Kuleshova 1

Alina Kuleshova
Professor Dr. Becky Boesch
The Work of Art
20 February 2016
Art Portfolio Project
Feldmans Art Analysis: Visual Art

In this painting from the European art gallery, the first thing that stands out is the dark
shade of colors. Even though red and white are used, it has the look of a film of dust covering it.
On that note, the red and white still stand out and seem to draw your eyes toward the center of
the painting, red on one side, white on the other. In the painting are some objects with sharper

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detail than the rest of the painting that are painted with a gray/silver color, that make you take a
second look. The gray object in the middle of the painting in particular because it has extensive
detail, more so than the other gray objects. You can make out the shapes of triangles, circles, and
ovals throughout the painting which is a nice mix to look at because the sharp shapes are
balanced out by the rounded ones. The outer space of the painting is dark, fading into
nothingness. The red and white take up the most volume. Another color that is used both with the
white and red that also stands out and draws your eyes, is a peachy skin tone. The shadows and
highlights on this color definitely brings your focus in.
To take it a step further, the right side of the painting, in particular the top right center
draws your focus because there is the most highlight ot lightest color in that space. The left side
is more dark and even the red seems to fade into the background. The peach color seems to
transfer over from the left side with the red to the right side into the white. Its like a domino
effect; from red, to peach, to white. The gray objects are all small in comparison to the red,
white, and peach objects. The detail on the center grey object though makes it seems bigger than
the other gray objects (even though in reality its smaller) because of the fine detail on it. There is
some color in the almost black or dark brown background. It peeps in between the red on the left
side and the white on the right side. It makes you take notice because its circular and is
contrasting with the dark background, almost floating. Also on the right side near the edge, to the
right of the white is a similar shape bopping.
My interpretation of this painting is similar to what I observed. Clearly the focus is one
the two people in the middle. The one in the red seems to be royal, a king maybe. The red (with
hints of gold) screams of fine quality. Red is a common color of rich folks. The women in white
seems poor. The white seems faded, gray from use. Also the one in red has his eyes tilted down, a

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sign of lowering himself, of respect and same with the bowing posture. The women in white is
tilting her head up in gratitude or disbelief. She seems to be sending a message through her
eyes.The gray object in the center appears to be a valuable china piece that the man in red is
giving to the women in white. The heads bobbing in the background seem to say, we are
watching. Watching for what I'm not sure. Maybe, hey we see the good deed. Maybe even we are
just amazed.
My judgement, (wow that sounds harsh) is that this is painting is of great value. There
was a lot of thought put into it, the way it draws your eyes in a certain pattern. It leads you to see
what you need to see in a certain order, so to speak. Also a lot of detail went into it. I am an artist
myself and I know that even a simple sketch can take up to three hours to get everything right.
There is also doing and redoing. There is waiting to see what a drawing or painting is missing or
if it is better left the way it is. Also the fact that is hanging in an art museum says a lot to me to. I
highly doubt that they would just put up any art up in it. Another clue of its value is its
endurance over time. Things that aren't considered of value are forgotten. It was made in 16351640 in Genoa, Italy by Bernardo Strozzi. It took about five years to make, has been around for
376 or so years and has traveled from overseas, from a different continent. I think that's pretty
amazing.

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A white border and two white (with some gray) oval objects in the center is the first thing
I noticed when I looked at this artwork from the Native American gallery. There are also tiny
circles with the three primary colors of blue, yellow, and red with other shades surrounding the
two white oval objects. The tiny colored circles are separated into the three primary colors and
are not randomly surrounding the oval shape.There is some green in the background too. The
white border is consistent throughout the artwork in two v shapes. The bottom v is bigger than
the top v shape. In the white border which consists of two white parallel lines, are two white dots
that repeat over and over. The background of this artwork seems to be a dark dark red/brown.

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Surrounding the actual artwork, attached to it, is loops of a silver/white. On the very top of the
artwork is brown line and just above that are pinkish brown ruffles.
In attempt to take it a step further it seems like the the tiny colored circles are
surrounding the oval like they are attempting to get closer to it as if for warmth. The white border
seems to close the colors in, like a fence or pen. The green seems to connect the colors of tiny
circles of red, the tiny circles of yellow, and the tiny circles of blue but not to each other but to
the white oval. The gray/silver loops make the artwork come together. Its actually like a second
border which even further draws attention to to the center with the oval and tiny circles with the
white border.
My interpretation is that its design along with the colors as well as placement of colors is
made to make a statement. Whether that statement is of status, of artistry or something else, it
definitely makes you want to look. Its made to be utilized but decorated to be nice to look at. To
be beautiful even.
My judgement on this is that its of great value. The artistry on it is amazing. I cant even
imagine sewing on that many beads on, much less in a pattern. It just takes me five minutes to tie
a string on a needle. It was made around 1935, so its been around for eighty years which is a
lifetime of a person. People die but artwork lives on. If its not forgotten, its valuable. True bad
things can also not be forgotten but there's still some value there too. Its valued so people
preserved it and put it in a museum in a glass case where you cant even touch it.

Live Performance Reflection: Performance Art

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I went to a concert on Valentines day at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. The group
performing were originally called The Canadian Tenors which formed in 2007. Now they are
just The Tenors with the members Remigio Pereira, Victor Micallef, Fraser Walters, and Clifton

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Murray. Their tour was originally kicked off in Thunder Bay, Ontario on September 16, 2015. At
this particular concert they sang songs from their newly released 2015 album Under One Sky, as
well as doing covers, and even sang some of their older songs. Some of the original songs they
sang were: A new days begun, My fathers son, Angels calling, Granada, Worlds collide, and
Lead with your heart. They also covered: How Great Thou Art, Who wants to live forever and
Adagio. Their style of music is somewhere between pop and opera also known as Operatic pop.
The co-write their music and are currently signed with Verve Records.
All four singers were raised with a musical background. At this concert what made it
special is that they all chose a song that they just sang by themselves and talked about
themselves a bit. I of course knew them already, but my cousin said it made her feel closer to
them. They also talked about why they chose the song they did. Remi sang an original he had
written with the help of his mom called Nada Mais which translates from Portuguese as Nothing
else. He wrote it after his father passed away. He literally told God nothing else that he
couldnt take it. His father was a loving kind hearted man. I never met him but felt like I did.
Remi grew up with eight siblings and heard his father serenading his mother constantly. I thought
it was sweet. When he sang his song, I could feel the pain in the words that I couldnt understand
and hear it in the strum of his guitar. Remi is an immigrant. His mother saw the wisdom to move
to Canada for a better life for them all. It was a hard life especially after nine months of arriving,
his mom lost two baby girls within five minutes of each other, one dying in her arms. His mother
worked two to three jobs to feed her family. She worked hard to pick up the pieces and pass on
the values of love, faith, and compassion. Remi really looks up to her and she was his voice of
reason. With a mother like that it is no surprise that he was very successful on his own before
joining the group. Hes a vocalist, guitarist, composer, as well as songwriter who speaks four

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languages fluently. He has two CDs out: Destino and Incanto. He loves being in the The Tenors
though and the other guys make sure to point out his talent on the guitar.
Than Fraser did a cover of Something In the Way She Moves by the Beatles. He talked
about how he was focused on the business side of things before he met his wife Kelly Levesque
who is also a singer. He fell in love and found somewhat a balance in his life. This song played at
their wedding. His singing was as captivating to listen as she was captivating to him. When
Fraser was young boy he was a part of opera productions as a soloist. Also as a former varsity
soccer player, he was a part of the Canadian National Track & Field team at the Pan-American Jr.
Games. On top of that he was a member of the acappella group Chanticleer. He also plays the
guitar (although not as good as Remi) and piano.
Fraser also comes from a poor background. His father grew up poor. His grandparents
had to leave their small town with population of twelve behind to later give a better life to the
future generations. They left on a pickup truck, with the whole family piled in the back, chicken
cages on one side and grain on the other to feed them. Fraser even joked that they drove during
the daytime only because at night the headlights would aim towards the sky because of the heavy
load.
Than Clifton came on stage and sang To make you feel my love by Bob Dylan. He talked
about growing up on a resort by the water that his dad owned. His dad would have performances
in the evening and over time, Clifton performed. His grandpa George Murray was a big musical
inspiration to him. He loved to perform and was a famous Irish tenor. When he passed away,
Clifton felt his absence but when he sings, his spirit lives on. This song is a representation of
both his grandpa's loves, and his love for music. His childhood was good with no siblings, but
both parents present. Clifton studied voice and theatre in college and graduated with honors from

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film school. He has been in the series, Boston Legal and has made appearances in other films
such as Shes the Man. He has also starred in a play and sang in a Gospel choir before joining
The Tenors in 2009.
Sadly I cant remember what Victor sang. I wish I did. Hes the only who is married and
with a kid. The other three either are just married or just have a kid. He lost his father, like Remi,
to an illness. Victor played the piano from the age of four. He sang at his church but only when
he turned sixteen did he get any kind of formal voice lessons. He studied voice in college and
then moved to Italy to learn more. During that time he was was featured in several companies in
opera and in concert. He moved back to the Toronto, where he was born, in 2004 when he
became a part the Canadian Opera Companys well thought of Ensemble Studio. Three years
later he helped to form a group that would later be called The Tenors.
The main props they used where lightening, ranging from white to red to blue as well as
showing images on the screens behind them. This made each song come to life even more. The
images they picked were what they wanted us to see or to maybe associate with a certain song, or
maybe evoke emotion. For example, when they covered You are so Beautiful to Me, they showed
video clips of them surprising their mothers and reading them a letter they wrote to them to thank
them for all that they have done and what they mean to them. It made you cry. For one of their
songs they had the lights shine into the audience and then slowly go back to the stage. It seemed
to pull you in and for that song it made you feel even closer.
I thought their sound was amazing coming from the car stereo or even from the earbuds
connected to my phone, but live? Unbelievable! Every note was hit, thier voices never cracked
even though I honestly was waiting for it. Like some of their notes were unbelievably long but
they carried on, even going an octave higher. It was hard not to be impressed. All of them,

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Clifton, Remi, Fraser, and Victor were amazing! The Oregon Symphony was playing for them,
and they were also amazing.
When they were covering Cant help falling in love with you Clifton got out his Elvis
moves and boy can he move! His humor, as well as the rest of the groups, made you feel like you
were watching a friend's performance rather than that of four very accomplished and talented
musicians, but their musical and vocal abilities made you stare in awe that you shared the space
with someone as talented as them. I had a hard time not being starstruck, to be honest.
What was kinda funny to me, was their costume or change of clothes. It was unexpected.
For the first half, before the intermission, they worn really nice suits with ties, and even a red
folded cloth sticking out of their jacket pocket. After intermission, their first song was Who
wants to Live Forever, to which they all worn different styles of leather jackets, and even two
wearing black jeans. I think it was supposed to make them look cooler? I thought it was just
interesting and because the light was on Clifton for his solo, I was trying to figure out if there
was a strip of glitter down his jacket or if that was a zipper. (It was a zipper.)
I loved the performance overall. How could I not? I enjoyed finally seeing them live after
three or so years of waiting. I wanted to meet them but we had to leave early. I love their music
and think they are super talented. Im still wishing I could go back and relive it. I feel like I
didnt have time to wrap my mind around finally seeing them and also this was my first ticketed
concert. So two new things. I definitely will go to see them again when they come to town and
actually meet them this time around.

Works Cited:
"The Tenors | Biography." The Tenors. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
"The Tenors - A Letter To My Mom." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2016.

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Film Analysis: NorthWest Film Festival

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I went to see Dheepan at OMSI, a film directed by a Frenchman Jacques Audiard. The
main characters were Dheepan (Antonythasan Jesuthasan), Yalini (Kalieaswari Srinivasan), and
Illayaal (Claudine Vinasithamby) with Brahim (Vincent Rottiers) and Youssouf (Marc Zinga)
playing also a big part.
What made this movie bearable for me, was the humor and them coming together to form
a family. I am not into any horror, crime, suspense, or gorey movies. I tend to like them sad, a
lesson, humor, or most of all romance. Dont get me wrong, I like to have realistic movies, or
based on a true story because this is what is going on in the world today and to ignore it would
be wrong and ignorant. Sometimes we need to be slapped in the face with reality, especially here
in the US because we dont have wars on our home territory and the wars in other countries are
only left to our imagination and what movies portray war to be. Some of the older generation

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though has been in the wars and so they can relate but the majority of us cant, especially the up
and coming generation. I hope and pray that we wont have to face war but if we do, that we will
make it through.
This movie does a good job of portraying how a former soldier tries to not only adjust to
a whole new lifestyle with a language barrier, but how he tries to get past his memories of the
war and tries to help his wife Yalini, and his daughter Illayaal also adjust. Not all of
Dheepsans efforts are good but eventually at the end he goes and starts a new life. If anyone has
ever been in war, fought in it, it will always be a part of them, thats inescapable. Later when he
uses his job as the caretaker of the apartment buildings they live in to get Yalini his wife a job
as a caregiver to one of the apartment tenants, it seems like things are finally working out. She
gets paid good, and can start also providing for their family but something has to happen
because theres always a calm before the storm.They didnt have money because they just
escaped a civil war in their country, so they moved into a gang infested area. The first time the
gangs have a shoot out, Yalini runs away scared out of her mind, planning to go to England
where she has a cousin. Dheepan realizes that will not help her confront her memories of living
in a war zone and goes after her. This seems to make them draw even more apart. Thier
daughter Illayaal is trying to make friends but because maybe she is different, she doesnt fit in
and is pushed away when she tries to join. She starts a fight and later her mom Yalini in
attempt to discipline her, slaps her. Yalini has never been a mom and Illayaal teaches her how to
be one, which is sweet, sad, and different. There is ongoing tension of attraction between
Dheepan and Yalini. He likes to imagine things as perfect while she's a realist which is what
seems to make them attract. Both are trying to fight each other but in different ways. Yalini is
fighting to escape to a life free of gunshots the one she thought was waiting overseas, while

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Dheepan is fighting to keep them together, for them to overcome their battles together, and for
them to make the most of it. At the end they both get what they want. Dheepan makes the
decision to let her go, gives her not only the passport he took, but also money for the ticket.
Yalini realizes that maybe though she doesnt entirely want him she needs him and Dheepan
needs her. So she stays and goes to the tenant apartment to take care of him. Just as shes about to
leave, she hears gunshots outside the door, and drops down. The tanet is dead, and the nephew
who was visiting is barely alive. The nephew asks for help which she tries to do before he points
a gun at her head and demands she call her husband. She calls him and after that, Dheepan
goes into soldier mode. He kills most of the gang, lights thier car on fire, kills everyone on his
way up the stairs and almost shoots Yalini. She literally slaps some sense into him. I would like
to imagine life was perfect for them after that, but it couldn't have been easy to adjust. They
eventually did become a real family later with their own biological child. That made sitting
through the gunshots, where I literally covered my ears, sinking into the seat, all worth it.
Like I mentioned before, this movie is based on realistic events. I feel like seeing in a
theater made me feel like I was there. And that was honestly terrifying. Just imagining people in
this situation but with no movie screen to protect them from bullets is heartbreaking. This movie
did a good depiction of a realistic situation someone must face. I thought the acting was amazing
and had to remind myself sometimes that there were only just acting, that they weren't in love in
real life, that they didnt actually lose their loved ones to the war.