Diana because when I was younger, I was amazed that someone was actually a princess. As I grew older I read a lot about her life. I hope “The Duchess” will be interesting to watch and I’ll learn something from it.
“A Young Outsider’s Life Turned Inside Out” is an article about the young country/pop singer Taylor Swift. As a high school student, Swift says that she was always on the outside of the circle. But now as the title states, the outsider is now inside. I’m not a fan a country music. I don’t go online and look up country music to download. I don’t ask my friends, “hey do you know any good country music out these days?” But I was drawn to this article, because first I didn’t knw what it was about, and second because it was something I wasn’t very familiar with. Her songs have lyrics which many teenagers can relate to. I listened to some of the songs that the article mentions. I looked up the lyrics, and they weren’t sugar coated words on how wonderful life in high school is. I think that its important that lyrics should be about the truth and based on experience. Her songs aren’t about getting drunk at a club and rolling in stacks of money. I feel that anybody can relate to one of her songs. I’m not saying everybody should just stop listening to music that are “unrealistic” because then I would have to delete my whole playlist. But just because she’s “just another country singer” doesn’t mean her songs are about living on farm. Sometimes things, you don’t look for are something that you might end up liking.
“Spore” captivated by interest when I first saw Robin Williams toying with the computer game online about a year ago. I had always liked these so called “civilization” games, where the player creates a universe, or a family, or a pet, in his or her own liking.
“Playing God, the Home Game” is an in depth review of the aforementioned Spore video game, which is due to be released in less than a week. I very much enjoyed reading the article, for it provided a delicate balance between the game’s high and low points. As in any carefully devised review, it is essential to include elements of the author’s counterpoint in order to stabilize and support his or her main thesis.
Mr. Schiesel has, as he so proudly proclaims, spent about 60 hours playing Spore in his research. This alone qualifies him to carefully analyze the game’s many intricacies that may not be so apparent on one’s first, second, or even third glance.
I was also a bit taken aback by the author’s analyzation of the differences between a game and a toy. As the author describes, toys are the fundamental building blocks of games, which captivate an adult’s interest much more than a petty toy would. As he explains, people should take Spore as a toy rather than a game. This is an interesting argument, and anyone who has ever toyed with the Sims knows that a game with no clear objectives gives the user a fair amount of control to, well, just “toy” around.
And as the author has explained, there is a clear cut difference between a toy and a game. I personally enjoy objectives, so I wouldn’t find many things interesting about this game. Judging from his analysis of the game’s later stages, I would much rather wait until someone builds upon the foundation of this toy.
“The Risky Leap From Screen to Stage” caught my eye with its rather interesting title. The article is essentially about how various actors transcend the physical limitations of the silver screen to end up performing in front of an audience on the most intimidating stage of all: Broadway.
What I found most interesting about the author’s choice in structure was the fact that he included two of Tom Cruise’s ex-wives at the top of his list. I was hard-pressed to find out the amazing coincidence that both Nicole Kidman AND Katie Holmes would both be making the transition to Broadway. I personally feel that Katie Holmes is a terrible actress, and that not even the glitz and glamour of Broadway can save her now.
The author also relates transitioning to Broadway as a way to shed the degrading labels of “that girl” and “that boy” that are forever stamped upon the foreheads of certain actors that haven’t quite made their names household items yet (Daniel Radcliffe, star of the Harry Potter series.) The author makes a special point to indicate that Mr. Radcliffe will be going, as he puts it, “the full monty” in his performance. This translates to me as a pathetic attempt to shed the undeniably innocent and feeble typecasting to which he has since fallen victim.
The article also references Peter Sarsgaard, who happens to be one of my favorite actors. I saw Peter in Kinsey and though he was absolutely phenomenal. Mr. Sarsgaard, as opposed to Mr. Radcliffe, has acting abilities that will translate well onto the intimidating stages of Broadway. Furthermore, as the author has mentioned, Mr. Sarsgaard is no stranger to such acting, performing in a production called “Kingdom of Earth.”
I personally feel that a transition to Broadway can serve as a true diagnostic of an actor’s abilities. Performing well in front of a camera is one thing, but conquering stage direction and wardrobe changes is entirely different.
Li Tan (Lelia)
Several articles in the Times this weekend caught my eye. Of them, one was “Bill Melendez, ‘Peanuts’ Animator, Dies at 91.” I think this is a sad article. Though I never knew who the animator was, I always loved Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Reading this article, I also found out that Bill Melendez worked with Walt Disney and Warner Brothers. He helped animate Mickey Mouse Cartoons, along with movies like Pinocchio. I have always loved Walt Disney movies and it was quite interesting to learn that one producing these movies was also the animator for Peanuts. In addition, many of the movies he helped produce received Emmy awards. The article gave a small life story of Bill Melendez. It was interesting to know that his father gave him an Aztec name, which had to be changed because it was too long for credits. Haha. This was fun to read, even though it is sad that he has passed away. I know his works will be a great legacy.
Another TV show, “True Blood” is coming out. The article “Handsome Stranger? Be Careful. He Bites” gives a brief summary of what is to be expected. I think a world where vampires and humans live together is a creative, but not very original topic. In this show, there is a female role, Sookie, that can read people’s minds. I think that is something that would help the show a lot, because not many films have used it and it is catchy. It’s also very impressive that they include “Separate but Equal” into the show.
I think the new movie “Ping Pong Playa,” by Jessica Yu, will not be a great success. The article says there’s a surface level and one deeper, but not many people will be thinking that deeply while watching a movie for leisure. It’s covered in slang, where the characters imitate the languages of hip-hop dancers and gang members. I always found that when people try too hard to act that way, it’s not attractive at all. Though I will probably not watch this movie, I think the idea of combining ping-pong ( I love table tennis) and hip-hop is very risky, yet creative.
On the Sunday Times, I found the article “Creative Ferments in Worlds That Never Were” quite interesting. It talks about the new games that are about to be released some time this year. The picture featured of Fallout 3, shows incredible graphics for PS3 and XBOX 360. It’s set in America after a war, and this picture really gives a feeling that you’re actually there (though you probably don’t want to). Some other games that are coming out are Rock Band and Guitar Hero sequels. Though I think Guitar Hero already has many versions, the new one will probably be just as successful. Also, the idea that you can now download songs for Rock Band will definitely make it more attractive and sales will soar. Other games like Warcraft also have its new versions. I think people should really stop playing that haha.
I also found it interesting that directors are coming out with the new film “The Duchess” based on a historical time period, yet they have no primary sources of the mail character, the Duke of Devonshire. In the film, two rich women suffer from loveless marriage and resorted to having affairs. It focuses on the lives of the women, on how they have everything except love in their life. This film seems quite interesting and also stars many famous actors and actresses.
Jennie Liu
Last week, I caught the season premiere of ‘90210’, The CW’s reincarnation of the 90s hit “Beverley Hills 90210″and it was much better than I had expected it to be. In “Fancy-Schmancy Kids, Now Much Schmancier”, they talked about how new shows now that have taken over teenagers’ attentions. With shows like “Gossip Girl”, “90210” and “The Hills”, the lives of the “poor little rich girls” have taken a step further from those old portrayals as pathetic snotty girls. Nowadays, with the help of TV, the luxurious lives of America’s upper class youth have become a thing of dreams, idolized by lower-income teens everywhere: lifestyles led in reality by socialites and celebrities. My friends and I are fervent followers of the Gossip Girl series and no matter how much we scoff at the extravagant and drama-filled lives of their characters, we still find ourselves glued to the TV every time a new episode airs. Its interesting quite a few of the season’s new shows are based somewhat on wealthy young people with wild lives.
Another article I found interesting was ‘On the Town’ and Out of Town’, a piece on the annual Fall for Dance season later this month. A friend of mine was an dance major at Laguardia HS and I remember seeing ads promoting this show. It was always one of those things I was interested in seeing but never got around to going to. I remembered that one of our scheduled events this semester will be attending a performance at the City Center so I’m excited that I’ll finally be able to see it. :] I think it should be a fun experience getting a taste of the different types of dance forms out there that we may have only heard of but never seen performed.
“Mr. Natural Goes to the Museum” was quick to get my attention with its colorful front page debut in Friday’s Fine Arts Leisure section. It caught my attention to start reading it, and it held my attention until I was finished.
Comic books have been a part of my life since I was a little kid. I didn’t read them so much, but they were always around the house. My dad used to collect them, and whenever he would find a comic book at a garage sale or a flea market, he would pick them up. I always dream he would find a copy of something that was really valuable and get it for a great deal. I never really saw the comic books to be anything more than a collectors item or some nostalgic reading for my dad, and I especially didn’t see his comic books as art.
The comic books that I saw as childish and nothing more than a collectors item have found their way into the exhibits of the “sophisticated adults”. I found it ironic because after reading further into the article I realized how unsophisticated the comic on the exhibit seemed to be. The writer, Mr. R. Crumb, did not go to art school and had no more art training than what he received from his older brother when they were kids. To add to the irony of the comic exhibit, Mr. crumb sways away from contemporary artwork and makes the subject of his comics distasteful sexual fantasies and somewhat inappropriate and often offensive humor. Despite the comic’s appearance as just another comic, they do have some deeper meaning to it. The combined forces of offensive pictures and stories with their deeper meanings have landed Crumb’s comics into an exhibit.
I think its nice to see comedic comics like Crumb’s appreciated in a gallery. Its something I would never expect to be “art”, and something that I would never expect to be considered “art” by any art critic.
Mi Ji Kim
Mi Ji Kim
9/5/08
The title “’On the town’ and out of the town” triggered my curiosity. Not long after, I realized that this article was actually about the New York City Center’s annual Fall for Dance, which is an event that my IDC class is scheduled to go see. (Ironically, the author’s name was Macaulay!) I was actually happy to read the article because I wanted some information about the event before I went to see it.
The author notes that one regret the author had was to schedule his vacation during the dance festival. Then he trails off to talk about amazing mix of dances from the festival that he loves. The article then talks about a famous Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes and how other cities commemorates it. Is New York to surpass commemorating the creation of Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes? The article asks. The article states that New York embraces the outsider’s, meaning out-of-states, work and neglects the works of actual New Yorkers.
What an interesting point! New York is known to be a huge commuting place for many different choreographies. Who ever thought about the “actual” people who grew up here and steadily providing works to our state? I certainly never thought about it. This article, in the end, made me feel silly about myself. I let myself indulge with different cultures, but neglect all the beauty of my state.
9/8/08
Even though this article was written on Monday, I still wanted to write about it. An article “At the MTV Video Music Awards, a Big Draw, a Punch Line and, Now, a Winner” is about a television program which aired on Sunday night. This article especially draws close attention to Britney Spears. I was actually a huge fan of Britney Spears despite all the Britney haters among my friends. I honestly thought some of her songs were great to listen and her performances were great to watch.
For past years this pop star has been acting very- well, crazy. All of the pictures taken by paparazzi underscored everyone’s belief that she has cracked under pressure. I felt sad knowing that the celebrity who gave such amazing performances could not sustain her reputation. Lately, she has shown some improvements. And this led to the VMA. I read an article that she was showing up in VMA. Unfortunately, I did not know that the VMA was today so I missed her. This article, however, disappointed me because I thought she would perform. I found out from reading that Britney Spears not only showed up about three minutes and also said very little words (article did a good job to quote her in a sarcastic manner).
“Winners are rapidly forgotten, while one-time-only stunts, mishaps and freak-show oddities are remembered and endlessly replayed,” states the article. This quote shows the life style of celebrities: fierce competition everyday. Hopefully Britney Spears can change the views around. I hope she won’t end up as a once-upon-a-time popular star who could not control herself from tumbling down the mountain.
I found something really interesting, but it wasn’t from the new york times, but i hope it’s okay to write about it because everything is art!:)
It’s about a guy named John Titor. He claims he is a time traveller.
I found this really interesting because he says he came from the year 2036 to a year in the 1970’s to retrieve a part that he needs. Although these posts by John were from the year 2000, which was approximately 8 years ago, he predicted several things, which were both true and false. He said that the china olympics would not take place, but also backs himself up by saying that we live in different universal worlds meaning that there could be a 2.5% chance of difference in each of our worlds, so different things can happen.
He said that a science group would soon find a way of time travel, but two things might happen. That group would either find a way to time travel, or it could go wrong and make a black hole, which will probably kill most, if not all of us.
On monday, a group has this 18 mile crate which they will be using to perform a way of time travel, so his prediction came true.
Although many people, including me, are skeptical, im curious to see what might happen in the future, and if we really will find a way to time travel.
From the 9/8 NYT I thought this article was interesting “New Museum Buys Adjacent Building” I realized looking at the picture and from the address it’s near the YMCA that I usually go to. Ironically I’ve never passed by this place or maybe I just didn’t notice it. The around there has always been pretty deserted and and its not the greatest area so I find it weird they have a modern art museum around Bowery, but it seems to be doing pretty well and the article states that galleries and restaurants just keep opening around there now. Hopefully this museum maybe even transform the area into a lively atmosphere. It’s the only manhattan museum dedicated to contemporary art! The building looks like tetris pieces haha. I will definitely go check out this place since I will pass by it going to the gym!
(Finally got my log-in to work… ^v^)
Glancing over the 9/7 edition of the New York Times Art section yesterday, I caught a glimpse of something I thought I’d never have to see again. The story was called “Reasons That We’ll Always Have Paris” – but for me, the article might as well have been called “Reasons Why I Severely Disliked Modern Art in High School”.
The article primarily details new, upcoming exhibits opening in right here in Manhattan, featuring modern artists (mostly French, of course, as the title would indicate) such as Joan Miró, Alexander Calder, and Jean Chassaing.
The primary reason for my immediate repulsion was the unassuming little thumbnail in the middle of a page, a tiny print of Joan Miró’s 1928 piece, “Dutch Interior I”. Seeing the strange, distorted shapes and wacky colors brought me back to my high school Art History class and the seemingly endless pieces, endless slides, and endless debates about modern art. There’s no question that I love some aspects and periods of art history — but modern art? I’d pretty much just studied the material, got on with the test, and quickly forgotten all I could about the sordid business.
However, I will freely admit that my viewpoint on modern art has changed a little bit (if only just a little) since my high school days. Granted, I still can’t quite grasp the concepts some of these artists come up with (–Symbolism? What?? How is it symbolic if you can’t even tell what it IS?? I’m SO confused!!), but in way — like the article points out the the very beginning — I can’t help but appreciate the context in which the work becomes meaningful. Reminiscient of the late 1920s and early 30s, today’s lagging markets do make the art world a little nostalgic about previous times. Even ancient civilizations liked to do that — constantly referencing old times. Although ancient civilizations really only liked referencing the good parts of history and historical art pieces to make themselves feel better; Modern art tends to get conspicuously more cynical than that.
Heck, this art even makes me feel a little bit nostalgic. The last time I saw these pieces was in my dead-weight, one-thousand-something paged textbook. Now I have the chance to go see them for real. And maybe — just maybe — even rethink enough to get to know the artist’s head just a little better.
I, too, found the article “New Museum Buys Adjacent Building” interesting. It is because I was working at a place on Bowery and I saw this interesting-looking building and realized it was a museum. I knew it was an art museum but I didn’t know that it was the New Museum of Contemporary Art. It was exciting to find out that the museum is expanding and that it is the only museum in Manhattan that is dedicated to contemporary art. I just visited the MOMA today and I found the contemporary art gallery very fascinating. The article also talks about performances and video projects that are going to be featured in the museum and I am definitely looking forward to visiting these new installments. Other than this museum, I also wanted to visit the P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center that is located in Queens. It contains a Young Architects Program with the MOMA and I am a huge fan of architect and interior designs, so that is most likely one of the top places I would like to go to.
I really liked the article, “A Caricaturist, but No Funny Stuff Here,” because it brings to life the historical context of these pictures. Perhaps I’m establishing some kind of trend here… The article is about an artist named Szyk who, in addition to being famous for his many illustrations in books and covers for magazines such as Time , drew politically charged and historically rich pictures which include people such as Hitler and Mussolini. His drawings include everything from animals to pictures of countries. Though known for his attention to details, his pictures manage to convey messages that otherwise would have been missed if the beholder were meticulously scanning the picture.
Though hardly known in the U.S, Szyk was a patriot. While he was at times racist and intolerant, he died as an American patriot and respected the country. Although his views on Germany was less than friendly. The article is great, and the pictures are phenomenal. The illustration of Hitler from 1942 is a reflection of the time and really speaks words to me.
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