On Art

Well, that's it. This is the end, of this blog at least, most likely.  

A semester down and plenty more to go, I'll be completing my English course with this blog post, and in some way it calls for a more focused reflection. As our course blog is titled, "The Arts…" there's some suggestion winking me in the face that I should have learned a thing or two about art. Well, I can't give a definite answer of that, although I think I've gained a stronger grasp on what art is as it appears and functions. 

Our professor opened the blog with a bit about art funding having been threatened in the past, a bill or something requesting a cut in the funds that never passed. It's pretty sound to say that art matters. So to you naysayers, ha! So we go on to the "why." What I've come to know or believe is that art is ultimately expression. For this reason, it makes sense that there are so many forms of art and then genres or styles within forms creating this cross-media variety that we can never really collect in one place. I, fortunately, enjoy and understand (vaguely) most art forms. I like watching people dancer, sing, perform, or to read or observe sculptures, paintings, etc. I can find pieces that appeal to me along the lines of logic, ethic, or emotional value. I think it's great that art takes all of these things on at once.  

I think it's pretty neat, in some cases, how art is telling of culture too. The impressionist movement in painting is still awesome to me, or just about any Renaissance born piece of art (paint, sculpt., etc.). Classical music is also awesome. Fast forward though and take a look at modern art (toilet seats nailed to walls), music (auto-tuned to hell, same petty subject matter, not many engaging pieces; don't get me wrong there are some bright exceptions, but at large, no, music is in a decline), dance (I can only watch someone spin on his/her head for so long), and you get my point. Examples like these really make me wonder what future generations will think of our generation. I mean, we've managed to take the blood sucking monster that made a pact with the devil and turned it into a glitter-skinned regrettable immortal that fears losing his socially-backward girlfriend over the sun, garlic, or a stake through the heart. C'mon, really now? I'm totally okay with vampires being explored outside of horror, but at least keep the myth behind them accurate, otherwise they wouldn't be vampires, now would they? There are just some things I cannot draw sense or appeal from. Remember that toilet seat nailed on a wall? What are you getting out of it? I am personally drawing a blank here.

So, I don't know. I guess I liked art better when people were only acknowledged after they died.it seems the function of art is changing from expression into a money making scandal. Tune out a new beat that can get a teenager's head to bounce and hips to sway for three minutes, toss in something about money, drugs, degrading women – or – breaking up, being heartbroken, etc., and you have a hit that will be no the top spot for a week or so. You instantly make tons of money in sales and can probably retire early. Ask about that same song in a month and people will wonder why you're asking about that "old" thing. I'm trying to find where the artist-ship has gone, where the pride in work has gone off to.  

Oh, another thing before this turns into a full-out rant… What's up with all this abstract stuff? As confident as I am with my imagination; I'm going to doubt yours if you cannot give a complete picture for us. Selective removal of information, be it in a picture or writing, is okay, but I should be able to follow along coherently with a piece or there might be a communication issue. This cryptic expressionism is getting to be a bit much where years from now who will know what you meant!?

So, yeah, hopefully art hasn't gone down the tube entirely. Surely my blog critics are starring me down from behind the screen taunting me to "do better, then." Well maybe I will! Or maybe I won't. Remember I'm just a college student who's built his opinions on his brief existence in the world and has many options before him to explore before he decides to pursue a few. On that note, here's to hoping I can make sense of this art "stuff" in the future.

Looking Back - Self Eval.

1. All right, so I'm here to evaluate my progress through the course. It's really awkward because to some degree I don't feel changed or richer in knowledge. I guess that's just the perspective I have while having lived in change. It's kind of like watching you pet grow up. Being with a kitten every day you hardly realize she's getting bigger and losing the kitten cuteness, and then one day you have this cat with a terrible loving habit of grinding her claws into your chest while she cuddles up with you. Where did the time go, honestly?

 

So coming in I knew English in any setting was going to turn out in one of two ways. Either I'd love it and write to my fancy all I wanted, and excel in it, or I'd find myself taking very boring notes on a piece I have no desire to read or acknowledge followed by drafting papers no one will ever read or reference. I mean, thinking about it, if you don't seem to know an author or title, it means the works sucks or the author isn't dead yet (or so that's the trend). The genre might just not be your cup of tea either… Regardless, I found myself doing the latter a majority of the time. It's boring to me because writing holds a different function in my life. I like to write, and still do, but it's for me most of the time. Guiding questions are fine, but I don't really have a motivation to write about an ad in the newspaper other than a grade.

 

Now in reflection I can say this hasn't changed much at all. However, I have picked up on a few stylistic tools that can help me perhaps improve my own self-motivated writing. Maybe someone will pick up on it before I die or I'll move onto something more meaningful. Prior to this course I was told to address my audience, but no single teacher in high school had a way to show me how. Professor Squillante managed to in exposing the class to the appeals. Go figure, a philosopher from ages ago who spoke an entirely different language living in a different culture could speak clearer than English teachers with their Master degrees in English, communications, etc. here and there. Thank you Aristotle…

 

Another transition in the course as a first year seminar has been moving from a very narrow, isolated view of the campus to something more. I have the Arboretum across the street, but I would have never had means to enter the Palmer or find the theatre. I knew PSU had a lot to offer, but nothing ever showed me that perspective so directly. The campus is undoubtedly overwhelming at first, but I found this course to help make it a little smaller and manageable. By picking a subject, say art, you can be looking with a finer toothed comb. Arts aside, I learned a new way to take on the 900+ organizations or other events on campus without having my eye twitch from stress of it all!

 

In all, I can safely say I've really become disillusioned with what's meaningful in the world over the past four years. Penn State provides me with a new canvas, and art at large is providing new inspirations and motivations. I've become very estranged from art and this course was refreshing to get back to it even a slight bit. I still feel I'm far behind though, be it a creative writing major or someone working in visual arts, music, etc. It's time to paint a new picture on my blank slate. Daunting? Sure, but I won't gain much from just sitting here now will I?

 

2.

1) http://morgannsays.blogspot.com/2012/09/template-as-i-was-thinking-about-how-to.html?showComment=1347208840150#c7042032657485027129

 

2) http://jrose412.blogspot.com/2012/09/my-first-art-adventure.html?showComment=1347828036736#c6110860236326840704

 

3) http://haileyhere.blogspot.com/2012/09/template-i-wanted-my-blog-to-be-nice.html?showComment=1348448456988#c3107126785732381707

 

4) http://daniellegordonmartin.blogspot.com/2012/09/peaceful-morning-at-arboretum.html?showComment=1349216424327#c7032610852175147841

 

5) http://dcbornandraised.blogspot.com/2012/09/analysis-of-my-blog.html?showComment=1350089007305#c596082188581114626

 

6) http://the1meltingpot.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-palmer-museum-visitation.html?showComment=1351004530169#c1279370939653067063

 

7) http://rfatherly.blogspot.com/2012/09/palmer-museum-visit.html?showComment=1351008613396#c2196803390077648012

 

8) http://theartofanargument.blogspot.com/2012/09/blog-post-1.html?showComment=1351810894823#c8803716929272597731

 

9) http://itsblogtimeeverybody.blogspot.com/2012/10/kickin-it-old-school.html?showComment=1353110740342#c6444018152307161078

10) http://aglydesweetconcoctions.blogspot.com/2012/11/art-of-unseen.html?showComment=1355236820623#c7441359503797640955

3. "Hi, Ms. S--I completed my SRTEs!" Sorry for the late post, but an upset stomach denied me permission to leave my bed.

Arts/Cultural Response: Rocky Horror - "Dammit Janet"

This is long overdue, but I went to see "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" on October 27th, and it was well…different. 

So it was that same evening in October, at about eleven o'clock, that I was walking downtown towards the State Theater. I passed the Palmer museum and saw some lights. The atmosphere was ripe with college students in their ridiculous costumes going off to parties: you know, slut bunnies and something that lets a guy run around without sleeves. The show actually started about the time I came to the theatre though. So much drag in such little space… I bought my ticket and took my seat as soon as I could. Silly me, I thought I was just going to see a movie. I was wrong, so very wrong.  

The State Theater likes to do a shadow cast for "ROCKY HORROR!!!" meaning they have their own actors on stage acting the parts out on screen. It's much better than just watching the movie, although it helps that you know what characters are saying and doing beforehand. I throw quotes around "ROCKY HORROR!!!" because that's all the audience around me would scream when it was said in the intro credits.  

Alright let me back up a little bit. So it went more like this. I took my seat at the edge somewhere in the middle and thought to myself that it must have been a no show boring event. Not too many people were present, and those who were seemed awfully quiet, just minding their own business and making friends with the shadow cast. I had some older man come over and sit next to me, which was kind of weird…wondering what an old man was doing to come see "Rocky Horror" (I don't know why it was odd, but it was!) until the shadow cast Janet come over. His daughter would be on stage in a matter of hours half naked. I wasn't sure if I was meant to encourage his pride and support in his daughter or pity the moment.  

The director comes out, and before I realized the theater had become warmer and much fuller. The entire middle section was fairly packed from front to back. It had a nice turn up, alright, groovy. The director then called all "virgins" to the stage. It took me a minute to think about what in the world he was referring to, and then I realized this wasn't going to just be any other sitting to watch "TRHPS." The director gave the virgins on stage a red balloon, they blew them up, stuck them between their legs and then the cast came around and "popped their cherries" by biting the balloons. Things were escalating.  

The movie started soon after an introduction and the theatre burst into song. The quite kinds in front of me were now screaming "ROCKY HORROR!!!" at the top of their lungs. I just sank into my chair next to the quiet old father and watched the credits roll as I tried to watch the movie. The opening narrator's volume was kind of lacking, "like [his] neck," which make it kind of difficult to hear what he had to say compared to the shouting audience. In any case the audience was introduced rather quickly to the hero Brad ("Asshole!") and heroine Janet ("Slut!") who would continue their story into Dr. Frank-N-Furter's castle. The movie goes on, and the shadow cast ignores no part of the movie no matter how raunchy or exposing. The audience went along too sharing their own puns and jokes throughout. A reprise of the "Time Warp" brought the night to a very interesting close.  I left speechless for what I had just witnessed. A "virgin" to the event who didn't get his "cherry popped," I was, and still am, stunned. Maybe next time…  I left the theatre thinking of the father clapping for his daughter's portrayal of Janet, you know, that slut who sleeps around the castle. Ya, definitely different.