The Color of Pomegranates

The Color of Pomegranates,is a movie that was directed by Sergei Parajanov, essentially, it is an abstract illustration that follows different aspects of Sayat Nova's life and poetry. The movie itself is heavily garnished with very detailed imagery that is fueled by deep Armenian and Christian symbolism. There are many symbols of death in the beginning of the movie, such as the dying fish and the pomegranate stained knife. These images of death are juxtoposed with different symbols of Christianity such as the Bible and the twisted image of the thorns, the juxstaposition of these assorted images elude to both a strong Christian perspective and also forshadow a christlike sacrifice Sayat Nova will have to make.

The strong Christian imagery leads the viewer through the beginning sequence to Sayat Nova's childhood. The second part of the movie initiates itself by reciting a select few of the first couple passages from the New Testament, "In the beginning, god created the heavens and the earth. On the sixth day, god said, Now we shall create man according to our image and likeness. And God created man according to his image. According to his image God created him." Parajanov uses this reciteation in order to simulate both his birth physically in a literal manner and also serves as to illustrate the birth of his Christian faith. His lifes purpose is also stated in this revisitation of biblical text, "God took the Man he created and made him live in the Garden of Eden, so that Man would till the earth and tend the Garden." This quote is paired with images of piled books, this combonation of text and images illustrates his purpose in life as learning about Christ. He is supposed to tend to his knowledge of the bible just as Adam was to tend the Garden of Eden. However, I find it somewhat ironic that Adam was cast from the Garden of Eden because of his lust for knowledge and Nova is called to aquire this knowledge as a lifetime pursuit.

The next part of the movie's imagery mostly focuses on books and the importance of their preservance. Sayat States " For books are Soul and Life. Without books, the world would have wintnessed nothing but ignorance" In this scene, the young poet puts his hand in the hand of an older man and the older man passes the books that he has to Nova. This action symbolizes Nova's responsibility at a young age to seek biblical knowledge and to pass that knowledge onto other people. After this he carries a book almost as big as him, up to the roof. This pursuit is remenicent of the crucifixtion and when Jesus had to carry his cross into Jerusalem. The book itself symbolizes the knowledge of that he must be a martyr and have to give up his life for his religion. After he is finished looking at the iconic pictures in the bookhe lies down on the roof almost pacifistically with his arms streched, surrounded by many books on the roof with pages flapping in the wind. This imagery demonstrats the understanding of this knowledge, and the overall acceptance of his own fate.

The next section of the film displays a specified process in making cloth, more specifically ornately decorated Armenian rugs, this process is narrative to Nova's Armienian heritage. Furthermore, the use of "three's" in certain frames consistantlly reappears, especially in this scene. The use of this can be speculated as both a compositional tool and yet another Christian symbol, as the trinity. This scene is also accented very heavily in the color red and displays many dead chickens. Chickens, are considerd purified creatures in the Hindu culture. Sergei Parajanov uses this initially Hindu symbol and twists it in order to represent enlightenment of a holy Christian lifestyle and Nova's ability to see light and truth.

Even though I have only lightly began to search for the complex allegories and symbolism, Sergei Parajanov creates. I have been able to find an extreme amount of imagery and symbolism. This movie is true genius and must have taken an immensly long time to create all of the images that Parajanov uses. I admire his ability to string these abstract images together in order to create such a strong dialog of Sayat Nova's life.

Distorted Images

Response to video blog interview with Paul Housley and Nigel Cooke

                 

        Picasso, Self Portrait, 1907                     Paul Housley, Self Portrait, 2011                    Pablo Picasso, Facing Death, 1924


When I went onto artreview.com, my eyes were immediately drawn to a painting that was obviously reminiscent of the famous Piccaso painting Facing Death. Paul Housley was the painter of that piece and in the video blog on the website, painter and Art Review columnist Nigel Cooke interviewed Mr. Housley on his latest exhibition, A Maid for Paint, which was displayed at the Poppy Sebire in London. Housley's Style is mostly based on Post-Impressionist Master Painters such as Pablo Picasso, Diego Velasquez and Chaim Soutine. Mr. Housely explained his style in further details, "On one level All the references I make can be seen as a kind of homage. I only use artist's that I genuinely love and on a basic level I am just trying to learn from and that. Using that kind of self portrait was the most basic template to do that." He discusses later in the video how he combines several different Post- Impressionist styles together at one time and usually will think of two or three specific paintings while creating his own painting and then fits his own portrait in between the lines of the portraits of the other paintings.

This technique is clearly visible in Housley's Self Portrait. Furthermore, through his technique he creates a new meaning in his artwork and his paintings symbolize a rebirth of the older masters tecquniques through the hybrid style he creates in his own artwork. For The Portrait, Housley borrows a cubist style that seems more relative to One of Picasso's earlier self portraits inspired by African masks. Furthermore, he uses a recycled blue color that is extremely close to the blue color Picasso used to create his self portrait, Facing Death. However, unlike Picasso, Mr. Housley added a sharply contrasting rust color over top the blue to juxstapose the dead flatness that comes from the blue and gives the painting a new sense of vibrance and dimension to it.

I find Housley's work to be extremely visually interesting, the composition in his paintings are refreshingly original, even though his technique is usually borrowed and can be very easy associated with another artists work. I also appreciate Housley's versatility in utilizing and emulating very complex painting styles and how He combines those different styles in order to create something that is entirely different. Furthermore, I admire that he always strives to be visually unexpected and to always creates something new from what is recycled from the old. To see Paul Housleys interview go here: http://www.artreview.com/video/paul-housley-nigel-cooke

Persona Essay

Persona is an experimental film about the confusing and twisted relationship of a mute actress and her nurse. As the film progresses, the lines between their separate identities begin to blur and their roles reverse; it becomes increasingly more difficult to differentiate the actual patient and the nurse. Transitionally, the overall tone of the plot changes and the legitimacy of either woman's actual existence comes into question. Consequently, It seems less likely that Alma and Elisabet are undergoing a state of metamorphosis into one entity and more likely that each woman is on an opposite side of the same coin. They share a symbiotic relationship in a reality where both not only exist, but metaphorically symbolize and completely contrast one another.

The images in the beginning montage not only provide insight to events that chronologically predates the actual story in the film, but they also symbolically introduce various complex motifs and ideas that are explored throughout the movie. While the black-and-white imagery throughout the movie appears to ironically juxtapose the Grey area that Alma and Elisabet explore through their identities. It becomes more transparent that the stark contrast between black and white symbolizes both women separately, and that their relationship is found between the black and white.This symbolism is apparent when; Shrouded in black and white imagery, Alma was lying on her bed, Elisabet passed through a thin white curtain to Alma's bedroom, and crossed into the adjacent room and was engulfed in a bright radiance. Then Elisabet returns to the bedroom and united with Alma, there faces positioned gently next to each other they slowly dissolve into the darkness that engulfs the frame.

Furthermore, there is a juxtapositional symmetry throughout the entire movie that ranges from the setting of the film, to the use of light and the relationship between Alma and Elisabet. The paradoxical idea that something can be the same and completely different is an idea that is experimented with throughout the entire film. The final scene is shown from two different perspectives in order to capture the extreme difference between the reactions from both women. Elisabet, who must face the abandonment of her own son, is visibly frightened and filled with shame as Alma recreates the nightmares of her past mistakes. Alma, however, delivers this truth very sternly with a sense of duty and little emotion. After she is finished, both of their faces fuse together. This scene verifies their contradictory dual relationship and gives insight to the nature of their duality. They are on opposite sides of the spectrum in almost every way, which results in a coexistence that relay's on the counter-balance of the others existence. Although they are completely different from one another, their existence is dependent on one another.

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