Madama Butterfly

Madama Butterfly opens with two cartoon characters, on appearing to look like a Ken doll, another a rag doll, in a wide open, peaceful place, making mad passionate love to each other. They lay together for a short while then the male picks up and leaves, giving the female his hat, promising his safe return and devoted heart.

As she waits and waits, the sky, a reflection of her hope, heart and desire grows dark and gloomy, also representing the change in time. We see a strange animation of a fish, trapped in a fishbowl, glass finally breaking and swimming free, this represents the woman's birth to their child.
The evolution of time is shown once again through the growth of the child until one day, the woman sees a ship vessel with her lover in the distance.

Her heart leaps in expectation and longing but as the night carries on and she sees the vessel, lit with much excitement and festivity, this is the first sign of foreshadowed rejection.

Finally the next day, her long lost lover arrives....with Barbie and ten other kids in tow of a beautiful convertible. She waits, arms outstretched but the man rips the child away, in the process, breaking the chord, presumably the umbilical chord, connected from mother o child symbolizing Madam Butterfly's very own life and last hope.

From this point on we see her downfall; escaping to the dark, first peeling off her face, then entire body, showcasing a bare skeleton, this is all that's left. She then begins to chop off her individual body parts one by one, symbolizing, that every part of her is broken. The screen goes dark as her body rots away and what's left is carried off by the wind, only to form a butterfly, which then appears on a fresh new body, perhaps in Heaven.

THe cartoon version is very different from other adaptions but the animations and power of the music still detail the vivid heartbreak and breakdown of wretched love and lost hope rotting away the soul.

The Birth & Life of Opera

"I am Music. I calm every troubled heart. Now with anger. Now with love. I can inflame the coldest mind."

The effect of music on the human mind and heart is powerfully timeless. As John Adam's, director of "Nixon in China" puts it, Opera is the ideal art form for dealing with BIG issues, more so than the average film or novel which is too realistic.
You can't help but get goosebumps every time you hear the chilling scales of heartfelt pleas and see the performer's faces, rich with emotion, eyes flooded with passion as their voices magically grow stronger and stronger.
The dramaticism of Opera, the intertwined mediums of poetry, song, music, dance, design- make it a magical art form to become lost in. Opera is a much deeper experience, spellbindingly RICH with heartfelt  excitement and passion. It's a safe haven for people to unleash their minds and let the unfolding stories comfort their hearts which have endured similar trials and tribulations.

Howard Goodall's production of "The Birth and Life of Opera" beautifully tells the evolution of the form and details just how much it influenced and continues to mold and thrive in ever changing society.

As Goodall describes in the opening, "Opera is unlike any other because it is "the form in which music interfaces with the real world. The history of opera is stained with the blood of revolutions".

We see Opera as a National Identity. Born in Florence 400 years ago, brought to Manchua to flourish under the direction of Monteverde, it was the 1607 production of LorFeo that rocketed Opera to success.

The story of a husband traveling to the underworld to save his wife and bring her back, using only the charms of his magical voice, symbolized a human manifesto: our creation of beautiful things in society can bring us closer to divine perfection.

As Goodall's documentary unfolded I was not necessarily surprised, but still slightly taken aback by just how connected opera was to the political world. A MAJOR influence in history, used as propaganda, the cause for outbreak in societies, the inspiration for liberation and deliverance, and still to this day, a classic art form of society where people go to enrich their minds, melt their hearts and escape their woes.

I agree with Goodall's point that Opera is he parent of musicals and the two work well together, not against each other. Musicals are the first step leading to the appreciation, acceptance and admiration of the final destination, Opera.

In today's society, even if we don't actively view shows, the magical songs follow us so we can't help but recognize familiar pieces. I'm loving that I'm learning contextually, more about Opera and can recognize the songs that never fail to give me goosebumps or bring me to tears.

Blinded By Baroque

We are immersed in a new Baroque era without even realizing it; dramatic styles of art, architecture, fashion and even edibles magnetize our very own eyes. Impossible to ignore, the outlandish design is intricate and spellbinding. Pinterest, the best visual search engine out there to catalog online is FILLED with images from all over the world. I've included some of my favorites representing the areas where Baroque is most present.




LOVE the Goldleaf 3D design

The bright colors and baroque design accent eachother nicely.





All OVER Europe & In most museums, we see BEAUTIFUL cathedral ceilings with jaw dropping arcitechture, paintings and carvings, leaving the viewer in absolute awe of something so heavenly.




Lady Gaga Attire.

Carrie Bradshaw goes Extreme

Baroque's version of lawn nomes and pink flamingos.

Introduction

My name is Alexandra Loring, nickname since birth: Lexi. I'm a Communications Major, Writing Minor interested in pursuing a career in either Broadcast Journalism or Public Relations, but frankly I would be most happy traveling the world for a living ( wouldn't so many of us) if it were practical.

I've grown up immersed in art with an appreciation for the little things in life that are too often overlooked. This is due to not only personal struggles and health challenges but how I've been raised and my sensitive side by nature. I'm very passionate and aware, always digging deeper and looking to soak up as much of life's beauty as I possibly can.

Travel, literature, art and text have always magnetized me. From a young age my Aunt, a very talented artist, inspired my interest and still does to this day in all things artistic and culturally enriching.

My perfectionist mentality often battles with the bubbling artist inside of me. I think extremely visually. I see compositions wherever I walk, whether it's related to landscape or portrait- I'm often snapping away or jotting down thoughts. Quite often my thoughts or too elaborate and I don't give myself enough time with pen or pencil to enscribe or detail and shadow the series of events.

Art to me is a therapy, a release, and the best way to be in touch with not only yourself but the rest of the world.

Creative by nature and constantly learning, I'm excited to take this course, not only because it was an appealing Honors option but even more importantly, because it pertains to a timeless and fascinating subject while also discussing the modern twist of developing technologies.

I'm much more hands on with art; I don not have much practice with graphic design but I thoroughly enjoy writing, photography, sketching, charcoal, molding, collaging and acostic painting; I'm always open to new ideas and mediums and I'm looking forward to learning about the evolution of multimedia and transformation of art over the ages.

I have a full semester of credits and know that this COM 211 H, Art & Tech class will do wonders paired with my COM 390 H Ethnicity in Film & Lit and COM 350 Sex and Seduction of Early American Literature. I already see a lot of overlapping themes that I'm excited to interconnect to get the most out of what I'm learning.