Meditation, Kelly Jung

"Meditation" by Kelly Jung

This art depicts the theme of 'Hope in Times of Despair'. Its dark background and the harsh brush strokes imply the moments of despair that human beings face in life. However, the colorful figures in the painting imply the hope that still exists in everyone's life. Even when the most desperate moment approaches, human beings have the determination to go through that hopelessness. The meditating figures imply that people seek different ways in life to go through the hardships. Also, the contrast of the colors in the painting is one of the methods to draw a contrast between the hope and despair that coexists.

Bibliography

Bibliography

• Beckett, Wendy. "Early Gothic Art." Sister Wendy's Story of Painting. New York: DK, 1994. 47. Print.
• Parker, Roger. "The Nineteenth Century: Italy." The Oxford Illustrated History of Opera. Oxford [England: Oxford UP, 1994. 201-02. Print.
• National Galleries of Scotland. "[Tightrope Walker]." Galleries of Scotland. Web. 1 May 2011.
• http://www.nationalgalleries.org/collection/online_az/4:322/result/0/16186?initial=K&artistId=3785&artistName=Paul%20Klee&submit=1
• Fitzmaurice, Dianne. "Deanne Fitzmaurice Photography." Deanne Fitzmaurice San Francisco Photojournalist. Livebooks, 2011. Web. 02 May 2011. .
• Angelou, Maya. The Heart of a Woman. New York: Random House, 1997. Print.
• Wikipedia. "Switzerland during the World Wars." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 07 May 2011. .
• Wikipedia. "Casualties of the Iraq War." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 07 May 2011. .

Puccini, La Boheme

La Boheme/ Puccini

This opera, written by Puccini in 1896, is a love story between Mimi, a poor seamstress, and Rodolfo, a poor poet. Mimi and Rodolfo fall in love at first sight, but due to difficulties Rodolfo ends up leaving Mimi. Mimi, who gets extremely ill with tuberculosis, finds Rodolfo and figures out that he left her because he knew he couldn’t do anything for Mimi as her health weakens. As Mimi and Rodolfo realized their love for each other, they reunite again, but Mimi’s health worsens every day. After spending few months together, Mimi dies in the arms of Rodolfo (Parker). One of the most famous arias in the Opera is “Che gelida manina”, a song Rodolfo sings for Mimi when they first meet each other (Parker). Rodolfo sings: “In my carefree poverty/I squander rhymes/and love songs like a lord./ When it comes to dreams and visions/and castles in the air,/I've the soul of a millionaire.” Rodolfo’s introduction of himself shows how much he values art and beauty instead of capitalistic values He does not mind about his poverty, but rather he is proud of himself that he can write love songs and has visions about his future. He even refers himself to a millionaire, even though in reality, he is just a poor poet. .
Puccini sets his Opera in a poor area of Paris in 1830 where artists and poets lived together(Parker). In the midst of poverty, these young men and women considered their lives as noble and valuable because all they cared about is art and achieving their goals as an artist rather than living under the rules of the society. Instead of obeying capitalistic values and working hard to earn money, these artists only concentrate of achieving their goals. This bohemian life style was very popular and has culturally influenced lots of young people in the 1900s. Puccini extols this bohemian life style through Mimi, Rodolfo and their group of friends.
Even though Mimi dies in the story, this opera still carries a positive message of hope because it displays the triumph of love. Mimi and Rodolfo achieve their love in the end because Mimi happily dies in the arms of Rodolfo even though she could not receive any medical treatment. These young artists did not give in to the power of money; instead their love for each other overcame poverty. Also, towards the end of the opera, when Mimi is about to die, their artist friends sell their valuable items in order to buy medication for Mimi. Puccini delivers a message of hope through the valuable friends whom are willing to sacrifice their goods to save Mimi.

Fitzmaurice, Saleh

Deanne Fitzmaurice/ Saleh

In this photograph, by Deanne Fitzmaurice taken in 2004, Saleh seems to be very invested in his drawing. Wearing his shades and taping a pencil to his arm, Saleh is still not fully recovered from the surgery nor the bombing, but he starts drawing again. On October10, 2003, while Saleh Khalaf was walking back from school, in Baghdad, he picked up something that looked like a toy ball, but after a few seconds, this toy ball exploded in his hands, ripping his abdomen, tearing off his right hand and most of his fingers on the left, and blown out one of his eyes(Fitzmaurice). Luckily enough, Saleh and his dad, Raheem, came to Children’s Hospital in Oakland, CA, for his treatment (Fitzmaurice).
Fitzmaurice took this photograph during Saleh’s recovery. Saleh was stressed and angered by the countless stares and glances he received from strangers as he was staying in the hospital. In order to soothe his anger, the nurses taped a pencil around his arm so he could start drawing again (Fitzmaurice). Instead of drawing a happy family or a positive image, Saleh drew an airplane dropping a bomb. A bomb that he picked up entirely changed his life. However, Saleh does not seem to be depressed in this photograph. Instead, he seems to be concentrated on what he is doing. He probably practiced how to use his arm for drawing instead of his fingers. While he is sketching, he doesn’t need to receive the sympathetic glances from anyone else. It is very ironic to see his hopeful expression and the depressing subject of his painting. According to Wikileak’s log about Iraq war, 92,003 Iraqi civilian died between January 2004 to 2009 (Wikipedia). This vast number of civilian death shows how many innocent lives were sacrificed in a purposeless war. The goal of this war to find the Weapons of Mass Destruction(WMD), that was actually never discovered.
Fitzmaurice won the Pulitzer Prize in 2004 for feature photography with a series of Saleh’s photos. This photo especially depicts how a war can destroy one’s life. A bomb that a U.S. soldier dropped entirely changed one ordinary boy’s life. As he grows older, Saleh will need to fight the physical difficulties and the social prejudices he faces in everyday life. This photograph raises awareness about war and destruction for the general public of U.S, who often forget about the horror of war because their nation hasn’t become the battleground. Just because there aren’t any bombs dropping in our own backyard, people often forget the numerous lives sacrificed during the war. However, there are many victims just like Saleh or even worse, who lost their lives or their bodies because of the war.
This piece delivers a message of hope in times of despair. Even though Saleh will need to fight various obstacles through his life, it is miraculous that he is alive. If there wasn’t the effort of the American hospitals and his father’s eagerness to save his son, Saleh might not be able to even draw with his arm. Saleh’s concentrated eyes and his determination to draw with his arm imply that Saleh won’t give up on the journey of his life. As he walks through his journey of life, we can still hope for a better future.

Klee, Tightrope Walker

Tightrope Walker/ Paul Klee

In Paul Klee’s Tightrope Walker (1923, Munich) (National Galleries of Scotland), there is a man walking on string. Standing calmly on the dangerous and thin line, there is nothing that holds the man safe, but rather, he is holding a long stick that seems to be much longer than his height. The viewers cannot tell whether the man is afraid, frustrated or excited to be on the string because he does not have a face. His body is composed of geometric shapes such as circles, rectangles, squares and a few extra lines, but the man does not have an eye or mouth that shows his emotion (National Galleries of Scotland). Below the man, there is a complicated set of geometric lines and shapes that do not quite create a realistic space, but rather an imaginary world of Klee. It is interesting to see that the lines are extremely straight. . The sharp angles created by these straight lines bring a gloomy mood to a painting even though the subject of the painting is very bright. Also, interestingly enough, the background of the painting is very similar to a Swiss flag, where Klee is from.
The time period Klee drew this painting was right after the WW1. Switzerland stayed a neutral power in both wars, but because of its resources, all nations involved in the war were interested in gaining Switzerland. Especially during WW1, even though it kept its neutral state, Switzerland still became a battleground for the Allies and Central powers (Wikipedia). As Klee watched the whole Europe becoming the battle ground, he describes Europe as the tightrope walker who is walking in moments of danger. When Klee created this piece, it was while he was spending time as a teacher at German Bauhaus school of art and his art was heavily influenced by the cubism and the social occurrences(National Galleries of Scotland).
Even under the hopeless and desperate situations of war, the Tightrope Walker shares a message of hope. Even if the tightrope walker is taking risks of falling down on to the ground, he still hasn’t fallen on to the ground. Instead, he tries to balance himself out and takes another step towards the end of the line which will lead him down to the safe ground. Just as Giotto’s Lamentation delivers the hopeful crow waiting for Jesus to resurrect, Klee shows hope of Europe to revive after the war through the fearless tightrope walker.

Giotto, Deposition of Christ

Deposition of Christ/ Giotto

Giotto (1226-1337), the Renaissance artist from Florence, Italy, depicted the moment Jesus has died on the cross, carrying the sins of all human beings (Beckett). As Jesus is brought down from the cross and lies in his mother’s arm, people lament over his death. Five women surround Jesus and hold his body gently, so that it is not touching the ground. Mary, who is cuddling the upper body of Jesus, shows her despair and hopelessness through her expression. She is not shedding tears, but she looks like she lost the whole world. There are two figures, facing the body of Jesus instead of the viewers (Beckett). How Giotto made these figures sit in the direction of Jesus instead of the viewers implies that his ultimate goal was to bring all attention to Jesus. Because these two mysterious figures are crouching, and they seem to be also looking at the corpse of Jesus, the viewers take another look at Jesus (Beckett). Then, there is the rest of the crowd, all looking hopeless about the death of their savior. In the upper half of the canvas, the angels are also mourning about the death of Jesus. By making the subjects in the painting looking at Jesus, Giotto absolutely emphasized the theme of his painting.
This is a desperate moment in the bible. Jesus, who was considered the savior for all people, has been accused by Roman occupants for spreading lies and blasphemy. It has been decided that he will be crucified on the cross. After his last supper with his disciples, Jesus walks up the Golgotha hill carrying his cross on his body. People mock him and laugh at him as he is hung on the cross. Giotto depicted the mournful scene after the death of this holy and sacred man. However, Giotto implies the message of hope that can be found in this painting. Also because Giotto was a Renaissance painter, a time of revival in art, the description and use of color is very soft. Instead of depicting the death of Christ in a gloomy manner, Giotto describes the scene with pastel colors, creating a warm mood.
Even in the deepest moments of despair, Giotto’s piece does not extremely look gloomy and sad. Instead, the pastel colors make the tone and mood of the painting brighter and softer. Also, the people surrounding Jesus look mournful and sad, but the halo drawn around each of them also balances out the lamentation with a sense of life and brightness. Here, Giotto implies a sense of hope that these people will receive, which is the eternal life one would gain by becoming a follower of Jesus. The hope that these people will soon receive is the resurrection of Jesus. The soft and tender tone of the painting reveals the possible existence of hope.

Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"/ Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou’s poem “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” is one of the most classic American poems widely read. This poem has the same title as her autobiography about her early career as a single mom and a writer. The poem starts off with describing the free bird that flies through the sky with confidence and courage. The phrase “dares to claim the sky” shows how the free bird is certain of its own ability. Then, the next stanza draws a big contrast by describing the caged bird. The caged bird “can seldom see through his bars of rage,” so instead “he opens his throat to sing.” Angelou describes the situation of the caged bird, not allowed to fly, so instead the caged bird chooses to voice his thoughts. Then the next stanza describes the tune of the caged bird: “His tune is heard on the distant hill/ for the cages bird sings of freedom.” What the caged bird wants most eagerly is not food or other necessities; rather it is freedom.
Maya Angelou was very close to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights movement figures during her life time(Angelou, 76). The poem was published in 1983, and this time African Americans were discriminated because of their skin color. They were not allowed to use public facilities and were not allowed to sit in certain areas of the bus. Children attended different schools and African Americans were harassed within the society. In her poem, Angelou metaphorically compares the African Americans to the caged bird who sings for freedom and equality. Angelou herself was an African American woman, which meant that she was in the lowest part of the society. Until she joined the writer’s guild, Angelou served in many different jobs trying to serve herself and her son (Angelou). Through her experience of being in the bottom of the chain of society, Angelou expressed the desire of all African Americans to be free and equal through the poem by comparing them to the caged birds.
Throughout the poem, Angelou’s description of the caged bird emphasizes the bird’s hopelessness. With its wings clipped off and feet tied, the caged bird can do nothing besides singing. However, the repeated stanza about the caged bird singing of freedom gives hope to the readers. As the stanza is repeated, it delivers a message of hope that the caged bird might be able to achieve its freedom one day if it really does not give up and keep singing. Angelou tried to deliver this message of persistence to her fellow African Americans.