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=> GENERAL DISCUSSION => Topic started by: ggw on June 10, 2003, 02:30:00 pm
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I have to write a paper on a significant work of art of the 20th century. It can be film, literature, painting, sculpture, architecture, etc... Something along the lines of Picasso's Demoiselles d'Avignon, Eliot's The Wasteland, Jean Renoir's La Grande Illusion, etc... Something that changed the direction of its genre.
I'm having a mental block -- Anyone have any suggestions?
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The best work of art I saw on my vacation was grafitti scrawled on a wall in Florence that said "Renoir is shite".
Perhaps my wifey has an opinion on this one, but she's probably too hard at work to be reading the board.
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Oh lord, my art-crazed boyfriend would probably want to write that paper for you. I'm asking him for suggestions...
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<img src="http://www.warholfoundation.org/images/photobooth%20600%20px%20.gif" alt=" - " />
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jacob lawrence should be a fine subject...his emancipation series...21 prints outlining the african american experience...
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oops, its the migration series. not the emancipation series.
probably the single most important black painter of the 20th c. http://www.jacoblawrence.org/ (http://www.jacoblawrence.org/)
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Are you sure he was the blackest? Surely there were some that were blacker.
Originally posted by lily1:
oops, its the migration series. not the emancipation series.
probably the single most black painter of the 20th c. http://www.jacoblawrence.org/ (http://www.jacoblawrence.org/)
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woops. :D
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Jacob Lawrence is really shite....
How about the obvious:
Picasso, Guernica
Warhol, would be a fine example.
As would Duchamps Urinal
Magrittes ce n'est pas une pipe.
So all visual arts....
Why not just write about the Sex Pistols? Or Elvis? Or that blues guy robert Johnson.
Literature from this century....I have no idea.
But as for films 2001 was a clear breakthrough.
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How about the collected works of Milan Kundera?
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why? do you feel that there is another american painter that is a better selection, aside from the obvious warhol? you've already mentioned some european selections.
Originally posted by Andrew WK:
Jacob Lawrence is really shite....
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Originally posted by Andrew WK:
Jacob Lawrence is really shite....
How about the obvious:
Picasso, Guernica
Warhol, would be a fine example.
As would Duchamps Urinal
Magrittes ce n'est pas une pipe.
So all visual arts....
Why not just write about the Sex Pistols? Or Elvis? Or that blues guy robert Johnson.
Literature from this century....I have no idea.
But as for films 2001 was a clear breakthrough.
most of that has already been written about, and mostly in one book: "lipstick traces" by greil marcus. one of my favourite books, too.
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OK...
Louis Armstrong
Igor Stravinsky
Rogers & Hammerstein
Steven Spielberg
Ernest Hemmingway
George Bernard Shaw
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Thanks for the suggestions.
I considered Guernica, but I think someone else may claim it before I get to class. If not, I may have to go with it.
I also considered Warhol, but I think the prof is one of those Pop-Art haters. Perhaps I should take the challenge of converting her?
Jacob Lawrence isn't a bad idea at all. I don't like him visually, but think he and the Migration Series are probably rich soil for an overly long academic examination.
R. Mutt's Fountain is out. Important, but I don't think I could write twenty pages on it.
The Sex Pistols just reminds me of that Onion article about the kid that thought he was being original by tying punk rock into all his English assignments.
How about a film? I thought you people were all cinephiles. What do you consider the most important films of the 20th century?
Also, the paper has to be on a single work.
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Originally posted by lily1:
why? do you feel that there is another american painter that is a better selection,
Originally posted by Andrew WK:
Jacob Lawrence is really shite....
[/b]
I just think Lawrence is shite
<img src="http://www5b.biglobe.ne.jp/~yosimi/stay/2001/images/Jacob.jpg" alt=" - " />
to mee looks like someones art school project. I really dont feel that it is clever original or beautiful. Perhaps I am wrong, but they are my opinions.
I prefer Basquait, but he was just Warhols bitch.....
I can never remember who is American and from this not last Century...
Winslow Homer, last century?
Arthur Bellows
Wayne Thiebaud
Edward hopper
Ed ruscha
Calder
is Lichtenstein American?
that list is just off the top of my head.
I prefer all of them to the dire Lawrence. I dont think American painters have excelled (other than Warhol). The sculptures of Flavin or Judd are more interesting and innovative in a lot of ways.
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film--italian neorealism works pretty well. i've got a couple of books you could borrow. bicycle thief, or la strada, la dolce vita, etc.
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5?©¬5Ah$riginally posted by Venerable Bede:
[most of that has already been written about, and mostly in one book: "lipstick traces" by greil marcus. one of my favourite books, too. [/QUOTE]
ah something else have never heard of that I will make you lend me.
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Behind the Green Door...
Originally posted by ggw:
How about a film? I thought you people were all cinephiles. What do you consider the most important films of the 20th century?
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Originally posted by ggw:
How about a film? I thought you people were all cinephiles. What do you consider the most important films of the 20th century?
The Tramp or Modern Times
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fair enough. we can agree to disagree on lawrence.
though i will agree with you regarding american painters not excelling, esp in the last 40 years.
Originally posted by Andrew WK:
I prefer all of them to the dire Lawrence. I dont think American painters have excelled (other than Warhol). The sculptures of Flavin or Judd are more interesting and innovative in a lot of ways. [/QB]
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The Wild Bunch! That's when American film started getting really vicious.
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Well I already picked 2001, its either that or star wars.
Alternatively Kurosawa and Seven Samurai....
It has been ripped off so often.
Kubricks Tom Lyndon kicked off a whole period drama Genre.
Massive Attack created Trip Hop.
Personally I would end up writing about Damien Hirst, anish Kapoor or the Sex Pistols.
Perhaps if it was the pistols I would write about ripped clothing, but then Richard Hell invented that.
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You could be cliche and do Birth of a Nation for film
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you could write about one of the greatest photos ever....
<img src="http://www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen/pictures/clash.jpg" alt=" - " />
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eisenstein. . .any of the following would be great: battleship potemkin, ivan the terrible and/or alexander nevsky (my personal favourite).
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yes, this is a great photo
<img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00000IZ6H.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg" alt=" - " />
Originally posted by Andrew WK:
you could write about one of the greatest photos ever....
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perhaps a story on how that turned into this
<img src="http://www.cafewalter.com/cookbook/graphics/fat_elvis.jpg" alt=" - " />
would be interesting.
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Originally posted by Andrew WK:
5?©¬5Ah$riginally posted by Venerable Bede:
[most of that has already been written about, and mostly in one book: "lipstick traces" by greil marcus. one of my favourite books, too.
ah something else have never heard of that I will make you lend me. [/b][/QUOTE]
it's currently out on loan, so i'll try to get it back sometime soon.
incidentially, 2001 will be the final film in this summer's "screen on the green" on august 11. other movies showing this summer: July 14 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; July 21 The Postman Always Rings Twice; July 28 Mutiny on the Bounty; August 4 Jailhouse Rock
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Forget pop culture and postmodern visual arts. The Wasteland and perhaps The Rite of Spring are far more important works that reflect all artistic theory of the time and to this day. You can't get away with writing 20 pages of bullshit on these subjects.
Film is problematic - it would be troublesome pinning down one film that "changed everything" in its medium. Many have created or revolutioned genres, but I don't think that's what you are looking for.
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What about the Armory Show of 1913? It really heralded the start of the modern movement.
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Originally posted by Venerable Bede:
incidentially, 2001 will be the final film in this summer's "screen on the green" on august 11. other movies showing this summer: July 14 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; July 21 The Postman Always Rings Twice; July 28 Mutiny on the Bounty; August 4 Jailhouse Rock
thank you.
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In terms of 20th century recordings, The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was maybe the most revolutionary, innovative recording of its time. I believe they only had 8 or 12 tracks to work with, amazing considering all the orchestral elements of the recording. Also, they used a number of alternative mic techniques, effects, and equalization tricks. Producer George Martin has said that virtually nothing was recorded the usual way. Perhaps most unusual of all for that time, they sliced and diced the tapes, splicing them together in odd ways, setting a trend which many others have since explored...you probably could make a case for this technique setting the stage for current computer eletronica compositions, or even ProTools recording technology. One of the first albums with a gatefold sleeve, it also was one of the first albums to feature printed lyrics in the cover art....a revolution in album design as well as recording technique. There is plenty of documentation about all this, and with all the pop culture tie-ins I'm sure there's enough to get a 20-page paper out of it.
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Originally posted by larkjr:
Forget pop culture and postmodern visual arts. The Wasteland and perhaps The Rite of Spring are far more important works that reflect all artistic theory of the time and to this day. You can't get away with writing 20 pages of bullshit on these subjects.
Film is problematic - it would be troublesome pinning down one film that "changed everything" in its medium. Many have created or revolutioned genres, but I don't think that's what you are looking for.
The Wasteland is out as an option, as we are covering it in class. And the professor said nobody could write about a musical piece unless they know how to read sheet music. Which excludes me.
Thanks for all the suggestions.
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How 'bout Peter Behrens Turbine building, early 1900's...I think the first curtain-wall construction building...curtain-wall construction certainly changed the way we live and work in cities...
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oh, one word: bauhaus.
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Originally posted by Venerable Bede:
oh, one word: bauhaus.
but the architecture...NOT the band
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Originally posted by ggw:
And the professor said nobody could write about a musical piece unless they know how to read sheet music. Which excludes me.
Thanks for all the suggestions.
You should rag on your professor for that.
I mean can you paint or sculpt or direct or act or design houses or towerblocks.
So then (y)our appreciation of any of these artforms is as an outsider.
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Originally posted by Celeste:
Originally posted by Venerable Bede:
oh, one word: bauhaus.
but the architecture...NOT the band [/b]
right, the architecture for the paper. . .but i love the band too.
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Originally posted by Venerable Bede:
Originally posted by Celeste:
Originally posted by Venerable Bede:
oh, one word: bauhaus.
but the architecture...NOT the band [/b]
right, the architecture for the paper. . .but i love the band too. [/b]
explain to me what the band has in common with the movement, if anything...I tried to dig them back in the day, but it just didn't happen for me
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For a film, I would suggest a Jacques Tati film called Mon Oncle. This was, in some ways, a predecessor to Warhol and Waters in their Modern Camp styles yet maintaining many of the important elements of Classic film storytelling. This is a brilliant work of art on so many levels. There is a scene in the beginning that works very much like a painting in the way that it forces the eye to travel from vingette to vingette and across the screen and through the screen in a manner creating the illusion of 3 dimensional depth. The man was a true master! Probably my favorite film of all time.
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Originally posted by Celeste:
Originally posted by Venerable Bede:
Originally posted by Celeste:
Originally posted by Venerable Bede:
oh, one word: bauhaus.
but the architecture...NOT the band [/b]
right, the architecture for the paper. . .but i love the band too. [/b]
explain to me what the band has in common with the movement, if anything...I tried to dig them back in the day, but it just didn't happen for me [/b]
I always thought that they were going for the German WWII era Joy Division and New Order references but with a very hip and arty sensibility.
Speaking of the Bauhaus (the art school), has anyone seen the new building recently under construction at The Maryland Institute College Of Art in Baltimore? I'm dying to take a tour of the inside.
The school itself has always claimed that it bases it Foundation program on the Bauhaus from Weimer Germany. The new building has a stairwell that is an exact replica of the famous painting from the Bauhaus of the stairwell. I could clearly see it as it was being built but it's not as easy to find now that they are near completion.
It looks like it will be a great building for studio space with its glass skin. Personally, I don't like the color of the glass at all. It's very dingy looking but maybe it has something to do with optimizing the quality of light within the studio space.
This is a very cool Bauhaus inspired building. Celeste, you especially should go check it out the next time that you and Rhett come up to Baltimore. It's right across the street from the Main building on Mt. Royal Ave..
Just wish that they had all that cool stuff when I was there. Oh well, at least it was affordable then.
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Originally posted by Celeste:
explain to me what the band has in common with the movement, if anything...I tried to dig them back in the day, but it just didn't happen for me
i doubt there is any connection, except that the word sounds very gothic. i tried to be goth for a while in high school, but it gets difficult to stay in black all day when it's 90 degrees outside. in college, my best friend and i did a goth radio show every so often. . .really funny considering that i went to a baptist university.
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Cool...I'll keep an eye out for that building next time we're in charm city