Category: Art

The world of photographing is unique indeed: it is quite possible to read the whole story with the help of one or several photos, fell in love, be disappointed, or just be happy. For someone, it is very easy to take a camera and start making photos, and present really wonderful pictures.

However, it is not enough to be born to be a photographer; it is very significant to develop photographing skills, get certain knowledge, and improve awareness day by day. Such great photographers like Jeffery and Julia Woods have already amazed lots of people by their unbelievable works and talent.

Their abilities to find something unusual in rather simple things cannot leave indifferent viewers: a smile of a girl, a wave of an old man, or a young mans wink. Their story of love, their passion to photography, and their abilities to make happy moment happier and leave them for a long period of time  all this proves once again that these two people are to weddings, like love is to any marriage.

In this paper, the works, skills, and achievements of Jeffrey and Julia Woods will be analyzed; their awards and contribution to the world of photography is really magnificent, because they do not want to create some kind of fantasy, but prefer to concentrate on the images, which play important role to their clients.

Lots of people still believe that family business may easily destroy good and loving marriages: financial difficulties, unpredictable costs, desire to get higher position, etc. Of course, all these points may be crucial for some people and for some families, however, the Woods, Jeff and Julia, and their works prove that there are always some exceptions. These two great photographers create own business and develop it to such extent that there is not married couple, who, at least, has not heard about Jeff and Julia Woods.

They have a really glamorous studio, they like to travel in order to satisfy their clients and present the best photos of their weddings, they enjoy sponsorship of lots of people, and they are respected by many people from different spheres of life. Jeffrey and Julia Woods operate a successful wedding and portrait studio that specializes in highly personalized images that reflect the tastes and experiences that make each client unique (Perkins, 56).

This is why their photos always interesting, beautiful, and full of real emotions. This famous studio can be found in Washington Illinois. However, their first works appeared at more modest place: they start this business as many other couples at their own home. With time, they earned enough money to change the location of their studio, buy all the necessary and modern technologies, and start promoting their services to a wide range of people.

Their marriage lasts for about 18 years, this is why they know much about relations in families, understand the importance of properly planned weddings, attention to each detail on ceremonies, which open doors to absolutely new life, and have enough words to tell in order to encourage other people to take this serious step. Such a slight overview of Jeff and Julia personal life provides us with an opportunity to get a clear understanding why their works are in such great demand ring the bells with couples.

Now, let us talk more deeply about the works, which Jeff and Julia offer to their clients. Photographing your wedding is allowing us to be a part of the most intimate day of your lives. We are committed to pouring our hearts and souls into your love story (Jeffrey & Julia Woods). In this paper, we take one of the weddings, where Jeff and Julia were hired to engrave peoples emotions, actions, feelings, and love. It was Brian and Jennifers wedding; the peculiar feature of this very wedding is close attention to each member of family.

Jeff and Julie admitted that it was a real pleasure to work with their family as they have already got a chance to learn something about their traditions and preferences, because some time ago, they have worked with their relatives. In Appendix # 1, several photos of this wedding are presented. Jeff and Julia make both coloured and black-and-white photos. With the help of the light, it is possible to underline how wonderful and warm the day of this wedding is.

Very often, the photographers focus on the sky and sunlight. The photo of the bride with sun against the background attracts my attention. This very picture presents rather captivating story: a women is happy, she does not close her eyes because of bright light, because her wedding veil protects her. From this very moment, she is under some kind of protection, offered by her future husband. She does not afraid to look forward and she knows that someone very dear is waiting for her in future.

Another photo of a wedding dress deserves attention as well. This dress seems like to be in the air. It is a black-and-white picture; I comprehend such choice of colours in the following way. This dress is the thing, presented by bride and grooms parents. It is one its way to the bride, but still, has some roots from the past, where parents and grandparents still are. This dress is one of the most important things during the wedding, and Julia and Jeff concentrate certain attention on it.

Of course, the wedding is impossible without a groom, this is why several photos present the groom with his happiness and confidence, his power and care, his calmness and solidity. On the photo under consideration, there is no attention to the past or present, because right now, his emotions and feelings play the most significant role. He is ready to take the chosen woman and make her his wife. He does not afraid, and he is happy.

There are no extra details on this photo; the Woods choose neutral light to attract the viewers attention on a person only. To my mind, this photo is really great. The last photo from the wedding under consideration is a kind of reunion of two loving people, who have not seen for some period of time, and now they are happy to be close to each other.

On the background, there is a bright sunlight. It may present a kind of Gods consent on this union. Their wedding is blessed by God; they have the roof to be protected against nature whims; their movements are directed to each other, and their smile serve as the best proof of their desire to be together till the end of their lives. And, as it should be  they are happy and confident in their actions and thoughts.

To my mind, it is not that easy to represent such story of life by means of photos. However, I really do not know all those people of pictures and my words are only the imagination, based on Jeff and Julias work. This team presents really great pictures. Their work amazes many people; this is why the recognition of their works is obvious.

In 2002 and 2003, Jeff and Julia Wood got the award WPPIs Best Wedding Album of the Year. However, it is not the only one award they may be proud of. Two Fuji Masterpieces awards, and a Kodak Gallery Award (Hurter, 119) can also prove that their works deserve attention, analysis, and admiration.

These two professionals realize how it is important to observe all technological innovations and present to their clients only modern works and services. For example, Julia and Jeff always adore films to present their photos; however, nowadays, many people use such services like Facebook or YouTube, this is why digital preference takes leading positions.

One of the major purposes of the Woods is to provide the best services for their clients, meet all the clients preferences, and feel some kind of contact to comprehend what way of photographing should be chosen. The photographers admit that it turns out to be crucially important to feel at least some part of clients emotions in order to represent them on photos, but still be true professionals and create worthwhile pictures.

The life is the major subject on the photo. It is not enough just to make a photo of someone or something and present it as high-quality piece of work. Photos are the pieces of this life, and Julia and Jeff realize this truth and use it to astonish their clients and ordinary viewers. Properly chosen light, focus on one figure/event/movement/emotion, and love to clients  all this make Jeff and Julias works unique and unbelievably beautiful.

Without any doubts, the works by Jeffrey and Julia Woods are the significant part of the history of photography. So many people want to keep in mind some moments of their life for ever, and these two photographers help people to achieve the desirable purposes. There are lots of unbelievable moments in peoples life, and wedding is one of them. This is why with all respect to clients, weddings, and love, Jeffrey and Julia Woods continue creating more photos, which present a unique story of a happy wedding.

All their photos are connected to each other, this is why they present a story, love, and real life emotions. Julia and Jeff underline that it is their clients love that inspires them to create such masterpieces. The Woods passion to love, peoples emotions, and good photos attract so many clients. It is not enough to be a doll or a hero on the photo; to demonstrate the significance of the chosen moments turns out to be more important.

Jeff and Julia Woods correspond to all above-mentioned requirements; their works cause so many emotions, and even single people are eager to find out couples to experience those emotions, represented on photos by Julia and Jeff. All their awards and admiration of people have enough reasons, and their works dwell in the memory of each person, who faces these works for at least one time in this life.

Works Cited

Hunter, Bill. Simple Techniques for Portrait Photographers. Buffalo, NY: Amherst Media, Inc., 2008

Perkins, Michelle. Professional Portrait Lighting: Techniques and Images from Master Photographers. Buffalo, NY: Amherst Media, Inc., 2006.

Woods, Julia & Jeff. Love Inspired. 2009. Web.

Appendix #1

Art has a wonderful peculiarity to touch upon the hearts of lots of people. It does not matter whether you are fond of painting or have no ideas of what this or that painting is all about, any piece of art will certainly touch you and help to look at the world in a different way. The only thing needed is time to comprehend the essence of the work.

Some people do not have a great opportunity to create own masterpieces, certain personal or social troubles may cause such an inability. This is why such people have nothing to do but analyze and talk about the works created by the other painters. However, sometimes, people just do feel like creating something their own.

In such cases, analyzes and explanations of the material to other people are one of the best decisions. Almost the same situation happened to Lesley Harding, a wonderful writer and art critique. She has written several wonderful lectures about the works of Albert Tucker. One of her best-known lectures was Visions of the Demimonde: Albert Tucker in Paris written in 2006. This lecture is about one piece of life of such a great Australian painter, Albert Tucker, spent in Paris.

If Paris has an ability to change peoples lives, the life and visions of Tucker have been changed considerably during his travel to Paris. These changes were noticeable both in his works and in his relations with other people. Lesley Harding creates a captivating story that reflects the condition and consequences of Tuckers presence in Paris.

Lesley Harding is a curator of the Tuckers Collection and Archive at Heide Museum of Modern Art placed in Melbourne. This person is known for her desire to learn more and more in order to share her knowledge with the others, who do not have an opportunity to study Art and Graphic Design in a proper way. After she gets a proper education in Art, she does not want to stop.

Now, she undertakes a PhD in Art History in the Melbourne University. During some period of time, Lesley Harding was a curator at the Victorian Arts Centre, and before her marriage, she was a curator in Sydney (the National Art School).

Her lectures about the works and life of Albert Tuckers are not difficult to comprehend. Illustrative examples of painters works, bright facts from his life, his connections and relations with different people, and his personal attitude to the events  each of these points makes Hardings lectures captivating and interesting to listen and even to read.

In Hardings lecture Visions of Demimonde: Albert Tucker in Paris, the object of her story was Albert Tucker, an Australian artist and Expressionist, a refugee from the Australian culture, as Stephen Alomes said. Harding tries to not to start her lecture with a concrete place and time.

She wants to prepare readers and listeners to her story about Tuckers life and work in Paris. She mentions that, for that period of time, Tucker was a great painter with a proper understanding of Australias landscape and the inhabitants. (Harding 2006) In this way, she underlines that the world that was offered to Tucker was a bit different to that one he used to live. Paris, with its freedom to move and feel was a real novelty for the artist.

There are several major points Lesley Harding describes in her work: (1) Tuckers adventures before Paris, to be more exact, his arrival to London, (2) Tuckers attitude to lighter elements, which were inherent to Paris painting, (3) Tuckers works, which were associated with more vivid cacophony of life, and (4) his friendship with Dickson and their return to Paris in 1951. These major points create a strong outline of the lecture presented by Lesley Harding.

This article is not only about the Tuckers works in Paris. Harding makes an wonderful attempt to compare his previous works and the reasons why he decided to change his own preferences. In Paris, Tucker realized the broader sense of his place in that continuum. Even more, in order to prove her own words, she refers to Tuckers words about the sense, time, and place.

It seems that the topic of the lecture is indirectly connected to the text. The author names the article Visions of Demimonde: Albert Tucker in Paris. However, in this article, she talks about demimondes visions from only one point of view  the Tuckers one.

Of course, his original understanding of the world and this life, his life experience, and emotions may serve as strong evidences to rely on. However, in this lecture, the reader/listener can evaluate Paris and its style of life by means of Tuckers impressions only. He created several great works in Paris: Paris Night (1948), Woman and Beast (1951), or Rebirth (1951).

In those works, he used ageing prostitutes and other representatives of nightlife in Paris to underline how those people saw the world. In some works, he concentrated on their eyes, in the other works, he add details to their arms, etc. Each of his works was a unique one, and Lesley Harding uses all her attention and imagination to represent Tuckers ideas and feelings.

At the end of the lecture, Harding tells about Tuckers return to Paris. It was late 1951, when Tucker started the creation of caravan in their hotel room. The inhabitants were really impressed, they underlined that Tucker made gold. Dickson and Tucker moved the creation to the banks of the river Seine in Paris. It was one of the most wonderful works that was known as a ticket for Parisians to the rest of Europe, seen by Tucker.

Lesley Harding is a wonderful writer and talented storyteller. Her imagination and devotion to her works and the masterpieces of other painters help to create really fascinating lectures to people with various level of education.

If a person wants to know more about the works by Albert Tucker, the first thing he/she needs to do is to listen carefully to the lectures of Harding. She is one of the best curators of the Tuckers Collection, she knows a lots about his works creation, and also, she is aware of the way of how to present the information clearly. The lecture Visions of the Demimonde: Albert Tucker in Paris is one of her best works.

This lecture has a clear structure with a logical order of details. She does not jump over the facts in order to concentrate on the essence of the story. She presents enough information, concentrating on pre-history, and invites the listeners/reader into the world of Art created by Albert Tucker.

Reference List

Alomes, S 1999, When London Calls: the Expatriation of Australian Creative Artists to Britain. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Harding, L 2006, Visions of the Demimonde: Albert Tucker in Paris, Art and Australia, vol. 43, no. 3.

The paintings under consideration, Cranes, date back to the Edo Period, the time of humanistic and rational evolution. During this period, a significant shift from religious topics to secular motifs was observed. Elements of nature and classic representation of images were also included into the salient features of this time.

Despite secularism and predominance of mundane elements, the paintings still contain some religious trends, particularly Neo-Confucianism philosophical underpinnings that one of the leading movements in Edo period. In this respect, Cranes are endowed with spiritual atmosphere and natural vitality that are expressed through an ideal combination of flora and fauna. Everything  from texture, fabric, and tone to color, shapes, and lines  reflect the common traits of Edo artistic movement.

Painted in ink on silk and paper, Cranes are represented through extreme delicacy that is achieved by means of the materials used. Cautious lines made by the painter require extreme attention because at least one wrong movement or brush can spoil the entire work.

Refinement of the materials used also contributes to better representation of artistic motives and themes. Judging from this, the artist strives to make use of these materials in order to achieve the effect of weightlessness, lightness, and simplicity. In addition, ink, paper, and silk are considered to be one of the main attributes of painting culture in Japan.

It reflects Japanese cultural and historical heritage. Along with accuracy and delicacy of the image representation, the painting is also closely associated with spontaneity, subjective sensitivity, and grace. Incorporating all these features creates a complete picture of what ink painting is all about.

While talking about the thematic concerns presented in the paintings under analysis, it can be stated that they are fully attached to the natural vision of the world with slight accent on illusion. At a glance, the cranes and surrounding natural elements are depicted in a realistic manner. We can easily compare those with real-to-life objects.

However, realistic vision of the painting will not allow to see the essence and ideas that the author intends to convey. In fact, in order to understand the main motifs and themes of the works, one should understand the artists perception of the work and his/her emotional state.

Regarding light, use of colors, and composition, the primary concern here is to capture not the object itself, but its essence, landscape and interaction between the objects depicted on the picture. Beside accurate forms, minimalism of refined lines, the author also strives to render the traditional aesthetics of simplicity combined with intuitive expression. Apparently, this is the main feature of Japanese artistic trend in the seventeenths century.

Particular attention should be paid to color usage that also contributes to the concept of simplicity and delicate expression. Black and white hues, shadows, and tones provide exceptional harmony to the described scenes. Hence, postures are colored in darker colors indicating the thematic center of the paintings; their movements and positions render their grace and beauty that are supplemented by virtuously presented background.

Though being identical in composition centers, the backgrounds distinguish this picture from each other. At the left, the crane looks more superior and proud because all his movements and positions convey this idea. Strength and dignity are also represented through straight lines. In contrast, the crane depicted on the right painting seems to be more gracious and yielding. A slightly raised leg and a half-opened beak render openness, lightness, and grace.

Its metaphorical meaning can be presented through the artistic desire to express his openness to the world. Comparing these two birds, these cranes oppose each other in terms of character, position, and the painters expression. In addition, the birds are surrounded by different environments. Hence, left picture depicts some trees in bloom that, eventually, presents trees spring or summer period whereas pictures on the right is presented in autumn motifs

Taking a closer look at the paintings concerned, a few words can be said about the dynamic character of scenes and objects. While studying the main elements, lines, and shapes, it is necessary to resort to artists emotional perception of the world described within a picture.

In this respect, these lines, themes, and tender shades can be transformed into powerful energy that can endow the viewers with the main concepts and ideas of Japanese art and philosophy. In addition, the brushwork presented on the canvas also provides the entire work with greater range of expression and feelings. All these peculiarities and techniques are the main attributes of Edo painting whose primary purpose is narrowed to aesthetic and cultural representation of picture.

In conclusion, artistic representation, usage of delicate techniques, and peculiar materials contribute to conveying the artists perception of the surrounding world.

Cranes do not only represent the natural world, they also render the artists emotional and psychological state. Particular emphasis is placed on brushwork, colors, and techniques that amplify the paintings cultural and historical affiliation to Edo period, the era of humanistic movement. Finally, the pictures also reflect spirituality and vitality through the disclosure of natural world motifs.

Introduction

The world of architecture is rich and amazing indeed, this is why it is always interesting to evaluate and investigate different aspects of design work. Each room and each building has its own purpose, function, and impact on a visitor. In this paper, one of the rooms in the Weisman Art Museum in Minnesota will be analyzed. The chosen building is located on 333 East River Road, Minneapolis^[1].

It was designed by Canadian American architect Frank Gehry in 1993^[2]. For a long period of time, this building is considered to be one of the major landmarks on campus, and its rooms contain much information about peoples history and achievements.

The interior of the Weisman Art Museum under consideration is rather conventional and attractive to the visitors. The main challenge of the room was to combine as much space as possible and add the required furniture to meet the expectations of the visitors. It was important to support the idea that it is the room of the museum where people should have a chance to observe innovations, share their opinions, and feel comfortable.

This is why, in the furnished room, the designer focuses on proper lighting, necessity for all subjects in the room to be available for the visitors, and possibility to take rest for people. The furnished room in the Weisman Art Museum is an example of how such elements like furnishing, lighting, color, and construction material should be considered in order to create a perfect image that deserves the right to be a part of art that influences human life.

Historical Introduction of the Room

In fig.1, it is possible to observe the room under analysis and define its main purposes and functions. Still, before talking about such aspects of the design, it is necessary to identify its historical worth and development. Each designer has his/her own ideas and imagination to introduce a new room or a new building to public.

The designer of the building is Frank Gehry^[3], still, its patron is another person. The room is placed in the building created in honor of a famous Minneapolis art collector, Frederick R. Weisman who died in 1994. His contribution was great for American art as well as education, this is why it was necessary to recreate the rooms which underline the social and cultural situation of the country, the idea of stability and functionality.

In spite of the current competition, it is not always possible to admit the room and the place that worth certain attention and evaluation, still, there are several reasons of why some rooms of the Weisman Art Museum should be discussed.

First, it is a well-known fact that the director of the museum with its designer makes a decision to improve the design and spend several million dollars to achieve the best ideas. And another reason is the ways of how innovations are made as the museums representatives admit that museums original site should be narrowed to meet the expectations of visitors and meet the requirements set by modern times^[4].

The evaluation of the room will help to understand what kind of innovations may be required and why the owners of the room as well as the building itself want to redecorate the construction.

It is interesting to define the weaknesses of the projects and introduce new ideas, this is why the chosen room seems to be a captivating subject for discussion from a pure artistic point of view as well as from some social or cultural perspectives. Design is the sphere that cannot accept too many changes at one place, and the room will be changed by the designer himself, so, it is a challenge to understand how changes should look like and whether all of them are appropriate.

Spatial Organization and Planning

The chosen furnished room is one of the central rooms in the building. Its peculiar feature is a number of doors (fig.2) which allow visitors pass through it any time in order to get another room. Still, it is necessary to underline that it is the room of an art museum; this is why its designer should consider the importance of functionality and accessibility.

Taking into consideration the spatial planning of the building those main objective is to encourage social communication, interactions between visitors, and participation in discussions, each room should have enough space for people to have some privacy as well as special space for discussions.

In other words, each visitor of the room should be provided with the required space in order the main purpose of visiting the museum can be met. In fact, the designer considers all aspects of the room and its purposes so that the chosen room fits into the spatial planning of the building perfectly.

There are several adjacent spaces of the room which are other gallery rooms of the museum. Its adjacent rooms are almost of the same space, still, the northern one is bigger than the chosen room (fir.3) due to its function to unite more rooms alongside the whole museum. Due to the position of the room in regard to other spaces in the building, its axes of approaches are parallel to other rooms. Approximate square of the room is 66m² (regarding that its width is about 6 m and its length is about 11 m).

Certain attention should be paid to the space organized within the room. The point is that the main challenge for the designer was to consider proper lighting still introduce a unique form of the building. On the one hand, it seems that not all rooms are provided with the daylight; on the other hand, the image of the room in fig.1 proves that in the daytime, the room is properly lightened. It means that the space of the room is properly organized and used by the designer.

As it is the room in the museum, not much furniture may be observed in the room. As a rule, several benches are located in the west part of the room so that they may be observed from other rooms. Such simple still rather functional choice of furniture and use of space is justified by the owners of the museum as their main purpose is to satisfy the needs of the visitors.

Materials and Construction Methods

In the room under analysis as well as in other rooms of the building, the designer makes a decision to use square forms and 90-degree corners. There is no need to use some unique construction methods to amaze the visitor of the room and prove that the chosen room should be recognized among the rest.

What is needed is the idea that the room has its purpose  to be a guide for people and introduce new exhibitions, new ideas, and fresh approaches in the sphere of art. This is why its framing is quite simple what cannot be said about the content of the room. For a long period of time, Frank Gehry admits that his 47,000-square-foot museum is not finished, and the chosen stainless-steel forms should be improved with time^[5].

Thought the chosen museum became popular due to its unbelievable exterior of irregular form, its interior also has its peculiarities and captivating elements. Each element of the room under consideration is a kind of a message from the designer who admits that this room is a unique one: its simplicity should not be regarded as weakness but as a chance to focus on other elements except its form.

The chosen interior of the Weisman Art Museum is rather conventional improved by white walls and geometric details of a ceiling that is partially made of glass. Such choice of ceiling construction is predetermined by a desire to reveal skylights which support natural lighting of the room.

Curvilinear slices one the ceiling and their absence on other elements of the room are also characterized by a particular purpose. For example, it is possible to believe that the designer wants to guide the visitor and shows that the walls of the room are already provided with some interesting details, informative works, and ideas for discussion. Still, it is impossible to exhibit something on the ceiling, this is why this part of the room has its own constant beauty  the connection to the nature, light, and air.

Another important element of the room is its floor. In comparison to the vast majority of buildings around, the designer of the building chooses blonde wood flooring. In addition to the already discussed natural lighting of the room, the idea to use natural wooden material for the floor is justified as it seems to be a good stimulus for the visitors to relax, focus on the exhibits, and evaluate the works offered.

In general, it is possible to say that the room chosen for the analysis contains a number of significant elements properly chosen by its designer in order to underline the main purpose of the room and provide people with the highest level of comfort.

Furnishings and Ornamentation

The design of the room in the Weisman Art Museum proves that the developers of this building do not find it obligatory to create rich and magnificent details inside. It is enough to introduce a mysterious exterior and choose appropriate interior regarding the functions and the peculiarities of each room. In the room under consideration, the designer does not want to focus attention on richness but, vice versa, he chooses simplicity as his key to success. This is why there is no need to search for some rich furnishing and ornamentation.

On the fig.1, it is clear that there is one small still rather elegant bench for visitors to take a rest. In fact, even the location of the bench in the room has its meaning.

The point is that this bench may be observed from different rooms and a person who in need of some rest will see an empty place for sitting. It is necessary to admit that the bench is made of wood still not similar to the one used on the floor. The bench is white, wooden; still, it is not a kind of continuation of the floor. It is another object in the room that should attract visitors attention.

The bench is located in the north-western part of the room so that it is lighted by the natural light due to the ceiling as well as the lamps in the building. More than 150,000 people visit the Weisman Art Museum annually^[6], and the administration of the museum is able to evaluate how much place and benches are usually required for an exhibition.

Ornamentation is another element of the room that is always interesting to analyze. The point is that it is a museum where different exhibitions are introduced to public, this is why decorative objects are not constant in the room. As a rule, different paintings or art objects change each other in the room. In fig.1, the room with some painting exhibition is observed. The distance between each picture is almost the same that allows several people approach the image and spend several minutes evaluating it.

The designer cannot predict the colors of the pictures which can be placed on the walls, this is why his choice of white colors for walls, the floor, and ceiling may be based on a kind of uncertainty and the desire to create a room that will meet any subjects of any size. Considering such decision, each painting on the wall seems to take its own place as if the room was created to introduce a particular exhibition.

Functions and Signification

During the whole paper, it is mentioned that the chosen room is one of the rooms in the Weisman Art Museum, this is why its main function is to introduce exhibitions and encourage communication between the visitors of the museum.

In addition to the necessity to create appropriate conditions for exhibitions, this room may become a good example of how natural material may enrich the general view of the room. In spite of the fact that wooden floor, pure white walls, and natural lighting are used in the room, its image captivates and defines how powerful and unpredictable the nature can be.

It is hard to guess whether the functions of the room have been changed since the building was created in 1993, still, it is possible to guess that this room always performs the functions of an exhibitor. Of course, different paintings, subjects, and even furniture could be used in the room, still, its purpose is always the same  to provide a person with a chance to look at art and enjoy its beauty.

In addition to this function, it is possible to admit that this room also helps different people be closer to each other and understand each others needs. The patron of the museum, a person in honor on whom the museum was created, Mr. Weisman, wanted to unite people by means of art and destroy inequalities and fears inside of society.

This is why it is possible to believe that each room in such building performs the same functions to contribute to the sphere of art and create more possibilities for peoples communication. This room as well as the whole building is eager to meet a person from different part of the world and open the world of art.

Designers Sources and Inspiration

During the last decade, a number of exhibitions have been introduced in the museum^[7] as well as in the room that is analyzed. For example, in 2003, the exhibition In the Spirit of Martin: The Living Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. took place in the room. This American hero deserved the right to be remembered by society: more than 150 paintings and photographs have been introduced to the public.

Gary Chassman was the developer of the exhibition. He was assisted by Verve Editions and some representatives of the Smithsonian Institution. The Boss Foundation supported the Weisman Art Museum during that exhibition. A number of people gathered to remember the achievements of a genius and demonstrate personal respect to his activities. This room as other rooms in the museum was perfectly prepared by the designer for such event.

Thought the patron of the room did not impact the precedent chosen, it is possible to admit that his contribution to the development of the sphere of art should be considered as an important step by means of which art becomes available to people.

During almost one year, the exhibition Who Is a Citizen? What Is Citizenship? was available to the public in the room. With the help of such exhibition, a number of artists like Rockwell Kent were discovered. It is not an easy thing to answer the questions about citizenship by means of paintings, prints, and photographs, and this exhibition was another proof that there was nothing impossible for people. Only a desire and personal intentions have meaning.

Conclusion

In general, the furnished room in the Weisman Art Museum plays an important role in such spheres like art and design. Not many people are able to create a place where a number of exhibitions of different types may be organized.

Frank Gehry shows how simplicity, uniqueness, and care to each detail in the building may create a perfect room as well as a perfect museum. For a long period of time, this museum serves as a good example of how exhibitions should be organized, and the detailed explanation of the room makes it possible to understand what creates a good work and how this work should be perceived by the public.

Bibliography

Abbe, Mary. Weisman Art Museums Expansion Begins: Frank Gehry Designed the Additions to His 1993 University of Minnesota Landmark, Scheduled for Completion in Two Years. Online Posting. 2009. McClatchy  Tribune Business News. Web.

Bette, Hammel. Frank Gehry Got His Wish to Expand the Weisman Art Museum. Architectural Record 195.5 (2007).

Byars, Mel. Gehry, Frank. The Design Encyclopedia. (London: L. King Publishing, 2004) 259.

Drengi, Eric. Midwest Marvels: Roadside Attractions across Iowa, Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Wisconsin. (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2006) 140.

Gardner-Hugget, Joanna. WARM: A Feminist Art Collective in Minnesota. Womans Art Journal 29.1. (2011). 64-67.

Map & Directions. Online Posting. 2010. Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum. Web.

Questions and Answers about the WAM Expansion and Campaign. Online Posting. 2010. Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum. Web.

Illustrations

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Footnotes

1. Map & Directions. 2010: 1. Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum.
2. Drengi, Eric. Midwest Marvels: Roadside Attractions across Iowa, Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Wisconsin. (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2006)140.
3. Byars, Mel. Gehry, Frank. The Design Encyclopedia. (London: L. King Publishing, 2004) 259.
4. Abbe, Mary. Weisman Art Museums Expansion Begins: Frank Gehry Designed the Additions to His 1993 University of Minnesota Landmark, Scheduled for Completion in Two Years. McClatchy  Tribune Business News.
5. Bette, Hammel. Frank Gehry Got His Wish to Expand the Weisman Art Museum. Architectural Record 195.5. 2007: 1.
6. Questions and Answers about the WAM Expansion and Campaign. 2010. Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum.
7. Gardner-Hugget, Joanna. WARM: A Feminist Art Collective in Minnesota. Womans Art Journal 29.1. 2011: 64.

A perfect specimen of postmodern vision of the world, the artworks by David Blackwood can be considered as a revelation in painting. Making the fantastic collide with the ordinary, the artist creates the specific vision of the world, suggesting the audience to share his ideas.

The very fact that his creation of 1980, Fire Down on the Labrador, has passed the time test and is still the object for admiration of millions of people, clearly shows that there is more to his pictures than meets the eye. The teasing irreality of the picture makes one peer deeper into the picture, trying to see the idea which led the author to creating this unusual and mysterious image.

In this search for the pattern and meaning (Leeuwen 35), it would be a good idea to take apart the picture into the ideas and images which come to ones mind observing the masterpiece. Although some people tend to think that the thorough analysis can harm the perception of the picture, and, once taking it apart, one will never be able to make the pieces of the puzzle fall into their places, this is the very case when the analysis will do no harm, since the elements are as significant as the whole.

Casting a single glance at the picture is enough to understand that Blackwood dwells upon the marine theme. The troubled bluish sea and the outlines of the whale under the thick layer of water make one think of the vast ocean, wide as the entire Universe.

However, the ship that has caught fire breaks the silence of the ocean; the scarlet flames rising to the sky send the cries for help to the heavens above and shivers down the audiences spines. Contrasted to the unruffled surface of the sea and the silent blocks of ice towering above the ocean, one can feel the trouble ringing in the air with his/her fingertips.

It seems that the whale which is floating under the dark thicket of the freezing sea embodies the suffering and the sorrow of the refugees from the ship. As well as those escaping from the ship, this ocean beast is being tortured by the fear within it; twisting and turning under the dark layers of water, it is curving in tortures.

What comes first to ones mind when watching this picture closely is the scale of the elements in it. The shocking size of the whale, opposed to the tiny boat of the bunch of the sailors, is supposed to express the artists point if view. Making the survivors almost invisible compared to the whale, Blackwood creates the vision of the blind force which nature is for people, and makes it clear that, even when in pain  or is it better to say, especially when in pain?  it can toss away the feeble mankind with all its pathetic inventions.

Another idea which the picture raises is the eternal conflict of the incompatible. It seems that there is nothing as contrasting to each other as water and fire. Combined in a single picture and intertwined with the single plot, the two elements go wild in their fury, storming the nature into a rage as well.

However, there are two more elements in the picture which collide in a softer way. The sky and the ocean, both pitch-dark with the sparks of hope in them, both inviting and frightening, they mix into a fascinating vision. The few stars in the sky, lightening the way of the survivors, are so similar to the tiny bubbles rising from the depth of the ocean onto its surface; the former embodying hope, the latter meaning its loss, they create an incredible combination which makes one think of the frailty of humans life and the secrets of the nature.

With help of the specific details and the thought-provoking legend of the picture, Blackwood created a masterpiece of all times. Though time passed, his work is still topical as ever. That is, perhaps, the best way to prove that real art never dies.

Works Cited

Leeuwen, Theo Van and Carey Jewitt. Handbook of Visual Analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2001. Print.

Background

Francis Ford Coppolas The Godfather is a movie that tried to reinvent the way a gangster movie should be made. It did not focus on the criminal aspect of the gangsters life. Instead, the focus is on the person, the personal conflicts and the decision-making process.

Coppola wanted the audience to understand that the gangsters in the movie did not enjoy life as a criminal, they were simply forced to do a life of crime because of their love for their family. This means that the characters in the movie did everything they had to do for the sake of family.

Scene 1

The opening scene is a close-up shot of a middle-aged man. Partially illuminating only the face of this character and leaving the rest of the scene in shadow, the filmmaker focuses spectators attention on the speaker and creates the atmosphere of intimacy and secrecy.

Hiding the source of lighting as well as the details of the background, Coppola reveals the atmosphere of conspiracy surrounding the depicted dialogue. Close-up shot, half-darkness and peculiarities of mise-en-scene produce the impression that the spectators can see the man through the eyes of Don Corleone, his interlocutor and the only person present at this conversation.

The chosen film techniques produce a dramatic effect of initiating the audience into one of mafias secrets. The audience is riveted because the emotions projected on screen are so intense. The impressions from the scene under consideration and the dramatic dialogue are intensified through implementation of appropriate filmmaking techniques creating the atmosphere of conspiracy which does not allow to turn on the lights even though the interlocutors are alone.

Scene 2

There is another scene in the movie that will help understand the role of film techniques in revealing the core message of the story. In this scene the stageing and composition were crucial for conveying what the director tries to express (Rabiger, p.10).

In this particular scene the audience can see a mid shot of Michael Corleone. The lighting was bright because the scene is supposed to be upbeat. The shot was made in the midst of a wedding party. The staging is important because it shows that Michael Corleone is part of the group but at the same time he is an outsider.

The mid shot allows the audience to see that he is wearing a uniform. His uniform contrasts sharply with the other people at the party. The uniform shows that Michael Corleone is a man of strength and authority because he is the only soldier in the midst of civilians. Although there is a party going on, Michael Corleone seems to look out of place. Nevertheless, he forces himself to be there for the sake of his family.

Thus, analyzing the choice of lighting, mise-en-scene and background of this shot, it can be stated that in this case the film techniques are used by Coppola for showing the contrast between the character and the people surrounding him as well as the surrounding atmosphere of wedding and his personal feelings.

Scene 3

The third scene in which film techniques help convey the core message of the movie is the one wherein the male members of the Corleone family are talking about the effect of the assassination attempt sponsored by the rival families. It is a mid shot that shows the interaction between the family members.

The low-key lighting creates a somber mood because the characters are dealing with a family crisis. Michael Corleone is part of the group. The low-key lighting allow the audience to see the dramatic change in his demeanor, especially when he volunteered to be involved in the affairs of the crime syndicate and murder a man to avenge his father. Like in the first scene under analysis, the lack of lighting produces the effect of conspiracy of the depicted meeting and initiation of the audience into the family secret plans.

The choice of mise-en-scene depicting all the participants of the meeting at the same time but focusing on Michael for demonstrating the changes in his face expressions depict him as a part of the whole family, a true Corleone who decides to act according to their family principles.

Scene 4

In the middle-part of the movie there is a scene where Michael Corleone is in exile. The chosen wide shot allows the camera to show the scene in a full frame. This type of camera shot is used to reveal the setting and the difference between the characters in the frame. One is Michael Corleone who is a foreigner and therefore his clothes differ from the costumes of the two locals who are his bodyguards.

The bright lighting of the scene is used for showing not only the time of the day but also the inner feelings of the main character at the same time. The light reveals the changes in Michaels mood after his depression as he manages to get accustomed to his environment.

Taking into account that in the following episodes Michael falls in love and gets married, the lighting of this scene can be regarded as preparation of the audience for the following events. Thus, it can be stated that Coppola uses film techniques for not only intensifying the effect of particular scene, but also changing the spectators perception of following episodes.

Conclusion

The use of setting, lighting, close up and mid shots tells the story of the characters from a more personal and intense point of view. The lighting which is usually low-key help produce a more somber mood. This is needed to show how the characters struggled with the challenges of life.

However, it is clear that the director is trying to show how conflicted the characters were and the only thing that they really believe in is family. The director succeeded in showing that love for family is the reason why people are forced to do things that are against the law or even against their will.

Works Cited

Rabiger, Michael. Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics. Oxford: Focal Press, 2008.

There are various forms of visual art and these have undergone various forms of developments in the past. These forms of visual art perform various functions to the society. This paper looks at three articles on the development of various forms of visual art and the various perspectives reflected in the articles.

In Modernist Painting, Greenberg addresses the importance of modernism and culture in art. He states that purpose of modernism is to improve a given discipline and in so doing, it should address all aspects of culture (Para. 1 & 2). He argues that in old days, the people used art to conceal art while modernism used art to call attention to art (Para. 7).

The artists in modernism openly acknowledged the limitations that constituted the medium of painting and regarded them as positive factors while the old masters considered them as negative factors. He also addresses the issue of flatness of the painting surface. He argues that this was the only attribute that pictorial art did not share with other forms of art.

As a result, modernist painting committed itself to flatness because it was its only unique attribute. Modernist painting is naturalistic and attached to other forms of art, especially sculpture, and culture. This makes it firmly attached to tradition (Para. 11). Greenberg asserts that modernism is just an evolution of tradition and that modernist painting and art at large is carried out in much the same way as before (Para. 18). It is a continuation from the past without a break making it connected to the past.

Alloway Lawrences article The Arts and the Mass Media addresses the issues of population growth in relation to art. Increase in population led to increased industrialization thus changing the world.

One of the remarkable achievements of the industrial society is the development of mass arts (Para. 5). After World War II, art became highly flexible even though traditional ideas in art persisted (Para. 2). The masses got involved in shaping the state and standards of art as opposed to the small group of elites there before. In this article, Lawrence says, mass art is urban and democratic (Para. 2).

He also argues that mass arts are not purely academic, as most critics believe. Instead, they are anti-academic especially in style, technique and iconography (Para. 5). Mass arts reach a large audience and hence affect the culture of this audience. In reality, the mass arts have become part of the culture (Para. 9). Lawrence also argues that the development of mass art is rapid. The rapid change in technology aggravates this rapid growth of mass art.

On the other hand, Leo Steinberg in his article Flatbed Picture plane gives and explanation of the development of Picture painting on surfaces.

He uses the word flatbed picture plane to give a description of the picture plane of the 1960s  pictorial surface whose angulation with respect to the human posture is the precondition of its changed content (Para. 1).He explains the transformations the printing surface has undergone from the time of renaissance to the modernist printing. In old times, printings were in upright state. This changed at around 1950.

There was a change away from the head to toe correspondence with the human posture (Para. 4). According to Steinberg, it is not the physical placement of the image that counts (Para. 5). He likens the shift of the picture plane from vertical to horizontal as an expression of the shift of the subject matter from nature to culture. He argued that the change in picture plane in post-Modernist printing has made art non-linear and unpredictable (Para.19).

The three pierces are addressing the changes that have taken place in various forms of visual arts. Each writer tackles a specific form of visual art. Greenberg tackles Modernist painting; Steinberg deals with picture planes while Lawrence handles arts and mass media. They differ in the way they perceive changes to these forms of art in the modernist era. They also differ in the way they view culture and art.

The three writers agree that there has been change to the way artists present various forms of visual art. They agree that tradition has played a great role and continue to shape these forms of art (Lawrence, Para. 2; Greenberg, Para. 18; Steinberg, Para. 20). They also agree that these visual arts perform both academic and non-academic functions. Even though Lawrence and Greenberg consider these changes to be positive, Steinberg considers the changes to be negative and disturbing the purity of art (Steinberg, Para. 20).

In conclusion, as society changes, the various forms of art also change. The change may be gradual or rapid. Culture has an effect on art and some forms of art, like mass media art, have an influence on culture. Even though art undergoes changes, tradition still plays an important role in the various forms of art. This is because art continues without a break making it always connected to the past.

Works Cited

Greenberg, Clement. Modernist Painting. N.d. Web.

Lawrence, Alloway. The Arts and the Mass Media. N.d. Web.

Steinberg, Leo. The flatbed picture frame. N.d. Web.

Nearly everything in this world has a meaning; the same applies to art. Art being a sensitive term, several individuals have come up with different techniques of defining art. Each of these individuals has had his own perception and explanations concerning the definition of art. With regard to this, there isnt a universally accepted definition for art.

Most of these individuals define the term referring to certain concepts that are usually considered as main terns such as beauty and aesthetic. Art may be said to be an object that has beauty. Some individuals may also refer to it as some kind of proficiency that usually leads to something with an aesthetic value. The artistic activity however requires a great skill of creativity to the individual who per takes it. This manuscript will concentrate on the different ways to approach the definition of art.

Art has been described to be very global thus it encompasses a wide range of concepts in finding its definition. Techniques to approach the meaning of art have greatly been linked with time. To begin with, the classical meaning of art greatly emphasizes on not only skills but also craft. Skills and craft may be said to be the main activities entailed in art.

Through this way art may be defined as a final artifact of a high level of knowledge usually referring to the proficiency. Therefore the ancient painters as well as sculptors were perceived to be purely highly expertise and skilled artisans (Young 17).

Art may be defined basing on the purpose of the end product that comes from the actual activity. In fine work, the products resulting from the great skill are created for an aesthetic purpose. Therefore other than the definition of art being related to the great skills of the artisan, the aesthetic value of the resulting product gives art another definition (Lamarque & Haugom 24). Thus art refers to a final product with a high aesthetic value.

On adding up on this, the function or rather the significance of the attractive product imparts another kind of definition to art. The functional capability of the product made it possible for categorization of art into fine and applied art. Aesthetic value thus remained the main concern in defining art especially for fine art.

Art may also have a new definition regarding the propagation of new styles plus other artistic techniques. Art at this stage has a broader meaning as the artists have a wide range of techniques to employ in there paintings. Art may also be defined basing on the various art forms such as assemblage, fixing, video as well as presentation.

Art may as well be defined basing on features such as graffiti in painting. Art may further gain its definition with special emphasis on the type of work produced during the presentation of the artistic skill. The experience gained by the viewers of the skill being presented contributes a lot to defining art (Cormack 15).

With regard to the several perspectives from individuals, one emerged with a definition that covered the work, artistic events plus the aesthetic value of art or rather all the techniques required in defining art.

The definition stated art as a product that is produced when an artist makes an attractive and beautiful item or rather reveals a motivating and interesting experience which is well thought of by the audience watching to be having an implication of one having an artistic talent. Therefore art can be approached in several ways when looking at its definition.

Works Cited

Cormack, Robin. Byzantine art. Oxford: Oxford university press, 2000. Print

Lamarque, Peter, and Haugom, Stein. Aesthetics and the philosophy of art: the analytic tradition: an anthology. Cornwall: Blackwell, 2004. Print

Young, James. Aesthetics: Aesthetic theory. NY: New York: Routledge Publishing house Ltd. 2005. Print

A short History of the play

According to Goggin, the Nunsense story begun in 1953 and mainly was dramatized around songs and scenes as laid down by Dan Goggin. Back then, the storyline evolved around a group of nurses that had been poisoned by their cook in an accidental manner (Goggin, np). The story line at that time consisted of three nuns and a priest, and was cast in Duplex on Grove Street in Greenwich Village for thirty eight weeks. After the cast the audience begun to grow and thus Dan Goggin had to occasionally change the cast of the story (Wilmeth, 488).

Chief characters and the actors that played the roles

According to Tamswitmark (np) the chief characters in the story are:

The Reverend Mother

The reverend mother is known as Sister Mary Regina and is assumed to have answered the call to be a nun after a tightrope accident. In real life, she is known as LaDonna Wilson.

Sister Mary Paul Amnesia

She is a teacher at The Little Sisters of Hoboken convent, and is very fond of plants. She shows this fondness through reading and dancing for the plants. In the real world, her names are Cecilee Von Rhea and she is a second year student at Parklands College majoring in theatre

Sister Hubert

This sister longed to become the first ever gospel singing pole Dancer and is apprehended by the authorities before she can execute her plans. She is also serving in the Order as Mistress of Novices, and training new recruits. She goes by the name Sherrika Ellison in the real world. Presently, she is a renowned singer.

Sister Leo

Sister Leo was so happy to have been allowed to dance and her main role at the convent is to instruct on dance. Her real name is Ariella Cohen and she is a sophomore studying Theater.

Sister Robert Ann

In the play, Sister Robert is known as the valedictorian of her class. In the real world, her actual name is Stevie Schein. Stevie is famous for her research in the child growth and development area.

Father Virgil Manly Trott

Father vigil is a character that goes to the convent with songs and laughter. In the actual world, Father Virgil Manly Trott and Sister Mary Leo are related.

The place of events

The events of the Nunsense Christmas Musical are basically known to have occurred in a basement. This basement was typically owned by a catholic convent that was known as Mount Saint Helens Convent. It is for this reason that this play features mainly catholic sisters and a catholic Father. It is the first of its kind and involves both audio and video production set up through the moneys of the prize that Sister Mary Paul had won. This studio has television screens and live camera to give the audience the feeling of actually being present in a real recording television studio even though they are not.

The Plot

The Nunsense Christmas Musical show is known to be an annual Christmas program that has been set for performance at the Mount Saint Helens. As earlier stated in details, the actors include characters of different societal status. The main characters in this play are Father Virgil Trott who is related with Sister Leo in that they share the same mothe.

There is also the Reverend Mother who goes by the name Regina, Sister Mary Paul, Sister Anne and Sister Mary. There are also two boys and two young girls. The two boys and the two girls are all students from Mount Saint Helens (Tamswitmark, np).

Act one begins with the rousing song Christmas Time Is Nunsense Time where the above actors are presented to the audience. Also, during this time of introduction, we are made aware of the things that have previously been taking place in each of the casts past.

The act then smoothly moves on to bring out a ballet type of the original Nutcracker. However, this does not become the case for before the sister enters the stage, she suffers an accident when she is hit on the shin by a baton. This presents a dilemma for the Reverend Mother as the ballet cannot be performed.

However, for the show to proceed, Sister Amnesia goes ahead and distracts the audience with a Santa Claus cut-out as things are sorted out. At this time, the audience receives various presents while everyone sings in harmony We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

When this is over, students join together with the actors and their voices bend together as they sing the song IM Santas Little Teapot. After the students are through with this song, Sister Mary surprises the audience when she stands up to sing the song, Twelve Days Prior to Christmas.

There is more trouble when it is brought to light that there has been a burglary and the gifts that had been placed beneath the Christmas tree have been pilfered (Tamswitmark, np).

This forces an abrupt exit of the Reverent Mother so that she can proceed with investigations. She leaves Father Virgil to carry on and he does not disappoint the eager audience. He entertains the audience with an emotional ballad called The Christmas Box. This exceptional ballad had been composed by him specifically for his sister Mary Leo. When Father Virgil Manly Trott finishes his ballad, he brings to the audience Sister Amnesia who in turn sings her latest country hit known as Santa Aint Comin to Our House (Tamswitmark, np).

After Sister Amnesia is done with her song, the Reverend Mother enters with moving stories of the years she spent in the circus. In her stories, the reverend mother has a flashback of a winter storm that trapped in a hotel room while they were with Sophie Tucker. When the Reverend Mother is done, to the amusement of the audience, and as everyone claps and responds to the melody, she begins singing the song An Old Time Carnival Christmas.

The response from the audience urges her on and on until she is done. After her, was supposed to enter sister Julia. However, there is further confusion as Sister Julia, who is also the convent cook, and who is supposed to perform does not show up for her performance. This in turn forces Father Virgil Manly Trott to practically impersonate Sister Julia. The father tries to demonstrate to the audience some Christmas cooking styles just as Sister Julia would have done. (Tamswitmark, np).

The ballet that was supposed to be performed at the beginning by Sister Mary Leo is still yet to be performed up to now and as earlier stated, the Reverend Mother had been looking for a solution to the problem. However, little does she know that the solution she has arrived at in regard to the ballet problem is the same solution that Father Virgil Manly Trott has also arrived at.

Therefore, they clash on stage to the amusement of the audience as each tries out the similar solution. This marks the end of act one when both the Reverend Mother and Father Virgil Manly unconsciously join in a ballet as Sugar Plum Fairies.

Act Two commences with the song Three Hundred and Sixty Four Days that highlights the problems with doing last minute shopping sprees. After this, there is a performance on the Living Nativity that features Sister Robert Anne with the Students, who sing a ballad entitled Jesus Was Born in Brooklyn.

In this ballad, Sister Robert Anne tries to remember the activities surrounding a time when her father had returned home on Christmas Eve. The popular Christmas carol O Come All Ye Faithful is intertwined throughout this performance (Tamswitmark, np).

The performances progress without any major ado apart from the interruption from the sisters who are trying to find out the fate of the missing gifts. This however, does not interfere with the ongoing performances which progress smoothly. The Reverend Mother joins in with Sister Mary Hubert to sing a duet entitled In the Convent, after which the Saint Andrews Sisters come in a big way to present We Three Kings of Orient Are Us.

After their captivating performance that left the audience longing for more, it is time for mother Superior to come on stage and everyone wonders what she has in store. However, their suspense is quelled when Mother Superior unleashes a Catholic Home Shopping Service. Through this service, Mother Superior ensures that the audience are entertained to very unusual items in the name of the Christmas Spirit. (Tamswitmark, np).

The police are finally called in and the Reverend Mother is summoned upstairs to speak with them over the missing gifts and while she is gone, Sister Robert Anne entertains the audience with her song, All I Want for Christmas and after she is through, every one joins to sing out the familiar Christmas Carol tunes.

As the curtains are about to fall, it is discovered that the missing gifts were not in the actual sense stolen but had been donated to a poor family by Sister Mary Amnesia. This truth brings in a sense of guilt to the sisters who upon realizing how selfish their actions had been, allow Sister Hubert to lead in a foot stumping and hand clapping song, Its Better to Give Than to Receive. This marks the end of the show (Tamswitmark, np).

It is important to note that his show also entails traditional carols and Christmas carol spoofs. It is also filled with humor just like its three predecessors and lives to uphold its Nunsense name (Tamswitmark, np).

Why The Nuncracker is a play about Christmas

For any play to be successful, it has to be as lifelike as possible. The audience has to be immersed in it to the point that the action on the stage becomes real, and their own lives recede into a distant nebulous, at least until they are released from the web of action that the drama unfolding embroils them in.

Directors and producers use different elements of drama to achieve this; from the speech of the actors, to their gestures, the costumes they wear, and the props used on stage to create an atmosphere.

Imagine The Nuncracker with the cast all wearing industrial overalls and acacia trees painted in the background. All the while, the Sisters bellow jolly Christmas carols and wish each other good cheer. It would not be half as capturing.

In the production of The Nuncracker, the costumes and the settings are very important to relay the message that the play is centered on Christmas. The gifts under the Christmas tree, the lights strung about, the carols that are performed continuously through out the play are constant indicators of the season, and reinforces it in the mind of the audience.

The setting of the play is during the Christmas season and the actions taking place in the play center around the various activities and misfortunes that can happen during the Christmas season. Christmas gifts go missing and it is later discovered that they have been donated to a poor family. From the beginning of this play until its conclusion, we are entertained with ballets, Christmas carols and actions pointing towards the Christmas spirit.

The primary conflict and its resolution

Even though there are many conflicts in the play, the main conflict that carries out in the whole setting of the play is of the missing gifts. The had disappeared during the beginning of scene one after the audience gets wind that they are not under the Christmas tree in the convent and the sisters presume that they have been stolen. The Reverend mother goes on to investigate and at a point in time, the police are called in to help and solve the mystery of the missing gifts.

This mystery is not resolved until towards the end of the play when it is discovered that the missing gifts were donated to a poor family by Sister Mary Amnesia. This truth makes the sisters guilty at how selfish they had been. To try and alleviate their guilt, these sisters give way for Sister Hubert to lead the audience in singing a song entitled, Its Better to Give than to Receive.

Sub-plots and their reflection on the main theme

The Christmas holiday was the main theme of the play. However, there exists more than one sub-plot in the play. First, even before the play begins, there is the sub-plot featuring the events surrounding Sister Mary Leo. She is meant to make a ballet presentation in the class of the original Nuncracker but can not do so due to the accident with a baton. This first dilemma reflects the uncertain aspects of the Christmas period and the need for preparedness for any eventualities that might arise during the Christmas holidays.

There is also the sub-plot of the missing cook. When the cook at the convent, Sister Julia does not show up for her performance, Father Virgil Manly Trott impersonates her and tries to show to the audience some Christmas cooking styles just as Sister Julia would have done. He does this by demonstrating various types of Christmas cooking. This sub-plot reflects on the main theme by emphasizing its type of celebration mood (Tamswitmark, np).

Then there is the mystery of the missing gifts. This plays out to the end of the story when it is discovered that the gifts believed to have been stolen had been handed over to a poor family. This brings out the need for compassion and sharing during the Christmas holidays.

It should be noted that all these event point to the fact that the play is a comedy; things go wrong in some instances, but there is laughter as well as comebacks that means in the end no one is the worse for wear after the frequent mishaps.

Production Style

The Play is well articulated and well styled to ensure that the audience is captivated and their attention grasped from the beginning to the end. The use of stories, songs and drama are well harmonized to ensure that the intended message is passed to the audience. The actors also display a good use of the stage and emotions to portray their characters and pass their message (Nunsense, np).

The use of personification by the Father Virgil Manly Trott is an indication of the character of a character within that of a different character, and the audience seems to love this form of personification. The actors smoothly change scenes to ensure that there are no unnecessary breaks within the play.

The directors of the play knew what they wanted to achieve. They thus ensure that the songs are harmonized with the events occurring during the play and that the actors are relevant to the general mood of the audience. The scene design is in such a manner as to give the audience the sense of being involved in a Christmas activity.

The stage is set in such a manner as to depict Christmas and the costumes of the nuns and the father are also designed to bring the real nature of a convent. This is for the designers to make the story as real to the audience as possible. There are lighting effects to depict the main theme of Christmas and the music, which is mostly Christmas Carole, varies to the occasion and at times is used to create moods such as anxiety and tension within the audience (Indianapolis Monthly, 100).

An attribute of this play that is widely recognized is its demolition, pun intended, of the traditional Fourth Wall (Wilmeth, 114). In the play The Nuncracker, the cast has instances of direct rapport with the audience, engaging them in conversation as if they were actually expected to respond to the rhetoric questions. I am of the opinion that the many Christmas carols in the play help break the Fourth Wall.

This is because most of these carols are very familiar to the audience and when performed by members of the cast may inspire the audience to join in. thus, it no longer remains a performer singing alone on the stage as with any other musical piece for the embellishment of the drama, but a direct communication between the performer and his/her audience.

Again, at the beginning of the play, a sign on the stage welcomes the audience to the basement theatre of the Sisters of St. Helen, with video cameras in place, giving the appearance that the audience is actually watching the filming of the play. This means that in extension, the audience is part of the play.

One element of theatre that is greatly utilized in this show is the use of costume. The basic costumes for the nuns are their habits-the ubiquitous black and white shroud, as well as several costume changes at different points in the play.

For example the ballerina costumes won by Sister and the Father in an ingenious bid to save the show after Sister Mary Joe is incapacitated with a baton, the cooks costume donned by the Father later on in the play, and the waffles, donned by the children for the Christmas carol in the first act. Since there are so many costume changes, they had to be designed with ease of changing in mind while still being able to meld with the Christmas theme. This was superbly achieved.

Another element of theatre that has been well used is that of set design, and use of props. There are two angles to this; the first is that the action takes place in a convent basement cum recording studio, and the second is that the action takes place during the Christmas season.

The presence of video cameras and television screens help bring out the former element of the play, as well as the background setting. The former is brought out by the costumes donned by the cast, the musical selection consisting largely of carols, and the props such as the Santa cut-out used to distract the audience as to distract the audience as the sisters regroup now that they cannot present The Nutcracker.

It seems that with The Nuncracker franchise, you either hate it or love it Gail Burns falls into the category of critics who feel that the franchise is a waste of theatre space. Of the Nuncracker, this is what he has to say:

&is one BIG Christmas turkey. It was a turkey long before the Mac-Haydn presented it. And their festive set, inventive costumes, and top notch cast cant do anything to change the fact that the script and the score are dreadful. (Burns, n.p)

Burns (n.p) acknowledges that the play is popular because seats are always filled when Nuncracker is showing; but popularity does not make a play good. In Burns opinion, the plot does not develop, the characters do not grow, the score is predictable and deplorable.

The only saving grace for the play is the cast who sing their well known melodies with a richness that is inspiring and the props and lighting which are very well done (he negates this statement by adding that the pomp and flare serves no real purpose). He however acknowledges the good work done by the costume designer, the musical director, and of course, the set designer.

Victoria Lee takes to the play much better than Burns. She calls the play a rollicking fun show&with good natured naughtiness and &truly warm and gentle. (Lee, N.p). She surmises that the show is a true embodiment of the Christmas spirit, captured by the heartrending performance of the various members of the cast. Her conclusion is that the show is very much worth watching.

However, it is the audience that normally has the last laugh because, critics or not, it is the attendance of theatre goers which in the long run determines whether a show stays or goes. After twenty five years and six pieces in the franchise, uncreative plot and all, the Nuncracker is giving other shows a run for their money.

Works Cited

Burns, Gail. M. Nuncrackers. myvanwy.tripod.com, May 2005. Sourced 12-12-2010. Web.

Goggin Dan. Nunsense Creator Dan Goggin on His 25 Years at the Convent. Broadway.com, 2010. Sourced on 12-12-2010. Web.

Indianapolis Monthly. Best of Indy. Emmis Communications, Dec 2000. Web.

Lee Victoria. Nuncrackers: the Nunsense Christmas Musical theatrelouisville.org, 2009. Sourced 12-12-2010. Web. Nunsense. Nunsense Show! 2010. Sourced on 12-12-2010. Web.

Tamswitmark. NunCrackers, The Nunsense Musical show. Tams-Witmark Music Library, Inc, 2000-2005. Sourced on 12-12-2010. Web.

Wilmeth, Don. The Cambridge Guide to American Theatre. London: Cambridge University Press, 2007. Print.

Introduction

The beauty and uniqueness of African artwork remain distinctive from the historical ages to date. One of the most common artwork is that of sculptural designs that has individualism and highly values content that forms todays historical analysis.

What is even more interesting of the sculptures is the introspective draping the sculptural works. There is mystical aspects inclining to the ancestral believe, worship and realm of the unknown. This paper forms a comparison as well as contrast between the Songye Power figures and the Fang Reliquary figures.

Songye Power Figures

Style of Songye Power Figures

This is a bilaterally symmetrical sculpture furnished with textural scales and an aesthetic form to reflect devotion. Entire surface of the Songye power figure draped with metals, wood, feathers and other material linings fastened systematically to produce a balanced appearance.

However, the Songye power figure originating from the Republic of Congo appears more distinctive with the indentations on the eyes, mouth and stomach areas that lack the tack lining. Like other similar traditional figures, Songyes empty areas are stuffed with symbolical substances such as plants and animal remains or minerals around the geometrically outlined limbs, chest area, head and neck.

Copper nails with turret heads were common material featuring on the sculpture like other similar sculptures such as the Fang Reliquary sculptures. The finishes of the sculpture include beaded necklaces and naturalistic bands made of animal hide and pelts. Like most traditional figures, the pedestal base of the sculpture was also an integral section of the design. The figure below illustrates the sculpture.

Songye Power figure

Purpose of Songye Power Figures

The mouth of the Songye figure symbolically presents the offerings to the ancestral spirits who bestows fertility and provides protection against illnesses or misfortunes. Like other sculptures, the purpose of this figure was to strengthen the diviners powers of healing and maintain the societal wellbeing.

The diviner recommend the Songye sculpture for the patients treated using the herbal medicine, so that it can strengthen the healing process through divine protection. The large sized sculpture were communally owned but small designs customized for special personal needs such as private prayers reminiscent of protection against the evil spirits, heal ailments and communication to the ancestral spirits were available.

Like the other traditional sculptures, Songye provided divine powers for success for common endeavours such as hunting or gathering. Songye also had the role of protecting personal object and devotion. One special need that the figures addressed was enhancing fertility through support of conceiving or preventing miscarriages.

The genitalia of personal Songye would indicate the preferred gender for the first child. The figures were also an empowerment to the community such as illustrating the ideal masculine leadership style and like other similar sculptural designs, Songye were idiosyncratic to represent regional reputation.

Tribal Life of Songye Power Figures

Similarly, to other sculptural works such as the Fang Reliquary, Songye Power Figures are sculptures commissioned to top leaders such as chiefs or village elders, whose wishes are to benefit communities. Design of the sculpture also comes as an ancestral appraisal symbol to assist during crisis.

This meant that everyone in the society had to seek the divine intervention through sacrifices and special appeals to the sculptures. Other sculptures have special aspects that unite members just like the Songye sculptures. They share various traditional functions such as protection against enemies, illness, witchcrafts and procreation matters.

Fang Reliquary Figures

Style of Fang Reliquary Figures

On the other hand, the fang reliquary sculptures made from woodcarvings and metals have glittering surfaces and patina appearances especially after palm oil applications during rituals. Unlike other sculptors, the Fang Reliquary sculptures have daring human obstructions and receptacles of ancestral relics, thus referred to as the guardian of sacrosanct.

The relics are made of human bones. The enhancements idolized the ancestral forehead figures due to believe that force saturates in the head. The reliquaries made from joint backs preserved the relics and the figure provided guardianship through the symbolic trace of ancestral protection.

The sculpture is arguably the main influence of traditional wooden sculptures. It has an absolute physic appearance and in Gabon, the female sculpture emanates vitality. The fang reliquary figures have three distinct groups, one with a head crafted on a long neck, full sculptured figures and half figures or busts. The figures are either stand-alone or seated. Unlike other sculptures, the spherical but naturalistic of Fang Reliquary brings out sophistication from the simple carvings.

The neck is often round with the hands placed in diverse styles such as in front of the body, chest, and holding objects or placed on the knees for the seated figure. The navel is a cylindrically exaggerated protruding carve-out. The legs are shorter to give a stunted appearance, while the eyebrows and fore head projects some contours and arcs around the nose area. The eyes were made of rounded metal bits. These aspects making the sculpture unique compared to other forms such as the Songye sculptures as shown below.

Fang Reliquary figure

Purpose of Fang Reliquary Figures

Unlike Songye sculptures, Fang Reliquary sculptural work was to protect people from the spirits of the deceased. The figure was sacred but lost the value of sacredness once separated from the receptacles or repository chest of relics. Unlike other religious statutes, it also underwent sacred ritual of distraction after losing sainthood, which involved prayers, sacrificial offers to the ancestors and libations such as pouring of alcoholic drinks in honour of deity.

Tribal Life of Fang Reliquary Figures

Fang Reliquary sculptures are universal and blends the environment, other forms of tribal rituals, believe and communal characters better than other sculptures. The figures are mainly in seated positions on top of the bark boxes that held sacred relics thus depicting the guardian figures better than the Songye sculptures. A clear distinction from other forms was that it brought out youngster aspects as an emphasis over continuity of life.

Conclusion

The artworks came to existence when there was need for change such as migration, planting of new type of crops, before taking on a hunt, fishing and during nuisance, period, when people had to prepare for war. Both the art forms have a way of creating a blend between the unborn, the living and the living dead and represent religious symbolism. This is a clear indication that the African artworks were mainly based on sacred believes and sacrificial practices.