The Tiny Hand of Samuel Armas (In honor of Respect for Life )

Photo from Google Images

In 1999, Michael Clancy captured on film the little hand of Samuel Armas, held here by Vanderbilt University Hospital surgeon, Dr. Joseph Bruner. The iconic element here is the hand of the human fetus, for it represents life, innocence, and complete vulnerability.

This is an excellent example of iconic realism in photography, for one usually would not think that the connection between a 21 week old human in the womb and a surgeon could physically take place in this manner. See how the tiny hand grasps the finger of the surgeon, illustrating the need for human touch even when the baby is in the mother's womb!

One cultural dilemma that this photograph reveals is that even though there exist limitations and possibilities of medical science,  the beauty in the touch of a human hand is a divine statement that life is precious and can be meaningful from the womb... before birth.

"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee..." (Jeremiah 1:5) kjv

Saint Teresa of Calcutta and Iconic Realism

Saint Teresa of Calcutta, photo from Google Images

After reading an older article about Saint Teresa of Calcutta, I realized that her selfless acts of love among the diseased and poverty stricken exemplify iconic realism. As a Catholic nun, she epitomized the concept of purity in mind and body. Yet, there she was, providing comfort to a population from which many would rather turn away. Through her presence in this challenging setting, she demonstrated the necessity for and beauty of human compassion. 

One of my favorite quotes from this brilliant woman is as follows: 

"We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”

Dr. Temple Grandin, a Successful Story of Autism, and Iconic Realism

ffbsccn.wordpress.com/.../

(Click here to view a trailer of the HBO film.)

To view a video of Dr. Temple Grandin, click here:

https://youtu.be/aF4sP-uC-yI

Dr. Temple Grandin's Website can be found here:

http://www.templegrandin.com

A number of years ago, HBO released a film, entitled Temple Grandin, starring Claire Danes as the title character. This movie tells the life story of Temple Grandin, Ph.D., whose revolutionary method of treating animals in the slaughter houses of western United States has changed the manner which cattle are handled in a more benevolent and respectful manner. This has led to more efficient business practices in the meatpacking industry as well as a higher quality of meat.

As this film illustrates, Dr. Grandin was diagnosed as autistic in the 1950s. Her determination and fortitude placed her in a number of situations which qualify as examples of iconic realism. She was a woman, struggling with her condition and dedicated to work in the 'man's world' of raising cattle for the food industry in the western U.S. during the 1950s-60s, before the women's movement took hold in the 1970s. Moreover, she introduced innovative ways to reach children and adults with autism before U.S. Public Law 94142 was passed, providing free and appropriate education for children with special needs.

For that reason, I have placed the wonderful HBO film of Dr. Grandin's life experiences in this category of iconic realism because this iconic figure of a woman, placed in a setting where women were not usually found, brings awareness not only of the condition of autism and the possibilities of individuals who deal with it, but the audience becomes aware of the beef industry and the positive results associated with treating cattle with respect.(Click here to view a trailer for the HBO film.)

Goethe's 'Dr. Faust, The Tragedy' and Iconic Realism

Photo from Google Images

In his play, Faust: The Tragedy (Faust. Der Tragödie), Johann Wolfgang von Goethe provides an illustration of iconic realism in that he places an iconic character, Mephistopheles, representing the complexities of evil/negation in the presence of the realistic, emotionally charged character, Dr. Faust, who struggles with his own perception of a quality human experience.

The disguised Mephistopheles makes a deal with Faust, and cultural lessons unfold. In the end, through the interactions of the feminine character, Gretchen, Mephistopheles, and Faust, an unlikely trio, Goethe elucidates his audience of redeeming cultural virtues of honesty, integrity, and perseverance.

Iconic realism in Salvador Dali's Art

Salvador Dali's  Melting Clocks 

(from DuckDuckGo Images)

As you gaze upon the art by Salvador Dali, you will note that he uses iconic realism in most of his surrealistic renderings. He will place a recognizable figure in a position in which this figure is not expected to exist. In his own words, he describes these objects as "...nothing more than the soft, extravagant, solitary, paranoiac-critical Camembert cheese of space and time... Hard or soft, what difference does it make! As long as they tell time accurately..." Through his placement of the figure in this unrealistic setting, he creates a realism that brings awareness of an aspect of culture that needs to be reformed, perhaps, our perception of time and how we use it.  

Inspiration and Iconic Realism in Reims, France

Once, as a member of the choir at my Church, I had the privilege of seeing the reaction of the congregation to the priest's homily. The way this poem illustrates iconic realism is that we have a real individual, sitting in the iconic Catholic Mass, listening to the rhetoric of a priest; however, the spirit comes not from the dogmatic words of the priest's mind, but from another spiritual source within that reality and thus illustrates that the mind, heart, soul connection rests within individuals, given to each person by God. Their inner response to relevant awareness can move consciousness in a positive direction, fulfilling their God-given purpose. 

The photograph is one which I took at the Cathedral de Notre Dame in Reims, France. It illustrates iconic realism and my poem below, too. There, an iconic statue and one refurbished, standing side by side, reveal enlightenment through art. Through this restorative project, talent reveals beauty in a cathedral, where souls are restored daily. 

Inspiration

Her eyes met those

of the congregation

bound 

by sententious words 

from a pallid pen

failing to touch

her heart or mind or soul.

So she breathed, 

inhaled the Spirit

who whispered to her,

“You are whole and wonderful.

Follow Him: our Lord and Savior."

Exhaling a slow smile,

she sang a silent, restorative hymn,

a renaissance de le cœur.

© Jeanne I. Lakatos 

If you'd like to hear me read this, please click HERE. 

Iconic realism in Music

Click the image above to hear ambient music with nature sounds

From my book, p. 77: 

A community will associate specific meaning with a sound, connecting interpretation with cultural significance. Continued and consistent associations with sound sources create iconic structures within the musical compositions of the community. These structures originate from musical instruments including the human voice, sounds of the environment, or synthesized sound sources, each source signifying a specific aspect of a community’s culture. 

A composer incorporates the semiotic theory of iconic realism through placement of the established iconic structure in a new, realistic setting, not traditional for such an iconic structure. The created dissonance alerts the listening audience to a new association, bringing awareness to a cultural dilemma represented by this innovative musical construct.  

Since music is an aural art form, the structure which music contains depends on two parameters: time and space. Sound waves travel through space within a specific time frame. Musical composition consists of metrical patterns, rhythm, arrangement of pitch variations conveyed through instrumentation and notation of musical dynamics changing the speed and intensity of those pitches. A composer determines the amount of time and space needed to express her/his art within these parameters. The semiotic component of music is most present in the genre of opera, in which music aligns with narration aurally and kinesthetically. 

The listener is an active participant in the musical flow, assimilating the sensory stimuli received from the sound source with the tonal information of the musical composition as well as the visual stimulation of the stage presentation. In this sense, the composers, the musicians and the audience collaborate albeit in an autonomous manner, forming an interpretation. 

Iconic realism in music involves the sounds of nature, outer space or any object not associated with a musical instrument, that has been synthesized with traditional musical instruments of an orchestra, jazz group, or contemporary musical group. The juxtaposition of the natural or tech sounds with the orchestral music illustrates an aspect of cultural reform, as established by the composer of the musical piece. 

We hear this kind of musical juxtaposition in many of the spa-like pieces that incorporate the sounds of wolves, birds, frogs with ambient, meditation music. Click the image above to hear an example from YouTube.