blog #8: 19th Century Art in Europe & the United States

assignment 9: pgs. 1009-1038

Phantom of the Opera scene

Grand Staircase, The Opera -Charles Garnier in Paris (1861-1874) pg. 1013-1014 The idea of two staircases meeting in the middle & intertwining into one is so grand & luxurious! & quite metaphorical. (also there's the main point of functionality so one wouldn't have to walk all the way around to get to their destinatin)

You see this kind of elaborate architecture in numerous movies (Beauty & the Beast, Marie Antoniette, Princess Diaries, Phantom of the Opera, Harry Potter, Cinderella Rogers & Hamerstein version? & of course many more.- espescially in films portraying classial music, Amadeus?) Operas have this so their Opera singers' voices can echo through the halls.

Just to make fashion even more glamourous, over-the-top, & stunning, Vogue will throw festive parties in locations w/ grand staircases- all the more better to make an entrance of course! Victoria's Secret's Holiday commercial advertisement had their well-known supermodels run about in a very lipstick shade of rouge bra & over-the-top poofy, airy skirt passing around a small gift box, of course w/ the label V.S.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4482WHCdJDw

Rich, decadent architecture doesn't really correlate w/ lingerie, but adding art- w/ the baroque style ornamented door passageways & black gated staircases makes lingerie seem all the more glamourous. When it comes down to it, the actual items aren't so very different from any other lingerie set found in a different store. But buyers will associate baroque style doorcases, elegant, dramatic staircases, a grand castle, & most importantly the oh-so gorgeous supermodels w/ V.S.'s items thanks to this commercial

This works for music videos too. Which producers should incorporate... they are immortializing art of the past into the future & into our exposure of the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIqcg_2AgBQ

S2s! Gwen Stefani includes amazing fashion, architecture, dance & music in this video- all which I lovve :)

Architecture w/ all it's grandness, strong, detailed lines are a huge contrast to her flowy, sheer, white dress & vunerability. It makes her seem even smaller & more lost. It's ethereal! The rose petals swirling about add deep romance.

& then the director switches it up & shows shots of her clad in a black turtle-neck, hair in an up-do & major black eyeliner. Verryy hardcore Rock 'n Roll!

"Degas arranged his own visual choreography. The Rehearsal on Stage is not a factual record of something seen but a careful contrivance, intended to delight the eye.....His work shows two important influences: The angular viewpoint in this and many other works shows his knowledge of Japanese prints, & the seemingly arbitrary cropping of figures shows the influence of photography which he practiced." pg. 1033

I love this piece for it has a sense of light, airy gracefulness yet there's a dramatic tension to it. (effects of the black & grayish colors-which also ground the airyness) You feel like you're there watching the ballerinas from backstage (thanks to it's peculiar angling) & by the positions of the ballerinas & choreographer & the soft brushstrokes, you can almost hear the high-tempo classical music. There's a frenetic energy going on

This semester I had taken ballet & because of this, I have a newfound appriciation for the art form. I have always appriciated the dance but didn't know too much about it...I loved the visual aspect of it but didn't pay too much attention to the actual physicality.
Hopefully, by taking ballet I turned out to be more graceful & elegant. When performing the dance moves, I feel this way- which God knows I'm not, I'm such a klutz. Throughout the day, w/ our busy lives (of mostly sitting- at a desk, table to eat, sofa watching tv) we forget that our bodies can actually be swift & light on air. I hope to continue ballet, improve posture & become somewhat coordinated...someday