Visual Art
Vincent van Gogh was a 19th-century Dutch Post-Impressionist painter. The titles that have been given to each of his three paintings are Bedroom in Arles (French: La Chambre a Arles; Dutch: Slaapkamer te Arles). The Bedroom in Arles is the painting that has been chosen for this particular paper (Dorn, 1990).

The Bedroom (French: La Chambre a coucher) was the simple title that was given by Van Gogh to his own composition. He has described three versions in the letters that have been written by him. With the help of the pictures on the right wall, these three versions can easily be differentiated (Dorn, 1990).

Van Gogh's Yellow House bedroom at 2, Place Lamartine in Arles, Bouches-du-hone, France has been shown in the painting. The door to the left in the painting opened into a guestroom that Van Gogh always had readied for Gauguin. The door to the right in the…...

mla

References

Dorn, R. (1990). Decoration: Vincent van Goghs Werkreihe fur das Gelbe Haus in Arles. Georg Olms Verlag, Hildesheim, Zurich & New York.

Jan Hulsker, J. (1996). The New Complete Van Gogh: Paintings, Drawings, Sketches; Meulenhoff, p. 367.

Pickvance, R. (1984). Van Gogh in Arles (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, p. 191.

Vincent gallery. (2012). The Paintings: Vincent's Bedroom in Arles. Accessed on March 12, 2012 from  http://www.vggallery.com/painting/p_0482.htm

Art
In Titian's "Venus of Urbino," a nude woman reclines provocatively on a day bed, her shoulder propped up on pillows, her eyes staring directly ahead. A controversial painting because of its overtly sensual imagery, "Venus of Urbino" is inarguably stunning. The whiteness of the pillows and sheets contrasts sharply with the densely dark background behind them. Even the landscape outside of the window in the background displays a darkened sky, probably just after dusk. Symbolically, the darkness corresponds to Venus' sexuality, whereas the whiteness of her bedding adds visual and symbolic counterpoint. The white in Venus' sheets is proudly displayed in the foreground and therefore immediately noticeable. Their color is again reflected in the background, most noticeably in the dress of the kneeling woman. The repetition of colors adds a visual balance to what would otherwise be an overly dark and dramatic composition. Furthermore, the fact that the kneeling woman,…...

mla

Works Cited

'Titian's 'Venus of Urbino.'" SUNY Oneonta. Online at <  http://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/arth/arth213/Titian_Venus_urbino.html >.

Titian. "Venus of Urbino." Painting reproduced online at <  http://www.abm-enterprises.net/urbinovenus.htm >.

Monet's painting "Garden at Sainte-Adresse" depicts a seaside scene in France, in which two couples enjoy a leisurely afternoon in the sun. According to the description offered by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the couple in the foreground is Monet's own father Adolphe and to his left, Monet's Aunt Madame Lecadre. The woman standing by the sea wall is apparently Monet's cousin Jeanne-Marguerite Lecadre, but the man beside her remains unidentified. All four figures cover their heads: the woman use parasols to shield themselves from the sun. Undoubtedly the setting is summertime. Monet's characteristic colors and soft yet assertive brushstrokes add to the warm feeling that envelops the "Garden at Sainte-Adresse," implying the artist's positive state of mind at the time of the composition. The rough seas in the background add contrast to the remarkably civilized scene in the foreground, perhaps suggesting Monet's awareness of the contrasts between leisurely civilized…...

mla

Works Cited

'Garden at Sainte-Adresse." Metropolitan Museum of Art. Online at <  http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/10/euwf/hod_67.241.htm >.

Monet, Claude. "Garden at Sainte-Adresse." 1867 Oil painting.

Visual Imagery and Qualitative Dimensions of Life & Consciousness in Visual Art
Throughout history all cultures have produced works of art. The impulse to create as a means of personal expression and to stimulate the imagination of viewers is universal and perpetual. In their various manifestations, the arts play an important role in defining culture by presenting intelligent viewpoints of our present state of being, and by serving as a record of our past. The visual arts are a repository of those qualitative dimensions of life, which enhance our consciousness through the use of visual imagery.

The most exquisite expression of the self is through art, be it literature, history theatre, painting, sculptor and so on. From the wondrous Egyptian pyramids to the majestic statue of liberty, from eloquent Greek writer Homer - who produced masterpieces like the Odyssey - to 20th century literati like Palestinian journalist Edward Said - who so…...

mla

Works Cited

1) A short history of English literature: Pages124 & 125. Sylvan Barnet

2) History of English literature: Pages123 & 127. Legouis & Cazamain

3) An Introduction to Fiction, Drama and Poetry: Pages 355 to 361. Kennedy Gioia

Art and the Humanities -

Art
Futurism brashly and boldly embraced new technology, celebrating even the bellicose. In Marinetti's "Manifesto of Futurism," he states, "We will glorify war -- the world's only hygiene -- militarism, patriotism, the destructive gesture of freedom-bringers, beautiful ideas worth dying for, and scorn for women," (p. 148). This peculiar statement reveals the nature of futurism as it was manifest at early twentieth century. Futurism was all embracing, rejecting nothing based on immorality because futurism shunned morality. For this reason, Futurism emerged as a staunchly progressive and open-minded genre in the visual arts. The movement not just embraced new technology but celebrated it. Even the uglier side of technology, such as heavy industries and the pollution they create, was something futurists admired and incorporated into their visual art schema. Within the futurist framework, it is certainly possible to imagine works of art that represent something genuinely new.

One reason it is possible to…...

mla

References

Boccioni, Umberto. "Futurist Painting: Technical Manifesto."

Marinette, Filippo Tommaso. "The Foundation and Manifesto of Futurism."

Art and Architecture
Architecture and Art

In a recent visit to Chicago, I observed the Chicago Picasso which was a gift to the city by the famed artist Pablo Picasso. Located in the downtown Chicago loop, the monument stands 58 feet tall, weighs 162 tons and is constructed of Cor-Ten (corrosive tensile) steel. Pablo Picasso gave this massive work of art to the city of Chicago, even though he'd never been to the city, and never went during his lifetime. The unpaid work was based on a 42-inch-tall version Pablo crafted. It was later executed by U.S. Steel Corporation ("Chicago Sculptures," 2011).

It is reported that Pablo Picasso never named his creation nor gave an explanation as to what it represents. The 3-D piece of art looks different from every angle. People have stated that it resembles a baboon; mainly because of the close-set eyes and flaring nostrils. Also, the copper maquette of…...

mla

References

Chicago Sculptures. (2011). Professional Safety, 56(4), 64.

Cunningham, B. (2011, June 5). City in Bloom. New York Times. p. 4.

The Warhol Bubble. (2012). Wilson Quarterly, 36(1), 72-73.

Windy City Windfall. (1966). Time, 88(13), 83.

The concept of color value may be better illustrated by impressionist artists like Renoir. In "The Skiff," Renoir depicts a boat on a placid pond using different shades, or values, of blue:

http://smphoto.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/renoir-the-skiff.jpg

Capitalizing on color value in this case adds considerable depth and nuance to the painting, as well as texture.

Texture: Texture is most obvious in three-dimensional and especially in multimedia artwork. Sculptor Giacometti molded metal, preserving its naturally bumpy texture as in the following depiction of a man walking:

http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/art/20th/sculpture/giacometti01.jpg

One of the distinguishing features of Giacometti's work is his use of texture. Instead of smoothing the metal to create a more realistic sculpture, the artist lets the texture become an essential defining element of the artwork. Multimedia artist Louise Nevelson sometimes carved niches into wood, thereby achieving the same type of textural experience:

http://www.cyberpathway.com/art/lane/nevel1.jpg

In fact, the Nevelson piece also illustrates the visual function of Pattern. The wooden cells are each the same…...

mla

Here, the discus thrower is using the space around his body. The sense of motion is palpable, even though the image is wholly static it seems as if the discus thrower is moving through space. In two-dimensional art, space is created using visual illusions. The following panel of Hieronymous Bosch's "Garden of Earthly Delights" depicts some figures in the foreground and some in the background extending toward the horizon:

 http://www.follydiddledah.com/images/hieronymus_bosch.jpg 

The result is the sense of depth and space, which are not actually present on the canvas.

Art: Romanticism
Not immediately recognized for his contribution to the visual art world, William Blake is perhaps better known for his poetry. However, the Englishman received formal training in drawing and was officially apprenticed to an engraver in London in the late eighteenth century. Blake's interest in metaphysics is apparent in all his productions, especially in allegorical pieces based on the Old Testament like his "Nebuchadnezzar," (completed in 1795). Blake's color print, finished in pen and watercolor, is a typical example of the artist's chosen media; he rejected oil paints. Like all art classified as Romantic, "Nebuchadnezzar" is intensely individualistic and introspective. Blake's preoccupation with symbolism and esoterica is apparent in the subject matter as well as its execution. Drawing upon the Biblical allegory of a headstrong king who dreams (and later realizes) that his mind degenerates into that of a beast, Blake visually interprets the book of Daniel. "Nebuchadnezzar," an…...

The artworks prevalent during the early Middle Ages in many ways stand between these two extremes. The art of this period was one that was both religiously inclined but also celebrated the human form and human nature that was to become so prominent in the enaissance. In many ways much of early Medieval art was similar to the abstract and decorative art that we find in Islamic examples. An example that has been chosen to represent this early period of European art is the Gerona Bible Master from Bologna, Italy,

Figure 3.

(Source: http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/m/middleages.html)

This decorative example displays intricate artwork that emphasizes and enhances the Biblical context. The text or lyrics on the page refers to hymnal and religious phrases of praise, such as "Let us rejoice" (Art: Middle Ages). Note the way that the decorative images add depth to the aesthetics of the script and the manuscript as a whole.

Another good example…...

mla

References

Art and architecture of the Early Middle Ages. Retrieved from  http://www.artandpopularculture.com/Middle_Ages 

Art: Middle Ages. Retrieved from http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/m/middleages.html

Middle Ages. Retrieved from  http://www.answers.com/topic/middle-ages 

Roman art. Retrieved from   Siddiqui E.http://www.artchive.com/artchive/R/roman.html 

Art
Great Art proponents

Art is not something new that started recently. Art work has been in existence for a very long time and there are various artists who have brought an influence in this field. When looking at art in the 1960s we can see that there are various art movements as well as cultural histories which are associated with this period.

Andy Warhol was a very influential pop artist in the 1960s. He took product logos and their labels from a commercial context and displayed them as a form of art. He also went ahead to make sculptures that were identical to Brillo boxes and Campbell's soup cans. Through his work we can see that pop art posed as a challenge to traditional art through equating imagery that was mass produced in advertising with existing fine arts. This was attracted by graphical directness of advertising and consumer packing which was simple.…...

mla

References psychedelicadventures.com. (2010).The Psychedelic [in] Society:

A Brief Cultural History of Tripping. Retrieved July 4, 2013 from  http://www.psychedelicadventures.com/BriefHistory.htm 

Chappell, M. (2006). Art in the 1960s. Retrieved July 4, 2013 from http://artsconnected.org/collection/118487/art-in-the-1960s?print=true#%281%29

Sarasota Visual Art. (2012). William Pachner: Works from the 1960s. Retrieved July 4, 2013 from  http://sarasotavisualart.com/2012/02/william-pachner-works-from-the-1960s/

Eisenstein also mentions the "higher nervous activity" that accompanies perception of motion pictures (p. 225). The physical impact of visual imagery is poignant, according to Eisentstein. Motion pictures are visceral.
Interestingly, Deleuze mentions the ability of film to create what the author calls "false continuity," (p. 207). As Deleuze notes, "It is not quite right to say that the cinematographic image is in the present," and therefore it should not be "confused with what it represents," (p. 207). In painting and other static forms of visual art, symbols are not as easily confused with what they represent because of the added dimension of motion. Whereas Eisenstein is concerned with relationships of dominance and subordination, Deleuze focuses on relationships between past, present, and future. Eisenstein uses montage to illustrate his ideas about how the brain interprets a moving canvas of images, and Deleuze discusses film in a more general sense. Yet…...

mla

References

Deleuze, Gilles. "Thought and Cinema: The Time-Image"

Eisenstein, Sergei. "On Montage and the Filmic Fourth Dimension."

For example, most (if not all) of the ancient Greek and Egyptian pottery that we find in museums was not considered art in its time of creation. They were made as practical pieces that were used for practical purposes. It was later when humans defined the word art that these relics were collected and renamed as art.
Another example of why art is hard to define and why it really depends on the time in history that makes a piece a work of art or not can be seen in the way in which many artists do not achieve success until after their deaths. It can be argued that true artists are often very in tune with what is going on in the culture and very aware of ways in which culture oppresses people or glorifies them. They are sensitive to what is going on in the world and perhaps…...

mla

References

Billio, Bruno. (2011). About. Bruno Billio. Accessed on 11 December 2011:

 http://www.brunobillio.com/sample-page/

Vincent Van Gogh, Frank Lloyd right and Madeleine Vionnet. hat did this 19th century artist, architect, and fashion designer share in common? Very simply: They all incorporated Japanese techniques into their works of genius. hen Commodore Perry opened the doors to this Eastern country in 1853, an abundance of unique and influential styles of art rushed out and captured the imaginations of artists throughout the estern world. As author Emile Zola once said,
It is certain that our students painting with black bitumen, were surprised and enhanced by these horizons, these beautiful vibrating spots of the Japanese painters in watercolours. There was a simplicity of means and an intensity of effect which struck our young artists and then influenced them with a painting filled with air and light

This flow of Japanese artistic riches and influence continues to this day. Ask any graphic designers including those at alt Disney Company what country…...

mla

Works Cited

Coburn, F.W. "Mr. Benson's Birds," The Boston Herald, November 16, 1913, 28.

Encyclopedia of Visual Art. Grolier Educational Corp., 1984 printing. Danbury, CT: 1983.

Gardiner, Debbi. Japan, Inc., January 2003. Anime in America. 8/03/03.http://www.japaninc.net/article.php?articleID=972.Visited

Japan Economic Society, November/December 2002. Impact of the Kimono on Modern Fashion.   Visited 8/04/03.http://www.jef.or.jp/en/jti/200211_016.html .

Matrix, lade Runner, And Metropolis
Science-Fiction films have evolved through the decades as technology as progressed, allowing for greater Special Effects and visual demonstrations of worlds overrun by machines.

Three such films - The Matrix, lade Runner, and Metropolis have manifested their stories not only through their scenery and futuristic landscapes, but also through society and the forces governing them.

In their essays, Stan rakhage and Giuliana runo examine these influences within film and how they demonstrate the relevance of history in a social context; postmodernist influences; and the perceptions of vision as they appear on film.

In runo's essay Ramble City: Postmodernism and lade Runner, runo examines the film lade Runner, as it relates to postmodernism and the ideals surrounding the architecture, and social infrastructure of the world where people lack a 'real' history, and therefore, philosophically, a 'real' existence.

The city of lade Runner is not the ultramodern, but the postmodern city. It…...

mla

Bibliography

Blade Runner Dir. Ridley Scott.

1982. Based on Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Metropolis Dir. Fritz Lang

1927. Based on Thea Von Harbou's novel.

Grabbing onto the hand of her partner, she make a sweeping gesture denoting dance and movement. The lines created by her arms allow the eye to move freely across the canvas. The right-hand dancer turns her torso around fully, and doing so she encourages us to gaze where she is, back at the center of the composition. Rhythm pervades Derain's piece because of his selection of dance as a subject, but also because of the use of curvilinear forms that keep the eye flowing. Moreover, colors repeat themselves enthusiastically, spread out across the canvas and avoiding stagnation.
At first glance, Edward Hooper's Early Sunday Morning exudes stillness and with its straight lines is nothing like Derain's Dance. The town is asleep, businesses closed for the day and not a person is in sight. Yet it is precisely the lack of people that makes Hooper's composition so compelling and full of…...

I. Introduction
A. Definition of the Human Condition
B. Importance of Studying the Human Condition
C. Thesis Statement: Exploring key aspects of the human condition and their significance in shaping human existence.

II. Historical Perspectives on the Human Condition
A. Ancient Philosophical Views (e.g., Aristotle, Plato)
B. Medieval and Renaissance Perspectives (e.g., Thomas Aquinas, Machiavelli)
C. Enlightenment Thinkers (e.g., Rousseau, Hobbes)

III. Psychological Dimensions of the Human Condition
A. Human Emotions and Behavior
B. Cognitive Processes and Perceptions
C. Impact of Social and Environmental Factors

IV. Existential and Philosophical Views
A. Existentialism: Meaning and Purpose
B. Absurdity and Anxiety in Human Existence
C.....

Literary Analysis

Hamlet's Tragic Flaw: An Exploration of Indecisiveness and Self-Doubt
The Role of Ambition in Macbeth: A Study in Power and Corruption
The Tragic Heroine in King Lear: A Comparison of Cordelia and Goneril
Romeo and Juliet as a Tragedy of Fate or Free Will
The Meaning of Love in Twelfth Night: A Romantic Comedy with a Twist

Character Analysis

The Complexity of Hamlet: Madness, Melancholy, and the Search for Truth
Macbeth: A Tragic Hero or a Villain?
Ophelia in Hamlet: A Study of Fragility and Female Agency
The Character of Falstaff in Henry IV and Henry V: Humor, Loyalty,....

1. The rise and fall of the Russian Empire
2. The impact of Peter the Great on Russian history
3. The role of the Russian Revolution in shaping modern Russia
4. The Soviet Union under Stalin's rule
5. The Cold War and its effects on Russia
6. The fall of the Soviet Union and the transition to a market economy
7. The role of Russia in World War II
8. The cultural and artistic history of Russia, including literature, music, and visual arts
9. Gender roles and women's rights in Russian history
10. The legacy of Tsarist Russia in modern-day Russia
11. The impact of the Mongol invasions on Russia's....

Understanding the Concept of Narrative

A narrative is a form of storytelling that unfolds a sequence of events or experiences over time. It typically involves characters, a setting, a conflict, and a resolution. Narratives can be fictional or nonfictional, and they can be expressed through various mediums such as literature, film, music, and visual arts.

Approaching Narrative Essay Topics

When developing essay topics centered around narratives, consider the following aspects:

Personal Narratives: Explore personal experiences, anecdotes, or stories that have shaped your life or perspectives.
Literary Narratives: Analyze narratives in literary works, examining character development, plot structure, and themes.
Historical Narratives: Examine historical....