Throughout the entire semester, there is has been an overarching theme stuck to everything I did — the pieces of art, whether it was poetry, paintings, sculptures, or music. There was always a deeper meaning behind the facade. We choose to read and talk about value in our own lives and the lives of people around us. I choose a statue of Thomas Edison, the “founder” of the college I now go-to for public art. I selected this because of the frequency that I see it but rather the reminder to do better and strive for what might now not exist. We shouldn’t look at a statue that wasn’t inspiring every day before class because that would be counterintuitive. Another example of our values put into art is the poem section. The poem that I choose was introduced to me while in my competition two class. It demonstrated the hardship that young teens can face when led in the wrong direction. Life is a building block that is carefully stacked on top of one another. The choices you make and the ones made for you significantly impact the person you will become later in life. The poem goes through the path of teens put in the wrong direction by their peers and are destined for a dull outcome of gang life and delinquency. Nobody wants that for their children or could wish such a foul fate upon another person. These examples are just a few that show the values that are presented through art and then interpreted by our own experiences in life and moral guideline instilled in us. This is once again represented in module two: Representative work. I analyzed a short story about two daughters’ conflicting ideologies on what should happen to a quilt in the family for eternity. One went off to school and came back with a seemingly perfect life and argued that the quilt should be put in a museum to look at and admire. The mother and the other daughter that was scarred from a house fire when they were young, argued that the quilt should be used every day because it was just a quilt. They would instead pass on how to make the quilt so that they can use a quilt for what it was made for. The author is seemingly hinting that the daughter and mother were the correct arguments. In 1973, when the story was published, it must have been a problem bothering the author, but as time has progressed, this exact problem is brought up more and more often. This is where the author’s values show the reader, and the interpretation of the author’s argument is tested. The values portrayed in all of these examples are, hard-work, determination, and the beliefs imbued by the peers around you. The importance of these works of art is to bring previously undisputed views to light and reiterated the values that may be muddied over time. Art is a medium to let your guard down. When art is truly taken as it is, and you let your guard down, evaluate the meaning the creator of it was trying to get across the medium has no bounds. The point of view of the others is important because of their unique background and can allow for greater conversations on meaningful topics. With all that said, the prime example of my point is that of the most recent module, Ekphrasis. The craft of translating one piece of work into another and taking the author’s view, and putting it into your vision from your perspective. You portrayed what the work translates into for you. Understanding and having a conversation about art is enjoyable and engaging and can lift understanding of others and the way the world as a whole work. As humans, we can’t know everything, but the best we can do to further ourselves as individuals is to broaden our understanding of others’ views and understand each other.
We Real Cool
THE POOL PLAYERS.
SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL.
We real cool. We
Left school. We
Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We
Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We
Jazz June. We
Die soon
