Arts and culture

When one goes to Melbourne, one would notice the unique architecture.  Words cannot describe the unique architecture of the buildings.  Federation square, in particular, had panels with ornate designs.  The churches are even grandiose, which adds to the skyline of Melbourne.  Even the bridges that cross the Yarra River have some sort of design that I have never came across before.

Another unique characteristic of Melbourne is the amount of art seen in this city.  Art from all over Australia and the world is on display.  At the National Art Gallery of Victoria, the main exhibit on display was about Napoleon.  The Arts Centre and Melbourne Exhibition Centre were both that had heaps of art, but was under renovations while spending my time in Melbourne.  Another portion of the arts typically seen is the theater arts.  The State Theatre and Her Majesty’s Theatre are the two major theaters where the majority of performances took place.  The final part of the arts commonly seen was the numerous street performers.  Anywhere from musicians to dancers to even magicians, these street performers were commonly seen at City Square.   

            The mix of cultures brings out the best of the city.  “Australian” culture cannot easily be defined.  However, it is a mixture of many cultures into one.  A predominate influence to Australian culture would be from England.  Australia was founded as a penal colony for the British Empire, so they tried to bring the British culture to a new continent.  Over the past 70 years or so, other cultures started to flourish in Australia.  Greek, Italian, and Asian immigrants bring a diverse mixture to the England standard.  It has become a melting pot of cultures to see. 

Each part of the Australian culture is seen:

Britain: Melbourne does have support for the British crown, since it is the capital of Victoria.  Queen Victoria allowed Australia become its own country in 1901, and especially liked the state of Victoria.  Over time, all types of arts were brought in from Britain.

Greek: Shops and restaurants along Lonsdale Street bring an infusion of Greek into the Australian culture.  It is one of the densest areas in the world (outside of Greece) with Greeks.

Italian: Italian prisoners of war during WWII decided to come back after the war.  The areas that have this influence include Lygon and Brunswick Streets.  Italians brought not only their food, but also their fine arts and theater.  Small alleyways tend to be filled by cafes, pizzerias, and Italian clothing stores.

Asian: In the well-established Chinatown, multiple Asian countries show their cultures with pride.  The Chinese are the most visible with dragons and other Chinese artistic work.  Korean and Japanese are also represented in Chinatown.