Ait history professor boosts
Asian art program and texts
By Ming Rodrigues
Enwaid Cofrtitbuto'
Her firs! foray into what was to become a vigor
ous career In East Asian art history happened
when, as a political science major at the Univer
sity of Chicago, she fell her courses didn't quile
satisfy her curiosity and interest in the creative
aspects of culture.
Today. Esther Jacobson is not only an art histo
ry professor at the University, but she recently
became tho second faculty member to hold the
School of Architecture and Allied Arts' Maude
Kerns Professorship of Oriental Art
Jacobson, who has taught at the University
since 1 *)(>(>, takes over the post from Ellen John
ston Idling, another professor of art history who
retired last June.
"I'm happy to be acknowledged in a way that's
supportive of whet I'm passionate about." she
said And Jacobson has been committed, before
1079, slut was responsible for all academic offer
ings in Chinese, Japanese and Indian art history.
She also developed the department's regular
offerings in Asian art history as well as the fun
damental library holdings in Asian art-related
books, photographs and slides.
Jacobson was also the Associate Dean of the
Graduate School and head of Asian Studies
1974-77 and head of the Arl History department
1978-1984
With tho Kerns professorship providing sup
port for faculty research and teac hing, student
assistance and library acquisitions, Jacobson is
working toward further boosting the already
flourishing Asian art history program at the Uni
versity. Currently, the department has two spe
cialists in both Chinese and Japanese art history.
On a personal lovel. she will be able to extend
her research into field work in tho Altay Moun
tains in South Siberia and Mongolia where she
will collaborate with Russian and Mongolian
archaeologists on a project on the art and archae
ology of the bronze and early Iron Ages.
Jacobson is not just a specialist in Asian art his
tory; her work, which keeps taking her back to
earlier, exotic periods, allows her to explore a
lesser-known culture that spawned from two
worlds.
”1 < all myself an Inner Asianist," said Jacob
son, who has a doctorate in Chinese art history.
"I'm attracted to the interconnection between
what was essentially the sedentary culture of the
Chinese and their northern nomadic neighbors
I'm curious about the artistic indicators that
stemmed from that slurring of cultures,"
Tho people she studies inhabited the region
from the borders of China and Mongolia, across
South Siberia and present-day Kazakhstan, to the
black Sea in the first millennium b.C.
The nomadic urtists are best known for gold
work. wood cun ing and bronze sculpture, us well
us for impressive stone ritual monuments and
petroglyphic (rock carving) art. Jacobson said.
m I ----—.—■jmmmmmmm
Pt«o«o br Anmny F«n*y
Eathar Jacobaon, a Uni vanity art Malory profaa
aor, plonaarad tha Aalan art Malory program and la
tha aacond faculty mambar to hold tha Unlvanlty’a
Mauda Kama ProlaaaoraMp of Ortantal Art
But the mutual influences between the art ol
both cultures are evident. Both bear emphasis on
animals as primary carriers of meaning. In her
recently published book entitled “The Deer God
dess of Ancient Siberia: A Study in the Ecology of
Belief," Jacobson wrote about the themes and
motifs in nomadic art.
The doer is a central motif. Jacobson said, and a
study of its changing formulations over time
allows understanding of the ecology of belief in
cultures whore there are no texts.
The fascination with "the other culture" goes
further. "In bronze casting, the Chinese mimic
the techniques, texturizing and stylistic elements
common in the precious metal casting of the
nomadic people," Jacobson said. "Also, their
landscape representation is rooter! in the fascina
tion with the wild, untamed realm of nomadic
life."
Currently working on three books. Jacobson
also serves as projec t direc tor on a recently com
pleted two-year University project that integrated
Asian materials into the general humanities cur
riculum. From 1988 to lit90. she directed the
Center for Asian and Pacific: Studies at the Uni
versity In 1979. lacobson was awarded one of the
University's Ersted Awards for distinguished
teaching
Taking in the latest —
The
Crying
Game
A Miramax Films Release
Directed by
Neil Jordan
Starring
Stephen Rea and
Forest Whitaker
Venue
Bijou Art Cinemas
Rating
*#*
MOVIES
B»vt0w by
Lisa Kneefel
They sav love is blind.
The Crying Game, writer
and director Neil Iordan's
(Mona Lisa) seventh film,
proves love is not only blind,
but revealing as well.
Part thriller, port love story
but mostly biting satire. The
Crying Game examines the
powerful ways friendship
and love c an conquer preju
dice
In South Armagh, the heart
of Republican activity, a
British soldier is taken cap
tive by the Irish Republican
Army The soldier, Jody (For
est Whitaker), and the IRA
volunteer assigned to watch
him (Stephen Rea) hide out
with the others as they wait
for word of release of an IRA
soldier
The two develop a strange
kind of intimacy in the fol
lowing days. Jody, in
bondage and held at gun
point at ail times, can no
longer do anything for him
self. Fergus must feed him.
wipe his face and even help
him urinate.
Slowly the two transcend
roles of captive and captor.
They trade playful remarks
and jokes and share intimate
conversation. One outburst
of laughter even catches the
attention of Fergus' superi
ors, and he is swiftly chas
tised.
But the friendship is ended
when, in on ironic turn of
events. Jody is killed. Fergus,
compelled to fulfill a
promise he made to Jody,
flees to London to find Jody 's
girlfriend.
Part thriller, part
love story but
mostly biting
satire, The Crying
Game examines
the powerful ways
friendship and love
can conquer
prejudice.
Under cover from the IRA,
Fergus locales lody’s girl
friend, Dil (lave Davidson), at
the hair salon where she
works Dil is even more lieau
tiful than the picture forty
showed him when he asked
Fergus to see her. Fergus
finds himself intrigued and
attracted to her.
Cautiously. Dil submits to
Fergus' advances and their
attraction becomes mutual.
As the two spend more time
together. Fergus grapples
with the double dilemma of
wondering whether he
shutild tell Dil how )ody died
and whether he should
remain loyal to his cause in
Ireland.
Before Fergus can decide,
he is thrown for a surprise
from Dil that is equally
shocking for the audience.
The film gains tempo and
builds to a climax that
resolves both of Fergus'
predicaments.
The Crying Came superbly
explores the complexity of
human emotion. Fergus, a
terrorist with the TKA. finds
he no longer has the will to
kill. He grows weary of the
IRA's gruesome tactics. And
for the first time, his enemy
has a human face, in the form
of Jody. Abandoning his pre
vious convictions, Fergus
finds another side to himself
removed from the violence of
terrorism.
Dry humor is found
throughout the film, which is
otherwise powerful drama.
Rea and Whitaker both turn
out stunning performances
Miranda Richardson is excel
lent as the IRA member who
follows Fergus to London,
and Jaye Davidson makes an
impressive film debut.
Court*** pnow*
Stephen Re*
(above) end
MlIranda
Richardson
(tett) In Nell
Jordan's
Th« Crying
Game
Breaking the
color barrier
Sine e (In* |H’li’s,!mm-hall Inis I teen Amoriias fin oriltt
sport, churning out heroes su< h us Hu (hi Ruth and I.ou
(iehrtg Hut tho big leagues went lily white until tint HMDs,
when |ui.kie Roosevelt Robinson broke the ( olor bnrrior
and signed on with the Dodgers
As ilii1 first Afm an Amerii an to play major league huso
Iwdl, Robinson heljted make the sport 'ull-Amerii an " I If
was Rookui of the Year in 1047. and two yours Inter he
was named the National League's Most Valuable I’lay
er lie is remeftered. in Red Smith's words, us "the unfltm
queruble doing the impossible
I’lin h> Win. a Theutreworks UNA prodoi tion, bunts
Robinson's story into frn«
Sorting Theatre Saturday.
March 20. as part of tin*
Holt (tailor's family series
I’ho play re< alls Kotuu
son's determination to
mii i eed m rr prejudu o m
baseball It tail's tin'
painful moments of Ins
lili'. from thf piti hors who
throw at Ins hoail to I ho
hntnls that wouldn't admit
him. from I he name t ail
ing ho ondurod to tho
fields that woio c losed
Hie show runs in the
ballpark of an hour, fol
lowing Robinson from his
college days to stardom
with tho Dodgers — a 10
yoar journey of struggle
and sacrifice ending in tri
umph In this compressed
I 111
CtiMrtMy PftOtO
Marcus Olson (left). Christina
Campbell and Raymond
Anthony Thomas In Play to
Win
version of his life, Kolniison (minks u lulling slump with
n home run immediately after he hears the news of n s«s
ond black major leaguer, l .irrv Dohv. signing on with the
Cleveland Indians
With slurs narration hy Robinson's good friend Sate hel
Paige, legendary African Anierii an piti her. and a iniisi
i al si ore that ranges from blues to fknriwrshop quartet, the
play is fun as well as edm ational
Thoatreworkfc/USA seeks to provide young people with
role models, pride in their heritage and confidence in
their ow n potential I he cumpuny is one of the foremost
children's theaters in the country and has performed in
the White House and on Hroadwav
l ickets, available at the KMU and the Mult (muter, are
$6 with reserved seating The show begins at 1 p m
1992 movie season third best, but ticket sales slip again
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The l‘»<)2
movie season vs .is the third highest
grossing in history hot ticket sales also
dm lined for the third straight vear, the
Motion Pii.tuie Association of Americ a
reported Tuesday
Year-end ret eipts totaled 5-t H7 bil
lion, trailing only. t‘W) and 1900.
MPA A President lack V ulenti said in a
I.as Vegas address to theater owners
But the 1992 figures were boosted hv
tile costliest til ket prices ever, an aver
age of $5,OS national))
•'We have to increase the theater
audience — we just have to do it."
Valenti said in a telephone interview.
Ho said ho expected movie makers
would trv to increase their furnilv audi
ence by producing pictures with "loss
violence, loss sense.>hty and less
(raunchy) language
Ticket sales fell almost t pen ent
from a year ago. to ‘)f>4 2 million. In
lllH<), the host year at tie- l> >x office.
1 1.(2 billion tickets were sold for a total
gross of $5.03 billion. In l‘)<)<), 1 05f» bil
lion tic kets were sold for a total gross
of $5.02 billion
Valenti said the industry must c on
trol costs and theater owners must
make the- movie-going exponent e. com
fortable affordable and safe
"A lot of people; don't go to the
tnov ies for safety' reasons, he said
Regarding cost, let- said. I do believe
that when you get into $7 tickets, a baby
sitter, popcorn. soda and parking, that's
u pretty good investment for .1 night."
Columbia Pictures Chairman Mark
Canton said in a«ieynote address that
It) percent of moviegoers surveyed by
Columbia said they had a "bad experi
ence ' with .t theater presentation in the
last three movies seen
"This is a failure on a large scale and
on a very basic issue,'' he said "We
must do better.”
Valenti noted that admissions have
fallen an 1% 5 fi portent from 1- years
ago, when home video was still in its
infiim v 1'he VCR and rented videocas
settes were supposed to destroy the iter
business lint have failed to do so. In
said
Home video has ai dually doubled the
overall audience for feature films
Valenti said Last year retail video
stores reported ail estimated A r> million
rentals and sales of about IH6 million
prerecorded vidaot assettes
1'ho <1 v«’r»i>4** i usi of producing and
distributing a studio film increased a
percent from n veur ago to $40 million
1 hat figure includes production i osts of
S2B.H million per niovm and more than
$11 million ior prints and advertising
()nlv ifi of the 4 tl movies released
last year H ! peri ent brought their
makers more titan $20 lipllion in net
proceeds When fat toring in ioroigu
markets and home video nnd television,
four of ft) make miimn
Mail in before March 23!
for Extension
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