Art Archives - Page 2 of 2 - the bird on fire

Isabella Goetschel Prepares for Poetry Out Loud State Competition

March 4, 2022 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Lilah Nick

On February 7th, Senior Isabella Goetschel found out that she won the Riverside county-level competition for the Poetry Out Loud, the national poetry recitation competition. You might remember; Isabella was our school winner. She advanced to county competition, won, and this means she will move on to the state-level competition. If Izzy wins at State, she will be awarded $200 and will move onto nationals. (The competition is virtual again this year; otherwise, Isabella would also win a trip to D.C. for two.) I asked Izzy what she was doing to prepare for the competition.

Preparing for state-level Poetry Out Loud has been really interesting. I got to pick a new poem, which is really exciting for me because there are so many options and possibilities. I finally picked “The Man He Killed” by Thomas Hardy as my third poem. For preparation, I’ve had some meetings with Mr. Sarkis [former Palm Valley Drama teacher]. He’s really helped me perfect each poem and, of course, none of it would have been possible without the help of Ms. Zachik who helped me register and get set up. It’s a lot less stressful this year because the competition is online, so I can record my poems. That definitely has its own set of challenges though. The rules for the videos are quite strict, and let’s just say I had a very unstable stack of boxes to get my phone to the required height. Overall though, it’s really fun to be able to perform, even if it’s on a recording in my room rather than in front of people.”
Isabella Goetschel

Isabella must recite, from memory and with displayed and conveyed understanding, one poem that is pre-20th Century. She again is reciting “Epitaph” by Katherine Philips–the poem with which she won the Palm-Valley competition. She also must recite one poem that is 25 lines or fewer. She’ll bring John Berryman’s “Dream Song 14” to the competition to satisfy that requirement. Then, should she advance to the finals during state competition, she will need a third poem. That’s when Thomas Hardy’s “The Man He Killed” comes into play. We’ve reprinted the poem for you here.

The state competition poems and video entries are due to POL this Monday, March 7th. The judging takes place the following Tuesday and Wednesday. We should hear on the 11th who advances to the National Poetry Out Loud Competition. We will all be cheering for Izzy!

The Man He Killed

By Thomas Hardy

“Had he and I but met

By some old ancient inn,

We should have sat us down to wet

Right many a nipperkin!

“But ranged as infantry,

And staring face to face,

I shot at him as he at me

And killed him in his place.

“I shot him dead becuase —

Because he was my foe,

Just so: my foe of corse he was;

That’s clear enough; although

“He thought he’d ‘list, perhaps,

Off-hand like — just as I —

Was out of work — had sold his traps —

No other reason why.

“Yes; quaint and curious war is!

You shoot a fellow down

You’d treat if me where any bar is

Or help to half-a-crown.”

The Archon War: Part 1

December 15, 2021 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

Our Genshin Impact expert Izumi is back again, this time with an exciting trilogy that will lead you down a cold and stormy path of war. What a cliffhanger! Want to know what comes next? Find out next blog installation as the saga continues. – Jesse Denyer, Editor

By Izumi, Middle-School Gaming Correspondent

The Archon War is a huge event in Genshin Impact. The Archon War is at the base of the whole game story. The Archon War is still unknown as to how it started or why, and there is no information on how the victors or losers were decided, or how the nations divided. According to the non-playable character Soraya, “The war began as a struggle over the seven divine seats in Celestia. Those who struggled fought both for supremacy and to see their plans for a prosperous humanity come to fruition. However, not all gods participated in the war with the intent of taking a divine seat; some wanted simply to defend their territory; while others wanted to save as many people as possible from the destruction of the war” (genshin-impact.fandom.com).

After the Archon War, the seven Gods who won split into the seven nations of Teyvat, while the rest became evil, which leaves a lot of evil. To share all of the information of the Archon War and the events during it, I will split it into two posts, the first post will be about Mondstadt, and how it got its first and only Anemo Archon.

2600 years ago, in the middle of the Archon War, there were two warring Gods, Decarabian the God of Storms, and Andrius the King of the North Winds. The two fought in Mondstadt. The Mondstadt nation was located in the northwest, where it would now be known as Stormterror’s Lair. The God of Anemo, Barbatos, didn’t exist at this point. Barbatos was nothing but a wisp of wind, an elf with almost no power. Monstadt was very cold. It was all snow and ice, cold air and endless blizzards–a condition that mortals could barely survive. This cold was all caused by Andrius, who not long ago obtained powers from a likely deceased God. Andrius wanted to start a war against Decarbian, who enclosed the city of Monstadt with a wall, making sure nothing came in or out. Andrius tried to attack the wall, but never left a scratch on it. Decarabian didn’t seem threatened and was only devoted to protecting his people. However, his people worshipped him out of fear, thinking he was trying to trap them from the outside world. (genshin-impact.fandom.com)

While Barbatos was a wisp of wind, he befriended a young bard who always dreamed of freedom. The bard left Decarabian’s walled city to save the Gunnhildr clan. He ended up living in a frozen wasteland, but the resulting faith of the Gunnhildrs empowered him. At one point, Barbatos and the young bard, alongside Decarabian’s disillusioned lover Amos and a knight, raised an army against Decarabian, God of Storms. They were victorious! The Archon Decarbian was slain and all of the people were saved from the stormy walled cage. Unfortunately, Amos and the bard did not survive the war, leaving Barbatos with lots of grief and regret. (genshin-impact.fandom.com)

In the end, Barbatos was given the title of the first and only Anemo Archon. In honor of the bard, Barbatos took the form of him and brought freedom to Mondstadt, ending the extreme cold and blizzards. He often visited the neighboring Archon Morax, who will be mentioned in the next blog post.

Put Picture to Words

October 15, 2021 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

Graphic Artists, we need you. National Poetry Month needs a poster. Create a graphic that features poet Amanda Gorman’s line: “There is a poem in this place–” Win money and esteem. The contest is open now through November 15. Details are below.

The Academy of American Poets invites students living in the United States, U.S. Territories, or Tribal Nations, in grades nine through twelve to enter artwork to be considered for the 2022 National Poetry Month Poster Contest for Students. The winner will be selected by judges Rafael López, -bestselling illustrator and artist, and Nikki Grimes, -bestselling author and poet and recipient of the 2020 ALAN Award for outstanding contributions to young adult literature.

One student’s winning artwork, which will incorporate “There is a poem in this place—” from Amanda Gorman’s poem, “In This Place (An American Lyric)”, will be featured on the official National Poetry Month poster in 2022. The Academy will distribute 100,000+ free copies of the poster to classrooms, libraries, bookstores, community centers, families, and individuals nationwide in time for the April celebration. The winning student will receive $1,000 in cash and prizes and be featured in magazine and on Poets.org, which reaches millions of readers each year. The judges will also select a runner-up to receive Honorable Mention and a $250 cash prize.

Submissions are open now until. The winner will be announced in January 2022.

For more information about the contest, including the full guidelines, visit: https://poets.org/national-poetry-month/national-poetry-month-poster-contest-students

Introducing Keqing from the Land of Liyue

September 2, 2021 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

We introduce our Middle-School Correspondent who goes by “Izumi.” She brings us Keqing from the fictional Liyue, very much alive in the gaming world of Genshin Impact.

By Izumi, Middle-School Correspondent

Hello, and welcome to my first blog. Today, I have drawn a character from the game Genshin Impact, character Keqing (ke-ching).

Genshin Impact the Game

Genshin Impact is an action-story game made in China. People call it an RPG (role-play game), but I don’t really think it is. The game includes elemental abilities, which are called visions, to fight with, including hydro (water,) pyro (fire), dendro (nature), electro (electricity), geo (earth), cryo (ice), and anemo (wind). Characters are not born with visions, the gods in the game will give a vision once a character has earned it, by doing something heroic or proving their worth of holding a vision.

Introducing Keqing

Keqing is holding an electro vision. Keqing is a very determined and focused character who is always working; you might as well call her a workaholic. She does well at what she does. Liyue is the city she lives in, and she is a part of the Liyue Qixing (Chinese definition: Seven Stars of Liyue), an organization of seven merchants and business leaders who govern Liyue. The job of the Qixing is to implement the policies laid out by the Geo god, Morax, and manage the day to day governance of the nation of Liyue (genshin-impact.fandom.com).

How Keqing Earned Her Vision

Keqing knew that hard work would be rewarded by the gods, but she never thought she would get a vision from it. At first she hated that she got a vision. She tried multiple times to destroy it, but nothing worked. At one point, she decided to live with it, and in the process found many uses for it. Now, she regrets ever trying to destroy it because she realizes the value of the vision. It is very useful in being able to protect oneself.

Next post, I’ll talk about the story of Genshin and mythology it’s based off of!

–Izumi

Part 3 of The Story

November 15, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org 38 Comments

By Doreen Yuan

A Review of the Urban-Legend storytelling rules:

1. The comment section is part of the story. All comments are ordered by the number.

2. Comments that include a >> and a number (ex: >>1) are replies to the comment with that number.

3. Anonymous users in the comment section are part of the story. There are multiple anonymous accounts.

4. The main characters named No Longer Human and Curry are part of the story in the comments.

5. Readers can leave messages in the comment section but should not intentionally destroy or try to confuse the coherence of the story.

6. Readers can respond to any anonymous character interaction in the comment section–that response may change and contribute to the story.

7. Do not use inappropriate language.

8. The roles and anonymity in the comment section are created by the primary story author himself.

9. The time of all messages is based on the time of writing.

10. Have fun, and enjoy.

*This is a continuing story. The last installment was posted November 14, 2019. The story is told through the “Comments” section. Read them carefully.

Art Editor: Chelsea

James Takes on Architecture

October 28, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By James Zheng

Back to our topic of ART, James asks, . . .

“What is art? I think that everything could be considered art as long as someone gives a reason and demonstrates how it is a type of art. Sometimes my classmates ask me, “You call this art?” while I’m gazing at various architectural styles. Well, I say, if you admire or enjoy seeing something, I would say that you could totally consider it Art.

Here is a list of architectural ART:

Farnsworth House.

The house depicted below was designed by Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe. The original is located in Plano, Illinois, USA. Farnsworth’s house is similar to overhead transparent glasses in a box shape with four sides. The model of the building is simple, clear, but it gives viewers an elegant view. Steel structures exposed to the outside are painted white and blend with the surrounding trees and lawns. Due to the full transparency of the glass wall, the view from the internal space is wide.

The Fallingwater Villa

The house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, initially was located in Mill Run, Pennsylvania. Fallingwater Villa has achieved one of the most extraordinary successes in the historical development of architecture. On the aspect of space composition between the internal structure and external environment, I consider this as the most “natural” design I have reviewed due to its cohesive integrity with nature.

Guggenheim Museum

It is one of the most famous personal art museums designed by Solomon R. Guggenheim located in New York City. Unlike any other buildings, it can be described as a tea cup or a huge white spring, probably because of the spiral structure that makes some people say it looks like a conch as well. Solomon R. Guggenheim has a collection of modern art, many of which are hung by metal poles and appear to float in the air. Traditionally, museums display works of art on walls along the hall. But Guggenheim broke the tradition.

The Smith House

The Smith House is designed by Richard Meier and sits in Connecticut. The conceptual ideas for this house are similar to the Farnsworth House, on the way of exposing the internal space to outside. The frame that is displayed in rectangular shape creates a discordant sense, and its purpose may lead people to have the illusion of internal and external inseparability. But, when you actually see the building, it is easy to distinguish the outside and inside. You also would observe a difference between the protruding part and the surface of the building and realize the variability of space.

The magical presence of structural architecture may only seem physical–that it does not compare with the “art” of drawings and poems. But, despite architecture being recognized as a substantial practical existence, what architecture authentically expresses is the progress of the eras and the culmination of human aesthetics.

Art Editor: Chelsea

Musical Art

October 11, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Katelin Mei

There are many kinds of art. One kind of art is music. Since I have been playing the violin for a very long time, I have become very familiar with this art. I have been playing violin in the Buddy Rogers Youth Symphony for three years. Here are some of the benefits I have discovered of learning how to play an instrument, and joining an orchestra where many different instruments work together to create a beautiful piece of musical art.

Some ways it has positively affected my life are by encouraging me to try my best and giving me something to be proud of. I always try my best to be very dedicated to improving my skills on the violin. When I practice a violin piece or skill for a while and finally feel like I have learnt it, I feel very proud of myself for being able to achieve something I have worked for.

Playing in an orchestra has helped me work with many different people who all have different parts to play and still create and work on the same music piece. It has helped me know how all our different parts work together to create a piece of music. We all have to work together and play our separate parts to create music that we can be proud of. I feel proud when we have worked on a piece for a while, and the end product is amazing. I feel proud because I know that I helped work on my part and we created something amazing with all of our parts working together.

Art Editor: Chelsea

Frankenstein in Pasadena: The Modern “Modern” Prometheus

October 10, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org 6 Comments

Leo Milmet, along with the PVS junior and senior classes, traveled to Pasadena’s A Noise Within Theatre last month to view the theatre group’s production of Frankenstein. Mary Shelley’s thriller is a staple of English literature. The AP Lit class had just finished reading the book over the summer. Leo, an avid fan of theatre and cinema, submitted this review of the production. His theatrical review is a timely fit, as this week blog celebrates art.

PRODUCTION GRADE: B-

By Guest Writer Leo Milmet

A Noise Within’s production of Frankenstein by Nick Dear was as interesting as it was imperfect. What do I mean by that? The first few moments with the Creature, crawling like a babe, not knowing who or what he is or why he’s been created, are perhaps the best moments in the show. Michael Manuel, the actor playing the Creature shrivels, shudders, shouts, grunts, and mesmerizes his way into the audience’s heads and hearts. He’s fascinating, and the show is worth the price of admission for him alone. He makes us feel so much sympathy for a character who has been totally dehumanized by his portrayal in popular culture.

Next to enter the stage, of course, is Victor Frankenstein himself. Now, the actor playing Victor is somewhat of an enigma to me. My main question is, “How could a director good enough to direct Manuel’s performance also be bad enough to direct this one?” Seriously. This actor gives a performance whose over-the-topness would be surprising in a high-school play, let alone a professional one. He plays Frankenstein like we are meant to laugh at his terrible portrayal. I haven’t seen him in anything else, but his portrayal of Victor Frankenstein may be the greatest work of comedy he’s ever done. He bands together with a few truly awful members of a mostly-decent ensemble to ALMOST offset all of the goodwill we’ve gotten from Manuel. What is this actor’s name? Kasey Mahaffy. I understand that it is very hard to recite the line “NOOOOOOOOOOO!!” like it’s well-written, but it can be done so much better.

Mercifully, the first 30 minutes or so involve very few moments of Mahaffy’s ridiculous performance. Rather, we first see life through the eyes of the first and only member of a species, and it’s heartbreaking. He’s treated about as well as we would treat a rattlesnake on our kitchen table, and it’s sad. The mirror it holds up to society is interesting, and someone was onto something wonderful when he or she decided to populate the stage with mirrors.

As the show continues, it becomes more and more eventful, and the story is fascinating all along; its tone is always of dread; the intent is never to frighten but to create empathy for pretty much everyone, which is very smart because I, for one, find it easy to pity such a lost soul as the Creature. And, if it weren’t for Mahaffy, the play would have succeeded in creating empathy for the major characters, despite some shortcomings in the ensemble department.

The ensemble is okay at best; the dialogue could use a brush-up; Kasey Mahaffy as Victor Frankenstein is utterly ridiculous. Still, the story’s technical design and especially the brilliantly-characterized performance of Michael Manuel caused me to have a great time watching the play–despite its shortcomings.

*The views of guest writer Milmet are uniquely his own and do not represent the opinions and views of thebirdonfire.org.

Art Editor: Chelsea

Lyrics? Where We’re Going, We Don’t Need Lyrics

October 8, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org 3 Comments

By Luke Langlois

Ah yes, classical music. Who doesn’t love a little elegance every once in a while? No, not the 80s or the 90s, those classics. I’m talking about the music you are graced with when walking into the house of a cultured enthusiast or an eccentric billionaire. History has remembered the names of the larger-than-life composers like Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Brahms, and more. But, unless you are well-versed in classical music or an orchestral instrument, do you know the names of these composers’ works? Before doing my research, I can say with absolute certainty that I had no idea which piece went “bumbumbumbumbumbumbum da da da da.” So, here are the uber-famous classics that you probably don’t know the name of. If you know all of these, go ahead and flex your genius in the comments.

1 – “Für Elise” by Ludwig Van Beethoven: “Für Elise,” also known as “Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor,” has the most iconic opening piano rift out of ALL of the piano riffs. Is piano rift too uncultured? Fine. The composition is an elegant piano solo. Anyway, saying that it is the most iconic of all time may be a broad and uncited generalization, but trust me; you will recognize it almost instantly.

2 – “Eine kleine Nachtmusik” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Officially known as “Serenade No. 13 for strings in G Major,” this composition begins with another immediately recognizable riff. This time, though, it’s violins!

3 – “Toccata and Fugue in D minor” by Bach: Although this is one of the most eye-catching titles in HISTORY (not), “Toccata and Fugue in D minor” is liable to catch your ears with a sense of dread. This piece has been used in horror pop culture for decades. Listen in to enter a creaky old mansion full of monsters and ghoulies.

4 – “Minuetto” by Luigi Boccherini: So, you’ve accidentally stumbled upon a row of mansions in the gold-laced streets of Italy. When you ring that diamond-encrusted doorbell, this composition is what you hear as the butler comes to answer.

5 – “The Four Seasons” by Vivaldi: This piece, actually a compilation of season-representing violin concertos by Vivaldi, is another composition that has consistently been associated with elegance and the finer things of life. The most famous portion of this composition comes from the opening of “Spring Allegro.”

6 – “Peer Gynt – Morning Mood” by Edvard Grieg: This piece is likely in your mind as the “happy morning wake up” theme where the birds are chirping, the sun is shining conveniently through the window, and the recently awakened person is stretching photogenically. Bob Ross and Mr. Rogers probably woke up to this every morning.

7 – “Canon in D” by Pachelbel: This piece is so wedding that people probably do not enjoy playing it at weddings. I haven’t been at a wedding in over a decade, so I wouldn’t know.

8 – The “Final” of the Overture to William Tell by Rossini: The “Final” from this Overture is the well-known “horse-race” song. The best way to describe this song with text is certainly “Dundundundundundundundun dun dun DUN dundudun.”

9 – “Also sprach Zarathrustra” by Richard Strauss: Imagine you’re Neil Armstrong and you are taking a cinematic walk on the moon to plant the flag of the United States. There is a 78.9% chance that Strauss’s opening melody is being played in your ears. This symphonic poem has more to it than its introduction, so continue listening (if you have the time).

10 – “Gymnopédie no. 1” by Erik Satie: This soft composition may instill sadness, peace, relaxation, or a conglomeration of all three of these feelings. You may also be irresistibly pressed to pronounce the title of this work. It’s tough.

That’s all for now, folks. I hope you leave this post knowing at least one more classical title. I, personally, have learned to never judge a classical piece by its name. I’m starting to believe that the less you understand out of a title, the better. Obviously, this list is not all-encompassing. Dig deeper; you know more classical tunes than you think you know. Finally, listen to these works past just their minute-long introductions. Many of the universally recognizable portions are just brief moments of a tone poem that lasts for an hour. Become a classical music enthusiast and rid yourself of any lyrical corruption. This is where I would put an Italian farewell to up my culture levels, but I don’t know much Italian.

Art Editor: Chelsea Xu

Art Theme Week!

October 8, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Art Editor Chelsea

Hello everybody!! I am the editor for this week, and the theme is going to be art!! Art is a commonly used word that describes many things including liberal arts, art history, fine arts, digital arts, drama, music, musicals, etc. So, please enjoy this week’s posts by our school’s amazing bloggers and have a wonderful day.–Chelsea

Image by Vexx on Youtube.