Last week, we discussed the artworks in the New Museum. In the end, we saw a video about some artists. I am very interest in the first man. It doesn’t like the traditional art. It more likes the art manufactory. The man, he doesn’t create the real artwork, he just creates the idea. I think it may be the new way to product the artwork in the future. I really like his artworks. One thing gives me strikingly impression. That is an eggshell. In fact, it’s a broken pink eggshell. Inside of the eggshell, it may be the mirror. On the top, it broken. The broken part is nearby. I like it because the color attracts me. Pink is very popular with the young people. I remember if one thing has limited edition, the pink edition is the necessary, just like pink PSP. Then the model is very beautiful. I like this way to show the artwork.

We also saw other two artists. A woman always takes pictures about her. She may be not crazy, but I can’t understand about her concept. I saw her act different roles to take the pictures, even as a man. I think that it may be aesthetic fatigue. It’s just my opinion. The last guy really confused me.

I think this exhibition is more difficult to understand than last time. Maybe I lack the artistic cell. This exhibition which called “Skin Fruit” is the selection from the Dakis Joannou collection, caurated by Jeff Koons.

Although most art works were weird for me, some art works give me strikingly impression. There is a woman statue near the elevator door. It scared me. I find she is very cold and apathy. I can’t find any emotion on her face. She just standing here, looking the forward. She wore the formal clothes. She may be the officer in a big company. I think many workers like her in the big city. They work hard to make more money for living. They just work without their emotion. They can’t find a reason why they do this expect money. They lost their ambition, interest and friend. Suddenly, I remember a Chinese singer. She is lovely girl, so the company wants her to be a lovely singer and she success. Many many young boys and girls like her. In fact, she just wants to be a rocker. And she did, because it’s her dream. The sales volume is not good. Then she gotdepression. I confused about this. One is your dream, one is your fame, which you should choose.

Another art work gives me a strikingly impression. A man wore the space suit, lance in his right hand and a box in his left hand. I think the lance mean the violent, the box mean the science. The human use these two things to conquer other things. Like the Avatar. I don’t know what the science brings to us, the wonder future or the judgment day.

These two weeks, we discussed the art in propaganda. Also I saw many pictures and statues about Chairman Mao. With I grow up, I always been taught about the advantage of Chairman Mao and Communist Party. Chairman Mao is very important for the founding the People’s Republic of China. In 60s and 70s, I think many articles and artworks are the cult of personality about Chairman Mao and Communist Party.

The Red Guard is the most famous example. The students in the college and high school are the members of Red Guard. Because the cult of personality about Mao, during the Culture Revolution, they criticize and denounce the binze, nun, priest and missionary. They even beat and affront the teacher. Chairman Mao encouraged them and inspected ten million red guards. They always drew the picture to express their cult. We always can see the young guys wearing the green military uniform, red armband on left arm and a red book in hand.

“Only communism can save China”. This sentence we always can hear when we were children. It seems that only communism is good, capitalism and others are all the evils. Some people always say that capitalism only exploit workers and will be replaced by communism.Some people always say that capitalism only exploit workers and will be replaced by communism. It’s very ironic that corruption in China is worse than in American. Few months before, there is a corruption in New Jersey. That person may graft 20,000 dollar. It’s big news for American. Chinese netizens say that he is a big incorruptible official if he in China.

I want to talk about Taiwan issue. Chinese government insisted that Taiwan is the part of China at all times. Many western countries support Taiwan to be independence. I think many reasons cause the different opinion about Taiwan issue.

In 1949, the Communist Party won the war and the Kuomintang moves to Taiwan. I think it’s a civil war. It is not the war between the two nations. Now Chinese government expects to solve the Taiwan issue pacifically. On the internet, I saw a propaganda video said that Chinese guided missile had aim at Taiwan. It sounds ridiculous. Its reliability is doubtful. In recent years, Communist Party has more communication with Kuomintang. Lien Chan, the honorary president of Kuomintang, had visited Nanjing many times, because Sun Yat Sen who founded the Kuomintang be bury here. All Chinese think Sun is the Father of Nation.

Most people in Taiwan just want to keep situation like now. They don’t want to be independent or return to China. In recent years, China has more communication with Taiwan on trade, entertainment, culture and tour. They all get benefit from the communication. The difference of the social system may be the reason that people don’t want to return to China. They don’t know what will happen if Taiwan return to china, especially for the magnate.

I think Chinese government has many disadvantages, like autarchy, corruption and not free speech. When I came to the America, I search many western opinions about china. Some is good. For instance, Google quit china, I think that is Chinese government’s foul. Some is awful. Few people even don’t know the Chinese history.

In my opinion, Taiwan issue should be solved by Chinese government and Taiwan government. Other country should not interfere the Taiwan issue.

Actually, much stuff is difficult for me to understand. Some are too abstract. Some are very weird. But some stuff gives me deep impression.

My favorite is Aurel Schmidt’s Master of the Universe. It has the man’s body, bull’s head and a crutch in left hand. I like this stuff, because it reflects the condition of our health in an ironic way. We always use the bull to describe that one’s body is strong (I don’t know whether western culture use the bull like this). In the picture, it also does the pose to show its muscle. However it is made up of cigarette butts and Budweiser cans (then I saw the condoms). In fact, its health is really bad, because it smokes too much, gets drunk too much and has sex too much. The picture reminds us that we should care our health, not to overdraft our health and have a good living habit.

I think Josephine Meckseper’s Mall of American is also very excellent. I like the style of film, especially the color. Meckseper uses a video camera to explore Minneapolis’s Mall of America pausing to examine window displays, sale signs, and dormant rides in its indoor amusement park. It reflects the American consumption. In the video, we can’t see many people in the mall.

With the developing of global economy, advertisements appear everywhere. We always have the Advertisement Time before. Now, more and more advertisements come into the program, especially in the films, TV series and entertainments. It’s hard for us to judge whether it’s good.

Nokia had an advertisement in the film “Live Free or Die Hard”. I have a dominant impression about it, because I buy the same mobile phone. I think this advertisement did the work, at least did the work on me. I think this is good for the Nokia company and the film self. It promotes the brand or the product, at same time, increases the income of the film. Many brands support the making of film, TV series and entertainments. Casio supports the “Impossible Mission”. Ford supports the “James Bond”.

  NOKIA 9300 in the “Live Free or Die Hard”

         FORD KA  in the “James Bond” Sometimes, it may be not good. The CCTV spring festival gala evening has too many advertisements in the program. In a magic program, when the performer drinks the orange juice on the table, he mentions the brand of this orange juice. In a comedy, maybe 5 minutes long, it has 6 advertisements. Many people antipathy this situation. One people say that play the entertainments in the advertisements instead of play the advertisements during the Advertisements Time. They have a wonderful income, but the content isn’t good as before.

Last week, we talk about the semiology. I really like the semiology, because one book called “The Da Vinci Code” written by Dan Brown. Recently he published the new book call “The Lost Symbol.”

“The Da Vinci Code” is my favourite fiction. In this fiction, there are many things about semiology.  It’s very important for main character to solve the mystery.In the begin, when Jacques Saunière died, he used his blood to drew a picture and do a pose. The pose just like the famous picture “Vitruvian Man”.  He also written some word on the ground “P.S: to find Robert Langdon “. The policeman all think Robert Langdon is the murder, because normal people know that P.S is the abbreviation for Post Script . But when his granddaughter Sophie Neveu saw these words , she known these words is leave for her.  Her grandfather always call her as Princesse Sophie. P.S is also means Priory of Sion. They also have some clues, two sentences， “O, draconian devil!” and “Oh, lame saint!”. It’s really means “Leonardo da Vinci” and “The Mona Lisa”.

The “face” may be the most important things in Chinese society, from the feudal society to now. Most of us always care our “face” when we do some things and afraid of beneath our dignity.

In the feudal society, the life of king and prince of the blood is luxury. The dishware of they use are all silver. At that time, silver is more valuable that gold. One dinner always have twenty dishes when king and empress have the dinner. Many dishes never been eaten and be thrown. The adornments they wore also make us amazing. They use silver, gold and jade to decorate themselves.

Man-Han style Banquet

Empress of Qing Dynasty

Today we also care our “face”. When we have the wedding, we use the same cars to receive the bride. The brand of car stands for the position. Many Chinese like buy the luxury like LV and GUCCI. When I travel to the 5th avenue, in the LV store are all Asian.

20stretched Lincoln limousine

This team include:1 Bentley,1Ferrari,2Porsche,2Hammer,20 stretched Lincoln limousine,4Benz,4BMW,4Audi Q7,4Cadillac.

The total value about 50 million.

This week we discuss the Post Modernism. The new art form always is caused by the events. Post Modernism appearances after World WarⅡ. After Industrial Revolution, our world develops fast. People enjoy the benefits the Industrial Revolution brings to them. During the Modernism period, American is the greatest power. The economic depression and the failure of Vietnam War is the symbol of the decline of authority. The disintegration of the Soviet Union proves this point. With the environment problem that modern industry civilization brings, people realize that survival is already facing a hopeless situation. They confuse the developing. Concrete art and traditional skill become popular.

         The people want the efficiency. Few people want to taste the art. They don’t want to explore, just combine the others. They think much of the appearance than inner meaning. With the developing of technology, many produces have new technology. In architecture, the architects more like technological building.

HK HSBC Main Building. Foster&Partners

The main characteristic of the building is absence of internal supporting structure. So it has much space for working. The sunlight is the major source of lighting inside.

HSBC Main Building at night.Foster&Partners

I think the advanced science and technololgy make our life better. In 18th century, people communication with other by the letter and telegraph. Now I can talk with my mom by the SKYPE. I can see her and hear her voice. We always call others, perhaps easy to ignore people’s emotion.  People can go to shop bank work with computers. But the danger of the computer is people are getting isolated and losing some societal skills. Now we can read the story on the internet, but I still like read the story on book. Most of my friends agree with me. They think is more comfortable read a book that face a machine. I think it’s up to you. Just like a knife, it’s a tool  that can save people when doctors have it. When muderers have it, it’s lethal weapon. The games are just games for most children. They can get lots of fun frome the games. To army, the games are the tools to training the children. It’s not games’ fault. So I like the advanced science ahd technology, it makes our life convince. We just learns to make use of it.