A Rauschenberg Remix...

Robert Rauschenberg was born on October 22, 1925 in Port Arthur, Texas. He briefly studied pharmacology in Austin, but was drafted into the United States Navy, where he served as a neuropsychiatric technician. After his military service, Rauschenbergbegan his study of art in 1947 at the Kansas City Institute of Art. In 1948, He traveled to Paris, France to continue his studies at the Académie Julian. During the following autumn, Rauschenberg came back to the United States to study art under Josef Albers at Black Mountain College in North Carolina. It was here that he was offered his first exhibition of small monochromatic white and black paintings.

From 1952-1953, Rauschenberg began experimenting with art made of found objects, which he exhibited in Rome and Florence. In late 1953, Rauschenberg returned to New York City, where he again began to create art out of found objects on the streets, etc. In 1954, he began working on his most famous works—the Combines.The Combines melded non-traditional objects and materials with more traditional painting. These collages represent some of Rauschenberg’s most well known work. In 1962, Rauschenberg experimented with silkscreen paintings before establishing s permanent studio residence in Captiva, Florida. After traveling all over the nation exhibiting his work and receiving the National Medal of Arts in 1993, Robert Rauschenberg died on May 12, 2008, leaving behind a legacy of challenging the meaning of art.

I chose to base my final creative project on Rauschenberg’s “Estate.” “Estate” is representative of one of Rauschenberg’s Combines—a mixture of found objects and collages. “Estate” shows the business and chaos of city life, while maintaining the fluidity and organic-like qualities of a city. It is a representative work of Neo-Dadaism or Pop Art and juxtaposes many characteristic components of a modern city existence in America.
Rauschenberg’s implementation of found objects and manipulation of everyday cityscapes has greatly challenged and changed the perspective of art. Along with Duschamp and others in his artistic genre, Rauschenberg showed that non-traditional paintings and sculptures also qualify as great works of art. For some, Rauschenberg’s Combines continue to be a testament to an organic and ever-changing art genre; however, to others, Rauschenberg’s is simply another silly, incomprehensible “modern” artist.

I personally really enjoy Rauschenberg’s Combines. I likethe way each component sayssomething different, while at the same time contributing to the greater whole. I also find his incorporation of found objects to be fascinating. To me Rauschenberg’s display of everyday items casts them in a new light and causes me to think in a different way.

Making a work of art inspired by “Estate” taught me something about Rauschenberg. Having not made a collage since I was in 7th grade, I had forgotten how much time it takes to make a collage that is aestheticallypleasing and interesting. Through making my collage, I gained a greater appreciation for Rauschenberg’s Combines. Not just anyone can make what he made. It takes someone with a little more vision than scissors and a glue stick. I really enjoyed making my piece, “From the Crossroads of the West…”. Although I felt that I was able to combine a lot of aspects of BYU college life into a greater whole, I definitely realized that art is a science—one that I do not know quite as well as physics!

NPR 100

Appalachian Spring – Aaron Copland

Since the first time I heard Appalachian Spring until now it has continued to be one of my favorite pieces of symphonic music. For me, it seems to musically describe the America, from rolling plains to jagged mountains, finally settling on the simplicity and beauty of an honest, hard-working life. I always knew that this suite was adapted from Copland’s original ballet, but I knew nothing about the story of the ballet until now. To me, nothing represents the American Dream more than starting your own life with your own family, home, and path. Appalachian Spring is about exactly that—the courtship of two young people about to start anew life together. Knowing this really gave me an increased appreciation for Copland’s work as a representative piece of America.

I thought the NPR did an excellent job of presenting Appalachian Spring as an extraordinary and influential piece of music. My only qualm about NPR’s newscast was their presentation of Aaron Copland. I appreciated the humorous comments made by Copland, but I felt that NPR edited the interviews in such a way that he sounded like he was not purposeful in his composition. Perhaps it is just my romanticized ideals about composers, but I would like to think he composed with an idea and a purpose.

Score from Pscycho - Bernard Hermann

I have always loved film scores. I love how they fuse my two favorite genres of the fine arts—the symphony and the cinema. Psycho is one of my favorite horror films ever made. I have seen it several times, yet it is still chilling, creepy, and horrifying each time I watch it. Just listening to this music again made me think of how creepy the psychosis of Norman Bates really is. Although I knew that Hermann often worked with Hitchcock, I was unaware that they communicated so well and that they had such a good relationship. They understood each other and I find it really interesting that Hermann was able to use his percussive music to relate what Hitchcock wanted.

NPR claims that Psycho represents the perfect union of the audio and the visual—a claim that I completely agree with. It is the music, not the imagery that amplifies the terror in Psycho. Despite the shocking stabbing and near nudity, even the famous shower scene is most remembered for the piercing, striking music. The juxtaposition presented by NPR of this scene without

music and with music shows that it is the music that continues to make people afraid of shower curtains.

Sing, Sing, Sing

I, like many of my age group, probably associate this song most with the famous dancing Chips Ahoy! cookie of television advertising fame, but Sing, Sing, Sing was a timeless classic way before that. When I was little, my mom had a CD with Sing, Sing, Sing on it that I used to listen to a lot. I liked it for the same reason people liked it when it came out—it is exciting and invigorating. I always knew that Sing, Sing, Sing was a popular big band piece, but I was unaware that it was some of thefirst swing music played at Carnegie Hall. Thinking about that kind of music being played in such a highbrow place made me realize that this piece was influential not only in style, but also in bridging the gap between jazz, popular music, and the highbrow community. NPR states that this performance of Sing, Sing, Sing legitimized swing music in the eyes of the general public.

The part of this podcast that I liked the most was probably the

interview with the man who was present at the concert. His description of how the audience was and the effect that Sing, Sing, Sing had on them made me think about what they must have been thinking as they heard this new music. It is interesting that even though it was music uncharacteristic of the venue, the audience was extremely respectful and excited to hear them as a legitimate musical ensemble. I never knew that Sing, Sing, Sing was such an influential piece on American popular culture, but it certainly has more history than just music to accompany swing dancing. One thing is certain: it will always be a classic and a favorite of all—whether the highbrow connoisseur or the Chips Ahoy!-eating common man.

Check out NPR's top 100 most influential American songs here:

http://www.npr.org/programs/specials/vote/100list.html

To Kill a Mockingbird

On September 11, 2010, I had the opportunity to view To Kill A Mockingbird, starring Gregory Peck. As a winner of three Academy Awards and the ranking of 34 on the American Film Institute’s top 100 Films of All Time list, To Kill a Mockingbird is certainly a great classic that continues to change many viewer’s perspective on racial issues.

To Kill a Mockingbird is based on Harper Lee’s novel of the same name. Its exploration of racism set in the 1930s mirrors the issues of the Civil Rights movement that were occurring during at the time of the film’s release in 1962. It movingly shows how little had changed since the 1930s and exposed more of the deeply rooted problems of the South during the 1960s. With the Civil Rights movement in full force, African Americans began protesting inequalities through freedom rides on the bus systems in 1961. By 1962, court orders were used to admit African Americans to Universities that had previously blocked them from admission. These events and others like them led up to what could be called one of the most intense social changes of the twentieth century. The fact that To Kill a Mockingbird was released during the Civil Rights movements gives power to an already powerful story and allowed viewers to easily connect the film to aspects of their own lives.

To Kill a Mockingbird uses many techniques to convey the message of racial tolerance to the viewer. One such technique is the use of opposite archetypal characters—specifically Atticus Finch and Bob Ewell. Atticus constantly does the right thing. He has integrity and stands up for what he believes in. Even though many people in the town are against him, Atticus continues to legally represent Tom Robinson, an African American. Bob, on the other hand, constantly lies and sneaks around to protect himself. He seeks to shift his own blame onto Tom Robinson because he is an African American. The juxtaposition of these two characters and particularly how they treat the African Americans in the story places an additional dimension of emphasis on the issue of racism. This black and white relationship betweenAtticus and Bob keeps the audience true to a moral compass and gives them a person to model themselves after.

Another way To Kill a Mockingbird added completeness to the exploration of racial injustice is through symbolism. One such symbol is the mockingbird. Although not explicitly shown, Atticus and Scout often make mention the tragedy of killing a mockingbird—something that is innocent and beautiful. The mockingbird in the story is symbolic of Tom Robinson, who is innocent of the crime of rape. Killing him represents the death of innocence caused by racism in their town. This symbol underscores the more obvious themes in the film and makes them stand out on an even more poignant level.

I loved this film. I remember reading the book in 9th grade with a student teacher and having an awful experience because she was an awful teacher. However, after watching the movie I remembered how beautifully the themes in the book are treated and how important they are to everyday life. It really made me think about our own society today and the issues of racism that we still harbor. It is sad that we still show racial intolerance after so many terrible events in our history. I also loved Gregory Peck’s performance as Atticus. I have scarcely been so moved by a speech in a movie as I was during Atticus speech in the courtroom. He raises so many interesting issues that are still applicable today. Films like To Kill a Mockingbird continue to remind us of everyone’s humanity and teach us to be more racially aware.

To Kill a Mockingbird has stood the test of time as one of our nation’s all time greatest films. Its relevance to social issues during its release up until today makes it a timeless classic that has changed my perspective on how we treat others.