My liberal arts persona is one that demands more information. My passions in these fields makes me devote my time, and often too much, to art, music, politics or ultimate frisbee.
My newest passion has been art. I’ve had the opportunity to take art history classes and travel the world attending the finest art museums. The experience of studying a painting in class and then seeing it in person is unmatched. The eras of the art world may seem linear in a class, but it is a vibrant ecosystem that is influenced by past works, the environment that the painter inhabited and artist’s hope to progress art to another level. My newfound love of art has expanded into my music taste in the search to find more.
I have been a rap fan since the first time I heard Kanye West’s “Gold Digger” on the radio before going to bed. I enjoy the production, the use of sampling. It’s not only about the music, but also the context surrounding it all. Rap shows with a charismatic persona are my favorite concerts. Hip-Hop heads can recognize the difference between a Drake or Kendrick song just by the backbeats. Even within one person fans can see the evolution of the artist. Rap diehards claim newcomers such as Lil Yachty are dangerous to the genre but I feel the eccentric rapper is part of the vibrant rap ecosystem similar to the art world.
YouTube, Rap Genius and podcasts such as Song Exploder are my tools into understanding the music, while books, discussion and museums are my tools for digging into the art world. When I go to a party and hear “One Dance,” I enjoy the song due to world music influence on Drake’s biggest song. Going to see Cezanne’s “Mt Saint Victoire” at the Philadelphia Art Museum after studying the work in art history class allowed me to understand the importance of his frame and craft in plain air. Though I will never truly understand the mindset of these artists I can find that root emotion and try to relate it to my current state.
People don’t typically look at a work of Cezanne and think of Chance the Rapper, but both forms attempt to evoke emotion at a fundamental level. When I saw Monet’s “Water Lillies” at the L’Orangerie, I felt similar feelings to when I listened My Dark Beautiful Twisted Fantasy. Jackson Pollock evokes controlled chaos in a way that Action Bronson Blue Chips II makes me want to bounce around a room. The chameleon Kanye has transformed his sound over every album he has created, though trite, as Pablo Picasso whose career spanned for decades with multiple periods.
Even within an artist or rapper, fans are able to see the evolution of these crafts to their current state within our society. Absorb the culture not only with your eyes and ears but with your mind to feel the emotion, and enjoy art in all its forms.