The content of mainstream television these days is by and large determined by the conservative political agenda. This phenomenon is at its most visible in the United States and somewhat mellowed down in other advanced societies of Western Europe. Needless to say, developing and under-developed nations have poor freedom of expression in mediums such as…
Category: Media Studies
Land Art Movement: Spiral Jetty and Tree of Life
The foremost common feature between the two works is how they embrace the theme of nature. Both of them are exemplary specimens of the ‘Land Art’ genre and they attempt to extend human imprint onto the natural world and vice versa. For example, Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty is an audacious attempt to create an artificial…
Kurt Schwitters: Artworks & Biography
Kurt Schwitters is an important German artist of the early twentieth century. Not only did he pioneer domains like graphic design and collages but also contributed significantly to a multitude of art forms. Indeed, his artistic interests were so varied and multifarious that it spanned a spectrum of written, spoken and visual arts. This essay…
Szpilman family’s disintegration in The Pianist (2002)
There are several scenes in the film which show the Szpilman family’s gradual disintegration. When German troops invade Poland and make rapid inroads, the Szpilmans were still hopeful that the foreigners will be soon driven out. But formal Polish resistance to the Nazi advance turns out to be very weak. Within a month Poland surrenders…
Is Language Unique to Humans?
Version 1: Language is a uniquely human faculty. It is true that all animals communicate with each other through sounds, smell and body language. But by definition this sort of communication is not language. Simply put, language is defined as words linked to objects and concepts. The words in turn can be chained into sentences…
Protestantism and Capitalism
When we study the roots of Protestantism, we find that it the product of the dialectic between liberal values and conservatism. At the heart of this great theological confrontation was a political debate. When Martin Luther posted his famous 99 theses on the doorsteps of the Catholic Church, his was an act of rebellion against…
Stop Making Sense (Talking Heads – 1984): Review
The 88 minute long rock concert video Stop Making Sense is a path breaking work of the genre. It superbly combines the spontaneity and energy of a live concert with the thoughtful orchestration of a recorded event. The concert movie is both visually and aurally satisfactory. An operative keyword that defines the entire video is…
Abstract Expressionism: Bird’s Eye View by Rolph Scarlett
Painted in 1947, the work in question is a fine example of abstract expressionism. The work could be read and interpreted in more than one way. But the most obvious reference following from the title is that of a cityscape, with its attendant congestion, uniformity and chaos. Being an example of expressionist art, the mood…
Dreamgirls (Musical): Synopsis, Characters
The main theme of the musical is about the rollercoaster nature of showbiz, especially that of pop music. Based on the 1960’s and 70’s rise of this genre, the musical attempts to capture all the drama and encumbrance that celebrity brings. It tries to capture the paradox of how high fame can create high-stakes for…
Circles in a Circle by Wassily Kandinsky
The work of art chosen for this essay is Circles in a Circle by Wassily Kandinsky. This oil on canvas painting was first exhibited in 1923. It has dimensions of 38 x 37 inches approximately, excluding the frame. The work is a fine specimen of Modern Art. As the explanatory note accompanying the exhibit says,…