Chapter 38 deals a lot with modern technology and how artists have used it to create completely new and fresh styles of art. Most of it would not be possible without the invention of the computer. Computers now play an essential role in making life easier for not only artists, but also for people like architects and businessmen. For businessmen, computers allow for the transfer of information over long distances. In turn, businesses adapted to a term called globalism which means to spread across the world.
For artists, many new possibilities became available due to computers. One example of this could be video art. Like synthesizers alter sound, the videosynthesizer was invented to alter the shape and color of video images making a whole new artform possible. In addition, computers advanced this idea of art even further with digital art. In this artform, computers are used as the primary tool in creating things like animations, virtual reality, and game art. Not only that, but computers allow for large databases to be stored which holds the contents of virtually an inifinite amount of information. Museums have taken advantage of this and can display all of their exhibits over the internet so that they can be accessed by anyone.
Without computers, many of the big blockbuster motion pictures that come out nowadays using CGI effects would be impossible. An example of these amazing computer animated effects can be seen in the recent Transformer movies.
Also, the recent trend for movies as well as video games is making everything in 3-D. Everyday artists are using computers to see how far they can go with coming up with new and exciting ways to entertain viewers.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Electronic Music
Since the late 1950's when John Cage first began to tamper with sounds made from things other than traditional instruments, electronic music has made a huge impact on music in the last 60 years. This movement started with the genre called musique concrete which incorporated electronic equipment to create new sounds from instruments. Later on the synthesizer was invented allowing musicians to use a vast range of frequencies.
The synthesizer and other computerized electronic instruments now dominate the musical world of today. In nearly every genre currently, there is some degree of use of electronic sound or recording to get the finished songs we all hear. You can discover the use of the synthesizer in countless types of music like pop, rock, hip hop, and even heavy metal. There have even been genres of music created solely because of electronic sounds and rhythm like techno and electronica. Here is a sample of what I'm talking about:
As you can see, the synthesizer can be incorporated into certain styles of music to provide a very unique sound to help musicians stand out. It can also completely dominate a song to give artists the ability to not only create the music, but also single-handedly perform it.
Also, when it comes to performing, the use of electronic technology has also changed the way artists can present their music on stage. Nowadays, people expect to not only be entertained from what they hear, but also by what they see. The use of fancy lighting and laser light shows is a necessity to satisfy audiences that want an experience for all of their senses. A prime example of this is the Trans-Siberian orchestra.
The synthesizer and other computerized electronic instruments now dominate the musical world of today. In nearly every genre currently, there is some degree of use of electronic sound or recording to get the finished songs we all hear. You can discover the use of the synthesizer in countless types of music like pop, rock, hip hop, and even heavy metal. There have even been genres of music created solely because of electronic sounds and rhythm like techno and electronica. Here is a sample of what I'm talking about:
As you can see, the synthesizer can be incorporated into certain styles of music to provide a very unique sound to help musicians stand out. It can also completely dominate a song to give artists the ability to not only create the music, but also single-handedly perform it.
Also, when it comes to performing, the use of electronic technology has also changed the way artists can present their music on stage. Nowadays, people expect to not only be entertained from what they hear, but also by what they see. The use of fancy lighting and laser light shows is a necessity to satisfy audiences that want an experience for all of their senses. A prime example of this is the Trans-Siberian orchestra.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Science Fiction ftw
The introduction of the science fiction genre brought about by innovative accomplishments in the past fifty years stirred creative ideas into the minds of artists in the 21st century. Events like the first artificial earth satellite Sputnik being put into orbit as well as breakthroughs in technology like utilizing laser beams has influenced some of the most entertaining and thought-provoking works of art.
An example of this could easily be the science fiction story The Sentinel by Arthur C. Clarke which tells of a quest to find an ancient crystal monolith out in deep space using state-of-the-art technology like spaceships and artificial intelligence supercomputers. This classic adventure is the quintessence of science fiction and invites the mind to think about mind-blowing ideas that might be difficult to comprehend since no one has seen or heard of things like deep space travel and artificial intelligence. The Sentinel which was made into a motion picture called 2001: A Space Odyssey and has greatly influenced several future films either directly or indirectly including the extremely famous Star Wars by George Lucas.
In addition to science fiction space travel, the book also mentions The Matrix trilogy, which happens to be my favorite, to provide the best example of artificial intelligence taking over the world. The idea that the world that we sense is not an actual reality can easily be traced back to this trilogy. Also, The Matrix was the first to introduce the photographic technique called "flow motion" that can be found in several of today's current movies to provide excellent special effects to audiences. Anytime you see an action scene go back and forth from slow to fast motion, remember that The Matrix started this popular trend. Here below is the most famous scene using the slow motion camera techniques.
Science fiction allows an artist to think way outside the box to come up with new and creative ideas to entertain audiences and sometimes give insight on how the future might look, hopefully not like The Matrix.
An example of this could easily be the science fiction story The Sentinel by Arthur C. Clarke which tells of a quest to find an ancient crystal monolith out in deep space using state-of-the-art technology like spaceships and artificial intelligence supercomputers. This classic adventure is the quintessence of science fiction and invites the mind to think about mind-blowing ideas that might be difficult to comprehend since no one has seen or heard of things like deep space travel and artificial intelligence. The Sentinel which was made into a motion picture called 2001: A Space Odyssey and has greatly influenced several future films either directly or indirectly including the extremely famous Star Wars by George Lucas.
In addition to science fiction space travel, the book also mentions The Matrix trilogy, which happens to be my favorite, to provide the best example of artificial intelligence taking over the world. The idea that the world that we sense is not an actual reality can easily be traced back to this trilogy. Also, The Matrix was the first to introduce the photographic technique called "flow motion" that can be found in several of today's current movies to provide excellent special effects to audiences. Anytime you see an action scene go back and forth from slow to fast motion, remember that The Matrix started this popular trend. Here below is the most famous scene using the slow motion camera techniques.
Science fiction allows an artist to think way outside the box to come up with new and creative ideas to entertain audiences and sometimes give insight on how the future might look, hopefully not like The Matrix.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Dancing Against the Odds
Since we were talking about minority artists in class, I wanted to blog about Katherine Dunham because of her determination to do what she loves. Being an African-American as well as a woman, she had odds stacked against her to become successful. This did not stop her in the slightest. Not only did she complete her doctorate in anthropology, she also toured the world with her own dance company. She went above and beyond to get her inspiration. The book says she went to all kinds of places like Jamaica, Trinidad, Martinique, and Haiti to research dance. Katherine Dunham gives hope to people to be successful no matter what social standing they are in. Here is an example of one of the dances she performed:
This is actually from the film Stormy Weather that Katherine Dunham and her troupe performed in, but as you can see, this kind of dancing is much different than the choregraphy that we have discussed so far in class. Unlike Nijinsky's The Rite of Spring, the dancing and movement in this performance is much more smooth and flowing like the music. Katherine's dancing had a happier tone to it and was just altogether easier on the eyes in my opinion.
One of her most famous performances is Tropical Revue in which she really incorporates what she has learned from studying African religious dances into her routine. Even the costumes, designed by Katherine's husband John Pratt, truly represent the essence of African dance.
Throughout her career, she choreographed more than 90 individual dances and she maintained her dance company for over 30 years, which was the only African-American lead group during that time.
This is actually from the film Stormy Weather that Katherine Dunham and her troupe performed in, but as you can see, this kind of dancing is much different than the choregraphy that we have discussed so far in class. Unlike Nijinsky's The Rite of Spring, the dancing and movement in this performance is much more smooth and flowing like the music. Katherine's dancing had a happier tone to it and was just altogether easier on the eyes in my opinion.
One of her most famous performances is Tropical Revue in which she really incorporates what she has learned from studying African religious dances into her routine. Even the costumes, designed by Katherine's husband John Pratt, truly represent the essence of African dance.
Throughout her career, she choreographed more than 90 individual dances and she maintained her dance company for over 30 years, which was the only African-American lead group during that time.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Thank You Edward Hopper
It was such a breath of fresh air to see Nighthawks in the book after flipping through all those pages of those crazy Abstract Expressionists. Personally, I cannot find meaning in those random paint-splattered artworks, but I can find meaning in a realistic painting like this one. You know an artist is talented when he can take a snapshot of urban everyday life and make it into a masterpiece.
This particular snapshot is of a small all-night diner somewhere in New York. The painting seems to give off feelings of gloominess and loneliness as the people in the diner seem to all be lost in their own thoughts. No one is interacting with each other even though there isn't much space between them. In my opinion, the atmosphere of the painting is peaceful, calm, and quiet. A few night owls are just taking it easy late at night enjoying their dinner. However, I doubt that Hopper intended to invoke that kind of thinking, but it is just my personal thoughts.
I do believe that Hopper was thinking more along the lines of anxiety and restlessness. I'm sure this has a lot to do with the fact that the bombing of Pearl Harbor was around this time and I've also heard that Hopper started this painting right after the horrifying incident. You can just tell that during the quiet night, everyone in the diner has their mind preoccupied with seemingly worrying thoughts.
I was just happy to finally see a painting in the book that was easy on the eyes and invoked some genuine thoughts and feelings from me.
Nighthawks is considered to be one of the most recognizable pieces in American art and is referenced countless times in popular culture. Here is a prime example:
This particular snapshot is of a small all-night diner somewhere in New York. The painting seems to give off feelings of gloominess and loneliness as the people in the diner seem to all be lost in their own thoughts. No one is interacting with each other even though there isn't much space between them. In my opinion, the atmosphere of the painting is peaceful, calm, and quiet. A few night owls are just taking it easy late at night enjoying their dinner. However, I doubt that Hopper intended to invoke that kind of thinking, but it is just my personal thoughts.
I do believe that Hopper was thinking more along the lines of anxiety and restlessness. I'm sure this has a lot to do with the fact that the bombing of Pearl Harbor was around this time and I've also heard that Hopper started this painting right after the horrifying incident. You can just tell that during the quiet night, everyone in the diner has their mind preoccupied with seemingly worrying thoughts.
I was just happy to finally see a painting in the book that was easy on the eyes and invoked some genuine thoughts and feelings from me.
Nighthawks is considered to be one of the most recognizable pieces in American art and is referenced countless times in popular culture. Here is a prime example:
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Existentialism
Existentialism was a philosophical movement of the early twentieth century. Although the father of existentialism is a Danish philosopher named Soren Kierkegaard, it became popular through the efforts of Jean-Paul Satre of France. Satre was also known for being a playwright, novelist, journalist, and literary critic.
Existentialism is a philosophy centered on the individual and one of Satre's most famous quotes, "Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself" supports this notion. According to existentialism, everyone forms their own nature by what choices they make throughout their life. "We are what we choose to be" is Satre's view on the topic. So in other words, a person is only defined based on the sum of all the decisions and actions he or she makes and nothing else. If I understand this correctly, then intent has nothing to do with who you are according to this philosophy. This means that if someone performs some kind of deed that appeared good to everyone on the outside, but the intentions of the deed were actually evil, it doesn't matter and that person is still a "good" person. I guess an example of this could be something like being friendly to the smartest kid in the class only so that you can use him to help you on homework. The deed seems good to everyone, but the intent is actually a selfish one.
This idea probably contradicts with a lot of different religions out there, but it definitely contradicts with Christianity. In Christianity, God sees the intent behind all your actions and judges you based on the true goodness in your heart, not what is on the outside. You can make all the best choices in the world, but if your heart isn't in the right place, then you could be judged harshly for it in the end.
Another important part of existentialism is the idea that every choice that is made by an individual affects all of humankind. However, existentialism also says that every individual is responsible for their own actions and an individual's nature is solely based on their own decisions like I already mentioned. These ideas contradict because if my choices shape all of humankind, then wouldn't they affect everyone else's nature, thus affecting the decisions they make throughout their life even though Satre said that you are responsible for your own actions.
My last thought on the subject is if people form their own natures based on the decisions they make that are their own responsibilities, then why should society even try to teach people of good morals and parents try to teach their children manners. It seems like it is up to the individual to form their own nature whether it is good or bad without the responsibility of any one else except themselves according to existentialism.
Existentialism is a philosophy centered on the individual and one of Satre's most famous quotes, "Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself" supports this notion. According to existentialism, everyone forms their own nature by what choices they make throughout their life. "We are what we choose to be" is Satre's view on the topic. So in other words, a person is only defined based on the sum of all the decisions and actions he or she makes and nothing else. If I understand this correctly, then intent has nothing to do with who you are according to this philosophy. This means that if someone performs some kind of deed that appeared good to everyone on the outside, but the intentions of the deed were actually evil, it doesn't matter and that person is still a "good" person. I guess an example of this could be something like being friendly to the smartest kid in the class only so that you can use him to help you on homework. The deed seems good to everyone, but the intent is actually a selfish one.
This idea probably contradicts with a lot of different religions out there, but it definitely contradicts with Christianity. In Christianity, God sees the intent behind all your actions and judges you based on the true goodness in your heart, not what is on the outside. You can make all the best choices in the world, but if your heart isn't in the right place, then you could be judged harshly for it in the end.
Another important part of existentialism is the idea that every choice that is made by an individual affects all of humankind. However, existentialism also says that every individual is responsible for their own actions and an individual's nature is solely based on their own decisions like I already mentioned. These ideas contradict because if my choices shape all of humankind, then wouldn't they affect everyone else's nature, thus affecting the decisions they make throughout their life even though Satre said that you are responsible for your own actions.
My last thought on the subject is if people form their own natures based on the decisions they make that are their own responsibilities, then why should society even try to teach people of good morals and parents try to teach their children manners. It seems like it is up to the individual to form their own nature whether it is good or bad without the responsibility of any one else except themselves according to existentialism.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Surrealism
The Surrealism movement was a movement based upon the ideas of Sigmund Freud. This movement focused in analyzing the unconscious mind of a person and then creating images. Surrealists were most interested in trying to visualize the dream world beyond reality so that they could make new art different than anything seen before.
I enjoy the paradox pointed out in the book that says "Surrealist art rested on the artist's conscious effort to capture unconscious experience." I personally am a little skeptical of this movement because any artist could draw whatever they want in whatever way they want and call it art from the "dream state." Since our dreams rarely ever make since, the art created during this movement did not make sense either. I do like how Rene Magritte understood this concept in saying "People who look for symbolic meanings fail to grasp the inherent poetry and mystery of the image. By asking 'What does this mean,' they express a wish that everything must be understandable." Although I agree that people try too hard to understand the images, I don't necesarrily agree that there is mystery and poetry within them in some cases.
A prime example of this is Joan Mirรณ with his painting called The Harlequin's Carnival. His painting is composed of completely random images randomly assembled on a canvas and none of it makes sense and isn't even supposed to make sense. I am no professional art critic, but I don't think there is much poetry going on in this painting. I guess I can understand if people commend him and other Surrealists for trying something new. I just feel like some people were trying a little too hard to be different, maybe even forcing it in my opinion.
I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but I don't think Rene Magritte was creative with his "The Betrayal of Images" painting either. I don't think that he was special in painting a pipe and then saying it wasn't a pipe, just because it's actually a painting. Maybe I could understand if he was the very first one to come up with this notion, but I highly doubt that. It's possible I am just being too cynical but the Surrealism movement just wasn't for me...sorry Surrealist fans.
I enjoy the paradox pointed out in the book that says "Surrealist art rested on the artist's conscious effort to capture unconscious experience." I personally am a little skeptical of this movement because any artist could draw whatever they want in whatever way they want and call it art from the "dream state." Since our dreams rarely ever make since, the art created during this movement did not make sense either. I do like how Rene Magritte understood this concept in saying "People who look for symbolic meanings fail to grasp the inherent poetry and mystery of the image. By asking 'What does this mean,' they express a wish that everything must be understandable." Although I agree that people try too hard to understand the images, I don't necesarrily agree that there is mystery and poetry within them in some cases.
A prime example of this is Joan Mirรณ with his painting called The Harlequin's Carnival. His painting is composed of completely random images randomly assembled on a canvas and none of it makes sense and isn't even supposed to make sense. I am no professional art critic, but I don't think there is much poetry going on in this painting. I guess I can understand if people commend him and other Surrealists for trying something new. I just feel like some people were trying a little too hard to be different, maybe even forcing it in my opinion.
I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but I don't think Rene Magritte was creative with his "The Betrayal of Images" painting either. I don't think that he was special in painting a pipe and then saying it wasn't a pipe, just because it's actually a painting. Maybe I could understand if he was the very first one to come up with this notion, but I highly doubt that. It's possible I am just being too cynical but the Surrealism movement just wasn't for me...sorry Surrealist fans.
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