I thought the Orsay was beautiful in the way the actual design and layout of the museum as well as the artworks. This is not to say the Louvre wasn’t beautiful as well, although the sheer amount of works at the Louvre makes it overwhelming, I felt like we were rushed through the museum to try and see it all but could not connect to fully experience these masterful pieces. That being said, seeing these ancient Greek, Napoleonic era works and more is a truly unreal experience seeing how much care was put into these pieces and what they could create with the resources they had. Something about the Monet, Van Gogh and Renoir pieces at the Orsay just stuck with me more, and maybe the smaller crowd had something to do with that. I also was introduced to more artists that I enjoyed at the Orsay, such as Odilon Redon who had some beautiful works which were some of my favorite from the whole trip.
Author: amacdon4
Ad/Pr Analysis
On one of our excursions, I spotted this sign to “Stop aux Rats,” or stop the rats, from what looked to be an organization called Paris Nature.
Who created this message?
It looks as though, Paris Nature, created this message.
What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?
The sign uses some artistic design techniques to draw attention and enhance its message such as the little rat footprints across the sign in bright yellow. The big bold letters and exclamation mark, as well, attract attention.
How might different people understand this message differently than me?
People who may not be able to read French could have trouble understanding this message.
What values, lifestyles and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?
This message represents a commitment from France to keep their parks clean of garbage, not only to keep the parks clean from rodents but hopefully also to keep the environment clean as well.
Why is this message being sent?
This message is being sent to keep rats and rodents out of the parks. After translating the message it says, “waste left on the ground attracts rodents, please dispose of your rubbish in the nearest bin.” I guess they don’t want ratatouille in the parks.
Disney!
Going into the day at Disney Paris with corporate cross-promotion, ownership and branding on my mind, made the experience feel much more dystopian. I felt as though I was just a cog in this capitalist machine that is Disney. They constantly expose park goers to corporate messaging pushing Disney products and services, and other associated brands such as Coca-Cola are advertised everywhere. What we’ve talked about in class in relation to media ethics and literacy made me much more aware of all of these efforts by Disney to control our personal experiences and opinions on the Disney experience. I think it is very interesting how Disney partners with other companies to create cross-promotional content, specifically within the naming of their rides and or food items, etc. For a company as big as Disney, its commitment to continue to expand its brand and its reach in the entertainment industry is telling of the nature of media to always want more influence and thus more profit.
Art Museum Gift Shop
I think this portable speaker and portable charger are examples of items that are ethically concerning. These two technology items are so modern and draw so much attention away from the artwork which is supposed to be the main attraction. I think it negates the purpose of Monets’ art, especially in the case of the speaker because viewing Water Lilies is supposed to be a meditative experience and blasting music on a speaker is quite the opposite.
These four landscape posters/paintings of the Water Lilies however reflect ethically created products. I believe these could give a true glimpse into the experience as it is at the museum, from an at-home environment. The canvas’ is stretched out and gives better dimensions to how the paintings looked in real life. I think somebody could surely get similar meditative quality from these posters and in that, shows a respect for the ethics of Claude Monet and Water Lilies.
Normandy Reflection
The Normandy experience was extremely surreal. It provoked many emotions for me, seeing the actual sites of bombings and bunkers made me think of the fear felt by all those in the build-up of D-Day as well as the day itself. I learned so much about the tactics for either military side from our tour guide, and what all went into the planning and execution. I thought it was interesting to hear the individual stories about the two rangers finding the cannons on a stroke of luck. Over time, I think the image of the rows of gravestones will be embedded in my head. Picturing the families coming to that beautiful cemetery to pay their respects and grieve brings pain to my heart. While we were leaving and they began to lower the flag and play, “Taps,” to commemorate those lost was a heartfelt moment.
Picasso Museum Relfection
I thought the museum was beautiful in the way it was constructed to accept all the natural and artificial light onto the artworks. The works themselves were so beautiful it was easy to get lost in one room for much too long and lose track of the tour. I learned so much about Picassos’ personal life and his evolution as it relates to his approach to art. The room with works he helped his daughter Maya create early in her life, in particular, drew an emotional reaction for me. The artistic process is such a personal experience, for Picasso to invite his daughter to sign his works was a role reversal which shows the genuineness of their relationship. A relationship that touched me, to think about my dad and how special that is. The pieces consistently had me making connections to my own life, which I hope isn’t narcissistic of me, I think that is part of the nature of his style. The art gave me an avenue for new discoveries and overall was a very cathartic experience.
Semiotics
Aesthetics
Duties and Consequences
The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events
“The Image,” by Daniel J. Boorstin argues that the proliferation of pseudo-events is increasing the divide between our perceived reality, the image, and the true reality we exist in. Boorstin describes the “pseudo-event” as a fabricated event where one party tries to create influence over an audience. Due to our human nature of, “extravagant expectations,” the constant desire to be entertained by media, Boorstin says, these media-sponsored pseudo-events have become so vivid and prevalent in our news cycle that our perceived world is an illusion. “To discover our illusions will not solve the problems of our world. But if we do not discover them, we will never discover our real problems.” (p. 15)
Boorstin introduces the trend in media to exploit our extravagant expectations and utilize their ever-growing capability to communicate messages, sparked from The Graphic Revolution, to fill gaps in news cycles and manufacture stories. Boorstin uses the fabrication of heroes from our everyday celebrities as an example, deceiving the public into a fantasy world through fame. Boorstin relates this idea to the fleeting adventure and personal growth which he says once came from international travel. As commercialization has infiltrated advertising media, travel has become cheaper and more organized minimizing the past risk of traveling abroad, creating an “at-home” environment indirect to the real experience, and moving the focus to “pleasure-seeking tourists,” Boorstin says.
Boorstins’ arguments have certainly made me aware of the shifting nature of travel abroad. I feel it has made me more critical of messaging in advertising and news stories publicized by the media, with an increased focus on the commercial purpose of these pseudo-events. I will be interested to see how our trip this summer will affect my views of ethics in media, whether that be a more praising or disparaging stance. I’m interested to observe the similarities and differences in how the media conducts mass communication in a foreign country.