1. Cotton Tail 

“Cotton Tail” is a 1940 composition by Duke Ellington. It is based on the rhythm changes from George Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm”. The first Ellington recording on May 2^nd, 1940 is notable for the driving tenor saxophone solo by Ben Webster. Originally an instrumental, “Cotton Tail” later had lyrics written for it by Ellington. Later, more lyrics were written, based on the 1940 recording, by Jon Hendricks, and recorded by Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. I really enjoyed the composition because it has a very upbeat rhythm that makes anyone want to dance.

 

 

 

2. 4’33’’ 

4′33″, which is pronounced “Four minutes, thirty-three seconds” or just “Four thirty-three” is a three-movement composition by American experimental composer John Cage. It was composed in 1952, for any instrument or combination of instruments, and the score instructs the performer not to play their instruments during the entire duration of the piece throughout the three movements. The piece consists of the sounds of the environment that the listeners hear while it is performed, although it is commonly perceived as four minutes thirty-three seconds of silence. The title of the piece refers to the total length in minutes and seconds of a given performance. I included this piece purely because of the uniqueness of it.

 

 

 

3. 32 Campbell’s Soup Cans

Campbell’s Soup Cans, which is sometimes referred to as 32 Campbell’s Soup Cans, is a work of art produced in 1962 by Andy Warhol. It consists of thirty-two canvases, each measuring 20 inches in height × 16 inches in width and each consisting of a painting of a Campbell’s Soup can.] The individual paintings were produced by a printmaking method, through a semi-mechanized screen printing process, using a non-painterly style. Campbell’s Soup Cans’ reliance on themes from popular culture helped to usher in pop art as a major art movement in the United States. I enjoyed this art work because it is so simply yet so iconic that makes me wonder why the art became so famous.

 

 

4. How the Other Half Lives

How the Other Half Lives: Studies among the Tenements of New York was an early publication of photojournalism by Jacob Riis written in 1890, documenting poor living conditions in New York City slums in the 1880s. It served as a basis for future “muckraking” journalism by exposing the slums to New York City’s upper and middle classes. This work inspired many reforms of working-class housing, both immediately after publication as well as making a lasting impact in today’s society. I enjoyed some of the photos because of the impact that it had that I can see in hindsight. It was also really interesting to see actually photos of how people who lived in these tenements lived.

 

5. The Perfect Moment

The Perfect Moment was the most comprehensive retrospective of works by New York photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. The show spanned twenty-five years of his career, featuring celebrity portraits, self-portraits, interracial figure studies, floral still lifes, homoerotic images, and collages. The exhibition, organized by Janet Kardon of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in Philadelphia, opened in the winter of 1988 just months before Mapplethorpe’s death from AIDS complications on March 9, 1989. On tour, in the summer of 1989, the exhibition became the centerpiece of a controversy concerning federal funding of the arts and censorship. I enjoyed many of the individual works because they all had the similar theme that one really has to think about in order to understand.

 

 

6. New York, New York

“New York, New York” is the theme song from the Martin Scorsese film New York, New York in 1977 composed by John Kander, with lyrics by Fred Ebb. It was written for and performed in the film by Liza Minnelli. It remains one of the best-known songs about New York City. In 2004 it finished #31 on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema. In 1979, “Theme from New York, New York” was re-recorded by Frank Sinatra for his album Trilogy: Past Present Future (1980), and has since become closely associated with him. He occasionally performed it live with Minnelli as a duet. It is one of my favorite songs about New York because it is a classic. Every time I listen to it, it makes me feel proud that I am a New Yorker.

 

 

 

7. The Starry Night

The Starry Night is an oil on canvas by the Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. Painted in June 1889, it depicts the view from the east-facing window of his asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, just before sunrise, with the addition of an idealized village. It has been in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City since 1941, acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest. It is regarded as among Van Gogh’s finest work and is one of the most recognized paintings in the history of Western culture. I enjoyed the painting because of the complexity of the stars in the sky. They seem to be swirling in loops, very different than how stars actually appear in the sky.

 

 

8. The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is a 2013 Australian-American epic romantic drama film based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel of the same name. The film was co-written and directed by Baz Luhrmann, and stars Leonardo DiCaprio as the eponymous Jay Gatsby, with Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, and Elizabeth Debicki in supporting roles. Production began in 2011 and took place in Australia, with $105 million budget. The film follows the life and times of millionaire Jay Gatsby and his neighbor Nick, who recounts his encounter with Gatsby at the height of the Roaring Twenties. I enjoyed the film because of Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance and because of the complex storyline of the film.

 

 

9. The Flame

The Flame is a painting by Jackson Pollock finished in 1938 on oil and canvas. It is categorized as Abstract expressionism and currently located at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The 76.2 cm long and 51.1 cm wide painting depict a flame burning in a black background. The painting consisted of only red, white, black, and yellow. I enjoyed this painting because of how Pollock was about to use 4 simple colors to create a strong emotion for the viewers. The feeling I received when I first saw the painting is a sense of evil dark devil ready to take over.

 

 

10. The Charging Bull

Charging Bull, which is sometimes referred to as the Wall Street Bull or the Bowling Green Bull, is a bronze sculpture that stands in Bowling Green Park in the Financial District in Manhattan, New York City. Originally guerilla art, by Arturo Di Modica, its popularity led to it being a permanent feature. It represents and is a good lucky charm for a “bull market”, which is a market in which share prices and rising, encouraging buying. This is a sign of good economic growth. People often touch the horns of the bull for good fortune. I enjoyed this sculpture because it represents Wall Street and because of the amount of attraction it generates.