Week I: Tierra y Corazón

Manuel Álvarez Bravo

Week I: Tierra y Corazón


Our first project. Make (draw/paint/assemble/construct) something which expresses the meaning of these words to you--in your life, in memory, and in what you know of your family past. There will many points of view in the class--that's a good thing--and it will be a subject of our continued conversation when we look at the work next week (pinned up on the walls in 170). Reem asked if you're to "illustrate" this.  I'd say instead, give life to the theme--in visual terms.

I encourage you to emphasize the hand--that is, the feeling of making by hand--as a route to the personal.

Size, meda, approach--all open.

For those of you with less hands-on studio art experience--start with meaningful photos in juxtaposition (siize, posisition, relative lights and darks). As "information"--but also as something to be looked at.

For those with more drawing and painting experience--dive in.

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Practical notes:

Cuaderno Electrónico.  Set up your "cuaderno eléctrico" (blogsite) using blogger.com--and send me an active link to the homepage. I want you to do this before I give you a cec. We'll discuss posting in class...

Reading/Book Purchase: For this week, make sure to purchase  Octavio Paz (El laberinto de la soledad)--at local bookstore or online.  Inmediatamente! (I've posted the original Spanish version on BOX, pero queda más cómodo leerlo en forma de libro... See bibliography.)

I highly recommend that you also purchase Frances Toor, A Treasury of Mexican Folkways.
Other readings available in PDF. See Bibliography.

Música. Download these two:
Chavela Vargas: Sentimiento de México (Vols. I-II).
Cancionero Méxicano, which includes recordings of most of the songs in printed Cancionero handout.
Concentrate on all the new songs in the downloads. Empezar escuchando, cantando, aprendiendolas...!

Cancionero. Keep your song sheets in a folder, and bring them to each class. There will be supplements, so you'll need a folder. (I had a pile, but forgot to hand them out. Will do next week.)

Writing. Something I'll want you to do in working on your project for each week is to write a notebook entry in parallel. Not too long--and later we may pin these up along with your work "de introducción..."--as a kind of written introduction. No, I don't know just what I have in mind--so, you'll show me--and show each other--what this means! We pin up the projects at the beginning of the evening--and these can be alongside (or below)... can be trimmed to smaller than 8-1/2 x 11 if you like... Later posted on your cuadernos electronicos as well.

Course Material. I've posted needed material on my blog, for your reference. Read through it carefully. The posts will help you understand where we're going in the course. (There may be minor typos relative to previous versions of the class--so bring questions. En todo caso, bring questions!

http://anthonydubovsky35.blogspot.com/