Category: Reading Responses (Page 1 of 11)

I feel inclined to explain the concept behind my art but I will not do that and instead let the art speak for itself. My inspiration came from a guy I met in my Grocery store today and he said that anything and everything can be described through bananas. I used the posts that I made that I am most proud of.

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Reading the text is not necessary, The text is just posts that are already on the blog.

Ever since I was a child, my mother was determined to incorporate me into the world of fine arts, especially music. She began by introducing me to classical instruments at the age of 4, and ended by sending me to a high school with a reputable music program. I don’t completely understand why influencing me with music was so important to her, as she hardly played any instruments nor was she particularly interested in the fine arts. I feel that it might have been to give me some sort of leverage when it was time for me to apply to college. I can’t say because I don’t know. Unfortunately, this did not result in any passion for music on my part. I realized that the fine arts were not my “cup of tea”, and so after high school, I decided to give it up all together. That’s why at the beginning of the semester, I wasn’t particularly excited for IDC.

I was slightly taken aback by the Mood Diary assignment. I enjoy following directions, so the lack of was intimidating to me. So I began the thought process by thinking about what I felt when being exposed to the art that was presented so far this semester, and to my surprise, I realized that there was a significant amount of emotion attached to each experience that we had. What surprised me even more that I felt this way with forms of art that I never showed much interest in before. For example, for the Portrait Essay assignment, I went to the MET in order to find something to write about. I stumbled upon an exhibit of sketch work, and I remember feeling emotional connection with some of the pieces that were present. One of the drawings that struck me the most was a portrait of Jesus Christ with his crown of thorns. It wasn’t the religious connotation that stuck out to me, but how each stroke seemed to complement the despair on his face. They were just lines and curves, but electrified movement that gave Jesus’ face significance past his aesthetic. I felt sensations of sorrow and grief, again, not because of the religious meaning behind Jesus, but the genuine emotion that shrouded the structure of his face.

There are so many other experiences from IDC that gave me some sort of cathartic sensation that I wasn’t expecting to have. The experience reminds me of Marina Abramovic and her “The Artist is Present” exhibit that occurred at the MoMA. Along with some of her most famous works, Abramovic added a performance piece that consisted of a table with two chairs on either end facing each other and herself. She would be sitting at one of the chairs, and permitted spectators were able to sit in the other chair and look Abramovic straight in the eyes. The exhibit lasted for three months, and during those months Abramovic would sit in the same chair for hours without even the slightest sign of movement. Those who chose to sit across from her often found themselves tearing over the experience. The concept of the piece is so simple and doesn’t need to be taken seriously, yet for some reason, there is a dimension of emotion and sensation that surrounds the piece, making it more than just a woman sitting at a table. The same goes for the art that I’ve experienced so far this semester. A painting is just colors, a drawing is just lines, and a performance is just people moving around. None of it has to mean anything more than just that. However, it does. It means so much more than just what the eye can see, and when that meaning is experienced, emotional catharsis can be a result. In conclusion, The experience that I’ve had thus far have been far more than what I’ve expected, and perhaps it will please my mother when I tell her about my new appreciation for the fine arts.

http://Mood Diaries by bree112233 on GoAnimate

*Click on Mood Diaries for the video

The very first term of the article “History of Black Dance: 20 Century Black American Dance” bothered me a bit because it was not well-defined to me. What is Black Culture? In Africa, I’m sure each region had its own culture. In America, all African-Americans were bonded by the struggles resulting from their skin color and the gospel hymns sung over a century, from the time of the Civil War to the Civil Rights movement. With freedom to express themselves, Black Culture spawned the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s with dances like the Charleston, Jitterbug, and Lindyhop.

Now, Black Dance seems to refer to more racial diversity in a typically white dance world. “All black musicals disappeared from Broadway in the 1920s when white musicals started to employ more black performers and black dance was incorporated into their programme.” Stars like Josephine Baker, Florence Mills, Buddy Bradley and Arthur Mitchell broke the racial barrier by performing in previously all white arts (musicals, Broadway, American Ballet). This is a step toward including a more accurate representation of a racially-rich America in art.

Katherine Dunham and Pearl Primus elevated black dance to be revered as much as white dance. But to do this, they traced black dance to its roots and traditions. This seems to show that Black Dance stems from Africa.

Should art be a melting pot where all cultures mix together or a salad bowl where each style maintains its identity as separate? On one hand, we can make all art racially mixed. On the other hand, we can respect and revere the art of other cultures the same as we do to white American art while preserving the cultural origins and identity. Both approaches are sound. Which one do you think will be most fair? Do we preserve Black Culture, or assimilate it?

Dance to me is a way to express. The movements, music, everything conveys an emotion. Yet we don’t know why and/or where these emotions stem from

The article, “History of Black Dance: 20th-Century Black American Dance“, explores the origins and story behind the choreography as well as the dancers. Dance is a culture and its history told in movements. Especially inspiring is black dance and the story it tells. Many don’t realize that the stem of historic dance trends often stem from Harlem. The oppression and constriction that blacks faced back then did not stop them from expressing themselves. Whether it was enjoy themselves or to get themselves ready to overthrow their masters, the form of dance was a type of freedom that everyone has.  Dancers like Josephine Baker, Florence Mills, and Buddy Bradley are only a few black dancers who are an inspiration to many. They stood behind their restraints and achieved so much.

In the article Choreographer Kyle Abraham discusses “The Watershed” and “When The Wolves Came In”, Quinn Peterson shares the interview with Mr.Abraham. Kylie Abhraham brings up a great point that, “when you put a Black body on the stage, there’s already an inherent story that’s going to be told. And when you put that Black body on stage with any other dancer, the story shifts based on the history that whoever is watching it has already experienced.” As a artists who has achieved a lot, its amazing to see his point of view from the history to the story of dance and its meaning.

These articles allowed me to view a different side to dance and not only the movements but also the story behind each performer. With this background in my mind, watching the video performance gave me a different feeling. It made me view the performance as not just dance but also a story.