National 9/11 Memorial, New York City and Iconic Realism

Photo from http://michaeljamescasey.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/natl_memorial.jpg

Twenty-five years have passed, and the National 9/11 Memorial in New York City now receives the prayers and reflections of thousands of friends and relatives of those whose lives were taken on September 11, 2001, some of whom still remained buried at this sacred site. The extensive monument bears the names of each victim, around two waterfalls flowing where the two towers of the World Trade Center once defined the skyline of New York City.

This memorial illustrates iconic realism in that the designers have strategically placed the genesis of a woodland paradise, surrounding the Towers’ footprints, now flowing with tranquil waters in the midst of one of this planet's most vibrant cities. The massive garden, with its delicate waterfalls constructed on the site where immense devastation, despair and death occurred, now transpires with a perspective of renewal, hope and life, a memorial that transcends the horror and brings awareness of cultural perseverance combined with the healing strength of elevated consciousness. 

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I wrote this poem the afternoon of September 11, 2001 in Danbury, CT, 65 miles north of the horror, yet close enough to know that the same clouds passing above me just passed over the horror. The wispy clouds almost looked like angels floating above and away from the madness below. Silence… except for the industry of nature.

September 11, 2001

Bellowing clouds of madness

devour cavernous streets

filled with masses 

seeking freedom

from a spumous potion of death.

Silent plumes in an azure sky,

Blessed by the prayers

of three thousand Angels,

newly formed and gliding overhead,

mollify this tableau of horror.

As evening approaches, 

silent stars fill the night firmament. 

No airplanes fly in this night sky.

Delicate crickets chirp; katydids begin to sing.

Strong airy wings of a soaring bird reveal 

a Love that can never die...

Freedom prevails.

© Jeanne I. Lakatos, Sept. 11,  2001

Literary Resonance, Revolution, and Iconic Realism in Sydney Owenson's novel, _The Wild Irish Girl_

Photo from insert of the 1888 publication of The Wild Irish Girl by Sydney Owenson

Iconic realism intones throughout Sydney Owenson’s national tale, The Wild Irish Girl, written from a unique and insightful cultural point of view shortly after the British Act of Union 1801.

Sydney Owenson engages in the construction of iconic realism through her interface with the concept of literary harmony elicited from the initial resonance of Irish revolution. She creates characters as iconic representatives of the mind-set existing in her historical reality. They speak in their native Irish Gaeilge in opposition to standard English, leading her audiences to literally hear a recognizable semblance of truth. This truth can then become a basis for future writers to harmonize with the transitioning, historical significance of human consciousness.

Such resonance, which distinguishes between intense reality and strength of the human spirit through iconic realism, echoes within Owenson’s novel. By means of her characters and their circumstances following the British Act of Union 1801, Owenson demonstrates the necessity for humankind to relate to one another on a realistic rather than a symbolic level. 

Artistic Reception and Iconic Realism: Graffiti

Artistic Reception of the semiotic theory of iconic realism: 

1. The concept of meaning incorporates various levels of audience responses, directed by the artist, who uses literary, artistic, or musical design as a means to reach the audience’s sensory receptors. 

2. These develop into individual interpretations of a work of art and a deeper understanding of the conceptual elements. 

3. Variations of interpretation result from the reader, viewer, or listener who responds to the material from disparate, historical, or social experience. 

4. Thus, the function of semiotic representation is the reflection of the society in which both the artist and the audience reside.

5. When an artist places an icon in a realistic, non-standard setting, the audience takes note, participating with the artist in a way that introduces  awareness of the need for cultural reform. This application is what I have termed, Iconic Realism.

All of above photos from Google Images

Graffiti is an excellent example of iconic realism.  Here, you will see some examples of graffiti found around New York City. If you look closely, you will notice the juxtaposition of iconic ideals with cynicism, reflecting a mind-set present in an inner city truth, painted on the exterior walls of buildings in one of the world's most significant cities, New York City, New York. These art renderings bring into focus significant dichotomies within our society. 

Riders of the MetroNorth train pass by such examples of graffiti on a daily basis, look out their windows, and subconsciously receive these forms of transformative art. This occurs not only in New York City, but globally. 

                                            

September 8: The Nativity of The Blessed Virgin Mary

The Nativity of The Virgin,  c.1400-1405, painting by Andrea di Bartolo

housed at the National Museum of Art

I was searching for a painting to honor the Nativity of the Blessed Mother, Sept. 8. Looking through a number of gorgeous paintings, I decided on the one above because it was intriguing to me, and I liked the color and movement within it. I posted it on Facebook, and someone asked if it were an example of iconic realism. After studying it carefully, reviewing the various symbols of art during the early 15th century, I came up with the following information and conclusion: 

Color usage in paintings: 

Red: passion, power, and nobility, often associated with the Catholic Church. 

Blue: The Virgin Mary, purity, piety, and wisdom

Green: youth, fertility, and nature

Yellow: the sun (divine), commonly used in textiles of the Middle Ages.

Black: the color of mourning.

Joachim sits outside the main event with another man, completely overwhelmed. 

All women are inside with Mary as the focal point. 

Anne recovers from the birthing process on the bed, is served water, poured from pitcher, as in the Mass (washing of the hands). Woman pouring water is wearing black (foreshadowing Christ’s death, perhaps?)

Two women one in yellow (Divinity?), one in pink, a young noblewoman, play with a strong infant Mary, who already can stand on her own two feet after having just been born. 

Another woman in blue enters with bread and body of dead chicken to sustain Anne (another foreshadowing perhaps of the Bread of Life?)

Overhead, red molding extends throughout the entire scene and red curtain, power oversees the event, and possibly foreshadowing Christ’s death. Since it also delineates three distinct rooms, the molding could symbolize the Great Schism of the Catholic Church (1378-1417)

At the highest point, one sees the heavenly firmament: Divinity in charge of all. 

Now, to answer the question: 

Is it iconic realism? Yes, we have little, infant Mary, in the center of this wealthy family into which she was born, displaying internal and physical strength at birth, who will eventually give birth to Jesus the Christ, who gave up all of His possessions and life for humanity. This juxtaposition illustrates the importance of the human need to transform greed and abundance to humility and compassion. 

Thank you, Charles, for helping me to realize this example of iconic realism.

References: 

https://www.britannica.com/event/Western-Schism

https://knightstemplar.co/unraveling-medieval-times-colors-and-their-significance/

Charles W. Houghton, Independent Scholar

Music Therapy and Iconic Realism

The Eastern Meadowlark

photo from DuckDuckGo Images

Whales from the Tennessee Maritime Museum

Google Images

Click the titles below to hear examples of this kind of therapeutic music:

1. The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams: 

2. Songs of Whales and Dolphins (This is a long video, 1 hour, 17 minutes)

As the mind correlates all sensation with memory, restful auditory stimulation, so closely connected with the synapses of the cerebral cortex, can transport an individual to the aspect of memory that lowers respiration, allowing for calm, deep breathing, and individual focus on the natural processes within a calm state of mind. How does this relate to the semiotic theory of iconic realism? This form of music therapy, aiding in the rejuvenation of an individual’s respiration and peace of mind, can also open one's mind to move in a more positive direction in one's own life experience. 

Another example exists in the vocal expressions of whales singing under the depths of the ocean. This has been used by environmentalists to bring attention to the plight of aquatic species of animals. This use of whales, when placed in accompaniment within a contemporary musical environment outside the parameters of the ocean depths, is an example of iconic realism. In such a case, the aural experience of the sea echoing on shore provides the audience with a dichotomy that brings awareness to the dilemma of the whales and their neighbors in the deep sea.