Mozart's Lasting Impression

It's interesting how many professional musicians turn their nose up at the mention of Mozart simply because his music is so popular and overly used... considered to no longer be "tasteful" due to the "average Joe" claiming to love Mozart. To judge a life's work based off current trends and redundancy is a bit silly in my opinion. It should be perfectly fine to enjoy the music of any composer or any style of music regardless of what everyone else thinks or whatever is trending at the moment (same could be said for the arts in general).

Mozart composed over 600 works in his time. It's no wonder his music continues to be influential in current advertising and/or entertainment venues, you hear it everywhere and often unknowingly (unless of course you've more than familiarized yourself with his style).

Personally, I find Mozart's music a bit too intricate and heavily focusing on the western major scale (apparently, or so I've been told, almost everything I listen to is in they key of minor). It depends on which specific piece, but I prefer my classical music "fix" to come from emotional music... similar to the works of composers like Dvorak or Bach... (not that I haven't been moved or touched by major pieces)

Here is an interesting read about the Popularity of Mozart.

Frozen through Time

The forming of ice crystals over a lengthy period of time on artist Juan Carlos Delgado's installment of this classic style (bronze or copper?) bust proves intriguing to say the least... both visually and conceptually.

The ice formation is affected by, of course, any form of heat including the turning on and off of lights within the room, human interaction or any other changes in temperature.. providing a unique sense of interaction.. making it interactive or multimedia art.

The symbolism in this exhibit is accentuated further by the addition of Delgado's wife's hands embracing a single flame... although I'd imagine a single flame might not be enough to keep you warm in this installation, so be sure to double up and bring a scarf when viewing... (related article)

18th Century Castrati

Male castration was a common occurrence for several centuries. Even though castration was performed since before the ninth century (eunuch singers from the Byzantine Empire), it wasn't until the eighteenth century when castrati became widely popular in Italian opera. Amongst other Italian opera "superstars" there was the famous Farinelli, receiving excessive praise and admiration for his instrument and performances.

Farinelli's real name was Carlo Broschi. After the unexpected death of his father in 1717, out of fear for losing the family's wealth and good standing, it was supposedly Broschi's brother Riccardo who spear headed the decision to castrate Broschi in hopes of ensuring the family's economical and social standing. Farinelli (Broschi's stage name) quickly became recognized for his musical abilities, performing several locations in Europe including Venice, London and eventually Spain (as a court/chamber musician performing private sessions as music therapy for King Philip V's depression). (source)

The concept of performing castration for the means of musical entertainment (or reaching a sense of "perfection" musically) isn't exactly the most comfortable topic to discuss or even imagine. To get a sense of what it might have been like to actually hear a live performance of a castrato, one could turn to today's male soprano countertenors such as Philippe Jaroussky. While a developed falsetto isn't exactly the same as a real castrato its a more desirable alternative... at least for the performer I'd say!

"Art" vs. "Design"

As my first post to this blog, I thought it would be good to start off with an often controversial subject... that being the real difference between Art and Design, or rather, what it means to be an artist compared to what it means to be a designer.

photo credit: jessekunze.com

As I know it, a designer generally is someone who creates their work based from trends (marketing) or attempts to convey a clear message to its viewer. Designers are often limited, restricted to a certain look, feel, approach to what the ultimate message is. Artists, on the other hand, are able to produce art with no bounds, no restrictions, complete freedom - a real "blank canvas".. literally. Artists aren't necessarily creating a piece of work based on how the audience/viewer will respond, but rather based on self expression and unique exploration.

Personally, I find being an artist, producing pieces with absolutely no reference, nothing to compare to or pull ideas from... that is much more difficult than throwing on my designer hat and putting something together last minute for a client who by the way (most of the time) already has a basic concept of what they are expecting. And yes, there are many designers who are also artists and vise versa.. but I think its important to realize the delineation between the two.

On the AIGA website you can find a very good article by Craig Elimeliah on the subject of Art vs. Design... a recommended read. I agree with Craig when he mentions near the end of the article that designers should aspire to put themselves in situations where they have absolute freedom to create anything, as they feel inspired.. releasing themselves from the bounds of design.  Not that design doesn't have its place.. there is something comforting (and still very creative of a process), reassuring about being able to find something you like, perhaps it be complex and hard to replicate, and reproducing it in your own way.. making it your own unique experience.

I'm not saying art is more important than design, especially when it comes to how it is applied in the "real world", in our daily lives as consumers. Personally, I feel being a "true" artist is more difficult and often seemingly impossible since there really is no such thing as originality anymore.. its all been done before in some small way or another. One could even argue there is no such thing as a modern day artist, that we all are designers... save the extreme, chaotic and seemingly desperate artists who are struggling to find new forms of expressing their art.. even if its by means of drastic or intentionally bizarre methods. Of course what was once bizarre or grotesque is now trendy and the accepted norm. Perhaps in time we would learn to accept the change as we have in the past?