Wacky Perspective

The trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art showed me many branches of what we studied throughout the units of Art1010. One good example of a modernist piece is this one I found while looking through the Modern and Contemporary Art section. It’s called “Large Interior, Los Angeles” by David Hockney, and has many attributes of a modern piece. This could be considered abstract art due to it’s lack of a subject, and it’s reliance on the shape and color used to convey any form of meaning. The piece is actually a postmodern/contemporary art piece, but relates to the style of modern art extremely well. The piece also reminds me of the modernist piece The Red Studio by Henri Matisse. Both depict a sense of linear perspective, but both do it very badly. Lines drawn in both do not converge correctly, yet the illusion of a three-dimensional space in a two-dimensional space is still existent. The randomness yet harmony of the objects placed in the space are both similar in Matisse and Hockney’s work. We can see how in the “Large Interior, Los Angeles” the entire painting is painted thoroughly, and covered 100%. In The Red Studio, the white lines in the painting are actually the canvas itself. These two methods of bordering objects in a piece makes them both distinctly different.

Sean Reilly, Team Artemis (7)

David Hockney - Large Interior, Los Angeles (1988)

The Lady and the Sea Monster

Screen Shot 2017-12-11 at 4.16.27 PM

Domenico Guidi (Italian, 1625-1701) Commissioned by Francesco II, Duke of Mantua and Reggio (Italian, 1660-1694) , who died before the sculpture’s completion. Andromeda and the Sea Monster. 1694. The Metropolitan Museum of Art,
http://www.metmuseum.org. http://library.artstor.org.ez-proxy.brooklyn.cuny.edu:2048/asset/SS7731421_7731421_11776266. Web. 11 Dec 2017.

This sculpture, though made in the Common Era, resembles traits of a Hellenistic sculpture from Ancient Greece. The depiction of Andromeda in this fluid like movement is very common in Hellenistic style art as well as noticing how the free-standing Andromeda is much like new upcoming sculptures in BCE. Having the subject in the nude like so relates to how the Greeks shaped their art to show how the human body should be shown off as such, as it is in the Gods image.
This piece of art can relate to a quote from the Vergil’s Aeneid, Book 1:

“Her fury inflamed by all this, the daughter of Saturn drove over endless oceans Trojans left by the Greeks and brute Achilles. Juno kept them far from Latium, forced by the Fates to wander round the seas of the world, year in, year out. Such a long hard labor it was to found the Roman people.”

The sculpture of Andromeda is in relation to Greek art, and not Roman art. We can clearly tell by observing how the breasts of Andromeda are revealed and not hidden by shrubbery. Greek and Roman themes do relate sometimes, where we can see how Andromeda, goddess of dreams, who usually accompanies with Poseidon, can be like the daughter of Saturn. Both are strong mythological female figures, with relation to “driving over endless oceans” They differ from their cultural origins, but both parts of Greco-Roman mythology can be connected.

The artist wanted to try his best, from a 17thy century perspective, to copy an old time Greek sculpture to the best of their ability. The artist Domenico Guidi, was a prominent Baroque sculptor, who had a short life as an artist. His intentions for creating art are not that important for the relation to Roman era literature, since they are two different time periods.

Sean Reilly, Team Artemis

Halloween Chiaroscuro

While scrolling down some of my friends Instagram feeds, I stumbled upon my friend Cristian’s Halloween post dressed up as Johnny Depp from “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”. Clearly shown here there is a case of chiaroscuro discussed in our class. I was there when Cristian took this photo, and I remember specifically him wanting the idea of madness, insanity, and confusion to come through with the photo, so making this chiaroscuro effect helped him achieve that. We can see how this contemporary piece is using photography instead of painting to achieve a certain lighting effect. Old Baroque artists like Carvaggio used this chiaroscuro technique for dramatic effect, while Cristian used it for a more insane look to the art, to emphasize his character.


Sean Reilly, Team Artemis


Fall of the Superintendent

Polka, Walter S., and Peter R. Litchka. The Dark Side of Educational Leadership : Superintendents and the Professional Victim Syndrome, R&L Education. 2008. ProQuest Ebook Central.

“Steven negotiated a new contract with this new board and was able to regain his “power and authority” as the educational leader of the district, a position that he held for several more years and with some additional trials and tribulations, including changes in board politics, until his retirement, which was on his own terms. As he stated, “Even when the public resoundingly supports you as superintendent… you must always be vigilant regarding the political winds that change quickly given the political nature of boards of education and the ever present professional jealousy factor that abounds in medium sized school districts. Watch out for the Ides of March and those former allies who become like Brutus was to Caesar as a result of the mob mentality.” This is how two other superintendents described their emotions as their tenure in the district began to unravel: The signs were everywhere, yet I was too blind to see them—or too naive to think that this could actually be happening to me! In the beginning, I had a feeling what some of the board members were up to. But I did not dare say anything. I took the philosophy that maybe it would go away. But just the opposite happened: these board members became less discrete and more open with their abusive behavior toward me, especially during executive session. By the time I did say something, it was too late.”

The passage taken here is describing the sudden removal of superintendent Steven Rychert by a vote by the board of education at his school district. The removal was “mob-like” and totally out of Steven’s control. Dr. Rychert could be considered the most powerful figure in the school district, but instead was stripped of all his power in the blink of an eye.

The author refers to the Ides of March in a analogy to the murder of Caesar, by the hands of Brutus. The idea of Caesar’s fall is all about the theme of betrayal. So if someone reading this book on education sees the large act of betrayal here, they’d understand the reference to the Ides of March. The reference has a negative connotation to it, seeing as this betrayal was obvious, and the vulnerable are taken advantage of at the right moment.


This quote from the Cassius Dio is the climax of the story, where the murder takes place, and Caesar exclaims the famous words “Thou too my son?” or “Weren’t you my friend?”. This quote helps explain why the author used the reference to the Ides of March, as the Board of Ed can be seen as a Brutus to Steven’s Caesar. Though both are the most powerful, Brutus/BOE takes the power in their hands and demolishes the “king”.

Caesar slips on ice. Bystander says 'He was warned-beware the ice of March'

Sean Reilly, Team Artemis

Unit 3: Plato and the Linear

While going through my notes for Classics, I was reading the readings from Plato, and remembered the Death of Socrates painting from a previous Art class. I looked it up and thought if it used linear perspective or not, so I went into some research. I found this painting that clearly uses linear perspective, and involves Plato as well as Aristotle discussed in Classics. The painting uses a vanishing point as well as a horizon line to create depth inside the painting. Plato and Aristotle are at the center, (vanishing point), so the rest of the characters surround the main focus of the piece. Pieces like this can inspire modern contemporary artists to understand the concept of bringing a three dimensional element to their art. The mediums of the past were very limited to a few materials, yet in present times, paintings like this could have much more meaning, and depth than a depiction of Plato and the philosophers.

Sean Reilly, Artemis

Mosaic Underground


While taking the subway, I happened to pass by one of the many mosaic patterned street signs posted at every stop along the subway stations. This reminds me of the mosaics used on the Justinian Mosaic in the church of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy. The Justinian Mosaic was depicting the theme of the authority of the Christian Empire during the Middle Ages. That mosaic was used to show the strength of the faith, and how the Roman Emperor was the godly defender of the religion. This sign is clearly different in that all it’s used for is directional navigation, as well as just bringing color to a mostly dull environment like the NYC subway system. Mosaics both in contemporary art and classic art use the same medium of tiny square tiles, made of stone/glass.

Sean Reilly, Team Artemis

The Founding Fathers and their “Founding Father”… It’s Polybius

Chinard, Gilbert. “Polybius and the American Constitution.” Journal of the History of Ideas, vol. 1, no. 1, 1940, pp. 38–58.

The intended audience for this journal is an intellectual person, interested in the history of the American Constitution, and how Polybius’ ideas related to the ideas drafted to forming it.

The terms, “United States Constitution” & “Polybius” are interconnected in the journal in the explanation of how certain ideas the Founding Fathers used to write the Constitution.
For example, “the best government is that which consists of three forms, regis, optimatium et populi imperitum.” Cicero had expressed the same idea almost in the same words when he asserted: “Statuo esse optime constitutam rempublicam, quae ex tri bus generi bus illis, regali, optimo, et populari, modice confusa,” and Adams, as well as his contemporaries, was familiar with it, but nowhere had this “fu- sion” of the three orders balancing one another been expressed so clearly and so perfectly as in the Greek historian of Rome” (Chinard 43).
The ideas expressed here are what Adams used in conjuring a sufficient government.

“There have also been several oligarchical constitutions which seem to bear some likeness to aristocratic ones, though the divergence is, generally, as wide as possible. The same holds good about democracies.  The truth of what I say is evident from the following considerations. It is by no means every monarchy which we can call straight off a kingship, but only that which is voluntarily accepted by the subjects and where they are governed rather by an appeal to their reason than by fear and force.” (From The Preface)

Sean Reilly, Team Artemis 7

The Warrior Fasces on the Bank

This form of fasces was found above a window on the City Bank-Farmers Trust Company Building. This design element of a Roman soldier is to show a form of power and prestige within the bank itself. A bank is an important and vital business in this world, and showing this specific image conveys the idea that the building is a prestigious and powerful entity.

Sean Reilly, Team Artemis


Alexander: The Macedonian Conqueror

Do you know who Alexander the Great was?
What do you know about him?
Where did you learn about him?

1: Max, friend, aged 18, at my house
a) Yes
b) “His father is Olympus, no his mother was Olympia. He was the king of Macedonia in like 300 B.C or something”
c) School.

2: Eric, dad, aged 54, at my house
a) Yes
b) “He was a great conqueror many years ago. He traveled all along the Mediterranean, taking the land for his empire.”
c) Throughout high school

3: Alana, friend, aged 19, in my car
a) Yes
b) “He conquered the whole Mediterranean with elephants. Half his army died, then he conquered Rome, which triggered the Golden Age”
c) Social Studies

The strength the name, Alexander the Great holds in modern day is very impressive in terms of how long ago the tale of the Macedonian Conqueror was. 2300 years ago, Alexander went on a conquest to become the most powerful force in the Mediterranean and succeeded. He was seen as a god, a deity in the eyes of many races of people. When I questioned three people I knew about what they knew about Alexander the Great, they seemed to all know the basic lore of what he accomplished with his time on Earth. He was a conqueror, he was from Macedonia, and they all learned about him in basic education. The minimal details they told me about Alexander differs much more than the in-depth explanation we had in class. In class, we discussed the exact travel pattern he took, his cultural importance in Ancient civilization, but also how brutal and struct his conquering was. The one thing that is common in all people, is the ideological idea of Alexander that puts him in this heroic “Hercules” position in the mind. If we look at the Alexander Romance, it says,

“And the city that has been built shall remain strong forever. It shall cast light upon the fire and illuminate the infernal regions. And it shall make the south wind quail when it breathes its harmful breath so that the terrible doings of the evil spirits shall be of no avail against this city. For earthquake is to grip it but a short while, and likewise, plague and famine; so, too, shall there be war, but it shall not present great danger; rather, like a dream, it shall quickly pass through the city. And many kings shall forever revere you as one who has become a god according to the customs of this land.”

The central idea that Alexander has a “god given right” to the land of the world, and eternal glory lives on to this day. My three interviewees only know about his awesome conquering and know his name well. They might not know as much as we know, but Alexander the Great’s name lives throughout history.

Team Artemis, Sean Reilly


We Want YOU, to populate!

The parts of a society all rely on it’s human corespondents. These societies all have flaws, and it is almost impossible to reach a sort of, “perfect society”. We can pick and choose the actual meaning of this idea, but it’s something all people wish to adopt. To have no poverty, no civil unrest, no famine, etc. all sound very appealing. Religions tend to have this idea of a “perfect society” with the path of the divine, will lead to this new place.

In the article, Urged to Multiply, Iranian Couples Are Dubious, the life in Iran is one of much struggle and turmoil. A couple, by the names of Bita and Sherag, discuss how religious and societal pressures make living a sustainable life very hard. The constant political unrest, economic instability, as well as rough living conditions, are very hard for them. Yet the government, along with the Muslim faith, encourages these families to produce offspring, and especially more than one. In the article, an Islamic cleric states, “Sitting behind a laptop, Mr. Takhtipour took a sip of hot tea and explained that Islam orders a quest for a perfect society. ”That means we need to increase the number of Muslims, so we also need more kids,” Mr. Takhtipour said. To those of his flock making financial arguments against having many children, he lectures on the scriptures of the faith. ”We do believe that ultimately God will provide our daily bread. So go out and have kids and have faith, is what I always say.” (Erdbrink para. 26-27).

The reliance on religious scripture in these heavily religious countries can put these families in a tough spot. As he puts it, a perfect society will include many Muslims, so you musty produce more Muslims. But in the case of Bita and Sherag, the idea of producing children will be a extremely bad idea, ands hinder them economically. Here in Iran, Erbrink is clearly showing how current Iran is nowhere near a perfect society, and the ideas push only further it from that place.

From a first person perspective, I believe all societies on this planet are nowhere near “perfect”. It is an idea, it is all but a goal that we will never reach. All the “perfect society” or “Utopia” does is gives humans a destination to work towards, providing function and effort to be placed in society. In regards to Classics, and the ideas discussed regarding human behavior and the talks of Plato, the readings of Plato completely support my ideas of human society. He states,

“And we will catch the just person redhanded, traveling the same road as the unjust one.  The reason for this is the desire to do better than others. This is what every natural being naturally pursues as good. But by law and force, it is made to deviate from this path and honor equality.” (Plato 359a).

The human person is merely present in society, and is only molded by the laws set in place. Perfection is impossible. The Iranian people are bound by the Muslim ideology and law to have children, to bring children into a very dangerous setting, and to hinder themselves. The natural human destroys the perfect society with it’s mere presence.

Sean Reilly, Team Artemis

Iranian Article

Erdbrink, Thomas. “Urged to Multiply, Iranian Couples Are Dubious.” New York Times, 8 June 2014, p. A1(L). New York State Newspaperslogin.ez-proxy.brooklyn.cuny.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=SPN.SP01&sw=w&u=nysl_me_brookcol&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA370501939&it=r&asid=c16e27415c9200c15bd0b3edcdc17ae6.

Barbarian Barbecue

The word ‘barbarian’ has been used for centuries in this world, referring to an uncultured or brutish person. In the terms that matters to Classics, the barbarians were what we call the ‘Others’ or those who were not a member of the Ancient Greek community. The term originates from how the Greek perceived these outsider’s language as a jumble of words sounding like: “bar, bar, bar, bar…”. Now in modern day we stick to the more brutish person definition, instead of it only referring to a stranger in our regular surroundings.

We can see the term being used frequently in news, articles, and other forms of media to describe unforgivable behavior. If we look at the article, School Lunch Without Same by the Editorial Board of the New York Times, the term “barbaric” is used in the the brutish context being discussed. The State of New York allowed for 1.1 million children to receive free or reduced lunch, which is a very good step towards giving relief to impoverished children. Though this is a positive aspect, some discrimination towards these children still exists. The Board describes some mistreatment towards children says, “Nationally, however, far too many school districts still employ barbaric policies under which children are openly humiliated when their parents cannot pay lunch bills. These shaming tactics include berating students, stamping their arms with messages like ”I need lunch money” and throwing meals into the garbage while hungry children stand by.” (Editorial Board para. 3). Here these children are being treated as the ‘Other’, seeming as they are inferior due to their economic level. The article is pinned towards a more liberal mature audience who understands the state of economics in this country. The audience should know and feel sympathy for these children and the barbaric behavior being thrown against them.

The use of “barbaric” can also be seen elsewhere in the modern media like the New York Times. An article by Andrew Ross Sorkin, Dalio Book Lays Bare Bridgewater Culture, discusses the principles and behavior of Ray Dalio, the chairman to the largest hedge fund in the world, Bridgewater Associates. The term is used when Sorkin states, “Mr. Dalio’s critics — and there are many — say his principles offer permission to be verbally barbaric, and they question whether the $160 billion firm’s success is a product of such ”radical transparency” or whether he can afford such a wide-ranging social experiment simply because the firm is so financially successful.” (Sorkin para. 16). Here it is clear how Ray Dalio’s behavior can be seen as barbaric due to his financial level giving him a “leg up”. The ‘Other’ here is anyone who is the recipient of Dalio’s behavior/principles; seemingly they must keep up with it since he is such a powerful figure so he is allowed to, in some form, act barbaric. The audience is the same as the last article, mostly aiming at an audience of a sympathizer for the economically impaired.

Both articles have a clear line showing how economic dominance allows for a barbaric atmosphere to be put upon them. Those who struggle economically, whether it be a impoverished child in NYC, or anyone in Ray Dalio’s path, can be on the receiving end of becoming the ‘Other’. In Herodotus’ History, we see the long mistreatment of the Medes, or the ‘Other’ frequently throughout the story. One section states “For, supposing that he was obliged to invest another with the kingly power, and not retain it himself, yet justice required that a Mede, rather than a Persian, should receive the dignity. Now, however, the Medes, who had been no parties to the wrong of which he complained, were made slaves instead of lords, and slaves moreover of those who till recently had been their subjects.” (Herodotus 129). Here we see how the Persian Revolt, should in some form allow a Mede to receive fair treatment, always puts them in an inferior position. This look back at the classic Greek history, allows us to observe how “barbaric” behavior has been excused, passed on, and promoted through superior positions in society. It’s almost ironic, how the definition of barbaric went from the ‘Other’ to the ‘Not Other’. Seemingly how the Greeks treated the Medes in our definition IS barbaric, yet the Medes and foreigners were the barbarians themselves. How we translate and look at this word will always twist and turn but always will see a barbarian as a cruel, brutish thing to be.

Sean Reilly, Team Artemis


Board, The Editorial. “School Lunch Without Shame.” New York Times, 8 Sept. 2017, p. A26(L). New York State Newspaperslogin.ez-proxy.brooklyn.cuny.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=SPN.SP01&sw=w&u=nysl_me_brookcol&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA503736222&it=r&asid=3f179db234cee34f6832cf7f25307cc3. Accessed 11 Sept. 2017.

Sorkin, Andrew Ross. “Dalio Book Lays Bare Bridgewater Culture.” New York Times, 5 Sept. 2017, p. B1(L). New York State Newspaperslogin.ez-proxy.brooklyn.cuny.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=SPN.SP01&sw=w&u=nysl_me_brookcol&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA503308278&it=r&asid=367952845a32aa7c10f8efc3ff1d8c63. Accessed 11 Sept. 2017.

The Corinthian Column; Sean Reilly, Team Artemis

The Corinthian column is a piece of architecture used to hold up buildings, and have some form of an aesthetic. This kind of column, one of the big three (Doric, Ionic, and the Corinthian) was very popular within Roman art culture, while the Greeks preferred Doric and Ionic columns. You can see these columns like where this one, throughout all cultures and places, due to its familiarity, and notoriety. While walking back from a dinner I had for my friend’s birthday, we all headed back to Penn Station to prepare for the train ride home. As I’m strolling by, class clicked in my head, as an enormous horizontal Roman column was waiting to be photographed. From a bank, to a school, to the middle of Penn Station, the column can be traced back to ancient times, and brought back to modern contemporary society. Here the piece of architecture is being used for more than just it’s artistic elements, but used as a single piece of historical art itself.


The Game is On…?

To weigh power through intelligence is merely how human beings have separated themselves throughout human history. Scholars tend to be the higher class, while someone of lower educational level most likely will be in some form of poverty. The strength of intelligence can be found in a rendition of Connor Doyle’s: The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes, the BBC TV Show, Sherlock. The show depicts the world’s most popular detective in a modern setting instead of the usual early 20th century setting. The character of Sherlock has been replenished numerous times, with this show being one of the first to take him into contemporary society.

The clip shown from the show is of the detective Sherlock getting into a heavy and life threatening argument with his nemesis, Moriarty. This scene sort of reflects the tension that exists in modern society, being similar to how the leader of our government deals with other countries such as North Korea. It seems like a stretch but both characters are on edge, ready to pounce, and prepared to do anything necessary to out due the other. The way these two converse can be easily compared to President Trump and his rivalry with North Korean dictator, Kim Jong Un. Straying away from political issues, a more social dilemma involving this kind of tension can be seen in the fight between the alt-right white supremacists and the equal rights activists. Both groups are passionate about their social standings and fight much like the two masterminds in this scene when they collide

While observing issues in contemporary society, we can also observe contemporary issues in the play Eurpides’ Medea, as discussed in class. In the play, Jason, Medea’s lover, has acted unfaithful against her, pleading to marry another woman, and Medea is not happy once so ever. An issue of the time was how woman were seen as inferior to men, so this treatment of Medea could be seen as something of little to no importance in mythological Ancient Greece. Medea’s thirst for revenge can be compared to Moriarty’s relationship with Sherlock. Moriarty, while VERY insane, secretly loves Sherlock in a sense, and wants him destroyed not only to get rid of him, but challenge his intellect. Medea loves Jason so much, when she is betrayed go to extreme lengths to show her sorrow and anger that she was betrayed. Both are very similar yet crazy relationships that we can analyze.

Sean Reilly, Team Artemis

Sherlock vs Moriarty