Danbert K.

Taopa BSCE 1-2 Art Appreciation

The flâneur—the wanderers, the passionate spectators—was a concept coined in the

writings of Charles Baudelaire and became popular in the middle part of 19 th century. Although
Baudelaire characterized the flâneur as a “gentleman stroller of city streets,” it wasn’t until the
flâneur was defined in Larousse’s article in Grand dictionnaire universel du XIXe siècle, a
French encyclopedic dictionary, that rich set of meanings and definitions pertaining to the flâneur
took shape. Before that, the term flânerie, originated in 16th or 17 century, denoting strolling,
idling about and was often connected with wasting time, was associated with the flâneur.

In the 1860s, in the midst of the rebuilding of Paris under Napoleon III and the Baron
Haussmann, Charles Baudelaire presented a memorable portrait of the flâneur as the artist-poet
of the modern metropolis:

The crowd is his element, as the air is that of birds and water of fishes. His
passion and his profession are to become one flesh with the crowd. For the
perfect flâneur, for the passionate spectator, it is an immense joy to set up house
in the heart of the multitude, amid the ebb and flow of movement, in the midst of
the fugitive and the infinite. To be away from home and yet to feel oneself
everywhere at home; to see the world, to be at the centre of the world, and yet to
remain hidden from the world—impartial natures which the tongue can but
clumsily define. The spectator is a prince who everywhere rejoices in his
incognito. The lover of life makes the whole world his family, just like the lover
of the fair sex who builds up his family from all the beautiful women that he has
ever found, or that are or are not—to be found; or the lover of pictures who lives
in a magical society of dreams painted on canvas. Thus the lover of universal life
enters into the crowd as though it were an immense reservoir of electrical energy.
Or we might liken him to a mirror as vast as the crowd itself; or to a
kaleidoscope gifted with consciousness, responding to each one of its
movements and reproducing the multiplicity of life and the flickering grace of all
the elements of life.
Danbert K. Taopa BSCE 1-2 Art Appreciation

— Charles Baudelaire, "The Painter of Modern Life", (New York: Da Capo

Press, 1964). Orig. published in Le Figaro, in 1863.

Charles Baudelaire saw the flâneur as a key in understanding, participating in, and
portraying the city. In his mind the flâneur played a role in modernity—the boom of the shopping
arcades—while still remaining a detached observer. The flâneur are ever detached but involved,
that is, detached from the crowd but still a keen onlooker, existing only far away.

The rapid growth of textile industries and the emergence of iron construction made the
existence of arcades possible. A French architect, Bertrand Lemoine, refer the years 1786 to 1935
as the Arcade Era. These arcades, defined by the Oxford dictionary as a succession of
contiguous arches, with each arch supported by columns, piers, are designed to provide a
pathway for pedestrians. Ian Mitchell, on his Tradition and Innovation in English Retailing,
1700 to 1850, illustrated arcades as establishments having marbled columns and roofs
constructed of glass to allow natural light and to reduce the need for candles or electric lighting.
Many arcades accommodate shops or stalls, either below the arcs or set into the main wall
behind. Soon the arcades became closely associated with these shops and it became the general
word for a cluster of shops in a single establishment, regardless if the original architectural
design still applies to the building. It is in this era, then, that the flâneur flourished. Howard
Eiland notes, the flâneur finds himself suddenly awakened from the urban somnolence that lulls
the modern man, newly aware of his surroundings.

On the 20th century, Walter Benjamin, a German-Jewish philosopher, transformed the

flâneur into a subject of great interest with the scholars. Walter Benjamin adopted the concept of
the urban observer both as an analytical tool and as a lifestyle. From his Marxist standpoint,
Benjamin describes the flâneur as a product of modern life and the Industrial Revolution without
precedent, a parallel to the advent of the tourist. His flâneur is an uninvolved but highly
perceptive bourgeois dilettante. Benjamin became his own prime example, making social and
aesthetic observations during long walks through Paris.
Danbert K. Taopa BSCE 1-2 Art Appreciation

A dystopian world, it is present in the movies “Children of Men” and “What happened to
Monday.” Both proposes ideas on the on what could happen in the not so distant future. One
hypothesizes extinction, while the other is overpopulation. Aside from being complete opposites,
there are similarities and other ideas could these movies provide the viewers.

“Children of Men” portrayed a world in the brink of extinction. Humans are unable to
reproduce that led the fall of society, therefore, social order. Terrorism ensues as everything set
humanity back technologically. After several years, a pregnant woman should be accompanied
by the protagonist to save humanity. The bleak scenario of infertility presented in “Children of
Men” might far-fetched, but it a detail in it is what should be highlighted; the immigration
problems in the movie. The movie was screened on 2006, but it speaks so much about the present
times.

Meanwhile, “What Happened to Monday” introduced the viewers to an overpopulated

world that adapted a one-child policy to help ease the effects of the growing population caused
by the genetically modified food used to solve the said problem. A complete polar opposite of
what “Children of Men” proposes. It showcases a more familiar view to the possible future that
we might live in. It is quite common for people to agree with the idea that a time could come
where society devolve as the planet withers because of the exhaustion of limited natural
resources. These stories make really good movies; however, these scenarios are far from reality.
The global population will start to decline very soon, this is due to the fact that more and more
countries are going through Demographic Transition; it is the transition on trends of mortality
and birth rates. As developed countries help more developing countries improve their healthcare
and education among women, more countries will see a decline in their population as the older
generations die out.

Both movies presented a totalitarian type of philosophy as the governments sacrificed a

portion of the population for what they believe is for the greater good for the existing population.
Poor governance is the one of the underlying cause of the chaos that envelops the stories.
Danbert K. Taopa BSCE 1-2 Art Appreciation

Moreover, both movies presented hope despite the hardships brought about by the world they are
born in. Whatever case might happen to our world, as everything depicted might come to reality,
everyone should be strong and reform the system.

We also discussed structural linguistics, a branch of linguistics that deals with language
as a system of interrelated structures, emphasizing the accurate identification of syntactic and
lexical form as opposed to meaning and historical development. We started with Ferdinand de
Saussure who explained that “a sign was not only a sound-image but also a concept”; thus he
divided the sign into two components: the signifier, or "sound-image", and the signified, or
"concept". The signifier is interpreted as the material form - something which can be seen, heard,
touched, smelled or tasted, and the signified as the mental concept. Meanwhile, Roland Barthes
split it into three hierarchical levels: ‘functions’, ‘actions’ and ‘narrative’. Jacques Derrida was
the last one and his theories on structural linguistics were themselves influenced by the work of
linguists such as Ferdinand de Saussure and literary theorists such as Roland Barthes. Différance
is the term coined by Derrida, meaning "difference and deferral of meaning." We also defined
historical fiction, it is a literary genre whose plot takes place in the past and pays attention to the
manners, social conditions and other details of the period depicted. Graphic novels and comics
are also differentiated. Basically, both features multiple-panel sequence but graphic novels are
standalone work, rather large in size and encompassing the entire story in that single book, while
comics are illustrated periodically and comparatively short.

After watching the movie, it’s hard to figure out what’s the movie truly all about. Maybe
it’s about friendship? Maybe romance? How about family? But when you really dig in on the
movie, you would find out more. So much more.

Basically, the movie revolves around themes such as family, friendship and romance. The
main plot spotlights Gibson’s struggle to reconnect with his family after years of being away as
well as dealing with his mother who became distant due to a tragedy in the past. Apart from that,
the movie boasts an awesome set of cast. You would not see them as actors but as the characters
that they were portraying and I must say that the casting was impeccable. You can tell that there’s
a connection among them, especially Gibson and his friends.
Danbert K. Taopa BSCE 1-2 Art Appreciation

Furthermore, the movie was exceptional. There was never a dull moment. The scenes
would either be serious, romantic, or funny but it doesn’t get boring. The movie was able to
deliver a lot of laughter without having to rely on absurd comedy that is almost present in every
Filipino film. You can also feel the appeal between Annicka an Dominic when it comes to the
romance part. Another thing is that the movie is also visually fascinating. Every single scene is
elegant that it would take your attention. It might either be or object or the setting itself. You
could most probably watch it with no sounds and just gaze at it and see how visually captivating
the movies is. Other than that, this movie presents a peek into the world of hipsters. Their style
and the other things that make them stand out, for instance, their love for old things like the vinyl
records. The film showed a lot of scenes where vinyl records are included. It even featured a
scene where Gibson is listening to a vinyl record at a vinyl shop with Enid. Besides from the
records, the film also featured a lot of indie bands. They might not be that well known but that is
what makes them indie. Most of the parts of the films also show our protagonist attending gigs;
the film used actual gig spots around the metro where indie bands are usually present. The movie
really does capture the local indie music scene in our country and it is one of the elements that
made this movie much more fascinating. What separates this film from the rest of local
productions is the pure amount of honesty in every scene. This film is for us. It’s for people who
have internet access 24/7, who grew up with cable TV; it’s for people who know what DSLR is,
has the lasts smart phone and is slaves to the internet; but most of all, it’s for people who are free
to dream, to consume art on a daily basis whether it is visual or aural. These are the kids of our
generation who would, with a passion, commit themselves to learning about and supporting indie
performers.

I really had a good time watching the movie but it still has something that might be its
flaw. The movie is not for everyone. Not everyone can relate to the lifestyle of the characters.
Some may enjoy it some may not but hey it’s an indie film and I liked it. I hope you would too. I
recommend that you watch the movie. I find this movie very enjoyable and enticing. It might not
be for everyone, but I’m sure it’s for you.