The End (Blog Entry 14)

Blogging has truly been a new experience for me and I have found it very interesting. In a modern world, it seems everyone is talking about the internet as the primary means of expression, or at least written expression. I liked having the chance to explore a new media outlet. I definitely felt this class blog allowed us the opportunity to interact with one another and really get a sense of who each other were. If you take the time to look through every blog of one person, you can find common themes. Everyone in class had a unique perspective and reading the daily blog posts gave me a better sense of who everyone was. When I look through my posts, I see common themes of ambiguity, fantasy and imagination. Though all the entries called for different prompts, I still maintained a sense of self unintentionally.

One entry I wrote that I feel captured all three of those ideas was in my second entry, Souls of the Stars. This entry required us to analyze a photograph from the Time magazine website. As this was only my second entry, perhaps first analytical one, I was unsure where to go with it. As I started to write, I found that the reasons the picture struck me made themselves apparent to me. I did not need to formulate an idea; it was already within my previous inclinations toward fantasy and ambiguity. Writing for this class has allowed me the chance to really delve into my personal interests and deconstruct why and what made them special to me. Initially, I wasn’t sure a blog would suit me and I was unsure how I would handle this particular type of forum and audience. As he class progressed, it become easier and at times exciting. As we got to a really interesting topic, I began to really invest myself in my writing.

Previously, I had written on art and such before, so I considered myself prepared to write ‘on the visual arts’. However, my previous experience was much more limited than I thought. I had never expected to read a graphic novel or analyze a blog. The visual arts I knew would be broad, but I underestimated the variety of mediums. I have enjoyed exploring new visual arts and getting to know a variety of people.

The New Self in Resumes (Blog Entry 13)

I think this resume is interesting because it employs visual elements in a clean, yet intriguing manner. The border of green automatically makes it stand out from all the other resume examples I found. Also, the icon next to her name makes the document seem more personal. I think that this resume successfully conveys an individual rather than just an application. Also, since this particular resume is for advertising, I think it is extremely effective at showing the author’s ability to create something visually pleasing.

The white spaces are well balanced with the curved green frame and thin green insert. These little details make the white space less abrasive to the viewer. Her experience occupies the largest area of the resume, which I think is well placed. Also, her education, other abilities and awards are still incorporated, without taking over the other information. Also, her name is in larger print, next to her icon. This makes her resume very individualized and draws the attention to who she is. I think the resume is effective at communicating herself as a product. Resume’s aim to sell oneself to someone and this resume allows her to do so in a way that makes her the center of focus. Who she is does not seem to be lost among the text, white space and formatting. All of those elements supplement her individuality, while still advertising her experience, skills and educational background.

The intended audience would be a potential employer, in her case, within advertising. This example reveals how society expects an individual to be able to market him or herself and create a resume that explains who you are individually as well as giving basic background information. Resumes can seem monotonous or cookie cutter, which is often expected. However, going the extra step by adding interesting visual elements can set you apart an a competitive market. I think this resume shows how society’s rules of resumes are changing. In such a high stakes work field, little details in otherwise simple writing can make a huge difference. Previously, resumes used templates, but now there are many ways to represent oneself as a potential employee that is worth seeking out.

Contemplation in Hilarity (Blog Entry 12)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1637725/

Recently I went to see the movie Ted. I went with little expectations of discovering anything deep or powerful.  Interestingly, this over the top comedy,created by Family Guy writer, Seth Macfarlane carries heavy themes of psychoanalysis I found too relevant to ignore. Infantile associations are often indicative of psychoanalysis. In this modern story, the main character, John, does not entirely get along with all the other kids. In a childhood form of repression, he takes to his favorite stuffed animal, a teddy bear. Freud discusses the concept of talking dolls in his essay on the Uncanny. As a child we desire our toys to talk through experiences in child’s play. We give them names, have tea parties with them and often sleep with them at night. These dolls and stuffed animals in a way become our friends and children wish for them to have life. However, if our dolls do come to life, it becomes almost horrifying, as many collisions of unconscious and conscious desires result in. In the film, John’s parents react with terror when their son presents them with a live, talking teddy bear. Their first instinct is that it is evil and to kill it. Their reaction probably reflects what would happen in real life, yet Macfarlane’s hilarity of their violent reaction to something so infantile makes the concept of talking animals acceptable. Unconscious desires to have a talking toy are fulfilled and much like the Oedipus complex, provide reactions filled with disgust. Ted presents a humors account of what happens when the unconscious is literally manifested in a teddy bear.

 

In Ted, John on his birthday wishes that his teddy bear would come to life. The wish is fulfilled and his desire for his teddy bear to talk comes true. The bear named, Ted, due to his new life, is immortal and grows up with John. The film presents a story of a man who smokes too much weed, has little responsibility at work and struggles in general to make adult decisions. We begin to find that John is being held back by his infantile attachment to Ted. Ted in this way becomes an embodiment of John’s unconscious. John does not want to grow up and with Ted he is guaranteed a friend for life, stunting his drive to grow up. All his infantine narcissistic desires are fulfilled within his best friend and comfort blanket, Ted.

 

Additionally, the concept of Ted as a bear is very dream-like and makes it seem like John is constantly engaging in child’s play. Cut off from most of the ‘real’ world, John spends his time playing with his teddy bear, even as an adult. Ted is more than a bear and becomes an example of John’s unconscious desire to never grow up and remain in blissful union with his bear. Seth Macfarlane’s use of a teddy bear specifically targets the themes of infantile desires for oneness with another. The bear’s face is animated, can talk, and yet is exists in human reality. The bear is given human problems and has thick Boston accent. All of these factors make Ted believable and ultimately relatable. The humor used by Macfarlane allows viewers to accept this otherwise unbelievable premise.

 

I found this movie insightful despite its’ overall over the top humor and outlandish story. The story of John is a common one today. There are many people graduating college and taking jobs that offer little opportunity. The age of childhood (in terms of responsibility and maturity) is extending deeper into the 20s than ever before. I find this movie argues for recognition of a changing world, where the simple things are what truly matter. With so much technological progression and global expansion, it is hard to not feel small. To comment upon this feeling of drifting, Ted, shows it is ok to do so. This movie called upon childhood themes to tap into the audience’s unconscious and recall those play like worlds we used to love so much.

Narcissistic Fulfillment as Destructive (Blog Entry 11)

Narcissism arises out of an innate human desire to be of the center, undifferentiated from the rest of the world. In infancy, this narcissism is attained through the child’s dependence and union with the mother. According to Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, the bond between infant and mother is severed with the cessation of breast-feeding, and the child is forever looking to rediscover (or create) a world where the self is entirely connected to something, making the individual whole again. Often adult attempts to fulfill narcissistic desires end with negative consequences or neurosis. Under this perception of narcissism we see how Nina is develops neurotic disorders due to her merging conscious and unconscious.

This is reinforced by the camera work and overall themes of the film. First, Nina is constantly being filmed while in a mirror.  The staring and overwhelming presence of self puts her at the center of all attention. Everything in this film is centered on Nina. Essentially, even all of other characters are products of Nina’s projections, making her the only substantial subject of the film.  Also, the reflections within the mirrors we see show the multiple personalities within Nina. While practicing in a mirror, she sees her reflection, but it is staring menacingly, scratching her back. Another mirror, in her opening hallway often portrays her fragmented and incomplete, reflecting (literally) the internal struggle she is encountering. Finally, her ultimate demise, is caused by the stabbing of herself with a broken piece of her mirror. Her reflections are often doing different actions and can be viewed as manifestations of her unconscious self.

The unconscious and conscious split is also present within the overarching backstory of Swan Lake. Nina as the Swan Queen begins to physically embody both the good and evil swan sisters. The white swan is pure and innocent, much like Nina is as her conscious self. Nina’s conscious self is constantly trying to do right by societies rules. On the other hand, the black swan is sexual and deviant, representing the repressed desires of humanity. We see this through the character Lily who is often wearing black and is presented as carefree and uninhibited. Only later do we discover the true nature of Nina’s complex with Lily. This result only further emphasizes Nina’s total manifestation of unconscious and conscious. Nina’s attainment of the narcissistic desire for undifferentiated oneness through her role as the Swan Queen is ultimately self-destructive as her conscious and unconscious self collapse upon one another.

Black Swan: Dreams of Reality’s Polarities (Blog Entry 10)

Aronofsky’s Black Swan uses light and themes of darkness to convey the dichotomy present within the main character, Nina. This dichotomy is also present within supplementing story of the Black Swan play. The opening of the film captures the aesthetic of the film and its’ tone. We see a dancer passionately performing the role of the white swan. Her face is distraught, pained yet elegant. She is wearing white, perfectly lit by stage light. There are shadows all around her. As the dance progresses, she becomes enthralled by a black swan. They struggle and the two polar colors contrast and are further emphasized by stark shadowing. The internal conflict to come is foreshadowed in this opening sequence that is shot with visual eloquence. What is happening is not entirely clear; we as the viewers can feel the confusion and conflict in the dancer. The performance cuts and we see Nina telling her mother of her dream. The multiplicities dream like representations reoccur throughout the film.

On the subway, Nina is wearing a feathery white scarf showing how she as a concept is representative of the white swan. Her soft clothing further emphasizes her child-like and innocent demeanor. She is soft spoken, easy to manipulate and overall tries to please everyone. However, we begin to see a shift in her character after she achieves the role of the Swan Queen. Her director says she is ideal for the white swan, but will need to find her black swan inside to complete the role. The dichotomy set in place by the story of the Black Swan will begin to manifest within Nina herself.
Also interesting was the sound editing. There are often sequences of overhearing conversations, creating a sense of madness. You cannot always identify who is actually speaking. In the scenes in the dressing room, there are whispers of gossip. They resemble what would be possible voices in your head. This mirrors the madness Nina herself starts to encounter. Also, the music supplements these fragmented bits of dialogue. To reinforce the dream like state of Nina’s character, the music makes the whole thing seem like one long performance and in some form it is. This use of music creates an intense and dramatic tone throughout the movie, creating a frantic and uncertain atmosphere. It seems as though we are constantly trying to differentiate between reality and dream.

Pure Imagination (Blog Entry 9)

I couldn’t get the pictures to load which really bums me out, but please try these links and google pictures! Its pretty cool.

The visual piece I chose to analyze is a children’s book titled, Flotsam by David Wiesner. Being a soon-to-be elementary teacher, I think there are so many valuable works of children’s literature that are worth exploring. Flotsam is unique in that it is a picture book, entirely without words. It reads like a comic strip but there are absolutely no words. This seems strange for a kid’s book at first, but Wiesner’s illustrations are captivating and full of imagination, ideal for holding a child’s attention, as well as adults. I was leafing through the book today at work and the kids I was working with kept coming up and asking what the story was about, whyThe narrative told through pictures forces the reader to make connections and create the story themselves in their minds, stimulating the imagination.

http://necksoutforadventure.blogspot.com/2011/02/flotsam.html

The illustrations follow a boy who discovers a mysterious underwater camera washed up on the shore of a beach. The pictures in the camera are developed and the boy finds fantastical pictures of an underwater world. These images are of the child’s expansive imagination. For example there is an image of an octopus seated in an armchair in what looks like a family room. The mom or dad octopus is reading a book to a group of baby octopi. The image is a surreal depiction of the possible secret life of underwater creatures hidden from human eyes. After seeing some images of more imaginary sea scenes there is an image of a child holding a photograph, in which lies another photograph of a child holding a photograph of a child in that photograph and so forth. The boy uses a microscope to find the original child who looks as though he is from the late 1800s. We realize that this camera has been cycling for decades and so the boy continues the tradition, photographing himself and tossing it back into the ocean. The last page shows a girl reaching for the camera as it is washing upon the shore, showing the continuation of the cycle. The story is very engaging and keeps the viewer turning pages to find out what comes next.

http://www.millvalleylibrary.net/blog/?p=2321

I find the narrative is conveyed very effectively. The images in each sequence reveal just enough each frame to keep the story going and engaging. As a children’s book especially the narrative is fun, visually interesting and easy enough to follow. Also, as a teaching tool, the narrative provides a great lesson in close reading and connecting context clues to follow a sequence. By having frames situated like a comic book’s, the reader is given a path and sequence to make sense of the images. Every frame provides a reason for the previous, creating a cohesive story. Also, the larger frames of the story, which are meant to be an actual photograph from the camera, are given a white and black frame to indicate it is a photograph. Consistencies such as these keep the story moving smoothly. The lack of script makes this work a purely visual experience, which is quite unique. The reader only has their eyes to tell the story. The illustrations are very detailed and there is something new to be found every time it is looked at. These details provide more possible stories within each frame. This author/illustrator always uses only pictures and are exemplary of the power of image and imagination.

The Unspoken Hero (Blog Entry 8)

The character Bigby intrigued me because he held contradictory motives, though the resolution of the book enlightened me to his true nature. If you’ve every seen the movie Blade Runner, he reminded me of the tortured, detective Rick Deckard. Not that both meet the same fate, but they share similar traits that provide them with further depth and mystique. Bigby comes from little, according to the Fable community, but then again, many of them have lost their prestige upon entry into the Mundane world. On an equal playing field, Bigby believes he can do something important and takes his work seriously. He is a character who is more than he initially seems. Many of the Fables characters are one-dimensional. The Beauty and the Beast have become just another bickering couple and are practically the same as the Mundy people. Red Rose also portrayed as the sexualized, party girl who becomes the victim.

Bigby’s multiplicities are hinted at through his visual representation, secrecy and character development. On page 20, in the middle frame, Bigby is standing in a black trench coat, smoking a cigarette, one hand in his pocket with a tough scowl on his face. Behind him he casts a dark shadow of a wolf. All of these visual aspects create an aura of mystery. He is rough, cold and acts as if he is hiding something. Later we find he can literally transform into a wolf, but he also is hiding something, building his character’s enigmatic and alluring nature. Despite is rough exterior, the reader can tell he is the hero or at least on the good side. He tells Snow White about her sister because he “thought you’d want to know right away” (17). He subtly reveals his empathetic side, contradicting his outward appearance. Throughout the novel, Bigby acts aggressively when he is interrogating his suspects. His overall speaking also mirrors this aggression through swearing and sarcasm. I liked how Willingham was able to use Bigby to represent the paradoxes that exist within people. Bigby is angry and aggressive, but that does not mean he does not feel. His nonchalant personality is actually a mask for his secret soft side. Willingham is able to make a broader statement through his hero, Bigby. On page 65 we see Bigby as a wolf, gigantic, menacing and very much monstrous.  Turn to page 119 and we are presented with a sensitive, vulnerable man. His wolf and man dichotomy is easy to relate to, yet complex in its various examples and subtleties making

Culprit Hidden in Plain Sight (Blog Entry 7)

Prediction:

Right now, there are no clear suspects I solidly believe to be responsible for Rose Red’s death or disappearance. The character Jack seems harmless in his self-centered qualities. He would not go through with such a malicious act, but Bluebeard does seem more suspicious. His ties with murdering women he marries makes him a viable option due to his secretive engagement with Rose Red, but I still find him a red herring of sorts. This leaves me with The Adversary and Snow White herself. We don’t know much about The Adversary other than he is responsible for forcing the fables into the mundane world. I think the jump from a personal murder to an attack on the whole fable community is a large one to make. Snow White on the other hand seems somewhat more likely, yet I don’t see her entirely physically capable of causing that extent of violence within the crime scene. I think it may actually be Bigby himself because of the way the apartment looked. It looks at though a wild wolf may have ravaged the place. When he is examining the kitchen alone (see page 25) he discovers a lock has been removed from the freezer door, implying something was taken from that location. He does not tell anyone about it and it is not addressed later in the reading through page 72. I think this will perhaps prove relevant later. Rose Red could have been hiding something of value to him and he needed to go cover his tracks. I would like to view Bigby has a heroic character, but this scenario compromised my opinion on him. Also, there are other elements of his character suggesting he may be keeping something. He states the blood in the apartment is Red’s without any other verification. His pig friend says he is “still a monster through and through” (pg. 29). And he refuses to let White know what his master plan is. He may have brought in White to make himself seem more trustworthy and to have her unintentionally aid in a cover up.

Frame Analysis:

I chose to examine the fame on the bottom of page 71, the last one before he goes over to meet White at the end of the chapter. Bigby is sitting in his dismal looking apartment, hands covering his face with apparent distress while smoking a cigarette. The room is darkly lit showing that it is night. The dark tone of the frame creates an aura of uncertainty. The perspective of the reader views Bigby from a corner, adding more mystery to the image. I find this image interesting because it is right after he has quickly left White and is saying how he has a plan, but won’t reveal it. He looks unsure and stressed out even though you cannot see any facial expression. His sitting position and lit cigarette imply he is anxious about something. We can assume he is anxious that his plan won’t work, but we don’t know what the plan is. Going off my prediction, he could be concerned his plan is collapsing and he may get caught. Or he is creating a larger scheme to catch the killer and is concerned about his failure. Much of this image has a sense of shadowing and masking reflecting how we are not entirely clear what is happening or going to happen. There are no clear suspects at this point so we as readers feel about as lost as he looks in this picture. Also, throughout the narrative, Bigby has been portrayed as rugged, strong and in control. Here he is only wearing a towel making him appear more vulnerable than at any other point during the story. It is also one of the few times we see him outside of his ‘detective’ character. The only other time he is entirely outside of investigation is on page 29 when he is talking with his pig friend and here is wearing no pants, again a more vulnerable appearance. It is interesting to notice how his persona changes when not in front of those who believe he is investigating.

Eye of Self (Blog Entry6)

The image I selected to analyze is called The Struggle and it is a straight on portrait of a man. His face is painted over with multi-tones of reds, peach tones, white and yellow. The layering and multiple colors used imply a sort a motion and the image looks alive in some way. His shirt is a bright yellow and painted with similar brushstrokes as his face. His hair is grey and somewhat flat compared to his skin. She shadows his body behind him against a blue background, which makes him look more three-dimensional and real. His gaze directly engages the viewer and you have to look closely to realize that his eyes are the only things unpainted. This makes his eyes pop and they become the primary focus of this work. The expression on his face is not entirely clear, allowing the viewer to impose whatever feelings they want. Though the title of the work suggests that it is strained and not entirely resolved. I don’t believe he looks particularly sad, but there is a somber quality to his look that makes you wonder what it is he is ‘struggling’ with.

This image gains its meaning through this man’s eyes, which are left untouched by her brush. You have to wonder why she chose to leave that part of him unpainted. Eyes are a central feature to the face and one’s identity. Many people can be identified alone upon their eyes. I think by painting over the rest of him, she recognizes how our identities are being generalized, while there will always be part of us that is our own, just as his eyes are to him in this image. When I first looked at the image, I was unsure if his eyes were painted or not, but if you look at the painting as a whole you can see the difference between his eyes and the rest of the work.

Meade’s hybridized art I think speaks of the time we live in. Today, we are confronted with multiplicities everyday, and our mind struggles to differentiate between them all. By combining multiple mediums, Meade is embracing this idea of modernity fusing photography with painting. Photography is mechanized, it captures the exact moment, while painting is a more traditional art form, reflecting a timeless element. Her works live through time due to her use of both seemingly opposite meanings. Her work reminds me of Gerhard Richter who also paints on top of photographs. I find their works have similar tones. There is something about taking what is exact, such as a photo, and abstracting it through painting that creates a powerful image. You look at her paintings and can tell they must be based in reality, yet the paint obscures your view. I found her work very interesting to look at and analyze. There is a very post-modern message of ambiguity conveyed  through her work.

Analyzing a Friend (Blog Entry 5)

“Whether looking out or looking in I look, search, always seeking after something beyond reach, sinking slowly downward, immersing myself in this place, one continually growing in intricacies & depth unforseen … Feeling light within I walk, propelled by my dreams, further into the abyss of the unknown. Darkness surrounds me, but the breeze reassures my existence, my presence. I shine, for those who can see.” (Gazing into the Abyss, Alexandra Janak)

The blog I chose to write about today is my friend’s personal art blog. We have lived together for two years and I think her art speaks volumes to her unique individuality and artistic vision. Outside of her art, she has an eccentric personality, but her artwork and blog takes on a persona all of its own. The purpose of this blog is to make her artwork visible and to express her personal artistic viewpoints. I would say the audience is anyone interested in art. As it is published in a public forum, that makes it available to almost anybody. She only started this blog about a month ago, so as of now she does not have many followers. Feel free to check it out at http://lexiejanak.com/! She’d appreciate it. I think her art is meaningful to the present because it possesses post-modern themes of ambiguity and truth though individual insight, which are relevant in this day and age.

Her blog implements written work as well visual. The layout is simple, clean and easy to read and follow. I think she uses them effectively to reflect the content of her artwork. One blog accompanying an artwork titled, ‘Gazing into the Abyss’ carries themes of being immersed in a sea of unknowing. The included passage above is her writing accompanying it. Though it is a shorter entry, I find it eloquently provides more context to her otherwise abstract painting. The blog, ‘Gazing into the Abyss’ is about one of her multi-media artworks. It features a black spiraling background created with ink. Stalactites and stalagmites painted with acrylic and oil, frame the ‘abyss’ creating a depth and sense of looking in and or through at something (or nothing). Also painted red, green and blue with acrylic and oil are circles created by circles, reemphasizing a sense of spinning. Embedded within the cave features are green, purple, red and blue interlocking triangles created by paper collage. Her writing accompanying it provides some insight to herself and the motive of her art. Her writing effervesces with ambiguity, which is fitting for the abstract art it is describing. Also, her use of ‘I’ in the writing adds more character to her blog persona.

Being my friend, I of course recommend this blog, but not just because she is my friend. Her art is different and her written voice stands out from most. She possesses nostalgia through ambiguity that embodies feelings with which we all can identify and I think she does well at conveying them both through her words and artwork.