Friday, January 7, 2011

Post for Monday, Jan 10

Hello All,

For Monday's post, choose one of these self-portraits to analyze.

What persona is the artist exhibiting? Why do you think he or she chooses to show this mask to the world?

Frida Kahlo's Self-Portait, 1940

Diane Arbus's Self-Portrait with Infant Daughter, 1945.

Ansel Adams's Self-Portrait Monument Valley, Utah, 1958

Helmut Newton's Self-Portrait with Wife June and Models, 1984 (Warning: Nudity)

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Post for Jan. 7

Hello All,

Pages 3-35 of Stevens's Ariadne's Clue introduce some of the background explanations and contexts for symbols and archetypes. One example he gives of a context in which these symbols and archetypes find expression is in dreams, and he cites a study by psychologists Hall and Nordby in which they classified verious types of dreams that transcend any particular culture or era:

"These typical dreams, as we shall call them, are experienced by virtually every dreamer [...] These typical dreams express the shared concerns, preoccupations and interests of all dreamers. They may be said to constitute the universal constants of the human psyche" (as cited in Stevens, p. 21).

On that same page, Stevens gives a list of these universal dreams.

For your post, describe one dream that you have had that would fall into one of these categories.

For example, Stevens gives the example of "being pursued by hostile strangers"; in one such dream, I was being chased through the woods by a group of villagers with pitchforks and torches. It was night, and I could see the lights from their torches through the trees as I was running. It was almost like I was in a black-and-white monster film from the 1950s and I was the monster. Luckily, I awoke before they could catch me.

First Day of Class

Hello All,

For this trial run, briefly introduce yourself: your name, major, and one surprising detail about yourself.

Then briefly list what you consider to be one of your writing strengths and weaknesses.