Cinderel.....wha?

In the beginning I was excited at the idea of going to Cinderella and it only being $5.00 made it a prime opportunity. I was astounded at the size of the theater, which was a theater-in-the-round; I had never seen one so small. We were practically on the actors, it was crazy! I soon found by the second act that I was not going to enjoy this at all.

It all started with the lead being late and the host told some jokes, of which some were pretty good, the the show ended up starting at 7:45 instead of the original 7:30. We were also informed the the prince and Cinderella were actually getting married in real life! Cool, eh? In the first scene I was impressed by the voice Cinderella's character had; it was beautiful and crystal clear. The next scene dashed all hopes of it being an enjoyable show. The second scene was one with the step-sisters and the evil step-mother, and it was horrific. Sorry, to be so blunt about it, but this is my honest opinion of the show. If you don't like what you are reading, you are welcome to stop now and are free to be critical of my comments. As the play went on I got to thinking, "my junior high could do 5 times better than this!" and shaking my head after every scene. Some of the actors had no idea how to act and pretty much just walked around on stage like idiots, and the evil step-mother didn't even sing, but merely spoke to a little tune. What also astounded me was that the prince never even sang a line. What? This play was called Cinderella, where the prince and Cinderella fall in love right? Doesn't that mean there should be some kind of love song that they sing together at the end? How about like in Slipper and the Rose? There was even a point where I wanted to walk out, but didn't, and I wanted to stand up and yell stop at one of the step-sisters! I knew that shows like Cinderella, with step-sisters and evil step-mothers, were supposed to make you hate those characters, but this was bad. (I never would actually ever stand up and yell stop at an actor, but I sure felt like it!) I give this cultural event a 5 out of 10! Harsh I know, but it's an honest opinion from me, and I'm glad I didn't pay more that five dollars for it.

BYU Summer Dancesport Challenge

When this event was first introduced, and the price said to be $11.00 I was not too interested. But soon I found that two of my roommates were going to be participating, as well as some of my other friends I was significantly more interested. I was planning to go at 12:00 on the dot and watch the beginning where I knew for sure that my roommates were competing, but I didn't make it as to my late night the night before. I eventually attending from 5:00 to 6:00 and ended up sitting with Natalie from our very own humanities class!

Before I even entered the Wilk Ballroom I thought I would just be there for forty-five minutes or so, but I was engrossed just a dance or two. Me and Natalie very quickly picked our favorites from the dancers, and watched them succeed to win first and second places. It was even better when our friends would dance, because we felt more connected with the dancers and enjoyed it more. We sat up and took many pictures, and even some film, from where we were sitting on the second row. By the end we were standing up, and eventually jumping up and down and yelling by the time they got to the awards! It was intense, and I'm very glad I went.

One of the things I loved the most about the Dancesport Challenge was that whether there to really compete or there for fun, you could tell all the dancers loved what they were doing. Some were a little stressed if I might say, but for the most part they were enjoying every minutes of it; you could see it in their faces. We also enjoyed seeing the little ones dance. I wish I could have learned to dance like that when I was younger. It was good to see how even though some of them were only ten or twelve, they knew what they were doing. Some were dancing like it was their job! You could tell they enjoyed doing what they were doing and for some of them it looked as if it was a part of them. By the way they moved and the look in their faces you could tell that some of them wouldn't want to be anywhere else than there on the dance floor. It even made me happy! I came home from the Dancesport and was bursting with joy for some reason I still don't know. I didn't know watching and getting into the dances could be so amazing for my emotions. I was so happy, I could have danced and sung all night!

For my video screening I went to the showing of Amadeus that Ms. Stokes so kindly put on for the few of us that weren't able to make it to another one. I had only seen the clip of when Mozart plays the harpsicord for the Emperor, where he makes a fool of the court composer and laughs his little head off, but never the whole thing. I was very excited to see this film, and I'm happy to report that I was not let down in any way. My expectations were met in full.

Afterward Jasie mentioned that during the movie she kept wanting to jump up and pause it to show us what the cinematographer was doing to make us feel the way we did, and what techniques they were using to achieve that effect. I noticed a couple of the high and low-angle shots, but I was too engrossed in the storyline of the movie I didn't notice much else. Afterward as I was talking with Joann, we found that we both were very into the movie the entire time. I think that is what makes a film a great film; when you are engaged in what is happening.

I definitely think that this movie is a great success. As for it's length, it was long but I hardly noticed the time go. Time flies when you are having fun! I think they really did a wonderful job eith this film. There was both the facts of his life, and the fictional points, but it was interesting nonetheless. I think that is another quality of a good film; if you learned something or took something from the movie that you didn't ever know before. I walked away feeling better aquainted with Mozart's life and what he went through. I know that not all aspects of the movie and the facts produced were correct, but for the most part I think it was. I learned something new andn enjoyed it thoroughly! I give this cultural event a 10 out of 10! Bravo!

Video Art

What I found interesting in this weeks reading was where the video art article said:
"the definition of spectatorship is hereby challenged; where the audience member becomes a mandatorily active participant in the work itself- differing from performance art, where the artist is present." I think this is very true. It's like what they say about when a teacher teaches; the teacher learns from the students more than the students learn from the teacher. Or like what they say about a play. The audience is most of the show because without the reactions and the applause of the audience the performers wouldn't do as well. When you get a good applause after a number or a good reaction to a funny part in the show, you know you are doing well and you keep trying to do well. The audience is kinda like the adrenaline for your show.

Videos are like this too. Without the audiences reaction and support of the movie, movie producers wouldn't get very far. If we, as the general public, didn't go to the movies and give good reports on those that we enjoy, the movies wouldn't be as big of a hit as they are. But it's not all us either, without the artist there would be no art to look at and enjoy, therefore we wouldn't have that enjoyment without the artist there to make it enjoyable for us.

I also like where it said:
"In these spaces, a more complete understanding of a particular view of the world can be communicated to the senses of the audience-sonic and physical elements which attend to the audience’s emotion, physicality, and intellect." I totally agree with this statement as well. I think movies say a lot that you can't say with words. I know that sounds weird, but it's true in some circumstances. There are scenes in film that make you feel in a way you wouldn't normally either; whether it's joy or sadness it is that you're feeling, the movie can communicate that without words. Who had ever thought that a moving picture could make you feel that way? I never knew, but boy does it.

I also think music has a lot to do with it. The score to movies is most often my most favorite part of the whole thing. It is often that I get done with a movie, and go, "I need to get the soundtrack to that one." Music has always been a big influence in my life, and I have noticed that these last few years even more, with going to movies, and concerto concerts at my high school; I love music! Even though I'm not the best at it, I still love it and it will always be an important part of my life. Music is what helps the movie to be able to speak without words. Music plays with the emotions, and without it our life would be a lot less enjoyable and emotional.

A Zoopraxiscope? What?

In class this week we finished up our discussion about music and it was great! We went through the types of music, specifically including vocal. We were going through the different types of vocal music and listening to some examples \and the song Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring came on and immediately I recognized it as a song that my choir sang this last year, except that we sang in the German, not English. It is a great song; long but wonderful. Next we moved on to cinema and while we were going through the terminology and history of cinema we talked about a Zoopraxiscope, and to myself I was like, "What the heck is a Zoopraxiscope?". So, I did some more research on it and this is what I found:

A Zoopraxiscope is an early device for displaying motion pictures. Created by photographic pioneer Eadweard Muybridge in 1879 and may be considered the first movie projector. The zoopraxiscope projected images from rotating glass disks in rapid succession to give the impression of motion. The stop-motion images were initially painted onto the glass, as silhouettes. A second series of discs, made in 1892-94, used outline drawings printed onto the discs photographically, then colored by hand. Some of the animated images are very complex, featuring multiple combinations of sequences of animal and human movement.(Wikipedia)

Then we moved on to discuss cinema some more. It was interesting to see what the cinematographer does to make us feel a certain way when we view a movie. I had never realized that the high and low-angle shots were what made you feel sorry for the person on the bottom, because they are made to look so small. I loved learning all this about film and then being able to watch movies, and clips from movies, and be able to pick out the characteristics we talked about in class. Now it all makes sense!

...Regrets...

I am deeply sorry to inform you that I wasn't able to attend a cultural event this week due to the lack of time and my being out of town this weekend. I will be attending two next week (a theatrical and a dance event) as well as the class video screening of Amadeus set for Thursday night. So come back next week, for it is sure to be action packed.

Sincerest apologies, Mindy

Musical Drama

In reading this week’s reading I found it interesting that even as we Americans bash European Opera, the shows that we enjoy (contemporary musicals) all originated or came from Europe. For example: the Broadway Musicals, Cats, Les Misérables, and Phantom of the Opera. What people don’t realize is that these modern musicals are a uniquely American invention and very close to classical opera. Music drama (whether opera or musical) affords one of the most powerful means of expressing deep emotion in an elaborate dramatic setting. It is worth your time, effort, and money to see if it speaks to you.

I totally agree with this statement. The only thing that I would add to this statement is that it is worth your time, effort, and money to see if it speaks to you, if it’s a quality performance. I would rather pay a higher amount to see something of quality, than for nothing. In trying to define the uniquely American genre of the musical, Leonard Bernstein once said, “The glittering world of musical theater is an enormous field that includes everything from your nephew’s high school pageant to [Wagner’s] Götterdämmerung”. This is one of the things that I like the most about musicals. There are the serious ones, the crying ones, the dramatic ones, the hilarious ones, the sad ones, and then those that couldn’t be funnier. Musicals are like music in that way; there is something for everyone, as long as you like your plays sung.

I was in the school play every year in junior high, and then this last year in high school. In junior high I was in Crazy for You, and Oliver, and in high school I was in Beauty and the Beast. What I loved about the junior high plays was that the drama teacher, Ms. Dodge, let anyone who wanted to be in it, play a part. Whether they were just a member of the chorus or one of the leads, everyone who wanted one, got a part. Perfection wasn’t the goal, quality was. Even though there was ever type of personality and level of skill, each play was molded and shaped by her patient hands into a beautiful masterpiece that everyone enjoyed. People are heard to say that Ms. Dodge’s plays are the best junior high plays they’ve ever seen. I know they are, and I’m not just saying that because I was in two of them, but because they always have been and they still are. In high school we were going for perfection and quality. I loved being in al of them; they were all fun and learning experiences. In the book it said, “It seems like this American original still has some life left in it” and I couldn’t agree more.

the true beauty of music

What I found interesting about class was the connection that music has with the art and other art forms of that period. I had never really connected it like the before. The Romantic Era stuck out the most to me; it had the strongest connection for me. I also loved how most of class was listening to music! I had never realized how much I love classical music until we spent most of class listening to it. I have always enjoyed the scores to movies and the music from musicals, but I hadn’t really had much experience with classical. Most of the music that we listened to in class quickly became some of my favorite.

Class this Wednesday boggled my mind. I have no idea how it would be not getting how music works. I’m not saying that I know the ins and outs of music, neither do I now it like the back of my hand, but I have a general background in it. I have grown up with music playing a major influence in my life. My parents were never up to date with the modern music, but music was always emphasized in my home. I was forced (at least that’s how I felt then) to start piano lessons at the age of eight. It was a requirement that we, my siblings and I, take piano until high school because then our lives became busier. This made it so that all of us kids had at least a little knowledge of music and most of us use it in our lives quite frequently to this day. One of my older brothers, Justin, plays in the percussion section of the Orchestra on Temple Square, and the others just play the piano as needed. I played the marimba for four years from seventh grade to my sophomore year on high school. I became busier after my sophomore year, and I thought that I was living my Mother’s dream more than mine by playing the marimba, so I stopped. Now that I haven’t played in a while, I miss it, but the reason I stopped because it doesn’t seem that I will be able to use it much in my future. I loved the experience and it’s where I finally learned to read music (taking lessons on the marimba) instead of just memorizing the songs I learned from my piano teacher. I also sang in choir all three years of high school career. I was a soprano, but I’ve discovered this last year that I could have progressed and learned more by being an alto.

I am glad I’ve had music in my life. There is always music going in my house whether it’s the piano, the hymns CD my Mom loves to play in the kitchen, or my little sister’s music. Music is always playing in my dorm as well; one of my roommates is amazing at playing her own renditions of songs she knows. I think that music is very important to us as humans. What I love most about music is that there is some for everyone; everyone has some kind of music that they like. Music is one of the humanities I think everyone can relate with no matter what their background is or where they’re from. Everyone has a musical connection. They might not even have any knowledge about it, but the fact that they love listening to it. That’s the true beauty of music.

Intro to Drama

First of all I really enjoyed this quote that opened the chapter:

"A play in a book is only the shadow of a play and not even a clear shadow of it.... The printed script of a play is hardly more than an architect's blueprint of a house not yet built or [a house] built and destroyed. The color, the grace and levitation, the structural pattern in motion, the quick interplay of live beings, suspended like fitful lightning in a cloud, these things are the play, not words on paper nor thoughts and ideas of an author."
-Tennessee Williams

I would have to say that I totally agree with the quote; drama is better performed than read from a book. I have been in a few plays in my days and it is much better to actually see the play going on, even though sometimes when I read, or hear a drama read, I can see the pictures moving inside my head. I also thought it interesting what the book said about ritual performances proceeding the alphabet. I had never thought of this before and it really made me think. I mean we wouldn't have some of our stories unless our grandparents told them too us. That's how it used to go before we had an alphabet and a sensible way of writing down these stories; they were passed on from generation to generation through story-telling.

In fact as I think someone mentioned in class we wouldn't have drama unless we had stories. It all starts when a parent reads their child a story. They read it at first, and then change their voice to match each of the different characters, then they start acting parts out, until it becomes a play. I think that the transformation of the story to a play is a wonderful thing to have come from a simple child's bedtime story. Lots of things are like this; if we would only be as a child, with childlike faith we could do anything.

Organ Recital in the Tabernacle

My Dad works as a tour host at the Conference Center downtown, and he told me about these Organ Recitals that happen daily at 12:00 and 2:00 in the Tabernacle. I grabbed a friend and we headed down. We were planning on attending the 12:00 one but we missed it, so we spent our extra hour at Gateway shopping and grabbing a bite to eat.

This time we got there early and enjoyed the Orchestra on Temple Square’s recording of various hymns, before he concert started. What I thought was interesting and quite amusing was that before each recital the usher in charge does a acoustic demonstration for everyone in the Tabernacle. He started first by just talking and telling us more about these organ recitals on Temple Square without using a microphone, and you could hear him easily. Then he went on to rip a piece of newspaper, which you could here like it was only a little way away, not 50 feet. Then he dropped three straight pins, one after the other, and then a small nail. This was the cool part! I have been in the Tabernacle on numerous occasions because my older brother plays in the Orchestra on Temple Square and I grew up in Salt Lake City, but I have never seen this done. When he dropped the pins and the nail I could hear it like it was being dropped on the bench next to me. The nail was the same just slightly louder. Then as he welcomed us to the Tabernacle and concluded his little speech he turned in a complete circle to show that you could hear him just as well, even when he was facing the choir seats. It was amazing! My favorite part about the Tabernacle is that if you sit up in the balcony you can hear the instruments like they are right about you; that is how good the acoustics are. If you get the chance you should definitely go listen to a organ recital, or any concert in the Tabernacle, and just marvel at the amazing sounds produced without microphones.

Anyway, on to the recital: the woman who played the recital did the acoustic demonstration again right before she started just in case more people had wandered in. She opened with a Trumpet Tune that was short and bright, and then she moved on to a famous organ number of Bach’s called Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. This one was more alive and loud; Bach was always one of my favorites on the organ. The next piece she played was a new hymn that a contemporary artist had written called God Weeps with Us Who Weep and Mourn which was pretty much just a hymn, but more somber and like a sacrament hymn as you can guess from its title. Then she played her own arrangement of Come, Come, Ye Saints which then slowly became America the Beautiful because of the 24^th of July weekend. It was a beautiful rendition. Then she played an older melody. For the finale she played a French piece from the Romantic Era called Toccata in B Major by Eugene Gigout. I thought this piece was the best and connected most to class because it was from the Romantic Era and lately we have been talking about how music and art from the same era tends to have the same qualities. There was this energy and life to the piece that reminded me of the Romantic Era and the wall behind the pipes was this beautiful shade of Fuchsia that fit right in.

I think the whole atmosphere was awesome, because it was really casual, but the recital was good enough to have been at night and cost 15-20 dollars. The high caliber of the performance was a huge contrast to the casual, walk-in status of the Tabernacle, and it was FREE! What could be better? I would give this recital a 8.

Understanding the Dance

This week in class we switched over from the Fine Arts to the Performing Arts, and we started by talking about dance. I used to dance when i was pretty little; ballet, jazz, tap, and some hip hop. I danced from the time I was around eight to when I entered the eighth grade. One of my friends continues to dance until her junior ear of high school with the same company. I chose sports over dancing, though I did love it!

Two of my other friends danced quite a bit. Meisha did more lyrical and danced on the high school Dance Company for two years, ans Sara has been strictly Ballet pretty much her whole life. I remember as we were growing up that Sara would lways have to go to dance everyday, and didn't get to hang out with us much. Now, thanks to class, I know why! I had no idea that ballet took so much effort and that you have to start early to be able to actually be able to dance on point. This past week in my Aerobic Dance class we had a substitute and she always has themes to her routines; this time's was Ballet. Oh My Gosh, now I know what it mwnas to be a ballerina! MY legs were dying and I know that I didn't even experience a fourth the pain and work that an actual ballerina goes through. We picked Ballet as our theme so we wouldn't have to do her Hiop Hop routine; I'm pretty sure we thought it would be easier or something, but it wasn't.

I had the opportunity to go see a number of both Meisha and Sarah's dance recitaIs. I just loved going to see them dance; it made me really wish I had stuck to dancing , but then again dancing wasn't really my forte. Sarah's still dancing and is going to dance this fall at the University of Utah. Meisha, like me, chose sports over dance, and has been focusing on soccer of late. I've realized now the determination and enormous effort that goes into being a ballerina. I'm sure Sra has far to go, but she is well on her way.

I also think dance is a wonderful way for people to express their emotions. My senior year in high school I was friends with a couple of the girls on Dance Company. When is came time for their Spring Concert they wereall practicing early before and late after school for the whole week before. When I arrived at the concert i founf that most or all of the dances were choreographed by multiple girls in the company. Let me tell you, those dances were good; I doubt I could even attempt to choeograph something like they did! It's amazing. This class has done a lot to educate me on dance and I can't wait to learn more about the Performing Arts.

The Market

This afternoon I visited the Provo Farmers Market and it was amazing! As I stepped foot on the block I felt that I was in some inhuman experience. It was like Swiss Days in Midway (Heber, Utah) but about a tenth of the size! I loved the atmosphere. It was like walking in and out of about a dozen different countries and cultures one after the other. I loved it. The choices were endless from crepes from France, Tacos from Mexico, to Tye-Die from a local vendor.

I loved the idea that anyone could sell what they made there. I think that the Provo Farmers Market is a great thing, and I am glad it is there. It also creates the opportunity for local citizens to use their talents not only for their benefit, and also for the appreciation of the comsumers/customers. I only had about twenty minutes to spend at the Market, because I got there later in the afternoon, but if I could have I would have lost myself in every booth, and gotten the whole experience. Hopefully next time I'll be able to spend more time there, and pay more attention to all the booths.

One of the things I found most interesting was the crepes being made with Nutella, bananas, strawberries, and whip cream on top. These I can relate with personally because the first day we were in France, in the little town of Normandy, I tasted my first antique crepe with Nutella from France. It was the best, and it brings back the memories, though they are few, of my short stay in France. Oh, how I long to visit again. All in all I loved the Provo Farmers Market, and i would give it a 9!

What's Behind the Paint

This last Wednesday's class discussion was probably my favorite one thus far! I LOVE paintings and all the art that was created throughout history. I knew most of the paintings and painters that we discussed in class and that might have been what made it so exciting and interesting to me. At the beginning I felt that I was about to fall asleep because of attending the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, but I soon found there was no chance of my eyes shutting ever, for fear of missing something important and new.

I loved our discussion of the various paintings. My two favorite were The Oath of Horatii By: David, and Wheat Field with Crows By: Vincent Van Gogh. First, The Oath of the Horatii is a favorite because of the story behind it, and second because it's a great painting that really moves the educated viewer to feeling for the women. Oh, and this was my favorite part of class because I for once felt that I'd made a connection that contributed to class. I had seen and studied this painting before, but had ever known the true story. I also did not know that this was a painting painted about the story of the Sabin Women. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers has always been a favorite musical of mine, and I'd never connected the two. I felt smart at this point, but also that I had learned something in return. I love moments like these!

Second, Wheat Field with Crows is a favorite because there is so much in the painting that i wouldn't have noticed had I been informed of it's history. It was the last painting Van Gogh painted before he killed himself. There are three paths and they represent the different paths you can take in life. The real question is did Van Gogh knew he was going to kill himself while painting this painting? The path in the middle is the center focus, and it draws the eye at the first glance. Maybe Van Gogh could only see one choice in his future, ending his life. This painting could also be saying that when we think we only have one choice, we need to look around and see the surrounding path choices available. We become too focused on what we are doing that we don't realize we could possible be taking a different, and maybe better, path. The birds in the painting are also crows, which are usually a bad omen in general. Maybe Van Gogh felt that the world was crashing in on him and he just made the first available choice; the path straight ahead. There, there is the irony in that statement; the path that was straight ahead was the one that led to Ven Gogh taking his own life. Was is the right choice? Or should be have chosen differently?

The colors in Wheat Field with Crows relate to another of Van Gogh's paintings called The Night Cafe. Yellow is known to be a color of happiness and sunshine, but in particular paintings like there two of Van Gogh's, the shade of yellow used is not the pleasing kind. It is actually a kind of stark, sickly shade of yellow. Paintings like this one and The Oath of the Horatii are able to create emotion in the viewer and they have a story behind them that brings the character of their artists out fromt he canvas. If paintings didn't this crucial feature paintings would be forever less exciting to learn about.

Seeing Sculpture

In reading Chapter 16 this week I learned some new things. I had never thought about anyone being confused if the sculpture is a sculpture or architecture. I had always just thought of sculpture, being sculpture. I also loved the quote by Sir Kenneth Clark:

"To be naked is to be deprived of our clothes and the word implies some of the embarrassment which most of us feel in that condition. The word nude, on the other hand, carries, in educated usage, no uncomfortable overtone. The vague image it projects into the mind is not of a huddled defenseless body, but of a balanced, prosperous and confident body: the body reformed."

This was also something I found kind of disturbing when I first viewed many European paintings in my A.P. European class, but as I continued to study the art I found that nude in art was different from a person being naked. The painters were glorifying the body, and in that era of time the body was celebrated by artists and sculptures in their works.

What I also found interesting about this chapter was the advantage to viewing a sculpture over a painting or fresco. You can view it from all sides; I had never thought about this before. I love both paintings and sculptures, but this makes sculptures more interesting and I will notice the views from the different sides that I didn't notice before. I also like the idea of a sculpture being a frozen point in time, but eternal at the same time. The piece isn't alive and isn't moving, but it lasts for a very long time for all to enjoy. The other point/quote I found interesting was by Finn:

We are like the blind man who has to learn how to see with his hands." We have to train our eyes to feel the sculpture in all its parts and from every conceivable vantage point, as if we were actually touching it." You are in fact touching all its parts with your eyes rather than with your hand.

I loved this chapter on sculpture because I knew most of the sculpture mentioned in the chapter. I love the artists mentioned in the chapter too; Michelangelo, Rodin, and Moore. I thoroughly enjoyed this chapter and it helped me to view sculpture in a whole new light!

The Oquirrh Mountain Architecture

I had the opportunity of attending the new Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House early this-morning with my ward. It was an amazing opportunity to be able to witness all the rooms in the temple before it is dedicated, and not everyone is no longer allowed in the upper rooms. I have only been to two other temple open houses; the Nauvoo and Draper Temples.

As I was walking up to and inside the temple I noticed something special about the temple. I was thinking while we were driving out to the temple, that it wasn't as white as the newly dedicated Draper Temple, or even the Salt Lake Temple. I thought to myself, "why wouldn't they want the temple to be white, like so many of the others?" Then, as I pondered, I came to the realization that each temple is built to match and according to it's immediate surroundings. As we got closer the temple seemed to almost have a reddish, brown tint to it, and I thought "well it matches it's surroundings for sure!"

Then I started thinking back to class when we talked about each building being built the way it was according to, and to fit into, it's immediate surroundings. As I entered and toured the temple, I found that most of the trim and furniture was of a medium wood, that seemed to match the areas surrounding the temple outside. I also noticed from the video shown before the tour, and from walking though the temple, that circles are a significant symbol used in the ornamentation and decoration of this specific temple. There were circles in the carpet, on the walls, and set as the design on the tops of the tables. Here I started focusing on one of the main focuses of my religion, circles, forever families, and the plan of salvation. We are all destined to return to our Heavenly Father through following the plan of salvation with our families, so that we can be happy with our families for eternity. I appreciate this opportunity to tour this undedicated temple even more now that I have learned to look deeper into the meaning of the temple, in relation to both the materials used in building this temple, and the meaning of the often used symbol of the circle.

A Visual Analysis of Pcasso's Guernica

In this week's reading in Coming to Our Senses led me to an in depth analysis of Picasso's oil painting Guernica. I have studied on the surface, and seen this copies of this painting before. I think it is a very interesting and deep piece of art, if given the correct information, and the time to ponder it.

First, the book discusses the critical limitations of painting; that any interpretation, except one based on the most obvious and mundane issues, is open to conjecture and modification. Each individual brings a different expectation and gleans a different meaning from the same work. I noticed the comment of Ellen C. Oppler, an expert on Picasso's Guernica, "...in spite of the fact that Guernica is Picasso's best-known painting and one of the masterpieces of our time, "yet it is a problematic work, stylistically complex, with images difficult to decipher, whose meaning is unclear." Picasso even commented on his own art basically saying that he doesn't plan the painting before he sketches. "While it is being done it changes as one's thoughts change." Even when it is done, it keeps changing for every person who chooses to view the piece. Later in the section Picasso says, "basically a pictures doesn't change...the first 'vision; remains almost intact."

Second, the medium of a painting describes very well what the artist if trying to say through line and color. I had never noticed the significance of the vertical, horizontal, diagonal, and curved lines in a painting until I read this chapter. One fact I found interesting was that even though iol was a well-used material for painting, this painting by Picasso is larger than previous oil paintings at that time in history. Oil paint is said to be remarkably simple in terms of materials used, in spite of its extremely complex and profound meanings. I learned, while reading, that straight lines coming together at sharp points tend to create life-threatening images. That may seem obvious to some of you, but it was new to me! The original painting had swatches of colored, patterned cloth and wallpaper on it, adding a color dimention to the otherwise bleak white, grey, nad black design. These pieces of cloth were removed along with the red tears that were on the running woman's face have been removed, leaving the painting monochromatic. The monochromatic color scheme ended up providing a vivid symbol for the basic theme of the painting: the grey ash of death.

Lastly, the form and symbolic meanings of Guernica. Frank D. russell suggests, in the reading, that the structural organization of Guernica combines in uneasy tension the competing values of classical restraint and romantic fervor. I thought it was interesting that the triangle in the middle of the painting is representative of the triangle being the favoredd form in both Greekclassicism (pediments) and the Italian Renaissance (pyramidal patterns). I love how that little piece of information connects beautifully with our recent discussions of architecture in class. A symbol in the painting that I liked the most was the horse, which to Picasso represented "the people", in a Christian context seems to represent Christ. I thought this was an interesting point to ponder. The threatning electric light above the horse's head suggest as much: an eye (God's all-seeing eye maybe). What I didn't notice before was that the spear piercing the horse's side is another visual connection to Christ's wounds on the cross.

I thouroughly enjoyed my reading and anaysis of Picasso's Guernica oil painting, and I can't wait to here more of what significance color, line, form, and symbolism have in paintings, and other art forms.

Most Enjoyable!

This week in class we discussed a number of things, from architecture and anxiety dreams about teaching, to painting, and red chairs. I think this last Wednesday was one of the best classes we've had. It was very enjoyable.

The class started out with a quiz on architecture we'd talked about on Monday, and then we moved on to Modern Architecture. I found it interesting that with modern architecture is so different from older forms of architecture. I mean, before it was how beautiful you could make the building, and with modern it almost seems that we're just trying to do whatever is easiest, instead of what is more appealing. On my brief visit to Europe I noticed that all their buildings, even if it is an apartment complex, still looks good. Their buildings are not at all skyscrapers and each building has it's own individual look. I think that European architects have done more with their capabilities than any American architect I've ever heard of. Personally I think most American architects that came after colonial times got into the make as many houses or buildings as possible, instead of building them all different and unique.

I loved our group/class discussions about From Bauhaus to Our House. Our groups questions were about Walter Gropius, his architecture, how Frank Lloyd Wright's aesthetic differs from Gropius's, and Kahn's contribution to Yale Campus. I found the idea of starting from zero quite interesting in a couple of ways. There is the fact that the architects coming over from Europe during the Great Depression had to start from zero, because they were penniless. Then there is also the part where Philip Johnson decided to give up everything and move to Chicago to study to become an architect at the feet of Walter Gropius. Lastly, there is the part where Modern Architecture comes in; literally starting from zero. I also like the part in the book where it says that everyone started from zero. The only thing I have to say to the citizens of America at the time when Kahn built on to The Yale University Art Gallery is why didn't you buck up and tell the man that he'd ruined the building?! I also found it interesting that people back then would just deal with whatever was going on in the architecture world, while now we rebel against that stuff, and architects of today focus more on what we want then what they think is aesthetically pleasing to us; we get a say.

I LOVED our discussion about color and it's emotions!! I took A.P. European my Junior year of high school(as I've mentioned before), and so I understand all the artists we talk about it class. I also love that color can do so much to a painting, and that the same color can mean so many different things when presented differently. I was amazed at the power of color in painting. Still I would have to say that our discussion of the red office chair was still the best part of class. It was cool to see everyone's reaction to the different colors and to discuss them as a class. It was interesting to see how when the red was by itself it it gave off a bad feeling, but as soon as you added the yellow and orange, the feeling of the painting started to lift. I also enjoyed looking at the Van Gogh painting, and discussing how even though most of the painting was yellow, it was almost a sickly yellow and it made the feeling of the painting as a whole less enjoyable. I never realized that color could have so much influence on a painting and how we view it. This Wednesday's class was very good, and I feel I learned a lot about color and its emotions, as well as more about architecture in general, and Modern Architecture.

The Medium

In class this week we talked about the medium of a piece of art and how it helps reflect what the artist is trying to say through their art. I think that the medium of which the art is created with definitely reflects the authors emotions and thoughts.

We also talked about criticism and the role of a critic also. I like how when we were actually given the chance to think and talk about what we defined a critic as and how we felt about a critics job in general. In our little group, we all felt that we didn't like critics because they are definitely biased in many ways, and they try to make us see things their way; in a sense taking away our free agency of being able to diagnose a piece of art, or a performance for our selves. But, by the end of the class we all felt a little better about a critic, and their job. It was a good class; I learn something new every day!

Beautiful or disgusting?

Even though I know that different people find different things beautiful, but the article on Beauty by Marcia Muelder Eaton has intensified that opinion. Some people can find evil or destroying things beautiful.
There are many conflicting perceptions of beauty. I loved the image of our television and magazine society, and how the author of the article finds "those 'beautiful people' that many of [our] generation see on some television advertisements seem positively repulsive." Beauty and our definition of beauty has changed over time, unfortunately not for the better of America either.
The analogy of something being beautiful, being like food that is delicious; that if something isn't good we don't enjoy eating it, but that doesn't mean that we should not see art because we don't think it's beautiful. If we just concentrated on food being good, and not the nutritional value; like if we only think about art as only being art if it's beautiful instead of the nutrition of the soul of an individual and of a community.
Something doesn't have to be GORGEOUS to be beautiful, it just has to be spiritually nurturing!

The Eighth International Art Competition

Since March of this year the Conference Center has displayed some of the art from the Church History Museum's Eighth International Art Competition for the public to view. It is open Monday-Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. until October 11, 2009 in the Conference Center in Downtown Salt Lake.

The theme for the competition is “Remembering the Great Things of God.” Each painting, sculpture, quilt, mosaic,and picture has a plaque by it the tells the viewer the title and includes an explanation of why the the author thinks their piece is one of the "Great Things of God".

Some painted pregnant mothers, or mothers with new born babies and explain that birth, or procreation, is one of God's great gifts to us. Others paint their take on the atonement, or resurrection that explain how great Jesus Christ's Atonement was. Others painted pictures or made sculptures of famous church leaders or church figures such as Joseph Smith Jr., Eve, Temple Presidents in Ghana, Africa, and favorite scripture characters.

What I found interesting was that everyone found somethings else to be great things from God than others, but whatever they created was beautiful. Every piece of art in the exhibit was beautiful. There were some with bright and happy colors depicting the eternal happiness of marriage in the temple, and darker sinister colors depicting Gethsemane or the Crucifixion, and still more holy white colors depicting Christ in a garden surrounded with a bunch of little children.

Each person who visited was able to vote on two or three of their favorite pieces in the exhibit, and in October one would be chosen to receive an award. There were also little markers on a number of the pieces that meant the church had bought those paintings. I chose one of Eve kneeling and praying to Heavenly Father outside the Garden of Eden that was just breathtakingly beautiful. What I loved most about the experience was the spirit could be felt there. It was silent, and even though if you listened hard you could here the hustle and bustle of the city going on around the Conference Center, when you were thinking of nothing but the fantastic art in front of you couldn't here it. The light that streamed through the windows onto the art made it almost like heaven. This created an atmosphere that everyone could enjoy. I loved it!

Quite Literally a Window

In reading for class this week I found that Humanities (the arts) not only help us figure out who we are, but also help us to see things we wouldn't normally see. A painting, for example is quite literally a window. It open vistas defined by the artists unique point of view. We can learn to see how the world looks to another human being. "Thus, a study of the humanities - philosophy, religion, literature, and art - deals in some measure with the ends of life, with possible goals of human existence." To fully understand the artists' rendition of their art you must study the artist themselves; their likes, their dislikes, their dreams, and their fears. Then you'll find that there are so many other things in the world, (other than your own little focused life) so many things just as important, more important. Some think that the arts aren't important, but as they learn and grow in the arts, they will understand and know that the arts ARE important, and the world wouldn't be the place it is today without them. They can learn to appreciate the arts if they give it a chance.

Defining Our Generation in the Arts

Wednesday in class I was pretty much in heaven! I took A.P. European my junior year of high school and our discussion this week brought back memories and revived the love I have for European History. Looking through the slide show in class on A History of the World I found that European History and Art History(which I never got to take in high school, but have wanted to ever since) are two of my great loves. I could barely sit still during class and on a number of occasions I wanted to jump up out of my chair and tell the class all about the artists and art we were going over.

I loved the discussion we had in class about humanities in general and how the arts help define us as individuals, as a generation, and most importantly as a person. One of my favorite parts of our discussion was when someone mentioned their theory that someone who hates some art, are inhibited in a certain way. Art completes ourselves as people. Some just aren't willing to put the effort into the arts to fully appreciate it. Arts are an acquired taste for some and a favorite for others. We, as people are able to learn and reap something in return when we give individually to the arts by simply supporting them.

My second favorite point of discussion was that Broadway Shows like Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables do not only entail beautiful music, but they also possess a depth, and a story behind each song, and character. When you actually pay attention and listen you get more out of what you are viewing, or listening to.

The last point of class discussion that intrigued me is the phrase, "art is extremely powerful". We shouldn't be in awe of the arts only because they are old, but because of the personal experience we are bound to have if we open our hearts to the special, unique, and exquisite language of the arts. The other phrase that caught my attention is, "the arts are not more important because they are historical but because they have shaped the lives we live; different things are important to different people." Historical arts are a big influence on our lifestyles in culture. The most important art it the art being created right NOW, by our fellow peers. It comes from the society we live in and it defines our generation.

Acoustics in Brigham Square

The event I attended this week was the Acoustic Concert in Brigham Square on Wednesday night. Over all I thought it a great evening activity. I loved the added feature of it being outside. This made it more comfortable and laid back for everyone in attendance. At one point in the concert there was a dance competition, where members of the audience were encouraged to come up and dance for everyone. This was a great technique that promoted complete audience involvement. Another thing that made it more interesting was every band or individual who performed were BYU students. I think this really brought a better audience-to-performer connection; we felt we had something in common with the performers. This also made me reflect on what we discussed in class, that the most important art is the art being created now and that it defines this generation. Having that class discussion and going to the concert brought to my attention that these young ambitious students are those who will be remembered by and associated with our generation for years to come. It was a wonderful way to experience our the BYU Campus atmosphere along with the other students.

This term I plan on attending the Farmers Market, a movie screening in my home neighborhood of East Millcreek in Salt Lake City, and an art exhibit. I don't know what else, but I'm pretty excited to attend one each week.