POST 5 : POP ART MYTHS EXHIBITION

Exhibition Title     POP ART MYTHS

Venue Name Temporary Exhibition Galleries, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. Ground floor.

Website     Pop Art Myths - Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza (Madrid)

Venue Address     Paseo del Prado, 8, 28014 Madrid

Exhibition Dates     10th  June to 14th  Septembre 2014

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

The temporal pop art group show was exhibited during 3 months from the 10th June to the 14th September in the Temporary Exhibiton Galleries on the ground floor of the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza located at Madrid on the Paseo del Prado. The curator involved in the creative process was Paloma Alarco, head of modern painting of the museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. The paintings' authors were artists of whom paintings was famous during the pop art decade in the late 1950s and early 1960s such as Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and many others...

ADVANTAGES AND DRAWBACKS FROM MY EXPERIENCE 

As I have only seen the exhibiton through the virtual visit, it is complex to tell its actual value. As far as i'm conserned, I think the idea of  being abble to have a look at an art gallery trough internet is pretty cool so you can have a conception ahead of time of the exhibiton and if you weren't abble to go to see it by the time it was exposed you can still see it thanks the virtual visit... 

Even thought the concept of the virtual visit seems amazing, there are many lacks of elements that would have been very practicle such as the desription of the paintings: the name of the paintings, the name of its authors, the date on which it was made and the dimensions of the frame are all missing... There are also many paintings that can't be seen because the image have restricted reproduction. I thimk it would also have been better if we could have been able to pause the running of the visit for when a painting catched the eye of the viewer and he/she wants to spend more time watching it. 

The part I want to emphasize the more is about the topics of some of the gallery's rooms. It is organised so the paintings are dispatched in different rooms, nine to be precise, according to their kind: you start in the hall, then the first and the second room are about collages, advertisings and comics, the third one is about emblems, the forth one about myths, the fifth about portraits, the sixth about landscapes, interiors and Still Lifes, the seventh and the eighth about urban erotism, the next one about painting history and the last room is about ''Art about Art''. 

As the themes shows it, the main topic of pop art is about myths - in the sense that it is a popular belief or story that has become associated with a person, institution or occurence, especially one considered to illustrate a cultural ideal, such as Marylin Monroe, Elisabeth Taylor, Marlon Brando or James Dean... who are stars of whose fame has turned them into myths - and heroes - in the meaning of the protagonist of a story, the principal male or female character in a novel, poem or dramatic presentation, such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck from Disney or some other comics characters.

FOCUS ON A PAINTING OF THE EXHIBITION

Andy Warhol
Marilyn Monroe in Black and White
(Twenty‐Five Marilyns)
1962 
Acrylic and silk screen on canvas
208 x 140 cm

Following the tragic death of the film star in 1962, Warhol made several paintings based on one and unique photo. Warhol knew that images tend to lose their meaning if they are repeated enough times. On this painting Marilyn's face is repeated 25 times, some of her 'faces' are more detailed/ visble than othes as some are whitewashed.  Marilyn was a manequinn, an actress and a singer. She was the symbol of feminity as she was 'crowned' the most beautiful woman on earth in the early 50's, she was one of the most influent sex-symbol and a good actress. Her huge fame even lead/allowed her to sing 'Happy Birthday' to the president J.F. Kennedy, this song is still viral and really famous nowadays. She illustrate a cultural ideal and her fame has turned her into a myth. As Marylin was realy famous by her beauty and talent, the painting might represent the beauty and power of the star that vanished with her her tragic death. Marilyn Monroe's personality is erased and the product Marilyn is put on sale, like a tin of tomato soup.  She has become a mass-produced icon. "The more you look at the same exact thing, the more the meaning goes away, and the better and emptier you feel." Warhol's attitude was at once sensitive, detached and enigmatic. 

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

(AGAIN...)

It is the first exhibition on the subject of  Pop Art Myths in Madrid since Pop Art at the Museo Reina Sofía in 1992. More than twenty years later, the exhibition’s curator Paloma Alarcó, Head of Modern Painting at the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, has offered a reassessment of this artistic trend from a 21st century viewpoint. It is a unique exhibition specific to the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza

The exhibition was sponsored by Japan Tobacco International (JTI) and included works from more than fifty museums and private collections around the world, with important loans from the National Gallery of Washington, the Tate, London, the IVAM, Valencia, and the prestigious Mugrabi Collection in New York, to name but a few.

POST 4: THE IDEA OF PROGRESS: QUANTITY vs. QUALITY

QUALITY

  

This video is a Toyota anouncement for the hybrid C-HR of 2017. Hybrids are cars that are half electric half engine powered. They are made in order to struggle against global warming, one of the biggest environmental challenge nowadays. The concept of this kind of car is to use technological progress in favour of the protection of the planet and the wellbeing of human beings. The political ideals  is to put the car's qualities in order to contribute to the environmental ressources safeguarding by substituting the polluting cars and spotlight hybrid ones. In order to become a better species, we should think about future generations, about our actual way of living, to improve our life quality.

QUANTITY

This two documents are graphics: the first one shows the Toyota hybrids sales's cumulation since 2000 to 2015; and the second one shows the predictive global electric vehicle sales in Europe, United States of America, China and the rest of the world until 2025.

According the first document, we can see that before 2004 they weren't many sales of hybrids. In 2005, people started to switch to the purchase of hybrid cars. Since then, the number of sales has constantly increased until 2014: the sales number has been multiplied by 1000 in 10 years.

According to the second document, there should be an impressive growth of electric vehicles use. In 2017, we use around one million electric cars, this number would be multiplied  by 5 within 8 years.

To conclude, new technolgies should be put in the service of a better life quality and more respectful toward environment, and to expand it will only improve people's respect toward the planet for the future generation's. We can also say that cars evolution represents perfectly the idea of progress in terms of quality and quantity as we improve new technolgies and spread them all around the world in order to preserve life itself.

POST 2: THE IDEA OF PROGRESS

THE IDEA OF PROGRESS

1. Read the definitions and fill in the gaps with suitable words.

PROGRESS

1. Forward movement, as toward a goal . Advance .  Development . Increase / growth =

                                    =======>> Quantity

2. Gradual betterment . Steady / Progressive improvement of society / civilization / humankind.

                                    =======>> Quality

2. Brainstorming: Here is a list of questions you must ask yourself about the notion. Complete the blanks.

What type of progress?

technological / scientific / social / cultural / artistic / economic / educational / medical / ecological / environmental / political / nutritionnal (...)

Who are the people concerned?

individuals / companies / governments / politicians / students / scientists / artists / asiosiations / NGO / charities / trade unions / labor unions / religious authorities / teachers /(...)

Which period of time is concerned?

the past / the present / the future/ utopia / uchronia / dystopia (...)

What is at stake?

medical issues / physical performances / technical advances / innovations / dehumanization / domination / environmental issues / animal rights / place of woman in society / race relations / social inequalities / economic opportunities / globalization / oppening / global warming / work / (...)

What are the advantages and disadvantages (= drawbacks) / the pros  and cons / the upside and  downside?

Some progresses might be very advantageous for us as human beings like technology progresses but it might also go against of ecologic progresses for example, and impact it in a negative way.

Is it profitable (= advantageous / positive )  or is it potentially dangerous  ( unsafe / nagative )

for human beings? Why?
I think that it is not potentionaly dangerous for human beings but for our environment it sure will be. We only make progresses in a way to make people's life better so everything is going to be alright for us but everything we do is for our own comfort but it actually distroy the planet itself.

Is the impact positive or negative?  For whom?

The impact is positive for us but negative for the planet itself.

Can we afford to reject progress  or can’t we do without it (nowadays & in future)?
If we stopped progress now lots of search work would deasapear and it would create lots of troubles in our society so I don't think we can stop it.

Can’t we improve on the idea of progress commonly accepted in our modern world and consumer society? If so, how?

3. Build up your vocabulary

Complete the grid during the school-year with words and phrases suitable for the notion

UPSIDE / THE PROS	TYPES OF PROGRESS	DOWNSIDE / THE CONS
Enable  people to work  more efficiently  / improve our living standard  / ...	Technological progress	Cut people off from the real world /  lose touch with nature  / ...
Increase the knowledge  of  the world  / discover new materials  / ...	Scientific progress	Raise  ethical issues  /  create new inequalities  /  ...
Upgrade education  /  reduce gender and racial discrimination  / ...	Social progress	Lose traditional values  /  disrupt conservative lifestyles  /  ...

POST 1: A Cartoon by Patrick Chappatte, The International Herald Tribune - 5/16/2008

THE IDEA OF PROGRESS

A Fanatic Geek at the Cannes Film Festival

(by Patrick Chappatte, published in The International Herald Tribune on 05/16/2008) 

Chappatte ( born Patrick Chappatte in 1967 in Karachi, Pakistan ) is a Lebanese-Swiss cartoonist who draws for newspapers as Le Temps, Neue Zürcher Zeitung(Sunday edition) and the International New York Times. 

He also worked as an illustrator for the New York Times and as a cartoonist for Newsweek. 

Many of his cartoons reflect events in Swiss and international news, such as the 9/11 attacks, the rise of the Swiss People's Party, and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. 

Since 1995, Chappatte has worked in graphic journalism, or comics journalism, a genre of reporting using the techniques of graphic novels. His reports were published in several newspapers, including the New York Times; one was turned into a short animated documentary in 2011. 

In 2011 and 2015, Chappatte won the Overseas Press Club of America’s Thomas Nast Award for best cartoons on international affairs.He's the only non-American to have won this prize.

This document is a cartoon  made by Patrick Chappatte and was published on May the 16th of 2008 in The International Herald Tribune.

At first sight, we can make out celebrities walking on Cannes' festival famous red carpet, we can tell it from the building in the background, on which is written CANNES underneath the Canne's Festival symbol: the Palme d'Or.

In the backgroung, we can see paparazis taking in picture some star couples posing and waving at them while walking up the stairs of the red carpet.

In the second ground, we can see a policeman trying to hold thefans behind the red cord. They seem to be histericaly cheering their idols, they're probably yelling and beging for autographs.

In the foreground, we can see a glamorous woman well dressed with lot of make up and her hair done, she might be a famous actress; next to her stands a man in jeans, leather jacket and sunglasses who seems to be a film director or actor, he is signing an autograph to a young boy wearing sneakers, jeans and a white shirt with the @ logo on it that make us think he's probably a geek. 
The  "geek" owns a speech bubble in which he says : << I love your movies. I've pirated them all!>>. He seems to be overjoyed and proud of what he has done while the "director" seems to be frustrated by it, and the "actress" doesn't seem to care about it, she's kinda haughty. 
Actually the geek doesn't seem to be aware of the situation: by pirating the movies he robbed the director, but this last one cannot overeact to this because first, he has an image to keep at the risk of making controversy and cannot yell on every fan that don't watch films properly/ legally; on second hand, lots of people do watch pirated movies ( or on streaming) because of many reasons like accessibily thanks to internet or even financial reasons because not everybody is abble/ can afford to go to the cinema every time they want to watch a movie.
The cartoonist wants to make people aware of the fact that watching movies on internet is illegal and is unfair for the ones that spent a lot of time working on it because it makes their work unpayed. He uses the Cannes Festival to make it more striky because it is a world wide known festival, but the cartoon only remains as a drop in the ocean because of the practicality of movies circulating on internet.
We unfortunatly also find the exact same problem with downloaded music...