Blindman's Bluff

Blindman's Bluff by Komar and Melamid

1982-3

Oil on canvas

182.9 x 119.4 cm

1. Artists’ Bio

            a. 1943, Vitaly Komar born

            b. 1945, Alexander Melamid born

            c. 1963, both students/met at Stroganov Institute of Art and Design in Moscow

            d. 1965, Lectured about history of Russian art together; took art in avant-garde exhibitions, expelled from Moscow Union of Artists

            e. 1977, Immigrated to Israel --> Later, New York --> 1988, American citizens

        

2. Subject Matter

            a. Russia’s totalitarian regime through “Nostalgic Socialist Realism,” parodied the art form that acted as propaganda of Stalin's greatness, peasant life, etc.

            b. Visual Analysis – a blindfolded schoolgirl and a military man play the traditional game of Blindman’s Bluff

                        i. Stalin’s portrait hangs on the wall of the empty room – watchful, a guiding figure with a strong presence in the Russian citizen's life

                        ii. billowing curtain – statement on the excess of Baroque paintings

3. Artistic Influences

            a. Legacy – reminder of oppression on citizens

4. Contextual Analysis – A response to Communist propaganda and daily life in Soviet Union, early art history, restrictions, the totalitarian state

The Portrait of Vsevolod Garshin by Ilya Repin (aka most beautiful picture in the world asdlajsdlfal)

Vsevolod Garshin by Ilya Repin
*please really look at and appreciate the colors used, the brush strokes, and the subject matter itself

About the Painting

What? 

• C'est exactement comme je l'ai dit...It's a portrait of Vsevolod Mikhailovich Garshin who wrote Russian short stories. 
• Medium: Oil on Canvas
• Size: 35" x 27 1/4" (about 3 feet by 2.3 feet, rather large)

Why? 

• I couldn't really find why Repin painted him, but I found something rather close. Read this paragraph, I can't write it any better (it's really engaging :o).

     "The portrait's power stems from its intensity. Ilya Efimovich Repin (1844-1930) painted his friend—and occasional model—Vsevolod Mikhailovich Garshin, just like he portrayed most of the Russian intelligentsia, including Leo Tolstoy, during the era of the last czar. Garshin sat for his portrait, Vsevolod Mikhailovich Garshin (cover), at age 29 years, yet he appears, depicted for posterity, much older than his chronological age. Garshin, the novelist, playwright, and pacifist supporter of the radical spirit in Russia of the late 1870s and early 1880s, suffered from depression and the terrible legacy of his father's and brother's suicides. Sitting at a desk, surrounded by the books and papers of his vocation and trade, the bearded writer stares out at the audience, and most probably was gazing directly at Repin while the painter worked. Garshin's eyes burn, if not with revolutionary fervor, then perhaps with fever; his overall appearance is that of an intellectual, unconcerned with material goods and wardrobe. Vsevolod Mikhailovich slumps, his shoulders and upper spine rounded in the pose of one who reads and writes for the better part of each day. Four years after Repin immortalized him, Garshin cascaded, purposefully, down some stairs and ended his own life."

About the Artist

Biography?

• Am I allowed to quote websites because I think I just might lol

     "Ilya Repin was a talented Russian painter of the Peredvizhniki School, who was held up by the Soviet government as an artist to be imitated by the new school of Socialist Realists. At the age of 22, Repin began his art career at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, the same time as the “Rebellion of the Fourteen,” when 14 young artists left the school after refusing to paint mythological paintings for their diplomas. These artists would later form the Society of the Peredvizhniki, which Repin joined in 1878. Repin and the free thinking “itinerants,” as they were also called, rebelled against the formal academy, insisting that art should reflect real life. As an art student, his travels took him to Italy, Paris and Impressionist Exhibitions, and although he was exposed to the vivid colors and quick brush strokes of the impressionist style, he remained true to his unique form of realism. 

     Many of the subjects Repin painted were common people, like himself, although he did on many occasions paint the Russian elite, intelligentsia, and Tsar Nicholas II. He also painted many of his contemporary compatriots, including novelist Leo Tolstoy, composer Modest Mussorgsky, scientist Dmitri Mendeleev, and Ukranian painter Taras Schevchenko. A common recurring theme in his paintings was the Russian Revolutionary Movement, and as a result his works are often classified as a “Russian national style.

     In his later life, he lived in a house in Kuokkala, Finland, called the Penates, which he designed and built himself. After the October Revolution of 1917, Finland declared Independence, and Repin was invited to return to the Soviet Union. He refused, saying that he was too old to make the journey, and remained in Finland until his death thirteen years later. In 1940, the Penates house was opened to the public as a museum."

 Politics?

• He was rebellious towards many of the ideas of the time. He tried to stay out of politics and focus on religion, but this is not as evident in his paintings. His paintings reflect a lot of political thoughts and events that occurred throughout his lifetime. 

Style?

A Self Portrait of Ilya Repin mmm dat weave

• He was a realist in a time of just anything but. He typically used oil paint (on canvases) for his paintings and he sculpted as well. 
• He was known for portraying "hugely emotional settings which carried powerful meanings"  where he tried to make people see the importance of the event he was depicting. 

✗ For more information, visit this site. 

I and the Village

I and the Village

What? –It illustrates the give and Take between beings and the vibrant natural world around them. Powerful display of the mutual relationship between humans, animals, and plants.

-Oil on canvas

-63’ 5/8” x 59’ 5/8”

Why? –Marc Chagall painted this to feature memories of his of childhood in the town of Vitebsk, Russia.

 

About the Artist

Bio-   Marc Chagall was born in 1887 to a poor Jewish family in Russia. He was the eldest of nine children. Chagall began to display his artistic talent while studying at a secular Russian school, and despite his father’s disapproval, in 1907 he began studying art with Leon Bakst in St. Petersburg
In 1910, Chagall, moved to Paris for four years. It was during this period that he painted some of his most famous paintings of the Jewish village, and developed the features that became recognizable trademarks of his art. In 1914, before the outbreak of World War I, Chagall held a one-man show in Berlin, exhibiting work dominated by Jewish images. During the war, he resided in Russia, and in 1917, endorsing the revolution, he was appointed Commissar for Fine Arts in Vitebsk and then director of the newly established Free Academy of Art. In 1922, Chagall left Russia, settling in France one year later. He lived there permanently except for the years 1941 - 1948 when, fleeing France during World War II, he resided in the United States. Chagall's horror over the Nazi rise to power is expressed in works depicting Jewish martyrs and refugees.
In addition to images of the Jewish world, Chagall's paintings are inspired by themes from the Bible. His fascination with the Bible culminated in a series of over 100 etchings illustrating the Bible, many of which incorporate elements from folklore and from religious life in Russia.
Israel, which Chagall first visited in 1931 for the opening of the Tel Aviv Art Museum, is likewise endowed with some of Chagall's work, most notably the twelve stained glass windows at Hadassah Hospital and wall decorations at the Knesset.
Chagall received many prizes and much recognition for his work. He was also one of very few artists to exhibit work at the Louvre in their lifetime.

Politics? He preferred to not involve himself in politics.

Style? His style was very poetic and figurative.

Tutu Worn in Le Mort du Cygne

What is it? A tutu for a ballet.

Medium- Ivory silk with subtle flashes of gold sequins on the netted tutu. Decorated with feathers forming a heart- shaped. Blue stone only burst of color. The burst of feathers separates the dancer's small torso to the full tutu.

Size- Short. The outfit kind of looks like an upside down dried shiitake mushroom.

Why created? To emphasized the dancer's long legs in a ballet.

Artist- Leon Bakst (1866- 1924) born in Grodno. Studied at the Saint Petersburg Academy of Art. Had little success as an academic painter. Began his career as an illustrator and a drawing teacher. Continued his studies in Paris in the 1890s. In 1887 he met Alexandre Benois (1870- 1960) a painter who helped his career. Late 1890's Benois, Bakst, and Dlaghilev formed an artistic movement called Mir Iskusstva (World of Art)

Style- Known for his use of vibrant colors and exotic designs.

ART

Research a piece of art and its artist.  Post your findings as a comment to this post.  Do not duplicate what someone else has done!

Your (The) Motherland is Calling!

ART:

What Is it?: A propaganda poster

Medium: Paper

Size: Small enough to be folded up into a pocket but big enough to be plastered on a wall and still be imposing.

Why?: It was created because the artists wife came in one day holding a post announcing World War II.

ARTIST:

Irakli Toidze studied art from his father and graduated from Tbilisi Academy of Arts in 1930. Toidze was awarded the State Prize of the USSR in 1941,1948, 1949, and 1951 and based this poster after his wife receiving the news of World War II. He was personally noted by Joseph Stalin.

Politics: He was personally noted by Stalin and was a member of the Socialist realism movement.

Style: Soclist Realism.

Schedule & Assignments

Hello, Group!
I wanted to update you on scheduling and what you should be working on.
Scheduling:
I will have meetings the 1st and 4th Monday of each month, so we may need to consider alternating between Mondays and another day.  For now, meetings are on Mondays, but please comment back to suggest another day/time.  Thursdays were proposed and several decathletes indicated they could do Thursdays, but let's try to come to a better consensus.

Assignments:
Today at practice, we will be researching the artworks.  If you are unable to attend, please choose a piece of art (view the PowerPoint on my site off www.volcanovistahawks.com), and research it and its artist.  Post your results.

Speech: I would like everyone to have a rough draft of their speech in its entirety (notice I said ROUGH draft, it doesn't need to be perfect!) to our meeting on 10/8.

Let me know if you have further questions and I hope to see you soon!

Meeting times

I have some questions about meeting schedules and assignments. I was told by Maria that the meetings might be regulated between mondays and thursdays. Is this week's meeting on monday or thursday? ( I might have some issues with thursdays...) Also, when does our speech have to be completely finished by? I haven't had a chance to work on anything past the introduction yet, school has been really hectic lately but I am hoping to finish it in the next 2 weeks. I would really appreciate it if anybody could answer these questions!

Okay so the Worlds Finest Lady finally contacted me. She can have the materials to me by Monday, but there will be so many cases, I was hoping you could just stop by my house and pick up your alloted cases. We will be selling the Variety pack, and if we buy 30 cases we get 40% profit, 60 cases we get 50% profit. so let me know what you guys think is best and if u would be able to drop by my house to pick up the materials. Mrs. Taylor, how could we pay? Through check perhaps?

Weekly Assignment 9/10

Hello, decathletes, I apologize sincerely for having to cancel our meeting today.,  We may need to revisit Monday as our meeting time, but for now let's plan definitely on next Monday!
So for this week, review the PowerPoint entitled AD Art 2012-2013 and the document entitled Art Outline on my website off volcanovistahawks.com.  Choose one piece of art that speaks to you and research it, addressing the elements found on the Art Outline. Post your choice here as a comment to this post; everyone must do a different work of art. Be prepared to present your findings next Monday. Pleaes let me know if you have any questions. Have a great week!

Meeting 9/10

Happy Labor Day, Decathletes!
Our next meeting will be Monday, 9/10 right after school in E113.  At this meeting, we will discuss Speech, Language & Literature, and Art. Please come prepared by having at least the introduction to your speech typed out (more if you have time or have already done the introduction), and by having read and being prepared to discuss Part I of Dr. Zhivago. Bring your copy of the book and your speech introduction to the meeting. I will bring the art! See you then!

P.S.: If you are unable to attend this or any other meeting, please let me know and complete the Excuse form found in the Excuses tab above.

First Meeting

Let's plan to have our first meeting NEXT Wednesday (8/22) at lunch in E113.  We can greet each other after our long summer separation and find out who's still with us and how we want to proceed.  Comment back sometime this week to let me know if that day works for you. Have a great first week back at school!

Update 8/8

So I wanted to share some news with you as I receive it.
Some good news:
Cinemark movie theaters will be showing the classic Dr. Zhivago film on Sept. 6 in theaters.  Now I am certainly not encouraging you to go out on a school night and of course all decisions are up to your parents, but it might be fun for you decathletes to go see this movie (of course you might rent it or whatever, but the theater does have a certain ambience).  It is somewhat different from the book, and of course we always rely on the text for details, however, it might be a fun experience for you to go see it either individually, with your families or with other decathletes.

Some bad (well, not really bad, but changing) news:
Mr. Riggs has decided to leave VVHS and pursue other fabulous and fascinating career options.  We will of course miss him in AD and at VVHS, but I for one wish him all the best in his future endeavors!
 
I will be trying to find someone else to help coach our team and will keep you posted on that.

Weekly Assignment: 8/6-8-13

Well, it's our last weekly assignment of the summer! I'd like to thank all of you who followed through and posted every (or almost every) week.  Pay attention next week to the announcements at school, or check this blog to see when our reward lunch for those who did well this summer will be and when our first official meeting will be.
Let me remind you what you should have accomplished for AD this summer:
-Read Part I of Dr Zhivago
-Choose a speech topic
-Write at least the introduction to your speech
If you haven't yet done those things, do them so that we can get off to a great start once school begins.
For your assignment this week...let's keep it simple.  This being the last week before you guys have to go back to school (get to go back to school?), tell us what you're looking forward to and what you're dreading about school this year.  Did you get the classes you wanted? Check back in a few days to offer encouragement or support or mild ridicule to a teammate. See you soon!

Weekly Assignment, 7/30-8/6

Good morning, decathletes! Please accept my sincere apologies for not posting an assignment last week...I was out of town and unexpectedly had no internet access.  But, onward and upward! For this week, please note that you should have now read ALL of Part One of Dr. Zhivago, if that wasn't clear before, I am making it clear now :).
Your assignment this week goes back to that other event we had discussed this summer...SPEECH.  Your assignment is to write and post here your speech's introduction. You should have already chosen a topic, if not, see the previous speech assignment and choose one.  A speech is really nothing more than a spoken essay, so tap into all those years of essay-writing I know you all have under your belts; just remember that this is a spoken essay, so it has to be even more interesting! Your introduction should include:
-an attention-grabber: you need to hook the judges, so this could be a story, a fact, something odd that makes them want to continue listening to you.  What you want to avoid: "Today I am going to talk about...".
-A road map of where you are going: kind of like that ever-dreaded-by-students thesis statement in an essay...tell your listeners where you are going so that they can follow along.
Your introduction, when read aloud slowly, should take about 30 seconds.

You can search YouTube for Academic Decathlon nationals speeches and see winning examples, or just use your own creativity.  Remember, you want to be memorable and interesting in your speech, and that starts with hooking the judges in with your introduction.  If you can't grab their attention in the first 30 seconds of your speech, it will be very difficult to grab it later, so this is the most important part. 
At the end of the week, come back and comment to your teammates' posts and help them make their introductions more fascinating.
I am only asking for introductions this week, but know that I will be asking for the entire speech relatively soon, so if you get into a speech-writing groove and want to write the whole thing before school starts, I am certainly happy to read and help with that too!

Been super Busy!

Sorry everyone, my life has been pretty hectic lately, but I am going to try to catch up this week. I'm so sorry I haven't been on in a long time, I just haven't had the time to sit down and complete the assignments! My most sincere apologies, I promise to get it all done by the end of this week! :)

Weekly Assignment: 7/16-7/23

Hello again, Decathletes! I hope your summers are being daily filled with awesomeness!

We will use this week as a bit of a catch-up: if you missed reading a part of Dr. Zhivago, do it now.  If you did not think about and refine your idea for a speech, do it now.  This week's questions (below) are summative for Part One of Dr Zhivago.  Next week, you will be reading the first two chapters of Part Two, but let's make sure we are understanding the major themes of Part One.  No quiz this week, but there will be one next week.

1. What is changing about Russian society? Last week, Mr. Riggs asked you about changes in family and wealth, think about those things as you answer, but also think about social position and hierarchy and any other potential changes you see.  How does Strelnikov symbolize the change in social position?

2. What is the Russian revolution all about? (you may be able to glean this information from the novel, but if not, you have the internet at your disposal).  Who was fighting for what?  Who were the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks?

3. Is this novel meant to be romantic in any way?  What has been said/implied about love so far? What is the relationship in this novel between marriage and love?

4. What do you predict will happen in the second part of the novel?

5. What have you not understood in this first part? Is there anything you would like eplained to you? What things do you understand better now than you did in the beginning?

Weekly Assignment 7/9 - 7/16 (Part 2)

Instead of a Quiz this week, I thought we should have a chance to express a little creativity, while still exploring the complexities of Doctor Zhivago.

As a comment attached to this post, write a short paragraph describing a character’s thoughts at a certain point in the story so far. You may choose any character and any situation. Write as the character would think, and make it specific to a situation or event you've read in Doctor Zhivago. Try and match their language and tone as best you can, but don't worry about being perfect.

After other people have posted, read their paragraphs and try and accurately guess who the character is and what the situation is by commenting on their posts.

Weekly Assignment 7/9 - 7/16 (Part 1)

Here we are, on the precipice of Part Two of Doctor Zhivago. Read Chapters 5 and 6, then come back here and answer the following questions. (Instead of a quiz this week, don't forget to check out Part 2 of the Weekly Assignment...)

1. What is the significance of the "mystical" deaf-mute? The villagers see him as a sort-of folk hero or legend, capable of great power. Zhivago, however, is more inclined to be skeptical of him, his role, and his power. How does this relate to the oncoming revolution?

2. Does Zhivago "love" Lara? Or are there other, more complicated emotions involved? He certainly is drawn to her, to the point that Tonya recognizes Lara's sway over Yury even via his letter, but Yury himself does not seem to understand the specifics of her lure. Why is he drawn to her?

3. With the first stirrings of revolution, all the old institutions of Russian society are changing. For example, Galiullin's mother is worried she will be judged by the actions of her son and begs Yury to keep her secret. How has the role of family changed in these trying times?

4. How has the revolution affected the role of wealth in Russian life? How does Zhivago feel about these changes?

5. What questions/concerns do you have? What doesn't make sense? What do you like/dislike about Doctor Zhivago so far?

Weekly Assignment 7/2-7/9

LET'S TAKE A DR ZHIVAGO BREAK! (Although don't forget Yuri and Lara--we'll be back for the next two chapters next week.)

Let's talk about another of the exciting Academic Decathlon events...yes, you know it, you love it--SPEECH!
I was going to try to make some corny allusion to the 4th of July and how our nation's independence was orchestrated by strong orators (speakers) who used their awesome speaking skills to convince others to rebel against Britain and create the United States of America (I'm sure that is what you are all pondering as you watch the fireworks, right? right?)...but I won't go there...I will say that speech (or public speaking) is one of the most important life skills you will acquire from participating in Academic Decathlon. When I participated in AD, one year, our overall topic was the 1980s (you know, shoulder pads, big hair and synthesized music)...I honestly almost never use anything I learned about that topic in everyday life, but I do use the public speaking skills I got that year everyday in my profession (and no, that's not just 'cause I'm a teacher...most adults have to speak in front of others in their jobs). So, while it sounds scary, we are going to jump in.

Mr. Riggs and I have been privileged to give, judge and listen to many, many speeches in Academic Decathlon at all different levels, from our own team to nationals, and I think one thing at least I can say about this is that the topic is not particularly important to your overall outcome.   I've heard speeches on many topics including: Tetris, music, sleep, truth, love, personal quirks, Sherlock Holmes, healthcare reform, duct tape, New Mexican culture, non-athletic extra-curricular activities, lapdesks, etc. I have given AD speeches on American mythology and the benefits of the space program.  What is more important than the topic is that you speak with conviction, passion and polish. VVHS has won medals in speech at competition before (even a gold one!), let's continue that tradition!

The speech event is unique in AD in that you are in control of what happens.  You may read Dr. Zhivago 8 times (and I know you will ;) ), and still not know EVERYTHING about it, but in speech, you walk in with the topic, all the points are available to you based solely on what you bring into the room, not what someone writing multiple-choice questions thinks is important. So, with that in mind, we want to present at competition very polished, professional and passionate speeches, and in order to get them polished appropriately, we need to start now. Your coaches and teammates can help you with the polishing, but you alone can select a topic about which you are passionate. 

With all that in mind, your assignment this week is to answer the following questions:
1. What do you think makes a great speech or speaker?  (A speech is nothing more than a unit of talking that attempts to inform or persuade; your teachers do this everyday, your parents probably give speeches, you may have seen or heard political, religious or cultural leaders give speeches as well, think about the best, most convincing and memorable speech you've ever heard...what were its characteristics?)
2. Choose a (tentative) speech topic.  It can be a thing, an issue, an idea, about which you are passionate enough to speak for 3.5 minutes. Write one paragraph to explain what the topic is and why you are passionate about it.
Please come back later in the week and comment back to a classmate about their topic.
NO QUIZ THIS WEEK! Happy Independence Day!