Modern Marriage

Hogarth’s series Marriage a-la-Mode is interesting in that it is an artistic parody of marriage in the eighteenth century. If I were to make a similar artistic parody of today, I would start out with a Facebook friend invite, since so many people are meeting online now-a-days. What would follow would be a photo of the couple texting literally for months on account of people today being far too lame to call each other on the phone (heaven forbid they should open themselves up to a real relationship). 

Next would be a first encounter where the couple is both excited to see each other, but feeling awkward, since they don’t get any romantic interaction except on the Internet.  The first encounter is a very important part of the series since these long distance/no physical relationships are so much more common now than they were once upon a time.

The next step (assuming the couple got as far as an actual relationship) would be the marriage preparation, which would basically be a print off of the woman’s Pintrest. The man on the other hand would be playing Call of Duty letting her do all the work.

After that would be a photo of an overpriced and drunken wedding with a lot of iPhones taking Instagram pictures of everything while the groomsman and the bridesmaids run off in the background together. Ladies crying, father’s cringing at the site of the bill, some things never change.

 Finally, (and this is my view of society’s view on marriage) the marriage would likely end a few years later on account of money problems or immaturity and boredom.

 I think that ever generation could have complaints to say and parodies to write on the subject of marriage, because marriage has never been a perfect institution.  It is a something that has to be worked at, and is not for the faint of heart.  Only the best of people can make a successful marriage last and remain happy, but that is something worth fighting for.

The World We Live In

The Renaissance was a call in the human heart to return to classical art and classical beauty. The Renaissance pulled away from the depressing notion that mankind was evil and needed to be reminded of it every Sunday, and artists and the public alike found a new faith in themselves. What was new in the minds of the people was that mankind was in fact not entirely evil, but that they had the potential for goodness of character, and brilliance in performance. It was a time to blend science and art, both united in seeking perfection in beauty.

The Baroque period was all about pushing the envelope. The idea was taking what was done and taking it further than ever before. The idea, "I did it because I can" was prevalent in their art and music, the true extent of human genius being made manifest. The use of counterpoint and fugue and toccata enhanced music and pushed musicians and the human mind further than either were accustom to. At the same time, art and religion began to become more personal, more down to earth and lifelike.

Since this time, man-kind has continued trying to expand its ability in every way possible. We continue to push the envelope on moral grounds and in art, adding variety to music has brought on a huge plethora of musical styles and ways to use the voice and instruments. Doing the same in art added different forms of paintings, and eventually photographs and movies and computer animations and video games. Making things bigger became the new trend, then making them smaller. Always seeking to improve detail, people began searching for the clearest sound or the crispest image.

Another new thing that came up was artists bringing notice specifically to themselves. This is something we can see today when artists say things like, “This is Dre” or “Jason Derulo” just before they start their song or spelling out F-E-R-G-I-E for the chorus. Clearly we as a society have never really left the Baroque mindset, and it has even taken us to the stars.

David vs. David

Donatello and Michelangelo were lifelong rivals in art, sports, and pie eating contests. Donatello was known to be able to eat 6 pies in 4 minutes (compared to Michelangelo's 4 pies in 4 minutes), but Michelangelo 4'7" vertical leap made it so he could dunk a basketball far easier than Donatello.

That leaves only their competition in art:

Donatello had a fairly naturalistic perspective, David's body was natural, if very small and soft seeming. His arms were small, not the arms of a warrior. The art was kind of confusing in a few ways, such as his armor was on the ground, not on his body except for the legs. In addition, Donatello's David has the hair and hat of a pansy man and the sword of a warrior. His eyes seem soft and sweet, the eyes of a lover, which makes sense on account of all of his wives. His head being down and soft facial features also probably added to this look of being a lover.

Michelangelo's David was much more strong and formidable, with the body and expression of a strong leader and warrior. His eyes were those of a king, a royal and stern and regal man, someone you would not want to mess with. At the same time though, his face was kind in a way, the sculpturing was amazingly well done and was probably the Apollonian Classical. His eyes were looking outwards, like he has something he is looking at, like his faith or destiny on his mind. I really liked this one much more, its how I envision King David, the warrior of God and King of Israel.

In this artistic showdown: Michelangelo wins!!