Messages in Rashomon

People talk of the "Rashomon Effect." Is this appropriate?

We will also be talking about Paul Ricoeur and postmodernism.

Rashomon - The Movie

Film Aesthetics is a subject by itself, but it should be fun to do some film aesthetics while looking into the message of a particular film; in this case, Kurasawa's Rashomon.

Week 8!

I've created a couple of surveys in our Blackboard site to test the intra-subjectivity of your responses to closely-similar versions of the same work. Take these by March 1st. A favorite thesis of mine is that agreement increases when attention is focused on the same "thing". So many times we think we are talking about the same thing, and yet we are not. Make sure that we are focusing on a key feature -- then agreement seems to follow.

Agreement, of course, does not prove the objectivity of aesthetic features (for example), but it certainly diminishes the sense of utter subjectivity - the feeling that we often get when we confront aesthetic issues for the first time.

Shakespeare Versions: The Grades

Here are the results of your choices from last class. The trends are interesting and I'll be commenting on them in upcoming posts.

Grading Musical Versions

In the same way we can set up a set of respects (or criteria) for comparing musical versions. This table is for a "straw" vote on which version of the Beethoven Cello Sonata in certain respects. It may or may not be possible to make a summative judgment. Again, coming up with the overall "points" in this case may or may not be possible. But it is an occasion to engage in a complex way in the various modes of discourse, where appreciation is key. It may well be that by the time a vote can be taken the important things have already been done and the summative judgement is moot. (This is, perhaps, Isenberg's key claim.)

"Grading" the Versions of Romeo and Juliet

Our viewing of the two versions has involved all of the modes of discourse, including especially those of appreciation and interpretation. But the evaluative mode is possible here as well, though it is complicated. One needs to choose the respects in which the strengths and weaknesses of the two versions are compared. One most be careful to be talking about the "same thing" (though this may beg important questions!). Once the criteria are identified, then it would appear possible to apply them one by one. It might even be possible to "sum up" the individual grades and offer an overall score. Consider this table of possible criteria for the 1968 and 1996 versions of our Shakespeare play. As an exercise, we will whether preference trends (at least) emerge within the class.

ZFS and Web Links - Fixed (and a note)

Cal Poly just shifted over from DFS to ZFS in early February and some web links were affected, but are now okay. There are some links that still point to DFS folders but this should not matter this quarter. These are the Indian Iconography links. At some point I'll need to update them. For example, the Krishna Home pages will be http://www.csupomona.edu/~jcmanley/PAM/krishhp.htm and so on rather than through the IGE group link as given on the blog and which will go away at some point.

This is not an issue of concern for regular user, but I'm a believer in continuity and long term use of material put on the web and this should remind me of future updates, should they be needed.

Comparisons Assignments

I indicated there would be a comparison assignment last week, but felt you might best focus on completing the Arts Colony Assignment first (and to complete more of the Shakespeare scenes). So the first intra-subjective survey on Romeo and Juliet is now available in the Week 7 Course Document folder. Take it before next Monday. There will be a similar survey on the Beethoven Cello Sonata soon. Stay tuned.

Your Paper Assignment Resources -- Isenberg Article

One student reported problems accessing the paper materials on Blackboard. I checked and found them intact on my system, but just in case, here is the link to the *.pdf file of the Isenberg article.

Musical Comparisons Revisited

The links in my posting of January 28th had you skipping about and the original Rostropovich video is no longer available. What follows is a better organization of resources. The Beethoven Cello Sonata no. 4 remains the same, but the players are grouped according to whether they are playing Part I or Part II.

Part I

Yo Yo Ma
Lynn Harrell, Vladimir Ashkenazy - Christina Ricci
The "Boots" Recording - need a citation (Fournier and Gulda)
Olga Mancescu
Hitting All the Notes? Need a citation here as well.
Kempff & Fournier - Beethoven cello sonata no.4 (I) - Andante - Allegro vivace
Self-publishing, private performance - need citation (Cello Journey #15)

Part II

Beethoven Cello Sonata No. 4 in C major, op. 102 - 2nd Movement Fournier/Gulder (Van Gogh)
Ludwig Hoelscher & Elly Ney plays Beethoven Cello Sonata No.4 2n movement
Kempff & Fournier - Beethoven cello sonata no.4 (II) - Adagio - Tempo d`Andante - Allegro
Cello Journey #18 (same self-publishing, private performance).

I'll introduce the comparison exercise in class today, but you should feel free to listen to the first few notes of each part and begin to form your own opinion.

Your Blog Addresses

The Arts Colony Assignment is not due until Monday, February 15, but many of you are ahead of the curve. Take a look at what your colleagues are doing.

Name	URL
Antoun,Lucinda	http://laphl301.blogspot.com/
Benites,Brenda	http://phl301bbenites.blogspot.com/
Broadwell,Heather A	http://phl301broadwell.blogspot.com/
Cicchetto,Brett J	http://myphl301blog.blogspot.com/
De Anda Isas,Beatriz Elena	http://bettydeandaarts.blogspot.com/
Dy,Jeffrey J	http://phlartjd.blogspot.com/
Espinosa,Max Emilio	http://meespinosaexp.blogspot.com/
Flores,Natali Marisela	http://natalimphl301.blogspot.com/
Frausto,John Alexander	http://johnfraustophil301.blogspot.com/
Greenspon,Kevin M	http://philartkg.blogspot.com/
Hernandez,Lynda-Jo	http://yo-adnyl.blogspot.com/
Houng,Shawn	http://phl301houng.blogspot.com/
Hsing,Yu-Yun	http://ericaphl301.blogspot.com/
King,Deandre Alvin	http://ruedjgtc.blogspot.com/
Knox,James Gregory	http://jamesgknox.blogspot.com/
Lardy,Brian Christopher	http://bclardy.blogspot.com/
Lim,Stanley	http://limphl301.blogspot.com/
Lin,Yinyin	http://yiserina.blogspot.com/
Marquez,Maria Elena	http://nenieart.blogspot.com/
Mcadams,Ashley E	http://ash-philosophyofart.blogspot.com/
Micklis,Robert Paul	http://phl301rpm.blogspot.com/
Mogollon,Kristina Lynn	http://krismogo.blogspot.com/
Montoya,Megan Sara	http://msmontoya-prorsum.blogspot.com/
Morad,Hassen M	http://phl301hassenmorad.blogspot.com/
Muehlmann,Elizabeth M	http://elizabethexe.blogspot.com/
O'Connell,Patrick Shawn	http://phil3012010.blogspot.com/
Pon,Cher	http://xxponchixx.blogspot.com/
Prieto Jr,William Charles	http://phl301prieto.blogspot.com/
Ramirez,Robert Anthony	http://raramirez-philosophyblog.blogspot.com/
Salgado,Laura Isabel	http://phl301salgado.blogspot.com/
Salinas,Engelbert	http://phl301salinas.blogspot.com/
Tran,Bin	http://tranphl301.blogspot.com/
Trujillo,Jacqueline	http://phil301trujillo.blogspot.com/
Tsoi,Chi Hang	http://leophl301.blogspot.com/
Wen,Dawei	http://dasenvious.blogspot.com/
Yi,Eric Minho	http://phl301yi.blogspot.com/
Zan,Luke Htoogay	http://phl301lukezan.blogspot.com/

Vermeer

Vermeer's technique was replicated by a painter named Van Meegeren. This site has some good information about the latter, but some broken links.

This site has good links and information about this remarkable forger. He fooled the critics and made a fortune -- and risked it to show how good he was.

The significance of Van Meegeren's ability to work in the style of Vermeer would indicate that Vermeer's place in art history is in part because he defined his style first, not necessarily because he was technically the best working in his style.

But check this out yourselves. Do you think that Van Meegeren was as technically accomplished as Vermeer?

Also, check out this short YouTube video featuring Jonathan Lopez who has written a book about the man "who made Vermeers".

New and Old: Homage to the Past

There is a double meaning to the "New Traditionalists" at the dA. Yolanda Gonzalez represents one side of it. But the second exhibition is of work by new artists based on old artists.

So Perry Marks pays homage to Goya and Kevin Stewart does the same to the work of Thomas Hart Benton in this work. (Sorry that it's fuzzy -- the point is that he explains this work's connection to Benton. He then becomes a "New Traditionalist".)

Click here for a Thomas Hart Benton account of a flood.

Sun Mad Raisins

How many of you noticed this edgy sun maid?

I find many "dark" works find their way into the Arts Colony Galleries.

However, the other skull is inspired by Goya's "Disasters of War" in a modern setting by Perry Marks at the second exhibition at the dA.

More Yolanda Gonzalez

This is the $12,000 work by Gonzalez, exhibited in a nearby gallery to the dA who featured her as a part of the New Traditionalists. This invites the question of monetary worth in art. Will this be sold by the next Second Saturday?

In what ways is this style unique and distinctive? Here we are dealing with "taste-sets" and the artistic community.

Furniture and Family Dynamics

Some of you may have encountered the work of Janice DeLoof (or even the artists herself -- pictured here with one of her works) in the Soho Gallery area.

It was delightful to talk with her about the way in which her "furniture" pieces reflect (her) familiy dynamics. Here is her website. We will want to spend some class time on "interpretations" here.

The Next Art Walk and New Possibilities

The next Ars Colony Art Walk is this coming Saturday (the second Saturday of February), February 13. This is an opportunity to strengthen your Arts Colony Blog assignment which is due this week (Week 6). In fact, I'll extend the deadline for this assignment through Monday of Week 7 (February 15).

It rained pretty heavily during Claremont's "First Friday" and the Packing House Gallery is closed, so I'm not sure how much action there was there. But Ontario has an Art Walk on the 3rd Saturday of the month. February 20 is the next. That takes place in the vicinity of Holt and Euclid in Ontario. Parking is at Emporia and Euclid. Emporia is the 2nd street north of Holt. The information phone is 909-347-6962.

The Photographic Work of Luis C. Garza

I was delighted to find the exhibition "Time Refocused: The Photographs of Luis Garza" in the Latino Art Museum. These will be running through February 17th there.

These are realstic "social commentary"-type photos. They are enormously evocative. It is quite a coup for the Latino Art Museum to host this exhibition. Take a look where it is going next.

The January 30 Art Walk

Although a cool evening, there were many "hot" spots and art objects in the Arts Colony. The dA Gallery did not disappoint. There were two exhibitions, including the one on the New Traditionalists. Here we have a theme, "new traditionalism", but what does it mean. This is not obvious and is meant to have many connotations, but it will be fun to see what concurrence we can achieve on it. I will give it at start, but you need to help me flesh it out. The New Traditionalists are representational artists. In this sense, the continue the work of traditional artists by painting things we can recognize, that represent the people land places with which we are familiar. But in what sense are they new? There are, at the very least, new voices such as Yolanda Gonzalez, a Latino artist, whose work appeared in at least one other gallery in the Arts Colony besides the dA (and is impressively expensive - one work was $12,000). The dA regards her as part of the New Traditionalism. How, then does she help to define this movement?