It’s like there was an orgy of sub prime lending going on between the mortgage brokers and they weren’t even using regulation condoms. Freddie Mac was too busy spanking Mae in the Fannie. The Government had to do a makeover and starting pimping both of them. Bank of America and the lamenting brothers were too busy doing credit scrunchies. so Citigroup decided to go and out buy Whatchyouoweme..aaa’s stash. Crack ho’s were too busy scoring free credit from Whatchyouoweme’s so Well Fargo decided to smack Citigroups bitch ass up. Smack! Slam bam that you mam. Take that Citigroup. You see you can use this credit card to rack up lines of debt. And then use the bailout’s money to blow all the credit lines that contributed to our national debt. Who really cares about the consequences anyways? As the infamous Warren G put it: Regulators!
So what’s the loandown on wells Fargo? I guess it’s that time of year when the leaves start going into the red zone and start falling in Fall. So first there was a $700 billion bailout but then it turned into a fallout. There profit has dropped. For us students the prospect of finding a job in the real world looks uninviting because of the economic crisis were in. Should you be thinking about grad school as your bailout plan?
Do you feel like you rely too much on your credit and debt cards? Well after I graduate I’m opening up a 5 step program to get you off doing those lines of credit. The first step is to admit that you were powerless over money. 2ndstep: believe that your power animal(Mines the pink Elephant) will make you sane. 3rd step: admit that our financial banking is becoming socialized 4thstep: make a list of the banks that harmed you and make them feel bad 5th step: Have a miraculous vision in which Wall Street is mended by Stem Cell Research, enabling spinal cord regeneration. This, in turn, would fix the camels back.
Kyle Cooper designs motion picture title sequences dramatically with 3-d graphics and compelling content. He is an influential typographer who has perfected his artistry in the entertainment industry creating masterfully developed flowing text. His work is likened to Saul Bass because of the fast paced and graphic orientated content utilized dynamically through his work.[1]
His early titles focus on the gritty aspects of the horror genre which expose the internals of a dark world. His title sequence for Barry Levinsons sphere syndicates the complexity of the nefarious natural world, a fish’s eye, and the technological advanced rippling animations. By linking the inhabitants of deep water with space effects, Cooper creates synchronicities altering the reality effects of these two worlds imposed on each other. In his credits for the first spider man in 2002 the type reacts with cobwebs creating a clinging feeling of disruption. This evokes a sense of sticky cohesion between text and imagery which integrates perfectly with the flexibility of this Spider Man’s theme of webs. Cooper is also responsible for the animated Marvel title which begins each of their movies. The flipping of comic book pages are integrated seamlessly with the sound of flipping, ultimately revealing the marvel logo. The main titles of Donnie Brasco, a mobster film by Mike Newell in which Johnny Depp must go undercover to expose Al Pacino’s mafia syndicate, communicate an outsider’s perspective into an insider’s world.
The sequence starts with a black and white image of Johnny Depp’s tired eyes looking downwards. When he looks up white titles fade in overlaid in juxtaposition to his image. Beethoven’s slow-paced Pathetique is audible as his eyes look up. A series of black and white images ensue in stop motion and in uneven intervals revealing surveillance photography with marks on them.
A white all-capped sans serif font is utilized with irregular kerned spacing creates a subtle infusion of unbalanced movement. The movie and fade in time with the music. Colored stills overlay Depp’s portrait towards toward the end of the sequence, which creates interplay and leads the viewer into the opening scene of the movie flawlessly.[2]
In Cooper’s title design for the movie Se7en, a nervous tension can be felt by the wiggling type jumping from place to place. The type screeches, jumps, and scrawls across the screen leaving a lurid blur behind. Occasional scratches and random images flashes of images appear. The type is often duplicated making the words seem lucid and alive.
His credits surge creatively because of the stimulated imagery and use of cutting edge graphics which link into modern consumerist ideology. He has established his own company, http://www.prologuefilms.com/#, through which he has designed titles for Se7en (1995), ), The Mummy (1999), Spider-Man (2002), Dawn of the Dead (2004), Spider-Man 2 (2004), and Spider Man 3 (2007), among others[3].
The Fugees, a hip-hop group consisting of leader Wyclef Jean, Pras Mitchel, and Lauryn Hill, revitalized the hip-hop industry with their political fervor and sexually unbiased awareness. After the Fugees’ won two Grammy Awards in 1997 for their album The Score they became the popular media fell in love with their authentic rhythm and Caribbean sound. During the same year they contributed a song to the soundtrack of the critically acclaimed When we were Kings, a documentary about the championship boxing match featuring Muhammad Ali. The historical context that the Fugees’ song taps into makes it intriguing on a multitude of levels. Their music video titled; Rumble in the Jungle, puts the focus on the shoulders of Muhammad Ali.
Several underground Hip Hop characters show up in the video to let their rhymes support religious, black cultural meanings of pride as the rhymes of the songs unfold. The use of old images and video footage add to the realism and gritty nature of this music video. Muhammad Ali is contrasted through his superior fighting ability to other fighters including, Joe Frazier, and George Foreman. This strength which Muhammad Ali personified is one of the recurring mantras of this video. Even though this video does not fall into many of the pit falls of other racy, overwhelmingly debasing videos; it does perpetuate a state of violence like many rap videos. I think that this aggressive behavior primarily serves to establish these artists’s black power and cultural pride. This theme of abuse by the “white man” was and still is evident in many hip-hop videos. Many of these artists experienced life in ghettos where mistreatment by the police and their peers was an everyday occurrence. Getting back to these racist issues, artists such as the Fugees, A Tribe Called Quest, Forte, and Busta Rhymes wanted to remind everybody about the heroes their parents look up to and the politics they reinforced, through their lyrics in this song.
It’s so much more invigorating to watch this sophisticated music video compared to so many of today’s flashy videos which only feature glitzy scandalous dresses and fake mannerisms. Instead of showing controversial pictures of partially nude women the Fugees’ capture their feelings without added effects or cheap tricks. The varied connotations behind the string of photos and historical footage which is linked together are remarkable. After first seeing the first series of shots centered on a boxing ring and Africa I thought that it was an “old school” hip-hop music video due to the subtle camera effects and toned down colors. Nothing directly drew my attention at the beginning of the video but I soon became mesmerized with this straightforward approach. Most of the video takes place inside a boxing ring where each new rapper makes their appearance by rhyming a verse. In ‘96 this would have been considered to be an all-star cast of famous up and coming rappers. Each of the artists that are featured is a follower and believes in the Muslim religion. Lauryn Hill’s, charismatic outlook and jubilance unites the Fugees’ together because of the diversity of talent. Mrs. Hill sets an example for all the women in the music industry to never adjust your attitude to conform to social pressures and injustices.
When I first stared listening to these artists I wasn’t even fully aware of the religious practices and underlying meanings behind their rhymes. At the age of fifteen I was so captivated by the tones of their voices and designer clothing styles that I didn’t listen closely to the underlying implications behind their lyrics. Only when I first saw this video, I actually began to listen to the Muslim subtext, and political and racial overtones which were directly correlated. After finding this out, I realized that there were many artists who were; in fact, Muslim and communicated this through the musical media format that has become so popular. Among the Islamic supporters, Lauryn Hill strongly conveys optimism and pride.
Her lines are delivered laced with Islamic references, relatively in-sync with images and portrayals of Muslim heritage. She looks more refined and even conservative compared to the other male rappers as she wears an expensive beige coat with a black turtle-neck shirt. Her voice offers a dynamic vocal range which contrasts the other male MC’s. Her verse immediately drew my awareness when her first line hits hard, “We used to bite bullets with the pig-skin casing.” She refers to violence in the New York streets where police brutality was as harsh and unforgiving. “Pig-skin-casing” refers to the bullets fired out of guns by police men. This type violence counterbalances the punishment dealt by each blow from Muhammad Ali. After this first line the images in the video displayed him hitting a punching bag and moving around the ring punching as form of practicing his skill. As Lauryn Hill continues with her verse: “Replace the last name with the X (X), the man’s got a God complex, but take the text and change the picture, watch Muhammad Ali play the messenger like Holy Muslim scriptures, take orders from only God, only war when it’s Jihad. She mentions a black hero, Malcolm X who didn’t fight back with violence, rather with words of consciousness. She compares these two black figures because of the strong attention they demanded and the politics that made them famous. She dignifies Muhammad Ali by equating him with Muhammad from the spiritual contexts of the Muslim Koran.She projects that Muhammad Ali acted as a savior and source of power and moral stature for black people. She equivocates that Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali were friends and held similar beliefs. In the music video an array of split-second images are flashed on to solidify this impression. The first black and white photography shows Malcolm X, smiling in his usual 50’s style hat, glasses, and premed black suit, side-by-side with Muhammad Ali, who’s wearing a leather jacket with a tie. The next black and white image is shown of Muhammad Ali with his hands raised up in the air, seemingly preaching to a Muslim audience wearing a black suite and religious headwear. This figuratively embodies the line from Mrs. Hill antiquating through her lyrics and vocal tones that Muhammad Ali has an air of confidence that is almost godly. The next photo of him is in color and shows him at a news conference wearing the same religious garb with his hands again far outstretched standing in front of three microphones. Another picture of Muhammad Ali is in color as it shows him holding a microphone probably being interviewed by a reporter. His green suit is more flashy and vibrant, obviously intended for the American Audience. In the last of the series of shots a camera man with a microphone is shown. He represents the media attention garnered by Muhammad Ali. The lyrics that Lauryn Hill enunciates visibly harmonize the images which are projected of Ali.
There was a type of cultural attitude that Muhammad Ali perpetuated every time he was televised nationally which corresponds to the beginning of America’s fascination with popular black society. Muhammad Ali had a flare of arrogance which was plainly displayed as he would make fun of his opponents to their face. His use of humor and willingness to say his mind got him into trouble but made more popular and beloved at the same time. Muhammad Ali gained notoriety not only through boxing, but had another outlet for his expression, rhyme. Conceptually Muhammad Ali can be considered as an early pioneer of the hip-hop movement because of this willingness to speak his mind. His vocal tones also help perpetuate the confident attitude he exudes when he’s put in the media spotlight.
Lauryn Hill dedicates her verse to her own interpretation of what Muhammad Ali tried to personify. As her verse continues the line, “Only war when it’s Jihad” cuts to the point of his legal argument that did not entail Muhammad Ali to serve and protect America. Ali considers his God the only figure in his life that he would go to war for. This sentiment he expressed after not participating in the enrollment for the Vietnam War was mostly thought to be overtly anti-patriotic. After he was arrested and convicted some of his closest friends deserted him. He was cast as an outsider in many of the communities he had been accepted into, including his Islamic counterparts. This determining point in his life almost resulted in a jail time sentence for up to five years. I can relate to his point because of the current day political dynamics of the ongoing war in Iraq.
While I support the troops that are currently fighting and protecting innocent lives I do not agree with our president, George Bush, current plan for occupancy. If it occurred that there would be a draft I believe I would appose being drafted to fight in Iraq or any other middle-eastern country. The similarity between these two wars is almost undeniable in my mind. I think the people of America finally realize, 6 years after the invasion of Iraq, that our government has destabilized the middle-east. Because Muhammad Ali related with his cultural heritage in Africa, maybe he realized that he would not want to fight in another third world country. I find it hard to believe that we could seamlessly integrate our American principles and governmental structures into Iraq without serious repercussions. Our own government tried to convince America five years ago that the people of Iraq would greet us with open arms. A bipartisan study group found that Bush’s war strategies have been unsuccessful in all aspects and there is increasing terrorism which could lead to total chaos in the middle-east. Obama was against the war, when other Democrats such as Hilary Clinton voted for it. Ali had to stand up for what he believed in and become outspoken against the war. Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X had similar views concerning this war in Vietnam.
While Ali spoke for the justices that he reserved due to his religious beliefs, Malcolm X delivered speeches against the war and sided openly with the Vietnamese people. They both fought over the injustices in America and abroad just in different forms. Both Ali and Macolm X were not afraid to voice their opinions when America was at war. It is this strength that I think Lauryn Hill reflects in her rhymes in The Rumble in the Jungle.
She isn’t the first woman on the hip hop block to rap about her religious and political views but she demonstrates that a woman can be a force of empowerment in hip hop. After she completes her verse she carries on with the chorus of the song which manifests itself in dark undertones. The attitude she takes on in most of this video is cool, but still remains lively and upbeat as she appears with her shades on and off several times. As a guitar chord is strung the ambient beat matches Lauryn Hill’s flow:
“Blocks on fire (Block’s on fire tonight), Fiends getting higher (uh-huh)
Robbing blue collar
Killing for a dollar (Stick ‘em up)
Youths get tired (Ali ah yeah)
We’re dealing with them liars (Ali ah yeah)
From Brooklyn to Zaire
We need a ghetto Messiah (ah yeah come on)”
She depicts the state of the Brooklyn Ghettos in eight lines by exposing its true underbelly for crime, corruption, and racism. A flurry of punches by Muhammad Ali Ali fills the picture as she starts to rhyme. Video footage of a Klu Klux Klan gathering is shown as she sings the first line referring to the torches they wave above their heads. The history in this music video dates back to around 1974 when Muhammad Ali and George Forman fought in Zaire. The KKK used to threaten black households to the extent of burning their houses down if they did not abandon their houses and move out of town. Lauryn Hill also refers to the drug and crime culture which is highly prevalent in some of the Brooklyn ghettos. This is paints a contradictory image because of the violence which is promoted by images of boxing. However; the violence which she depicts is criminally orientated and does not foster anything but hatred. A black and white photograph of police in Africa can barely bee seen because of how fast it disappears. It shows a policeman striking a black man across the head with a baton in a rural part of Africa. The phrases which are said present a morbid scene but the end of the chorus sheds a hopeful light on the issue. She signifies that the people of the ghetto who are suffering need some type of hope to strive forward with their lives and not rely on crime to sustain their means of living. The “Messiah” she refers to could either be Muhammad of the Koran or Muhammad Ali. Lauryn Hill tries to extend the ideal of Islam in this song by promoting its virtues to the popular consciousness of America.
The Fugees celebrate their creativity and positive outlook in front of audiences around the world, while at the same time communicating political and social injustices. Lauryn Hill’s verses connect black pride and Muslim heritage with mainstream hip-hop. After the events of 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq, the media has unintentionally shaped the publics scrutiny of a typical Muslim follower. This transformation has allowed the public to stereotypically categorize middle-easterners as terrorists and radicals. The attitude which Lauryn Hill evokes in this song allows her messages to be more palpable to the listeners of America. She tries to establish continuity between Malcom X and Muhammad Ali. Ali’s demeanor, fortitude, and moral vigor have made him one of the most famous pro-athletes of the 20th century. By equating these two inspirational figures with the Islamic religion she invigorates her message with cultural strength. In Mrs. Hill’s solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, she continues to rhyme about her heritage and issues which relate to her cultural background in America. The Fugees’ were recently reunited last year in Dave Chapelle’s movie Blok Party directed by Michel Gondry. Even though tensions ran high during their set they still pulled off one of the most memorable live performances to date.
I had previously red Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A history of the Hip Hop Generation before attending Jeff Chang’s speech at UCLA in November of 2008. This book was exhilarating to read, offering insights into the history of marginalized ethnic youths and what they did to contribute to the hip hop movement . In Chang’s speech he re-iterated some of the points in the book, while focusing on Asian American’s impoverished upbringings.
He articulated that there is empowerment through diversity, and that Asian Americans have made profound influence in the educational field. He stated in the beginning of the lecture that Asian American’s are the “new majority” at UCLA. He signifies the importance of this fact because in 1968 there was only 10% representation by minorities in this school system. According to Change there was a motivating force that brought together key elements of activism such as “knowledge and political action” which founded many ethnic studies programs. This in turn reached out to these minorities and offered them opportunities to succeed in the University of California school system, which enforced graduation requirements. Not only did Chang point out the accomplishments of API activism, such as divesting funds from South Africa, but he also touched on the negative impacts coming from the 1968 election of Richard Nixon. This campaign catered to the right winged middle-America. This ignored the voices of minorities, creating a racial divide which constituted politics in this country until this year. He mentioned the catastrophe of Katrina, the inhumane treatment of prisoners, and the “out of date” immigration system. Despite these atrocities, Chang keyed into Obama’s compelling victory as the new president elect to demonstrate how the minorities could be represented through the most powerful voice in politics.
America has progressed past the racial dived which has prohibited a nomination of a multi-racial persons. Although this achievement is momentous there are still racist issues which confront our society that we cannot look past. He ended his speech by emphasizing the need for a balanced admission policy that should be sensitive to deserving minorities to shape the future school system and the opportunities which is provides. He quotes martin Luther King Jr towards the end of his speech, “The fierce urgency is now.” This holds true today more so than ever before. James Chang emphasized the need to change the policies which have beleaguered are country for the past eight years(36days until Obama’s innaugration)!Read Jeff Chang’s speech
The lines from Undisputed starring Ving Rhames clearly ring out in my mind, “These fighters are fighting for only one thing: respect, R-E-S-P-E-K.” Respect could be used as a noun simply to imply admiration for someone; it could also be used as a transitive verb to refer to the esteem of someone. However; I think the most interesting aspect of this word is how it has evolved to be used interjectionally as a greeting or a reply. I don’t think the word respect originally lent itself to this meaning but over time respect progressed to fit this modern definition. It has advanced over the years from when respect only referred to the position and rank of your superior. Now in this new age it is being used on a broader sense.Referring to Ali G, one of my favorite actors and comedians, “Respect, boyaka-sha, big up.” The evolution of respect shows how important this word is to today’s modern culture. However; I think the lack of respect displayed by the growing youth of today only demonstrates the need for this word to be respected.
What should be respected in this world and how would you respect it?First of all First and foremost I think that your elders should be respected. The people in your family should be worth more than anything else in your life. The people in your neighborhood that have outreached to the community should be respected. Our forefathers in history should always be respected. Your teachers should be respected, even if they don’t like you. You have to show your gratitude and respect towards your peers and adults that have earned it. The only way of showing respect or lack of respect is through your words, actions, and behaviors. If you don’t pay attention and don’t listen your not showing respect, If you say hurtful things, if you are racist, if you lie, or if you cheat your not respecting them. There are a million other things you can do to not show respect but I feel these are a few things you must do to earn respect. And remember you don’t have to necessarily like the person to respect them.
I believe that the strongest qualities that have marked this great nation are intensity and boldness.America has achieved so many goals and circumvented so many problems that have plagued many nations before us. The American Revolution, 229 years ago, has led America to become the most prosperous nation in the word. It is the key values of respect and passion that have tried to dominated this country from its very establishment. There may have been a few hiccups that have impeded the overall respect in this nation but we have hurdled these barriers in most circumstances. Mainly race relations have hampered are progress of respect but eventually the realization ofequality will triumph in this nation. It is the ideal of respect that have even demanded more attention and power from the American people than force and revenge. It has been respect on so many levels that have led us so far.
From the beginning of America there was admiration. From respect between George Washington and Henry Lee. Henry Lee said at George Washington’s eulogy that he was “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” It is the establishment of cooperation that has helped the world. Respect between Martin Luther King and Stanley Levison, his advisor. Stanley Levison wrote many of King’s speeches and became a great friend of his. Martin Luther King even described Levison as one of his “closest friends.” This collaboration has led M. L. K.to become a national hero in America. He has become adored and respected by students everywhere in the world. The respect between family is most important in my mind though. One of the clearest examples of respect between family members is Nas, a famous rapper, and his father, Olu Dara an acclaimed blues trumpet player. They have collaborated with each other several times. I think the most successful collaboration has been on one of my favorite tracks last year entitled “Bridging the Gap.” Even the title implies respect. The cooperation between the older generation and the newer. These are the types of respect needed in the world today. With war waging in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel and countless other places respect needs to find a new place in the minds of the youth of the world. The world needs to take a cue from Ali g, “Look at you. All you ever do is cus each other. R-E-S-T-E-C-P. Do you even know what that spells? Restecp? Yes Restecp! How’s anyone out there supposed to restecp each other if you all in here dissin’. You need to start restecping eachother!”
The importance of deconstruction, as a type of philosophy, has been elaborated on by Jaques Derrida in the second half of the 20th century. Although Derrida did not convey deconstruction as a particular method to analyze social science, philosophy, and literary sources, I believe that it should be valued as a system which can contribute to the underlying forces and structures of an artwork such as Jusepe Ribera’s Bearded Woman Breastfeeding, finished in 1631. This painting is a depiction of the patrons: a husband and a grotesque wife nursing a baby in her arms. The juxtaposition of man and woman in Jusepe Ribera’s Bearded Woman Breastfeeding allows the de-conceptualization of binary opposition and culture versus nature to confer introspective on the ambiguous relationship. The implied hierarchies of the man’s raised and the woman’s lowered placement in the painting allude to cultural customs which are arbitrarily accepted because of the texts which govern these norms. The principle framework which is negotiated through deconstruction relays that there are no ultimate meanings which can be acknowledged across multi-cultural barriers and upheld through the precedent of time. Instead there are multiple discourses offered either by the original author or other individuals, without an implied truth, that can never reach a definitive conclusion. Although these principles help convey non-apparent presumptions in Ribera’s Bearded Woman Breastfeeding there are also limitations to this approach that cannot be neglected. Derrida transmits that a painters rational becomes more congruous if the perceived principle denotations are adherent enough to substantiate further claims. If the mediation of meanings ranges across geographical boundaries and periods of art would the artists work be critiqued as less successful if it differed from their original plan of conception? This vagueness undermines Derrida’s accountability that interpretations are adherent to change, but are measured in comparison with the assumed reading that the artist supported. If these dualities of the artist’s binary role are ignored, than the principle guidelines which become superimposed by using deconstruction as an art historical strategy are figuratively dismantled. However; employing deconstruction as a tool of decryption allows indistinguishable appearances to become realized in an alternative manner by taking apart the perspectives of 17th century ideology which asses the value of the male and female character.
In Jusepe Ribera’s Bearded Woman Breastfeeding cognitive social distinctions and sexual introversions are contrasted through the portrayal of woman and man, consequently deconstructive rational can be implored to syndicate a useful commentary on the piece. Because many of her features are overtly emasculated these discrepancies elicited a surprised response from onlookers in the period of the Baroque (Black, in-lecture). The main subject of the piece, the bearded woman, has suggestive male and female characteristics which are clearly the most descriptive and shocking aspects of the piece. The furrowed eye brows, the lines of delineation on her forehead, the moustache and bear, and large manly hands all are characteristics of the male physiognomy. If Ribera was indeed mimicking the natural reality of the woman then the physical augmentation and placement of the bosom isn’t anatomically correct. Only the exposed breast and swaddled baby expose the female attribute of the so-called woman. The presence of this ghastly resemblance to a man could in effect destabilize the differentiation of the sexes. Pertaining to Ribera’s painting, Meyer Schapiro, a philosopher who advocates structuralism, would have created a connection between the binary opposition of man and woman thus linking them as a married husband and wife. As structuralism relies on pairs to denote the contextual reference of the specific painting deconstruction permits a broader recognition of opposites. By examining the essentials of binary opposition he de-configures this explanatory device used by philosophers to impress structuralism on a work of art. The irregularities of the woman break assumptions of contrived exteriors by tricking the viewer of the appropriately assigned sexuality. This manifestation is made clearer through the de-solidification of its comparative situation; the binary opposition of culture versus nature.
The differed height correlations of the portraits reiterate ideas of social divisions as opposed to natural implications of inherent features of woman, such as the beard which grew later in her life. This binary opposition can be re-theorized through questioning and enacting a more open reading of the artwork. The relative placement creates a counterbalance of male versus female occupancy which affects how an onlooker would perceive the visual sources. A formal hierarchy is constructed because of the elevated position of the man on the left side of the painting compared to the lower arrangement of the bearded woman. From this stance of structuralism, this would be seen as a parallel to the man’s higher status in the governmental and domestic realm where a man is in dominion of his wife. This is disseminated through paintings of rape and other allegories portraying this imposed reality. On the other side of this nurtured acceptability the natural traits of the woman expose the reverse psychology. In 1632 the woman had a baby at her own divine which enforces her own female sexuality. The woman’s beard began to grow in 1637, but this is only one of the many unusual male characteristics. Professor Black iterates that is a “great wonder of nature (Black, in-lecture).” The woman’s complex introversions could demonstrate the variability creative forces of nature. Her beard does not bear the same implications because it placed on woman’s face. To deconstruct this binary bind of natural accept abilities versus culturally determinates deeper dissemination is needed. It could be resonated that this confusion of sex de-mystifies the proposed roles set in place through perpetuated cultural systems. According to Derrida these set up hierarchies which are actually de-hierarchies that are not closed to singular influences from a superior source of power. This ideology of supremacy in the 17th century is relinquished inferring from deconstructive principles elaborated by Derrida. This conjecture could plausibly have been refuted by him because this ascribed relationship is only one possible truth. If Derrida decided to question the motives behind this presumption than the theoretical association could be opened up to broader understanding. The woman’s exaggerated presence could progress this dialog additionally by de-riding the fundamentals of this conditioned binary opposition. As these tools have shaped a plurality of perceptual readings, there are also weaknesses which are uncovered through the expression of a double bind which is Derrida is unaware of in his own terminology.
Jaques Derrida makes incongruent assertions concerning how the implied original meaning behind that of the creator is only one of many interpretations, but it should be regarded in a privileged manner with regard to later inferences which are mediated throughout history. This relative weakness would be disregarded if Derrida himself acknowledged this double bind and consequently took apart his own renditions regarding the role of the author. Rather he expresses, in opposition to structuralism that the author’s function relies on a signatory principle where the oral equivalence of the name of the author relates to his autobiography. The painters own experiences would have shown through his work and he would have been privy to his own circumstance thus manifesting an individualized intended meaning. However; in this sense according to Derrida the painters own aspirations do not lead to an all encompassing message that should not be questioned by contemporary rhetoric. Following the author’s death viewers’ artistic analysis have added to this connotative changeable dimensionality of the painting. Derrida conveys that the author of the work of art does not hold the only compatible meaning or should he be imbued with a godly status such as Michelangelo was by Giorgio Vasari (Adams, 163). It is possible that Michelangelo’s religiously devoted artworks are interpretations from the bible which he imbued with his own defined translation. Without elucidating Michelangelo’s reasoning it would be hard to fully comprehend the intricacies formed in his pictorial planes. After the death of the author, an onlooker without prior knowledge of the bible as a literary source wouldn’t be knowledgeable of the specific narratives described in his paintings, nor would the observer be able to decipher what particularities have been changed with reference to the religious context. Michelangelo’s past could not come up with an accurate representational deduction of the painting. These conscious inferences of the bibles allegories were delineated by Vasari who became so captivated with him that he elevated Michelangelo’s condition to the realm of the godly, accordingly letting his words speak the truth. Jusepe Ribera’s painting is entitled Bearded Woman Breastfeeding which could have had noteworthy implications beyond its formal qualities. This naming attributes evident sexuality and articulates that the woman is a mother who is nurturing her baby. This prior understanding demonstrates that there was relevant history tied to Ribera’s work and if ignored the painting becomes less decipherable to a poser-buyer without this privileged insight. This connotative title has undoubtedly been referenced by mediators wishing to decode the connection between the present characters in the artwork. Deconstruction is less applicable in this frame of reference because of the vague dualities of the importance of the author after his demise. If this plurality of the artist’s role is ignored or confused than the purposeful situational placement of the figures in the painting are not grasped as easily by the reader. Although there are limitations involving this de-conceptualization of Ribera’s painting, this form of thinking expands upon the inter-workings of double binds.
Deconstruction relays that there are flexible connotations transmitted through varying conditions produced in a work of art. These contexts relate to the emphasized sexuality between man and woman and the continuing discussion of a natural emphasis compared to the distinctive cultural perplexities. These elements of deconstruction are most appropriately applicable to Ribera’s Bearded Woman Breastfeeding because of this involved analysis of male and female binary opposition as well the differentiation of culture versus nature. This evaluation of upheld prevailing ideologies disrupts the suppositional arrangement of binary grouping and expands the possibility of other dictates of contemplation. On the other side of this dialectic, the artist’s signatory role is perplexed through varying misconstructions by Derrida. The indefinite presumptions relayed pertaining to the artist’s role relies on two inconsistent distinctions. While the individualized reasoning behind his or her work is assumed to be more consequential when measured against later purported meanings, this conclusiveness is unrecognized by Derrida. Beyond the literal effects which are materialized through bare images, deconstruction doesn’t presume that there are explicit explanations which can be deduced from these representations that are immutable over the course of history. Deconstructive theory expands on the perplexity that non-absolute interpretations are transmitted from different perceived sexual, natural, and sexual standpoints of the viewer. By visually examining and then extrapolating functional commentary from this painting, a recognized perception of broader reality cannot be realized. Rather these perceptions are re-constituted so that can be seen form multiple contextualized sources that broaden the paintings origins which are relevant to underplayed societal norms.
All posts written by Asher Godfrey Blumberg 2008-2009. Copyright asher23. Booyakasha23= my dream film company.
