Week 6: La Vida es un Sueno

Arsenio Rodriguez's "La Vida es un Sueno" starts with the warm tones of lightly tapped bells, we're in a dream. Then the piano gently introduces the upbeat melody. The brass and percussion follow- they take over the melody and strip it of its initial delicateness. And then the lyrics hit you with a very raw and rather unpleasant truth:
Despues que uno vive veinte desenganos que importa uno mas?

This song is my favorite so far. It models the paradox it presents: it is both tragic and beautiful. Life, according to Rodriguez, is devoid of happiness. And because (not in spite) of that fact, we are responsible for filling it with the happiness we think we deserve. Further, our attempt at doing so is ultimately inconsequential because the attempt is eternal. People have tried it before us, and people will continue to try it: to fill their lives with joy.

I painted a circle using various hues of blue, yellow, and white acrylic paint. The circle represents our never-ending pursuit to find happiness. The white middle initially represented the void in life where happiness should be, but isn't. Once the circle was finished, I decided to splatter it with different colors. That decision, I later realized, was a direct response to Rodriguez's call to action: the splattered spots of paint represent the haphazard happiness that we allow into our lives.

Hay que vivir el momento feliz, hay que gozar lo que puedas gozar.

...

Todo no es mas que un eterno sufrir, el mundo esta hecho sin felicidad.