Week 3

It is amazing to me how much thought and interpretation can spawn from minimalist works of art.  The connection between the white canvas and John Cage's 4"33" is a fascinating example of how the total absence of material within a work of art can alter the perspective of the viewer and, in the case of these two works, reverse the role the audience has in perceiving it.  

The Lemon was also an intriguing piece to me because it focuses all of its strength into one cinematic aspect: lighting.  The slow movement and variation of the light over the lemon created a morphing effect giving it much character.  To me what's most appealing about this film is the camera's back seat in its admirability.  I was entranced as the lemon transformed slowly by means of light only. 

The final film we viewed had the largest impact on me personally most likely since it incorporated emotion.  The artist's decision to film the introduction against a white wall and with no spoken dialogue was designed, I believe, to put emphasis on how he feels out of place and unable to speak in the world due to his race.  This is of course further emphasized when his work of art is shown to us placing him behind a white shield with nothing but two holes to look out of.  It was fascinating how he was able to convey an idea so simply and affectively simultaneously but I found his social predicament to be greatly unfortunate.