The Arts in New York City

O.   What does Art mean?

Art means self-expression. It is the ability to present one’s thoughts, emotions, dreams, et cetera, for other people to see and hopefully, comprehend. Art involves giving yourself up to reach others on a personal level. It is difficult to truly reveal yourself, which is why I believe art should be highly regarded.
1.    What is your favorite art form?

My favorite art form is dance because it combines physical rigor and emotional expression.
2.    What is your favorite historical period?

My favorite historical period was the 1920’s. It was a time of economic and cultural prosperity in the United States. Money was flowing (theoretically since everything was actually on credit) and everyone embraced the newfound richness. New fashion was also on the rise; shorter dresses, shorter hair, darker make-up and eclectic jewelry dominated the times. Literature was also changing; the “Lost Generation” was documenting their experiences after the First World War by using new styles of writing.
3.    What is your academic/ non-academic strength?

My academic strengths revolve around the social sciences; I plan on majoring in psychology and am currently exploring other fields in the social sciences like cultural anthropology.

My non-academic strength is my ability to care for others. I see myself as a compassionate person and am always willing to help someone out, from minor things like giving directions to larger projects like donating clothes.
4.    Do you feel comfortable with new technologies?

I live in an age where technology is a huge part of everyone’s lives. People practically live on their iPhones, Blackberries, MacBooks and Facebooks. While I feel comfortable using these technologies, I choose not to let new technology dominate my life.
5.    How would you rate your writing skills?

My writing is about an 8, but I hope to improve that rating.

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O.   What does Art mean?

Art is a display of abstract things, such as ideas and feelings, in a physical and concrete way. It can be therapeutic and enjoyable, but, for the most part, it doesn’t do much for societal progress. As Oscar Wilde wrote, “We can forgive a man for making a useful thing as long as he does not admire it. The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely. All art is quite useless.”
1.    What is your favorite art form?

Since I’ve never really had the opportunity to experience much else, my favorite art form must be writing. Don’t get me wrong- I enjoy writing immensely, and I used to write quite often. I just don’t think that I’ve been around art enough to answer this question adequately.
2.    What is your favorite historical period?

I enjoy reading about World War II. It’s interesting to read individual stories and use them to create my own picture of what happened.
3.    What is your academic/ non-academic strength?

Academically, I’m strong in many areas; math, science, and the humanities are all enjoyable. However, I’ll be focusing on the natural sciences during college. My non-academic strength is empathy.
4.    Do you feel comfortable with new technologies?

I generally feel comfortable with new technologies because they are built systematically, and are therefore easy to figure out.
5.    How would you rate your writing skills?

I’d give my writing an 8/10. It used to be a 9/10, but I haven’t practiced in a long time and I’ve lost some of my ability to be concise. Also, there’s always room for improvement.

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0. While American writer and philosophy professor Barrows Dunham writes that, “the purpose of the fine arts is to produce things which are beautiful,” it seems to me that art is more than beauty. Art can reproduce, reflect, or comment on terrible events or situations, as West Side Story addresses the tragic consequences of ethnic tensions in mid twentieth century New York. Dunham remarks that the success of tragedy “negates its own pessimism,” but the “triumph” of the work does not seem to me to make it beautiful. Much about West Side Story is beautiful – the dance, song, and act – but the deaths of Rif, Bernardo, and Tony, the near rape of Anita, these are not beautiful. They pain the audience. Without the general beauty of art, it would not attract the public, but without the darkness of it; it would not change the viewers and listeners. It seems to me, rather than “things which are beautiful,” art is some unique translation of an artist’s human experience, a composite of pain and beauty.

1. To create, my favorite art form is photography, because I feel I have the most control in creating it. To observe, my favorite art form is sculpture, because it awes me that a person can scratch or mold that which inspires emotion into a piece of stone, or metal, or clay. But, I doubt myself while I write this. Paintings, music, dance, and of course, writing, these too inspire me so much they all must be favorites.

2. The Renaissance is my favorite historical period now, but I just took European History last year. Each time I learn more about one era or place, it seems so interesting I can not imagine liking another more. A class that covers the Imperial Era in China could easily sway me to love learning about that period more than about any other, at least for a semester.

3. Science is my strongest area academically, I think. I enjoyed physics, especially, for how straightforward it was. Non-academically, I love doing film photography, developing and enlarging my own film.

4. In general, yes. I can use a computer fairly well.

5. Although my writing skills have atrophied since the essay marathon of junior year and college applications, I think I am a competent writer. Sometimes time management, organization, and grammar provide challenges for me. When I’m constantly writing for school, I can pump out essays like the five-paragraph formula was built into my right hand as a filter for my standardized brain. When school and the incessant chore of arranging words for others fade a little, I’ve occasionally taken to writing journals and poetry.

1. The meaning of art is in the eye of the beholder and/or the creator. It is the combination of variables such as skill, creativity, imagination, emotion, and intellect (though the list is virtually endless), into a form. The meaning of that form depends on who is deriving it. To some the meaning is aesthetic, and the form’s beauty moves them, while to others it is intellectual and they are moved by the idea the form provokes.
2. My favorite type of art is painting. I am captivated by the infinite number of techniques that can be used to paint a picture as well as how unique those techniques can be to the artist. It allows one to pour his heart and soul out with so many options such as color choice, texture and use of perspective. Anything one can imagine can be depicted and there are so many channels through which to do so.
3. My favorite period is the Renaissance because it was in such stark contrast to the period before. The middle ages were so restrictive to artists and the renaissance was a period with virtually no boundaries. All that pent-up creativity exploded into a period that features some of man’s greatest works of art, and certainly art that speaks to me.
4. My academic strength is my analytical skills. I enjoy evaluating things and breaking those things down into parts to better understand them or better define them. For that reason the classes that interest me most in academia tend to be law or politics related.
5. I feel very comfortable with technologies given the resources to understand them. In this era of technology we live in, new technologies are springing up all the time and adaptability is crucial. I enjoy keeping up with the latest technology related media trends and integrating them into my own life.
6. I think my writing skills are good, though they could use work. Works that require a short period of time to write are difficult for me because I am a slow writer but I am very often proud of what I produce if given adequate time.

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.