Exploration_Document_Draft

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Jan 9, 2024

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Exploration Document Draft Eugene C Barnes III HUM200 Cultural Artifacts The first work is the ballet Serenade (1934). Serenade choreography by George Balanchine is a plotless ballet set to Tchaikovsky's score 'Serenade for Strings Op. 48' (1880). Serenade is considered one of George Balanchine's earliest works created on American soil and was created on his students at the School of American Ballet. Although this ballet is currently seen on many stages worldwide, I have decided to review the New York City Ballet's 1990 'Live from Lincoln Center' filming of Serenade.' My second work is Vincent van Gogh's painting 'The Starry Night.' The Starry Night, painted in 1889 while van Gogh was staying at the asylum of Saint-Paul-de- Mausole near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Common Theme The common themes of both works are darkness, fate, and death. Serenade, a plotless ballet, has moments in the ballet where the ballet heroine, the Waltz Girl, encounters the "Dark Angel" and another moment where she gazes towards the heavens with her arms open wide. These are some of the few moments in the ballet that resembles the end of someone's life. While creating “ The Starry Night” van Gogh was experiencing his depression and suicidal thoughts, he started to add darker colors and more religious symbolism, like the sky opening up around the church steeple and the large cypress tree in the foreground. Personal Experience The themes of darkness, fate, and death seem to be the themes of the world of present day. Everywhere I look, there seems to be a new reminder of how dark the world has become. In Serenade, the principal ballerina finds herself running and searching before surrendering to what 1

appears to be her fate, death. The painting The Starry Night has an image of a large cypress tree that touches the sky. This image of the tree could be a representation of the journey of an earthy departure. As a professional dancer at the end of my own career, I often question if I am living my life's real purpose. I often wonder if I will accomplish all of my dreams before my earthy departure. Profession The topic of Fate and Death is a huge inspiration for many artists of the past and present. Fate and Death are unavoidable. All life has a beginning and an ending. Fate and Death have been an inspiration for many artists to create a way to express one's curiosity, grief, fear, and more. The artist's ability to showcase Death by creating art has been vital to the survival of their communities survival. The artist allows its patrons the ability to have an outlet for their feelings. Humanities Resources My first resource is an article on the Ballet Serenade written by conductor Marin Alsop. That article, published by the National Public Radio (NPR), is entitled Shall We Dance: Balanchine Sets Tchaikovsky In Motion. The second article on the ballet Serenade is a biography written by the George Balanchine Trust. The third resource is an analysis of Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night , written by the Museum of Modern Art's education department, MoMA Learning. The final resource is a description of The Starry Night is from the online encyclopedia Artble. The analysis of The Starry Night is similar in given a description of the painting. The events surrounding the creation of the artwork and its impact on the next generation of artists. Both articles of Serenade give the same accounts on the history of the ballet. Marin Alsop's article gives personal accounts of her experience of playing and conducting Tchaikovsky's score and witnessing George Balanchine coach the dancers of the New York City Ballet in a rehearsal of 2

Serenade. Her article also includes a recording of Serenade in full, performed by the New York City Ballet. Historical Context Vincent van Gogh's wildly imaginative painting, The Starry Night, was created in 1889 and nineteen months before his death. Artable describes The Starry Night as one of van Gogh's most famous, greatest artistic achievements and most reproduced images in the art world (Artable.com, 2021). Similarly, Serenade, a ballet created in 1934, is considered one of George Balanchine's first ballet he created in America and created on his students at the School of American Ballet, currently the New York City Ballet's feeder school. Balanchine uses Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings as its musical inspiration and uses flaws and mistakes to create choreographic templates. The George Balanchine Trust explains that Serenade originates as a lesson in stage technique. (The George Balanchine Trust, n.d) Serenade is currently a signature work of the New York City Ballet and remains an inspiration for plotless ballets choreographed today. The genius of these two works of art has inspired many artists years after its creation. Serenade and The Starry Night are testaments of how despite the environmental circumstances, masterpieces can be created. Similarities and Differences Serenade, a ballet of twenty-eight dancers, dancing in deep blues, and set in front of a blue backdrop, visually compliments The Starry Night's mood and texture. Serenade captures the audience with the swirling of tulle tutus and intricate dance patterns. This combination visually connects to The Starry Nights' swirling pattern that is in the sky. The most significant similarity of both art pieces might be the three-quarter ratio of abundant movement to a contrasting stillness. When describing the musical score arrangement, The George Balanchine Trust explains 3

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