Tate Modern and Other Updates

I dislike modern and postmodern art. Much of it is empty, either affecting the disappointment of the artist or pushing the boundaries of artistic methods for no other reason than to do so. I’m of the opinion that art needs to affect people, and why not effect them positively? Or if you want to make your audience feel bad, what do you hope to achieve by doing so? This is why the best pieces at the Tate were beautiful or political. Above is The Citizen by Richard Hamilton. Hamilton portrays a Northern Irish protestor detainee during the Troubles. He has decorated the walls of his cell with excrement. Nonetheless, he looks clean and determined, eager to achieve his ends. The stains on the walls aren’t simply splatters either. According to an article about the artist from the Tate museum, this scene is inspired by a real prisoner who painted the walls of his cell in style similar to Celtic style painting. Overall, the piece is a defiant display of national identity and a very effective piece of art.

This painting defied the expectations of the modern tradition by applying earlier, more romantic styles. The figure is beautiful. She is painted with great detail, even her hip bone is noticeable. She’s very intelligent. You can tell by her ponderous gaze and the stack of books propping up her sheet music. She also must be very rich because of her style and dress. Also, her talent with the cello is apparent. This was painted during the great depression, so only people with much time and money on their hands could’ve been able to learn instruments. This piece was a great bit of storytelling that made me fall in love with the figure a little.

Much of the rest of the museum was pretty boring. For example, one of the rooms was full of empty or painted-white frames. They represent nothing and do nothing to make the viewer feel anything. The only other kind of art I enjoyed in the museum were some of the surrealists, because they at least wanted to make their audience feel confused, as if in a dream. However, much of the art was expected to stand for itself without saying anything, which is really bizarre.

In other news, I saw some of my favorite theater so far over the weekend. Two pieces were inspired by books, and made me want to read them; or in the case of The Great Gatsby, read them again. On Friday, the class saw The Father and the Assassin. It is the tale of Indian Independence and partition told through the lens of Ghandi and his assassin, Nathuram Godse. It was very complex. What I appreciated most about it, is that it felt truthful. Clearly, the show does not expect you to fully agree with Godse or Ghandi, but to show how political radicalism works. Overall brilliant and very complex. The next day I saw Life of Pi. This was the best storytelling I’ve ever seen. The way the writing uses metaphor is brilliant. I plan to read the book soon. Last night I went to The Great Gatsby Immersive Theatre with Grason, Leah, and Margaret. It was a really fun time and fascinating as an actor! We got to play the role of partygoers amid the action of the play. I believe some of the actors identified us as being really open to playing along with a lot of the action, so we got to do and see a lot of stuff which otherwise would have gone unknown to the rest of the audience. We got to swing and Charleston with the actors. Nick Carraway even asked me for relationship advice in confidence. In total, it was a great night that every actor and improviser should see, learn from, and admire.