*~! Romanticism !~*

Examine alternate pieces by a composer, artist, or writer that we did talk about in class. How do these pieces affirm or call into question the period characteristics we've been discussing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTUHPhYF2J8

During the Romantic period, there was a definite shift from tradition, social structures, and logic to intuition, individualism, and imagination. Everything is more natural and free. In class, we listened to Smetana’s “The Moldau” and it was a beautiful symphonic poem about a river in the Bohemian Forest flowing throughout the green pastures and finally reaching the sea.

As an alternate piece, I chose Smetana’s “The Bartered Bride”. Its basic plot is about a marriage in which love conquers all despite parents and marriage brokers who are trying to destroy the couple’s marriage. This piece starts off with low, deep tones and a fast speed, and it gets louder near the middle with softer, higher-pitched instruments. Then, near the end, the piece slows down initially and finishes with a fast paced ending. You can imagine the story in your head as you’re listening to it, which is the purpose of an art song; to allows the listeners to hear the stay through the composition.

There is definite texture in this piece with the different instruments and sounds used due to the technological improvements on certain instruments as a result of the Industrial Revolution. Also, orchestra size increased rapidly during the romantic period yielding a larger range as well. Finally, “The Bartered Bride” embodies the concept of the Romantic period where there is no more form and where imagination is used to express emotions of the musician.

*~! China !~*

Discuss a piece of the textbooks that we haven't talked about in class.

http://www.marxists.org/archive/lu-xun/1918/04/x01.htm

I chose Lu Xun’s “Diary of a Madman” because the introduction to it seemed intriguing. This story is ultimately a piece which criticizes the traditional culture of Chinese societies. The Chinese have wanted to be independent and have their own cultural identity, and the writers of their time gave them the hope for that change. Lu Xun is one of the important writers and his story “Diary of a Madman” uses the idea of cannibalism to describe the influence the Chinese traditions have on its members.

In the beginning of the work, the narrator visits his older brother and finds out that his younger brother died due to illness. The older brother gives the narrator the younger brother’s diaries. In the diaries are accounts where the younger brother feels he is a targeted victim in a gang of cannibals, including his own brother. He would walk the streets and everyone would give him malicious looks. He described some of the faces as being green-colored, and I immediately associated that with greed and hunger. The narrator ends up locked in a house and speaks about change from the cannibalistic traditions and is ignored. At the end, the narrator questions whether or not he had once been involved in the acts he’s speaking out against as a child, which is where Lu Xun’s ironic twists come into play. Lu Xun also uses his famous “Save the Children…” line to end this work. I interpreted this last statement as Lu Xun telling everyone to not allow their children to grow up learning traditional values which are unethical. The way children learn these ways is from the parent’s teachings. So, if the children are not taught old values, then they can grow up and be real human beings.

“Diary of a Madman” also represents the characteristics of the Chinese period. There is an apparent sense of a hierarchy with the emphasis on Elder, Young, and Old in the titles of some of the characters. Also, some of Confucius’s teachings came into play such as tradition and the hope of a perfect unity because the narrator actually mentions that “all they’d have to do is give up that way of thinking, and then they could travel about, work, eat, and sleep in perfect security”. Finally, this work is a great example of having rigidity because the traditions of the culture seem to be unchangeable.

*~! 20th Century !~*

What art is hanging at the White House or another location? Knowing what you know about the period characteristics and themes, why might these pieces have been chosen?

Several presidents have come and gone over the years and some tend to leave their own persoanl mark on the White House with the paintings they choose to display throughout the White House. I chose three instances during the twentieth century and even some years after which show how the art displayed has changed.

In 1963, after John F. Kennedy’s assasination, Impressionist Claude Monet’s painting entitled “Mornings on the Seine” was donated to be placed in the White House. Kennedy was a very adventurous, outdoorsy, nature-loving man. This painting shows a scene on a river in real time and the viewer sees it as it is. It also gives off a very calming and serene like feeling. It definitely embodies JFK’s style and emotion towards the great outdoors. This may have been the reason why “Mornings on the Seine” was chosen to be placed in the White House; as a remembrance or some type of memorial for Kennedy.

 

In 1966, Landscape artist Thomas Moran had the honor of having his painting placed in the White House as well during Lyndon B. Johnson’s term. It has been there ever since because it is said to represent the American landscape throught its permanent collection. I can see why it’s still there. This is a beautiful painting capturing nature as it is, similar to Monet’s painting.  There is a peacefulness and calmness about it which allows the viewer to connect to it and imagine that they are actually there, especially during stressful times in the White House when the president just needs to clear their mind and relax. This painting is also important to the White House because it inspired Congress to make the decision of forming one of the first national parks.

Laura Bush acquired a Modernist painting by Jacob Lawrence called “The Builders” in 2007. This painting was created during the end of World War II in 1947 when the world was still in much ciaos. This particular painting shows the type of teamwork that may have been taking place in order to “build up” their societies. The way it is painted displays the characteristic of fragmentation because, upon first glance, there seems to be sections blocked off and has a geometric feel to it. Also the people and ladders are painted in two dimension so the full work has a flattening appearance. “The Builders” is probably still in the White House because of its essential idea of many people working together towards a common goal which is an important concept to think about when serving as a president.

*~! Expressionism !~*

Do some reflection on another work by an artist, writer, or musician that you’ve been introduced to in class.

     In class we read Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” which was, in a nut shell, about a traveling salesman who awakes one morning and realizes that he has been transformed into a giant cockroach. He is obviously having some sort of psychological experience and Kafka does an excellent job of executing this nightmarish scenario. Because I enjoyed this work, I decided to look up another short story written by Kafka; “The Vulture” (Below). This story is about a young man being attacked by a vulture and allows the vulture to eat at his legs rather than his face hoping the vulture would leave once it’s finished with the man’s legs. Another man comes along and offers to shoot the vulture but he has to go home to get his gun. Right after the man leaves to get his gun, the vulture pecks the young man’s head with his beak and kills him. Kafka is known for writing about struggles and “The Vulture” is no exception. The young man couldn’t drive the vulture away and finally gave up becoming helpless. The vulture could represent the hardships in life essentially. He was going to continue to eat the man’s legs no matter what. In life, you are going to have continuous struggles and obstacles to prevail over up until the time of death. In this case, the vulture overheard the two men talking of shooting him, so he took action and killed the young man first. This goes along with Darwin’s idea of the survival of the fittest. The vulture took action in order to save his own life. This story is a typical Kafka story and the reader is put in an uncomfortable position because there is suffering, then Kafka gives us hope when the other man comes along and offers to help the young man. But then Kafka hits us with an unfortunate event in the end when the man is killed evoking some time of emotion in the reader which is a characteristic of the expressionist period.

     I also compared “The vulture” to an expressionist painting I found entitled “Against the Green Wall” by Chriss Pagani (Below). The title itself could be suggestive because there is a common expression where someone is said to have their “backs against the wall” when they are overwhelmed with too many things at one time. They can become helpless. In this painting, there is a weather girl who is fed up with all the lies and deception she brings to her viewers on the weather, so she commits suicide right in front of the screen where she broadcasts from. There is suffering, such as in “The Vulture” because of her job from day to day. There is helplessness because she feels there is nothing she can do to fix her problem at work. Finally, there is the similar unfortunate event where the woman kills herself. It, too makes the viewer a little uncomfortable and ties into the expressionist period by playing on the mind of the viewers just like Kafka.

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“The Vulture” by Franz Kafka

A vulture was hacking at my feet. It had already torn my boots and stockings to shreds, now it was hacking at the feet themselves. Again and again it struck at them, then circled several times restlessly round me, then returned to continue its work. A gentleman passed by, looked on for a while, then asked me why I suffered the vulture. "I'm helpless," I said. "When it came and began to attack me, I of course tried to drive it away, even to strangle it, but these animals are very strong, it was about to spring at my face, but I preferred to sacrifice my feet. Now they are almost torn to bits." "Fancy letting yourself be tortured like this!" said the gentleman. "One shot and that's the end of the vulture." "Really ?" I said. "And would you do that?" "With pleasure," said the gentleman, "I've only got to go home and get my gun. Could you wait another half hour?" "I'm not sure about that," said I, and stood for a moment rigid with pain. Then I said: "Do try it in any case, please." "Very well," said the gentleman, "I'll be as quick as I can." During this conversation the vulture had been calmly listening, letting its eye rove between me and the gentleman. Now I realized that it had understood everything; it took wing, leaned far back to gain impetus, and then, like a javelin thrower, thrust its beak through my mouth, deep into me. Falling back, I was relieved to feel him drowning irretrievably in my blood, which was filling every depth, flooding every shore.

 "Against the Green Wall" by Chriss Pagani