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ESD.801 Leadership Development

Assignment 1

MIT Student

1) Discuss the three questions posed by Gauguin in his masterpiece, Where Do We Come From? What

Are We? Where Are We Going ? and how you relate to them.

Gauguins painting above depicts a secluded Tahitian tribe in which most of the members seem to be

serenely passing from youth to old age. The central figure, however, is reminiscent of Eve reaching for

the fruit of knowledge: it is this figure who is not content with only the world she knows, asking where

she came from, what she is, and where she is going. I think these questions are omnipresent, a part of

the human condition whether you live in rural Tahiti or a bustling U.S. metropolis.

These types of questions motivated me in large part to come study in the Technology and Policy

Program. On one level, I come from training as a scientist but have become somewhat disillusioned with the ability of science to create solutions to the social problems that people face in their daily lives. By studying policy in the context of global environmental problems, I hope to become someone who is more capable of effecting change in the real world. In another sense, I come from a family with two

loving parents, a twin brother, and a golden retriever from a wealthy suburb of Baltimore. Contrasting

this good fortune with the lives of many students I mentored in West Philadelphia in college and people I have met in my travels has, rather than making me focus on our differences, illuminated the universal

human experience and connected me to people from all walks of life. It is these experiences that motivate me to combine my interest in environmental policy with international development, to seek

solutions to these global challenges in ways that empower people in the developing world.

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2) Reference any additional piece of art at the MFA that Inspires you and briefly discuss the Vision of

the artist/artwork and what particularly inspired you.

Another piece of art at the MFA that inspires me is the sculpture shown in

the picture I took below (Edgar Degas, French, 1834 1917. La petite

danceuse de quatorze ans.) This sculpture portrays a young girl dressed as a ballerina. The femininity of her clothes and hair ribbon contrasts starkly

with her boyish stance and defiant attitude, as if there is a misfit between her appearance and her personality. I am inspired by her openness and intensity, despite this. She reminds me of myself as a little girl, trying to

play dress up with the girls one minute and build lego spaceships with the

boys the next. And later in life, she reminds me of what it is like to be a woman in science, trying to defy expectations, fit in with the men, and

maintain ones femininity all at the same time. I see this confusion of identities, this struggle between what is reality and what is the mask, in

Degas work. This image is from Wikipedia and inthe public domain.

3) Explore the MIT campus and list 4 pieces of art/architecture/sculpture (http://listart.mit.edu/map ) and discuss how you Related to them.

Tragic Mask of Beethoven by Emile Antoine Bourdelle

(Montauban, France, 1861 1929, Paris, France)

This sculpture reminds me very much of Rodins work. I am amazed at

how much human emotion is conveyed through such a rigid medium like

bronze. I really like that, since it is of Beethoven, it is in the music library. Something about being surrounded by music makes it all the more poignant. I am curious as to why it is called the mask of Beethoven, when on the contrary, it seems like raw,

unconcealed emotion.

Hagar in the Desert by Jacques Lipchitz

(Lithuania, 1891 1973, Capri, Italy)

There is

something

very

tender

about

this

sculpture

that

is

accented

by

the

contrast between the sharp geometric shapes of clothing and the soft expressions of the characters. It reminds me of the mix between hope and

despair you feel when someone you care about is in trouble.

MIT List Visual Arts Center. All rights reserved.This content is excluded from our Creative Commonslicense. For more information, see http://ocw.mit.edu/fairuse

Image by MIT OpenCourseWare.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Glyptoteket_Degas1.jpghttp://listart.mit.edu/maphttp://ocw.mit.edu/fairusehttp://ocw.mit.edu/fairusehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Glyptoteket_Degas1.jpghttp://listart.mit.edu/maphttp://ocw.mit.edu/fairuse

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Large Head of Iris by Auguste Rodin (1840 1917)

I love Rodins work, and seeing this piece reminds me fondly of his

house and museum in Paris. There is something eerily hollow about the eyes that is almost fantastic in nature, especially since it is not attached

to a body. I think I am again affected by the context of the music libraryI am reminded of Berliozs Symphony Fantastique (one of my alltime favorite symphonic works!), in particular the witches dance

and beheading in the final movement.

Sacrifice III by Jacques Lipchitz (Lithuania, 1891 1973, Capri, Italy)

Honestly, I wasnt sure how to relate to this work. When I first saw it I

laughed. (Isnt there something funny about this super serious,

pharaoh looking guy stabbing a ridiculously shaped chicken?). However, given its title, my guess is that it isnt supposed to be funny.

Having never studied art at all I have this problem a lotI can look and

react to it in an emotional way, but I dont understand the form behind it. I hope to change this someday. As a classically trained musician I

know that understanding the form and structure of a piece of music adds so much to the experience of listening to it, and I would like to be

able to experience this with art someday. For now the primary way in

which I relate to this work is that it reminds me of how many pieces of

art I am unable to relate to.

Image by MIT OpenCourseWare.

Image by MIT OpenCourseWare.

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ESD.801 Leadership DevelopmentFall 20 10

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