Here for it

 Laura Latham 

EN 446D 01

March 20, 2023

The Principles of Uncertainty

In her January 3, 2007 chapter, Maria Kalman breaks from her drawings and uses photos of people walking through New York City to show that everyone is on their own path, and that no matter what that path is, it is forward. She portrays this well by showing photographs of people who were dressed differently and visibly came from different walks of life. She ties in the message that even though they are different, they can all relate to each other. The words she uses to go along with these photographs are relatable to all and shows a sense of unity in the human experience. For instance, on page 201, along with the picture of the older woman, she writes “my eyes are so tired looking. Tired eyes. But I do not want to have plastic surgery. I want to grow old gracefully. Naturally. Is such a thing possible”. Although the decision of having plastic surgery isn’t universal, wondering and worrying about the future and what one’s life will look like when they are old is a universal feeling. Kalman literally talks about what this woman will look like physically, which is also a universal wonder, but it connects to a deeper feeling about the future as a whole. 

Kalman’s decision to use real photographs is important as it shows the focus on this work compared to her others. Kalman’s art is inspired by photographs she takes. Artists are taught that creating work this way can be restrictive because it is limiting the artist to what they saw in that moment. Kalman’s art is not included in this, as she has proven throughout the book that her art contains her experiences as a whole and not just one image frame. This is shown in the November 1, 2006 chapter where Kalman is describing her experience in Paris. She does not only include single frames of things she saw in Paris. Each page reveals a different cultural aspect of Paris that she noticed. For instance, many of the drawings had a similar color scheme and showed uniformity. This shows that there is one uniform culture and community in Paris. She also conveys many quirks that could be found in the city. For instance, Kalman pointing out the museum guard shows that everybody has a story even if they are someone we normally overlook and do not delve deep into on a regular basis. Using photography for her January 3, 2007 chapter is important because she is using reality and not her interpretation of frames to convey the message of difference and unity in a community. Using photography in this chapter, the reader is forced to see the person and their surroundings as a whole with no additions or subtractions made by Kalman. This emphasizes different communities as being uniform. 

Works Cited: 

Christensen , Ingrid. “Why You Should Draw from Real Life, Not a Photograph.” Artsy, 23 July 2019, https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-draw-real-life-photograph.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Final Reflections

       One of the most exciting things I have learned throughout this class is the broad scale of healing and social action that can occur from humor and how the different types of humor weigh in to form a particular narrative around complex topics. Before taking this class, I had experienced people utilizing humor in their lives to talk about issues that might be weighing heavy on their minds or conflicts they need to get off of their chests, but I never did I imagine humor being associated with sexual assault; or racist stereotypes by individuals that have been victimized to heal their pain and move past their trauma. The articles we read for class regarding the role of humor in social change and sexual assault put the power of laughter into a new category for me where I had not yet recognized its purpose. The power of humor to heal should be shared by individuals who have been victimized to break down oppressive structures surrounding them.       The funniest thing I experienced in
Read more

Principles of Uncertainty

  Sophia Starkey   Dr. Ellis EN 346D  19 March 2023 Principles of Uncertainty Response             The idiosyncratic inner monologue that Maira Kalaman presents is exceptionally relatable and incredibly touching. She constantly is in a tug of war with Time and what anything means if it all disappears one day. She recollects “the realization that (you/me) going to die and the attending DISBELIF- is not that the central premise of everything? It stops me dead in my tracks a dozen times a day. Do you think I remain frozen? No. I spring into action. I find meaningful distraction” (46). I, too, have had the inevitable dread about the deeper meaning of everything I am doing and how my worries and anxieties are nonsense because they cannot change a thing. Her mention of meaningful distraction is so prevalent in finding meaning and purpose. I, too, can appreciate the beauty and elegance of fruit platters or sitting in a garden. Some things do not need to be pressing. Everything is not a fire d
Read more

Tyler Perry’s Madea

Matthew Spear Dr. Juniper Ellis EN346D.01 Seminar: Humor Studies 3 April 2023 Tyler Perry’s Madea             Tyler Perry’s Madea is doubtlessly a di v isive character in popular culture. A black man playing a large, loud black woman via the medium of drag performance is likely to turn heads no matter the setting. However, the book “Don’t Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings” offers a unique perspective on this character as well as the insights she might offer. When I began reading this text, I expected, frankly, some cheap and punchy toilet humor on the part of Tyler Perry in order to further cash in on his wildly successful Madea character. But the prose I discovered was far more developed, using comedy as a medium by which to show the good attributes and deep flaws of a character that Perry says was “inspired by his mother and aunt.” By keeping this inspiration in mind we as readers may be able to gleam more meaning from Madea and her whims, and view her instead as a m
Read more