Category — Visual Art

*(I realized I never got the chance to upload this and just left it on my computer. So here it is now.)*

I went to the Gary Winograd Exhibit on its last day at the Met with my mom after a long day. Having already gone in for a shift at work and then to the Macaulay building to work on the Night at the Museum group project, I was physically exhausted and wasn’t sure if I’d be ready to analyze photography. I believe photography to be one of the most precise and demanding forms of art since it requires the upmost care, and often a meticulous work ethic, for a photo or photographer to stand out to me. Considering all the people my age with DSLRs it’s very easy for one to think they can excel in the field of photography.

This visit was also really interesting for me because I was going with my mom who used to be a professional photographer herself before she started our family. Also I frequently used to go with her to art exhibits and institutions, which we hadn’t visited recently.

I was astounded by Winogrand’s photography, from his simple but carefully chosen shots of everyday life and emotion in New York, to his atmospheric and oblique angle shots of Nevada and LA landscapes. Winogrand was an expert in use of high contrast in some of his earlier photographs and he knew when to capture real expression. A couple shots that stood out to me included one of a child holding a mother’s hand while in the waves at Brighton Beach and one of a little girl mimicking the anger and disgust of, who I would assume to be, her father donning a hard hat in a protest with other workers.

1) What is YOUR definition of art? Is it subjective or objective? Is the ratio of artist to a work of art 1:1, or are there really multiple artists responsible for a single work of art?

2) What is (in your opinion) the art “capital” of the world? Why?

When I went to the opera, I expected to enjoy the experience more than the actual opera. After I went to the opera, I found I enjoyed the actual opera more than the experience.

I was not expecting the opera to resemble a play or a show. The singers are also actors and there were actual sets. Not only was I surprised by the sets, but also I was also surprised that they moved and turned. The actual opera, the singing and acting, was my favorite part of the opera because I was not expecting much. I my mind, I picture singers on a stage, singing a play or performance. Similar to script reading, only the script is being sung.

However, I think I would have enjoyed the opera much more if I could see the singers/actors closer and if I could hear them better. I now know that they were singing without microphones and I know that it is amazing that their voices could fill the opera house like that, but I wanted to feel the music the way I did when Amanda Hick sang to the class. I know people probably say this all the time, but when Amanda sang to us, I literally got chills. I was also battling with looking at what was happening on the stage and reading the subtitles. I wish I understood French or that I had shut the subtitles off and just watched the opera.

I think I understood and I actually enjoyed the opera because I could follow the storyline. I understood that Carmen was meant to be this temptress and how she could ruin a character like Don Jose. She was very seductive and so willing to use her sexuality to get what she wants. She used it to wield this power and have men almost worship her. Don Jose gave up everything for her until he went mad. I also think I was expecting the opera to be so dramatic, similar to a Shakespearean tragic play.

Unfortunately, I was extremely uncomfortable while watching the opera. There wasn’t much room for my legs, not that I have long legs, but I get fidgety and I like to cross my legs. I did not have the room to do so. The velvet seats, although nice, were creating a wardrobe malfunction. Every time I would slide off or on the chair, the friction between the velvet and my jeans would pull my pants down. Not lying. And I just kept thinking about how uncomfortable I was the whole time. However, the velvet on the stairs and the giant chandelier were absolutely stunning. The chandelier looked like an explosion of beautifully shard glass.

I think I am ambivalent about my opera experience. I don’t want to say I liked it because there were things about it that I did not like and I don’t want to say I hated it because there were things I liked about it. I think if I ever get the chance to go again, I will definitely shut the subtitles off, pay attention to the seat choice, and wear a belt.

The American Ballet Theatre was absolutely beautiful. From the sets, to the dancers, to the music, everything was beautiful. Every single “act” brought something new to the performance and I enjoyed every single one.

The first act, “Sinfonietta,” seemed to be about symmetry. There was no real set during this act, which made me think that the focus must really be the dancing. The choreography seemed to alternate between one, to two, to a group of dancers. The dancers did a lot of running and jumping in this act. I noticed that they made the choreography look so easy, when I know it is not. I know that the dancers have to be in control of almost every muscle in their body during the dance. I cannot imagine the work and hours of practice that went into each practice. However, something I did notice that bothered me was the actual sound of the dancers shoes hitting the stage. For some reason, the sound of the ballerinas coming down on their feet distracted me from the actual dancing and the orchestra too. I know it is foolish to be bothered by it because these dancers are coming down on their feet with their full body weight and coming down after being so high off the stage. Still, the sound bothered me and I found myself paying attention to it often. The music in “Sinfonietta” was high-spirited and mimicked the high-energy dancing. I was heavily relying on the orchestra for some kind of story line, but then again, I think this act was meant to focus more on the actual dancing and choreography and not on a story line.

The second act, “Jardin aux Lilas,” was the most emotionally touching act of the entire night. This act’s story line was taking place in a garden, which was beautifully created on the stage, where there is a farewell party. The garden party is meant to celebrate or focus on a soon to be married couple, however, it ended up focusing on the tension between lovers. The bride appeared to be set up, or arranged to marry a much older gentleman, whose costumes varied much differently from the rest of the dancers. There was a longing between the bride and the man she truly loved and wanted to be with. The audience is left hoping and expecting a final kiss between the bride and the man she wants to be with. Unfortunately, this final, farewell kiss never comes. There is also tension and a different sense of longing between the groom and his mistress. The theme that rang through this act was yearning and longing. I also thought that this choreography told the story of how unfortunate life can be. Both the groom and the bride seemed to be aware that they would not be happy in this forced union and wanted to be with other people. This specific act, more so the scenery and set, reminded me of Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Nights Dream. I actually think someone(s) in the class mentioned it during the act. Something I think that is important to notice is that the title of this act, “Jardin aux Lilas,” means “Lilac Garden” when translated into English. The thing to note is that lilacs represent the emotions of love, which I see very fitting for this act. The dancing obviously mimicked longing and orchestra played softly. The music made me feelsad and almost depressed.

The third and final act, “Fancy Free,” was my personal favorite. This specific act seemed to be more along the lines of modern ballet, not that I would know (this was my first time seeing a ballet). The story was about three, humor-filled sailors. The sailors were spending “a night on the town” when they started competing for the attention of two dames. The sailors were competing for their attention and almost asking the women, “Pick me, pick me, pick me.” Their dancing was high-spirited. I almost forgot that I was watching a ballet when one of the dancers jumped on the bar table and jumped back off. The choreography of the dancing captured the humor between the sailors. At one point the sailors burst into fighting each other in a very sill manner that was hard to take seriously. The orchestra, of course captured this silliness. The music was light-hearted and I think it was also meant to capture the time period in which this story would take place, perhaps the 1940s or 50s. The way the act ended was neither woman choosing a sailor, I think they just walked out of the bar and in the middle of their fighting, the sailors did not notice. However, a third woman comes out and the cycle starts again.

     I definitely see myself going to another ballet in future. The only things I did not like about the ballet were the actual sound of the dancers shoes hitting the stage floor and the amount of clapping the dancers received. I did notice that the curtain was lifted around three times and the clapping continued for quite a long time. I thought this was basically feeding the dancers’ egos. However, after I thought about it, I think they deserved it. They made each movement and motion look so graceful and beautiful. I cannot imagine the amount of energy that went into each performance and I think that it is appropriate that their hard work be appreciated with a few rounds of clapping.

Before Thursday night, when I thought of ballet, I would think about those dreadful lessons I had as a 7 year old.  My mother forced me into ballet, so I unfortunately didn’t have such great memories of the art. I unfortunately quit ballet, and moved on to hip hop for the next 10 years of my life. I really do love the art of dance; but, ballet was simply not for me. As Alex said, it’s one of the more strict forms of dancing. All I remembered was commands such as, “point your toes,” or “fix your posture!” However, I went into Lincoln Center very excited because

1) I am no longer 7 years old

2) I am not the one that has to point my toes this time (thank gd)

3) I’ve never been to Lincoln Center before

4) Ballet truly is a beautiful art form and this time, I get to enjoy it in the audience!

The first act, while beautiful, was very traditional and simply met my expectations. I went in knowing that I would be in awe at how long the dancers were able to support themselves on literally the tips of their toes. Their elegance was lovely and fluidity through their bodies was incredible. It actually made me wish I was a good ballet dancer when I was younger. I enjoyed this act very much but was excited to see the next because Professor Ugoretz had mentioned that it incorporated a story. The dramatic love triangle drew me into the relatable story and performance. It really captured my attention and helped me to appreciate the emotion behind the performance. The third act was definitely my favorite! I never expected a comedic ballet performance and I was so happy to have seen it. For a few seconds, I actually felt like I was watching a Broadway play (minus the singing of course). It was the perfect entertaining I needed to end off the night. I laughed hysterically and  was still able to notice the incredible talent of all 5 dancers!

In the end, I realized how perfect the setup of the show was. It started with a traditional elegant performance that’s purpose was to reveal the raw talent of the dancers. The second brought about a relatable dramatic story that caused the audience to be emotionally invested. The third brought laughter throughout the theater and lightened the mood after such serious performances. All three performances balanced each other out perfectly, making it an amazing night for everyone in the audience!

The three performances done on Thursday night were all so different, but all equally enjoyable in different ways.

I had never been to Lincoln Center before (I think, unless that is where my brother’s graduation was held… I can’t remember) so I was excited to be able to watch a ballet performance there. I honestly came to Lincoln center expecting to just see the stereotypical girly performance, but I was pleasantly surprised with something very different.

The first performance was one that I did enjoy, but probably not as much as some people. I do not know the techniques behind ballet, so when I was watching the dancers perform, I could only be in awe at how impressive their body’s moved and not so much how they would angle and carry out their movements.

The second performance had a very nice story line to go with all the dancing. It was enjoyable to see the two females and males inter-mingle with one another with their dancing. It was a very nice way to show how much the people wanted one another, even though it was as if they would only be able to see the other from afar.

The last performance was honestly so hilarious. I mean come on, watching those sailors fight one another for those girls was funny. The solo performances that they had put on were also so amazing, and I was shocked by the split that the sailor did. This may have been my favorite performance of the night. However all three were fun to watch.

Although I was too short for the seat I was sitting in, I really enjoyed the opera. It’s my second time attending an opera. Both times I found myself thinking that I wish I knew the language so I could just watch instead of going back and forth to reading the screen in front of me (which was especially annoying because I only needed my glasses for the stage, so handling them was quite bothersome when I wanted to read the words). However, I realized that most people in the theatre probably don’t understand the language (just my assumption), and thought that maybe it’s apart of the art… I don’t know.

Anyway… Regardless of those small complaints, I still enjoyed watching the opera. I like the story line. It’s pretty cool that the main character is a gypsy because it’s like the hipsters of our time (free love for everyone-peace). Their voices are amazing! The fact that they are able to sing the way they do is incredible!

Within the dialogue there were a bunch of references to previously said things. For example, in the very first scene with Micaela, the guards call her a bird that is flying away (out of the fence—like a cage)… They’re potential love interest just flew away. That was explained when Carmen started talking about Love as a bird that can’t be caught or caged. That was cool to notice.

Also, I don’t know how true or consistent this is, but Carmen first warned the men that if they love her, she won’t love them back (and beware). Don Jose didn’t love her back and that’s why she loved him (she loves the one who doesn’t say anything). Then he starts to voice his love for her and she starts to lose interest in him… She warned him!

Of course I have to mention the last act! The bull fight in the arena and the fight between Don Jose and Carmen were happening at the same time to play off of one another. It went even further to show that just as Carmen was killed, the bull was killed too… Or maybe Carmen was the bull. A wild thing that couldn’t be contained and was finally put to death. That was great!!

And shoutout to a lot of you—Alex and Ana Luiza in particular—for adding to the entertainment. 🙂

I was really excited to see the ballet, and for good reason… I loved it! To begin with, I love to go to Lincoln Center (not that I’ve been there so many times beforehand, only a few). I love the feeling right before we go in to see the performance; all dressed up, excited for what is to come, anticipation for the feelings I’m going to get from the performance…

So about the ballet. I really was amazed by it all. During the first ballet I started to notice that the ballerinas weren’t all in synch with each other. I got a little disappointed, but then I realized that I can’t even do a quarter of what they’re doing so who am I to criticize? After those thoughts I decide to focus on the actual movements of the body.

As I looked at their legs moving so gracefully, I thought that it is something that should be so effortless, but it’s not. I started to think of the way we all walk on a regular basis. Now, it seems so clunky and ungraceful. When we were going back home, I wanted to badly to be able to dance like a ballerina, so gracefully.

Another thing I thought when I payed attention to all their movements was yoga. I just did a yoga class this week and it was really hard for me, well, because I’ve only done yoga once or twice before in my life. Some of the dance moves that the dancers performed reminded me of some yoga positions. For example, in the last ballet, one of the sailors was standing on top of the bar and quickly changing positions. A lot of those positions were the same, or similar, to some of the positions that were really hard for me to do because of balance and flexibility.

Noticing how precise each move is really made me realize how hard it must be to keep a perfect form. Ballet really requires a balanced, flexible, strong body. Plus I love how well they can portray a story and evoke emotions (like in the second performance) without speaking, just body language. It was really beautiful to watch. Props to all you ballerinas and male dancers out there!

P.S. I really enjoyed hanging out with all you guys… You made it even more enjoyable than it was already!

This was not my first time going to the 9/11 memorial. I had visited when it was newly opened and you needed tickets to enter. This time was entirely different. I was immediately surprised at how many people were actually at the memorial. When we met up at the corner I actually thought it was just a park. The memorial itself was not what I expected I don’t really understand the concept of two black holes in the ground. Seeing the water descend into nothing inspires a somber mood, but not one that particularly made me remember those who lost their lives and how horrifying that day was. The fact that there was all these tourists around posing and smiling taking pictures really bothered me I feel as though the memorial did not do a good job of portraying its true purpose.

The Vietnam War Memorial was a completely different experience. When we got there, the sun was beginning to set and there was no one around. It really didn’t look like much at first but as I got closer i could see there was writing on the mural. This to me was the most important element of the memorial. There was a letter from a soldier to his girlfriend saying how he cant get the images of his friends’ gruesome deaths out of his mind. This was very powerful it made me think and appreciate the sacrifice of those soldiers.

This is a photo outside my home in the abandoned areas of Staten Island New York