Maurice Bliks' Second Breath

Maurice Blik was born in Amsterdam in 1939, and “was face to face with the questions and choices that philosophers, artists and religions have left unanswered.” Blik was the only holocaust survivor in his family as a child. For forty years, Blik had a dark and pessimistic view of humanity after what he had experienced, yet remained silent on the subject. By the 1980’s, Blik had begun expressing himself through sculpture creation and other forms of graphic art. Later on, he progressed to figurative work in which he created Second Breath. After escaping the holocaust, Blik made this sculpture as a representation of himself and the second chance of freedom he felt once World War II was over. It was first created in clay and then cast into polyester resin. On top of the creation of his own work, Blik was invested in an extensive career in Art Education. He taught Primary, Post Graduate, and virtually everything in between. However, by the time 1991 rolled around he had given up teaching to invest his whole self in the creation of sculptures. By 1996, he was  elected “President of the Royal Society of British Sculptors and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.”

Second Breath represents redemption, freedom, the human spirit, and second chances. The man represented in the sculpture has his hands out, head towards the sky, and back arched as if he is taking the deepest inhale humanly possible. It gives off so much happiness and joy in the most raw, humanistic way possible. The man is naked, which also reiterates the fact that he could not be happier, yet all he has is the new location he has found and the body that got him there. I believe second breath represents the resilience of the human spirit. Blik had lost his family, been completely dehumanized and tortured, then left to deal with the pain alone for twenty years. Nonetheless, he was able to create a life for himself and a sculpture with so much energy and love for the world. Blink created the man to be thin and frail looking to reflect the pain and suffering that he had previously gone through. Overall, I think the style and materials that Blik chose to create Second Breath perfectly fit the theme of freedom that he was aiming to achieve. 
I find Second Breath beautiful because I think it represents the most hopeful, inspiring, and beautiful side of humanity. As we all know, people can be dark and selfish. Humans can be so filled with hatred that it taints the people around them, diminishing hope for the future of our world. Second Breath Captures the side that keeps people going. It’s the hope and love that I believe will always be in the human soul, and I find it especially meaningful after knowing what Blik had gone through when he was a child. I also love the abstract style used, but still very easy to understand what he is.

The Aesthetics of Grosse Point Lighthouse

For the architecture segment of my aesthetics project I chose to feature the Grosse Point Lighthouse in Evanston. It’s located off of Central Street and Sheridan Road, and I’m always intrigued by how beautiful it is, how old it looks, and the fact that it’s still on every night. The Grosse Point Lighthouse was built by the US Government in 1873 as the final approach to Chicago marking point. The area was first charted in 1673 by the famous French explorer and cartographer Louis Jolliet on a Jesuit missionary trip. By the 1800’s Chicago had more arrivals and departures in the average shipping season than New York and San Francisco. The project finally began in 1872 under the word of lighthouse engineer Orlando Metcalf Poe. By March of 1874 the project was complete just in time for the start of the Great Lakes shipping season. The lighthouse held a keeper’s quarter’s area, a passage way leading to an above ground fuel facility, and the lighthouse itself. ‘Lighthouse Beach’ now holds the structure, and there has been recent talk of turning the keeper’s quarters and large facility building into a bed and breakfast. The Evanston community is not too thrilled about the idea. 

I think that Poe succeeded in incorporating beautiful architecture with practicality. The building connected to the lighthouse has large windows to bring in natural light, and a greenhouse connected to the front. Both the building and the lighthouse are painted a dark red and snow white, presumably to represent safety. Both buildings look past long reeds and dunes and onto Lake Michigan. The distance from Grosse Point Lighthouse to the Chicago River is about twelve miles, an appropriate distance for entering boats. Poe’s color schemes, placement, and architecture is timeless and tasteful, making for the perfect building that is meant to last decades or centuries. Literally, a lighthouse is meant to communicate safety—either by finding shore or avoiding it. As a lighthouse engineer, Poe was given minimal creativity, but with his fellow architects was able to create something beautiful. 

I find Grosse Point Lighthouse beautiful because I love the idea that it was standing before anything else in Evanston was. It’s setting is so peaceful and quiet, and it is surrounded by century-old trees and wild flowers. One could argue that a lighthouse isn’t art because it is practical, if not necessary, but the ideas and notions that go along with any lighthouse to me is tranquil. I especially love Grosse Point lighthouse because it is such a milestone in the creation of Evanston. To me it also has its’ own sort of personality. A wise tower that has seen everything on the shores of the beach I work at before me. 

Into the Wild: A Film Directed by Sean Penn

For the film portion of my Aesthetics Project, I chose to feature Into the Wild. Into the Wild was originally a book written by Jon Krakauer, but turned into a film by Sean Penn in 2007. Into the Wild is a true story about a man named Christopher McCandless who was born into a wealthy suburban family. He graduates from Emory University as a top student and athlete, but feels empty. He feels as though he is being formed by societal norms and shallow people, and therefore decides to head to Denali National Park in Alaska to spend a few months there. His body was found several months later in an abandoned bus, along with a journal he kept and some of his belongings. Into the Wild recreates the experiences he had written about before he died, and tries to answer the question his family had been asking long before he left: why did he want to do this? Why did he burn his money, give away his possessions, and choose to live in a freezing wilderness all alone? I believe Into The Wild touches upon the relationship between man and nature in a sad, but accurate way. I was originally going to pick out a specific scene from the movie, but I think the motif of the movie as a whole more accurately describes why I find it so beautiful in a strange, heart-breaking, yet realistic way. 

I could write pages about what Krakauer and Penn were attempting to communicate. Although this blog is supposed to talk to about the aesthetics of the film, the book is also a key aspect to me (because it’s based off of the book obviously) therefore I will be mentioning a little of both. McCandless didn’t belong in the world he was living in—everybody around him knew that. He didn’t wear shoes to work, hardly showered, and couldn’t seem to make himself happy. McCandless looked up to Jack London in the highest sense, referring to him as “king.” Although slightly bias and unfair, I feel as though it is important to note that Krakauer mentions in his book “McCandless conveniently overlooked the fact that London himself had spent just a single winter in the North and that he’d died by his own hand in his California estate at the age of forty, a fatuous drunk…” (Krakauer 44). The man that Mccandleuss looked to be was not even who he thought. When he killed a moose, he doesn’t know what to do with the meat and it soils.  This, along with many other scenes in the film and novel, tell me that McCandless was not ready for Alaska, the most unforgiving and wild place in the United States. McCandless was unprepared for what he stepped into, and although his heart was in the right place, the ignorance and ill-preparation he walked in with cost him his life. I do not mean to discredit McCandless at all, because I believe the way he chose to live his life was heroic. However, I believe his story was documented because it speaks to the relationship between man and nature. McCandless thought he could survive off of what animals do, live the way a wolf does, and walk out a few months later unharmed. As sad as it is, I believe it is important for people to respect nature, but not overstep the boundary to try and become it. 

I believe the way that Krakauer and Penn told McCandless’ story is beautiful. Although it’s sad, I always think about what McCandless would think after seeing it. The movie portrays McCandless slightly differently than the movie, but I wish I could ask him if it offends him, or if he feels like it captures the mistakes he made. I wonder if McCandless would shake his head at the way he went by his trip, or stick by it. I find this work beautiful because I think it holds a deeper meaning than many people see on the first time. It’s important for people to remember what ‘wild’ really means before stepping into it. I have added a beautiful scene that speaks to the way McCandless felt before his trip, and before Alaska began to consume him. Pure bliss.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EYXKTOPTrI

M.C Esther's Hand With Reflecting Sphere

Hand With Reflecting Sphere created by M.C Escher is debatably his most famous work. The reflective self portrait is a Lithograph, which is actually a print made by drawing on limestone with wax crayons, applying ink onto the stone and printing the image onto paper. Escher is known as a graphic design artist who used wood, lithographs, and sketches to portray his work. Hand With Reflecting Sphere was created in 1935, shortly before leaving Rome after 11 years. He chose Rome for the ability to openly study and practice a new-found art, as opposed to America where his father was adamant on Escher becoming an architect. Architecture did become an influence within his work in a mathematical sense which explores a wide range of mathematical ideas and concepts. As Escher once stated, “For me it remains an open question whether [this work] pertains to the realm of mathematics or to that of art.” Escher was hardly recognized until he was written up in the 1956 issue of Time Magazine for his extraordinary visualization of mathematical principles. From then on, Escher attained a world-wide reputation for his art. 

Hand With Reflecting Sphere is a lithograph of a man (Escher himself) holding a clear crystal ball on his finger tips. The crystal distortedly reflects all of Escher's surroundings in the room, and while he is observing himself, he is also observing everything behind him. By incorporating mathematical concepts into virtually all of his work, especially this one, he takes his own abstract thoughts and produces them into logical, conceptual pieces. The piece is symmetrical, yet focuses on distortion. There are two viewpoints in the lithograph. The viewpoint from Escher to the crystal ball, and the reflection of the crystal ball back at Escher. While both “viewpoints” are being seen by the same man at the same time, they are completely different. One represents reality—The hand holding the ball. The hand is extremely realistic and detailed, with every crease and wrinkle darkened and shaded to look as life-like as possible. The ball is perfectly symmetrical and circular, with light and shadows placed once again to be as realistic as possible. On the inside of the ball, reality is warped. Escher’s is elongated and rounded, the book shelves and chairs are twisted, and the table looks as though it’s on its side. It only makes sense if you see the entire picture, which could speak to Escher’s mindset about the world and how it is perceived.

I originally chose to blog about Hand With Reflecting Sphere because I thought it was cool. I thought it took talent to create, and it looked nice. Now that I know more about Escher and his work, however, it’s must more clear to me why this piece is so famous. Escher was not only creating work out of a new style (lithographs), but also somehow fused math with art in a way that is not cliche, and un-creatively geometrical. Outside of the drawing itself, I find the ambiguous meaning (or meanings) behind Hand With Reflecting Sphere beautiful as well. It alludes to separate worlds with a common ground, which could be interpreted in many different ways. For me, I think of it as the hand and life outside the sphere being reality, and everything in the sphere being what’s going on in Escher’s mind. He is warped in the sphere because everything looks at themselves differently than the way other people look at them. The world around him isn’t perfect because every mind puts its’ own lens on the world around it. I find that intriguing and beautiful. 

He Is: A Slam Poem by Liam Hurley-Matz

He Is by Liam Hurley-Matz is a slam poem written and performed by a friend and prior classmate from Asheville, North Carolina. Slam poetry, as defined by powerpoetry.com, is a “type of competition where people read their poems without props, costumes, or music. After performing, they receive scores (0-10) from 5 randomly selected judges.” Liam does not ever write his poetry down. He creates and memorizes lines in his head before performing. I found this specifically impressive because He Is lasts over two minutes. This may not seem like a lot, but for someone to make up and perform two minutes and seventeen seconds of words that flow, with out writing a single word down, seems almost impossible to me. He Is speaks about the joy and comfort an authentic friend can bring, and the happiness one can feel from the simpler (and sometimes finer) things in life. I would not call Liam a ‘nerd’ at all. Not even close, actually. I would call him quirky and independent. He’s happy with marching to his own beat, which is why I respect Liam and this poem so much.

I believe Liam is communicating that some of the happiest people in life are not the coolest, and sometimes some of the coolest people are the most unhappy. He Is reiterates the notion that, as hard as it might be in high school, the things that really matter are being brushed off of our shoulders as values at the bottom of most high-schoolers priority lists’. He Is helps listeners remember that happiness is internally derived, and knowing one genuine person trumps sort-of knowing a dozen less-than genuine people. I also think it’s very powerful how the listener does not know who the speaker is talking about until the very end. At first I thought he was speaking about himself, which would still be powerful, yet not nearly as powerful as speaking about a best friend. Obviously, love in a romantic sense is not the only way it can be shown. The way that Liam respects, loves, accepts, and looks up to his friend communicates love to me in the most raw way possible. He Is is a good reminder to high schoolers, including myself, that the things which we find so important right now probably wont even matter in a year. 

I find this poem beautiful for the authenticity, honesty, and love it holds. It’s also a reminder to not judge a book by its cover. Liam states in one line “To him they dont seem to fit in, but maybe they just haven’t made enough space. He knows that normal is never extraordinary…” I admire the way two friends love each other for the person that they are—end of story. No ifs, ands, or buts. I think everything he has to say is worth listening to, because sometimes it’s easy to forget. 

The Aesthetics of 40 Day Dream

                              

 The Musicians of 40 Day Dream (Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes) is a sen-recent band, although their roots travel back to the 60’s and 70’s. Alex Ebert, the main musician had originally started a band called “Ima Robot” in 2003, but subsequent drug addiction put him in rehab and left the band in the dust. While in rehab, he developed Edward Sharpe, an alter ego  consisting of indie rock which was based off of communal music commutes that sprouted all over Southern California in the 60’s and 70’s. "I don't want to put too much weight on it, because in some ways it's just a name that I came up with. But I guess if I look deeper, I do feel like I had lost my identity in general. I really didn't know what was going on or who I was anymore”(Ebert). In other words, Ebert did not believe that Edward (soon to be Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes after a 10-musician addition) was going to be nearly as good as Ima Robot. Although the original group did not last very long, their band took off after their first album “Up from Below” in 2009.

Throughout 40 Day Dream, it’s so obvious how much passion these     musicians have for what they're doing. within the first 35 seconds of the song, Alex lets out a laugh that sounded too genuine to take out of a song this upbeat. The instruments have a fast pace and a dreamy feel, which coincides perfectly with the lyrics because that is essentially what Edward Sharpe in explaining—being lost in a wonderful dream for 40 days. Although passion and music is obviously important to a good song, the best way Edward Sharpe expressed his idea and bliss in 40 Day Dream was his word choice. “She gold gold doorknobs where her eyes used to be

One turn and I learned what it really means to see…” and “she got jumper cable lips, she got sunset on her breath now” are two examples of the beautiful and detailed imagery to imagine the way he have been feeling when he wrote this song—which he indeed wrote himself as opposed to a hired songwriter which are used so often nowadays. When a great musician and writer makes a piece of art that holds so much love, it is hard for that song to go  wrong.

 

My older sister and I share lots of music, and awhile back we made up the term “forever songs” which describes a song for us that we could literally listen to on repeat forever and never get sick of it. 40 Day Dream has been my forever song since I first listened to it around age thirteen. The way they describe a girl’s lips as jumper cables gives me the perfect idea of what they are trying to explain. What makes it even better is that Alex is talking about Jade (his wife who is also in the band) and I think it’s lovely that the audience can see the love between two people as opposed to just hearing about it. 40 Day Dream can still give me chills because sometimes I feel as though  the most popular music is losing the beautiful touch that it used to have. When I listen to this song, I feel differently.