Author: Simmi Kaur

Science vs Art?

It is certainly true that people will flock towards science when given the choice between these two. Why? Let’s start out with the basic reasons. Science is something grounded in facts and experiments; if you have a theory, you must form a hypothesis, and then list the materials and what experiment you will conduct with constants and variables and come to a logical conclusion. Art…is more about the interpretation. With science, you can have supporting evidence and references, while with art, you can have similar styles but never the same piece of art ever again. It cannot be proved or supported in any tangible way, just by feelings and interpretation. Most people are not okay with this because they need security, they need to be sure about what they know and thus, science is the place to go. The question does always come back to “what is art” since this is where art jumps into ambiguity and the unknown. There is no formula to create art, and no table of requirements to surely say that yes, this painting is art.

If one can release the need to be grounded and have everything confirmed, however, art is clearly the better choice (or maybe I feel this way because I hate science). Art provides much more freedom for expression and while nothing is for certain, that’s not always a bad thing. Art allows room for others’ opinions and beliefs while science doesn’t really do this. While both methods are representations of the outside world, I feel like art gives it more meaning because it asks how each person perceives that outside world, while science simply provides explanations for why the world is the way it is (also very useful.)

Beauty.

The word beauty in today’s society brings certain images to mind (I think we all know what these are). These images aren’t just what all of us think the word beautiful means, however. These images are influenced by so many factors, especially the media and pop culture. There is a certain point up to where biological factors and genetic makeup also affect our definition of beauty. Symmetry has always been a characteristic people look for, along with other general traits that most people as a whole can agree on being attractive.

There’s a point, however, where even if a person doesn’t meet these guidelines or doesn’t possess these traits, they can still be beautiful to you. This is where biology stops and emotions/experiences begin to factor in more. Personally, the more I begin to like a person’s personality, the more attractive they will be to me. Although, I’m sure we all subconsciously do follow some of the standards that have been set in society. I don’t think beauty is necessary in humans, but an attraction is. (If that makes sense.)

In terms of art, I think emotions and the ability to connect to the artist’s emotions/experiences matters more than plain biology and what we chemically find attractive. This is where beauty is more about content than what is physically there. Art forms and styles are constantly changing and it is impossible to define any criteria for what is beautiful in art. There are also so many art forms (what would be beautiful in dance as opposed to a painting? You could never have one set definition across the board) that a demand for a certain kind of beauty would be irrational and honestly, would take the fun out of art. Beauty is where you find it and to each person, a certain piece of art can be beautiful or it cannot.

The Truth in Art

When viewing a work of art, or listening to one, can we see the truth?  Can we feel it?

The truth is something that is different to each person. When two people tell the same story (and neither is making anything up), they both choose to include and exclude different details. While one may emphasize one instance in the story, the other may not see the importance in that instance and instead highlight another part. Both of these people are telling the “truth” and yet their truths are different. In art, the truth is up to interpretation. If the viewer manages to experience any bit of emotion put into the art, then the viewer has essentially seen the truth, or as much as it is possible to see.

Judging from this, the truth is, in fact, virtually nonexistent. Since the artist is not always going to be present to let the viewer know if the emotions felt are correct, there is no real way to tell if the truth has been seen. Thus, whatever each viewer feels is the truth to themselves and that is all that matters.

Fall For Dance Review

To be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to the Fall for Dance show. No matter how famous the Alvin Ailey Dance Company was, I just didn’t know if I could sit through two hours of interpretative dance. The first performance at the show did not do much to clear my doubts. “Le Spectre de la Rose” was, while extremely interesting to look at and exciting for the first few minutes, rather disappointing. There was nothing in the dance that made me want to keep watching and at times, I did not want to keep straining to the see the stage (my seats were rather inconvenient as you could only see 3/4th of the stage).

The next performance, called “The Dying Swan,” was conducted with so much feeling and grace that I was immediately pulled in and couldn’t stop watching. Diana Vishneva performed this 1905 Russian ballet with a certain rawness that was much needed in the piece. Her motions portrayed her as dying and yet beautiful. That is when my hopes for the night began to rise and I settled in my seat, excited for the next performance.

And like all seesaws, Fall for Dance brought me down once again. “Snow” was aesthetically pleasing and watching Sang Jijia moving with extreme precision at such a rapid speed was extremely enrapturing… until it never seemed to end. Jijia seemed to keep going and going, and while the musical accompaniment was extremely well chosen (it was one of my favorites all night), I began wondering how much longer this could go on. Half the time, Jijia was on the side of the stage I couldn’t even see.

Finally, it was time for the Alvin Ailey performance. Needless to say, at this point I was a bit wary of all the praise I’d heard and wanted to wait before I got excited. Alvin Ailey’s dance troupe did not disappoint at all. In fact, they just about erased all my negative thoughts about the show and let me enjoy the last part of the show so much that I forgot about my qualms from before. The dancers were bursting with energy and emotion, and it was visible not only through their movements but also their facial expressions. I inched up to the edge of my seat and strained to see every dancer on stage, because missing any bit of the performance would make me feel robbed. The songs were catchy and made the audience want to sing/clap along. Watching the dancers animated faces made me more excited about their dance than they probably were. With each song, the dancing only got better and I was sad to see it end.

On the whole, the Fall for Dance show was definitely an experience worth having and the organizers made a good decision leaving Ailey for the end (therefore leaving pleasant memories in peoples’ minds).

Is Dance a Language?

Language is used to express oneself and communicate feelings to other human beings. Therefore, dance is definitely a language. Dance is used to communicate emotions in a much more raw and basic level, but that doesn’t make it any less of a language. When a dancer dances with emotion, whether it be hip-hop or ballet, he or she is essentially communicating those emotions through movement. Just because there are no words doesn’t mean things aren’t being said. Messages can be passed in more ways than one.

Even when we talk, we use hand movements and elaborate gestures to explain what we are trying to say in a more detailed way. Dance takes this to a whole other level by removing words and basing everything on gestures that must stem from emotion. This is even more true in interpretative dance. When a dancer successfully manages to touch the audience and explain their emotions without saying a single word at all, that is when dance is successful.

Dance has been a medium of communication for thousands of years now. Along with being a form of entertainment, it also serves this purpose. I think dance is one of the most diverse and beautiful languages that everyone can speak, in their own way, and yet still communicate with the rest of the world.

Opera Review

The Marriage of Figaro Review

From the moment the curtain was raised, I was enthralled by the show. The lighting on the set was the first thing that caught my eye. It was beautifully crafted and looked extremely genuine. For a few seconds, I found myself remembering what time it was again. It was a great way to pull the viewer in immediately.

One of the show’s major strengths was the actors/singers. I think it can be said that everyone on stage was not only an amazing singer, but also a good actor/actress, which really added to the whole presentation. I felt myself getting goose bumps during some of the parts where the voices of the artists really moved me. The countess and Susanna were such characters. Another strong aspect of the show was undeniably the set. The passing of time was shown beautifully through the way the light hit the rooms. The peak moment was definitely when near the end, the set actually rotated. It left the audience members awed. The fact that the actors were able to perform so perfectly even on an obviously tilted stage added to the awe.

All this being said, there were some aspects of the show that took away from the overall experience. Most of these lied in the actual plot and not in the way it was presented. For example, the whole show was almost three and a half hours long and most of this was because lines were repeated many times throughout the whole opera. On the other hand, I do understand that since the music comes first in the Opera, the lyrics and dialogue were not the topmost priority. Even still, it did make it a bit tedious at times. In addition, the ending of the opera was way too rushed and did not seem genuine. It did not seem possible that the Count would have such a sudden change of heart and be forever loyal to his wife.

It is obvious that every production and show will have some shortcomings and some amazing qualities. Figaro, while not being perfect was still extremely enjoyable and it really brought the audience back to when it was written. It would be even better if the audience would be able to participate in the production by making comments, as it would have been in those days. The music, needless to say, was phenomenal and the orchestra outdid themselves. The Marriage of Figaro was a successful opera on the whole.

Neoclassicism

neoclassicist

“The Oath of the Horatii” – Jacques Louis David

Neoclassicism literally means “the new classicism.” It was a movement in the art world that began in 1760 and led up all the way till the 1850’s. This movement spanned across all kinds of art: painting, music, literature and sculpture. Focusing on history and going back to the classics, it began in opposition to the Rococo movement, where everything was portrayed simply based on aesthetics and no attempt at historical accuracy was made. Thus, Neoclassicism was the movement in which every detail in a painting or sculpture was meticulously constructed to be historically accurate. The artists in the Neoclassicism movement used archeological discoveries made in Pompeii and Herculaneum to guide themselves regarding what costumes, furniture etc were correct for each time period.

As Neoclassicism became more intense under the leadership of Jacques Louis David, the emphasis on austerity and simplicity became even more pronounced in paintings. Draperies and soft lines were all abandoned, as hard lines and simple backgrounds became the norm. As can be inferred, staying away from emotions was a very important part of the Neoclassicism movement, as opposed to both Rococo and the Baroque style. This art movement actually played a great role in the French Revolution, and was used to make simple and effective political statements. Jacques Louis David used Neoclassical paintings to show that the state was more important than the family. The more stoic nature of this style allowed him to do this with more ease.

It is also interesting to note that while Neoclassicism can be seen as the direct opposite of Romanticism as well, these two styles often mixed. In the paintings of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, the Romantic influence can be seen in the sensual nude paintings, which still retained a certain stiffness linked to Neoclassicism.

Works Used

http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/neocl_dav.html

http://lilt.ilstu.edu/jhreid/neoclassicism.htm

Response to Assignment 1

photo-17

Post a short response to these Questions:

O.   What does Art mean?

Art is, in simplest terms, an expression of emotions, conflicts, views and so much more. Whether it be through dance, painting, writing, or film (and so many more), art can mean different things for each person. It can help express strong emotions, or show views about situations in society or just entertain.
1.    What is your favorite art form?

My favorite art form is dance because the way a person can embody emotions (most of the time without any dialogue) makes it all the more powerful for me.
2.    What is your favorite historical period?

While sort of random, my favorite historical period is the Tang Dynasty in China. After watching a show exhibiting the traditional dances from the dynasty, I was awed by the grace and simplicity and yet how powerful each dance was.
3.    What is your academic/ non-academic strength?

My academic strength is history and I would like my non-academic strength to be singing but it hasn’t worked out yet.
4.    Do you feel comfortable with new technologies?

Once I learn how to use them properly,  I am comfortable with new technologies and most of the time, I like learning how to use new things.
5.    How would you rate your writing skills?

I would rate my writing skills 8/10. I am satisfactory but there is definitely room to improve.