Danny and the Deep Blue Sea by John Patrick Shanley

John Patrick Shanley provides the reader with a good indication of the play’s energy when he subtitles it An Apache Dance.  The definition he provides is “a violent dance for two people, originated by the Parisian apaches.  Parisian apaches are gangsters or ruffians.”  The two characters of the play, Danny and Roberta, have mangled, ripped, jagged souls.  Their lives have been extremely difficult and have torn at the very base of these peoples’ beings.  They meet each other one night at a bar.  Immediately their personal dysfunctions are on display.  Shanley writes them very naked.  The imperfections and ugliness  that lie inside of them are not hidden.  After some initial tense small talk Roberta reveals her darkest secret.  She has been sexually exploited by her own father.  This fact has become a major basis of Roberta’s self loathing.  Danny responds coolly, which puts Roberta more at ease.  This makes her think that she can needle her new drinking in an attempt to get him to open up.  Roberta pokes at Danny until he violently lashes out and begins to choke her.  Instead of flinching she asks him to do it harder.  Danny is confused and continues to hide behind his machismo and violent nature.  As the night nears an end Roberta asks Danny to come home with her.  This adds a new layer of their relationship.  After having sex Roberta and Danny begin to play a game.  The two of them try and be nice to each other.  The game dips from success to failure, but at the end of it the two of them have found a safe place where they can have dreams and hope.  They agree to get married.  For the first time in a long time, Roberta sleeps soundly.  In the morning Roberta becomes scared of the goodness that she experienced and begins to push Danny away.  Our experience of Danny before would lead us to believe he will lash out and bury his emotion into anger, but instead the pain he is experiencing manifests into sadness.  He is genuinely hurt that the dream they had created the night before is being taken away.  Roberta eventually comes around and the two of them agree to walk away from the bleakness that has enveloped their lives so far.

Danny:  29 years old.  A rough violent man with a deeply pained soul.  His violent nature has earned him the nickname Beast.  He is unable to keep a steady job because of his inability to temper anger.  Seemingly immune to feeling and love.  Mangled.
Roberta:  31 years old.  A single mother who is psychologically damaged.  Unable to care for herself or her child.  Broken.  Self-loathing.  Bleak outlook on herself and future.

Great Falls

Great Falls

By

Lee Blessing

Characters: 

(F)  Bitch

(M) Monkey Man 

A play that exposes dramatic tragedies as well as moral issues, such as abortion, infidelity, domestic violence, and sexual abuse. The victim and main female character,“Bitch,” is a 17 year old girl who experienced a difficult and monstrous life with her biological father. When the father leaves, a new man comes into Bitch’s life, “Monkey Man”, her stepfather in who she sees hope and a new opportunity to have a paternal figure in her life. Tragedy and deception are two of the main themes portrayed in the play when “Monkey Man” confesses his affairs to Bitch’s mother breaking the heart of his young stepdaughter. The play follows Monkey Man seeking for Bitch’s forgiveness trying to please her in whatever way he can. His surprises are when he realizes that Bitch is now a young adult woman who has lived in hell ever since he left.  

"Tender Offer" - Wendy Wasserstein

Characters:

PAUL (35) - a businessman and a dad, whose does a poor job of balancing the two.

LISA (9) - a young dancer who wants appreciation and attention from her father

Summary: 

A father arrives late to his daughter’s dance recital. She panders for attention, but then suddenly becomes apathetic, spurring him to want to build their relationship.

27 Wagons Full of Cotton Play Summary

Characters: (2M, 1F)

"27 Wagons Full of Cotton" by Tennessee Williams
Jake Meighan: A Cotton-Gin Owner
Flora: His Wife
Silva Vicarro: Superintendent of the Syndicate Plantation


Summary:

Taking place in Blue Mountain, Mississippi, Flora leaves her house when a fire breaks out on the Syndicate Plantation near her house hold. Her husband Jake, who owns a cotton gin, returns home. She questions him on where he was, prompting him to physically abuse her until she lies about him being at the house the entire day. He rewards her with sexual advances. The next afternoon, the superintendent of the Syndicate plantations, Silva, visits the house of a very happy Jake as he has been recently been commissioned to transport 27 wagons of cotton in light of the recent fire. He brags about this as he leaves. Vicarro attempts to wrestle the truth out of Flora in regards to Jake's real location during and after the fire as he believes Jake may have committed arsony on the plantation. He begins to advance on her sexually. Flora tries to escape by going inside the house but Vicarro's follows her into the house where he rapes her. Later that evening Jake returns to a physically and emotionally ravaged Flora. She tells him that Vicarro may pay more visits to the house in the future much to Jake's complete oblivious attitude of her recent rape. He goes inside, leaving her in her emotionally crippled state as she sings.

 

 

~Michael Canas~

Blog #1-One Act Summary and Photo: A Memory of Two Mondays

A Memory of Two Mondays by Arthur Miller

11 M, 2 F, 1 (could be played either M/F)

Bert-18; outsider to the group; young with aspirations to go to college
Raymond "Ray" Ryan-40; the manager who is overworked but genuinely cares about his employees
Gus-68; bald, flirty, with a large and loud personality. He has been with the company the longest and speaks with a Slavic accent.
Jim -mid-70s; best friends with Gus, quiet and unassuming
Kenneth "Kenny"-26; recent Irish immigrant who is attractive, modest, kind, and friendly except when you make him mad
Tom Kelly-late 40s; well-liked, respectable, amiable man with a tendency to be an alcoholic but with the capacity to change
Larry-39; good-looking, cool, and quietly burdened with the talents and skills that are not appreciated and an accumulating financial debt

Agnes (Female)-late 40s; spinster who has a big heart and a tendency to laugh and/or cry with little provocation

Patricia "Pat"-23; pretty but doesn't know who she is
Frank-30s; truckdriver delivery guy who is impassive, burly, and looking for tail of the female variety
Jerry Maxwell-early 20s; friends with Willy; 1930s equivalent to a bro
Willy Hogan-early 20s; friends with Jerry; 1930s equivalent to a bro
Mechanic (M or F)-speaks to Larry with snarky attitude (no given physical description)
Mr. Eagle-40s; the good-looking terse absentee boss


This play is set in the 1930s in a car parts store/warehouse in New York. It follows the days of the employees in two different seasons, Summer and Winter.  It features a colorful cast of characters that reminds me of the cast of Cheers transposed in the car part business during the Great Depression. They form a highly untraditional and slightly dysfunctional family that both captures the woes of the time period and the hope for a future to come. The only character that does not belong in the story is the youthful and naive Bert who longs for a better life and leaves the business to go to college.



This play is neither happy or sad; it has it's serious and fun moments. Miller balances the relationships of the characters with the backdrop of the Great Depression. However, the fact that it is set in the U.S. during the 1930s is never forgotten. These hard times really color and haunt the characters.

I think this photograph captures this relationship. First of all, the image is associated with vehicles which are representative of the objects that facilitate the contact between the characters of the play. However, Miller uses both the technology and mechanization associated with car parts to also represent many things such as the passage of time accelerating to a mechanical future, materialism, capitalism, and the impending war on the horizon. The tangled wires in the foreground symbolize the comforting yet convoluted relationships between the employees that is on the surface of the play. The junkyard and other vehicles out of focus in the background represent the time period that the show is set in, which is a prevalent although not dominant aspect of the play. These two element bidirectionally inform each other.

Post #1 (Play Summaries) - The Boundary

The Boundary 

by Tom Stoppard & Clive Exton

Cast: 3 men, 1 female, & 1 shim (operator can be a man or woman)

Characters:

Johnson: Male, an old lexicographer

Operator: A male or female voice (unseen role)

Bunyans: Male, another old lexicographer with an unfortunate name

Brenda: Female, Johnson's wife

Cricketeer: Male, a cricket player (silent role)

Summary: 

In this made-for-BBC collaboration between Tom Stoppard and Clive Exton, The Boundary begins with Johnson entering a library that has been completely torn up to pieces. There are papers upon papers covering the entire office floor, furniture, etc. He peers into a telescope through the window to see a cricketeer, and then snaps back to his reality.  He tries to call the operator to report that he has been burglarized, when in comes Bunyans. Bunyans is Johnson's co-lexicographer, and throughout the one-act, we discover the men have been hard at work on compiling a dictionary, yet also have some bad blood boiling between the two. They argue, but become tangled in their own words as well as trying to place their dictionary's words back in order. Under all of the mess of papers, they both spot Brenda's feet, thinking she is dead, but do not voice this to one another. Eventually Brenda awakens and confronts the two, with the two men thinking Brenda committed the crime out of spite, as she is a bad lexicographer. They then hear glass breaking, and all turn towards the same window Johnson earlier peered through where he saw the cricketeer. The window is broken, and Brenda is now lying on the floor, unconscious, with a ball rolling on the floor. Johnson and Bunyan look at the window (which is a French window), to see it open and in enters the same cricketeer. Wind blows through and the papers are all rifled up again. The cricketeer collects his ball from the floor and exits through the window. Moral of the story: dictionaries are lost causes and cricketeers are assholes. 

#1: "Finding the Sun"

"Finding the Sun" by Edward Albee

Character list:
Abigail (23); Mousy brown/blond hair, pinched features; not tall; thinnish, not pretty, but not plain. Benjamin's wife.
Benjamin (30); Thirty; blond, willowy-handsome; medium height.
Cordelia (28); Attractive in a cold way; dark or raven hair; tallish; good figure. Daniel's wife.
Daniel (37); Dark; tall; good-looking.
Edmee (45); Smallish; together; a stylish matron. Fergus's mother.
Fergus (16); Blond, handsome, healthy kid; swimmer's body.
Gertrude (60); Small, gray hair, deeply tanned, thinnish, elegant outdoors woman. Henden's wife.
Henden (70); Big, sprawly man; white hair; looks like a retired diplomat.

8 characters: 4 men, 4 women.

Eight beach chairs imply the setting. Each group of two walks in, when Daniel and Benjamin recognize each other, proclaiming their love for one another. Meanwhile, Fergus is going around meeting everyone while Abigail and Cordelia are arguing about the sexual orientation of their husbands. Edmee has an opposite Oedipus complex towards Fergus. Fergus contemplates suicide. Henden is Daniel's father, and you discover the trouble in their relationship. Eventually, Abigail threatens to leave Ben for the umpteenth time, and Ben tries to convince Cordelia and Daniel to let him live with them. Then, Henden dies in the last scene, and Fergus is nowhere to be found.

The Still Alarm by Kaufman

In The Still Alarm by George S. Kaufman, two friends/ business partners (Bob and Ed) are visiting with each other in Bob's hotel room when the bellboy bursts in and tells the men that the hotel is on fire. The men, neither of whom are greatly concerned with this information, tell the boy to run and call the fire department. In the meantime the men leisurely gather their belongings, look out the window at the crowd gathering below, speculate how long it will take for the fire to reach them, and complain about how hot the room is getting. When the firemen arrive, they also don't seem to be greatly interested by the fire at hand and while one of them half-heartedly speculates the best way to defeat the fire, another fireman gets out his violin for "practice." The curtain falls on all of the men gathering around the violinist for a concert while they wipe their brows from the heat.

Cast: 5 men
Ed and Bob: Friends. Appear to be builders. Both 30-50.
Bellboy: Nervous. 15-20.
Firemen: Non-interested. Both 20-40.

Visual Art

It was incredibly difficult for me to pick three of my favorite pieces of visual art to post. I looked at everything from my favorite architecture, to famous tattoos, to impressionism and charcoal drawings. I just picked a few of my favorite artists of all time and looked through their collections. 

Here goes! 

Candy Cigarette- Sally Mann

This is the piece I wrote about in class. I am a huge admirer of Mann's work, and it inspires me on the daily. I am particularly fond of her collection "Immediate Family" in which she documents the childhood summer adventures of her three children, Emmet, Jessie and Virginia. She shoots black and white large format film and has incredibly unique and effective developing techniques. Her photos are controversial, raw and lovely- Check em out. 

Banksy

I discovered Banksy as an angst filled pre-teen, and he appealed to everything artistic and defiant inside of me. He remains one of my favorite artists to date, and is possibly one of the most famous anonymous artists of our time. His work, which appears overnight, is anti-war, anti-establishment, thought provoking and really freaking good. One of these days I'm going to go on a tour and visit his remaining work. 

Pawel's Back- Nan Goldin

Nan Goldin is a photographer well-known for her slightly jarring documentation of her life in New York in the early eighties. I love her work, and it makes me really uncomfortable in a good way. She hung out with performers, the transgendered and queer community, a lot of drug addicts, and people who suffer abuse. Her raw stills of these people are alarming, and capture such specific moments. My portfolio seems to have a similar thread to Goldin's- capturing friends, lovers, and the people I am inspired by. This photo iskind of unlike the rest of her stuff, in that it is very silent and peaceful, but the situation pops of the page in such an intimate way, you feel like you are there. Love it. 

My Personal Art

One of the greatest pictures of 2005; a man holding the sun.  

 NBA Action  figures. A very creative and amusing way to present Basketball players. i found this very creative and funny.

 An artistic painting that at the same time is an optical illusion. 

A MARRIAGE PROPOSAL by Anton Chekhov

Summary

A Marriage Proposal portrays the difficult union of a man and woman who seemingly cannot endure five minutes without arguing with each other about things unrelated to their future marriage. When Ivan Vassiliyich Lomov goes to his neighbor's house to propose a marriage to the daughter of the farmer, he discovers that the issue is not the father, but the woman he seeks to marry.

Character Breakdown
Stepan Stepanovitch Tschubukov, a country farmer
Natalia Stepanovna, his daughter
Ivan Vassiliyitch Lomov, Tschubukov's neighbor

2 males, 1 female

Depicted Photo

Three Images

Pablo Picasso's Woman with a Mandolin

I've always liked the look of cubism.  Disparate parts come together to make a singular vision.  I also really like the color in this particular painting.  (Or lack there of I suppose.)







I think this symbol for equality is simple and effective.  It communicates a fantastic message with two lines.




This is a photo from President Obama's inauguration.  The historic nature of the event will forever be entwined with my personal feelings.  The country seemed hopeful and united.  Optimism seemed to sweep through the divided and cantankerous nation.  An estimated one million people showed up to usher in this new era of the American dream.  President Obama's story encapsulated the values that we as Americans hold so dear to our hearts.  That anyone who works hard can aspire and achieve their goals.  I think I will always look back at this photo and remember the hope and probably naivete.

Three pieces of visual arts

Youngchul Park

1. "The Treachery of Images" by Rene Magritte

I first saw this painting in the drama class, 120C. It was impressive because of the painter's thought about the people's conventional thoughts by words. The words in French mean "This is not a pipe".

2. The logo of a Korean tv show called 'Infinite Challenges'

This is my most favorite tv show and I like the logo of it, especially the question mark on the top of the title. I believe curiosity is one of the most important qualities as an artist. 

3. "All I Own" by a Swedish photographer, Sannah Kvist

The people in the photos were born in the 80's. When I looked at these pictures, they made me think about the global financial crisis and I empathized with them because I am one of them. 

Three pieces of visual art

 

ART #1

 

 

I wanted to find an image of the ghost light in the Claire Trevor theatre but couldn't locate one I was crazy about and this is closest to the image I had in mind. I'm very attracted to the ideal/mental picture of the ever-watchful protector commissioned to protect his/her charge alone against the darkness. Grandiose cliches aside, I LOVE ghost lights because they really embody that heroic ideal so perfectly. It really illustrates that ray-of-hope factor!

 

ART #2

 

 

I am a big supporter of nature and just tranquility in general. I never pass up a good chance to mingle with some trees! I love this picture because it reminds me of opportunity bound for success and childhood. Also the vivid autumn colors really bring out a vivacity of life amongst the trees and I think that's worth looking into as well.

 

 

ART #3

 

 

I wrote this once in my "favorite visual art" question on Wednesday, but I was always a sucker for a single red spotlight on stage. That hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck suspense that occurs when the light comes on works everytime for me and the potential for a sublime, dark, and eerie good time at the theatre always fills up to the brim when this little guy turns on.

 

 

~Michael Canas~

 

 

#1: The Unseen: Play Synopsis

The Unseen

by Craig Wright

Characters:

WALLACE, male, a prisoner

VALDEZ, male, a prisoner

SMASH(SMEIJA), male, a guard

Synopsis:

Scene 1- Wallace and Valdez are in two prison cells with one cell in between them. Valdez suggests that there is someone in the cell between them. Wallace dismisses the claim and says that this is the day that they escape with help by the guard Smash. Smash then comes in and explains that he is having a bad day because he has been reprimanded and punished for being to sensitive to Wallace and Valdez's pain. He says that it is hard for him to torture the men then see them in pain. After Smash leaves, three taps are heard on the inside of Valdez's cell wall, confirming that there is indeed someone between them.

Scene 2- Ten days later, Valdez talks to Wallace about how the person who lives between them has been sending him signals through tapping sounds about a story from ten thousand years ago that explains how and why the prison was built. Wallace says that it is ridiculous and that Valdez is losing it. Smash then comes in and opens both their cell doors. He explains that he has just tortured a man to death and that now he is letting Valdez and Wallace go free. Smash also reveals that he has been in the cell in between the two of them and has been communicating with Valdez just to mess with him. As Smash leaves, Valdez and Wallace exit their cells and see each other for the first time and leave together.

One Act Summary and Picture

Summary:

Hands Across the Sea by Noel Coward is a story of an English couple, the Gilpins, who become confused when visited by the Wadhursts. Having had an earlier call from the Rawlingsons, Piggie (Mrs. Gilpin), confuses the Wadhursts with the Rawlingsons which leads to a very puzzling and awkward encounter between everyone involved.

Cast Breakdown:

5 Males;         Peter Gilpin, Mr. Wadhurst, Mr. Burnham, Bogey, Ally
3 Females;      Piggie Gilpin, Mrs. Wadhurst, Clare, Walters

Photo:

3 Pieces of Art

1. Future imagined from the 1920s. I just recently stumbled upon this picture, and--in truth--this particular picture isn't as important as the idea behind it. I adore the ideas held about the future from the 1920s, particularly the Art Deco style put upon the future.

2. Alice in Wonderland by Brandi Milne. Brandi Milne's style of artwork is profoundly beautiful to me and when she applied it to my favorite story--Alice--I jumped for joy. The color palate and the length of the legs are two particular elements which I love.

3. L'Annuncio (The Trinity) by Salvador Dali. This painting hangs in the Vatican Museum and I fell in love with it. I love Dali's work in general but this particular piece--with its use of warm lighting that is set off by the cool silvers and dark blacks is enchanting.

The Problem: Play Synopsis

The Problem 
by A.R. Gurney Jr.

The Problem has two characters: The Husband and The Wife. Both are in their thirties. 

All the action takes place in the simple study room of their home.

The play begins with the Wife revealing her now pregnant belly to her husband. The Husband seems strangely unalarmed until the Wife reveals that the child may not be the product of her and him, but that of her and a black man. Because she and her husband have not made love in nearly five years, she is convinced the child will be black or mulatto. Later the Husband calmly admits that he has been disguising himself as the black man, making love to her and deceiving her for the past five years. The Wife then states that she knew it was her husband disguised all along and after one night of love making, replaced herself with a woman who looked identical to her. She goes on to explain that every night while her disguised husband and her decoy were making love, she would sneak out into the ghetto and offer herself as an "ecstatic white sacrifice to anyone with an income of less than five thousand." This declaration turns her husband on like no other. The pair both become aroused and the Husband pops his wife's pregnant belly with his pipe cleaner. After her belly deflates we learn that the couple has been engaged in some role-playing foreplay the entire time. The Husband, now acting like Tarzan, proceeds to carry his wife offstage as she giggles and kicks pretending to be Jane.

3 Pieces of Visual Art

#1: Fight Club ending

Fight Club is one of my favorite movies and I really enjoy this piece of artwork which was made by a fan of the film. This piece of art is very politically charged, as is the film, which is why I appreciate it so much. The piece for me symbolizes the destruction of corrupt institutions, rebirth and harmony between all peoples. I really enjoy the colors and shadows that the artist has utilized as well to give their vision life. This piece has also been my desktop background for many months now and I love seeing it every time I open my computer.

Fight Club

#2: The Golden Gate Bridge.

Last Thanksgiving, I took a drive with some friends up to San Francisco for the first time. I was awestruck by the size and majestic quality of the bridge when I first encountered it. It was just amazing to be walking on something so historic and beautiful. I find it incredible that something so immense and long can be held up like it is and still have the capacity to hold of several automobiles and people simultaneously. Suspension bridges really are a wonder.

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco

#3: The Thinker

When I was in high school, I had my room decked out with my dad's old 1970's blacklight posters. I saw this particular poster online and I really wanted to add it to my room, but the provider stopped making it and it became impossible to find. Nevertheless, I still liked the dark, eerie feeling of this poster. I love all the different shades of purple and the glad expression on the skeleton's face, even though he is all alone pondering on his giant mushroom. The silhouettes of the trees and mountains in front of the moon look awesome, and the shade of the green grass is quaint and seems to be glowing. I would travel to the world within this poster if I was given the opportunity. I don't know how long I would stay there, but I would give it a shot.

3 Works of Visual Art

1.)    

The artist is Chris Charney and painted the mural inside the rotunda of the Pacific View Mall in Ventura, CA. I love the ability to see the world in this point of view. It's my imagination as a little girl pretending to be a mermaid come true. I imagine myself swimming underwater when I see this and it's as if I am looking up at the sun-setting sky and seeing all the sky's colors blend together. Its so many different ideas/things/images/colors at one time and I cant help but get excited about this painting! I was super happy the day I saw this at the mall from my hometown :)

P.S. It looks even more amazing when youre actually standing under it!!!

2.)    

This photo from John Downey is of an an American soldier receiving a kiss of gratitude for the liberation of Paris during World War II. I am a sucker for romance and immediately when I see this photo I fall in love with the soldiers for smiling even though they are surrounded by violence. This kiss screams Thank You and you just can't help but smile after seeing this photo <3

3.)    


I visit Santa Barbara a lottt and every single time there is a man who always constructs sand sculptures! This particular sculpture is not one of my favorites and it is definitely not one of his best, but i wasn't able to attach any other photo of his sculptures because the rights were reserved =/ The name of the artist is unknown because he's just some random guy who builds sculptures for tips on the street at the SB Pier. But I always love to see what he's doing next! I think sand sculpture is creative but what I love about it most is that it just seems like such a fun way to create ART! Its not even being an artist, its playing in the sand...and you just happened to create a masterpiece haha

1. Synopsis of The Happy Journey (Cinthia Palmer)

The Happy Journey

by Thornton Wilder

copyright 1931, 1949

Characters:

• The Stage Manager: helps with the few 'set' changes in this one act. Plays a few other characters (gas station attendant, neighbor-women). 
• Ma Kirby: caring, devout, the driving force
• Pa Kerby/Elmer: her husband. Does what he's told. 
• Arthur (13): their son. Says something offensive and feels bad about it later. 
• Caroline (15): their daughter. "A good girl."
• Beulah (22): their married daughter. She's just had a miscarriage. 

The Kirby family, definitely led by Ma, goes on a trip out to the country to visit Beulah who was just very sick. On their way (most of the play is them in a car/on their way) they point out scenery and have small talk. Ma, as the voice of the play, gives snippets of different anecdotal life lessons. 

'Country Road' by Tom Granneman

#2: Visual Art

Here's what I have:

#1: Maid in London by Banksy

I have always loved street art because it can turn the dull and dirty walls of a city into something beautiful. Since it becomes a public part of the city, everyone can enjoy it.  I like how this one makes you look twice, because you cannot tell if the bricks are real or painted on.

#2: The Wave Organ by Peter Richards and George Gonzalez

I used to go to The Wave Organ all the time with my friends from back home. There are a bunch of pipes that go down into the ocean and produce music as the tides come in. When you are standing there, it feels like you are almost a part of the ocean and its incredibly peaceful. If you every go to San Francisco, I highly suggest you check it out.

#3 Personal Forest by Jacek Yerka

Perhaps its because since a very young age I've love Alice in Wonderland, but I have always loved things that take place in a sort of dream world. Yerka's paintings embody that. I love the way it takes pieces of our everyday life and makes them fantastical.  I also love that there is something different that you notice every time you at this piece. 

#2: Visual Art

#1

"Magnolias on Gold Velvet Cloth" by Martin Johnson Heade

I like this painting so much because I first discovered it when I was six in a board game called "Masterpiece."     It was my favorite piece out of the assorted forty or so in the game, and I was always crushed if I didn't get it while playing. Now, it holds a sentimental image of my childhood (which was a pretty great childhood), so this will always be my favorite piece of art. Also, the duller gray/black contrasted with the gold, white, and green fills me with hope, knowing that light will defeat the darkness.

#2

Painted on a post 2/3 of the way up the Hollywood Sign hike.

I saw this post while I was walking the Hollywood sign with some intern friends I made over the summer. To me, this symbolizes that I am working at my dream job already and that all the hard work I've done has paid off. It's so encouraging to all people who walk the sign, knowing they have made it to the town where their dreams can come to fruition. I LOVE it. :)

#3

The Toshiba Tower, Irvine

I have been fascinated with this building since freshman year. It's not as cool as I thought it would be up close, but from far away it looks like there is a huge chunk out of the side of the building. I find it so interesting because I have no sense of understanding about how the building doesn't fall over. I think it is so wonderful the creativity the architect had in their design.

*If you can't tell already, most art for me, in order to be meaningful, has to have a personal connection from my life attached to it. Also, I enjoy unconventional forms of art. Interestingly enough, I feel the same way about theater (to an extent).

Visual Arts!

My favorite painting of all time is Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh

I feel that this one image encapsulates an entire fantasy. I like to imagine what life is like in the tucked away town. There is also a song called "Starry Starry Night" by Don McLean that I have a strong connection to, making me even more attached to the painting.

A photograph that I love and that hung on the wall opposite my bed all last year is "V-J Day in Times Square" by Alfred Eisenstaedt.










I am a sucker for U.S. history and romance. I love the idea that a man was so overcome with joy and excitement because WWII was finally over, that he literally could not help but grab that women and plant a kiss on her. I think it is meaningful and beautiful to see such a moment of happiness.

I recently have become a huge fan of the anime series One Piece. I always viewed anime as a stigmatized, lesser art form, but once I actually gave it a chance, I was pleasantly surprised.

This is the character Chopper from One Piece. He is my absolute favorite. This picture shows the wonder and pleasure that the character feels from finally finding a place that he is accepted.

Post #2: Visual Art Collection

The following works have a particular impact on me. As you can see, I favor visual art that symbolizes many - both physical and emotional - aspects of life, tells a story, and has a centerpiece. I am also a firm believer of the Christian doctrine, and not afraid to express it.

The Archangel Michael defeating Satan

by

Guido Reni

Archangel Michael fights and defeats Satan, banishing him to the depths of hell as prophesied in the Bible.

David and Goliath

by

Jason Engle

[Digital Art] Outmatched but victorious through the power of God, the young David declares his victory over the arrogant Philistine giant.

ALLEGORY OF WAR

by

Peter Paul Rubens

Depicts the captive Dacia, the personification of the province of Dacia which had been conquered by Emperor Trajan in 106 AD. Her brow supported by her right hand, she seems to be contemplating the horrors of war.

Blog #2: My Favorite Pieces of Visual Art by Iris G

Here are some of my favorite pieces of visual art: 

The first is Pietà, a sculpture by Michelangelo: 

The second is the devastating Pultizer winning photograph "Napalm Girl" by Nick Ut: 

The last is an impressionistic painting by Mary Cassatt entitled "Summertime"

Art is not one thing it is the potential for many things. I love a wide range of pieces that are not contained or limited to pieces that are easy and digestible. Art can be anything and everything. That's what makes it wonderful.