–What do you think the significance of Allende’s title is? What does it mean to be made of clay? –

-What happens to Rolf in his encounter with Azucena?

–Why do you think Azucena becomes a symbol of the tragedy that is unfolding in the story?

–What did you make of the President’s visit to the site of the disaster? What kind of commentary is Allende making here?

–How can you connect this story with your own experiences of natural or other disasters? Are there elements of the story that you can relate to? How?

–How is the theme of maternity explored in the story? Give at least two examples.
–Morrison adds issues of class to what is already a complicated story about race. Why? Where in the story do you see evidence of this?
–What is the meaning of Morrison’s title, Recitatif? How does it work as a title for this story?
–What are Twyla and Roberta fighting about in the section about school busing? What’s going on between them?
–Is the story’s perspective on race relations ultimately pessimistic or optimistic? Why?
–Why do you think Morrison chooses not to be explicit about which girl is African American and which girl is Caucasian?

–Why does the narrator address his listener as “my son”?

–The narrator tells us that “every new generation finds the doum tree as though it had been born at the time of their birth and would grow up with them.” What do you make of this?

–What seems to be the story’s perspective on the government in newly independent Sudan? What’s the relationship between the government and the villagers?

–Explain the shift in narratorial perspective in the final passages of the story? How does it change our own view of the text

The Sleeping Gypsy: 1897

Henri Rousseau(1844 – 1910), which is known as “Le Douanier Rousseau” after his career  as a toll collector in the city of Paris, was born in Laval Mayenne, France, in 1844. He is a self-taught genius who starts painting at the age of 40. With two years in 1886, he becomes a regular exhibitor at the Salon des Independants in Paris. At the age of 49, he retires early from his post and becomes a full-time painter. Even though he aims to be a famous academic painter, Rousseau is perceived as the quintessential “naive” artist. He develops his own unique style of modern art, which is a surrealistic blend of primitivism and pure fantasy.

The work I choose is The Sleeping Gypsy created in 1897. It is painted with oil on canvas. The picture depicts a black woman lying on the desert and sleeping. In front of her is a jar and a mandolin. The woman is wearing color traditional costume. It seems like the woman is in deep sleep and has contented expression on her face, maybe she has a sweet dream. However, she is holding a branch in her arms, seems like she is ready to protect herself from being attacked all the time. Behind the woman, there is a lion walking by and musing on her, but it is obvious that the lion is not going to attack her. It is night time with sparse stars and a bright moon on the clear sky.

There are several aspects that The Sleeping Gypsy reflects modernism. One of the symbol is the description of the lion. Lion use to impress people as a cruel predator, which represents danger. Whereas in this picture, the lion seems peace and kind. It is different from the traditional thoughts to lions. Besides, the detail that the woman is holding a branch to fall in sleep implies that she realizes there is danger around her in the desert and finding the way to protect herself. Nonetheless, she falls into deep sleep and has a good dream. Rousseau may want to express that even though the present situation is bad and full of danger, we still should hope for the future, or have some good dreams about the future. Sometimes you see something through its surface thinking as danger as a lion. As a matter of fact, it might not. It might not as danger as how you think. This picture tells us that the fact is not always goes by how you think it use to be. We should get rid of the traditional thoughts and review the society with some new thoughts.

When I was looking around in the MOMA, The Sleeping Gypsy made me stop my step. When I first looked at the picture,  I was attracted by the feeling the picture gives me. The picture send out a kind of quiet and peaceful. The bright moon plays a key role in this work. It is so clear and bright, gives me a feeling of hope and nice. The woman is sleeping with smile on her face. It seems that the lion is a guardian angel of the woman in the darkness.

The question I am still holding is what is the mandolin means in this picture?

Henri Rousseau was a French artist of the post-impressionism movement. He was not born into a wealthy family. His father was a plumber and also a debtor. Although he was not the brightest student in school, he received awards for drawing and music. It is impressive because he taught himself how to draw as a hobby and was able to make a name for himself from his work. Prior to his art career he served in the army and worked for Paris’s Customs office. He only focused entirely on his art when he retired. His works were liked by surrealists and he was also honored by Picasso in 1908.

I chose the piece “The Dream” by Henri Rousseau from 1910. The piece shows a nude woman laying on the sofa in a jungle setting. The jungle is depicted in dull green background  completed with twenty two different shades of green. The painting also includes jungle animals such as lions, birds, elephants, blooming flowers and fruits which are depicted in bright colors, showing a contrast in color with the background and allowing them to stand out. The piece also gives a mysterious feeling. The elephant seem to be hiding behind the forest, the lions are staring intensively at something and the monkey-like creature with the instrument blends into the dull background compared to the other animals that are depicted in bright colors which makes me wonder: why are they depicted that way?

“The Dream” reflects aspects of modernism because it leads to curiosity and also seems to show aspects of surrealism. It allows you to take what you see in the painting and interpret what the artist is trying to tell us. In class, we defined surrealism as a way to connect reality and imagination and how art can allow those two things to come together. In the painting we see the woman sitting on a sofa which shows reality and the forest setting seems to be in her imagination. It seems like the woman sitting inside her imagination in the jungle setting. She is smiling reaching her hand towards the jungle and seems like it is a meaningful, happy place to her and she wish to be there.

I encountered this piece when I just finished walking about the Picasso gallery in the MOMA and was about to enter another one. Once I stepped into the new gallery, I was drawn to this piece because of the size of the painting. It was huge compared to the paintings surrounding it. I was also drawn by the beautiful jungle setting and the use of colors. The woman, animals and blooming flowers were bright in contrast with the dark dull green color for the rest of the painting which made me want to look at the painting in detail.

Questions:

-Why is the monkey looking creature that is playing a instrument blended among the dull green color of the jungle when the other animals are depicted in bright colors? What does it represent in the overall painting?

Sources-

http://www.henrirousseau.org/

http://www.theartstory.org/movement-surrealism.htm

http://www.theartstory.org/artist-rousseau-henri-artworks.htm#pnt_5

http://www.henrirousseau.net/

The Serenity of the Scholar by Giorgio De Chirico

Giorgio De Chirico was born in Volos, Greece on July 10, 1888 and was raised there by Italian parents. While living in Paris in the 1910’s, his homesickness is believed to have led to the mysterious, classically-inspired pictures of empty town squares for which is notably known for where Surrealists championed him as a precursor. De Chirico however was more conservative than the Paris avant-garde and he embraced the qualities of Renaissance and Baroque art which drew criticism from his old supporters.  In recent years his work has attracted more interest and was an influence on new generations of Italian painters in the 1980’s.

The Serenity of the Scholar was painted by him in 1914. The work was done on canvas by oil and charcoal and is currently displayed at the Museum of Modern Art along with other works. This piece was a gift of Sylvia Slifka in honor of Joseph Slifka. This painting is known for its strong geometric lines and shapes similar to the ones he had encountered in Turin, Italy. It has a dreamlike and enigmatic visual which is key touchstone for French Surrealists.

Modernism refers to a reforming movement in art, architecture, music, literature and the applied arts during the late 19^th century and early 20^th century. This painting reflects the aesthetic preferences associated with Modernism by its uniqueness and freedom of expression. Exhibited by de Chirico, we the partial structure of man and behind him is part of a city where we can see the emission of smoke from a factory chimney and the shadows of buildings. Apart from this, we can see the unusual object of a large pair of reading glasses.

Looking deeply at this painting, it makes you think, “Is this picture really what it looks like?” Why is there a huge pair of spectacles in an odd place? Is that really the shadow of neighboring buildings or is it also part of the ground and the structure that the pair of glasses is on is a unique piece of structure? Rather than adapting the tradition of Art as it was historically done, de Chirico rejected that concept and experimented, stressing his freedom of expression to what he wanted to depict in this masterpiece. His bizarre effects illustrate surrealism in art which fuels his strong modernistic approach.

What truly drew me to this picture is the pair of glasses. Being a fan of those frames today and looking back to the time this painting was done made me feel astonish to the fact today it still exists. It also represents a form of intuition as reading glasses relate to books and books give us knowledge. I also felt a deep connection with the perceived city structure behind the gentleman as it gives me a feeling that today, this is what cities do look like. Being apart of New York, the picture to me speaks, “City Life.”

Looking at de Chirico’s work, the only question I have is what does the “X” on the wall indicate? Does it really mark the spot?

https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79011

http://www.philosophybasics.com/movements_modernism.html

http://www.theartstory.org/artist-de-chirico-giorgio.htm

Georges Ribermont-Dessaignes (1884-1974) was a French multi-talented artist, most famous for his writing and art. Ribermont-Dessaignes was affiliated with the Dada movement, a collection of Modernist artists who used their work and performances as a reaction to World War I and nationalism. The movement had many platforms from performance art to photography. They were influenced by other genres in modernism such as Futurism, Cubism, Expression and Constructivism.

Description from museum: “In Ribemont-Dessaignes’s machine pictures, painted gears, shafts, and wires create osbscure contraptions suggesting that the forces of production have run amok.” When I first saw painting, its abstract fashion is what drew me. However, I was even more interested after reading the portion of the aforementioned description. It reminded of the argument of modern technology and the worries of artificial intelligence. “the forces of production have run amok,” is basically the fear of the advancement of technology in our generation, and the fact that this painting’s meaning is extremely similar to our worries now, when it was painted a little over 100 years ago is eye opening.

Modernism is a form of deviance, being that it was against social norms. Dadaism rejected the aestheticism of a capitalistic society, making them activists in their own right.

Even though the painting, which was influenced by Dadaism, is in opposition to World War I and nationalism, the significance is still relevant.

The painting looks like the blue print of an unorganized, unidentifiable machine. To me, it looked like a mockery to technological advancements at the time. Technology such as the Bell’s vacuum amplifier which enabled long distanced calling from coast to coast in the U.S.

What does each particular part in the painting mean? Does any of it signify any particular machine or technological advancement that was made at that time? Why is a Hungarian city “Szegedin,” mentioned when Dada was apparently created in Switzerland? Although I can identify portions of the painting, the magic question is what does it all mean?

Henri Rousseau was a French Painter born in 1844. He was born into a poor family and worked until he was 49 years old, the age he could retire and focus solely on his art. In order to earn enough to live as just an artist Rousseau took up jobs such as giving painting lessons which is ironic because Rousseau was self-taught and never had a art lesson himself. Rousseau enjoyed painting jungles but he never actually saw a jungle in person. He based it on the botanical garden in Paris.

The art work I selected is titled “The Dream” (1910). It illustrates a nude female on a sofa in what it looks like a forrest or a jungle. There are several wild animals scattered around the painting but because of the colors chosen by Rousseau, the animals blend into the sea of green. The main focus of this painting seems to be the female lady as she is in the brightest tone. Everything else around her seems dull, not vibrant. The moon is out meaning it is the evening or night hence why things are not vibrant since the sun is not out. In addition to the wild animals and the female lady a motif in this piece are the plants as the painting is mostly covered in plants and another motif are the wild flowers that vary in color.

“The Dream” reflects modernism as the piece breaks away from traditional pieces. This piece is different as the focus is a nude women laying on a sofa in a jungle while some animals stare at her shocked. It reflects modernism as it is a piece on something that interested the artist. In addition, what seems to be a monkey is seen in the center of the painting playing a human instrument. The monkey also seems to have an item of clothing on the bottom half of his body. It is interesting to note that the wild animal is the one clothed while the female is naked in the wild, like a wild animal. Rousseau perhaps might have wanted to make a statement. Which is something traditional pieces stood away from.

I encountered this piece on the fifth floor of the MoMa. It stood out among the other paintings as it looked very smooth and complicated. I was drawn to “The Dream” specifically because of the wild animals. The eyes of the wild animals reminded me of the Mona Lisa in which I was not sure if the wild animals are looking at me or if they are looking at the naked female sitting on the sofa.

Source used: http://artsmarts4kids.blogspot.com/2008/02/henri-rousseau.html

The Neue Galarie (new gallery) is a museum for German and Austrian art from the early twentieth century. This museum is one of my favorite places in New York because I especially like Austrian painter, Egon Schiele. However, when I visited the museum this time, there were only a few paintings of him. So, I chose one of the most famous paintings of Gustav Klimt.

This is a “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” (1903-1907), painted by Gustav Klimt. Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) is a genius and pioneer of Viennese Modernism. This piece is a portrait of one woman who was the wife of Klimt’s sponsor. She was the only one person whose portrait painted twice by Klimt.

At first, the painting looks just colorful portrait of one woman for me, but a close look at the painting reveals something abstract. Although face of woman is depicted realistically, I’m not sure whether she is seating or standing in the painting. Actually, Klimt depicts Bloch-Bauer as seated, but it is difficult to identify the form of chair or to separate the form of her clothing from the background. Omissions were common in all of Klimt’s earlier portraits. This work does not provide any clues about location, context and so on.

In terms of “ambiguous” and “irrationality”, this piece can be viewed as a Modernism. Modernism is based on realization that human behavior is inherently emotional and irrational. Therefore, it is not a matter of right or wrong in modernism. Actually, Klimt has never explained his works within his lifetime.

I think Klimt is very important figure in history of Modernism. In the year 1900, Vienna was a center of culture in the world including philosophy, psychology, medicine and art. However, at that time, Klimt wanted to change traditional, conservative culture of art, so he led Vienna Secession movement. Klimt was a pioneer of the Modernist art movement. Also, he is a symbolist and the earliest example of Modernist ideologies manifest in art.

When I see “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I and II”, I’m doubtful that he might have loved Adele because she was the only woman whose portrait painted twice and paintings shows bright and lovely feeling of colors. Actually, Klimt was rumored to be romantically involved with numerous women he painted, but nobody knows.

Henri-Émile-Benoît Matisse was a French artist born on December 31st, 1869, in Nord, France.  He was the oldest son of a prosperous grain merchant.  In 1887, he went to Paris to study law, however it was in 1889 that he began to paint.  His newfound love for painting was a result of a period of time where he was recovering from an attack of appendicitis, where his mother bought him art supplies to spend some time.  He described it himself as a kind of paradise.  Following that, he decided to devote himself to his art, even though it greatly disappointed his father.

In the painting, we see four individuals, two in the foreground and two in the background.  The two individuals in the background are fully clothed, yet the two in the foreground appear to be naked.  As a viewer, the more you look at the painting, it is quite easy to determine the mood of the overall painting.  You can say that the painting is divided into two parts.  The two in the background appear to be happy and in love, as seen by the way they are kissing one another.  Whereas the individual in the front can be seen as being upset.

Music (Sketch) is an example of art influenced by Expressionism.  Expressionism is known to be a way of art in which the subject is not about the external world, rather it conveys a message about the internal feelings and anxieties of the artist.  Some key aspects of Expressionist art are heavy brushstrokes, distortion, and heavy colors.  Those aspects can be seen in Matisse’s Music(Sketch).  You can clearly see how Expressionism is represented in the art piece.  The individual up front is a visual representation of the way the artist feels.  You can get a sense of isolation, vulnerability, sadness, and shame just by looking at the individual who is on the floor.

Located in a back corner of the exhibit, the painting itself was very low-key.  It isn’t what you would call a large piece either.  It was one of those paintings that you could easily walk right past and wouldn’t notice it was there.  However, as soon as I saw it, I immediately knew this was the painting that I wanted to use.  What drew me to the piece was how easily I was able to make a connection with the pieces of literature that we read in class.  I felt that the painting could be a visual representation of The Death of Ivan Ilych, The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock, or The Metamorphosis.  All three stories focused on a character who felt isolated, alienated, afraid, and vulnerable.  Thus, you could put any of those characters within the painting and it would still make sense.

The only question I would have for the painting is, why have the individual playing the violin naked as well?  I understand why Matisse had the individual on the floor be naked, but not so sure as to why have the person playing the violin naked as well.