I remember in class we discussed how art can be seen through different forms other than paintings and pictures. One of the forms in which I thought art could be seen would be sports. It’s amazing how athletes train their bodies and form themselves to perform to the best of their abilities. This was proof last night when I  attended the New York Knicks vs. Brooklyn Nets game at Madison Square Garden with Fady and Daniel.

Madison Square Garden itself is break-taking. Seeing the colors of blue and orange throughout the stadium was truly amazing. Not to mention the jerseys hanging from the rafters of some of the most greatest players in the history of the NBA such as Walt Frazier, Willis Reed and Patrick Ewing. The jerseys themselves are a piece of art because they represent the people who support that team. They’re a symbol of hope for the fans that look to them for support.

The game of professional basketball to me is a carefully choreographed masterpiece. The ways the teams develop their own plays to score is nothing short of brilliance. To see it play out in front of your eyes is like witnessing the birth of art. The way players run down the court, spinning and accelerating to avoid defenders while pulling up to take that 10 foot jump-shot or how the team crashes the boards to get a rebound after a missed shot is art at its best.

All in all, it was a fantastic game that ended in a great night. Not to mention the Knicks won as well! I think my belief of basketball being a form of art lies within the fact that my life has been centered around it ever since I was born. Basketball has brought immense hope and support to me which is why I can see the art within it’s works.

It’s like what Michael Jordan said in his Hall of Fame speech,

“The game of basketball has been everything to me. My place of refuge, place I’ve always gone where I needed comfort and peace. It’s been the site of intense pain and the most intense feelings of joy and satisfaction. It’s a relationship that has evolved over time, given me the creates respect and love for the game.”

Go Knicks!

On November 19th, we went to see a debate of Christmas vs. Hanukah. Coming into the debate, I thought that it wouldn’t really be that entertaining. I expected a group of amateur comedians saying corny punchlines in addition to jokes that no one really understood. However, it showed me that oral performance really takes a lot of work and truly is a form of art. The comedians had to appeal to us so we would like their performance and vote for their side. It’s almost identical to how pitchmen sell their products at fairs. In my personal opinion, the comedians weren’t really that funny other than the first male from the Hanukah team. Overall, the debate was entertaining but didn’t reach my expectation of “comedy.”

On December 6th, we watched a movie about Alfred Hitchcock and the making of his movie, “Psycho.” I expected to see a boring documentary about a old director who had a lucky movie. But what I got instead was an entertaining story about a man trying not only to direct a hit movie, but also manage other aspects of his life as well. The movie gave me insight as to how much work and effort directors/producers have to put into their productions. It showed me that it took a combination of perspiration and inspiration to make a movie, a true definition of art.

After the movie we went upstairs to see a stand-up comedy show. I noticed that stand-up comedians often use jokes that make fun of themselves to get laughs from the audience. I believe this is because usually people laugh at other people’s minor sufferings. The technique usually worked because throughout that night, whenever a comedian would make fun of themselves the audience would be in an uproar. Maybe it was also because half of them were drinking, but I’m fairly certain it was because of the technique.

Overall these two visits showed me that oral performance takes a lot of hard work and dedication. It requires a combination of inspiration and perspiration. Due to this, I believe oral performance is the best definition of art.

Coming into the opera, I didn’t know what to expect. Often I’ve seen clips of operas in movies in which only individuals of the higher society attend.  Therefore, I thought it would be full of rich people coming to socialize amongst themselves. However, upon arrival I saw that there was a mix of people who attend the opera. Most of them looked like regular people, not power-hungry individuals whose checkbooks speak for them before they do.

The opera itself was extremely intriguing. The plot was very interesting and had me captivated throughout the performance. The introduction with Ariel on the chandelier was nothing short of captivating. The orchestra managed to capture the moments of the play with the perfect music. I especially liked the way the director set up Prospero on one side of the stage for him to “watch” over what he was doing. The actors’ voices were amazing, especially Ariel. It’s unbelievable that she can reach such high octaves and yet still maintain a strong voice.

The visit to the opera changed my perspective of it. It puts a spin on the type of performing arts I’ve been used. I no longer think if it as something only rich people do, but as an exciting performance to watch.

On Thursday, October 4^th we went to see the play Luz at La Mama Theater. At first I was a little skeptical about the play because it said on the website that it was an experimental play. I immediately thought about a random assortment of events that I wouldn’t understand because it was a director’s idea of an “experimental play.” However, I was glad to find out that I could actually follow the events in the play.

What I liked the most was the role of the actors in the play. The concept of one actor having multiple roles during the play at first seemed strange to me. I thought it wouldn’t work and roles would clash with each other. To my surprise, the roles flowed throughout the play. The director/writer did an excellent job of distributing the roles among the actors so that none of them would clash.

The story of Luz was also very interesting. The subject of rape is a sensitive topic that is affecting people worldwide. I like how the story ended up with the lawyer saying her own story of how she was raped. It showed that no matter what situation or social status you’re in there’s a chance that you can be raped, which is an idea that we all should realize.

Battle between AWB and police at FW meeting, Ventersdorp

The photo I picked was titled “Battle between AWB and police at FW meeting, Ventersdorp” by Graene Williams taken in South Africa. The picture was divided in two by the formation of two groups of people, the AWB and the police. All the people in the photograph are caucasian males.  You can see from the photograph the distinction of the police wearing the traditional blue coats with blue shirts. Also, you can see the sergeant rank of one of the officer’s arms. You can see from the background that this FW meeting has taken place at night. Attached at the hips of the police officers there are gas masks while they’re holding guns in their hands. We can infer this means that they’re prepared to put down a riot using chemicals and even guns to subdue the ruckus.

The other half of the picture is of the AWB, an African political group. You can distinctly see a man screaming at the police. What makes him so distinctive is the red glove he’s wearing. It sticks out against the blue of the police officers and the darkness of the night sky. It seems to be pointing to the police as if to accuse them of their wrongdoings of apartheid. There’s also a club in between his legs which may mean he’s preparing the riot against the police. There are two other men standing behind the man with the red glove.

Most of the police have their eyes locked on the man with the red glove, while other officers are looking towards the crowd. The AWB have their eyes focused upon various police officers.

This picture shows the extreme split between the people of Africa during the time of apartheid. It shows that people are willing to result to violence to get what they believe is the “proper” way of life. The pictures captures the moment perfectly because we can literally see the immense tension rising between the two factions.

I’ve been living in Queens since I was 3 years old. Since my parents worked a lot I didn’t have anyone to take me to places I wanted to go, so I had to find a way around myself. Since I couldn’t drive a car as a kid, I mainly took public transportation such as buses and trains to get where I wanted to go.

Since I mainly went to places around Queens, each city was significantly different. Flushing was where all the Asian stores were located, Bellerose was where you found countless apartment complexes and Astoria was where all the adults went to work. However there was one unifying piece of art located in each of these cities that made them cities of New York, graffiti.

Graffiti was everywhere I went. On nearly every main road or convenience store you would see graffiti. Mainly it consisted of local gang tags but every once in a while you come across magnificent pieces of art in the form of graffiti.  Three-dimensional pieces of art would spring to life on the surface of a brick wall that would seem to grab at you if you came too close.

Graffiti is a free form art. There are no rules, no procedures to follow. Just an artist, a few spray cans and a brick wall. The possibilities of graffiti were endless.  It’s amazing to see an artist’s image in their head come to life on regular pavement you would walk on everyday without noticing it.

I believe graffiti represents Queens because of the fact that it can make something so ordinary, magnificent. You’re literally walking one day not noticing anything special about the pavement your stepping on. Then the very next day you’re gazing in awe at the beauty of a graffiti artist.

On Thursday, September 27^th we visited two memorials that were located in Manhattan, the Vietnam Veteran memorial and the 9/11 memorial.

The Vietnam memorial was in secluded place. It seemed as if not many people have visited as they would a regular war memorial. I believe this is because of all the mixed feelings surrounding the Vietnam War.

Vietnam War Wall

Once you enter you can see a great big green wall made up of what seems to be dense glass. What’s interesting about the glass is that it seemed to be transparent in some parts, but denser in others.

However, what was certain was that the writing on the glass was from soldiers who were in the war. These writing were mainly from them to their family members. One of them caught my attention more than the others. It was from a soldier who wrote to his father at his office. He explained to him that he wasn’t going to make it and that he wanted his father to relay the message to his mother because the soldier himself couldn’t do it.

On one side of the memorial there was a fountain. If you stood behind it at a certain angle, it almost sounded as if you heard artillery coming from the water.bIt gave me a feeling of what these soldiers had to go through while they partook in the war. Seeing their words on the wall while hearing the similar sounds they heard gave me a feeling of utmost gratitude. It made me thankful for them, to fight for our country’s beliefs and morals.

The 9/11 memorial was much more crowded. I believe this is the case because 9/11 was a more recent tragedy that erupted a worldwide concern. The 9/11 memorial will be forever held as an vital and essential memorial to the people that suffered during the 9/11 attacks.

9/11 Memorial- South Pool

9/11 Memorial- North Pool

Like the Vietnam Veteran memorial, the 9/11 memorial also used water. There were two vast pools of where the towers once stood. Each in the shape of a square, with a inner square of water as well as you can see from the picture above.  The outer square of water seemed to be more chaotic and the inner square of water seemed to be more at peace. I believe this was designed to convey how it really felt the day of the attacks. Outside the towers, people panicked with fear. It was chaos everyone, especially in Manhattan. But on the inside, it was a grim sober place. People were dying and losing hope for survival. It’s almost as if the water conveyed the spirits of the people who perished in the towers that day.

9/11 Memorial- Roses at na

9/11 Memorial- Rose at Name

Something that distinguished the 9/11 memorial from the Vietnam Veteran memorial was that various people placed yellow roses at the names of their loved ones. I watched in amazement as the family and friends placed roses at the names of their loved ones in tears. It then occurred to me the event that transpired on this ground nearly 11 years ago truly rocked the foundation of the world.

Spending time at memorials allows people to reflect about themselves. It allows them to be thankful for the people that sacrificed their lives, to make our lives easier to live by. Memorials allow us to step into the lives of numerous soldiers/civilians for a moment to grasp what they went through. It finally gave me the chance to thank our fallen heroes for committing the greatest acts of bravery the world has ever seen.

This past Sunday, September 9th I participated in the GO Brooklyn Art project. I mainly chose the studios around Brooklyn College (mainly Flatbush) because they were closer to me than the other studios.

The first studio I visited belonged to a artist named David Fry located in Flatbush, Brooklyn. He specialized in mainly “Surreal Art” which is art that is a mix of both fact and fantasy. One of his paintings that stuck out the most was entitled, Hecho Por USA.

The painting was a photo negative and if you shined a certain lamp across the painting, the real colors would show. I found the especially interesting because I haven’t seen a photo negative picture before that an artist made.

The second studio I visited belonged to a artist named Brian Fernandes-Halloran located in Prospect Lefferts Garden. I enjoyed viewing his paintings rather than the sculptures he made. What distinguished Halloran from the other artists I’ve seen is that he froze certain events in life and painted them. An example of this can be seen through his painting, Showing off the Dog.

 I found myself picturing what the man in the red was thinking of when he saw a ginormous beast pounce at him from the shadows. As if the dog was attacking him, rather than showing off. 

The third studio I visited belonged to a artist named Gregory Hayes. Hayes had a very similar style as Jackson Pollock. However, Hayes’ artwork was more structured than of Pollock. Hayes used numerous squeeze-bottles filled with paint and stood over a giant canvas consisting of small squares. Allowing gravity to do his work, Hayes dropped a drop of paint into each of the squares starting from the middle and continuing to the outside. The finished project looked something like this

Once I saw the painting, I didn’t see the colors or the structure of the painting. I saw an artist standing over this piece of work for countless hours on end, dropping each drop with precision and accuracy with the final product in mind.

The last two studios were in the same location. Chieko & Ernesto Pavone were a couple with their own studio. Ernesto Pavone dabbled in sculptures, paintings and various portraits of people. Ernesto mainly drew abstract faces with obscure meanings behind them. He did this with various brushes that he used ever since he was in Italy. Chieko had a very unique type of art. She used fabric and then drewon top of it. Each piece of fabric she used set a certain background for the picture. One piece of her art consisted of camouflage from a solider’s uniform and then drew animals on top of it, as if to have a jungle setting.  I unfortunately don’t have any pictures of either person’s work.

All in all, GO Brooklyn Art was very interesting. It allowed me to see different perspectives of people from all across the world right here in Brooklyn. It was a great experience that made me look forward to learning about various types of Art in the world.

Photobooth Profile- Ronny Antony