Category: Historical Perspective

Although Hassam’s painting of the Brooklyn Bridge and my photo do differ slightly in perspective and angle, they do match in many ways. Both pictures contain the double arch is off to the right, the vanishing point is in about the same place, a group of people walking, and two lamp posts. Hassam may have been standing a little farther back when he painted this, and the time of day was different as well as the season. Also, when Hassam painted the bridge, there were no cables and no white line painted down the center, separating a bike lane and pedestrian lane. Otherwise, the two depictions match fairly well.

Lower Manhattan (Broad and Wall Streets), 1907

Lower Manhattan (Broad and Wall Streets), 2009

While slightly varied in perspective and dimensions, the picture I took matches Hassam’s painting because both are of the same street, featuring as a main landmark the New York Stock Exchange. The vanishing point in both images is somewhere behind the building at the next corner with the columns. In both images the viewer can see not quite three columns on that building in front of the vanishing point. Hassam’s point of view while painting would probably have been up higher, as the painting features mostly the tops of people’s heads, while mine includes their faces. The artist may also have been standing further back. Right now a great deal of construction and scaffolding occupies the place where he probably stood. Sunlight graces the intersection in his painting, as well, creating another difference. His view of the Stock exchange also lacked the classic elegance of September 2009’s Budweiser advertisement.

The two images are of Washington Arch in Washington Square Park. Both were taken along Fifth Avenue at one of the entrances to the park. The perspectives are slightly varied; Hassam was probably standing further away and had a more encompassing view. The times of the images are different as well. Hassam did this painting during spring, while I photographed it in September. It is seen in the differences of the trees; they are just in bloom in the spring, therefore they are more bare, while the photograph has a larger tree, as well as some grass behind the fence. However, there are similarities as well, such as the colors (greens, blues, greys), people (showing the bustling city streets) and the same architecture (the arch, the street, the landscape).

The two pictures match because they are both pictures of the same place (The Brooklyn Bridge). Although the picture I took is a slightly more zoomed in then the painting, it is taken from the same angle and  has the same vanishing point. In both pictures you can see two pairs of arches. The street lights are also in the same exact positions in the two pictures. In the Hassam painting the walkway appears wider then in the picture I took and you can’t see any background buildings.

1. Art is a way for one to freely express his or herself. Art has to limitations beyond the artists imagination and creativity. Art is the ultimate form of expression because it can not be confined to material things. Though art maybe be expressed through material things such as pen and paper, the possibilities that the artist can express with these material things are endless.

2. My favorite art form is music. I personally believe that music is the greatest way that one can express emotion of any kind. Emotion can be expressed by the key of the song. Even without lyrics, one can tell the mood of the music by just listening to the music. I feel like music is a stronger version of poetry which has no music behind it. Although poetry is great music adds another element to make it even stronger. Also in music, lyrics aren’t just read but they are sung to match the music further showing the key and therefore the emotion of the music.

3. My academic strength is my dedication to getting my work done and my non-academic strength is my creativity.

4. I am comfortable with new technologies usually because they are a lot like older technologies except with something else added to them. That way i already kind of understand it and i only have to learn the little bit of new stuff. Most technology is similar anyway so i can usually relate new technology to something that already exists.

5. I would rate my writing skills as 8/10. I feel like i am a good writer but there is always room for improvement. I can handle writing essays well and i am also a somewhat good songwriter. However, i think i can still be better.

O.   What does Art mean?

I may be taking a trite, unoriginal, and perhaps boring stance, but art is the medium through which a person may express oneself. Art is the byproduct of a consciousness from someone who views the world in any capacity. Art may add to the world or be a mirror of it, but it is an often inexpressible representation of an artist’s psyche — a brief glimpse into humanity, propelled by the idea of human nature.
1.    What is your favorite art form?

My favorite art form is fiction. However, you must bear in mind that I’m a fiction writer and aspiring novelist, so I’m more than a little biased. I think being able to articulate oneself through words is the clearest, concisest way of sharing one’s meaning.
2.    What is your favorite historical period?

My favorite historical period is the 60s, since it brought about an era of change in America. It symbolized the rejection of complacency, and sparked revolutionary ideas suppressed by centuries of repression.
3.    What is your academic/ non-academic strength?

My academic strengths are in humanities courses, ranging from Social Science to English. My non-academic strength is being a somewhat decent writer.
4.    Do you feel comfortable with new technologies?

New technologies inspire me. They reveal new things to me, and allow my mind to think more freely about the world and what’s possible in it. So yes, I’m pretty comfortable with state-of-the-art technology, as long as I know how to turn the thing on.

5.    How would you rate your writing skills?

I’ve been writing both creatively and academically for quite a few moons, so I’d say, in the scope of the world, if Stephen King wrote at a 10 level, I’d probably be a 7, with structure as my main demerit. However, compared with peers, I might fall above that by a bit.

What does Art mean?

Art is the means of expression of an idea. Winston Churchill once said “Without innovation, art is a corpse.” Art is not just having an idea; one can have thoughts and feelings about almost anything they experience in the physical (and metaphysical) world. Art is the means by which one communicates this idea.  Virtually any medium can be used, and this is what makes art such a broad-based phenomenon. I feel as though art truly is one of humanities greatest accomplishments.

What is your favorite art form?

Music is definitely my favorite art form. It is universal, like most art, but has a greater emphasis on this aspect than most art forms. People from any corner of the Earth can listen to the same tune of music and feel the same raw power and emotion evoked by the piece.

What is your favorite historical period?

I love almost any ancient history: Egyptians, Romans, and the ancient Chinese. Out of the entire “ancient” era, I would have to say that my favorite period was Ancient Greece. I am in love with Greek mythology, as well as Greek philosophy. I feel as though the people from that era were gifted in so many ways, from art to mathematics, and I find it very fascinating to learn about all of the aspects of this era.

What is your academic/ non-academic strength?

I love chemistry and mathematics. Physics is great too. Most people view these subjects as being filled with mundane and useless calculations, but the applications of these subjects are immense. I find it amazing how a single problem can stump your brain for hours and force you to think in a completely new way.

My nonacademic strength would definitely be music, particularly with percussion instruments.  Rather than focusing on playing a drum-set like most drummers, I’ve played the snare drum for a local marching band for two years, as well as melodic instruments like the vibraphone and xylophone.

Do you feel comfortable with new technologies?

I can turn on a computer,  use basic applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, and can use email and chat. Other than that, I wouldn’t say I’m too computer savvy. I’ve used a computer a lot before, but I’ve never had the need to perform anything complicated such as writing programs. I even admit that trying the post this message didn’t come naturally to me; I had to go step-by-step through the tutorial.

How would you rate your writing skills?

I don’t even have any good skills.

What do you mean?

You know, like nunchuk skills, writing skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills… Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills!
(If you are unfamiliar with the film Napoleon Dynamite, then please disregard the former quote)

My writing skills aren’t too bad. I’ve taken AP English before and have had challenging writing courses throughout high school, so I would say I’m familiar with both creative and analytic writing. But by no means would I say I’m a great writer; it’s a skill I’ve always found to be challenging and require a lot of thinking.

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0. Art is soul, energy, the animus, the breath, thought, spirit, mind, reason, heart, feeling, conscience, ego, one’s being, put into life. Art is that feeling you get when you’re about to talk to that person you like, when you see your leader on television and feel that inspiration, when you read about 13 year old kids saving lives and feel proud, when you find out your relationship will no longer work out and you feel that emptiness, when you feel amazingly great about the day and wish to convey your great feeling, when you’re excruciatingly bored and want to undo it. Art is the abstract side of conventional human beings.

1. My favorite art forms are film and photography. Film is one of the most profound art forms in the sense that it can encompass imagery, sound, and writing into one medium. Photography does not have the benefit of sound or a script, but still images can also be deep and reflective because the viewer is left to his own devices to understand what the photographer wishes to portray.

2. My favorite historical period is the 50’s. I like the 50’s because the clothes were awesome and I love Lucy was showing on TV.

3. My academic strength is writing, more specifically short essays or creative, concise pieces. I also write for fun, mostly poetry, so writing is pretty natural for me. Non-academically, my strength is photography and imagery. I’m an amateur photographer and I’m also a film connoisseur.

4. I do feel comfortable with new technologies. I learn new things fairly quickly and can adapt like Jason Bourne in Istanbul. If I were amazingly good with Apple computers, I just might call myself a genius.

5. My writing skills are pretty professional. I’ve written for magazines and school papers and one of my hobbies is poetry. I wrote album reviews for a magazine and my mom is also the Publisher/CEO of a Spanish-language newspaper, so I’ve grown up with harsh critics and editors. I don’t enjoy writing for school, but I do what I must.