Upcoming Review!

Stay tuned for the upcoming review of the Angelina Gualdoni exhibit Proposal for Remnants at the Kavi Gupta gallery at 835 W. Washington Blvd in downtown Chicago.

Top 5 of Culture

There's an intense feeling of weight involved in defining the paradigm of culture. I am an immigrant to the United States; therefore, my understanding of life and cultural memory outside of this country heavily taints what I perceive as tradition and identity. I have taken into account both contemporary and classic representations of the cultivated and the pop, focusing on people and concepts that redefined their sphere of influence. With those considerations, the Top 5 of Culture are:

5) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:

There are few that would argue the importance of this late eighteenth century composer in both classical music and contemporary media. His contributions to the Classical genre included over 600 pieces, all of which exemplified his attention to detail and maturity of composition. Considered the quintessential baby genius, his music is still played by educated mothers to further the brain function and growth of their children during pregnancy.

Whatever your perception of Classical music, it undeniably remains the accepted genre for the descendants of European aristocracy and the American elite alike. Visit Ravinia of Highland Park, IL on a summer night highlighting any of the Classical composers and surround yourself with heirloom pearls, Brooks Brothers suiting, and elegant picnic settings, complete with bottles of Châeau Lafite Rothschild. And on a Mozart night you better get your tickets well ahead of time, or you certainly won't be able to acquire a seat to the coveted Pavillion, and will be delegated to the grass with others of similar misfortune. No individual can be accepted into the wings of Olympian society without a basic knowledge of Mozart’s work, or at least what he gleaned from watching Amadeus.

2) Titian:

Although da Vinci and Michelangelo are universal global staples, the reference of the upper class for classical art seems to be Tiziano Vecceli, one of the leading painters of the 16th century Italian Renaissance. While the Louvre supports 8.5 Million visitors a year, most of who persistently bustle in front of da Vinci’s infamous smiling lady, the Renaissance hall in the National Gallery of Scotland sees significantly fewer visitors at its crowning possession: Titian’s Venus Anadyomene.

The visitors that do stall in front of the painting, however, immediately reference the painter’s influence on Moreau and Velasquéz and his definitive style and choice of subject. The smugness in their tone acknowledges their awareness of the painting’s existence and its importance in the tradition of Western artistic culture.


3) Coco Chanel:

As much as we croon about the importance of not judging a book by its cover, the fact is that we all do precisely that. There’s a neurological response behind it; studies have shown that the manner in which we perceive individuals directly correlates to the reptilian brain and danger receptors within it.

Equally important, however, is the notion of couture and fashion in our conception of a person. As she pulled a pleated, woolen dress over my 5-year-old head, my grandmother would croon in her well-enunciated Muscovite accent, “We greet by appearance, and we salute by intelligence.” (Something is definitely lost in translation.)

And no individual was as fundamental to the notion of couture and the ready-made as Coco Chanel, the orphan turned celebrated French designer whose novel suiting jackets and slim dresses identified an oppositional culture in the 1920s and forever changed woman’s style. Any self-respecting department store has at least one section dedicated to one of Chanel’s many contributions to fragrance, clothing, and jewelry. The iconic pieces are synonymous with elegance, timelessness and culture.

2) Apple, Inc.:

Let’s face it; the company practically has the term coined. Buy any one of its ubiquitous music players, phones or shiny computers and you join a league of fans and followers who embrace, however warily, the notion of “Apple Culture.” Its legion of retail stores, ideally clean-cut apostles, and warehouse of products whose names are derived from their obvious function preceded by a lower-case letter “i,” all cater to the undeniably hip, the youthful, the individual. Possibly also spelled “iNdividual.”

In a growing world of accessible, easy-to-use technology, the innovative company, immediately recognized by its shiny fruity logo, lets everybody from major film producers to tentative grandmothers get in on the world of instant web access, video and photo sharing, and music interaction. And all you need is a pair of those iconic white ear buds to fit yourself into the lexicon of cool.

1) The Beatles:

The aforementioned grandmother told me how back in the USSR, ardent rock and roll fans in the 60s would sneak Beatles music into the country by imprinting them on X-Ray tape. And if that’s not enough to sell you on the power of the shaggy-haired British quartet, try dropping a “Hey, Jude” into a conversation and see what happens.

Your mother should know that their music has been featuring in countless motion pictures, commercials, and print references. Their Abbey Road album cover has been mimicked so many times that the inhabitants of the actual street in London have a decidedly nasty streak in attempting to run over tourists. And I don't want to spoil the party, but their musical talent and influence is still noticeable in musicians from Phish to David Bowie. Here comes the sun.