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THE ART OF CUBISM IN THE MODERNIST MOVEMENT

‘I and the Village’ is a cubism painting by the Belarusian-French artist named Marc Chagall. The medium used for this painting is oil on canvas and as seen, it is an overlapping images of different elements in a continuous space. I have chosen this painting in relation to Greenberg’s modernist vision because it illuminates using ‘art to call attention to art’. Aesthetic unity, purity, and the flatness of art are the three salient points highlighted by Greenberg. A painting’s flatness is what makes it distinct from the other art forms; Cubism is an art style that rejects the traditional techniques of art and rather emphasizes the two dimensional surface and flatness of an art. What makes ‘I and the Village’ special is not only its whimsical cubist style, it also portrays illusion among the eyes of the audiences which makes it distinct to the other art forms. The significance of this painting highlights no other than the matter of colors used and its movement in the canvas. Greenberg asserts that Modernism is a developing tradition, it is a movement through which art progresses. In the case of I and the Village painting, it is purified of anything irrelevant or unrelated to the subject being dealt with. It does not require an artist to create an art piece that is almost the same as still life artworks or an art that is practiced in realism. It is rather made of geometrical figures and cube flattened surface, which is a unique element of modernist art for Greenberg. In a philosophical sense, I can say that Greenberg’s notion of “purity” can be the same as philosophy’s distinction between the body and the essence. The “essence” is what purifies the body to be distinct from the other forms of existence. 

WORD COUNT: 295

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FILIPINO’S STANDARD OF TASTE IN CHOOSING A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

The current situation in the Philippines regarding the incoming election highlights a division among Filipino citizens’ vision, opinions, and candidate of choice. There comes several debates and discussions about whose presidential candidate is deserving to lead the country for the next 6 years. In line with this phenomenon, the situation can be analyzed in relation to David Hume’s ‘standard of taste’. There are 3 salient points or contributions that can be derived from Hume’s text: 1) The Delicacy of Taste, 2) The General Principles, and 3) The good critics or judges. According to Hume, an individual has good taste if he has refined senses. Through having refined senses, one can deliver good opinions as well and an individual is detached from his imperfections or prejudices. In the context of choosing a deserving presidential candidate, I can say that not all Filipinos have refined senses. What I mean by that is that a lot of Filipinos are still attached to their pride and blind visions. The refined sense I am highlighting here is the ability of Filipinos to “choose wisely”. By choosing wisely, there are a lot of factors to consider like the platform of the candidate, the mission or goals for the country, the track record, experience, and even the candidate’s principles in life.

The role of educating the Filipinos is also a good way in refining their senses. Education can enlighten Filipinos to do and choose what is best for the country. This could also enlighten them in identifying fake news, corrupted data, and propaganda. However, even when education is present among Filipinos and even when truth and evidence are already presented, there are still educated people who are vouching for or supporting corrupt candidates who are not even worthy of their position. The second point of David Hume pertains to General Principles, which states that there are general principles of approval or blame. These general principles may be derived from the good critics or judges which is in relation to his last point. Some Filipino citizens are blinded by charismatic and persuasive speeches. It is evident in our current situation since it creates a division of opinions among Filipinos.

Notice why a lot of professionals, students, and some working adults are more into the side of Pink (Leni) than the Red (BBM)? This is because these people are the ones who have the initiative to know and uphold the truth. These are the group of people that are concerned FOR the country and are not attached to pride and falsity. My point is, the good critics in this current situation can be considered as the ones who check both sides of the situation, the ones who have the initiative to search and do fact-checking, the ones who carefully observe and criticize each candidate until they arrive at the result of which candidate is really worthy to lead the country for the next 6 years.  

WORD COUNT: 486

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The Mechanical Reproduction of the art of Music

Aura is what draws us to great works of art. It highlights the uniqueness or authenticity of a specific artwork. In the age where there is a politization of art and reproduction, mechanical reproduction seems to devalue artwork and detached it from its origin. In the industry of music, we have seen how the art of music evolved through ages. During the classical times, music can be listened to through Live ceremonies, events, or concerts. Speaking of conveniency, not all people could travel from places to places just to listen to a certain type of music. Hence, Vinyl records and cassette tapes were invented. The aura I’m referring here is the origin of music, how people get to listen to music back then. Through modernity and the advancement of technology, we can now listen to music without having to travel from places to places or even spend money over tapes or CDs. The reproduction evolved in a way that people can conveniently listen and download music for free. Inline with this, the modern way of listening to music can be through searching it on online platforms such as Youtube, Spotify and other streaming devices. 

Now the question that arises here is that does the mechanical reproduction of music devalues or diminishes the Aura of the art of music? I would like to discuss it in two points. First, it somehow does since majority nowadays would prefer practicality and conveniency when it comes to listening to music like for example, instead of spending money over listening on it live, you would prefer to just download or stream it online. However, the thing is, it somehow detached you to the origin of how it feels like to actually listen to the song in an actual setup. The online music or stream does not face the audience unlike live concerts or musical events. Second, the feedback and interaction is digital and not physical. The mechanical reproduction of music diminishes its aura since music nowadays can be manipulated, most specifically the use of autotunes to make a specific music sound better. Through this, the essence of music seems to be detached from its origin.

WORD COUNT: 360

[aleasphilo]

THE SHAKESPEARE GLOBE THEATRE

Theater productions is a performative art that can be in a form of staged plays, musical, comedic or drama type of plays. In relation to Aristotle’s Catharsis, theater can also be a form of releasing. Theater is dynamic and such performative art can provide strong or repressed emotions. Furthermore, theater can also be a tool to mirror our reality. The script is what gives life to the play itself and through different production aspects, theater helps us to see various perspective aside from our own. Theater is a form of releasing because the emotions needed to portray in a large audience is evolving and dynamic. It draws light into knowing the deeper meanings or complex issues, providing catharsis and the power to use our vision. Aside from the imaginative side of theater, it also helps us to express ourselves in a way that other audiences can relate. Theater is a combination of art and entertainment which utilizes experiences and emotions that would supply pleasure to individuals, such pleasure may be taken negatively or in a positive way. 

Just like Catharsis by Aristotle, theater makes us feel some type of way and that feeling may be different from the others. Our emotions are highly influenced by our own experiences, culture, beliefs and even principles in life. Hence, theater helps us to see various perspective from our own. In the context of theater, catharsis is evident if the play got the audience’s attention and it made them feel invested on a certain character’s fate. Through this, pent-up emotions are also released. The audiences are able to understand the plot, expectations and even the possible outcomes. The ‘release’ kind of emotion is what the audiences experienced when investing in such art form – theatre. Attachment and Identification is important to develop for the audiences to experience Catharsis in a Theater play. Any theatrical productions can provide catharsis among audience, but an open-space theater is preferably a great space for such connection. An example is the famous London theater in which the plays of famous William Shakespeare were performed – The Globe Theatre.

WORD COUNT: 347

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THE THINKER sculpture by Auguste Rodin

Art should be something that transcends us back to Being. A certain artwork must highlight the thingness of a thing or the essence of its piece. When we encounter art, it must be something that engage us to reflect and ponder upon ourselves. According to Heidegger, art should display the nature or essence of its being. Heidegger believes that the true essence of the work of art helps us formulate questions rather than seek for its definite answer. The importance of “thinking” is essential in Heidegger’s aesthetic philosophy. He believes that the essence of an art is fading if it has a definite meaning. Hence, he is against the modern tradition of aesthetics which only concerns the beauty of an artwork but not the essence or being of the art itself. We can say that Heidegger’s idea surrounds the notion of “being” or “essence”. Art for him must not only simulate questions on our mind, it must be something that also manipulates our thinking.

As shown above, I have chosen the art of a French sculptor named Auguste Rodin. The sculpture is known as “The thinker” and perhaps a common figure as well in the field of Philosophy. I have chosen this artwork because the same in Heidegger’s aesthetic philosophy, art must be something that manipulates not just our vision but at the same time, our thinking. Auguste Rodin was a master of manipulating light and shadow in his sculpture that is why audiences or visitors ponder on such sculpture. You may seem “The thinker” as a sculpture just sitting in a stone but Auguste Rodin manipulated the face of his sculpture by forming extra clay to make the facial expression of the thinker change as you move around the sculpture. This is I think for me a great way to engage people to be curious and asks such changes in facial expressions of a sculpture. The sculpture itself also was made to invite us to ponder our own lives and identities.

 WORD COUNT: 338

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THE IRON FIST APPROACH BY DUTERTE

I would like to discuss the relation of my understanding of Walter Benjamin’s philosophy and the Iron fist approach of Duterte. Last discussion, what gives highlight to me is the phrase that perception matters. Arts and certain practices can be developed and undergo change. Before the discussion, a video of Hitler’s time was shown to us. In that video, I observed how people during that time praise or glorify Hitler. I realized that somehow it is a form of propaganda. On the other hand, I also come into conclusion that sometimes we could easily be deceived by other people’s opinion, most specifically that my era does not get to experience the time of Hitler and his dictatorship. Now hopping into the Iron fist approach of Duterte, during his campaign this image rise to give people the vision that the new ruler is tough and worth to be feared. Looking deeper into that image, people had grown disgust with the reality of a democratic government. Hence, the iron first image of Duterte somehow gives hope to them that there is “change”.

Change for Duterte is cleansing the society from Drugs that has been consecutively running for so many years. On his campaign which is the “War on Drugs”, Duterte stated that he does not care about human rights which then became an alarming issue and a lot of anti-Duterte or pro human rights are criticizing his actions for the country. As for the Anti-Duterte supporters, the action of Extrajudicial killings or war on drugs is inhumane, impractical and it does not contribute into the greater good of the society. Yes, perception matters that is why we still get to ask the questions “Why are there still people who believe that the action of killings is okay?” “Why do some people seem to praise and still support Duterte despite the underlying violence and human rights issue?”. For the Duterte supporters, they hold on to the statement that change is really coming through Duterte’s agendas for the country.

Just as mentioned a while ago, Arts and certain practices can be developed and changed and sometimes we can be easily deceived by the image or opinions of other people. In the case of our country today with an iron fist leader, the support to Duterte somehow mirrors the grown disgust or hopelessness of other people to the reality of flawed democratic country. I think at some point it is a revolt against the superficiality of the Philippine democracy. On the other hand, other opinions and perceptions also matter. For the anti-Duterte supporters, I observed that their criticisms highlight their concerns to human rights. No person shall be deprived of life and the right to defend oneself through the rule of law. The process of unlawful killing is a form of deprivation of life and it is not a fight against drugs, but it became a fight against the poor. We can say that the Iron-fist approach of Duterte and the statement of “change is coming” is only a form of propaganda to impose hope among Filipino people.

WORD COUNT: 519

photo source: https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=Awr9CWh8ho5hDa0ADodXNyoA;_ylu=Y29sbwNncTEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMyMzUzM1NZQ0NfMQRzZWMDcGl2cw--?p=iron+fist+duterte&fr2=piv-web&type=E210US662G91557&fr=mcafee#id=1&iurl=https%3A%2F%2Fih0.redbubble.net%2Fimage.195747760.6409%2Fflat%2C1000x1000%2C075%2Cf.u2.jpg&action=click

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THE ART OF BALLET DANCING

As for Plato, Art divides people since it only serves as a copy or imitation of reality. In his theory of “mimesis”, Plato highlights the “representation” referring to all kinds of art as just imitation. Despite that statement, Plato still believes in the power of Art most specifically by Music and Dance. Both music and dance have an influence on one’s mind and soul. For Plato, Music is a mathematical art, and it is a vector of harmony. The same as music, dance also has its role in influencing our mind and soul. Dance have a moral role on the early education and it also gives refinement within ourselves.

Since Music and Dance still play a significant role according to Plato, I would like to further expound Plato’s vision regarding the art of dance. In today’s advanced society, people usually resort and prefer type of dances such as hip-hop or modern breakdances. Indeed, any type of dances are still considered art, but classical ballet is a unique type of dance which trains the mind and soul (the same as Plato’s vision). How can I say that classical ballets train one’s mind and soul? My take on this is that, according to Plato, there are two ways to classify movements: 1) movement of beautiful bodies and 2) distorted movement. In Ballet, several movements are explored. It incorporates concentration, flexibility, proper posture, strength, balance and even musicality. It flows with the harmony of music and Ballet is known as the foundation of every dance style. Ballet explores the movement of beautiful bodies and even the movement of the distorted types.

Ballet dancing trains the mind and the soul in the sense that it helps ballet dancers to be fully committed and passionate about what they are doing because as well know, ballet is not an easy dance. It requires concentration which also trains the mind to focus on the aspects of ballet steps in order to coordinate the mind with the body. Ballet dancers are equipped with proper techniques and basic movements that are helpful to all beginners or dancers with different dance styles. According to Plato, dance have a moral role on the early education and I think even up until this day, ballet is a strong ground to acquire the essential dance techniques and knowledge about basic movements which can help an individual reach the state of being a professional dancer. Not only that, ballet is good for your overall well-being since it is also considered as an exercise, good for physical and mental health. A form of dance that builds up your flexibility, concentration, coordination, strength, and confidence which is a good ground to train one’s mind and soul.

WORD COUNT: 450

Photo source: PITTSBURGH BALLET THEATRE -  https://www.pbt.org/learn-and-engage/resources-audience-members/ballet-101/what-is-ballet/

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THE ISSUE OF SHEIN AND FAST FASHION IN THE LENS OF COMMODITY FETISHISM 

As a background, commodity fetishism is a marxist concept that highlights the relationship between commodity and the society. Theodor Adorno is highly influenced by the marxist concepts and as a reflection on both, I would like to discuss it using an ethical issue featuring the brand “SHEIN”. 

SHEIN is a fast fashion international brand who sells super affordable clothing trends for women. A lot of people, mostly women, are astonished by the strategy of the brand because people nowadays tend to hoard products that are trending and also suitable on their taste preferences. Aside from that, In a modern technological advanced society, a lot of people can be deceived by advertisements of great quality clothes online with super affordable prices. 

The problem here is that people tends to only see the quality and affordability of the clothing they hoard online. Shein has a problematic history since they have been exposed for their unethical environment and labor policies. Yes, people see this brand as something that benefits them but they do not see the underlying issue hiding from within. Shein is not giving enough salary to their laborers and they were also accused of stealing local people’s artwork ideas. Shein is committing plagiarism and lack of transparency since they do not provide relevant information about the impact of their products to the people,  environment and even to animals. In relation of this to commodity fetishism, the PROCESS of a certain creation (clothing) must be taken consideration as well since it involves social relations between people involved (laborers, distributors, sellers, etc). 

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Escaping Criticism (1874) by Pere Borell del Caso

ILLUSION AND ORDER OF THINGS

The painting shown above is a form of realist art and a classic example of trampantojo by a spanish painter named Pere Borell del Caso. The painting is titled “Escaping Criticism” which highlights a heightened illusion - a two dimensional image that portrays a terrified, bare-footed little boy eager to escape out of the picture. It looks realistic because the image of a boy looks like he is really trying to escape out of that picture. I would like to relate this painting of Pere Caso to Diego Velazquez’s Las Meninas painting in a way that I would discuss the order of things and how our eyes can be deceived by a painting. 

In our last elective discussion which tackled Las Meninas of Diego Velazquez, the painting is mysterious and can be interpreted in several ways. The highlight of our discussion about that painting is the question “who is the sovereign?” and “what if you are the pov of the painting?”. The painting itself is a guiding principle for the order of things because in the painting, the sovereign is missing. On the other hand, the interpretation is that everyone can be the sovereign, even the viewer myself. Looking at the painting, we might not get the right interpretation as it has an underlying meaning in it.

In the case of Pere Caso’s Escaping Criticism painting, many would look at it as a typical two-dimensional painting of a boy trying to escape that looks realistic as it is but in reality, the depiction of the painting mirrored the painter himself desperately trying to escape the art critics of his day. Another thing that captivates me with this painting is that, what if the little boy in the painting is entering our world (the viewer’s world)? he’s escaping out of the picture in which another world exists. 

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“Krista (Female Christ)” by Pablo Baens Santos, 1984

Medium: Oil on canvas

Genre: Social realism 

THE INFLUENCE OF ART, POLITICS, AND HISTORY

Throughout the evolution of time, art and politics have established an interdependent relationship with each other which also affects the movements in our history. Art can serve as a communication in which one can express his ideas and resentments. Hence, art has the power to influence the opinions and beliefs of every individual. In today’s societal advancement, there are various mediums of art such as visual art which can be used as a tool for political reforms, in raising awareness, and in highlighting social justice. 

“If you want to have a good government, you have to take part in the government” - This is the phrase that gives highlight to me on our last discussion regarding Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s The Allegory of Good and Bad Government. The series of these fresco paintings depict how a good and a bad government can influence the vision of future leaders and even the common members of  society. I firmly believe that politics can be best understood through art and art can serve as our voice. 

Krista, the female Christ is an artwork created by Pablo Baens Santos which highlights the movement of social realism specifically during the Martial Law era. As a background context, there were massive human rights abuses, oppression, and censorship during the martial law regime. The artwork of Pablo Santos is very political since the artist is renouncing the situation of the Philippines during that time. As observed from the photo above, the woman serves to be the main subject of the art. The woman subject depicts our motherland, the Philippines, as struggling and voiceless based on how her mouth is crowned with barbed wire. The Philippine flag is a symbol of where the martial law case happened, which is in the Philippines. The group of people behind the woman subject are the Filipinos showcasing rebellion. This can be connected to Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s artwork since both artwork depict the effects of bad governance.  In conclusion, it highlights the influence of politics and history on arts and vice versa as to how arts can influence our opinions and visions. 

Our voices must never be silenced and that is the purpose of Art.