Hum 313-exam 3
Langston Hughes:
Hughes was one of the most eloquent voices in the Harlem Renaissance. He became the first black man to support himself as a professional writer. He was a musician, journalist, and writer. The Poems of Hughes- "Themes for English B" he was the only color student in his class, he is 22 in this poem writing a page for his English class, and wrote "Harlem"- talking about people who have dreams, but have to put their dreams off, he is trying to figure out who he is, The speaker comes to the conclusion that although he is different from his peers in some ways, they are all Americans with common likes and purposes
pop art
"Quintessential style" of the information age that embraced pop culture mediated by television, film, and magazines The term "pop art" was coined in the 1950s by a group of Biritsh artists who began pasting advertisements clipped from American magazines into their works. Then pop art came to New York.
two artworks from information age (describe them)
1. "Tourists" by Hanson: he recreated the appearance of ordinary and working class people in their everyday occupations. For this artwork, he used a women and a man added wings, clothing, and accessories to the people. I was interested in this artwork because he captured the sterotype of tourists. The man looks like e is confused and doesn't know directions while the women looks like she wants to get to the place and looks inpatient. the man has a camera and wearing a Hawaiian shirt. 2. "Running Fence" by Christo and Jeanne Claude used large amounts of fabric to wrap monumental public structures. Famous works "Running Fence" that was 24 miles long and 28 feet high in Sonomo California. Its like a modern day version of the Great Wall of China
two artworks from globalism (describe them)
1. Bansky: was a street artists who painted graffiti. his work is called "No Trespassing" he makes use of an existing no trespassing sign by adding the seated figure of a native american 2. Golub: used paintings to bring awareness to political repression. "Interrogation II" shows mercenary soldiers carrying out acts of physical torture and gang violence.
Theatre of the Absurd : Beckett: "waiting for Godot"
Absurdist playwrights rejected traditional dramatic structure and traditional modes of characters. The Absurdist play, which drew inspiration from Dada performance art and Surrealist film, lacks dramatic progression, direction, and resolution. It characters undergo little or no change, dialogue contradicts actions, and events follow no logical order. *"Waiting for Godot" by Beckett*- characters Estragon and Vladimir waiting for Godot, have to come back to the same spot tomorrow, will hang themselves tomorrow if Godot does not come, "I can't go on, that's what you think"
Jazz music
African Americans contribution to music was Jazz. Jazz absorbed the musical idioms of the marching brass band, blues, and ragtime. The beginning of the jazz era in the 1920s brought new joy to people who had endured dark times during the war.
Malcom X
African-American civil rights leader who encouraged violent responses to racial discrimination When he was arrested he took the time to study religion and history, teaching of Islam. He had joined the Nation of Islam and became a Muslim minister. His speech he gave was called "Message to the Grass Roots"-stating American does not want black people there
literary antihero:
Antihero takes up the quest for meaning: alienated by nature and circumstance, he makes choices in a world lacking moral absolutes, a world in which no act might be called "good" unless it is chosen in conscious preference to its alternatives. Antihero is neither noble nor sure of purpose. 20th century literature is filled with anti heroes- characters whose lives illustrate the absurdity of the human condition. examples: Camus writes "The Stranger"-a man is estranged from traditional social values and unable to establish his sense of being except through continual rebellion. Ginsberg writes "Howl" Miller writes "Death of a Salesman" Kerouac's "On the Road"
John Cage -musician of mid century
Cage: the most invention figure in the mid 20th century music was cage. He was a student of architecture and gardening and devotee of Zen Buddhism. He defined music was a combination of sounds, noise, and silence with rhythm as the common denominator. "Everything we do is music". Cage invented the prepared piano. When played it becomes something like a percussion instrument, the sounds of which resemble those of a Balinese orchestra. The Sonata V: written for the prepared piano, belongs to a series of 16 sonatas and 4 interludes that reflect composers introduction to Indian music and philosophy. Cage composed 4'33 a piece in which a performer sits motionless before the piano for four minutes and 33 seconds. Much of Cage music is aleatory, based on chance of random procedures. He incorporated random sounds into his music!
Christian Existentialism -Neibuhr and Tiillich)
Christian Existentialism saw little contradiction between the belief in a Supreme Being and the ethics of human freedom and responsibility. -God has challenged human beings to act as free and responsible creatures. -They believe there is a God, but they can't prove it. Christians should take responsibility of their actions. Niebuhr: criticized doctrinaire theology and called for the revival of moral conduct in an immoral society. He urged Chrisitans to cultivate humility and advance justice in modern society. Tillich: rejected the concept of personal god. For him, anxiety and alienation were conditions preliminary to the mystical apprehension of a "God above the God of theism".
language theory: ADD
Contemporary philosophers have fastened on the idea, first popularized by Wittgenstein, that all forms of expression and all truths are dominated by the limits of language as a descriptive tool.
Simone de Beauvior- why don't women unite?
De Beauvoir: wrote "the second sex"- explores the nature of female dependency upon men and the metaphysical risk of liberty. women do not say "we", women are not uniting, she says the girls are not uniting because women are dependent on men and women are attracted to men. During the time, womans social roles were to be a housewife
how digital age affects the art-changes and innovations
Digital computers have transformed the manner in which art is made, sold, and experience. Digitization itself has revolutionized the art world by blurring the boundaries between the traditional genres of painting, sculpture, film, and photography, and by *generating entirely new kinds of visual experience, such as virtual reality, animation, videogame art, internet art* Digital photography: it involved the computerized manipulation of existing photographic resources to alter, rework, or assemble images and it created a whole new image. Digital projects: has inspired a wide range of new media projects such as the Bay Lights- LED lights on the bay bridge, high tech sensors that detect the views movements and commands which combines illusion, sound, and spoken texts. Also, Interactive art has been developed: which the viewer part of art-making.
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas: called himself a Welshan first and then a drunkard. Became famous for his rhapsodic public readings and for the sheer musicality of his poetry. Thomas wrote: "Do not go gentle into that goodnight"-makes a plea for life affirming action even in the face of death. -"rage, rage against the dying of the light". Talks about wise men, good men, wild men, grave men. His father is about to die and he is saying fight death States "who see with blinding sight"- was inspired by the loss of vision that the poet's school teacher father suffered during his last year or could be an allusion to his father's agnosticism.
Feminist Art:
Feminist art highlights the societal and political differences women experience within their lives. is important because it affirms sexual differences, gender differences, and emotional differences while creating a space for women to create their own work feminist artists: Judy: created dinner party Saint Phalle: fabricated gigantic sculpture that she called Nana's. Sculpted "Black Venus" Sherman: photographer, would replace the male image in world famous painting with a female image.
Green Architecture
Green buildings- structures that are both friendly to the ecosystem and energy efficient- have been found to save money and preserve the environment It embraces architectural design that makes use of energy efficient and renewable building materials, recycling systems that capture rain water for everyday use, solar panels that use sunlight to generate electricity, and insulating glass. One green building has become a landmark: the Swiss Re office building in London, designed by Foster. Its a 40 story building that looks like a spaceship
Mahmoud Darwish:
Mahmoud Darwish: palestinian poet, was one of displacement and exile, born in Sunni Muslim. His passion to redeem his lost homeland is expressed in the poem "Earth Presses against us" -earth is burying him -Israel takes over Palestine, the Palestinias are pushed out of their land -this is what Darwish is writing about as he says is no other place for Palestinians to go. -Darwish states "where should we go after the last border? Where should birds fly after the last sky?"
Neruda
Neruda: one of latin america's most prolific spanish language poets. Wrote "The united fruit co"- -he describes the corruption of justice and freedom in the banana republics of latin america. -Talking about fruit that the flies are on, he is blaming American Companies. American companies are selling the fruit for very cheap, but we have to think how the workers who prepared these fruits are barely making a living
pollock- abstract expressionism artist
Pollock: best known for abstract expressionism, created a new technique that made action itself the subject of the painting. Instead of mounting the canvas on an easel, he strapped it to the ground and dripped poured paint on it. Pollock new method was called action painting: allowed him to walk around the canvas and work from the four sides and be in the painting Pollock artworks: "Autumn Rhythm"
Postmodernism: Characteristics
Postmodernism: A philosophical movement of the 20th grounded in and indifferent universe -Focused on human freedom, choice, and responsibility -Found its roots through philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre -Term Came abot after WWII to describe the reaction against Modernism trying to advance society Postmodern artists appropriate or borrow pre-exisiting texts and images from history, advertising, and the media Postmodernists acknowledge art as an information system and a commodity shaped by the electronic media, its messages, and its mode of communication. Postmodernism is pluralistic, it suggests that meaning is many-faceted rather than absolute and fixed. postmodern fiction: Oates Oates writes "ACE" -a gang of boys have taken over the park, Ace is the leader (weights 220, weird tattoos-ace of spades on his right biceps and an octopus, he gets shot, doctor puts 8 stitches into his forehead 2 inches form his eye, he is embarrassed that he has blood all over him(ashamed of how people are going to look at him), his heart is racing so fast, he thinks he is going to die, "his secret is something that happened to him in hospital he can't remember except to know it happened and it happened to him", he goes back to the gang. (he wants to be seen as this tough guy, but anxiety takes over, Its all about image, he is exposed not the tough guy he thought he was, but afraid boy.
Radindranath Tagore-writer
Radindranath Tagore: saw a world in spiritual deterioration. Born in India. Tagore pursued his ambition to foster a spiritual unity of all races: by founding an international educational institute for the exchange of ideas between Western scholars and Indian students. Tagore wrote "The man had no useful work"-an approach to the modern quest for meaning. It received a Nobel Prize. "The Man had no useful work"- a man meets a girl at the well, he asks if he can paint on her water pitcher, she says no at first but then finally lets him. She asked what he drew on it and he replied it has no meaning. He is stating Art has meaning, the men and girl leave Paradise.
Adrienne Rich poem:
Rich: american feminist poet wrote "translations"- she is imaging what her husband is saying on the phone, she is getting cheated on by her husband with her sister, women were watching soap operas during the time which could influence their way of love (a lot of affairs) women are not uniting goes against each other, having affairs with other women's husbands
Rothko: abstract expressionism artist
Rothko: painting consist of translucent, soft edged blocks of color that float mysteriously on the surface of yet other fields of color. his Art was considered color field painting- involves the application of large, often transparent layers of paint to the surface of the canvas. Stated "the people who weep before my pictures are having the same religious experience I had when I painted them, if you are moved only by their color relationships then you miss the point".
Bettye Saar
Saar: California sculpture, abandoned the African inspired fetishlike sculptors for her career and turned to fabricating boxed constructions that *attacked the icons of commercial white culture*. **Saar made "the liberation of aunt jemima" -she attacked the mammy stereotype by presenting a gun-toting version of the image developed by R.T Davis, mammy's (black women) would raise the white babies -items in the "liberation of aunt jemima"- cotton, a black fist, a mammy holding a white baby, the baby has a mans face, a gun Saar states "my interested was to transform a negative demeaning figure into positive, empowered woman, a warrior ready to combat servitude and racism".
Cisneros- House on Mango Street- excerpt
Sandra Cisneros: describes the struggle for Mexican-amerixan females (chicana) in an alien society, writes in the familiar voice of everyday speech. Cisneros writes "The house on mango street" -which describes the experience of a young girl growing up in the Latino section of Chicago -mamacita; the big mama of the man across the street -the man saved money to bring Mamacita to America -she is described as a beautiful, big women who has a baby boy -the women did not come out of the house, and the author thinks its because she is afraid to speak English, she only knows 8 words. -when the authors dad came to america, the only word he knew was hamandeggs so he ate for breakfast lunch, and dinner. -Mamacita misses her hometown and her baby boy first words are from a pepsi commercial and she says to him no speak english and cries. -if the baby boy speaks english, the mother will lose him. Her cultural heritage is very important to her and she feels like she is losing everything in her culture heritage -Cisneros writes from a voice of a little girl
Harlem Renaissance (1920s)
The Harlem Renaissance made the self conscious "rebirth" of the Africa heritage the principal part of an intellectual and cultural quest for racial identity and equality. Took place in Harlem, New York. *The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual, social, and artistic explosion centered in Harlem, New York by African Americas* very significant because it marked a moment when white Americans started recognizing the intellectual contributions of Blacks Leader of the Harlem Renaissance was: Hurston. He made use of African American dialect to create some of the strongest female characters in the early 20th century fiction.
Banksy:
The most notorious of contemporary graffiti personalities is the anonymous British figure known only as Banksy Banksy gained a following and an unimpeachable reputation for some of the most incisive examples of anti war, anticommunist, and anti authoritarian imagery. For example, he makes use of an existing no trespassing sign by adding the seated figure of a native american "No Trespassing"
Chaos theory:
The proponents to Chaos theory find that universal patterns underlie the seemingly random operations of nature. The catalyst for the development of chaos theory was the electronic computer, by which the mathematics of random patterns (applied to such matters as air turbulence and weather predictions) was first calculated Chaos theorists observe that while these patterns appear random, unstable, and disorderly, they are actually similar in scale, like zig and zags of a lighting bolt.
Utopia/Dystopia- know some examples from literature
Utopian: a place where everything is perfect, have to have sustainability. science as a positive force in shaping the future Utopian literature: Walden Two by Skinner, about literature that exalted science as a positive force in shaping the future. Dystopian: science as a negative force in shaping the future. an imagined state or society in which there is great suffering or injustice. Dystopian literature: works that pictures societies in which conditions are dreadful and bleak, reflect this negative outlook. For example, "Brave New World" by Huxley and "Fahrenheit" by Bradbury. These novels are about technology destroying human freedom.
Wilson- "diversity of life"- what is his main point?
Wilson makes life a plea for the preservation of biodiversity. -every country has 3 forms of wealth: material, cultural, and biological. (often overlook the biological wealth) -pleads for a practical ethic that will ensure the healthy future for the planet -You can't tamper with the ecosystem, can't go destroy them -you have to have a longer reaching vision -peserve for the future generations
Woolf "A room of ones own"
Woolf: advocate of the feminist movement, she argued that equal opportunity for education and economic advantage were more important than the right to vote **Woolf writes "a room of ones own" -about a response to a clergyman a remark that no female could have matched the genius of Shakespeare. Woolf envisions Shakespeare's imaginary sister, Judith, in her sixteenth-century setting -The what if journey: was with shakespeare, she lived in a time where women did not have a lot of rights, she said women needed two things: a room (get away from daily duties, to do something creativity) and money. She is trying to say to women: assert yourself creatively
Richard Wright
Wright brought to his writings the anger of a man who had known physical punishment and repeated injustice at the hands of white people. Wrote: Native Son- a poor, black man who kills white employers daughter Wrote: the ethics of living jim crow- he learned how to live as a black man at a young age. -Nothing green ever grew where he lived, talks about the cinders used to fight, he got cut by a broken milk bottle, his mom beat him and told him not to fight with the white men, his first job was with an optical company in Mississippi, he thinks he has a chance to learn something, but he didn't learn anything, he didn't call Pease, Mr. Pease and he left the job. -His family says you must stay in your place when working for whitemen, how can you stand up for your freedom when you think you will be killed
Martin Luther King Jr.
a leader during civil right movements. Did non violent protests, boycotts, sit ins, and etc. He was a president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. helped try to stop racial discrimination and fought for equality King published in "The Christian Century"- it provided philosophical justification for the practice of civil disobedience as a means of opposing injustice. Kings wrote "letter from Birmingham Jail", writes it to the fellow clergy, king is disappointed with the clergy men. he expected more from the church -states "groups are more immoral than individuals", "there are just laws and there are unjust laws", "we can never forget that everything Hilter did was legal and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was illegal".
performance art
a work involving the human body, usually including the artist, in front of an audience ex) Klein used women as human paint brushes, Pollock- put the canvas on the ground and could walk around all 4 sides
what is environmental art? name 1 artists
art works that are intended to enhance or become apart of the environment or make a statement on environmental issues. Smithson: who pioneered one of the most important ecological landmarks of the late 20th century: the piece known as Spiral Jetty, Salt Lake Utah. Spiral Jetty: is a giant coil consisting of 6650 tons of local black basalt, limestone, and earth. Snail like symbol. Smithson created Spiral Jetty in 1970, the lake was unusually shallow because of the drought. Submerged for decades by rising waters, this iconic piece can now be seen again from ground level.
Sartre and Existentialism
during the 20th century, Focused on matters of human freedom, choice, and responsibility. Sartre stated that there was no pre-existing blueprint for human beings, no fixed essence or nature. Sartre's viewpoint struck a balance between optimism and despair Lecture: "existentialism", Sartre presented in Paris -if God does not exist, it does not matter. -man is nothing else but what he makes of himself. The first principle of existentialism, also called subjectivity -he quotes Dostoevsky: "if God didn't exist, everything would be possible". -he is saying we are moral people, and it's up to us to make moral choices "if we have no God" -Satre: exists before essence, when we are born we are a blank slate, it's great to be free but now it's in your hands, it takes away one thing: excuses and blaming others. The choices you make are your decisions and you can't blame others for your decisions. If one is in poverty, one might steal food (they made that choice, and Satre says the person should not blame their poverty). Making every choice for humankind, if you decide to break the law, you can't blame society. It's hard to make decisions. Doesn't believe in human nature, but in human condition
Scat singing:
louis armstrong introduced to jazz was called Scat singing: an improvised set of nonsense syllables.
Louis Armstrong
played the cornet at age 12, one of the greatest jazz musician, *Strong innovative solos which broke through to the central jazz performance* introduced scat singing
**Andy Warhol
pop artists, state "pop art is about liking things", subject matter was things from the shelf of the supermarket. He used photo silkscreen Warhol famous artworks : Green Coca-Cola bottles, Mint Marilyn Monroe
primarily a performers rather than a composers to art. ADD
talking about jazz
Swing- during jazz music
the practice of playing just off the beat-slightly ahead or behind
McDonaldization
the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as of the rest of the world introducing into other countries
String theory:
theory that unifies force and matter particles by suggesting that their fundemental units are one dimensional filiment called strings Greene: describes the string theory as multidimensional universe in which loops of strings and globules of matter unite all of creation into patterns. **Bohr stated: "when it comes to atoms, language can be used only in poetry"
Thomas Friedman
to bring awareness to economics and culture describes WORLD THAT HAS BECOME METAPHORICALLY FALT
Judy Chicago: artists
was a feminist artist who wanted to educate viewers about women's roles in history and the fine arts. The Dinner Party was had 39 place settings along a triangular table for 39 mythical and historical famous women" the table is a triangle a symbol of equality
Baldwin - famous quotes
was raised in Harlem in conditions of poverty and began writing when he was 14 years old. Wrote black protest literature he tried to define the unique differences between black and white people. he observed that the former were strangers in modern world. quotes: "Stranger in the village" "whites have made the modern world, even if they do not know it, the most illiterate among them is related in way i am not, to Dante, Shakespeare, Michelangelo, da Vinci, Racine, the cathedral at chartres says something to them which it cannot say to me "american continent has not only created a new black man, it has created a new white man too.. one of the things that distinguished americans from other people is that no other people has ever been so deeply involved in the lived of blackmen and vice versa" "the world is white no longer and it will never be white again"
Achebe:
wrote: "Dead mens path" Michael Obi was appointed headmaster of Ndume Central School in 1949, unprogressive school, his wife became interested in modern methods, she was worried about the teachers at the school being young and not married Obi was going to transform the school, Nancy (wife) put gardens in the school, there is this pathway that connects the village shrine with their place of burial", Obi wanted to close this pathway which barbed wire was put up, Ani came to talk to him about the path and asked him to keep it there, he refused and a woman died, the school gardens were dead and supernatant gives bad report. Michael Obi: an american african, trying to fit into an white man's world, he does not really consider the other ideas about the pathway, there is a price for ignorance.
Alice Walker: writer
wrote: the color purple- about black women facing racism and sexual abuse. Walker wrote: "elethia" This story focuses on a young woman named Elethia who carries a small jar of ashes around with her wherever she goes. In Elethia's town, there is a popular restaurant called Old Uncle Albert's. It's owned by the descendant of a local slaveholder. The restaurant has a bizarre piece of décor in the window: a "stuffing of dead, Uncle Albert Uncle Albert was a Black man. In the window version, Uncle Albert is dressed as a server carrying a silver tray. The older Black people in town have some recollection of Albert Porter, the real Uncle Albert. They think that dummy Albert was lucky to be in a restaurant that wouldn't serve Black people. But Elethia can't help but wonder about Uncle Albert's amazingly lifelike hair and nails. She works in the kitchen of the restaurant one summer and learns a horrid truth. Old Uncle Albert is not a dummy. He's the real thing. Someone had gone all taxidermy on the poor man. Elethia can't take it. She and her friends break into the restaurant one night and steal Uncle Albert. Walker quotes in Elethia: "She haunted the museums of any city in which she found herself, looking, usually, at the remains of Indian, for they were plentiful everywhere she went. She discovered some of the Indian warriors and maidens in the museums were also real, stuffed people, painted and wigged and robbed, like figures in the Rue Morgue". "Elethia went away to college and her friends went into the army because they were poor, they discovered Uncle Alberts all over the world".