_Art - The Play _
By: Frank Broeske
ART A critique Going to see the play "ART" in the UCLA Doolittle Theater was
quite an enjoyment. The house was small so that almost any seat had a good
view. The ushers were very professional and the whole thing was very
organized. The best part was when the lights when down, a rumble of people
everywhere shifting to seats closer to the stage could be heard! The set was
very wonderfully done in a very witty way. There were three tall walls with
large simplified cornices and foot guards. The floor was covered with dark
brown tiles with a square carpet in the center. On top of that were three
chairs and a simple coffee table. The way this set was used was so great
because it alone represented each of the three characters homes and the
painting hanging on the wall is what differentiated them. Among the three
chairs were three styles, an elegant renaissance type chair, a Barcelona chair
from the Bauhaus, and a very non-statemental armchair. Each chair style
belonged to the character with the matching personality. The whole stage was
monochromatic in this light creme color making the colorful personalities
easier to focus on The first character, Mark, has a painting on his wall
that is referred to as a Flanders landscape painting and belongs to the
renaissance chair. He is very demanding and controlling when it comes to his
opinion of art. He is the mentor to Sergio. To imagine his character, picture
Joe Piasentin and all of his dramaticism and directness. Throughout the play
you just kind of want to ring his neck, much like Joe. The play begins with
his opinion of Sergio's new purchase of a white on white painting. His goal is
to make it known to Sergio that he wasted his money, by the end of the play we
find out that it is because he feels replaced by Sergio because he has found
his own outlet that does not agree with Mark's The Barcelona chair and the
70's white on white painting represent the character Sergio. He is a man of
high circles and likes to keep on top of the evolution of man, particularly in
art. He is presenting all of the basic arguments about modern art, bringing
them to surface and addressing them. I believe this was a great aspect of the
play because it educated the viewers who were probably in the position of
Mark. He uses art terms such as deconstructionism and conceptual art that many
of my friends asked me to explain after the play. (Luckily we had just learned
it in class!) Even though I do not believe that he purchased this piece of art
for the right reason (the name of the artist), this does bring up some of the
right reasons one should appreciate modern art and not believe classical art
is the only art with validity The third character, Ivan, is a wishy washy
character much like his choice in art. He philosophy about Sergio's buy is
that if it makes him happy, then the painting is worth it. This is where the
other majority of people sit. (on the fence ) His piece of art on his wall is
considered by the classical loving Mark and by modern loving Sergio to be a
hotel painting and " a piece of *censored*". It is a bowl of pears, but what
makes it so special to Ivan is that his father had painted it. He was the
character that belonged to the white armchair, it was simply a comfy char that
makes him happy Through it all is the underlying tension of friendships and
the jealousy that they endure until they finally break. The need to feel
important and appreciated by someone. Ivan for example always viewed Sergio
and Mark as equals, friend that he could turn to, they may have thought him a
little slow but always included him. Mark always had viewed them on a ranking
system in which he was the one at the top. (Condescendance is a big issue in
the play.) He was dependent on Sergio's need to learn the arts, which
flattered him. Sergio doesn't state how he feels in so many words, but it
seems that he has only himself on his mind and goes where he needs to in order
to achieve his happiness Finally in the end, at the breaking moment in the
friendship and in the art argument, they pull together. Unfortunately the way
that the ice is broken is done in trickery which alludes to a whole new story
yet to be told. This was a great play that makes the audience feel like we are
being given all sorts of hints, such as the chairs, and we are allowed to
figure them out for ourselves. This gives the play a small element of
interaction. Over all it was a great play, and if you haven't seen it, I tried
not to give away the end.
Word Count: 838
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