My Aesthetics of HUM 108 - My Final Blog

During my educational upbringing, basically K-12, we barely touched the surface when it came to any art. I’d have to compare that to a color wheel, just the primary colors, but when getting to college and taking your course, it was like a full fledged 120 box of Crayola crayons. I've learned more about the artist styles and meanings to their art, and all the isms, than I ever knew existed. Frankly, all I knew was a couple of artist and what they painted and that was about it.  I was even named after one, well that and the song pertaining to him, "Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)" - Don Mclean, 1971). Knowing what I know now, it opened my eyes and certainly peaked my curiosity. So, I plan on taking in the Phoenix Art Museum this summer to expand my knowledge and love for the arts. Now when it comes to dance and the theater, I'm more inclined to explore the theater part and so, I might take in a few plays locally. I've been to a theater before with the tux's and gowns but, I felt weird, stuffed actually. Therefore, I might find a melodrama instead, for that’s pretty much my style. A mix of contemporary comedies, musical parodies and old-fashioned melodramas, all accompanied live by the music director. During intermissions, the actors clear tables and serve snacks and drinks —saw dust on the floor included — offering up a cheery snippet of song whenever a patron plunks some change in the tip jar. After every performance they are followed by a themed vaudeville revue featuring songs, sketches and pop culture parodies. I know, sounds pretty cool eh?  When it comes to the architecture, I completely forgot we have quite a few right here. America’s best-known architect of the 20th century, Frank Lloyd Wright, henceforth, the Boulevard in Scottsdale. He revolutionized American architecture through his innovative treatment of space, light, and materials.  Also, the style that I really like is the art deco period and I’m curious to see if any of that is anywhere in downtown phoenix still.  All and all, I’d have to say this class has given me a great step off to the arts and it socially broaden my horizons.

Performance art

There was some very interesting performance art, but there were two pieces that were disturbing to me the most.

Shoot (1971) by Chris Burden

In many of his early 1970s performance pieces, Burden put himself in danger, thus placing the viewer in a difficult position, caught between a humanitarian instinct to intervene and the taboo against touching and interacting with art pieces. To perform Shoot, Burden stood in front of a wall while one friend shot him in the arm with a .22 long rifle, and another friend documented the event with a camera. It was performed in front of a small, private audience. One of Burden's most notorious and violent performances, it touches on the idea of martyrdom, and the notion that the artist may play a role in society as a kind of scapegoat. It might also speak to issues of gun control and, in the context of the period, the Vietnam War.

Trans-fixed by Chris Burden, 1974

Trans-fixed was Burden's most captivating, dichotomous work. For the action, Burden was crucified to the back of a Volkswagen Beetle, though his initial performance was summarily brief-it's said Burden performed the action, the car was wheeled out of a garage for two minutes, with the engine revved, for the infamous photograph to be snapped, and then the car pushed back in.

Annual Student Art Show

There was some very interesting work at the Art Show, but there were two pieces that intrigued me the most. One of the paintings that I chose to talk about is called "Darkness". This type of art work is related as a "symmetry achromatic" piece. This painting has a very scary or death look to it because of the black and white color.  I can see it has a lot of pain and suffering to it. Also, there was two skeleton like forms in the picture with a single tombstone in the background and the trees almost looked as if they were alive. Also, I noticed there is a wish bone kind of symbol in the painting too? Or maybe it's a cane, because everything in the picture is basically a mirror image, except for the tombstone.  Overall, it made me feel, "personally" like I was at a funeral, you know, death is final when it comes to the body. Then again the double image still has me wondering, that maybe one life ends and another begins after death, meaning their soul.

The second painting that I have picked is called "Hummers Mosaic". It was the complete opposite of the first painting that I picked. It has the beautiful cool tones of blueish purple and chocolate brown color to it. There are hummingbirds in the picture as well, which made me think of my late grandfather. It gave me an "at ease feeling and great comfort" knowing he is around, even in this picture. The sun and cube rays of light interpretation was interesting.  It reminded me a little bit of cubism, perhaps?  There is some flowers in the picture but, some of the flowers are still waiting to bloom. This means, it maybe spring in the picture? In retrospect the feeling I received from this is, in the light of a new day - everything is new, and life is reborn.

Suprematism

Suprematism was an art movement founded in Russia during the First World War. In 1915, the Russian artists Kseniya Boguslavskaya, Ivan Klyun, Mikhail Menkov, Ivan Puni and Olga Rozanova joined with Kazimir Malevich to form the Suprematist group. Their work feature an array of geometric shapes suspended above a white or light-colored background. The variety of shapes, sizes and angles creates a sense of depth in these compositions, making the squares, circles and rectangles appear to be moving in space. Other Supermatism artists later included Ilya Chashnik and Nikolai Suetin, who were students of Kazimir Malevich.

Red Square and Cross - circa 1928 was painted by Ilya Grigorevich Chashnik (1902, Lucyn, Russian Empire, currently Ludza, Latvia - 1929, Leningrad). He was a suprematist artist, a pupil of Kazimir Malevich and a founding member of the UNOVIS school.

Untitled - Abstract Composition - 1924, Watercolor and Graphite on paper by Nikolai Suetin (Russian: Николай Суетин, 1897 – 1954). He was a Russian Supermatist artist who worked as a graphic artist, a designer, and a ceramics painter. 

In both paintings, these artists push the boundaries of what is accepted as the norm or the status quo. I mostly enjoyed the painting by Nikolai Suetin, it looked like the skyscrapers in New York City, almost futuristic.

Flag Raising on Iwo Jima by Joe Rosenthal 1945

This black and white photograph depicts six United States Soldiers raising a U.S. flag atop Mount Suribachi, during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. 

It is but a speck of an island 760 miles south of Tokyo, a volcanic pile that blocked the Allies’ march toward Japan. The Americans needed Iwo Jima as an air base, but the Japanese had dug in. U.S. troops landed on February 19, 1945, beginning a month of fighting that claimed the lives of 6,800 Americans and 21,000 Japanese. On the fifth day of battle, the Marines captured Mount ­Suribachi. An American flag was quickly raised, but a commander called for a bigger one, in part to inspire his men and demoralize his opponents. Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal lugged his bulky Speed Graphic camera to the top, and as five Marines and a Navy corpsman prepared to hoist the Stars and Stripes, Rosenthal stepped back to get a better frame—and almost missed the shot. “The sky was overcast,” he later wrote of what has become one of the most recognizable images of war. “The wind just whipped the flag out over the heads of the group, and at their feet the disrupted terrain and the broken stalks of the shrubbery exemplified the turbulence of war.” Two days later Rosenthal’s photo was splashed on front pages across the U.S., where it was quickly embraced as a symbol of unity in the long-fought war. The picture, which earned Rosenthal a Pulitzer Prize, so resonated that it was made into a postage stamp and cast as a 100-ton bronze memorial.

Mr. Rosenthal took this picture in order to memorialize this imagine in our minds, to never forget the sacrifices made and who was here to accomplish them. Even though he almost missed it, he did more with that one shot than he ever imagined. It showed me personally that the solders sacrifices were not in vain. It showed me bravery, honor and dedication to a common goal, this goal was to defeat the enemy and restore freedom and peace.  Our Stars and Stripes had a specific meaning at that time, not just to Americans but, to others around the world. I felt that his photograph showed that meaning loud and clear. It is very emotional to sit back and really analyze the depth of this historical event.  Even though it was way before my time, I can full understand with such respect and appreciation for all that was given to make it possible for me and us to be here today.  No matter how many generations have been made since that time, this poignant time in history will never be forgotten or erased from our hearts and minds, EVER.

God Bless America by Faith Ringgold (1964)

My Analysis of God Bless America 

Today, she is known for her painted story quilts which by the name alone tells you that the art combines painting, storytelling, and quilted fabric of your choice. The painted story of "God Bless America" relates to the universal truths of the political and social issues that African-Americans have endured during that time period which personally she felt compelled to address. Faith Ringgold composed this piece by using oil paints on a 31 by 19-inch canvas. She uses line, shape, color, value and texture to depict the points she’s trying to make. The painting itself was painted during the Civil Rights movement in 1964 where white prejudice against African American was enforced by the legal system. The painting represents the imprisonment of the American Flag. The star on the flag symbolizes a sheriff's badge and the stripes on the flag symbolizes the bars of a jail cell.

Existentialist: Part I & II

Part I...
Freedom of choice, well there's no such thing as that, not really. Sure, you can chose to get up in the morning and make yourself breakfast, etc., but once you hit that door the outside world is not yours entirely. We have limited choice and we are like mice in a maze, looking for the cheese. We MUST have a purpose, that is what we call survival.

We are not given the choice to being born or even who our parents our. Although, I'm lucky on that cause I have a loving and supportive mother whom I love unconditionally. Most are not so lucky, which shakes me to the core. Yes, we are being taught by someone else and their ways, rules and laws. We can chose to abide by them or not but, there are consequences, and these consequences yet again are from someone else. I feel like there's a form or mold that ALL humans MUST be fit for. For example, your either far to the left or far to the right. There's never a happy medium for anyone, because it's just not natural in the eyes of the world.  Hogwash, I say.  Say, is all I can put out there for the moment, because I know sure as anything someone will challenge it. I'm speaking hogwash for myself, I control myself alone, on certain issues, etc.  Everyone's different on certain things but, yes its true we are all molded one way to do one thing and that is to survive, however we do it, we ALL have to survive. Like I said about the maze, in that big scary place we call the world, you have the choice to live or die.

You can either be lead like cattle to slaughter with no place to go, except to the end of the line OR you can be like those suicide ants going around in a circle until someone places a finger in the middle to help you break free. The choice is yours.

.  

Part II...
Now, I'm to Imagine??? Mmmm... I really don't have to imagine that existential hero. People have always had that perception about me anyways. Why?  Maybe its because I don't have any friends, or maybe because I am quiet and sometime to myself.  I just scope out the lay of the land sort of speak and little by little find my way out there.  I'm just myself and being me. Sure things are not always easy but, it's working for me. I'm doing it the hard way for a reason and learning the experiences but, it will make for a harder shell to crack and I'm stronger because of that. It'll all come out good in the end, hard work will prevail they say and I believe that.   

Short Analysis of Advertising

(Puppy Love, Budweiser-2014 Super Bowl)


I normally look forward to the ads during the Super Bowl. They are a mixture of all emotions and usually the things we really want to say/feel and the ads really do speak for themselves. The reason why I chose this ad specifically, one it's very touching and close to my heart. I love puppies!  Also, I remember a time when I saw the Clydesdale's at Sea World, when they kept them there in the late 90's. They are amazing to see in person, such beautiful creatures. So this ad brought that to mind. Secondly, it made for a better Super Bowl Sunday watching this ad because this particular game was so boring and such a blowout, which made me lose interest very quickly. So, the ad more than made up the rather gloomy game, into a joyous ending. As you watch the ad from the link provided you will understand completely my meaning for which I have explained.  

Budweiser's heartwarming 2014 Super Bowl commercial (in which a puppy befriends a horse) has been ranked the most popular ad ever to air in the 50-year history of the NFL's premier event, according to a study from TiVo. That's largely because the company took the time to develop a plot line. The beer company's 90-second "Puppy Love" commercial does more than depict the friendship between two (adorable) furry animals. As the puppy repeatedly attempts to escape the kennel and find the Clydesdale, a relationship also develops between the kennel owner and the horse-keeper. The ad culminates when horses bar the puppy from leaving in a car, and the humans consent to let them play together in peace.

A Farewell to Arms

 by Ernest Hemingway

ABOUT THE BOOK

A Farewell to Arms is a novel by Ernest Hemingway set during the Italian campaign of World War I. The book, published in 1929, is a first-person account of American Frederic Henry, serving as a Lieutenant ("Tenente") in the ambulance corps of the Italian Army. The title is taken from a poem by 16th-century English dramatist George Peele. A Farewell to Arms is about a love affair between the expatriate American Henry and Catherine Barkley against the backdrop of the First World War, cynical soldiers, fighting and the displacement of populations. The publication of A Farewell to Arms cemented Hemingway's stature as a modern American writer, this became his first best-seller and is described by biographer Michael Reynolds as "the premier American war novel from that debacle World War I.

THEMES PERTAINING TO THE BOOK

THE GRIM REALITY OF WAR

As the title of the novel makes clear, A Goodbye to Arms concerns itself mostly with war, namely the process by which Frederic Henry removes himself from it and leaves it behind. The novel offers excellently-done descriptions of the conflicts and confusion: the scene of the Italian army's retreat remains one of the most deeply extreme memories of war in American books. Henry's shooting of the engineer for refusing to help free the car from the mud shocks: first, the violent outburst seems fighting with Henry's coolly detached character; second, the event happens in a setting that robs it of its moral import--the involvement with the crime of Henry's fellow soldiers justify the killing. Anyway, the novel cannot be said to strongly criticize the war; Instead, the innocent engineer's death is the unavoidable result of the cruelty of war. Hemingway hints that war is nothing more than the dark, murderous extension of a world that refuses to admit to, protect, or preserve true love.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LOVE AND PAIN

Against the background of war, Hemingway offers a sadly deep thinking about the nature of love. No sooner does Catherine announce to Henry that she is in suffering for her dead fiancé than she begins a game meant to flirt with Henry. Also, Henry intends to get as far away from talk of the war as possible. In each other, Henry and Catherine find comfort from the things that badly bother them. Henry's understanding of how meaningful his love for Catherine is outweighs any forethought for the emptiness of fuzzy ideals such as honor, enabling him to run from the war and look for her. Reunited, they plan a peaceful life together that promises to act as a skin medicine for the damage that the war has caused. The terrible event of the novel rests in the fact that their love, can never be more than temporary in this world.

MASCULINITY

Readers of Hemingway's fiction will quickly see a consistent thread in the representation and celebration of a certain kind of man: bossy, extremely extraordinary and proud. Rinaldi is a faithful friend and an oversexed man, who loves to flirt with women; Dr. Valentini shows a masculinity to rival Rinaldi's as well as a bold smart ability that makes him the best doctor. During the scene in which Henry fires his pistol at the running engineering sergeants, Bonello takes charge of the situation by harshly shooting the fallen engineer in the head. The respect with which Hemingway sketches these men, even at their lowest points, is highlighted by the humor, if not contempt, with which he shows their opposites.

GAMES AND DIVERTISEMENT

Henry and Catherine begin flirting with each other to forget personal troubles. Flirting, which Henry compares to bridge, allows Henry to "drop the war" and focus on something else like Catherine's thoughts from the death of her fiancé. Also, the horse races that Catherine and Henry attend enable them to block out thinking of Henry's return to the front and of their happening soon separation. Henry and Catherine's relationship becomes the source of suffering from which Henry needs diversion. Henry cannot stand to be away from Catherine, and while playing pool with Count Greffi takes his mind off of her, the best entertainment turns out to be the war itself. When Catherine instructs him not to think about her when they are apart, Henry replies, "That's how I worked it at the front”. The changes of the war from deadly threat into entertainment and love tampers not only Henry's attachment to Catherine but, also the short-lived nature of happiness.

LOYALTY VERSUS ABANDONMENT

The ideas of loyalty and being alone apply equally well to love and war. Then overall, however, hints that loyalty is more a needed thing of love and friendship than of the grand political causes and ideas of fighting nations. Although he shoots an uncooperative engineering sergeant for failing to obey his orders, Henry's violence should be read as an unavoidable result of a destructive war rather than as a serious and well-thought-out decision to enforce a code of moral behavior. While he does, at times, feel guilt over this course of action, he takes comfort in the knowledge that he is most loyal where loyalty counts most: in his relationship with Catherine. That these disagreeing loyalties cannot be reached does not suggest, however, that loyalty and being left alone lie at opposite ends of a moral spectrum.

ILLUSIONS AND FANTASIES

Upon meeting, Catherine and Henry rely upon a grand fake image of love and leading someone away from what's right, usually for sex for comfort. At first, their love is clear and honest: Catherine reminds Henry at times that their early stages of the relationship are a game, sending him away when she has played her fill. After Henry is wounded, however, his desire for Catherine and the comfort and support that she offers becomes more than an object or action from the world's unpleasantness. While the couple acts in ways that confirm the honest nature of their passion, however, they never escape the desire of dreaming of a better world. Boredom has begun to set in, and the couple effects small daily changes to give new life to their lives and their passion: Catherine gets a new haircut, while Henry grows a beard. They dream of life on a Swiss mountain, where they will make their own clothes and need nothing but each other, suggesting that fantasizing is part of successfully dealing with the dull, sometimes damaging effects of reality.

BANNED, CENSORED OR CHALLENGED

• Challenged in NY (Vernon-Verona-Sherill School District) as a “sex novel.” (1980) and in Texas (Dallas Independent School District) (1974). Also, challenged in 1987 at the Baptist College in Charleston, SC due to “language and sexual references in the book.”
• Banned in Italy (1929) apparently due to the description of the retreat from Caporetto. Also, banned in Ireland (1939) and in Boston (1929) for politics, sex, and language.
• Burned in Germany (1933) …by Nazis.  For “being a monument of modern decadence.”

PERSONAL REFLECTION

In high school, I saw the movie with Gary Cooper and you know how the movie is always different from the book. I decided to read the book to look for any differences.  Naturally the language and sex themes, which in the movie, was toned down because of the viewing audience at the time. I liked the movie because it suited my tastes, considering that time frame (1930’s).

WORK CITED

"A Farewell to Arms." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.

"Banned Book Club: A Farewell to Arms." Graphing Wonderland. N.p., 01 July 2013. Web. 03 Mar. 2017

Harris, Heather. "Ernest Hemingway." Ernest Hemingway. N.p., 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.

Death of the Ball Turret Gunner

The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner is a five-line poem by Randall Jarrell published in 1945. It is about the death of a gunner in a Sperry ball turret on a World War II American bomber aircraft.

From my mother's sleep I fell into the State,
And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.
Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life,
I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters.
When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.

Jarrell, published the poem in 1945. It drew directly from his own involvement with military aircraft and airmen during WW2. he provided the following explanatory note: A ball turret was a Plexiglas sphere set into the belly of a B-17 or B-24, and inhabited by two .50 caliber machine guns and one man, a short small man. When this gunner tracked with his machine guns a fighter attacking his bomber from below, he revolved with the turret; hunched upside-down in his little sphere, he looked like the fetus in the womb. The fighters which attacked him were armed with cannon firing explosive shells. The hose was a steam hose. The theme of Randall Jarrell's "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" is that institutionalized violence, or war, creates moral paradox, a condition in which acts repugnant to human nature become appropriate. Most commentators agree, calling the poem a condemnation of the dehumanizing powers of "the State", which are most graphically exhibited by the violence of war. This poem made me feel like I was there. What I mean by that is, by reading this and from a personal family experience, I understand it all now. My Great Uncle was a ball turret gunner during WWII in the European theater. He had many demons over the years from that experience. He didn't want to talk about it, he drank to numb the pain and it sadly took a good man down.  Also, when I read the poem it made me very sad, especially when he said "When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose".

https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-death-of-the-ball-turret-gunner-2

Shadow Exercise

I think I'm kind of confused on the understanding or meaning of this shadow project but, I'll give it a try in what "I think" it means. Hate is such a strong word and so therefore, I would prefer loathe or, dislike.  There are so many in the world from the past and as evil as they are/were, we are still so intrigued, even in today's society of evil or just plain crazy people.  I didn't really see any connection to the shadow personally. I think it's just psycho-babble, today's society loves the pop culture and wants to be a part of it and history, whatever the cost or cause. I think it's just to say, "I was there" so, remember me, even though we never formally met. 

 I do realize that people generally feel strongly about antagonists - whether they loathe them or like them they certainly have pretty polar opinions about them. More often than not are we reminded that ill luck happens to evil people is probably just an untrue story. We don't see a lot of good guys make it big in this world. Our image of a smart jerk who gets things his way is well learned from experience. 

Even in stories written that are very rooted in reality in their tiny details can have some very enormous, yet difficult characters (remember Moriarty who wanted to start a world war, sounding familiar to the present, Mmmm?? ). The sheer depth and intelligence of these characters makes us love them. We're forced to appreciate their line of thought even when we know it's wrong. More often than not are characters as seen as bad by other characters and even the viewer. This represents something we've all possibly felt from time to time in our own lives and so seems to somehow make a part of you with them. In closing, frankly there is no person that is "close to me" like this but, I've come into contact with them time and again.  Mostly to hang on my coat-tails as I open the doors of opportunity and accomplish my dreams in life. This is how I interpret "the shadow".

Rite of Spring

When listening to some of the music, my first thought was "JAWS" the movie. It automatically made me feel like something bad is about to happen. It starts out soft and enticing, then a slight intensity as it's getting more dramatic in the middle. The structure of this rhythmical music is to drive the dramatic action. I'm sure the people felt scared out of their minds when hearing it for the first time. 

The music, The Rite of Spring possesses such a graphic quality—its climaxes, its....similar “cure” by showing a ritual on stage, invoking the spirit of a primitive life. When approached with this scenario Serge Diaghilev convinced Stravinsky to write a ballet, not just a symphonic piece. 

In her book, Sacre du printemps – Seven Productions from Nijinsky to Martha Graham, Shelley C. Berg writes, “For Diaghilev it was the consummate synthesis, an extraordinary opportunity to bring together the ancient world of Slavic myth and ritual and the modern sensibility and power represented by Stravinsky’s music. Although, I'm not much into this kind of music I did, when given the opportunity, found it most intriguing and kind of wanting a little bit more. 

Viennese artists

This, the first of the two portraits, is considered by many to be his finest work. The sitter, Adele Bloch-Bauer, the wife of a Viennese banker and Klimt's lover, is adorned with precious materials and ancient artifacts, suggesting her wealth and power; but her stare, and her grasping hands, also suggest that she is fragile (the disfigured finger on her right hand is concealed). When I first saw this painting with the golden color it reminds me of the bright and shimmering golden sun. This makes me feel relaxed and calm. To know that the gold meant' wealth to him, yes I can see that now once I read about the painter.  I remember a movie about this exact painting not too long ago and I never understood the meaning.  I do not think they ever really explained the inspiration for him painting it, just who he painted for.  I'm glad I got a chance to be able to fully understand the meaning of this painting and my interpretation on how it makes me feel personally by seeing it.

Woman in Gold ‘La Mona Lisa d’Austria’ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/woman-in-gold/gustav-klimt-art-affairs/

Consumer of Culture.

My life is influenced by sports everyday. When I get up on weekend mornings, I turn on the TV to catch the early sports jabber from the announcers and get pumped up to watch football. I cheer for my favorite team and root on others too.  Usually how the games turn out influences my mood throughout the week. If they don't win, I will be kinda bummed that week and if they win my mood will sky rocket and I will be very happy. Leading up to the games on the weekends, I check who is not playing and who is playing or any info about my team. This is one of the few outlets I have, sports is kinda my whole life. Even what I wanna become in my adult life in the working world involves sports. It may have it's ups and downs but, it makes me happy. Sports is not only something I like but, also my family.  My mom and I will watch the games together and have lots of fun. We yell for our teams and are always laughing.