Dance Critique: Ecorchés Vifs

This was a modern dance performed in a very intimate setting. The dance was performed in a series of short dances throughout a sculpture museum. The audience was invited to move around the museum to follow the various dances. This dance was choreographed by Claude Brumachon and performed at Musée Bourdelle.

The majority of the dances took place as a duo interacting and feeding off of each other, however there were few solo dances and few group dances. The dances exerted a primal feeling through their very rough and exaggerated motions. There was a tension in their movement- whenever they had settled in one position they would jerk their bodies into motion. The costuming added to this primal nature. The men and woman wore small amounts of white cloth on their bodies.

The emotions exerted by these dancers was effective in drawing in the audience. The uneasiness we were meant to felt made it difficult to look away from the pain of the faces of the dancers. Their expressive motions as well as their startled looks added to the eeriness of the performance. I felt the performance was an exaggeration of a tumultuous relationship between the two people. The dancers seemed to need to touch of each other, but at the same time were uncomfortable and unable to accept the intimacy. It as was if they were acted out the frustrations they were unable to speak. The stories that were created with each pair of dancers were also enticing. I enjoyed analyzing the dynamic between each different duo.

This dance omitted music, which I believe added to quality of it. Without the music, the audience could hear the heaving breathing and movement of the dancers, which added to the emotional intensity. We could feel the energy being exerted by the dancers. I also enjoyed being able to move throughout the gallery to see the dances. At each new location, I saw the dancers from a unique angle and perspective. The setting also allowed for the audience to get closer to the dancers, which was important to feel the emotion of the dance. Given the energy being exerted, I was impressed with the technical quality and endurance of the dancers. The costumes accentuated their physical strength.

Much like Rite of Spring, this dance had a primitive, animalistic quality. In Rite of Spring, Igor Stravinsky is drawing from the traditional folk dances of Russia. The tension in Stravinsky’s dance is between the people and nature. Ecorchés Vifs deals with more interpersonal tension, but it’s carnal qualities cannot be denied. 

Dance Critique: Tigers in the Tea House

This dance was the latter of two performances at Théâtre de l'Aquarium. This theatre was located in the middle of a forest on the outskirts of Paris. The performance was part of a festival, “June Events”, which takes place over ten days. The dance was choreographed by Carolyn Carlson, an American choreographer who has worked in Paris for twenty-five years.

Tigers in the Tea House was a modern dance, performed by three men. The dance occurred in series of skits. In some of the skits the dancers moved together, while other skits featured solos by the dancers. The men changed their outfits frequently, and wore flowing skirts and tunics. The flowing fabrics worked well to accentuate the movements of each dancer. Keeping with the overall Asian theme of the dance, the colors worn by the dancers were red, white and black. The stage and props also kept with this theme; the decorations were very minimal.

The purpose of this performance was to present three different characters, who embodied the three main asian identities: Japanese, Chinese and Korean. The Japanese character appeared the most brash and confident of the trio. On the other hand, the Chinese dancer played the more secluded and calm character and the Korean dancer was silly and playful. These identities were made evident by how the characters interacted with the props differently, and also by the solo dances each of them performed.

 

The technical quality of the dance was very high- their abilities were made most obvious by how well they stayed in sync with one another. The physically strength of each dancer was especially impressive. The music also added to the tension the dancers created. Songs would slow down when there was little movement on stage and the speed up during the more intricate sections. Music was used well to set the mood for the dances. Although the choreography provided visual cues about the different identities being portrayed, it was difficult to interpret the implications of these identities during the performance. This was not aided by the fact that one of the dancers was not asian. While the dance was overall enjoyable, the intent and direction of it was not always clear.

Given the theme of this performance was asian culture, the dance reminded me of the references that had been made to asian influences in art throughout the week. I noticed this especially while visiting Claude Monet’s house in Giverny. Monet had many asian prints hanging in his house, and his garden was full of plants reminiscent of Asia. The asian prints had a large influence on the modernist painters, and the asian culture continues to influence art in Paris.

June 17th: Au Revoir!

It has been a thrilling couple of weeks! I am sad to be leaving Paris, but also very grateful I had the opportunity to take this class and experience this trip. My demanding schedule as an undergraduate never afforded me the chance to study abroad, so I feel this class is a great way to make up for that disappointment. I have found the arts and culture in Paris inspiring, but not in the way I had expected. Before this trip I was familiar with studying film history and photography, so I was most looking forward to the lectures and activities surrounding those topics. However, it has been a pleasant surprise how much I enjoyed the dance performances and modern paintings. This class has opened my eyes to a different side of the art world I find equally enjoyable.

Another unexpected learning experience has been discovering how art has transformed over the years. It is easy to take for granted the wonderfully open-minded art scene we enjoy today- I was unaware that this was not always the situation. The modernist artists working in late nineteenth and early twentieth century had to fight to make their voices heard, given the people in power did not approve of the work they created. It is incredible the impact their art has had, and continues to have today, given the turmoil they experienced.

If I had any question in mind about the importance of the work I saw in Paris, that was quickly erased when I made a visit to the Columbus Art Museum. The museum was featuring a photography exhibition entitled “The Radical Camera”, which featured photographs from the New York Photo League. The New York Photo League formed in order to document the Great Depression for a ignorant government, and continued to document through the McCarthy era. In discussing their influences, members of the Photo League sited Eugene Atget’s style of photography as one they tried to emulate. It was neat to make this connection and to be able to see the influences the modern art produced in Paris could have; a perfect cap to my Parisian getaway!

June 16th: Automatic Photography

Challenge: Take a picture in every room of Versailles

June 15th: Early French Cinema

The exhibition of early cinema at Le Cinematheque Francaise pays homage to many of the great directors of early cinema by featuring their movies and the materials used to create these movies. On such director is George Méliès, who directed 531 films in his career. Méliès was experienced in theatre before he started directing films, and the influence of his theatre background can be seen in his films. He uses many stage tricks of theatre to create the first special effects in film. Many of his films are playful and fantastical in nature, one example being his most famous film, Trip to the Moon (1902). 

The films of George Méliès have influenced many modern directors, as evidenced by Martin Scorsese’s 2011 film Hugo. This film tells the story of a young boy living in a train station in France who uncovers the magical films of George Méliès. In discussing this film, Scorsese has much praise for the work of Méliès. "He invented everything, basically, he invented it all," Scorsese said. "And when you see these colored images moving, the way he composed these frames and what he did with the action, it's like looking at illuminated manuscripts moving." The success of Hugo in the twenty-first century shows the enduring impact of the magical films of George Méliès.

Along with Méliès, The Lumière Brothers were the other filmmakers notable for their work in early cinema. Credited with building the first camera, the Lumière Brothers filmed many “actualities”, which were short films that documented real life. One actuality filmed a train arriving at a station, and this film was shown in theaters to astonished audiences. Legend says that the audience were quite frightened when they watched this film, because they believed the train was headed toward them. The presentation of films has remained relatively constant since the Lumière Brothers began showing their actualities, until a few years ago when the presentation of three-dimensional movie experiences became popularized. These three-dimensional movies are drawing on that early experience of filmgoers. Much like early cinema captivated audiences with it’s presentation of reality, modern cinema is captivating audiences with how it can make movies feel even more visceral.

June 14th: Jacques Remus

For better or for worse, new technology is constantly providing more opportunities for people to pick up a new trade. The rise of blogs provides an easy outlet for people to spread their writing. Through Twitter or Facebook, anybody can act as a news reporter. The accessibility of the iPhone has created a generation of amateur photographers. There is a similar crisis in the music industry, as the creation and distribution of music functions largely through computers. The record labels, who once were necessary to a budding artist’s career, can be bypassed in favor of spreading one’s music through social media.

Is it perhaps because of these uncertain times in the music industry that one of the most innovate artists of this generation, Björk, chose to embrace technological advances on her latest album, rather than fight it. Björk’s album, Biophilia, is presented with an App for the iPad or iPhone. This App aims to provide a unique listening experience, as the user is able to manipulate the music as they listen. Each song on Biophilia becomes a sonic exchange between artist and listener. Much like Bjork, French artist Jacques Remus is attempted to reinvent how we experience sound. The musical devices he creates allow the user’s body movement to function as an instrument. In this way, the user’s role is changing from passive observer to essential creator of the audio experience. Rather than fight the DIY nature of our current art world, artists like Jacques and Björk are remaining as innovate as ever in how they interact with the public.

In addition to the new experience, the pursuit of alternative instruments is an essential part of the music of both Björk and Jacques. When recording Biophilia, Björk wanted to match the expansive nature of her music by using instruments that were expansive themselves. One such instrument is the Gravity Pendulum Harp. This instrument, designed by musical robot maker and MIT Media Lab alum Andy Cavatorta, largely relies on the natural motion of four 11-stringed pendulums. Software controls the rotation of each pendulum head to determine the note that’s struck when it passes the equilibrium position. Much like Björk, the process of how Jacques creates music is equally as important as the music itself. His dedication to the mechanical way he creates music is quite impressive. By using alternative instruments to create his music, Jacques is expanding the possibilities of what music can be. 

June 13th: Monet's Water Lilies

Having the opportunity to see the paintings Monet created from observing the water lilies in Giverny before making the trip out there was a special experience. At the Musee de l’Orangerie, I spent much time observing the paintings by Monet so I could obtain a mental picture of the space he captured. My aim was also to gain insight about the feeling of the water lilies at Giverny. It was impressive the tranquility and peacefulness Monet was able to capture through his paintings, given his impressionist style lends itself to the more chaotic and cluttered. The brushstrokes are very heavy in these paintings, but the overall painting is one that is at peace and free of tension.

Apart from the occasional disruptive tourist group, the gardens of Giverny matched the serenity of Monet’s paintings. The water lily paintings contain great diversity in color and the gardens of Giverny contain great botanical diversity, but neither is overpowering. There is a natural balance in each experience. Comparing the representation Monet created and it’s original source also captures the beauty of the impressionist style. Through Monet’s use of the heavy brushstroke, he creates art that expands upon the world visible to the human eye. This freedom Monet has allowed himself to represent the space how he envisions it, rather than how it looks, provides the viewer with an opportunity to see into the mind of the artist. It is fascinating the many doors modernism opens for not only the artist, but also the observer.

When reflecting upon my visit to Musee de l’Orangerie, I was impressed by the many perspectives in each of Monet’s paintings. I assumed these perspectives were products of viewing the water lilies at different times of day, given the tonal value changes throughout each painting. If I were able to return to Giverny, I would like to see the water lilies in a sunset or at night so I could compare that experience with the paintings. Until then, I will still have the memory of Monet’s paintings to fill that gap.