Author Archives: CHRISTIAN HERNANDEZ

The museum of modern art also known as the MoMa is hands down one of my favorite museums to attend in NYC . Upon my visit to the MoMa I took a closer look at the fifth floor which carried pieces of work from the late 19th to early 20th century. There in sight I took notice and analyzed Georges Braque, Man with a Guitar. Braque was a renowned 20th century french painter who played a major role in the development of cubism. He and colleague Pablo Picasso were heavily associated with each other, even though the fame of Picasso was far superior than Braque.

Braque’s earliest work were far more expressional and followed the Fauve movement with other brilliant painters such Henri Matisse and Andre Derain. His interest and work led to what is known as cubism through his curiosity in geometry and unorthodox view on perspective. Cubism was very experimental and in the early 20th century revolutionized paintings and sculptures by using monochromatic colors and abstract patterns.

In Man with a Guitar you can’t help but look and view it slowly as you concentrate on every detail in the painting. There are lines and shading used very unconventionally creating a sense of structure and texture through fragmentation, through this style it made his work seem both flat yet three dimensional. He wanted to create a new representation in terms of paintings and its not necessarily meant to be abstract but construct a new approach to on how to create and view them.

By pin pointing recognizable details you can make out the profile of a man in the painting as well as a sound hole of the instrument if you look carefully. Cubism was breaking barriers within paintings as we were starting to view them from a new direction like that of a sculpture. Now with this technique and movement in the arts it very much coincides with that of modernism. It shows that art is not just seen or interpreted by our eyes but our minds as well, it ruptures ways to make sense of a picture

Majority of his work in cubism resemble one another based on the choice of monochromatic grays and fragmentation of shape. I find it fascinating how one can look at an image but have no idea what we’re exactly looking at until we read the caption of so called work. Pieces and work like these capture my eye as you end up in a gaze trying to capture every detail and in ways solve this elaborate take on art. Picasso who also used cubism had a larger sense of color in his work so to see the difference yet commonality between both in cubism is very interesting. To believe at first glance this came across as an abstract painting is actually much vast to a greater way of thinking and approach to painting in itself.

After reading Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler I was intrigued by the power of appearance portrayed in the play. Appearance is such a major asset in today’s world as it gives us a sense of power and edge in society which Hedda has throughout the play. The way we look and present ourselves reflect not only our personalities but also be judged by our wealth and well being. Based on the way we perceive are selves can reflect how others decide to treat us, in Hedda’s case she was a stunning woman with good looks which she used to her own advantage. All the men had or wanted to sleep with her in the play and she had that power over them which is surprising since this play is based in a men dominance era. George truly believes she loves him but is really being used for a so called better future, she finds him boring and hopes for his fame as he does everything to her demand without hesitation. Hedda uses her appearance nothing more than for her own personal gain and an opportunity for a successful planned life. We’ve all came across those particular couples where you question how on earth they came to be, where one looks like a model and the other is practically dying. You question is there really love involved? Is there something in it for them? and is it because ones looks is more valuable than a meaningful relationship on one end and personal gain on the other. We don’t all always base people by appearances but it can definitely play roles when finding work, getting into relationships, or just convincing someone away from the truth. Hedda knew she was blessed with an asset and took it upon herself to always come up on top but was it all really worth it in the end, to which I say appearances can either assist or hurt you in the process and shouldn’t be everything to get anywhere in life.

Hello, my name is Christian Hernandez and this is my first semester here at Baruch. I am a transfer from Suffolk County Community College majoring in Marketing. I was born in Los Angeles, California but am a New Yorker nonetheless, I moved to Long Island when I was 3 and wouldn’t have want it any other way. I have been very indecisive in my educational career as I’ve explored many majors in the past few years. Straight out of high school I lived in Boston for 2 years studying architecture, though I enjoyed many aspects of the city and my major things changed and I moved back home. That’s where I continued my schooling at Suffolk as a visual arts student, I was always drawn to the arts and being able to have a sense of creativity. I enjoy going to museums and concerts which are more reasons why I love New York, though I am from Long Island I always ventured off into the city and Brooklyn area. Being a visual arts student was short lived and I soon majored in computer science for a few semesters which somehow led to accounting. I was trying to find a major to best suit me but make a profitable career out of it I lost my sense of connectivity on what would make me happy. I soon came across Baruch and I’ve never felt so certain that this is where I want to be, with my intended major I am able to put all that I’ve learned together and hopefully one day work with a creative platform and team. I am looking forward to whats ahead and what Baruch has to offer as well as our class this spring semester.