Lounge 20th Century Arts & Humanities Draft!
02-03-2012
, 02:49 AM
02-03-2012
, 02:54 AM
Round 5
Music
Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
I really like this album, it is definitely my go to when I feel like listening to jazz or have studying/work to do. Also it is arguably the greatest album title of all time. I'm not much of a music critic so this is from All Music:
Selections:
Music
Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
I really like this album, it is definitely my go to when I feel like listening to jazz or have studying/work to do. Also it is arguably the greatest album title of all time. I'm not much of a music critic so this is from All Music:
Quote:
So dubbed because these three sessions -- two from early 1949, one from March 1950 -- are where the sound known as cool jazz essentially formed, Birth of the Cool remains one of the defining, pivotal moments in jazz. This is where the elasticity of bop was married with skillful, big-band arrangements and a relaxed, subdued mood that made it all seem easy, even at its most intricate. After all, there's a reason why this music was called cool; it has a hip, detached elegance, never getting too hot, even as the rhythms skip and jump. Indeed, the most remarkable thing about these sessions -- arranged by Gil Evans and featuring such heavy-hitters as Kai Winding, Gerry Mulligan, Lee Konitz, and Max Roach -- is that they sound intimate, as the nonet never pushes too hard, never sounds like the work of nine musicians. Furthermore, the group keeps things short and concise (probably the result of the running time of singles, but the results are the same), which keeps the focus on the tones and tunes. The virtuosity led to relaxing, stylish mood music as the end result -- the very thing that came to define West Coast or "cool" jazz -- but this music is so inventive, it remains alluring even after its influence has been thoroughly absorbed into the mainstream
Spoiler:
02-03-2012
, 02:56 AM
02-03-2012
, 05:28 AM
02-03-2012
, 10:58 AM
Round 5
Architecture
Musee d'Orsay
Instead of going with one of the more iconic pieces of architecture from the past century, I instead decided to go with one of my favorite places in my favorite city.
Designed by the architects Lucien Magne, Émile Bénard and Victor Laloux, the museum was completed in 1900 and sits on the left bank of the Seine. The Musee d'Orsay was originally built as a railway station and after becoming outdated due to the evolution of trains, the building sat empty for years, even facing demolition.
In 1986, this re-opened as a museum and now houses an impressive collection of paintings, including dozens of works by Monet, Cezanne, Degas, Pisarro, Manet, Redon, Boudin, van Gogh, Gaugin, and Sisley.
The amazing aspect of this museum is that the architecture of the structure is as impressive as the art is houses.
nyc draft
- Frank Sinatra (Performing Artist)
- "I Have A Dream" (Short-Form Literature)
- "Number 31" (Painting)
- The Concorde (Modern Tool)
- Musee d'Orsay (Architecture)
Architecture
Musee d'Orsay
Instead of going with one of the more iconic pieces of architecture from the past century, I instead decided to go with one of my favorite places in my favorite city.
Designed by the architects Lucien Magne, Émile Bénard and Victor Laloux, the museum was completed in 1900 and sits on the left bank of the Seine. The Musee d'Orsay was originally built as a railway station and after becoming outdated due to the evolution of trains, the building sat empty for years, even facing demolition.
In 1986, this re-opened as a museum and now houses an impressive collection of paintings, including dozens of works by Monet, Cezanne, Degas, Pisarro, Manet, Redon, Boudin, van Gogh, Gaugin, and Sisley.
The amazing aspect of this museum is that the architecture of the structure is as impressive as the art is houses.
nyc draft
- Frank Sinatra (Performing Artist)
- "I Have A Dream" (Short-Form Literature)
- "Number 31" (Painting)
- The Concorde (Modern Tool)
- Musee d'Orsay (Architecture)
02-03-2012
, 11:09 AM
Delayed Write-up
Painting-Nighthawks, by Edward Hopper
This draft, I've approached a little differently than the last one. Rather than worry about "best" or "most influential", I've given more weight to choices that I consciously feel reflect me and my personal philosophies. What Dom asked us to do with the "modern tool" category, I've kind of taken to heart for the whole draft.
Which is why The Nighthawks was my choice. I actually had narrowed it down to two pieces. The one I chose, and, interestingly, Guernica, which Pelican snapped up right after me. No doubt, Guernica is a more daring piece, and seeing it often leaves ones awe-struck. The action is vivid, and the symbolism rich, not to mention the singular translation of the event by it's revolutionary creator.
It would have been, and ultimately was, the best value pick of the draft. Pablo Picasso, the dominant figure in art during the last century, finally nabbed in the fourth round? Shocking.
He's also a personal favorite. Quite a few years ago, I spent an astounding afternoon in the National Art Gallery on the mall in Washington D.C. They were having a special Picasso exhibit, and it was the beginning of an infatuation of his work that has lasted to this day.
But ultimately, Nighthawks is more "me" than Pablo's frenetic work. I love the idea of a concrete oasis, a warm spot in an urban dystopia.I love the rich dark colors, and the harsh light. I love the subtle symbolism, even the implied sinister elements (the predatory implications of the beak-like nose of one of the patrons, the red dress against the dark), which are taken and shown in the light to reveal less malevolence than organic manifestations of the human spirit.
Hopper was fascinated by the way light hit, and it shows in this painting. I am hardly an expert on technique, but he enhances the light here in exaggerated fashion, which allows for both harshness and warmth. Neat trick.
It is also a truly "American" painting. I mean, is there a more American institution than the all-night diner, as red, white, and blue iconic as baseball, jazz, and storage-shed meth?
Hell, maybe it just hits me this way. Could be all those Houses (Waffle, Hungry, Huddle, etc.) we used to seek out, lights in the darkness and easy resting places before hitting the road again to drive all night and hit a gig in Jackson, Mississippi, or Carbondale, Illinois. As a brilliant band of rag-tag minstrels once noted, "Hash browns and coffee make a man feel fine".
So, I have now
1. Film- The Godfather
2. Photo- Tank Man
3. Short Form Literature- Fear and Loathing in America: Beginning of the End
4. Painting-Nighthawks
Painting-Nighthawks, by Edward Hopper
This draft, I've approached a little differently than the last one. Rather than worry about "best" or "most influential", I've given more weight to choices that I consciously feel reflect me and my personal philosophies. What Dom asked us to do with the "modern tool" category, I've kind of taken to heart for the whole draft.
Which is why The Nighthawks was my choice. I actually had narrowed it down to two pieces. The one I chose, and, interestingly, Guernica, which Pelican snapped up right after me. No doubt, Guernica is a more daring piece, and seeing it often leaves ones awe-struck. The action is vivid, and the symbolism rich, not to mention the singular translation of the event by it's revolutionary creator.
It would have been, and ultimately was, the best value pick of the draft. Pablo Picasso, the dominant figure in art during the last century, finally nabbed in the fourth round? Shocking.
He's also a personal favorite. Quite a few years ago, I spent an astounding afternoon in the National Art Gallery on the mall in Washington D.C. They were having a special Picasso exhibit, and it was the beginning of an infatuation of his work that has lasted to this day.
But ultimately, Nighthawks is more "me" than Pablo's frenetic work. I love the idea of a concrete oasis, a warm spot in an urban dystopia.I love the rich dark colors, and the harsh light. I love the subtle symbolism, even the implied sinister elements (the predatory implications of the beak-like nose of one of the patrons, the red dress against the dark), which are taken and shown in the light to reveal less malevolence than organic manifestations of the human spirit.
Hopper was fascinated by the way light hit, and it shows in this painting. I am hardly an expert on technique, but he enhances the light here in exaggerated fashion, which allows for both harshness and warmth. Neat trick.
It is also a truly "American" painting. I mean, is there a more American institution than the all-night diner, as red, white, and blue iconic as baseball, jazz, and storage-shed meth?
Hell, maybe it just hits me this way. Could be all those Houses (Waffle, Hungry, Huddle, etc.) we used to seek out, lights in the darkness and easy resting places before hitting the road again to drive all night and hit a gig in Jackson, Mississippi, or Carbondale, Illinois. As a brilliant band of rag-tag minstrels once noted, "Hash browns and coffee make a man feel fine".
So, I have now
1. Film- The Godfather
2. Photo- Tank Man
3. Short Form Literature- Fear and Loathing in America: Beginning of the End
4. Painting-Nighthawks
02-03-2012
, 11:15 AM
But I made a conscious effort not to take, in this draft, any of the pieces or artists I took last time.
I will say, though, that you picking Satchmo twisted my shorts a little. He was definitely on the short list. He was the most influential musician of the twentieth century, without question.
Excellent write-ups in this thread, everyone. The Strangelove/Von Neumann was pretty epic, I thought.
Write-up to come, but for with my fifth pick, in the Philosopher/Guru/Chief Bubba category, I choose
Spoiler:
02-03-2012
, 12:21 PM
02-03-2012
, 03:44 PM
Round 5
A Modern Tool that Reflects your Design Aesthetic
Rubik's Cube (Erno Rubik, 1974)
The puzzle was licensed to the Ideal Toy Corp. in 1980, since when an estimated 350 million have been sold, making it probably the best-selling toy ever.
There are, believe it or not, 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 different ways in which the cube can be arranged, only one of which is the solution. Despite this, it has been shown that it is never more than 20 moves away from its solution, and that this is the optimal upper bound because it is possible to be no fewer than 20 moves away (making 20 the so-called God's number for the cube).
"This object is a wonderful example of the rigorous beauty, the big wealth of the natural laws : it is a perfect example of the human mind possibilities to test their scientific rigour and to dominate them. It represents the unity of real and beautiful, which means for me the same thing." - Ernö Rubik
There have many spin-offs of different shapes and sizes, but none has come close to the cube in achieving a near-perfect balance between aesthetic purity and degree of difficulty.
Rubik's cube world record (nerds are cool)
A Modern Tool that Reflects your Design Aesthetic
Rubik's Cube (Erno Rubik, 1974)
Quote:
In the mid-1970s, Ernő Rubik worked at the Department of Interior Design at the Academy of Applied Arts and Crafts in Budapest. Although it is widely reported that the Cube was built as a teaching tool to help his students understand 3D objects, his actual purpose was solving the structural problem of moving the parts independently without the entire mechanism falling apart.
There are, believe it or not, 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 different ways in which the cube can be arranged, only one of which is the solution. Despite this, it has been shown that it is never more than 20 moves away from its solution, and that this is the optimal upper bound because it is possible to be no fewer than 20 moves away (making 20 the so-called God's number for the cube).
"This object is a wonderful example of the rigorous beauty, the big wealth of the natural laws : it is a perfect example of the human mind possibilities to test their scientific rigour and to dominate them. It represents the unity of real and beautiful, which means for me the same thing." - Ernö Rubik
There have many spin-offs of different shapes and sizes, but none has come close to the cube in achieving a near-perfect balance between aesthetic purity and degree of difficulty.
Rubik's cube world record (nerds are cool)
Last edited by lastcardcharlie; 02-03-2012 at 03:47 PM.
Reason: PM sent to Valar