POST 6: An Art Exhibition Review

The exhibition that we are going to review today is called Pop Art Myths. This exhibition will be in the Thyssen Bornemisza ( Paseo del Prado, 8, 29043 Madrid) from july the 10 until september the 14, 2014.Their website is also very complete, here you will find many information, such as ticket prices or opening times: http://www.museothyssen.org/microsites/exposiciones/2014/mitos-del-pop/index_en.html#ancla
In this exhibition you will find some of the most famous artists and their artworks, for example from Roy Lichtenstein to Andy Warhol. You will be able to enjoy the exhibition for almost ten weeks! Mainly the creator was the Curator of the museum: Paloma Alarcó, head of the modern painting, Thyssen Museum. This group show is an historical and original exhibition.

In this exhibition you will be able to find an overwhelming universe of colors tastefully combined to convey the feeling of the era this mouvement was created and developped, thanks to the idea of pop artists to be inspired in the media and cinema industry that was being developped. Also there are various forms of representation, such as movie posters, sculptures, close-ups, etc... 

The good point in this mouvement is that there are some pieces that are very simple to be reconigzed and even to be interpretated so that the viewer is able to be transported to pop art universe. 
This exhibition really has an impact on the viewer because we see some famous pieces that everyone knows from our childhood or even because we have seen the on TV. In my opinion the hole exhibition really whort it because there are no pieces that aren't dismissed. This exhibition shows the concept of the hero all along and thanks to this mouvement. The art piece we are going to see today is one of my favorites, by mimmo Rotella, called Cleopatra, painted in 1963. What it's really interesting about theis piece is that we can see that the artist wanted to emphasize on the woman in the middle of the image, also a thign that really makes the difference with this piece is that we can reconize the original material the artist used, a poster of a film.

Mimmo Rotella, Cleopatra, 1963. 

POST 4: My own choice of a a film, series, song or book (novel, play, essay, comic, graphic novel) dealing with the 'MYTHS & HEROES' notion.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

This novel first appeared in 2005 and was written by Rick Riordan. This novel's a mix of mythological greec culture and a dystopia happening in the present. Bassically it tells the story of a teenager called Percy and his friend Grover Underwood, that ends being a satyr. Percy is Poseidon's son, sea god. The two friends end up discovering that the greec myths exisit and that the Olympus stills existing, in the top of the Epire State Building. As a "half blood" he is persecuted by some other Gods and he is in danger, so Grover decides to take him to a camp where all the sons of the Gods are safe. In there they discover that someone has stollen the thief of Zeus so they decide to get it back.

The story doesn't en up there, there are more 5 books that continue with the story.

I thing this novel is releated with the notion Myths and Heros because ir represents a hero with traditional values but with today's caracteristics. Also, we see that there are greek mythology all along this saga, but releated to the present.

POST 2: Chris/Alexander & the myth of the noble/good savage in Sean Penn's Into the Wild movie

This is the traditional representation of the myth of the 'noble savage'.

This is Alexander Supertramp in the movie 'Into the Wild'.

This concept of noble savage started in the 17th century and developed in the 18th century. This concept represents an idealised indigene who thanks to not being in civilisation he has not been corrupted and he embodies the idea of the innate goodness. Also thanks to nature he stays true to his roots and stays essentially good.
It was a popular concept in the Renaissance humanism and many authors of that period decided to talk about it. One of them was the essayist Richard Steele who basically said ta the human was corrupted by the idea as he said of false education.
Then apeared in the occidental civilisation the cult to 'Primitivism', the 'noble savage' was a human outside the civilisation that was more authentical. That concept apeared then in the novel 'The Conquest od Granada' writen in 1672 by Dryden who wrote about the idealized picture of nature's gentelman.

What Alex seems to believe about the wild/nature as oposed to society/civilisation is that the hapiness and the genuine and best of it you can only find it among nature and alone. Since he has that feeling he embodies the concept of the 'noble savage' because he is not corrupted by civilisation or education. Also, he has showned through the movie that he has an innate goodness that makes him to be very close with people in a short instant.

When Alex decides to go to Alaska to live into the wild he hopes find a extreme form of beauty and hapiness thanks to nature. He is longing for finding that expression of beauty and lefting behind civilisation.

When he decided to live in Nature, he has a complete different idea about what it vas going to be. In fact he found really beautiful landscapes, wich was one of his biggest dreams. But however, he also discovered that the idea of being alone gives you hapiness was false and eventually it was just a waist of time and energy resulting that he unfortunately passed the way.

We could say that in the movie called Into the Wild the main character named Alexander is mora representative to the myth of the romantic that to the noble savage. Because he is more emphathising through the movie that he is a very individualist person and that he preffers the past nature instead of the contact with other humans. In order to show it the director inserted at the begining of the movie he inserted a poem wich says: " I love man the less, but Nature more", this prase was written by a poet that belongs to the romantic movement.

In my opinion we see that you can't really return to the roots and decide to leave everithing behind. We have been rased since our childhood with some values that would completly counter this idea of linving as our past generations. This is a true fact that is noticable in the movie when he finds the "magic bus", because even if he had the idea of linving with nothing but some stuff that he will find out in nature he is still using tools that belongs to the modern world. Also he has remorse and longing because he left people that are important to him at home or along his journey.

POST 1.2: THE IDEA OF PROGRESS

THE IDEA OF PROGRESS

1. Read the definitions and fill in the gaps with suitable words.
PROGRESS
1. Forward movement, as toward a goal . Advance . Development . increase = 

=======>> quantity

2. Gradual betterment . Steady / Progressive improvement of society / civilization / humankind.

=======>> quality




2. Brainstorming: Here is a list of questions you must ask yourself about the notion. Complete the blanks.
What type of progress?
technological / scientific / social / economic / moral / educational / historic 



Who are the people concerned?
individuals / companies / governments / researchers / armies/ teachers/ women / children



Which period of time is concerned?

the past / the present / the future/ nowadays / tomorrow / all the ages

What is at stake?

medical issues / physical performances / technical advances / innovations / dehumanization / domination / environmental issues / animal rights / place of woman in society / race relations / social inequalities / economic opportunities / globalization / the whole humanity / future generations / medicine / democracy 

What are the advantages and disadvantages (= drawbacks) / the pros and cons / the upside and downside?

The main advantage in this case is that we can improve our way of life, but this is also complicated to know because we can't anticipate if this is going to be good or not for us.

Is it profitable (= positive / advantageous) or is it potentially dangerous ( negative / disadvantageous)
for human beings? Why?

I think that in this case the two options are right. On the one hand we could imagine that the progress could cause negative results such as war for the power. On the other hand we may think that it could cause positive results such as medical progress to cure some diseases.

Is the impact positive or negative? For whom?

The impact is not the same for all the actors in a situation.
Can we afford to reject progress or can’t we do without it (nowadays & in future)?
I think that we have to progress, but always keeping in our minds where we come from.

Can’t we improve on the idea of progress commonly accepted in our modern world and consumer society? If so, how? 

Of course we can progress. I think that we should keep in mind that the human canot accomplish some things that are impossible.

　3. Build up your vocabulary
Complete the grid during the school-year with words and phrases suitable for the notion

UPSIDE / THE PROS	TYPES OF PROGRESS	DOWNSIDE / THE CONS
Enable people to work more efficiently / improve our living standard / ...	Technological progress	Cut people off from the real world / lose touch with nature / ...
Increase the knowledge of the world / discover new materials / ...	Scientific progress	Raise ethical issues / create new inequalities / ...
Upgrade education / reduce gender and racial discrimination / ...	Social progress	Lose traditional values / disrupt conservative lifestyles / ...

　

POST 1: THE IDEA OF PROGRESS

THE IDEA OF PROGRESS

As an introduction to the idea of progress as a whole, please check the worksheet on