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Recently, there have been news about women in Hollywood – actresses and directors alike. While there has been more of a focus on how much an actress is paid compared to a actor, the article At Doc NYC, Women’s (Film) Work written by Mike Hale, focuses on women directors.
Doc NYC is “the largest festival of documentary films in the country” and this year it so happens that the opening and closing night and centerpiece documentaries were all directed or co-directed by women. Women only make up 18% of first-time television directors, almost 10% of studio films directors, and just below 5% of box-office hits directors. For independent films and documentaries, the percentage is higher however. At this year’s Doc NYC, the percentage is 37.5 percent of women directors which is a huge improvement.
Some of the documentaries that will be shown this year are about the lives of powerful and influential women such as: Janis Joplin, Mary Louise Wilson, Elizabeth Streb, and more.
In this article, the director of the Janis Joplin documentary, Amy Berg, brings up a very interesting point. She says, “I think women look at women so differently than men look at women, obviously, I feel like for this personal and intimate a story, it helped that I was a female”. Another female director said she may feel more empathy and understand the female actress more, but a male director can direct a documentary or movie about a female protagonist just as well. For example, “Amy”, the film about Amy Winehouse is well directed by a man. Another director said that a woman director “brings more compassion to their filmmaking than a male director does”. These conflicting views makes me think of some questions. Since most directors are male, and they can’t connect well to female characters, is that why many of the female characters we see today on screen are highly sexualized and one-dimensional? Also, would having more female directors mean more films and movies portraying women as strong leaders and change Hollywood’s portrayal of women? I don’t have a definite answer.
I definitely agree that a woman director would understand an actress more and connect better, but that’s not to say that a male director cannot do an equally good job at directing a film with a strong female protagonist. There just has to be an increasing trend of male directors choosing to add more female characters into their films and portray them in a different light. Although there are conflicting views about the ability a woman director and a male director has when directing films about strong female characters, the article does assert one claim that there should be more women directors.
By choosing to direct and film female subjects who are strong and have dimension, this can influence the way Hollywood portrays women in movies. Many movies we see today mainly consist of male characters, and if there is a female character, she is sometimes highly sexualized.
By making independent films and documentaries about these strong female characters, hopefully it will make its way to the rest of Hollywood.
By the way, Doc NYC is from November 12-19 in Manhattan theaters
Black American dance starting from the Harlem Renaissance has come a long way and has been the start of many popular dances in America and other parts of the world. Some popular and iconic dances are; the jitterbug, Charleston, Lindyhop, and many others. The article, History of Black Dance: 20th-Century Black American Dance , gives a lot of information about the history of Black American dance and lists many men and women who were pioneers and leaders for the creation of new dances and who were responsible for spreading it throughout the country. Many of them took from and researched other countries and ethnicities and brought it back to America by integrating it with dances thus creating something new, fun, and expressive. These people were able to take from their cultures and introduce it to the rest of the world through art and expression that everyone can be a part of.
Going through the times, Black American dance has evolved and became part of others kind of dances such as modern dance. Like the rest, Black Modern dance does not disappoint either.
I personally am not a fan of modern dance. It is too abstract and from the dance performances I’ve seen, they are always slow, haunting, and the dancers are too expressive and loose with their bodies and limbs. I will also admit that some modern dance performances can be called weird to me because I simply can’t understand or comprehend it. However, when I watched Kyle Abraham’s “The Watershed” and “When the Wolves Came In”, I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. The music accompanied the dancers was a jazz song with a woman singing live in the back of the stage. The dancers were actually wearing clothing that matched the theme or message trying to be conveyed which makes it a lot easier to interpret instead of if the dancers wore tight leotards. It was more lively and it wasn’t as abstract and open as others are because of the use of music, imagery (projected on the screen), and the dancers themselves.
However, although I do know what the theme or general idea of the piece is about, it is still difficult for me to interpret or analyze the little things or details of the dance. Modern dance is very open to interpretation for many specific dance moves or the positioning of the dancers or just the interaction of certain specific dances can mean different things. It is a lot to think about. Even after I read the interview with Kyle Abraham and he explained somewhat about the two performances, I understood only a little more than I did before but not everything.
I will, though, enjoy watching the dance performance very much when I see the actually thing. Maybe, when I watch the whole and full performance, I can interpret or analyze some more.
I really liked reading “Turnadot” by Giacomo Puccini. Did I enjoy the parts where Liu was begging to be tortured while proclaiming her love and killing herself with a dagger, or when the servants threw half-naked ladies at the feet of Calaf? No, I didn’t. I did feel some disgust at certain parts of the dialogue. However, I couldn’t stop reading, and I found myself wanting to know what would happen next.
In summary, Turnadot is a princess who does not want to be possessed by any man because of her ancestor who was treated badly by a male. So, anyone who wanted her hand in marriage had to answer three riddles. If that suitor failed, he was executed. One unknown prince (whom we never find out where he’s from) has a slave and is reunited with his father. He sees the princess and falls in love. He takes the challenge to answer the three riddles and succeeds. Between this and the next dawn so much happens. Liu, his servant, proclaims her love for him and kills herself. Calaf is horrified but still tries to woo Turnadot and succeeds by forcing a kiss on her. She melts from his expressive love and they live happily ever after. The end.
Once summarized, it’s a pretty short plot. But the opera lengthens and draws it out with so much dialogue and emotion, that the readers learn so much. While there may be many points in this opera to argue and discuss about, there is no doubt that this opera has hooked the readers or audience. As an example, for myself, I was very anxious and eager to see if Calaf could answer the riddles or not. And when he did get all of the answers, I was very surprised.
After watching the videos though, I had a different feeling. When reading the opera, I read how cold and angry Turnadot was. Yet, it was difficult for me personally to feel that anger and frost from Turnadot when she was singing. Singing opera is so melodic, it’s difficult to feel any anger coming from the singer. I definitely could sense and see any feelings or emotions of love or romance. If I hadn’t read the opera before watching the clips, I would assume that the singers were singing about a tragedy of wanting love or singing about a new love experience. Maybe it had to do with the music, which didn’t really express any anger or negative emotions.
Anyways, I’m looking forward to watching the Opera and hopefully it will change my mindset.
Art makes us feel many different emotions – pain, surprise, joy, or even confusion. Art is also a great way to get people more involved and interested in the social issues in our world today. One very popular method is comedy.
In the article, Eddie Murphy Accepts Twain Prize with Jabs and Bill Cosby Jokes , the author, Jada F. Smith celebrates Eddie Murphy’s receiving the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. The Mark Twain Prize is awarded to comedians who are not afraid to talk to the public about controversial social issues. However, because these are comedians, of course, they add their own special twist. Using humor, people watching or listening to these celebrities are not only amused by the endless jokes, but become aware and interested about touchy issues some people do not talk like to discuss.
Mr. Murphy certainly did not forget that when he brought up Bill Cosby – a much talked about figure who has been accused of sexually assaulting dozens of women. He even took a step further to imitate him. “‘I would like to talk to some of the people who feel that I should give back some of my trophies’, Mr. Murphy intoned in character.”
The voice of Donkey from the movie Shrek is just one of the many examples of comedians who have demonstrated and proven to the public that comedy is not all about making fun of certain people or being mean to them. Comedy creates a very easy-going and comfortable environment where people come together to enjoy themselves and learn at the same time. Comedians, such as Eddie Murphy, can take certain controversial issues or figures into their act, and turn it into a positive experience. What many people don’t realize is the amount of power and influence these comedians have on us.
On a side note, laughter is the best medicine there is. Tracy Morgan, another comedian, spoke of when Murphy was the first person to call him and make him laugh after Morgan was involved in a terrible accident.
As said before, comedians – like all other well-known people – have immense power. It’s up to comedians, such as Eddie Murphy, to use this power and their skill to make people laugh to bring up social issues that people need to be aware of. Comedy is a very powerful form of expression because – and that I can confidently claim – everyone loves to just relax and laugh for a moment. Whether we are watching Youtube, a television show, or a movie – it is possible to get a good laugh and become more involved with the social issues that surround us every day.
And just a very inspirational and thought-provoking quote from the Mark Twain prize winner himself:
“You know what else everybody likes? Parfaits. Have you ever met a person, you say ‘Let’s get some parfait.’ they say, ‘Heck no, I don’t like no parfait?’ Parfaits are delicious.”
The Awakening of Spring by Frank Wedekind is not too long of a play to read yet it is filled with so many shocking topics that society does not and did not really address such as – suicide, homosexuality, sex, abortion, and etc. As I read this play, I was very surprised to find what I was reading .
Throughout the reading, most of the dialogue was simple and short in the interaction between certain characters. However, through the words the character exchanged between them, the readers are able to know instantly what the topic is being discussed and is definitely astonished about the content of the dialogue. I certainly was. Frank Wedekind is very successful in squeezing in many topics that children maturing into young adults find themselves thinking about or involved with. One can also say that the content of this play can be relatable to some teens in today’s society. Wedekind writes of a play from the adolescents’ perspective and what they have dealt with or thought about when growing up into teenagers and adults.
One main theme is education – a very important subject for students and parents alike in any age. Moritz is very focused on his education and passing his exams. And when he learns to discover that he disappointed his parents, Wedekind describes through the dialogue of certain people of his suicide.
Another main theme is innocence of children and them losing their innocence. For example, Wendla is a fourteen year old girl and she in page 109 is begging her mother to explain to her how a baby is made. She no longer believes that the “stork brought the baby in”. And once she finds out, she finds herself involved with Melchior and she is pregnant. She later on dies from trying to have abortion.
Many of these themes or topics are talked about and described among the children in their actions and dialogues in simple terms which can evoke some criticism. However, the main point gets across, and the rest is up to the imagination and creativity of the readers. It will be definitely interesting to see the actual play’s interpretation of this thought-provoking and this curious piece of writing
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“Figure in Hammock, Florida”
1st re-creation
2nd re-creation
3rd Re-creation
Honestly, reading Every Portrait Tells a Lie by Debra Brehmer and How John Singer Sargent made a Scene by Sarah Churchwell interested me a lot more than the previous two articles. I was able to understand more and know a lot more general and personal information about John Singer Sargent.
In “Every Portrait tells a Lie”, Debra states outright that “every portrait tells a story and that story… (tells) a lie”. What one may see on a canvas or in a frame may not be the reality behind it when it was being painted or captured. All portraits, and many photographs, are staged of course. Sometimes, a portrait or a photograph may not represent the actual reality of what one sees.
This is why I like taking and being part of candid photos – they aren’t staged and they capture what really is happening at the moment – good or bad.
But even though Debra states her own opinions about how subjective portraits are because the artist paints what he or she sees in the model, the article praises John Singer Sargent for his mastery in painting portraits and does have many positive things to say about them.
“Portraiture is a sad art. It’s gone but it remains” – Richard Avedon. Portraits capture a moment – whether or staged or not – and remains forever even though the model of a person may pass away. John Singer Sargent has certainly captured a “life” in those paintings and preserved it throughout time.
The “How John Singer Sargent made a Scene” article is very detailed and gives a lot more personal information about Sargent. It contains many quotes from his contemporary colleagues and peers that praise him. For example, Henry James has a lot to say about his best friend Sargent. He praises John Singer for “creating a realistic portrait”.
Even though many people praised John Singer Sargent for his portraits that were a picture of reality, many also criticized him.
For example, when Sargent painted Madame X , many criticized and “objected to Madame Gautreau’s appearance (some complaining at the powder-blue pallor of her skin, others at the depth of her décolletage or the shockingly wanton shoulder strap allowed to fall suggestively loose) or hailed the modernity of Sargent’s technique”
It’s hard to believe that back then, what Sargent painted was considered “modern”. Maybe, in the future, for example, everyone will fully accept Modern Art because some people criticize it as not art at all.
This article also answers some questions that my fellow classmates have asked before – Is John Singer Sargent American or European? Near the end of the article, it says, “Late in life, Sargent declined the honour of knighthood, because he was American” This answers the question – John Singer identifies himself as an American.
This article was very detailed about the personal life of the painter and musician John Singer Sargent that extends beyond his art – such as his alleged affair with one of his models, the questioning of his sexuality, and much more. Before we only knew about John Singer Sargent the painter and his influences in art; now, we know more about John Singer Sargent the person.
(Self Portrait)
This is John Singer Sargent – an educated and very cultured American painter who made a reputable name for himself despite criticisms by painting many forms and styles of art – murals, portraits, watercolors, genre scenes – and and displaying it to the public world successfully.
When reading the simple art biography of Sargent, I was very interested in the kinds and styles of art John Singer learned about during his journey on to be a successful and respected artist. In May 1874, Sargent was taught under Carolus-Duran who urged his art students to just paint on the canvas suddenly instead of outlining or practicing any drawings first. This was to “preserve the freshness of the sketch in completed works”. It’s difficult to imagine someone going straight to the canvas and paint a whole picture without any idea on a piece of paper to assist him or her. If I were one of the students, I would take a bit of paint with my brush, put it on the canvas, be unsatisfied, and would have to start all over. Again and again.
Sargent later on went to gain reputation for his portraits and subject pictures when he started to submit his paintings when many people demanded and commissioned him to paint their portraits.
Henry James, the author of “Picture and Text” explains in great detail about some of the portraits of John Singer Sargent painted. He describes how Sargent was able to bring something alive from his paintings of the people who modeled for him. Sargent could paint reality and display it to whoever saw and admired the portraits. The audience could feel something and react well to the paintings. I felt like Sargent had portrayed directly what he saw when he was painting his models. One could say that his portraits were like photographs, but his brushstrokes conveyed much more than that and expressed a lot more.
A good example is Madame X, one of John Singer Sargent’s best-known portrait.
However, the portrait elicited criticism for Sargent’s “indifference to conventions of pose, modeling, and treatment of space”. What he painted was unconventional and different from the usual type of paintings in that time period. When I started to look and scrutinize some of John Singer’s paintings, I do have to admit that I had a questionable look on my face. The way some of the models had their hands positioned and what they were holding or what they were posed next to did cause me to be a little confused.
But like all artists, Sargent had a reason to pose his models as so which created some sort of reaction to the people who saw his work – regardless if it was bad or good.
Later on, when many Americans were eager to sit for Sargent, John Singer once again began to gain popularity for his portraits. He jumped over the obstacle of criticisms.
Similar to some other artists, like Thomas Eakens, John Singer Sargent wanted to do more than paint portraits. He branched out to mural paintings for institutions such as the Boston Public Library, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, and the Harvard University library. He branched out even further to do watercolors. Later on, Sargent had a great reputation in painting not only portraits, but murals and watercolors paintings.
Karer See, 1914
His watercolor paintings, in my opinion, do not portray as much as a sense of realism than I received from his portraits, but Sargent creates more of a dream that sticks in the person’s mind after seeing it. He gives us just a little glimpse of the beauty of the scene he was painting.
I have many hobbies – reading, writing, hanging out with friends, and listening and playing music. But the thing I’m most passionate about is Disney World.
I know, many people would say to me, “Disney World? That’s for little kids” But did you know that everyone has his or her own Disney age? Just add the two digits of your actual age. So technically, we are all little kids.
And, Disney is for people of ALL ages.
The endless surprises waiting around the corner, the random acts of kindness that happen for a little kid or maybe an adult, or the amazing secrets one can find at Disney World amazes me and everyone else in the park every time we go to Disney – the most magical place on Earth.
I am always giddy with excitement when I see everyone else in their awesome Disney attire and wearing their Mickey ears as I walk through the parks.
Almost every other year, my family plans to go down to Orlando, Florida to go to all the parks at Disney World. It’s something I look forward to. I may not be the most organized and put together at school, but when it comes to Disney, I plan everything. Before the trip, I create a second by second schedule, planning when we go to which amusement ride, where and when to eat, and when to go the bathroom. (Yeah, I get a little bit crazy).
I search the quickest and easiest way to get to each ride, when is the best time to go on each ride, how to avoid the crowds, etc. Sometimes, it drives my family crazy when I dictate where to go. But, even they have to admit, it’s very efficient.
So from 8:00 in the early morning we go through the whole day of fun until we watch all of the fireworks at night. It’s truly a magical sight to behold. And Disney World is where I’m the most happiest.
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