Romeo and Juliet: The Text

MIT provides an HTML version of the text of Romeo and Juliet. Check it against the two films. What, if anything, has been omitted from either of the two versions.

Check out this student's review of the Globe production of Romeo and Juliet last spring.

Non-Western Art

Aesthetics has tended to be Eurocentric over the years. In fact, in many places there has been a reluctance to recognize non-western works as art at all. A museum in New Jersey, for example, put an entire collection of Himalayan art in the Natural History area. The message: these are artifacts, not art. So we will want to take a look into non-western traditions.

Start here with materials on Indian Iconography.

And here for an interpretation of symbols associated with Shiva

Psychology of the Artist

From the anonymous artisans of the middle ages, to the celebrated personalities of the Renaissance, to the tortured artist of the 20th century, the popular persona (or imago) of the artist has changed tremendously. We will want to note this and mark it with an episode on Van Gogh from Kurasawa's Dreams.

Musical Comparisons: Beethoven's Cello Sonata

As with film narratives, musical pieces as extended through time. It's harder, I think, to form an over-all idea of a musical piece than of a picture or sculpture, but it is certainly tempted to think that we can compare works in key respects such as tempo or phrasing.

Here is a performance of Yo Yo Ma of Beethoven's Cello Sonata #4 Opus 102 Part I [And here is an MP3 version of Part II]

Here is a performance of the same piece by M. Rostropovich. [Broken Link -- will look for the MP3 version -- HERE it is -- but it is Part II]

In the meantime click here for yet another version of the Cello Sonata #4 Opus 102 Part I
And here for the same team (Fournier/Gulder) for Part II

First simply appreciate these two wonderful performances. Then, see if one is stronger than the other in a particular respect. I'll be posting a specific weekly assignment about this, but you should feel free to anticipate this on your Blog.

Examples of Interpretation: Psychoanalytic

I'll be introducing examples from the several modes of discourse in parallel as it were. Psychoanalytic interpretation played a key role in art, literature and criticisim (and still does, but less so). This is the case of the broken pieta (mother-child) sculpture.

This is the link to the London Blog, where we discussed it before visiting Freud's house in Hampstead.

The Meeting Scene in Luhrmann's Version

Remember that the 1996 Luhrmann version is done in modern dress, but Romeo and Juliet meet at a costume ball. Here is where that segment begins.

Zeffirelli's Version of the Meeting

Parte 03 of elfaceitoso's 15 part rendering of the film on YouTube is where Romeo and Juliet meet. But this part starts with Romeo comforting Mercutio. About 1/3 of the way through this segment, Romeo sees Juliet. A little before half-way through, he says "she makes the torches burn bright."

Compare this with the Baz Luhrmann version (next post).

Close Comparisons in Narrative Art

However one sorts out the ontology of general criteria in art, Rosenberg's method of comparing two closely similar works of art is a helpful one. This is true, in my opinion, whether one is attempting to "grade" one work over another, or working in one of the other modes of discourse, particularly appreciation.

You'll be working on your Arts Colony Assignment this coming week, but I wanted to give you a preview of the type of comparison we will be doing in Week 6 when we compare two versions of the same play, Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare. The two versions are cinematic adaptions done in 1968 and 1996. The director the the first is Franco Zeffirelli; the second, Baz Luhrmann.

We will be doing an intensive appreciation of these two and a possible evaluation in regard to certain respects; in particular, the "meeting" scene; the balcony scene and the death scene.

Working from DVD copies of these two films provides the highest quality, but YouTube provides good quality video, especially for the 1968 Zefirelli version. If you search "elfaceitoso" and "Zeffirelli" on YouTube, you will find a 15 part version of the whole movie. As an introduction, today we will take a quick peek at the way in which the two directors handle the crucial meeting between Romeo and Juliet.

Buddy Exercise to Test Isenberg Claim

Does Isenberg's argument seem too abstract? Then try this with a buddy while looking at two art objects (perhaps side-by-side at one of the galleries in the Arts Colony). One of you believes that one of the objects in stronger than the other in one or more respects (perhaps even better overall). You identify a feature in which the one is stronger than the other and say, "This is better than that because this has _______ (the grading feature - elegance, unity, pizzazz, whatever). Your buddy then challenges how general that feature is. Would another art object be good if it had it? See how well this plays out in actual discourse and report on your Blog.

Then reflect on how this applies to the Rosenberg criteria. (It's interesting here that Rosenberg goes "down" in his order of presentation from the "categories" to the "criteria" to the "specific excellences" - the "two cascades" level. And it seems to work. But what Isenberg is doing is the reverse - attempting to go "up" from the specific excellence - the "wave" to the general criterian - the the Reason/Norm. But to do it this way may be impossible.)

Once you have been able to articulate the criterian (as Rosenberg seems to do) then you can look for "instances" of that criterian (the "two cascades" level) in two works and grading seems to work. But starting from the "wave" for example doesn't seem to work.

The Anti-Generalist Argument in View of the Painting

Note the terms "V" for Verdict; "N" for Norm; "R" for Reason, etc.

Orgaz and Critic's Text Together

It helps to have the painting and the text in view at the same time. Look for that "wave".

Individual Galleries in the Arts Colony

Here is an review from one of the student publications at the Claremont Colleges about the Art Walk. Here is a great set of icons representing individual galleries (though I don't think it shows all of them.)

And HERE is an excellent Blog (using our own Blogspot) of the Arts Colony area and events. And another more from a Chamber of Commerce perspective.

One of my favorites is the SCA Gallery. But don't forget the dA!

Arts Colony Assignment: Further Details

Attending the Art Walk is key and should be on your schedule. But it is really an introduction to the galleries in the area. They can be visited during regular business hours. This is important because I have scheduled open time during Week 5 (my furlough days). You should use this time to do a follow up visit of one or more of the galleries you discovered on the Art Walk. On your follow up, talk to one of the gallery staff. Ask questions about what's new, interesting and valuable. Do some mutual appreciation of one of the works on display. Then do a "follow up" posting on your Blog.

Week 5 is also the opportunity to visit museums in the area, including LACMA, the Norton Simon, the Pacific Asia Museum (Pasadena -- you can catch it along with your visit to the Norton Simon), The Getty Center (Brentwood) and the Getty Villa in Malibu. (I am not expecting you to get to all, but I am expecting you to get to at least one in Week 5 and to post your reflections in your Blog.

Once you have your Arts Colony, your Arts Colony Follow-Up, and your museum Blog postings, you have finished your required Blog work. It will then be possible for you to add one or possibly more Blog postings for extra-credit during the last part of the quarter.

Arts Colony Assignment

The Art-Walk in the Arts Colony gives a "one-stop-shop" for a number of interesting aspects of the art community. You can see lots of new works, often talk to artists, talk to fellow-viewers about their respective perceptions, take pictures of favorite works (usually--if in doubt, ask), and so on.

The "Second Saturday" and End-of-Month events at the Arts Colony fit this bill admirably. So I would like everyone to attend the January 30 (corrected date!) Arts Colony Event. See the Events Website here.

An art-walk is just a walk from one art opening to another. It's leisurely and spread out in time and over several blocks (in the vicinity of 2nd and Main in Pomona). So don't feel pressed. Enjoy yourself. Move at your own pace from gallery to gallery. Talk to people. Make notes. Take pictures (or videos, even). Then think about (and address) these questions:

See if you can play the "game." What galleries are "hot"? What works? Can you identify what makes what what? Reflect on that interview with the artist. How does this help in understanding art?Are there general criteria here? Taste-sets? Is there intra-subjective agreement?Post some of the pictures of art on your Blog. Label them. Comment on them. (See some examples from the London Quarter.) Due by Thursday of the 6th week. [See next post for further details.]

Paper Assignment

In a 3-5 page paper, defend Rosenberg's generalist model against Isenberg's critique, or the reverse, defend Isenberg's anti-generalist critique against what Rosenberg would say.

Whichever you do, engage the other side. Think creatively, use examples, include images, as you see fit.

Due Thursday of Week 8. Hardcopy.

If you are interested in seeing an example of a student who defended the generalist model intensely, click here.

Isenberg's Anti-Generalist Article - 2nd page

Look at the logic behind the judgment about the overall worth of the painting because of the existence of the "wave" in the foreground of the painting.

Isenberg's Anti-Generalist Article

In a ground-breaking article, "Critical Communication," Arnold Isenberg argues against the existence of shared, general aesthetic properties. In doing so, he looks at a standard critical evaluation by a noted critic (Goldshieder) and then questions the logic behind this generalist evaluation. This article is available on our Blackboard site under Course Documents Week 4.

Read this article! (Quotes from the 1st of two crucial pages appear here. Look for the second page on the next posting.)

Do General Criteria Apply in the Evaluation of Paintings?

In order to determine whether general criteria of worth in art, such as Rosenberg's, it is helpful to see how they apply to real paintings, "up close" as it were. A key test case is the painting, "The Burial of Count Orgaz". Check out the background on this painting in Wikipedia.

Click this image for a larger one. Look for a "steeply rising and falling curve" in the lower foreground.

The Generalist Use of Criteria

In last Thursday's class I focused on the use of general criteria, such as Rosenberg proposes, as a means of judging worth in art. This is the evaluative mode of discourse.

The two in-class exercises were 1) make a case that one work is better than another using Rosenberg's criteria. (This could start " The Madonna with Flower" is better than "Saint with Book" because...) And,

2) What are the differences between the Rosenberg set of general criteria for judging worth in art and the set of general criteria for grading apples?

From the brief discussion at the end of class, there were some very good answers in regard to question 2. With regard to question 1, my impression is that you are (and rightly so!) thinking about this one.

I'll make the weekly assignment for next week during class on Tuesday.

Themes Addressed in class; forthcoming assignment

From time-to-time I'd like to highlight some of what we touched on in class. On Tuesday we talked about the author's intention and whether it is controlling in our response to that artist's work. I've given some considerations (the Huxley anecdote) that suggest it is not controlling.

I also talked about the "holy grail" in aesthetics: a criterian , or set of criteria, that individually, or as a set (as in the case of the definition of a triangle) that has, or have, a necessary-and-sufficient relationship with worth in art. No such set that has been proposed has worked in this way. But one might ask whether there are some criteria that are at least "good-making." Even this appears to be problematic. To follow out this thread, are the criteria that Rosenberg identifies, at least "good making" even if they are not individually, or as a group, necessary and sufficient for indentifying worth in art. This is the basis for an assignment for next week that I will make in class today.

Using Blogspot - Thumbnails and the larger Image

This is one of the most commented-on images from the Kellogg West Exhibition. I've clicked on "Add Image" and have browsed to the folder where I uploaded some of the images I took with my iPhone. If the image is large enough, Blogspot will downsize the image and make its own thumbnail image, which then can be clicked on the find the larger image. If, however, the image is not large (as here), the thumbnail and its associated image are the same size. The point here is that you can work with relatively large images without having to worry about making your own thumbnail images to like with the associated larger image (as in the case of the criteria-sets of Rosenberg posted earlier).

Aesthetic and Non-Aesthetic: Grading Apples

Want a good apple? Is this parallel to "Want a good painting?"

Close Look: Criteria and "Saint with Book"

This is the same set of criteria. Does he make his case that the woman with the flower is stronger/better than this image?

Close Look: Criteria and "Madonna With Flower"

Check the application of these criteria to this image and then...

These are the General Criteria Rosenberg Identified

Take a close look at these as they apply to "Woman with a Fower" and "Saint with Book".

From Philosophy of Art - Winter 2010

Identification of Criteria Using Master Pupil Pairs

In his book, "On Quality in Art", Jakob Rosenberg of the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard, attempts to derive general qualities of worth in graphic art.

Kellogg Gallery Assignment

• What is the theme of this exhibit?
• What is the "Best of Show"?
• Most interesting?
• What is the logic of display?
• Buddy Up/Play "I see, you see" game. Surprises?
• How does this exhibt relate to exhibits around the world? (Avant-garde? Retrograde?)
• What are the messages (if any)? About the West? About human beings?

Oppositions

Why are the two placed in this way?

Men and the Great Outdoors

More Connectedness

Theme: Connectedness

How much of this exhibit is focused on relationships: animal to animal; human to human; human to the outdoors.

Tie into my London Journal

Check out this link. It will connect you to my blog for the PHL 301 London Quarter.

Welcome to the Blogspot PHL 301 Site

The blog enables you to quickly upload and comment on images of art. It's a powerful too.
For your Pomona Arts Colony assignment, use Blogspot.