Author Archives: j.fan

[The Persistence of Memory 1931 – Salvador Dali]

–Basic information about the artist.

Salvador Dali was born in Catalonia, Spain on May 11th, 1904 and died in Catalonia, Spain on January 23rd, 1989.

–A description of work you selected.

This oil-on-canvas painting depicts numerous stopwatches that are seemingly melting and drooping. The white-pink object in the middle of the painting is supposedly a monster with eye lashes and a tongue. The golden cliffs are based off the coast near his home in Catalonia. He was on hallucinogenic drugs while painting this.

–An analysis of how this work reflects the aesthetic preferences associated with Modernism.

The Persistence of Memory is viewed as a painting based off the surrealism movement. Surrealism is a stream of modernism which means that this painting can be associated with modernism.

–A description of the context in which you encountered the work.

The painting is presented in a frame surrounded by a dark olive color to show off the contrast of colors much more vividly. There was a tiny crowd surrounding the painting as it is one of the more popular ones exhibited at MOMA.

–An explanation of what drew you to this piece.

What drew me to this piece was the crowd surrounding it. I was curious on what the cause of commotion was about so I went in closer to see and I found this painting. Upon further inspection, I really appreciated Mr. Dali’s choice of colors used. They were visually pleasing and complimented each other nicely, as orange and blue are scientifically the most aesthetic color combination for us to look at. The “weirdness” of the painting was also very interesting to me since in my opinion, the best works of art are the most absurd since it shows creativity and imagination and inspires much more thinking to the viewer compared to someone’s realistic painting of a campbell soup can for an example.

–Any questions you have about the work.

What do the ants depict in the bottom left corner of this painting? Does the tree have any symbolic meaning behind it as well?

Frederick Douglass’s narrative (published in 1845) is in the form of a memoir that thoroughly documents his own personal life and experiences, specifically focusing on his experiences as a slave.

Slaves were brutally forced to work under horrible conditions for as long as their captor deemed fit. The most common occupation for these unfortunate souls were as farmers. Men and women worked their entire lives tirelessly with practically no leniency or breaks. God forbid if a slave would commit a mistake. Punishment was typically carried on by a person referred to as the overseer. These punishments were always severely damaging and the most common one inflicted was flagellation. Slaves were tied to trees and struck viciously by a whip until flesh stripped from bone. A child slave would purposely be separated away from their mother because slave owners believed that this would be the best way to control them – by replacing a slave’s family with themselves. Slaves had no beds, blankets, clothes, and barely any food.

The idea of teaching a slave was extremely revered. Slave owners did not want slaves to have any opportunity whatsoever to overcome their miseries. They believed that slaves must stay ignorant in order to be tamed. If a slave would be caught reading or writing then they would be given a punishment.

Frederick Douglass escaped slavery by crossing the border into the northern part of America. Slavery was outlawed in this region which meant that he was safe here. He later became an abolitionist – an advocate of the movement to end slavery.

Why do you think people (both in the 18th century, when Akinari was writing, and in our own day) are attracted to ghost stories or tales of the supernatural?

I think people are attracted to tales of the supernatural because people are naturally inclined to be curious about the world. People want to find anything unusual since they believe that they’ve seen all there is to the world already (both in the 18th century and nowadays). They’d like to believe that these tales are true since it would be interesting and grant a new aspect of life for them to experience.

Describe the character of Orgon. Why do you think he’s so vulnerable to Tartuffe?

Orgon is dangerously looking for a source of comfort that can tell him he will go to heaven when he inevitably passes away. Combined with a very gullible and trusting personality, this is a recipe for disaster. He is willing to trust Tartuffe’s word over his family, including his son, daughter, and even wife. Tartuffe knows this and pries into Orgon’s life in a deviant manner which indirectly begins to ruin his family’s  lives as well.

It’s a harsh reality but it’s also the one we live in. Where the strong prey on the weak, much like Tartuffe on Orgon. Even today we have scammers that try and persuade the elderly to spend hundreds on fake insurance policies that would benefit their grandkids when in reality they don’t exist. You can either blame Orgon for being how he is or Tartuffe for taking advantage.

What’s good everybody, my name is Jason Fan and I am majoring in Accountancy at Baruch College. I grew up in Brooklyn. My favorite food is chicken-over-rice served from halal carts. My favorite things to do are playing video games, watching Netflix, and meeting new people. People say I have a resting sad face but I swear that’s just my face. I love listening to rap music because in New York I milly rock. And sometimes I hide it in my sock. I went to Governor’s Ball this summer to see Travis Scott live and it was amazing. My favorite color is purple. My goals for the future are to get money and a baddie. My favorite brand of cereal is Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I look forward to getting to know all of you.

IG: opansasme