My name is ke$hav prasad. I am Screen Arts and Cultures student at school here. I want to be an artist. So this year, I decided to devote some time every week to blog about art, because I believe in order to become a better artist, I ought to be having better thoughts about art.<\/p>\n
Since this is the first time I have ever blogged, I figure the best place to start is with an important question: so what exactly is art, anyway?<\/p>\n
What is the first thing that comes into my head when I hear the word \u00e2\u20ac\u0153art\u00e2\u20ac\u009d?<\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m thinking of some pissed off, starving bearded dude hunched over a wide canvas, paintbrush in one hand, glass of bourbon in the other, eyes ablaze with a transcendental vision into the unique quality that makes us all human.<\/p>\n
But that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not me. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not most artists. Most artists have not recused themselves from society in order to painstakingly craft some ideal opus, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re day-to-day professionals, just like everyone else, who use their creative skills to produce content for others – be it posters, advertisement videos, a building\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s interior decor…and the list goes on.<\/p>\n
But…is all of this everyday stuff \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Art\u00e2\u20ac\u009d? You are getting paid to create something per someone else\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s request, after all. That seems like the opposite of being creative. (yeah, this shit keeps me up at night)<\/p>\n
So let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s take another approach to this question. Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s turn theory into practice and look at a car commercial side by side some clips from the films of Martin Scorsese – established and celebrated American \u00e2\u20ac\u0153auteur director\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (you can tell by the use of the french word in his title that this guy is a fucking artist, all right).<\/p>\n
I want to begin with Scorsese. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve chosen the opening sequences of two famous Scorsese gangster films: Goodfellas and Casino.<\/p>\n
Goodfellas Opening Scene<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Casino Opening Scene<\/a><\/p>\n Both of these films are critically acclaimed, cast famous actors, and are on many movie critics\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 lists of classic crime movies. Upon closer analysis, however, note that each film\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s opening sequence is almost identical to the other\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s. Open with a violent explosion followed by an off-screen monologue from a gangster explaining the events of the film to come. The opening scenes are told through flashback. Both movies are even inspired from books by the same author – Nicholas Pileggi. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s almost like the movie industry saw Scorsese\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s success with Goodfellas and decided to churn out a second movie and recreate a hit for profit.<\/p>\n Is this example too convenient? Ok, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s look at The Departed.<\/p>\n