Blog 1 response.

                                                               Art Experience      
                     

         When I was younger I saw the biggest building in the world located in Dubai. It was so tall that I couldn't see the top. And my dad being an engineer he broke down everything and explain how it was made. What was  the foundation made of and ever since then I have had a new eye to this world.

        From then on I see every building as an art masterpiece that is made in parts starting with foundation then the pillars and finally the roof

Blog Post 2

In Neil Labute's play The Shape of Things, characters commit many immoral actions.  While it is easy to jump to blaming Eve as the most immoral character in the play we have to further examine the actions of all the characters.  While Eve played with Adam's appearance as if he was a literal piece of art, Adam made very immoral decisions to get himself to where he was at the end of the play, and who he ended up being (by appearance) certainly wasn't representative of the person he actually is, or was at the beginning of the play.

First off, the argument for Eve's immorality is obvious.  She played with Adam's emotions and feelings and coerced him into doing things that added up towards making him a totally different person, and a fake one at that.  She unsparingly used sex to motivate Adam into completing the tasks which she was ever so carefully suggesting and implanting into his brain.  She played with him and crafted him for a year and a half, and maintained no true emotional connection with Adam.  In fact, she constantly lied to him and ended up humiliating him in public during her final art thesis, where she attempted to succeed in a class at Adam's expense.  Evelyn violated the ethic of caring because throughout the entirety of her "art project", she didn't care one bit about Adam or his feelings, and at the end of the play she couldn't have cared less about his reputation.  However it is important to remember that she never outright told Adam to do anything, and every decision was his to make.  With that being said, we can now examine Adam's moral shortcomings

Adam's moral shortcoming is plain and simple, and it sticks out like a sore thumb.  Adam's behavior in the play violates the ethic of justice because he is violating a critical ethical principle of having a sound concept of self.  Adam is not loyal to himself and he is not his own person because he lets others mold his actions.  He allows Evelyn to suggest increasingly drastic alterations to who he is as a whole, and he is more than willing to transform and mold himself at every stop along the way.  By letting others make his decisions for him, Adam robs himself of personhood.  His unfaltering willingness to change, bend and stretch himself in any which way for Evelyn are telling of his critical lack of a sound self-concept.  He can't perceive himself as having preferences or having any sort of taste or quality in life because he lets others define his goals, priorities and appearance.

That being said, it is of my opinion that Adam lacks more in terms of morality than Eve.  Eve manipulated him and lied to him, yes, but none of this would've had any impact or taken root had Adam not allowed himself to be made subject to someone else's desires.  If Adam was able to be happy with who he was and make decisions for himself, Evelyn would not have had the opportunity or the ability to mold him and change him in the ways he did.  I view Adam's moral shortcoming as a prerequisite and an enabler of Eve's immoral actions

Blog Post #2: The Artist As Scapegoat

Asking "who is the most lacking in morals" is not only about what someone does, it's about what they did, why they did it, and what impact it had. We know that what Evelyn did was bad, it was long term manipulation. However, she did it for art, and whether or not Adam ended up better or worse off is a matter of opinion, I think he was better. By never specifically asking Adam to make any changes, Evelyn actually showed him that he was capable of making those changes on his own. I think when asking who lacks the most morals, it would would have to be Phillip. Small minded, inconsiderate, and rash. The bad acts that Phillip did in the movie were driven by his selfish attitude. There was no logic to kissing Evelyn. Thinking that it would make him "even" with Jenny and Adam was a ridiculous notion. It only showed how little he really cared for his friends. His low moral attitude was also brought to light during his argument with Evelyn in the beginning of the play. Through the play it was clear that this character was not a good person. The other characters can not be classified as "lacking in morals" because for each one of them, the morality of their actions was a matter of perspective. Phillips acts were bad regardless of which way you look at them.

Blog Post 1: Your Art Experience

The experience occurred when I was visiting the Kennedy Center a few years ago. I heard the unaccompanied Bach Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major: Prelude. The sound of a lone cello is very relaxing, but not like a physical relaxation. When I listen to the lone cello it feels like my thoughts are being organized. It has helped me to sit and listen to it in times of stress. My favorite cellist is Yo-Yo Ma, especially playing the Bach Cello Suite. Yo-Yo Ma plays it in a way that is almost mathematical, he goes from one note to another very naturally. I think when the cello is played this way it has a very unique appeal that other music doesn't.

In the play The Shape Of Things, morals are really brought out to be questioned between all the characters, but specifically about one, Evelyn. Everybody in the play seems to have their own idea about what morals really are, based on the way they act. You can notice it most in Evelyn because from the very beginning of the play you can see that she is manipulative and she uses people for her own benefit.

One way you can really see that she is the one that has done the most wrong in the play is when she manipulates Adam. She uses him for her art project, which she announced to everybody at the very end of the play. She made Adam change himself for her (she did it by simply making suggestions) Adam really liked her so he'd do anything that she talked about, she played with his feelings. She went as far as to make Adam choose between their relationship or his friendship with his friends, Phil and Jenny. She started a lot of commotion throughout they play, she kissed Phil, she influenced Adam to do crazy things, and she lied about who she was.

Adam makes a big mistake as well, he changes everything because he decided to do it throughout the play, but he only does it because they're suggestions that come from Evelyn, even if he didn't really agree with the changes he was making. He also became a liar, started lying to all his friends when they'd ask about his changes, why he did them, how he did them, because he'd do things he never wanted to do before meeting Evelyn. Now that Adam was cute, he would flirt with other girls, had an affair with one of his Phil's fiance and was about to end the friendship between all them because of Evelyn.

I think that everybody in this play is equally wrong, it all honestly depends on how you view things, you may think that Evelyn did more wrong than Adam, but I don't think its true. They both gained something from out of their relationship, like using each other. Evelyn used Adam for her art project and Adam used Evelyn to be better, to look better, to feel better. He built his self esteem up because of her, opened his eyes to doing things different from the ones he was used to. In the play Phil and Jenny do wrong as well, you just can't see it that much because the play isn't necessarily based on them. Jenny being Phil's fiance still kissed Adam, she did wrong as well, she didn't show to have many morals. Everything is just based on  how you view things, but everybody in a way made a morally wrong decision.

The Artist as a Scapegoat

     Throughout history, there has always been a code of morals, whether that be personal or religious or what have you, people have always had a sense of right and wrong. In the play The Shape of Things, there are only four characters throughout the script. All four of these characters lack a moral compass, some more than others, but one in particular. Both couples (Adam and Evelyn, and Philip and Jenny) are participating in dysfunctional relationships where cheating, lying, and not being true to oneself seems to be acceptable behavior. In the end, this behavior sabotages both relationships and leaves these people in ruin, some more than others.
     From the very beginning, Evelyn is seen stepping over the line at the museum, already violating a rule. By defacing a statue to giving Adam an ultimatum about his friends, one could say that Evelyn has the least morals of all the characters. Additionally, she used and manipulated Adam for her art project, used for her own gain. She lied the entire time to Adam while they were together with total disregard to the pain she brought Adam and ultimately, his two closest friends. She spoiled good relationships and didn't care one bit.
     From a different perspective, Adam had the least morals. We are all responsible for our own actions. Not only was Adam not true to himself while dating Evelyn, he also cheated on Evelyn, and by default, his best friend. Although you could say that Eve changed Adam, she technically did not force him to do anything, he did everything she suggested willingly. This means that Adam was not "forced" to do anything, he willingly did things just to please his girl and disregarded his true friends.
     Although Adam, Philip, and Jenny were all untrue to their friendships and cheated on each other, their bad behavior pales in comparison to Evelyn's. She used an ultimatum in her relationship with Adam, which in my opinion, one should never do in a relationship. She also used and manipulated Adam for her art project with no regard to his feelings. She hurt Adam and she had no clue why it would be painful to him. She is by far lacking in morals the most.

blog post #2

There are quite a few people who can be called a "villain" in the play, but the person who takes on this role the best, is Evelyn.  She is an artists of strange taste and chooses Adam to be her canvas to work on.  Her project entailed transforming Adam from a overweight bum, into a fit, clean and well carried man.  She saw Adam as weak which was why she chose him to be her canvas; he could be easily manipulated and morphed into what she wanted.  She got him to lose weight, stop biting his nail, get a nose job, change his close and hairstyle; all things that bettered his appearance.

 Although this does seem like she is doing something positive, that wasn't the case.  She didn't do these things to be nice to her "boyfriend" who she supposedly loved, she did it for her art project.  She didn't actually love Adam, or even see him as her boyfriend; he was simply a "specimen" in which she studied to see if she could shape him into a more attractive human being.

She managed to make Adam do these changes for a few reasons.  Adam was weak and when an "attractive" young lady like Evelyn showed interest in him, he did what it took to keep her regardless of how crazy it was(nose job).  Secondly, Adam thought that Evelyn was in love with him and she played on his emotions and manipulated him into thinking that what she was doing was right.

Evelyn wouldn't have been able to manipulate someone like Philip; he is confident, well dressed, and know who he is while Adam on the other hand does not.  It is okay for you to make changes, but don't make them for someone else, make them for yourself.  Also don't let yourself get taken advantage of, be strong and don't forget who you are.