Customer Reviews

'Art' - Acting Edition

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"ART" lives up to its Tony-winning reputation, at least on the book level. The text examines the results of the seemingly innocuous act of buying a painting and the impact it has on the lives of three male friends. While much is made of the fact that the painting itself is only a white canvas with some vertical lines, its fascinating to observe Yasmina Reza making the point, almost subliminally, that art itself (let alone the question of art) has the power to unify or divide with equal fierceness simply by existing. The discussions these men foist based on the conflict of buying an expensive painting that needs interpreting are incisive and thought-provoking. I don't feel, as some have, that the play is ultimately about friendship among men, though that is certainly an element. But all great works of "ART" are open to discussion.

The basic idea underlying "Art" is intriguing as well as promising: The seemingly harmonious relationship between three male friends named Marc, Serge and Yvan is all of a sudden threatened and ultimately put to the test when one of them, Serge, buys a controversial work of modern art - an immaculately white canvas, decorated only with a few solitary lines, to be precise. While this constellation is indeed promising, as it could be used by the playwright both to explore the different layers of (male) friendship and to set the stage for a broad discussion of man's diverging tastes and attitudes towards art, not much is made of this starting point.

To be sure, the play opens on an interesting note when Serge proudly presents the newly acquired "painting" to a startled Marc. Confronted with an all but white canvas Marc tactlessly expresses his dismay at Serge's being so stupid as to have wasted money on such a nonsensical object, a remark that obviously leads to a quarrel between the two longtime friends. Yvan on the other hand, always anxious to please everybody, shows interest and admiration for the purchase when with Serge, but changes sides and joins in mocking the canvas when together with Marc. From this point on, just as the reader is keenly anticipating the plot's next intriguing turn, the play degenerates into a mixture of shallow aphorisms and déjà-vus: The three men decide to meet in order to talk their differences of opinion over, and doing so they come to realize (and to avow) that the whole time their friendship and even their lives were tainted with some embarrassing realities.

In the end the three make up, although their friendship will probably never be the same again. Exactly why they agree to bury the hatchet, however, never becomes quite clear, and thus no real attempt is made to decode the complexity of (male) friendship, just as art's role in the development of events never gets the attention it really deserves. In conclusion one might say that far too little has been made of a very promising initial idea.

"Art", a play written by French author Yasmina Reza (1959-...) in 1994, and translated into English in 1996 by Christopher Hampton, is quite interesting. Despite the fact that it isn't overly long, it tackles difficult subjects such as the nature of friendship and art in a rather original way.

The plot is not complicated, and revolves around three male friends: Serge, Marc and Yvan. The dynamics of their friendship is substantially altered when one of them, Serge, buys a Modernist painting without consulting with the others. Serge simply fell in love with the painting, and believes it is splendid even though it is somewhat strange, all white with some lines in a different tonality of white in the middle. Marc, his assertive friend, finds that the amount Serge paid for the painting (200,000 French francs) is absurdly large, and is offended by the mere idea that his friend Serge likes it and believes it is art. Yvan, on the other hand, doesn't mind, but his non-commital attitude will land him in trouble with both Serge and Marc.

Buying a painting, a seemingly common act, will draw the three friends into an uncomfortable debate about themselves, their relationship, and art. It will also give the reader the opportunity to take his own position in a debate that it is still going own.

All in all, I really liked "Art", and I found the ending specially good. This is the first play by Reza that I have read, but if the rest are as good as this one, I have no doubts that I will read many more.

Belen Alcat

This play revolves around three friends, Serge, Marc, and Yvan. All three men are educated and successful, and recently Serge has bought a piece of Art featuring white diagonal lines across a white canvas. Serge is very pleased with his expensive purchase, however Marc has different sentiments. They each confer with their mutual friend Yvan, and again with each other and eventually all together. Disagreements over whether or not the art is any good, or even art at all, begins to divide the friends.
What makes this play incredible is the way Yasmina Reza captures the subtle human attitudes and emotions that are hidden in our language and the way we interact with one another. To just hear a story about three friends who disagree about the quality of a piece of art would be a bore, but when it is told with the kind of sharp and realistic dialogue that Reza has written, it comes alive. Reza creates an intimacy between the audience and her characters by assigning all three characters short soliloquies throughout the play, so we as readers/an audience understand what each man is thinking as they interact with each other.
Anyone who has experienced a serious argument with a close friend can appreciate the realism of Reza's work. Those who are not looking for something dramatic can also appreciate the dark humor that present throughout the play. I would recommend this play to just about anyone.

"Art," the play by Yasmina Reza, has been translated into English by Christopher Hampton. The back cover info notes that the play ran in Paris beginning in October 1994 and received its British premiere in 1996.

This 3 character play is about a trio of friends: Marc, Serge, and Yvan. As the play starts Serge has infuriated Marc by buying an all white painting for a huge price. Yvan gets caught in the middle as the three argue over art, the role of the artist, being "modern," personal identity, and relationships.

This description of the play may make it sound a bit like a "Seinfeld" episode. It's an intriguing and witty play. I've never seen it performed, but because it seems to rely so heavily on the presence of a central prop, "Art" may lose some impact as a pure readers' text (not unlike the situation with August Wilson's play "The Piano Lesson"). Ultimately the drama builds to a powerful conclusion. It's a thought-provoking play; I especially recommend it to those who wonder about the nature of art and its role in our world today.

"Art" by Yasmina Riza appears, on the surface, to be simply a debate among three friends over a piece of art. Although the debates that rage on seem to stem from the purchase, there is much more to the story. The relationships and characters and minds of each of the men is explored through their opinions. They use the art work to reveal parts of their characters that they would otherwise never reveal to each other and possibly never admit to themselves. A definite must for anyone's personal library and should definitely be seen on the stage if possible.

This is an exciting play about friendship and art that moves along at an animated pace from start to finish. As I started reading the play, I had an immediate positive reaction to it, and was swept along by its delightful dialogue. While the play does deal with the question of "What is art?" it does so in a humorous (not pedantic) way through the characters' relationships with one another. The ideas about art are explored in the context of friendship, and ulitmately, I think, the subject of friendship is central to the play. Reza explores the idea: Are we who we are as defined by others, or as defined by ourselves; and further, do we value friendships based on our definition of who the other person is, or on the other person's definition of him or herself? The ideas Reza explores are somewhat reminiscent of Sartre's play "No Exit," but don't make too much of the comparison, since Reza's style and approach is very different, and the situation in which the characters find themselves is a realistic one. Anyone who likes plays about ideas and plays about character will enjoy this fresh, witty play.

This play is so well-written that right after seeing it performed I went out and bought the play and reread it--that very night. Yasmina Reza has a startling wit and beautiful timing. This is truly a must-read; also, check out her play, "The Unexpected Man." I highly reccommend that as well!

A deceptively simple masterpiece,Ms.Reza uses art that is the most difficult to agree upon, abstract, as the device around the equally ambiguous territory of the mentor and his understudy. What happens when the understudy graduates by purchasing a work of art without the authority's prior "consent" is just the beginning and as is often the case, Ivan, the innocent bystander is drawn into the play as friends often are, expected to be judge and jury between friends. Perhaps being an abstract, visual artist gives me the knowledge of the "big surprise bang" at the end of the play as it becomes clear that Mark not only understood but was moved by the painting all along and what ensued was not,in fact, that he thought Serge made a collossal mistake, but a man whose own ego couldn't bear what a beautiful purchase Serge was able to make without his assistance. Mark's view of the painting at the end is not possible to suddenly see, but the vision of an erudite man who knew this from the moment he betrayed his friend and "student" by not congratulating him in the first place. This may give it away, but it's better than not getting the truthful, devastating twist the ending of "Art" actually delivers, especially from an artistic perspetive.

Was it a good play? Like the painting which was the center of the debate between the three characters, Serge, Marc and Yvan, this can be subject of debate that may reveal what we think about each other. However, the play did not seem to rise to the level of greatness and only a fantastic last line left me remembering this play.