Category: Art

In the history of American theater in the second half of the 20th century, one of the leading places belongs to the playwright, writer, essayist, drama theorist Arthur Miller. A View from the Bridge is one of the best plays by Miller, the playwright who is rightfully called the American Shakespeare. The play is based on a real story that took place in one of the Italian quarters of Brooklyn (New York) in the fifties of the last century. This is a tragic story about love and jealousy, friendship and betrayal.

The play was first staged in 1955 at the Coronet Theater on Broadway as part of a two-act performance. The play was not a success; Miller rewrote it into a two-act play, and namely this version became popular among the audience. The premiere took place in London at the New Watergate Theater Club on October 11, 1956, directed by Peter Brook (Bhatia, 1985). The main character of the play, a simple port loader Eddie Carbone, agrees to give shelter to Marco and Rodolfo, his wife’s brothers, who came to the country illegally in the hope of breaking out of poverty. However, with their appearance, a quiet and measured family life is cracking. Even the danger of being convicted of breaking the law does not worry Eddie as much as the fear of losing his favorite, niece Catherine.

The feelings that arose between Rodolfo and Catherine become a test for the whole family, revealing the most secret desires and fears, and very soon Eddie and his loved ones will have to find out into what abysses forbidden love can drag. A mutual feeling develops between Rodolfo and Catherine, however Eddie is overprotective of his niece, which develops into insanity. The tragic story of forbidden love could not end with a happy ending. To some extent, this play is a social drama; moreover, Arthur Miller even wrote an essay about social plays (1955), where he noted that a drama written for public performance must be social, that its dramatic purpose is to portray a person as a social animal rather than to show the individual (Bhatia, 1985). The ancient Greek tragedy, in which events influenced the state of the entire state, in Miller narrows down to the framework of the American family, which does not at all change the significance of what is happening on the stage.

In addition, in this play, Miller clearly showed himself as the father of American analytical drama and in this regard, a direct follower of such European playwrights as Henrik Ibsen and George Bernard Shaw. At the end of the 19th century, Shaw announced that the only correct form of modern drama is discussion-drama, in which the event serves as an occasion for discussion of various urgent problems in society, questions of politics, philosophy and morality. There is a fairly clear point of view, which the playwright affirms throughout the course of the action and summarizes in the speech of the reasoners (Bhatia, 1985). The analytical drama of the 20th century also clashes different views and opinions, it is all built on ideological contradictions.

The second piece of the dilogy View from the Bridge is extremely dynamic. The playwright is rapidly developing only one, the main line of action: he shows how the hero of the play, the loader Eddie, came to betrayal. After the arrival of the immigrants Rodolfo and Marco (this is the beginning of the play), the action is steadily moving towards disaster. The method of depicting characters corresponds to the dynamics of the plot development. Miller completely moves away from detailed psychological analysis of his characters. The characters in the play are revealed only in action, each of them is the embodiment of only one passion. The play has one act, but it breaks up into separate scenes or pictures. Alfieri’s monologues represent the connecting links between them, which serves as a choir. Compositionally, these monologues carry out that decrease of tension, which is usually achieved by side episodes and the development of parallel plot lines. Alfieri’s monologues – and in this, apparently, their purpose – give the events taking place on the stage the character of epic predetermination, fatality. For example, at the junction of the fourth and fifth pictures, after Eddie came to Alfieri, a voice of rock is heard in the mouth of the lawyer, foreshadowing the fate of his client. It is obvious that the strict unity of the dramatic action in combination with Alfieri’s monologues-commentaries comes from the techniques of classical Greek tragedy.

The central theme of View from the Bridge is the theme of betrayal. This theme – in a broad sense – sounded in the play All My Sons, it was the leading one in The Severe Trial. The question arises: how did it happen that Eddie Carbon, a simple loader, became an informer? The reason, apparently, should be sought not only in Eddie’s love for his niece, not only in his alertness towards strangers who are trying to take his dear creature from him. Obviously, the very spirit of the times pushed Eddie to an act that has no forgiveness. “I want my name!… Marco’s got my name!” – Eddie shouts in desperation (Miller, 2010, Act 2). In the tragedy of a man who has learned the bitterness of split-off, there is that echo with today’s American reality, which gives the play a realistic force.

Yet, in this play, the theme of betrayal is interpreted by Miller differently than in The Severe Trial, where it unfolds against a certain historical background, grows out of the conditions of social life. In general, Miller’s previous plays are more firmly “tied” to America and constitute a kind of dramatic chronicle of its post-war history. In the play View from the Bridge, the theme of betrayal acquires an apparent autonomy, which does not seem to require social motivation. The playwright is primarily interested in the plot development of the problem of honor in its universal human aspect. This is confirmed in the central position of Miller’s concept of social drama: the drama becomes more sublime and more intense in proportion to how well it suits the most diverse people.

References

Bhatia, S. (1985). Arthur Miller: Social Drama As Tragedy. Prometheus Books.

Miller, A. (2010). A view from the bridge. Penguin Books.

Write down absolutely everything you see in the image. Notice the colors, the objects, every possible detail.

There is a seal and man on the stand-board in the open sea or ocean, both of whom look directly at the camera. The man takes a paddle, and the seal seems to occasionally hitch a ride. The orange color of the board is the brightest color of the photo, while the main color is blue.

Determine the importance of the objects and pictures. Ask yourself why the photographer chose to take this particular image. Write a potential title for this image.

It is possible to suggest that the author made this photo because of the unordinary nature of this composition. The proximity of a human being and wild animal makes this image especially exciting as both of them look natural. However, the author is probably wanted to show that people and animals should coexist, and it is important to be closer to each other. A title: “You are closer to the nature than you think”.

What emotions does this image bring out? How do you feel? What do you think?

This image causes regret for the fact that people significantly contribute to environmental pollution, and animals are often trapped in plastic. Also, I feel that the image calls for a more conscious approach towards the nature to save animals. I think that thus image should be used by the organizations that are aimed to protect the environment.

Consider the message. What is the overall goal? Does the photographer want to inspire? Make us aware? Prevent something? Change?

I think that the author wanted to prove that we can live together and that we should care about t them. It seems that the photographer wanted to motivate people to change, which is made in a positive way. While the majority of authors present frightening photos, this one provides an example of the peaceful coexistence of a human and animal.

Determine who the audience is – the rules of visual rhetoric can be changed based on who the author is speaking to. Different audiences will respond differently. List all the potential audiences, and briefly explain why.

The potential audiences are ordinary people who can be encouraged to use less plastic and sort it. Another audience is companies that can contribute to reusing and recycling plastic.

Background

Ruth St. Denis was born in 1879 in New Jersey to Ruth Emma Denis who was a physician by training. Saint Denis was very strong willed and highly educated. She died in 1968.

Training

St. Denis was encouraged to study dancing at the formative stages of her life. She learnt Delsarte technique in the early stages of her life. Her bullet lessons were conducted by an Italian ballerina Maria Bonfante. She also received training in social dance forms and skirt dancing. Her professional career began in New York in 1892. She worked as a skirt dancer in New York where she performed in dime museums and vaudeville houses.

Dime museums traditionally hosted leg dancers who did brief dancing routines. In a day, Ruth did more than eleven brief dance routines. David Belasco spotted Ruth in 1898. By then David was a Broadway producer and a director of repute. David then hired Ruth to perform as a featured dancer in his large company. In fact while working with David, Ruth earned her stage name St. Denis which stark with her forever.

She was later to be known as Ruth St. Denis. After the tour where ‘Zaza’ was being produced Ruth got to know many important European artists like Sado Tacco and Sarah Benhardt an English actress great of her time. These people positively impacted her life as evidenced by her desire for dance and drama of Eastern cultures. Her interaction with Bernhardt made her like her melodramatic acting style. This later influenced her acting career especially the tragic fate of her character (Sherman, 1983).

The technique Ruth St. Denis brought to the fore

At the onset of the 20^th Century St. Denis began formulating her own theory of dance and drama. These were greatly influenced by the drama techniques she had a brush with early in her dancing training. The theory of dancing was also influenced with her readings on scientology, philosophy , and the history of ancient cultures.

The works of Benhardt and Yacco also played a role in defining her theories. In 1904 when she was touring with David Belasco, she came a cross a poster of the goddess of Issis that advertised a cigarette for the Egyptian Deities. This poster overwhelmed her imagination and she later resorted to reading a lot about Egypt and India. St. Denis later quit David Belasco’s company to start her path to the career of a solo artist.

It is during this time that she designed her exotic costume and created a story of a “mortal maid who was loved by the god of Krishna, Radha”. This dance style was premiered in New York’s Vaudeville House. She intended to translate her understanding of the “Indian culture and mythology to the American dance stage through Radha”.

When plying her trade a solo artist Mrs. Orlando Rouland quickly discovered Ruth St. Denis. Ruth St. Denis began performing Radha in Broadway theatres when her wealthy patron started sponsoring her. Ruth had a conviction that Europe had more to offer than any other place would do.

That is why in 1906, together with her mother she went to London. She managed to travel in many European cities where she performed a series of translations until 1909. She later returned to New York to give a series of well received concerts in New City when she was touring United States.

Up to 1914 she still toured United States dong exotic dance. She was labeled as a classic dancer in the same category with Isadora Duncan despite the fact that they were two different dancers in the perspective of their approach to solo dance. In fact St. Denis sought the universe in the self whereas Isadora Duncan sought the self in the Universe. St. Denis interpreted exotic world through “the vantage point of her body” (Shelton, 1981).

After 1911, solo dance on the professional stage faced a eventual death. St. Denis therefore gave lessons to such women like Gertrude Whitney. Her problems were later compounded by the death of her major patron Henry Harris who died on the titanic. Her financial woes forced her back to the studios where she initiated new exotic dance. The difference however was that the new exotic dance had Japanese theme.

One of these exotic dance was O-MIKA which “was more culturally authentic than her other translations”. It was not successful though. This prompted St. Denis to include some other performers in her productions. Ted Shawn came on board in 1914. Ted was a stage dancer who had strong Dalsartean leanings. Hilda Beyer had ballroom preferences.

St. Denis continued with her solo translations where as Shawn brought popular dance forms like ragtime and tango. Shawn and Denis later became lovers and dance partners. This partnership marked the end of her career as a career solo artist (Shelton, 1981).

Are they first or second generation pioneers?

Ruth St. Denis, Isadora Duncan, and Loie Fuller are considered some of the pioneers of the modern dance. They were against formalism and “superficiality of classical academic bullet”. These dancers wanted to introduce their audiences to both inner and outer realities.

Ruth in particular employed pictorial effects that featured in her ritualistic dance of Asian religion. She specifically used elaborate costumes and improvised movements that characterized Egyptian and Indian descent. In fact because of her versatility, she integrated Native American dances and dances from other ethnic groups (Shelton, 1981).

Background on their company

After her marriage to Shawn in 1914, they together formed Denishawn Company. The company was started in 1915 Los Angelus California. Through this company they managed to popularize modern dance throughout the United States and abroad. Through this company talents were nurtured and a second generation of modern dancers was conceived. The second generation dancers that passed through this company were Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, and Charles Weidman.

The Denishawn School of dancing prioritized bullet and experimental bullet dance. The school was first housed in a Spanish style mansion in Los Angelus with spaces for technique classes and Denishawn technique. Technique classes were taken in bare feet and students had to put on one piece black wool bathing piece. The classes ran for three hours each morning. Shawn took the students “through stretches, limbering and ballet barre”.

Floor progressions and free form center combinations were also done by Shawn. St. Denis was in-charge of “oriental and yoga techniques”. Shawn’s classes were in fact laden with ballet terminology. The classes finally closed with the learning of another part of dance. Denishawn trainings were characterized by a theory that one learns to perform by performing and this made a part of concert repertory (Shelton, 1981).

Reference List

Shelton, S. (1981). Divine Dancer: A Biography of Ruth St. Denis. New York: Doubleday.

Sherman, J. (1983). Denishawn: The Enduring Influence. 1. Boston, MA: Twayne Publishers.

Contemporary art is so unpredictable and outstanding in all its expressions that people tend to get extremely overwhelmed with emotions aroused by prolific artists. As such, one of the greatest and stunning contemporary installations is called Skyspace by James Turrell at Henry Art Gallery in Seattle. Created by the space and light artist, this is one of those exhibitions that make you rethink your being and understanding of the environment. James began his series of Skyspaces in the 1970s and they have not lost the demand until today. Significantly, Turrell is a Quaker who designed a Live Oak Meeting House and made a hole in a roof through which the light transcended. This had a very religious implication. As such, the Skyspaces represent the recreation of this very room. The installation called Meeting reflects the way the room looked for real.

James’ Skyspace Light Reign is magnificent. The installation looks like an oval room with a hole in the ceiling through which you can see a beautiful blue Seattle sky. The perimeter-type bench is a wonderful installation for the visitors to sit and look up at the sky. If it is an evening that you are visiting the gallery, the impression will be the best as well because they have specially installed LED lights embedded in glass panels to showcase a wonderful exterior, though they do not open the top of the roof for real at night. It has served as a space for many meditations, and audio sessions, like Steve Roden’s. This is a splendid art piece and it has eventually become an integral part of the museum’s architecture.

Remarkably, the visitors are likely to enjoy the installation in various ways because of the changing seasons. Moreover, they are encouraged to come in and have a sit on the bench during different weather conditions. The views are given different meanings in this case since the sky is observed in different colors every time and, besides, the observer’s mood and inner feelings intertwine with the light perception. So, every visitor has his/her impression of the Light Reign.

Yet, Skyspace has more in it than you can possibly imagine. Once you are in the oval room, try lying on the bench rather than sitting. This gives that remarkable illusion of the dome. If you look at the sky long enough, your eyes start seeing a perceptual shift that is called “celestial vaulting”(Oakes 171). This is a very interesting feeling when you percept the heavens in a little different way. You watch the clouds unravel and start thinking about how this life is impermanent. Moreover, the actual illusion to the eyes inside of the room makes you recognize the colors of the sky better once you step out of the installation.

Interestingly enough, many people think that what James does is take visitors back to the Stone Age. This is a dual explanation that cuts both ways. Once a person is inside the installation, he/she understands how beautiful and stunning nature actually is. However, if we believe that taking us back to the Stone Age is a bad intention of the light artists’ work, then we have to refuse all contemporary art as it is the one to lead James to such inventions.

In a word, Skyspace is splendid and a really outstanding piece of art. Seattle boasts one of those and I am fiercely loyal to the thought that Skyspace is a vision of the future by a romantic artist James Turrell.

Works Cited

Oakes, Baile. Sculpting with the Environment: A Natural Dialogue (Landscape Architecture). New York: Wiley, 1995. Print.

Relations between Eddie and Catherine in the play “A View from the Bridge” by Arthur Miller are a typical example of a dysfunctional bond. Eddie guides Catherine and wants to protect her; however, at the same time, he also has passionate feelings for her, which can be viewed as inappropriate ones. Catherine, in her turn, does not understand his real attitude to her and is shocked by the idea that this can happen in real life:

She is at the edge of tears, as though a familiar world had shattered (Miller 39).

The line shows that the heroine remains unaware of the problems that might emerge because of these feelings. Thus, the dysfunctionality of this bond comes from the impossibility of their relations. Eddie is married, and Catherine is his nephew, which means that his confession will bring multiple suffering to all people surrounding him, including his wife, who already knows about it:

• Beatrice: You want somethin’ else, Eddie, and you can never have her! (Miller 77).
• In such a way, Eddie and Catherine’s relations are dysfunctional, and they can destroy their world and hurt people surrounding them.
• If they evolve, both heroes will not be happy. As any dysfunctional relations, this bond cannot provide satisfaction to Eddie and Catherine. He possesses too much control over the girl:
• Eddie: Do me a favor, will you? Go ahead. (Miller 6).

The line shows that he is free to ask Catherine to wear things he wants, to behave in ways he prefers, and remain obedient to him. In such a way, the best possible solution for the couple is to end these relations, separate, and move forward. Catherine should have tried moving to another city and building a new life there. In such a way, their characters show that dysfunctional relations are too dangerous and they possess a destructive nature.

Works Cited

Miller, Arthur. “A View from the Bridge.” Parkview Theatre. Web.

Introduction

Values are one of the core aspects in any given community. They instill respect among members of a community enhancing cohesion between the various parties of the community. Artists play a pivotal role in the introduction of community values, ideas as well as belief systems. These ideas, beliefs and experiences bring about improvement on human values.

Establishment of limits of bad behavior in a society is fundamental for the well-being of all the members of the society in question. The knowledge of such limits as well as passing them to new generations enhances success in a society. Art plays a major role in these thus boosting human values. In addition, many cultures are neither good nor bad thus they might introduce undesirable behavior(s) to the people. Art helps in the correction of such behaviors as well as the cultures.

Role of art in shaping human values

A strong relationship exists between art and politics specifically between various kinds of art and power. The requirement is that citizens should enjoy their freedoms within the stipulated limitations. This raises a major concern on the role of art in such conditions.

The fact that in art people can represent whatever they want such as ideas, believes, and life experiences, provides an arena for violations of the governance requirement. The fact that art improved because the history of it had a freedom, implies that artists should do things that make art better. Political values have supported the establishment and growth of art to what it is today.

On the other hand, art has imparted several values on political views. As works of art respond to contemporaneous events and politics, they take political and social dimensions. By so doing, they become points of controversy creating strong forces that aid in social and political change.

For instance, Pushkin, Russia’s first great writer, irritated the Russian officialdom, particularly Tsar, by composing the extremely arrogant, independent and wicked verse in which a dangerous freedom of thought was evident in his propensity for making fun of major and minor tyrants instead of being a good servant to the state.

Historically, revolutionary ideas first emerged from artists. That is why it is important to create a ‘separation between arts and politics’. In this case, people can safely integrate them into the official culture and the public discourse, where they can add new flavors to old dominant ideas and play the role of a gear wheel in the mechanism of the society of the spectacle.

Culture is one of the core aspects in any nation. It gives the nation its identity-its pride. Furthermore, the culture of a region can be an economic force that draws resources to a particular country. It can also influence physical features found in the region. Each culture bears with itself a set of arts like music, architecture and even clothing designs. In this view therefore, a particular group of people can be identified by their culture that defines their outward values.

In the contemporary times however, some cultures have been deemed outdated and therefore in the wave of change, many communities have lost cultural heritage that previously defined them. The major cause of this is that many people confuse culture and religion and they cannot differentiate the two due to lack of enough information about them. For instance, in Saudi Arabia many people think that religion forms the basis of a nation’s culture, which is not true.

There are many differences among the culture and the religion. In fact, many cultures are contradictory to the prominent religion. As aforementioned, many cultures are neither good nor bad and their negative aspect(s) may greatly influence people’s behaviors. Owing to this, there is the need to find means of correcting the negative aspects of a given culture and embark on correcting such aspects. Art has been instrumental in this.

The perception of the value of art differs significantly among different people. To some, it is recreational while to others it is life. The truth is art is an important aspect in human life and through which we can introduce many things in our life-it acts as a language. However, it is important to improve as well as continually correct different aspects of art to put it in maximum use.

This translates to the need to introduce to people in a more informative way so that they understand what it is, and what it can do. Finally, art could be a perfect investment if there is support from the government or some companies. As we know, some of art works are so expensive and unique, so they can bring a lot of money to the country and people.

Spirituality entails people’s strong belief and trust in something. This results into a religion. When someone practices his religion, it increases his/her conviction in spirituality. When people express their spiritual values in art, they come out differently depending on the religion. Many of art works that describe the spiritual are somewhat religious, and they are more attractive for people as spiritual works.

Two standpoints concerning arts

Two evident standpoints have emerged concerning the use of literature. On one hand, there are those of the opinion that the use of arts in expressing thoughts, ideas and exercising freedoms has detrimental influence on moral values, political stability, cultural values and social economic values. On the other hand are those who argue that, even though arts can have detrimental influences, they cannot overshadow the role it plays in the society. Therefore, the governing bodies should not only come up with means of controlling the use of art but also implement the controls.

Plato posed several objections that still hold to date. In his argument for the abolishment of arts, he said that it affects education negatively by fostering evil habits and vices in children. In his opinion, creative thoughts expressed in arts do not express either morality or sound behavior. Artists portray some characters in imagery as cunning, lusty and even as warmonger. Such traits have a negative impact on the development of children. He concludes by urging the government to abolish such works of art.

In a philosophical dimension, Plato argues that art does not lead to, but away from the realization of the ultimate reality- truth. He argues that by imagery, the imitator knows nothing but the appearance, which is far from the true existence. In addition to both the philosophical and the educational arguments is the moral argument which contents that art irritates, nourishes and strengthens emotional, sentimental and sorrowful impulses of humans which are baser compared to reason. These the standpoints held by Plato, which are similar to the ones that critics of art hold in the contemporary society.

In response to Plato’s’ arguments, Aristotle gave a supportive argument for use of arts. He argues that the work of art is not to inspire value nor teach morality but to provide aesthetic delight, communicate experience, express emotions and represent life. In this, one should not confuse the role of ethics, which is to instill morality, with that of arts. He argues that we should base the acceptance of artistic works on the artist’s ability to present his thoughts and ideas in an aesthetic manner, which is the ultimate goal of artistic works.

The argument that art leads us away from the truth is false. In as much as art gives a likeness of something that is concrete, we must appreciate the fact that art gives more than the concrete truth offers. According to Aristotle, some elements present in art like ideological presentation and imaginative creativity have their own beauty, and the rough and raw realities lack these.

Therefore, we should accept arts for the aesthetic value. In addition, art is an end and not a means to an end. Instead of judging arts in other viewpoints, we should judge it by what it is by its own objectives, merits and demerits. It would be absurd to denounce artistic works based on other viewpoint judgments.

These standpoints have greatly influenced my sense of values. First, I was of the opinion that art came without negative impacts and that it is to be appreciated as it is. However, in view of these standpoints, my values though still in support of arts have been greatly influenced. It is true that arts may foster unwanted values to the society.

Therefore, I am of the view that different arts should be evaluated on both the basis of their purpose and that of implications on societal values and morals. We should not enjoy the beauty of art in a discriminative manner meaning that we receive what is good and leave what is wrong.

Confronting personal or collective bias, prejudice, intolerance, and/or discrimination

There are situations whereby our values are lost or are displayed in their worst limitations. At these times, we face the force of dilemma on whether to uphold our challenged values and belief systems or to conform to change. In such confrontations during this period, I would let the judgment of rational thinking prevail. It is not worth to hold any value, prejudice or bias challenged by reason and I let go.

At times messages passed through artistic literature are very unacceptable due to moral degradation expressed through them. This calls for an assertion of personal values that are right by virtue of rational thinking. Under no circumstances should one give in to the pressure art presents but rather should base our reason for adoption or rejection of presented ideas on morality.

Conclusion

Art is a means of communication that artists paint creatively ideas, controversies, or current situation, which provokes new dimensions of thought and questioning of current practices and beliefs. In the past, artistic ideas have influenced political change. First, arts help highlight disparities in the social-economic factor in the society.

This has recently been the focus of many governments to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor. Art has greatly influenced political advances toward social change. Furthermore, art is more appealing to human as it appeals to the emotions of humans and therefore it is a successful instrument of social change.

In as much as the purpose of art is not to teach morality, it presents new ideas on what is acceptable and what is not. In this case, it can affect the set of values and beliefs held by particular people. What is presented as good can be easily be adopted since art comes as an appealing force which at times can be overridden by rational thinking. Art improves the social status of the people when used as a source of living, which can mean adoption of new lifestyles thus fanning social change.

Film theory deals with the exploration of the nature and essence of films, their influence on the audience, relationships of the film context and scenes with reality, society, its history and culture. Films use specific “means of expression”, such as camera work, lightning, shots, sound.

Place and space are ones of the most influential means of expression that are used to render the changes of time, plot of the films and historical context. They are extremely important for the understanding of the theme and message of the film, and create specific form of it.

Moreover, they influence the intellectual and emotional processes of viewing a film. In this paper, we are going to discuss the function of place and space in Days of Heaven by Terence Malick produced in 1978. Place and space are skillfully used in the film and contribute greatly to the understanding of the film and its main characters.

The settings of the Days of Haven are the Texas of the early 20^th century. The film tells the story of two lovers, Abby and Bill who came there to find better living. The story develops in the picturesque landscape of the crop fields, woods and beautiful rivers. The film is considered to be landmark of the American cinema and it is widely recognized as one of the best films of the 1970s American cinema.

The director made use of the powerful symbolism of nature which shaped the scenes of the film, its dialogues and plot. One of the most significant features of the film is that all major events and scenes are developing in the specific landscapes. The choice of landscapes is not accidental. They contribute to the audience’s perception of the scenes and shape their meaning.

The film Days of Haven can be considered a revolutionary in the use of such expressive means as time and space. Almost every minute, the screen is filled with beautiful, startling images of the open crop fields. There are many panoramic close-ups of the open landscapes and waving fields.

These images influence on the understanding of the characters of the protagonists of the film very much. It seems, as if they are losing their individualities; their needs and motifs are miniaturized comparing to the vivid landscapes of the Texas. Thus, in the film, “the project of deploying space as an analytical tool involves consideration of a number of different aspects of space” (Thomas 1).

One of the most inspiring scenes of the film is the episode of the “Golden Hour” from the Cricket and Fire scene. In is one of the most beautiful pictures one can see during the film.

It is very symbolic as encompasses the transition from the first act of the film to the second and embodies the change that should happen in lives of the protagonists. The use of space in this scene has a great meaning. First of all, it shows that person has no power over the nature and, at the same time, he is a part of it.

Thus, the Days of Haven is truly one of the most beautiful films of the American cinema. It is notable for the extraordinary usage of the space and place. These expressive means contribute greatly to the development of the plot and influence the perception of the film by the audience.

Works Cited

Thomas, Deborah. Reading Hollywood: Spaces and Meanings in American Film. London: Wallflower Press, 2001.

Alexey Brodovitch was a famous photographer, designer, and instructor. His most prominent work was in the fashion magazine Harper’s Bazaar where he had been an art director for a quarter of a century. This incredible work for the magazine left its significant trace in the development of the whole designer culture in the world. The importance of the designer’s work to the evolution of design practice is considerable. In the following paper, I have my goal to observe the creative work of Alexey Brodovitch, and his role in the development of the world’s art and design. Analyzing his creativity, it becomes evident that all the inimitable works by the great man of art and design, Alexey Brodovitch, feature his main working principles, which are innovation, unconventional approach, and futuristic ideas.

Speaking about the context in which this designer genius developed his talent, his biography, and its historical background should be analyzed. Alexey Brodovitch was born in 1898 and lived a very long life of success and acknowledgment. He died in 1971. Brodovitch was born to the rich family of a medical doctor father and an artist mother. This outstanding man of art is a Russian-born person and the first part of his life passed in Russia. Later, on the reason for the revolutionary events in the country, he along with his family had to leave it. Brodovitch’s working experience started in Paris where he as an immigrant had appeared face to face with the problem of finding money for him and his young wife. This situation was very new to him as in Russia the family had been very wealthy. Brodovitch’s first work was somehow connected to art; however, it was a very modest beginning. He had to paint the houses. Still, Alexey was a very talented man, and very soon he managed to find success in the area of art and design. The atmosphere for men of art in Paris was the best one in the world those days. The art and designer elite of the world was gathered in the city. They all had a great spirit of ideas’ intercourse and creative cooperation.

On 24 March 1924 Brodovitch managed to accomplish his first success among the wide public. His poster work on the topic of Le Bal Banal won the first prize in the very prestigious competition of those days in Paris (Purcell, 2002). The work was just striking with its fresh spirit and innovative approach. The very interesting fact is that Picasso himself won only second place in these competitions. Brodovitch’s posters were placed all around the Montparnasse next to the drawing by Picasso. Alexey Brodovitch was proud of this great success until the end of his days.

During his working activity period, Brodovich had a lot of projects and initiatives. However, their most successful work of his was in graphic design. Alexey Brodovitch became one of the most successful designers of commercial art in Paris. In 1934 Alexey Brodovitch started his work for Harper’s Bazaar in New York which became his biggest success in life. In this project, he managed to fulfill his purpose to make the magazine vague just as he was hoped to. The editor of the magazine Carmel Snow explained that she saw a new beginning for the magazine in the creative abilities of Brodovich:

I saw a fresh, new conception of layout technique that struck me like a revelation: pages that “bled” beautifully cropped photographs, typography, and design that were bold and arresting. Within ten minutes I had asked Brodovitch to have cocktails with me, and that evening I signed him to a provisional contract as art director (Tomkins, 1994).

Alexey Brodovitch was very excited about this offering and he even attracted his students to the project (by the time Brodovitch was also a successful instructor). Among his students, the task was given to create the most unusual pictures and illustrations for the magazine and the more unconventional and unusual the result appeared to be the better it was. This approach brought Brodovitch success, and he continued at his position in the Harper’s Bazaar for an unbelievably long period of twenty-four years. This vast period proves his great success. To maintain his design approach ever fresh and ever-innovative and well-timed, Alexey Brodovitch made regular trips to France to invite his friends-artists and photographers to assist him in the creation of the magazine’s design. As a result of this vast work by the most talented men of the art of the whole world, Harper’s Bazaar was always a cutting edge in the field of fashion and design. Among those significant masters of design and art, who helped Brodovitch to accomplish his goal, were Marc Chagall, Raoul Dufy, A. M. Cassandre, Jean Cocteau, and Leonor Fini. The reason for Brodovitch’s work for the magazine success was in his ability to combine the unfailing elegance of his illustrative works with the most innovative and unconventional ideas (Grundberg, 1992). One of the most incredible Brodovitch’s ideas for the Harper’s Bazaar’s design was in depicting the magazines’ illustrations as if they were the film frames. This was done to make the women readers of the magazine feel like the film characters living the life of luxury and sophistication depicted in the magazine. To strengthen this effect, Bordovitch used illustrations where the faces of the models were not seen or only some parts of their bodies were shown. Thus, for every reader, the opportunity to feel as if the model, shown in the picture, was offered (Appadurai, 1996). This was by far the greatest reason for Bordovitch’s great success among the public and the magazine’s owners.

The other extremely successful work by Alexey Brodovitch was his typeface. He created it in 1949 for Portfolio (Purcell, 2002). The idea for the publication of this great work came from Frank Zachary who was a famous art director those days. Together they decided to create a magazine that would focus both on art and design, and would still represent the design in a special way as an outstanding category of the primary magazine’s focus (Zachary, 1999). This idea fascinated Brodovitch as in Harper’s Bazaar his creative genius was limited within the topics of fashion and ladies’ interests. The idea of a new magazine captured him. Portfolio set Brodovitch free from those classic principles that he had to follow while working with the Harper’s Bazaar magazine and allowed him to create the most unconventional designer works. In Portfolio Brodovitch’s graphic imagination ran just wild. He created the forms and solutions which were futuristic for the 1940s and 1950s, thus, making a great leap of progress in the area of design in the twenty’s century. Brodovitch’s work for Portfolio was simply sorted of magic as it was the mixture of every possible and impossible style and conception. The response to his work was very impressive; however, Portfolio only lasted for three issues as its administration did not want it to feature advertisements and thus faced financial problems which stopped this ingenious, one-of-a-kind project.

Concluding on everything that has been mentioned so far, it should be stated that the historic, cultural, and social significance of Alexey Brodovitch’s work is very impressive. Their most outstanding achievement of his is the work for the fashion magazine Harper’s Bazaar where he created for almost a quarter of a century letting the women readers of this magazine live a magic fairy-tale and cinematic reality of the magazine. The other great work of his, which became a very significant milestone in the development of design in the twenty’s century, became his cooperation for the creation of Portfolio magazine, where he created the most unconventional and innovative design solutions for that period. And yet another significant work of Alexey Brodovitch became his poster on the topic of Le Bal Banal, which he remembered to the end of his days as the most important event in his life when he was even able to triumph over the ingenious Picasso. All the works by Alexey Brodovitch feature a few major peculiarities: innovation, unconventional approach, and futuristic ideas. Analyzing Brodovitch’s creative path it becomes evident that this ingenious man of art had a very significant role in the development of the world’s design. And nowadays, when we find pleasure in the way some great fashion magazine is illustrated and accomplished, it is good to remember that this is also the achievement of Alexey Brodovitch. And finally, he left a great trace in the world’s design as a successful instructor, raising a new generation of incredibly talented art masters.

References

Appadurai, A. (1996). Modernity at Large: Cultural Dimensions of Globalization. United States: States: Minnesota Press.

Grundberg, A., and Bruce, C. (1992). After Art: Rethinking 150 Years of Photography Selections from the Joseph and Elaine Monsen Collection. United States: University of Washington Press.

Purcell, K. (2002). Alexey Brodovitch. London, UK : Phaidon Press.

Tomkins, C. (1994).The World of Carmel Snow. United Stated: Upjohn Institute.

Zachary, F. (1999). Kerry William Purcell and Edward Dimsdale. United States: States: Minnesota Press.

The cover image from the American alternative rock band’s Foo Fighters seventh album called “Wasting Light” can be acclaimed as a seminal piece of design work. The image uses a high contrast of complementary colours in full saturation against a black background to create a vibrant look. This use of colour harmony and the simplicity of the graphic production successfully represent the band’s aim with this album, to simplify and pair back their music in a move away from digital music production.

Symbolic Associations Linked to Colour

Symbolism associated to colour can be hardly described as all-embracing; it may vary depending on individual, cultural and sub-cultural preferences (O’Connor 2010; cited by Arnkil 2008). Thus, the image under consideration can be described from various points of view based around the more western concept of colour harmony. The article “Colour Harmony Revisited” establishes important characteristics around the concept of colour harmony: musical analogy; visual comfort; balance of opposites; geometry or mathematical order; and the similarity or convergence of visual attributes (O’Connor 2010). The article comments musical analogy in the following words: “any arrangement of colours that can be sensed as an orderly combination will be pleasing’’(O’Connor 2010, p.268). Reflecting on this statement, the image can be described as producing a pleasing impression.

The music analogy is highly distinguished in this image. The image uses colours and an aesthetic style often associated with the genre of alternative rock music. In particular, black colour dominating in the image can be often associated with mystery, death, darkness, drama, tragedy, conflict, power, depth, and evil; these notions are often related to rock music; and red can be related to revolutionary ideas and rebellious spirit, virility, aggression, and turmoil (Goldstein 1942). Besides, the image features psychedelic colours which are associated with drug culture in rock music.

There is a balance of opposites evident in this picture. Further to this concept of opposites O’Connor writes (2010, p.268),”colour harmony is based on two key concepts: equilibrium of opposites and the overall unity of overall colour appearance”. It can be concluded that the album artwork achieves an overall unity here through a balance of opposites in both colour and composition. The image presents a well-balanced geometrical composition with its arrangement of faces and the simplicity of its production. Symbolic associations linked to colour can be associated with ideas promoted by alternative rock music; such as, a search for meaning in life, melancholia, drug taking, hedonism and a rebellion against society.

Individual Differences and Colour

The image under consideration can be evaluated through its appeal to young people and people of middle age and the meaning rock music holds for these groups. This image and its colour harmony suggest ideas connected to a search for meaning in life, melancholia, drug taking, hedonism and a rebellion against society and suchlike. In addition, Porter and Mikellides argue that responses to colour have a strong tendency to change over time and may be transformed in accordance to changing social trends (O’Connor 2010). Wise and Wise suggest that humans are not preplanned to colour. In contrast to this Mehrabian suggests that varied stimulus do affect human perception. More specifically, the image can be described as being representative of typical designs in the genre of alternative rock music today. Viewed in a previous era, it may have been less appealing.

Cultural Differences and Colour

Symbolic interactionist theory suggests that humans relate to objects on the basis of the meaning they ascribe to them. This meaning tends to be both arbitrarily as well as culturally defined (Blumer, 1969). Furthermore, in varied cultures colours have different meanings. The picture is accomplished in particular colours reflecting on the notions important in rock culture which establishes its symbolic association of colour and music. Besides, the image features the colour aesthetic which denotes its belonging to particular sub-culture. According to Aslam (2006), in American culture, the colour black means mourning and fear; red symbolizes fear and anger; blue means quality and masculinity; and green suggests good taste. American and western cultural associations of colour can be seen to exist in the Foo Fighter album cover artwork, for example, red may be used here to suggest fear and anger which are emotions often communicated in rock music lyrics. From a cultural point of view the album artwork corresponds to commonly held cultural associations of colour and meaning in the alternative rock industry.

In conclusion, the colour and aesthetic harmony of the image under consideration can be described as well corresponding to commonly held cultural associations of colour and meaning in the alternative rock industry, and thus, can be associated with ideas promoted by alternative rock music including search for meaning in life, melancholia, drug taking, hedonism and a rebellion against society. Additionally, the picture features the graphic production and colour harmony which represent the band’s aim with this album. Finally, the image presents a well-balanced geometrical composition with its arrangement of faces and the simplicity of its production.

References

Aslam, M. M. (2006). Are you selling the right colour? Journal of Marketing Communications, 12(1), 15-30.

Blumer, H. (1969). Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Goldstein, K. (1942). Some experimental observations concerning the influence of colors on the function of the organism. OccupationalTherapy and Rehabilitation, 21, 147–151.

Mehrabian A. (1977). Individual differences in stimulus screening and arous-ability. Journal of Personality, 45:237–250.

O’Connor, Z. (2010). Colour Harmony Revisited. Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney, 35(4). 237 – 272.

Wise B., and Wise J. (1988). The human factors of color in environmental design: A critical review. NASA Grant No. NCC 2-404. 40.

Joan Miro is a well-known surrealistic artist earning his international acclaim for a series of self-portraits written during varied periods of his mastership. The image under consideration in the following paper named “Self-Portrait I” is completed by Joan Miro in 1937-1938. The artist accomplished it in pencil and crayon on canvas. Currently, the picture can be found in The Museum of Modern Art located in New York. The main themes of the paper are centered around Miro’s philosophic approach to his personality; the artist fills every piece of his face and neck depicted in the portrait with a lot of varied details including flowers, leaves, and twigs suggesting certain ideas about his personality. This work of art will be analyzed in the context of its time and the art school it belongs to.

The work of art under consideration represents the art school of surrealists with its philosophic overtones, ambiguous ideas, an unconventional approach to the basic methods, and conceptions of picture creation. Speaking about the painting’s characteristics, it should be stated, first of all, that it can be described as using content peculiar for surrealistic artists of this period. The lines of the picture are sharp and straight with clear visibility of pencil contours; this suggests that the author of the picture has a sharp mind and outward personality. The picture features unexpected juxtapositions of colors and shapes. These juxtapositions feature unusual, and it can be even said, abnormal form combinations for portrait conception.

Further, regarding the color use and color harmony in this work of art, it can be said that the painting uses a variety of obscure and glooming colors. This use of color harmony can be described as indicative of surrealists. Speaking about the range of color which can be seen in this painting, it should be said that it is rather unvaried and features gloomy and cheerless colors such as grey and pale tinctures of green, yellow, and pink. Miro resorts to the use of irregular colors here. We see him depicting varied parts of his face and neck in green and yellow which are abnormal colors for them. The colors can be hardly addressed as complemented. Thus, the conclusion can be made that the author aims to lay some unconventional philosophic ideas about his personality upon the audience. Probably, the author is deliberate in the choice of this color harmony as such colors represent the certain mood of the person including the ideas on the search of meaning in life, some level of dissatisfaction with the phenomena of the surrounding world, desire to find new ways of world perception and seeing one’s own personality and the pursuit for some other sources of enlightenment including the connection with the nature and universe.

Next, the painting can be evaluated as having a row of uneasily noticed objects which is relevant for surrealists. In this painting, Miro seems to have an objective to impress the audience by the depth of his philosophic approach to his own personality. Thus, he applies unconventional strategies and depicts a row of objects which are inconsiderably noticed on his face. These objects are mainly nature-related including flowers, leaves, and twigs. The subject matter of the picture is represented in an unconventional way for portrait accomplishment which is very common for surrealistic painters. Blurred lineaments can be seen throughout the whole picture giving it a special appeal to philosophic themes.

Finally, the picture composition is set around the author’s face shown as a part of a scene from nature that appears to be very diffused and blurred. The materials used for the picture are pencil and crayon; it is accomplished on canvas which is indicative for surrealistic artists of this period. Speaking about the connotation the author wanted to put into his work, it seems that it appears as a philosophic implication to his own personality. The image under consideration can be described as presenting a good impression on the use of volume and space; it appears to look larger than it is mainly on the reason of the color harmony and the organization of the joint parts.

In conclusion, Joan Miro‘s “Self-Portrait I” (1937-1938) can be described as featuring poor complementary colors, a low level of saturation, and vibrancy which makes it not very appealing to the audience, but very thought-provoking as a result. In this painting, Miro resorts to the use of unnatural hues and gloomy tones which adds to the general impression the picture produces. Such obscure colors as grey and pale tinctures of green, yellow and pink were often used by surrealists to affect their audience and create the impression of symbolic and philosophic overtones. This image can be described as one of a vivid example of such tendency by surrealists. The significance of this work of art can be acclaimed as very important for the understanding of Miro’s philosophic approach to his personality; the picture also makes it great contribution to the development of a surrealistic way of thinking.