Melanie Boyce – The Arts in New York City

Heart vs. Head

The most unique characteristic of art is that it will never be the same. People who create it express different emotions, feelings, values, and beliefs into their work, truly making it their own. People can interpret it in different ways, but only the artist knows the true meaning behind his or her art. Science, on the other hand, must meet a unanimous consensus with everyone before it becomes truth. To create a mutual understanding of the world around us we cannot have various interpretations of it (for example, when understanding the shape of the earth, there cannot be 3 varying answers [“It’s flat!” “No, it’s a sphere!” “I bet $5 that it’s an octagon!!!!!!!”]). Accepting that there can be interpretations of the scientific world would bring development and the evolution of technology and academics to better enhance our world to a standstill.

So, why is Art? It is because its one of the few ways in which we can defy logic. One can be correct and wrong, brilliant and an idiot, simple and complex. Insanity is welcome; miscalculations and wrong measurements can add depth. The only limit to one’s creation is the limit of their imagination. No one has to agree on a mutual understanding because there doesn’t have to be a set definition. Art comes from the heart, not from the head.

Beautiology

The concept of beauty seems to hold a lot of importance in our society. We see “beautiful” people in our magazines, TV shows, and fashion runways. Either you have it or you don’t. And if you don’t have it, there are plenty of plastic surgeons ready to give it to you.

Our chemical makeup is the first to determine what we find attractive. DNA, genetics, pheromones; they have the first say in whether we dig the smell of strawberries or are turned off by the sounds of a coffee machine. They trigger a reaction in us, telling us what we do and don’t like.

But sooner or later, we become influenced by outside forces. This includes family, friends, and the media telling us what shirt looks pretty on us, what color we should wear to bring out our eyes, etc. Our natural instincts on what we deem beautiful run through a filter, or even fuse with the perceptions of others.

With art, beauty is optional. An artist’s creation is his or hers alone; what is aesthetically appealing to one may not do it for another. But to respect an artist’s creation for what it is is beautiful in itself. The same goes for humans. Beauty can never be a necessary component in a human being. Its abstract, and brown eyes and freckles may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But depending on how much you take into account others’ ideas of beauty with your own, freckles may not be so bad after all…

MoMA and its attempt to control chaos

Last week was my first time visiting the Museum of Modern Art, and I came with a lot of expectations. Walking through the halls and seeing just a taste of what the museum had in its walls escalated my excitement to see our main attraction. And while the Punk Rock exhibit did give me a lot of information into a genre that I admittedly didn’t know much about, the curators made a poor mistake when designing the display.

The collage was a chaotic mixture of photographs, articles, and flyers of the musicians that brought the genre of punk rock from clubs of New York to the world stage. Unfortunately, this was all the chaos we were going to get out of the display. The rest of the exhibit was organized meticulously, from the perfect alignment of the album’s samples to the square shape of the music video stations. I felt like I couldn’t get into the music while encased within the pristine-ness. “Blank Generation” by Richard Hell and “Heart of Glass” by Blondie felt like they needed to be surrounded by color. I felt weird watching Dominatrix’s “The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight” in the bright lighting of the exhibit.

I felt that the designers could have put a little more effort into creating a vibe within the display that corresponded with the genre. It didn’t have to be anything drastic; dimmed lighting, obscured framing of the cases, colored light bulbs, or uneven placing of the music video stations would have achieved this without breaking their budget. I enjoyed everything that I saw and heard at the punk rock exhibit, but I wished that the curator’s didn’t try to conform the genre to be cohesive with the rest of the museum. It was misleading and the genre lost its authenticity.

Feel the truth ?…

1. We can all agree that art is abstract. With this in mind, we are forced to recognize that what we see won’t be the same art that everyone else sees. We all have different experiences and will come to different conclusions. However, there is no way to “see” the truth of art. Truth is a concrete, indisputable fact set in reality. You cannot argue that 2 + 2 = 4. It’s impossible. But art is open to interpretation. It’s liberated from the confines of the labels of “true” and “false” because it can be whatever the viewer wants it to be, even if the artist spells out “the truth” within it. Art is free. Because of this, it is possible for art to conjure an emotion from the viewer. While we will never get the truth of the art unless we ask the artist, we may be able to pick up on how s/he was feeling at the time while viewing said art (hearing a sharp strike to a piano, seeing the fluid lines of a painting, watching the quick movement of a dancer). The viewer may also feel something that the artist might not have intended for them to feel at all. But feeling doesn’t depend on anyone but the feeler.The feelings that arise while we view art help add to it’s mystery and can make it an experience.

Dance = Language ?

When we hear the word “language”, we usually think of information and ideas being exchanged through words. I’ve come to think of language as a communicative way of being able to exchange ideas and info with a person or with people through any means. If an idea is presented and understood between two parties, communication is made. With this being said, I believe that dance is a viable form of language that can be understood by anyone and everyone.

I have been fortunate to have take both American Sign Language and Choreography courses throughout my 4 years of high school. I initially thought the ASL class would be just a crash course in learning to converse with the Deaf. But I’m glad to say that the skills I’ve learned in the class not only helped me become fluent in the language, but also help my choreography skills as well. For example, not all signs require intricate fingering skills. Most rely on facial expressions, body language: emotions that play on the person as a whole. You cannot sign “sad” with a smile and upright posture. Your body must sag inward, your face must drop, your hands fall under your eyes to signify crying. Its a total-body experience.

The same goes for dance.When interpreting lyrics or a melody for dance, you must get lost in the song. You have to feel the words, not just listen to them. You have to extricate beats, break down harmonies for interpretation, listen out for certain instruments, and then convert the message that you received into movement not only for your body, but also for your face. It’s a long (and sometimes frustrating) process. But most people can pick up on the tones of performances; they can see where the dancer is going with their piece, even if the meaning is unclear.

We usually get multiple interpretations of dance from people because everyone takes away a different experience (this was proven with the reactions Dante Adela received when he showed one of his pieces to us last week). Things get “lost in translation”. But this is common in written and oral language as well; in English classes, students take away different meaning from the same passage of a book often. Its one of the many parallels between word and movement. But either way something was communicated, something was exchanged, and something was interpreted. We see it with words all the time. Dance is no exception.

Juilliard Jazz Orchestra Review

I have never had the pleasure of viewing a live jazz performance. The closest I got to them were depictions of big bands in movies and TV shows that borrowed them for “prom night” segments. But those didn’t prepare me for the performance that the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra gave on October 7th.

The night was in tribute to the work of Count Basie, one of the most prominent leaders in the genre of jazz. While listening to his music I felt myself sinking into my chair and becoming relaxed in the laid-back melodies and steady rhythms of the band. I was amazed at how in sync they were as a unit; no note or tune felt like it shouldn’t have been played.

I can’t say that I had a favorite song, but I did find myself appreciating the songs’ attention to details: the silence of the band for a few moments while a clarinet played or the harmony of two trumpets. Each song had its own intricate styling, and while it sometimes sounded like improvisation it never felt out of place.

What I liked most (and least expected) about the performance was the amount of solos. I’m used to musicals and dance numbers that usually only allow a select few of its members to shine in the limelight while the rest of the company (and the music they perform to) fall in the background. But the orchestra gave the musicians a chance to showcase their abilities, and it was a great opportunity to actually hear the Juilliard students’ passion and dedication to their preferred instrument of choice.

Overall, my night with the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra was one that cannot be duplicated. I appreciated the enthusiasm of the conductor, the students, and the legend Frank Wess (though he needed support to get on stage, his energetic saxophone-playing had me questioning his age [87?? Really??]). I’ve come to respect and appreciate the genre of jazz even more than I already did.

Fall for Dance Review

To say that I was excited to go to the last night of the Fall for Dance Festival would be an understatement. In reality I was ecstatic, especially for the Alvin Ailey performance of “Revelations” (a piece that I’ve only read about until now). I was familiar with Ailey’s work, having previously seen “Episodes”, “Blue Suites”, and “Memoria”. But “Revelations”, along with the other performances of the night, was like nothing I had ever seen before.

The night started with The Australian Ballet’s “Le Spectre de la Rose”. It was a lovely pas de deux, filled with strong leg extensions and great partnering work. Although the woman’s eyes were downcast as if she was dreaming about her flower, I could see the trusting bond between her and her partner every time they went into a lift. But the star of the routine was the male playing the flower. This might be because he had more solo work than her, but every time he went into a series of turns and leaps my eyes were drawn. He had great stage presence, and his ever-present smile made him enjoyable to watch.

The next dance, “Snow” performed by Sang Jijia, is hard to write about due to my seat in the theater. Half of his performance was obscured because I was sitting near the outermost-right of the balcony. But what I did get to see was great; Jijia’s sharp moves and flexed feet were in contrast to the softly falling snow serving as his backdrop. He managed to utilize every part of the space given to him, including the stage floor. I also found the lines his feet would make in the snow a great accompanying visual to his performance.

Diana Vishneva’s performance of “The Dying Swan” was as sad as it was beautiful. While her feet were in quick successive motion to bring her around the stage, her arms were as slow as if she were underwater. And her face was devastating; even after performance her expression was melancholy. I was impressed by her dancing, but melancholy due to the tone of her performance.

But I was quickly cheered by the emergence of the bright costumes and spiritual music that was “Revelations”. While I won’t talk about any of the individual pieces within the performance, I will say that each one was just as astounding as the last. The amount of strength, precision, balance, and stage presence each of the Ailey dancers (male AND female) possessed was remarkable, and the music that accompanied them reflected it. They played well to the audience; by the last number, half of the venue was on their feet clapping along to the music. It was a great performance to end the night. I felt uplifted and moved, and I look forward to attending one of their shows in the future.

Art Nouveau

Nouveau is a word meaning “new” in French, which is precisely what this movement was. A fin-de-siècle (or end of the century) movement, art nouveau began around 1890 and ended in 1914. Samuel Bing introduced the term “art nouveau” when he opened his 1^st art nouveau gallery in December of 1895 in Paris. He believed it a “movement, not style” (American Art Nouveau, Johnson), and sought to create a world-wide phenomenon out of it. Centered in Europe and parts of North America (and later traveled through Japan, China, and Middle East), it was a return to Middle Age-craftsmanship with a mixture of Gothic, Celtic, Rococco, and Japanese art influences. Both futuristic and traditional, art nouveau was a unique take on the graphic arts.

Art nouveau transcended styles; artists, designers, and architects were all in on the movement. It was seen as a rebellion against the Industrial Revolution, a late 19th century movement where machinery reigned supreme. Though the aesthetics were innovative, the mass-produced machines were draining on progression and advancement. So the soft yet sharp style that art nouveau offered was refreshing and offered many avenues for development in various aspects of art. Geoffrey Warren compared it to the female figure (All Color Book of Art Nouveau, Warren), a flowing but controlled line that contradicts by converging. Not limited to the canvas, art nouveau can be seen in posters, sculptures, type faces, lettering, book design, windows, cutlery, furniture, ceramics, stained glass, jewelry, postcards, and interior/exterior design.

Art Nouveau stained glass, furniture, and interior design

Work Cited:

Warren, Geoffrey. All Color Book of Art Nouveau. Octopus Books Ltd., 1972

Johnson, Diane Chalmers. American Art Nouveau. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., September 1979

Union Square’s past and present

I chose show Union Square in its past and present state. I couldn’t get the right angle, but I did the best that I could.

Taking the picture from the 6th floor of a department store obviously gave me a different perspective than that of Hassam’s painting. While the vanishing points of both pictures is in the middle, Hassam’s lies near the top-center while mine lies dead center. You can see rooftops in the painting, which shows that Hassam painted this at a higher elevation level than I was able to achieve.

Now at Union Square, there’s a dog park, playground, tourist center, and varying booths and shops. The Farmers’s Market (also known as the Greenmarket) is also there on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. While Hassam’s Union Square has plenty of grass and open area, today’s Union Square is mostly paved. The pond that resides in the painting is no longer there today. There are also more trees, obscuring the building that we see in the center of Hassam’s painting (which today is now Barnes & Noble). The Empire State Building can be seen in both pictures (though the photograph Empire is bigger, suggesting that Hassam painted from a further viewpoint). And while Hassam’s Union Square has a few people, I’m pretty sure hundreds or even thousands now frequent the area today.

O. Art is, at its most basic form, expression. Its the portrayal of an artist’s inner creativity displayed on an outer “surface”(canvas, paper, dance floor, clothes), whether it be from what they see, hear, experience, or just what generally appeals to them.

1. I don’t have a favorite art form, but I do love theater. The presentation of a story through a character or characters can engage almost all the senses, and the fact that each show is different based on the audience’s mood adds to the excitement. Adding music, dance, and song can also deepen the experience.

2. My favorite historical period is the 1920’s, mostly because is was a time when “fun” took precedence. It produced some of the greatest literature (by Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Langston Hughes), and the slang, dance, music, and fashion were also revolutionary.

3. My academic strength lies in the social sciences (sociology, philosophy, economics). I’m able to breakdown and understand the material and ideas presented easily when it concerns those subjects. My non-academic strength is my willingness to try new things.

4. I do feel comfortable with new technologies. Its become easier to understand their functions, therefore using them has also become easier.

5. I would give myself a 8/10 for my writing skills. I don’t write everyday, and I feel that if I did I would be way more confident in what I write.