Author: Dorian Baptiste

After attending the Guggenheim Museum for the first time for our mid-term presentation, I instantly felt drawn to the museum’s atmosphere and feel: admiring the distinct rotunda that no other museum has and looking at all the different art pieces available to view.

Last Saturday, I finally made time to take a trip back to this monument and my experience returning was like no other. Previously, I was concerned about the pressure of my own presentation. It was good to return and get to view the space in a different, fresh way. I was looking forward to the art works and was expecting to be even more astonished than the last time.

As I began my journey up the spiral ramp, I realized that much of the building was integrated: the natural light provided by the skylight, the curved walls, and the hum of activity among the others viewing the art. Each of these components of the building and environment works well together to create a layered viewing experience.

Even though I had been to this place before, the artworks seemed new. They were of diverse types, ranging from paintings of great details to sculptures that were unusual. I loved the film-like experience of walking through the place. The architecture of the place complemented the artworks well, leading my eyes from piece to piece.

This return visit was very positive for me, and I’m glad that I got the chance to return and enjoy the space. I have seen and realized how unique this gallery is, and I will certainly attend other exhibitions that will take place here.

For this event, I went to the QC Opera called La Cenerentola, which was performed on November 21st and 22nd. I attended on the 21st, and my experience with this was like no other. Prior to this, I had not seen any opera in person whatsoever, so I went into the theatre with a clean blank slate and not knowing what to expect, but I knew this would be really interesting.

As the opera started and I was watching, I noted many different aspects of this art form that we spoke about in class discussions and were all coming to play: a grand melody from a piano, the seasoned actresses and actors in their intricate costumes, another form of music coming from the Italian opera singing of them, and many more. All these different elements of art worked with each other beautifully and cohesively to deliver a layered and talented performance.

This opera in particular is based on the Disney movie Cinderella, so surprisingly, I was already a bit familiar with what was going on. Its specific story follows a seemingly regular guy who bumps into Cinderella, and they instantly form a nonverbal connection from there. Then, we see the evil sisters with their mother who are desperately trying to win over the prince, only for his wealth and status, nothing more.

As the story progresses, a plot twist occurs and reveals that the seemingly normal man who bumped into Cinderella is the actual prince, and he is outraged with his sister’s behavior, harshly scolding them after claiming Cinderella to take his hand in marriage. In the end, the sisters are forgiven, and everyone lives happily ever after.

This experience was a very positive one for me, and I am very glad I decided to attend. I loved all the cinematic parts of this performance, like the times when the piano music would match the intensity of the singing and either speed up and get louder when the singing grew more intense or slow down and get quieter when the singing became more relaxed. My eyes have been opened to this art form, and I would definitely attend more operas in the future.