On the Aesthetic of Edgard Varèse

The most often-researched music of the early 20th century is most probably the output of the Second Viennese School, and somewhere after that Le sacre du printemps, the music of Charles Ives, Claude Debussy, Bela Bartok, and a few other established composers. Edgard Varèse, who interacted with almost every prominent musician in the West (and…

Gender Roles in Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

“Exploding Enforced Gender Roles via Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” Though usually viewed as a violent play about turbulent marriages, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? should be regarded as an early feminist text. Bonnie Finkelstein writes that the 1962 play portrays and analyzes the damaging effects of traditional, stereotypical gender roles,…

Hollywood and the Iraq War

Will the Gulf War produce enduring art? Introduction Five months after the Gulf war in 1991, on The New York Times Richard Bernstein was writing: “If this war has produced a surge of national pride reminiscent of 1918 and 1945, there is no guarantee that it will, like the Civil war, the two World wars,…

Everyman: Morality Play

Everyman, even though it encompasses the ideas behind Christian faith and Catholic doctrine, is a play that expresses normal human emotions including morality. It was written in a time when dramatic plays first appeared in churches with the introduction of the miracle play. As the popularity of these miracles grew, those producing the plays decided…

Advertisements of the 1920’s, 1940’s, 1960’s, and 1980’s

Throughout the years, companies have used advertising as an outlet for selling their products. Though the campaigns, audiences, and messages behind the advertisements may have changed over time, the ultimate message has not, and that is generally great value for a low cost. The companies that design the ads have one interest in mind, and…

Researching Economy, Nonprofit Arts and Culture in Philadelphia

The city of Philadelphia has been known for several years as the “Athens of America”. The city comprises a rich tapestry of cultural ground – art, music, theater, dance etc. Today Philadelphia has stretched its wings and with the expansion of Broad Street’s Avenue of the Arts, one can see that the artistic aspects of…

Alfred Stieglitz and the “Equivalent” Series

Photography has been a popular art form since its introduction after the Civil War. It was also around this time that Americans turned to the exploration of their country and began taking photographs of their findings. The photographer/explorer served as a reporter of what the western frontier was like, as well as an artist for…

The Story of Joseph

Renaissance art is famous for its religious significance. Works of art during this time were generally commissioned by religious institutions or wealthy citizens donating the works to a religious institution. Most Renaissance paintings are of religious figures or religious stories. These paintings were made to either portray certain Biblical characters or, as is the case…

Photography: Artistic Outlet

Photography opened up a wide range of opportunities for artistic outlet. Commercialization of this new form of portraiture satisfied the public demand for permanently captured images. More importantly, the new technologies associated with this new form of photography dramatically affected societies around the world in a number of ways. Early photography, although intriguing, lacked advanced…