Art With a Futuristic Theme

The drawing of Muhammad Ali is very similar to an image of one of the most famous boxing matches of all time, Ali vs. Sonny Liston. Ali stands tall, towering over and looking down at his opponent after delivering a punishing knockout punch. The main difference in this drawing is that instead of Muhammad Ali fighting Sonny Liston, he is fighting a gorilla, a robot gorilla. This robot gorilla symbolizes two things that the artist is trying to communicate. One the gorilla is an obvious racial slur; racism is everywhere in the time period of this fight. It took place in 1965, during the Civil Rights Movement, when more and more people began to listen and follow the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the ones that didn’t grew more and more loathsome towards the black race. The image depicts the gorilla literally with its head knocked off. This suggests that Ali has beaten racism, or more killed racism, the goal of the Civil Rights Movement. The image is also a black and white for obvious reason: to enhance the idea of the black and white feud. Two the gorilla is not an ordinary gorilla, it is a robot. Robots are a generic symbol of the future. Now that the robot, or future, is destroyed, what or who can be called the future? This suggests that Muhammad Ali is the future of boxing (which can be backed up by his record at the time) and that he is the greatest but at the same time viewed as the worst.

The ray gun is innovative and futuristic, yet at the same time old fashioned and cumbersome. It is crafted of hand forged metal, brass, and glass, giving a crude appearance. It is similar in size to that of a rifle, suggesting that they will someday be used in wars. Although a ray gun doesn’t actually exist, who’s to say that won’t in the near future? It is similar to a musket in that it is the first design for such a weapon. Once invented the musket paved the way for the fire arms we have today. The artist is trying to communicate that the world is at the beginning of a new day and age. We are so close to technological advancement but are still far behind. When we do catch up though, it will pave the way for newer things that are now unimaginable.
These two works of art communicate similar ideas and also different ideas; they both share a central futuristic theme. Although the drawing of Muhammad Ali is based on the fight that took place in the sixties, the robot that he is fighting ties in the central theme. The robot simply stands for the advancements in culture such as defeating “racism” and becoming the most “now” in the boxing world. The ray gun is more literal in its futuristic theme because, well, it’s a ray gun. Ray guns are associated with aliens and Star Wars, therefore being an epitome of futuristic symbols. It also stands for advancements in culture but in a technological way. The artists of these two works obviously share similar ideas in that their works both compare past to present by showing something new.

The drawing of Muhammad Ali and the ray gun both demonstrate the futuristic theme but in different ways, and they also have other themes attached to them. For instance the drawing of Ali presents a future that is now the past for you and me. It is also different because of the actual story behind the Ali vs. Liston fight. Ali knocked out Liston with a powerful combination in the first round, and stood above his opponent, looking down and yelling “Get up! Get up!” This image presents a theme of pride and victory, nothing to do with a ray gun whatsoever. The ray gun on the other hand symbolizes a future that is still yet to come. Just by looking at the ray gun one can tell that it obviously doesn’t work, but that is not the point to this work of art. It suggests that society is rapidly making technological advancements and that we could be well on our way to inventing such a ray gun or even something more advanced. Think back to the first car; it was crude and cumbersome but it was still the first car. It just takes time to develop technology.

Having never been to an art exhibit, overall I think it was a good experience in that instead of reading books or essays, I could analyze art and learn about the ideas that the artists are trying to communicate. The two works of art that I chose to analyze definitely provoked my thoughts and made me think deeply about their meanings. The Muhammad Ali photo has always been one of my favorite sports photos because it makes me feel proud, victorious, and fulfilled, and is a reminder to never give up. When I first saw the ray gun I had no idea what to think, but as I walked slowly around the exhibit its meaning began to form in my mind. It made me think about what will happen in the next fifty years. It also made me feel as if I and the rest of my generation are to bring new things to the world. For the rest of the works of art at the exhibit, not all of their meanings jumped out instantly and were somewhat vague, but others were clearly presented. I’m not a huge fan of going out to art exhibits and examining works, but it is something different and it’s a great way to communicate ideas.

Passion

Night Terrors by Kevin Wilson and Untitled by Daisy Winfrey convey both fear and confusion in their works while also displaying a side of amusement and curiosity in their each respective piece. Night Terrors is a dark and frightening, yet very intriguing piece. Bats with scared but hungry eyes circle around a bed occupied by a startled girl restless and not sleeping. The room is bare, only filled by the girl in bed, bats flying around the room, and a lone window with a terrified boy peering inside. The orientation and tilt to this piece adds intrigue because of the downward slope that the girl and her bed are on. This work of art drew me in at first sight due to the slant of the bed and floor while everything else in the piece seems to be aligned straight. The way that Wilson chose to align this work of art as well as the actual images in the piece suggests unrest with him and the way that he conducts himself. The bats to me illustrate the constant surveillance that you are under as a person to be the best that you can be. Untitled is an energetic piece full of mystery and abstract art. The many different body styles, antlers on the heads of some, some bodies crossed out, what looks like blood gushing from others, suggests a discomfort with the person that the artist is depicting. This piece shows dark images, dark clouds and bodies with TV's as heads, as well as humorous images, bodies with antlers on their heads and bodies missing limbs. Untitled speaks to me with the same basic idea as Night Terrors, I feel that this piece shows unrest with the person the artist is referring to as a person mainly because of the differing body styles displayed across the work of art. These two pieces are full of both color and imagery and both do good to convey their respective messages through the art that they include in the piece.
While both of these pieces are mesmerizing at first sight, they share common goals and themes, but also differ in many ways. Both pieces speak of hardships that everyone faces but the messages in these two works speak mainly to people of younger age. Night Terrors speaks of the idea of being trapped inside a world that you may never escape from. The bats that are flying in a circle around the bed with the girl in it suggest a prison that this girl is in that she cannot get out of. The ruffled sheets on the bed suggest this girl has had a restless night and cannot reach a place of peace within her to continue through the night. Untitled suggests some of the same ideas in that the bodies that are strewn across the canvas show the want that the artist either has or has had to be that person. While there are no bats flying around keeping him locked in this world of unrest, this man in the painting is obviously in a place with himself that he does not feel comfortable. The painting depicts almost a machine that runs from storm clouds, through his brain, and finishes by draining through two wells in his chest. This "machine" in this man suggests his thoughts of all possible options as to who this man can become next. Whether it is a fat man or a bleeding man, the man in this painting refuses to conform to society and become just like every other person. This unrest in this man is similar to the unrest of the little girl in Night Terrors. The message in Night Terrors is not brought forth as effectively as in Untitled mainly due to the array of supportive evidence shown in Winfrey's piece. Wilson and Winfrey speak to differing audiences and well as the same audience in that most people in the world at some time or another feel that they are binded either to the person that they are or to society and the way that society is supposed to be.
Night Terrors and Untitled both intrigued me the first time that I laid my eyes on them. Night Terrors, because of the style that Wilson used, was very entertaining and made me want to examine the piece to find the true meaning of it. The slanted room was one of the main reasons for my overall content with the piece and this style he chose to put the room in made me want to find the true reason for the slant. Untitled absolutely amazed me because of the intricate artwork covering the canvas. This piece was by far the most impressive piece and most enjoyable. Because I myself have a passion for art and artwork, I truly could stare into Untitled for hours on end. The endless designs and images strewn across the canvas truly captivated my imagination. Because of my interest and love for art I would recommend anyone with an open mind to view this exhibit. I believe that if you look at art with an open mind and express your opinion, you like me can stare at these true works of art for hours.

Family and Meatballs

My mother and I just left the grocery store, both of us laden down with heavy bags bulging with food. It’s Sunday after church, the day of cooking, not of rest in my family. As my mother and I walk through the parking lot, she is chattering about this week’s menu, latest recipes she saw in magazines, and wondering how we are going to get everything cooked before dinner. My mom comes from a huge Italian family, Sicilian if one wants to get technical. The one thing Sicilian’s are serious about is their seafood and pasta. Tonight, we are making pasta. The sauce has been simmering in a crock-pot since five this morning. My mother’s pasta production is a day- long event always. The smell of sage and oregano hits me as I enter the house from the front door. I pull out the periwinkle blue mixing bowl from our white washed cupboards, while mom has already begun to mix the base for the actual pasta. I have a different job however. Since I was about six I have always been the one in my family to mix the meatballs. My Grams taught me the art of meatballs one fall in Bristol, Pennsylvania. That day was a long day of museums and shopping. My family came home and we made clam linguini and manicotti with spicy sausage and meatballs. My Granma Jenco and I went to the corner butcher store to buy the meat and freshly made sausage. In the South, we southerners have Winn Dixie. In the North people shop at corner stores. At corners stores, the sausages are made fresh every morning, one knows the butchers name, and he knows your families order according to the day of the week it is. Our butcher, at Mike’s Corner-store, is named Anthony. Anthony wrapped up our meat and we walked home and made our food. After that visit I convinced my mom, or Maj is what I call her, to let me make meatballs. Following Grams recipe, I put the ground beef into the bowl. I crack to eggs in bowl and with a flare add breadcrumbs. I begin to hurriedly mush the eggs and crumbs into the frigid meat. At this point I stick my hands into hot water because they are numb and on the verge of frostbite. After the stinging pain calmed by the warm water, I add the spices. I tear up bay leaves. Grams said to never chop because it bruises the flavor. From the cupboard I pull down oregano, sage, and rosemary. I add those as well. Mom has begun to roll out the dough already on table. Pretty soon Maj will begin to cut an pinch the pasta together, and boil them with a big gush of steam as they hit the boiling water. I begin to brown a little onions and garlic in some olive oil. The when everything is nice and brow I throw those into and mix everything up again, my hands freezing in the process.Once everything is mixed it is time to roll that perfectly seasoned meat up. These meatballs are no cafeteria ones either, these bad boys are the real deal, huge, balls of meat. I can’t cook them all the way through in a pan either, because I will burn the outside and the inside will still be bleeding. So what do I do? I brown them bad boys up and throw them in the crock pot I have going. Then, we wait. Wait. Wait. Wait while playing some good old-fashioned rummy at the kitchen table. My family, I am convinced, are descended from elite- super rummy players. Rummy is a serious game, not to be taking lightly in my family. We will play and joke around, but when it comes down to two cards in your hand, WATCH OUT!! We are brutal. I’m the sneakiest of course, I learned how to be from Gramps before I knew how to play war or go fish. Gramps taught me how to cheat and peak, and of course he is the only person I have never beat him. One day I will though. My most memorable game was when my family and I were at Myrtle Beach. Then sun was setting, we had been crabbing all day, I was very sick of seafood and luckily we all decided on Chinese that night. I do not remember this night particularly because of the game but most because of the events that took place during this game. My Grams, Gramps, two uncles, four cousins, my Maj, and I are sitting around playing and eating Mongolian beef. Grams starts coughing, cards fly everywhere and her face turns red! She had swallowed a red pepper and choked on it. Best rummy memory ever. Not because my Grams almost died, but watching my family react to what was going on. My cousin Renee’ went to go it water, she was shouting all kinds of obscenities. My granddad just stood back because he didn’t know what to do. My uncles fought over who would relieve her with the Heimlich maneuver. My Grams amidst the choking was laughing and I was right there with her. Of course Maj did not think it was funny. It almost gave my mother a heart-attack. Nothing is ever funny to Maj though. Food and cards sums up most of what my family does twenty three hours out of the day when we are all together. We eat when we are happy or sad or even when writing English papers. Pasta is a pastime that my whole family shares. And who knows, maybe one day I will be the one teaching my granddaughter the right and only way to make meatballs.