Post 6: LECTURE BAROQUE THEATRE – MODERN OPERA

This week’s lecture was like going on a time-travel trip through theatre history. We started with Baroque architecture—super fancy buildings with big domes and dramatic designs. The Catholic Church used this style to impress people and draw them back during the Protestant Reformation. St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is one of the best examples of this, and its dome even inspired the U.S. Capitol Building!

Then we moved into Baroque theatre. The Cesky Krumlov Theatre (built in 1682) was mind-blowing for its time. It had hidden trap doors, special effects, and a super detailed stage setup. It even had elevators for props and actors—kind of like early stage magic.

Opera also became huge. Back then, there were no microphones, so singers trained for years to project their voices across big theatres. Baroque opera was all about showing off, with crazy costumes, huge sets, and dramatic music. And yes, it was over the top, but that was the point—people wanted a show.

Later, artists like Cathy Barberian and John Cage changed the game by making weird, cool sounds and challenging what “music” really is. Cage even said silence doesn’t exist, which was wild. All of this helped music and opera evolve into what we now know as musicals and modern opera.

The lecture made me realize how creative people were back then—and how much their inventions still influence theatre and music today.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

POST #8 – LECTURE - RENAISSANCE – REALISM

This week’s lecture was all about the Renaissance, and wow—it was a total improvement for art, science, and learning in Europe. Before this, most art was just about religion and didn’t look very realistic. People were painted flat and stiff, often floating in golden backgrounds like religious cartoons. Then things started to change. People like Giotto , Leonardo da Vinci , and Michelangelo started painting more lifelike people. They used something called linear perspective , which is a fancy way of making flat pictures look 3D. That’s how buildings and roads in paintings started to look real. The big idea of the Renaissance was Humanism , which means focusing more on people and what humans are capable of—not just what religion says. A dude named Petrarch kicked that off by saying we should learn from the past and that humans have big potential. Artists started getting noticed too. Before, they were seen as just workers. But during the Renaissance, they became stars, like Brunelles...
Read more

Preformance Art

 Our performance art piece, The Line Between Us , explored society’s reaction to homelessness. Josh portrayed a homeless person lying in front, surrounded by a blanket, cup, and cardboard—symbols of life on the street. As our group entered the room with the audience in it, each performer acted differently: I acknowledged Josh but kept walking, Sophie ignored him and even kicked his cup on her walk out, Mackenzie passed by without notice, and Jake gave change and kind words. After everyone sat, Josh coughed, prompting all of us to rise and leave one by one. From this experience, I learned the emotional power of non-verbal actions and how performance art focuses more on presence and impact rather than dialogue. Unlike a skit, performance art invites interpretation and provokes thought. The piece made me reflect on how often we witness similar real-life scenes and choose to look away. Performing this taught me how art can challenge perspectives through subtle, deliberate actions. htt...
Read more

POST #9 – READING, DISCUSSION – FIERO FINEBERG PAINTING

5 Big Takeaways: Humanism changed everything – People started to believe that humans could do amazing things through learning and effort, not just through religion. Artists started showing real life – They painted regular people and nature, not just holy figures. It felt more personal and relatable. Linear perspective made art pop – This technique made paintings look 3D. It was like the HD of the Renaissance. Art was about beauty and brains – Artists like Alberti thought that great art should be smart and beautiful. He even wrote “how-to” guides for other artists. The Medici family helped make it all happen – These rich guys in Florence paid artists to create amazing stuff. Without them, we might not have seen such a huge boom in art. Discussion Question: Do you think people today focus more on being realistic and true to life in their art, or is modern art more about being different and creative, even if it’s not “realistic”?
Read more