Kiki Smith was born to Tony Smith an American Sculptor in 1954 in Nuremberg, Germany. She is an American born in Germany. Much of her childhood years, Kiki spend assisting her father in his work. She received formal education. She did not love art at her tender age because all her childhood was spent working for her father.
She did not enjoy her childhood as other children did. When other children went for fun activities like camping they never had the opportunity, their work was dividing twigs for her father and assisting him in his work. She did not like what he father did and his appearance because of how children made fun of his beard and owning a porches until having a beard became fashionable.
Her work involves using sculptors, paintings and drawings in storytelling. Most of her art work especially in her early years in her career revolved around the topic of death. Until having a beard became fashionable. Kiki was born to a catholic family. She believes that her upbringing helped to shape her future career as an artist.
She compares Catholics with art, in that, the Catholic faith creates a connection between the spiritual world and the physical world that is like art, the Catholic faith brings out what inside is. She also brings out the connection between art and the catholic that both are forms of storytelling. Kiki’s art work employs the use of sculptors, paintings and drawings to pass out her message. She employs the iconography of fairy tales and story in her work, she borrows from the western iconography already lade nor fraught with meaning.
The visual symbolism of little Red Riding Hood, the Evil Witch, the screaming banshee, trigger a flurry of associations. Smith breaks this dialogue, however, by interjecting unexpected storylines into the traditional stories (Close 170). She has a passion for paintings and sculptures she explains that this is so because with paintings and sculptures, you can redesign them until you bring out what you want. To her, this is a passion and she gives the best (Richard 251).
Kiki Smith is more interested in her own world. Her work involves more of making observations then in appreciation she gives a story. It is more of observation than personal interaction. It is about her personal world and how it relates to others. Kiki says, “The most important thing for me is looking at objects” (Richard 251).
She gets inspiration by observing things. She confirms that to her, it is hard to read that she uses observation; even in her school days, she found it difficult to read so what she knows best is paying attention to things or in her words, “I listen to things, or I listen to what people say” (Seaman 718).
Her works in the beginning of her career mainly were related to death. She would wonder why people die and if it was fit for men to die. This arose after her father’s death. Her work was based on how she could survive and protect herself from death. She thinks art is about one trying to protect him/herself.
In her room, she had a skull and had a picture of Charlie Manson. She would speak to the skull and say that Charlie will never get her. This is how much she feared death. She was always afraid of death and kept on thinking that someone would die in their building. She testifies that something strange used to happen in that building and the moment she entered, no one died but they could receive warnings from the fire department and that they needed to clean the house or else a bad thing would happen there (Yablonsky 134).
Once she had the phone ring, fear would encompass her and she would not like going home because she thought someone had died. In her childhood, she always thought death would strike all the time. This influences the start of her career in artwork where, according to her, art work initially focused on death.
Never did she understand why people died until she finally accepted that it was okay for people to die. She found death to be strange as a child. She hardly believes in things she has not seen because her motivation is in seeing and not much in hearing. She believes that it is good to be observant for you to get to know a lot. To her, once you see something, you are able to interpret it in other forms (Drake 287).
She is a big fan of Virgin Mary. This is because she was raised as a catholic. She has made many artworks in regard to the virgin. Her father used to remind her that “it was Irish catholic to be morbid” (Drake 287).
Most of Kiki’s work borrows from Julia Kristeva especially her beliefs of the “abject” and “horror” in her tales about AIDS. Both artists are feminists and have a great interest in sexual matters and women representation. The work of both artists in their artwork creates the picture of feminism that is feminine emotions and psychology.
Works Cited
Close, Chuck. Kiki Smith. Time 167.19 (2006): 170. Print.
Drake, Cathryn. Kiki Smith. Artforum international 44.4(2005): 287. Print.
Richard, Frances. Kiki Smith. Artforum international 48.9(2010): 251. Print.
Seaman, Donna. Kiki Smith. The Booklist 95.8 (1998): 718. Print.
Yablonsky, Linda. Kiki Smith. Artforum international 44.1(2005): 134. Print.
Gluttony is an excessive human desire that leads to over-indulgence and disproportionate consumption of drinks, food, and accumulation of wealth. Since glutton is a disproportionate greed, some religions such as Christianity and Islam considers it as a vice and sin which people should shun so that they can help the needy.
It is a deadly sin because it deprives the needy of the privileges of benefiting from the wealth that the society owns. According to Prose, “like lust, its sister transgression, the sin of gluttony reflects a constellation of complex attitudes toward the confluence of necessity and pleasure” (8).
Since the modern society perceives gluttony as a sin, people are very conscious about the nature and the amount of food that they take because gluttony is not only a religious issue, but also a health issue. Hence, by following appropriate diet, people are able to eat well, and thus reduce their predisposition to gluttony. Therefore, this essay evaluates how gluttony is a ‘nightmare vision’ as depicted in topic “The Wages of Sin”and the film, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover.
“The Wages of Sin”
“The Wages of Sin” depicts gluttony as a ‘nightmare vision’ because The Last Judgment painting illustrates how gluttons are facing a nightmare in hell. The painting shows six gluttons, two women and four men, who have sinned and are spending their time in hell while dining. Prose describes that, “the men have huge bellies, fleshy arms, and backs; one has pendulous breasts” (44).
Such description indicates that the six sinners who are dining in hell have abnormally huge bodies due to their glutton habits. Since gluttony is a sin, critical analysis of the painting shows that the six sinners are in hell paying for their gluttony. Moreover, the sinners have extended their excessive eating habits into the hell because they are at the dining table ready to display their gluttonous behavior. Fleshy arms and huge bellies depict the impact of gluttony on their health for all the sinners are obese.
The painting also illustrates how the gluttons are suffering because they are sitting at the dining table that has a variety of foodstuffs yet they are unable to eat. The dining table has chicken, wine, and loaves amongst other foodstuffs that make the gluttons salivate. Around the table, a band of demons exists, whose job is to prevent “the gluttons, by holding their arms and heads with their sharp talons and claws, by prodding them with bats and clubs, from getting anywhere near the food they crave” (Prose 44).
As the band of demons that surround the gluttons restricts them from accessing food on the table, they torment the gluttons eternally. In this view, the nightmare vision of the gluttons illustrates how the gluttons suffer in hell because they are unable to satisfy their greed despite seeing plenty of delicious food on the dining table. Thus, the gluttons are experiencing great torture in hell as they receive their wages for indulging in food when they were alive.
At the front of the dining table, the painting portrays another glutton, a man who is suffering in anguish. The glutton realizes that the hell has decided his fate and will continually suffer in it, and thus decides to crawl on the ground.
His physical attributes indicate that the glutton is in great anguish because he has malformed and twisted body while the rib cage is quite visible and deformed. Prose states that the glutton is “unable to stand the sight of the meal at which his companions are gazing with such longing, he bows his head in a posture of grief and cover his face with his hands” (45).
Such a posture illustrates despair and misery that the glutton experiences, as his fate is definite. Moreover, the serpent is present in the painting as its role is to coil around the man and prevent him from accessing food that is at the dining table. Like demons, the serpent controls what the glutton does because it represents the evil anguish that the glutton is undergoing in hell.
Despite depicting how gluttons suffering in hell, the painting has a caption below it, which suggests that eating well is not a sin. Christians support the assertion that eating well is not a sin because people have a moral duty and responsibility of ensuring that they eat well. Prose argues that, “once-pious Christians knew what awaited them, as a consequence of overeating, they realized how important it was to watch their diets, how carefully they had to control their appetites” (49).
The painting illustrates how gluttons receive eternal punishment in hell for wasting their invaluable time in pursuing worldly pleasures that have no benefits to their eternal lives. Thus, the nightmare vision threatens Christians because overindulgence in gluttony eventually leads to hell where too much anguish and suffering exist.
Overall, the nightmare vision depicted in the painting warns people against indulging in gluttony as it has severe consequences. From the Christian point of view, gluttony is one of the sins that destroy humans for it causes them to suffer in hell where there is endless anguish and misery. According Prose, “no wonder that thoughtful and even altruistic humans have found it increasingly important to warn their peers about the passing, transient, gluttonous pleasure that leads to eternal penance and pain,” (49).
In this view, many people have developed fears regarding the gluttonous behaviors that ultimately make them lose eternal life and endure eternal anguish and misery in hell. Therefore, the painting poses a religious message about the consequences of gluttony, as an eternal punishment for people to make appropriate choices about their eating habits.
Greenaway’s 1990 Film: Characters and Food as gluttony
Robert Borst, the Cook
The film depicts the theme of ‘nightmare vision’ as greed and glutton using various characters in the movie. Richard Borst is a cook in the movie who is responsible for making very delicious meals that attract numerous customers into the restaurant daily.
From the movie, it is evident that Richard Borst is an experienced cook in the restaurant and understands the needs of his customers. Since the customers eat in a lavish manner, Richard Borst ensures that he prepares different foodstuffs that satisfy diverse needs of the customers who usually flock at the restaurant.
Richard Borst brags that, “neither his customers nor the boss have disliked the food that he cooks in the restaurant” (The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover). This indicates that Richard Borst is happy about his cooking skills for he pleases both the customers and his boss. Hence, endless appetites of the customers and his boss push Richard Borst to prepare delicious food in the restaurant.
In the aspect of the nightmare vision, Richard Borst becomes a victimizer as he conspires with Georgina Spica to cook the body of Michael, the lover. In the movie, Michael has an affair with Georgina Spica, which prompts her husband to kill him. Usually, Georgina Spica meets with Michael at the bathroom where they explore their love affair.
When his husband kills his illicit lover, Georgina Spica decides to avenge by conspiring with Richard Borst to cook Michael’s body and compels his husband to feed on it. Robert Borst agrees that, “I will cook his body according to your instructions” (The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover).
Since Richard Borst can make delicious meals, Georgina Spica commands him to cook the body of Michael and serve it to Alberto Spica, before shooting him to die. Therefore, Richard Borst plays a role of victimizer because he cooks the body of Michael and serves it to Alberto Spica; hence, contributing cannibalism as part of the nightmare vision.
Alberto Spica, the Thief
Alberto Spica is the owner of the restaurant, Le Hollandais Restaurant. He frequents the restaurant daily in the evening with his wife, Georgina, and they sit at the big dining table and await their cook to serve them.
Alberto Spica has an unmatched appetite of food because he always orders different types of menu at ago and dines through into the late night before leaving for home. What is unique about his gluttony is that he eats continuously while talking with his friends. Sometimes he summons the customers and staff, and lectures them with his monotonous discourses, thus causing confrontations in the restaurant.
In some instances, Alberto Spica requests food for his friends by shouting that, “serve my friends with food of their choice, and provide free drinks” (The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover). The food in the dining table continually keeps Alberto Spica in the table with his friends. No one leaves the table until they finish all the food served by the cook. Therefore, their idleness in the dining table increases their appetites and makes them glutton.
The endless appetite of food predisposes Alberto Spica to the acts of cruelty. In the restaurant, Alberto Spica is busy with food, hence, neglecting her wife to have an affair with Michael. This implies that food and restaurant compel Georgina Spica to fall in love with Michael.
As Georgina encounters Michael daily in the restaurant, it gradually leads to a love affair. When Alberto Spica realizes about the love affair, he mobilizes his friends to kill Michael. In their love affair, Michael takes Georgina Spica into his bookstore where he hides her from his husband.
Unfortunately, Alberto Spica finds out when he sees a boy taking food to Georgina Spica at the bookstore. Alberto Spica tortures the boy and makes him eat a book that he carries because it has a map, which directs him where Georgina Spica hides. Then, Alberto Spica orders his friends that, “I want Michael dead because he is having an illicit affair with my wife” (The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover). In this view, Alberto Spica is a victimizer since he tortures the boy and kills Michael.
Georgina Spica, the Wife
Georgina Spica has a great appetite of food because she normally accompanies her husband, Alberto Spica, to the restaurant daily. In the restaurant, Georgina Spica sits at the dining table and orders different meals and drinks to satisfy her insatiable hunger. She normally visits the kitchen and orders her own menu for she likes how her cook, Robert Borst, prepares the meals in the restaurant. “Please serve me with my usual meals and drinks because I am very hungry” (The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover).
Georgina trusts the meals that the cook prepares for they are very delicious and palatable at all times. Even when at the bookstore while having an affair with Michael, Georgina orders the food from the restaurant. Hence, appetite forces her to order the food even when hiding in the bookstore.
As Alberto Spica realizes that the boy was taking food to Georgina Spica at the bookstore, he tortures the boy to reveal where his wife is hiding. Georgina Spica then sympathizes with the boy and visits him at the hospital because he suffers from the torture. She wants the boy to recover so that he can bring food to her whenever she is at the bookstore. However, his husband orders his friends to kill Michael, thus complicating the life of Georgina Spica, as she cannot have a love affair with Michael anymore.
Driven by anger, Georgina decides to compel his husband to eat the body of Michael before killing him. With anger, Georgina says that, “he must feed on the body of Michael before I kill him as a punishment” (The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover). In this view, Georgina becomes a victimizer in cannibalism for he makes Robert Borst to cook Michael’s body and forces his husband to eat it.
Michael, the Lover
Michael also has an insatiable appetite of food because he frequents the restaurant daily and sits alone at one of the dining tables in the restaurant. His appetite compels him to come to the restaurant, and eventually meets Georgian Spica. When Georgina Spica visits him at the bookstore, he orders food from the restaurant.
At a given instance, Georgina Spica says, “we need some food from the restaurant, can you order someone to send us here” (The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover). His request makes Georgina Spica to command Robert Borst to send the boy with food, which ultimately makes Alberto Spica to discover that Georgina is hiding in the bookstore with his illicit lover.
In the film, Michael is a victim because food and love affair eventually betrays him. The delicious food entices Michael to visit the restaurant daily without imagining that he may encounter Georgina Spica. Moreover, the food that he orders to his bookstore exposes his love affair with Georgina Spica. In the bookstore, Michael tells Georgina Spica that, “let us make our love very secretive to prevent your husband from knowing” (The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover).
Despite making their love affair secret, Alberto Spica discovers and mobilizes his friends to kill Michael. After killing him, his wife avenges by forcing Alberto Spica to eat the body of Michael. Thus, the nightmare vision is evident in the film as Michael is a victim of death and cannibalism.
Conclusion
The theme of the ‘nightmare vision’ is a dominant one in the topic “The Wages of Sin” and the film The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover, 1989. The Last Judgment painting depicts how gluttons suffer in hell after spending invaluable time of their lives in lavish and gluttonous activities.
The gluttons suffer great anguish and misery eternally since gluttony is a deadly sin. Moreover, the movie depicts how gluttonous behavior destroys lives because Alberto Spica and Michael die while the boy and Georgina Spica suffer from the consequences of their glutinous lives.
Works Cited
Prose, Francine. Gluttony: The Seven Deadly Sins. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Print.
The Cook, the Thief, and His Wife and her Lover. Dir. Peter Greenaway. London: Erato Films. 1989. DVD.
School of Athens is a piece of fresco done by Raphael within the period of 1509 and 1511 at the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City (Munn 67). This is one of the most philosophical frescoes done during this era. Raphael was known as a philosopher. During his era, the society was heavily influenced by the works of such philosophers as Plato and Aristotle. He was known to be a follower of the principles that were brought forth by these great philosophers.
He was known to be one of the greatest painters in Italy, and most of his paintings would reflect a given message. Being an artist, he used his art to pass messages that he considered the society should know whenever he embarked on his work. The School of Athens, otherwise known as Scuola di Atene was done with a lot of accuracy and a concerted effort was put to ensure that the images were as clear as they could possibly be.
The background of this fresco clearly demonstrates the Renaissance period in Italy. Raphael was reflecting on an era that characterized emergence of modernism in Italy. The background of this picture depicts the cultural change that was taking shape very rapidly in Italy during the period between 14th and 16th centuries.
That was a transitional period between Medieval and the Modern Europe. Italy, and Europe at large, was experiencing a rebirth, and new systems were being put in place to which reflected this transition (Raffaele 98). The society was first learning towards the renaissance that was propelled by the Greek’s philosophers. This is clearly demonstrated in this fresco done by this particular artist.
The setting of the School of Athens may bring a lot of debate given the shape that Raphael has given it. One may argue that the setting of this fresco has a setting of a church. This was as a typical shape of a church. However, there are a number of factors that rules out the possibility of this being a church (Hall 78).
This therefore, leaves the possibility of this being a palace. The ornaments on the floor, the decorations of the walls and the general atmosphere of the place leave no doubt of this setting being in a palace. The royalty of this place and the people in this place is convincing that this is a palace. The setting of this place can also be considered in the context of the time in which this painting could have been made.
This painting gives the context of the time of renaissance when several philosophers and scientists would come together in royal palace or conferences to discuss issues that concerned nature and the society in general. The painting gives the impression that this is a conference where the king would meet with his top advisers and other intellectuals trying to define the future of the kingdom.
The characters used in this fresco are symbolic of how most kingdoms were run. Most kingdoms during this era heavily depended on advisors who could help them define the leadership of their nations. This is because most of the characters are some of the renowned philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. In the painting are also some of the best solders of a lifetime like Alexander the Great. Scientists like Pythagoras and Archimedes can also be seen.
References
Hall, Marcia. Raphael’s “school of Athens”. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996. Print.
Munn, Mark. The School of History: Athens in the Age of Socrates. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002. Print.
Raffaele, Top of FormFlorio. The School of Athens: How the Humanities Can Help Revive the Great Conversation. New York: Cengage, 2006. Print.
The film depicts the struggle the black community faces to change the status quo through film. Tommy is an incredible playwrite with ‘Just us’ being pitched by his childhood friend George. After its test pilot is approved they celebrate their creativity by depicting the characters as positive, warm and humane something which doesn’t play out well with the directors.
With the falling ratings the pressure is piling on Tommy to change the script to the ordinarily predictable African American stereotype. Even after their demeaning efforts, the show is cut off leaving George and Tommy where they were hinged on a retrogressive system.
They face the forces of negativity in their work and fuel it by believing they had failed in their quest for equality. Discrimination is rife in their society since even the audience loses belief in the show by not tuning in causing the ratings to drop.
The film gives us a flashback of when Tommy and George were young and they used to watch ‘roots’ a show which focuses on how a young African warrior is stolen from Africa and sold as a slave is able to create a family which generations later is able to be free from slavery. It tries to outline the importance of freedom and people charting their own paths in life by breaking the monotonous cycle .
The story pans out in today’s society where a clique doesn’t allow for dynamic shifts in the mindsets of people to be expressed through the media. The portraying of black people as criminals doesn’t serve the purpose the show was meant to undertake since it short-changes the viewers and the writers as well.
George and Tommy also take up an important role in the film as the main actors through their interactions to see the show through. Though they are faced with a myriad of challenges they managed to end up as people who added value to society through their show. They also had challenges of balancing their professional and private lives.
Personal values also play a part in the film through Tommy being prone to manipulation by the network executive to appease their thirst to retain the status quo.
It hasn’t been easy for black entertainers to leave their mark in television with some of them getting either demeaning or ‘lesser roles’. The most common catch phrases that have been used by black characters were either given to us by the white man during the slavery days and are now used by black people while referring to each other.
This in turn begs the question does it really matter to us that we insult each other and how does it help us? Some may argue that it helps in lessening the stigma against us with others not paying attention to the words which faded after the independence of all Americans.
To white characters it gives them an edge over black Americans since they feel superior due to their power over the mindset of black Americans. To blacks, it neccesitates for a change of attitudes and mindset. It is a shame that some blacks still think that the only way out of poverty is through crime or drug dealing.
Black-cast dramas have been a revelation when it comes to cable channels because of the way the stories are able to resonate with the audience. Although they haven’t been rampant as expected the growth of the shows has created a buzz in the industry. The industry is very bureaucratic and rigid with any show that doesn’t bring instant success through ratings being shot down.
Compounded with the fact that AfricanAmericans are a minority their needs are not seen to weigh much when it comes to demanding shows because of the low returns compounded with other factors such as being unfairly associated with gangs and drug dealing. With competition from other cheaper to produce shows such as Mexican soaps the average African American will have to wait a little bit longer before they can get their own shown on cable networks.
The promotion of black-cast shows has not been forthcoming with all parameters in cable networks turning a blind eye on the importance of a balanced viewership by audiences. With the storylines of other kinds being recycled over and over again the networks have deliberately looked the other way instead of tapping the unharnessed potential of all the stories that could be changed into stars.
This in turn has led to the formation of a network for black-cast viewing, BET (Black Entertainment Television). It exclusively airs black content while creating awareness of the deliberate attempt by rigid forces to lock out the stories of minorities.
My ideal African American show would have to be The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The show is about a young Will who moves to West Philadelphia to live with his aunt and uncle in Bel-air (Diaz, 2011). This contrasts with his previous lifestyle.
The show’s premise is all about how Will was able to surplus all the pressure of maintaining his ‘hood’ past and concentrate on the lessons to learn from his experience. The central conflict plays out such that Will is against society. He is placed in an unfamiliar setting where he is found wanting in most of his actions such as his etiquette. This leads to him learning the ropes anew while also using his past experiences to move past hurdles he encounters daily.
The person who I feel would be able to capture and own the position of Will would have to be Eddie Griffin while Will’s uncle would have to be Denzel Washington. Eddie would be able to capture the humor while also charm his way out of trouble if need be. I felt the underprivileged boy would be better played by a person who would look the part which Eddie would comfortably do. On my decision to cast Denzel I thought he would suit the wealthy uncle while also looking the part as well.
The film maker should ensure the script is well represented on the screen through cinematography to encompass the theme of the show. He /she is charged with creating the scenes scripted in a manner that captures the audience best while its main purpose would be to evoke emotions.
The film maker is also charged with the moral responsibility of not creating biased works where a certain storyline must be observed to create a balance in the story to bring out the story in its entirety without fear or favor. But it goes without saying that all this is within reach and the only limitation to anything is where minds reach their creative end.
Works Cited
Diaz, Evelyn. “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Star Slams Will Smith | News | BET.” Celebrities, Music, News, Fashion, Entertainment, TV Shows and Video | BET. 28 Dec 2011. Web.
In the course of its history, the civilization of Ancient Rome incorporated and modified the elements of those cultures which it dominated. This argument is particularly relevant if one speaks about Roman art which includes painting, architecture, or sculpture. This paper is aimed at examining foreign influences on the Roman art. One can argue that Romans were able to adapt, modify, and sometimes improve the artistic techniques which they borrowed from others. This is the main argument that can be put forward.
One of the examples can be considered is the Temple of Portunus. This architectural monument can be dated back to the first century before the Common Era. This building represents the Republican period in the history of Ancient Rome.
Picture 1: Temple of Portunus. (Gardner and Kleiner 182)
Overall, this architectural work incorporates the elements of Greek and Etruscan art. For example, one can mention that Temple of Portunus includes such elements as columns, pediment, cella, and extensive use of marble. In turn, the main Etruscan influences can be exemplified with such elements as high stairs, podium, and front entrance.
Overall, the architectural style developed in Ancient Greece strongly influenced people who created Temple of Portunus. To a great extent, this temple bears a close resemblance to Parthenon. This example indicates that Romans did not neglect the culture of countries or regions which they dominated.
Additionally, it is important to speak about Roman sculpture which was also affected by other cultures. One should take into account that Romans produced copies of Greek sculptures such as Apollo Belvedere.To a great extent, Romans were impressed with the meticulous techniques used by Greet sculptures.
Yet, one should remember that they modified the legacy of Ancient Greece. In particular, Romans insisted on the realistic portrayal of subjects without idealizing the physical beauty of a person. This style is often called verism, and it is a forerunner of modern realism.
For example, one can mention such an artwork as the bust of Trojan Decius. This sculpture was created in 249 C. E. The viewers can see that the artist did not try to idealize the physical appearance of the subject. This is one of the main aspects that can be identified because it distinguishes Roman sculpture among other styles and traditions. This sculpture was created during the period of the Late Empire and it shows that even at the height of Roman political and cultural domination, Greek art still greatly appealed to them.
Picture 2: The Bust of Trojan Decius. (Gardner and Kleiner 185)
Furthermore, it is important to speak about painting, especially frescos. One can argue that this technique was widely adopted by Etruscans. A good example of this technique is the portrayal of a husband and wife. This artwork was found in Pompeii. It was created in the first century of the Common Era which is the period of the Early Empire. Again, one can say that the author of this fresco attempted to emphasize the realism of his artwork. This is one of the main things that should be considered.
Picture 3: The Portrait of a Husband and Wife Found in Pompei. (Gardner and Kleiner 187)
These examples are important because they demonstrate that Romans were willing to use the artistic techniques used in other cultures. This openness is one of the reasons why Romans could produce magnificent artworks. However, one should not suppose that they merely copied the artworks created by others. In many cases, they modified foreign influences and in this way, produced unique sculptures, paintings, or architectural monuments.
Works Cited
Furtwangler, Adolf. Masterpieces of Greek Sculpture: A Series of Essays on the History of Art, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010. Print.
Gardner, Helen, and Fred Kleiner. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages: A Global History, New York: Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.
Gates, Charles. Ancient Cities: The Archaeology of Urban Life in the Ancient Near East and Egypt, Greece, and Rome, London: Routledge, 2003. Print.
Fine art is used in all sorts of ways that are neither for public nor private viewing. Advertisers cheerfully plunder visual images from the whole history of art explicitly, and implicitly, and to achieve a variety of effects. Movie makers and television producers also freely utilize visual art and architecture, and the settings in which these items are displayed.
They use them as props, elements in the plot, and handy backdrops for the action. Their reasons are as varied as the movies themselves, but art and architecture are almost always positive elements when used in other media. This generally positive aura that clings to fine art and famous architectural monuments is true for advertising as well.
Advertisers have long been borrowing from fine arts. Works of fine arts and architecture offer many strong advantages. They are often well known. They carry with them the atmosphere of history, if they are old. If they are modern, they carry with them the idea of newness, innovation, and being in the know (Gibbons). They are, if they are well, known, probably composed and executed in a way that appeals to many viewers. They are also often free of copyright restrictions that would make their use more expensive.
Their familiarity a and the fact that many works of fine arts are well known mean that the advertiser can convey a message in the brief interval that is permitted.
Ads of any kind must compete with other stimuli in the environment for the viewer’s attention. There are other ads, street signs, articles in a magazine, programs on television, web content, and other such media also trying to get the consumer’s attention at any given moment.
There is additionally the press of life. Consumers are concerned with being safe, with getting their meals, with getting to work, and with taking care of kids and pets. Everyone is spending a significant portion of their time and mental energies on getting (and keeping) themselves clean, clothed, and prepared for work and school.
In the midst of all these activities, advertisers are simultaneously trying to alert consumers that they could accomplish all of the above better, faster, more efficiently, cheaper, more ecologically, and with better style, if they would just buy the advertiser’s product! This is a massive challenge.
The consumer’s time and attention may be measurable in seconds or fractions of seconds. Displaying an instantly recognizable image or portion of an image, or even a reference to such a well-known image saves the advertiser time. Part of their work – that of explaining themselves ‘is already done, accomplished, achieved when a very familiar work of art is shown or referenced. The advertiser’s job of getting across whatever impression or message they intend is given a major shortcut to the crucial synapses in the consumer’s brain.
An example of such a short-cutting image is the Mona Lisa, by Leonardo da Vinci (Da Vinci). Although painted in the 1500s, this work is still recognizable today. For many Western-educated people, the image of the serenely smiling Florentine lady instantly evokes some sort of response, if only to note that is a famous painting. As such, it offers great scope for parody, as by the Dadaist artist Marcel Duchamp in the first years of the 20th century (Duchamp).
While this defacement or enhancement of the original image was not advertising anything except the iconoclastic orientation of the Dadaists, this spawned subsequent re-purposed uses of La Giaconda. Any advertising presentation of the Mona Lisa evokes both the original work, and Duchamp’s satire, for most visually literate observers. Her fame is one reason that she is such a popular element for advertisers, according to Hoffman (Hoffman 60).
As one among many possible examples, Thomas Hoving, the former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, chose to use the Mona Lisa the front cover of his guide to art for amateurs (Hoving). This suggests that even the Mona Lisa would benefit from reading this book. Anyone considering purchase will know this image, and associate it with art.
The observer will also possibly associate it with things that are venerable. This venerability suggests that the item has the characteristics of being potentially wise or learned. In the example noted above, the art work is intended to convey the message that this book could make the reader learned as well.
Cover of Art for Dummies, by Thomas Hoving (Hoving).
Additionally, the composition has for 400 years been associated with serenity and restfulness. Even for those viewers who are not familiar with the painting, the girl who posed for the painting is still attractive enough to be a cover model (although better nourished than a Kate Moss). The composition is simple and unobtrusive so it works, again, even if the viewer has no prior experience with da Vinci. Finally, the image is un-copyrighted, and its use is free.
For movie and television producers, art serves a variety of purposes as well. Sticking with the Mona Lisa, the movie The Da Vinci Code takes Leonardo da Vinci’ s paintings as the basis for much of the plot (Hanks).
The mystery surrounding this particular painting (who is she and why is she smiling?), the artist himself, his genius, and the obscure way he recorded his inventions all help to support the plot. Linking the search for unknown, hidden secrets, which is the main action of the movie, to the works of a known genius, helps to add credibility to plot elements which might otherwise seem silly.
Other movies use the nicely laid out rooms of museums as handy sets. They are designed to be looked at, so they are architecturally ready to serve as backgrounds for human actors. An example is How to Steal a Million. This includes an attempt to slip into the Claybell Laffette Museum after hours (Hepburn, O’Toole and Wallach). It also includes an artist’s studio and all the works of art being forged there. These are all scenic settings for a lovely actress.
The use of art or notable architecture also situates a character in place and time, and very importantly, class. This is the case in The Thomas Crown Affair (Brosnan). A theft of money or a car by a bored, spoiled handsome fellow might seem heinous. However, when the heist involves a painting, as it does in this film, theft just seems a bit classier.
Furthermore, the movie was shot at least in part against the gorgeous backdrop of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This gives the viewer a chance to vicariously experience the delights of being in New York, near such great cultural institutions. It also adds credibility to the story. Making the theft from some boxy featureless place would be less exciting and perhaps not worth the risk, the viewer is led to believe.
The movie also includes other recognizable architectural monuments in New York City. These are conveniently built and in place already, relieving the producer of creating elaborate sets from scratch. These locations send messages to the viewer that these characters move and operate in an elite world where everyone knows and appreciates art.
As an example of how art in the movie setting might be used to opposite effect, imagine a movie set in a store or home displaying mass-produced paintings on velvet of kittens or Elvis. This would convey a very different impression of the intellectual and cultural sophistication of the residents, occupants, or customers of such a shop or home.
Television shows, with their smaller budgets, use famous architecture and art work as well to save money and convey a powerful impression. The television show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia uses the distinctive architecture of South Philadelphia row-homes (Howerton, McElhenney and Day). These buildings, shown in establishing shots throughout the show, add plausibility to the notion that these grotesquely amoral misfit characters are representative of the residents of the city.
The show uses real Philadelphia buildings from the mid-1800s, with the characteristic three steps up, the basement windows, and narrow width with no more than two or three tall windows on the first floor front. The interiors are less plausible because they are so expansive. They also use the iconic public architecture of the city from time to time.
In this context, the directors can safely stage plots that are generally extreme, shocking, and quite insulting to the actual residents of the city. The visual referencing of the homes of the middle class provides a believable setting for the funny, pitiable, and largely unbelievable actions of the protagonists.
Works of art, like architecture, also lend themselves to television productions. The use of artwork to provide a sense of place and a lived-in atmosphere is very important. Without artwork, the bare walls look like a set and not like a home or even an office of an upscale organization.
This has become such a major part of creating settings that a new procedure for licensing art for use has been created. This is meant to make the process of getting art for sets a faster process (Fine Art America). (Of course, using works of art that have no copyright issues is also helpful.)
The great works of art and architecture, and even colloquial architecture, have served advertisers and the producers of media for many years. They have exploited the familiarity of the public with the images of famous works to access the customer or viewer’s memories and impressions directly.
The use of fine art can save time for the advertiser, and associate their product with the positive aspects of the piece of art. In film, art can serve as a subject that adds status to a plot. Art used in a movie can help the viewer to figure out swiftly what the education and intellectual level of the character is. It also offers ready-made settings.
This is true as well for television. Architecture, especially when it is distinctive and characteristic of a time, place, or demographic group, provides a shorthand for establishing a setting quickly in the compressed time format of TV. This is actually generating an increasing market for art work. In all these uses, art and architecture add a positive and powerful set of signals for the viewer/consumer.
Works Cited
Da Vinci, Leonardo. Mona Lisa. Pars: The Louvre. Oil.
Duchamp, Marcel. Mona Lisa with Mustache. 1919 version. Paris: Private collection, Paris, on loan to the Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou. Printed Postcard and Pencil.
Fine Art America. “Fine Art America Sample Licensing Agreement.” 2013. Fine Art America. Web.
The use of fine art and architecture in advertising and other media has a long history. Fine art has lent its aura of respectability and elite sophistication to all sorts of promotional material, movies, and television for generations.
Whether by endowing a product with greater status or credibility (Boston College), enhancing brand recognition, or simply displaying a time tested, and pleasing combination of colors, line, form, space and texture, fine art is useful. Like architectural landmarks, famous works of art also help the viewer to determine where the product, actor, or action, is located in time and space.
They may also provide clues to the character’s social background. However, the advertising industry and the fine arts world have for decades been engaged in a continuing discussion of what constitutes fine art. This has accompanied an ongoing examination of how to distinguish fine arts from images or objects created exclusively for promotional purposes. Recent research has also investigated and quantified what constitute the most appropriate and effective uses of fine art in advertising.
Fine art has long been the standard against which most visual media have been judged. It is usually defined as including objects created for their beauty (Merriam Webster). Student observers might say that what distinguishes fine art from, for example, craft, or other useful created items is that it can be appreciated on its own. In other words, it is compelling even when viewed apart from its original purpose, application, or setting.
To understand how advertisers use fine art, it is helpful to know how advertising developed in the first place. It is also helpful to know what the place of fine art occupied from the beginning of advertising.
Fine art has always included examples that conveyed a narrative. Much of religious art actually depicted Bible stories for non-literate viewers. Thus, even some of civilization’s greatest treasures fulfilled an illustrative function. For millennia, artists created whatever they were commissioned to create, exactly as advertisers do today (Bogart 8).
The eighteenth century witnessed the emergence of the phenomenon of the independent artist. This artist made art for art’s sake; expressing exclusively personal feelings[1]. The era of painting for patrons or for God, or both, was largely past (Bogart 18)
Central to the development of advertising was fairly recent development of art explicitly created as illustration. Modern illustration should be distinguished from, for example, the illuminations of the medieval period. It was enabled by increased use of mechanized printing of books, and periodicals for mass distribution. The reproduction en masse of items such as wrappers, boxes, or posters enriched with fine art images further transformed fine art into ephemera, for the first time.
Mass production of printed materials also, as McClintock points out, altered public access to fine art dramatically. For example, advertising posters featuring artwork (in addition to text) permitted images that in an earlier era might have remained the intimate visual property of their commissioning patron, or at most, a modest population of worshippers or elite viewers of a piece of art, to become nearly everyone’s property (McClintock 511).
However, as Bogart notes, the relation between fine art, illustration, and advertising art, has been fluid (Bogart 17). The relationship has evolved from near unity, to divergence.
The mid-1800s witnessed the development of advertising as a specialized occupation. It included fine arts from the start. One of the first readily recognizable advertising efforts was the Pears Soap campaign, initiated by the entrepreneur Thomas J. Barrat (McClintock). He bought the rights to a painting, titled Bubbles, by a well-known artist, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood adherent John Everett Millais (Millais).
The painting depicted a lovely young boy gazing up at a floating bubble (a symbol of transience as well as an object of geometric perfection and iridescent beauty, difficult to capture in two dimensions)[2]. Barrat modified it by the insertion of a cake of Pears soap (McClintock 510). This thereby created, arguably, the first instance of product placement.
McClintock argues that Barrat’s modification and subsequent widespread distribution of the image created what she terms a “visible aesthetic space” around a commodity (i.e., soap). She notes that this achievement was unprecedented, and far-reaching in effect (McClintock 511). She further argues that Barrat and subsequent imitators were tapping into the non-verbal, non-rational, perhaps not ordinarily permitted feelings and ideas that art can so powerfully evoke; “its unique powers of communication” (Boston College).
The aim, however, was to make the viewer buy, buy, buy (McClintock 511). This distinguished the Pears campaign from creative efforts to help the viewer achieve salvation or to submit to a ruler, as many previous works of art were doubtless meant to accomplish.
Figure 1: Bubbles by Millais, John Everett.
Note that, as far back as art can be identified, there is usually some attempt to sell an idea. The ancient world’s giant stone deities and sovereigns are clearly public relations projects. Thus, distinguishing between creative output that is fine art versus creative output that is merely advertising is neither simple, nor straightforward, and possibly not always useful.
For artists born in the late 1800s such as Norman Rockwell, art school was the training needed for both fine art and illustration. However, by the early years of the 20th century, advertising had become more of an industry of its own, as opposed to being just one activity among many of an entrepreneur or business.
Although it was an outgrowth of both the arts of printing and typography as well as illustration, advertising still looked a great deal like fine art. However, an idealist such as Rockwell might take an oath to eschew doing advertising work (later broken, clearly) in the same way that other young aspiring people might have taken the temperance pledge (Bogart 72). His work, by ironic happenstance, was, of course, advertising gold, and helped to sell millions of copies of The Saturday Evening Post.
Today’s advertisers have access to centuries of fine art, much of it digitally imaged, and thus, digitally modifiable in a huge range of ways. However, in many ways their uses of fine arts do not differ dramatically from Millais’ exploitation. Many similar elements can be identified from current and recent advertising campaigns.
Pears Soap, for example, used a painting that was gracefully composed. Thus, it would please even an unfavorably disposed viewer. Current research suggests that, if used with care, fine art retains its power as art. If used carelessly, however, customers judge it as an illustration (Boston College).
As an example of a current image that exploits formal principles of contrast, proportion, variety, harmony, and movement, consider the Boysen Paint advertisement (Salomon).
Figure 2: Print Advertisement Design by Lukas Solomon.
This, for many observers, might evoke the nearly abstract floral studies of the American painter Georgia O’Keeffe (O’Keeffe). The O’Keeffe Jack in the Pulpit series [3]apparently uses a similarly limited number of colors, provides movement vertically, and leads the eye to finish the flower although it is only suggested.
This is parallel to what the Boysen Paint image accomplishes, using only splashed paint, captured in motion by photograph. Even if one does not even recognize the brand name or associate it with paints, this image is, as a result, gorgeously pleasing to the eye.
Figure 3: Jack in the Pulpit series by Georgia O’Keeffe.Figure 4: The Pears Soap by Jeralyn Merritt.
The Pears Soap campaign also selected a work by a respected and well-known artist. A parallel example would be the frequent use in media of The Last Supper (da Vinci). A recent obvious reference in advertising to the distinctive composition of this fresco was banned in Milan (Merritt). The authorities found it offensive.
This was because, among other things, it substituted women for men, and included a semi-naked figure where St. John would be. It was perhaps also inflammatory because it equated the fashionable clothing line of Marithé and François Gribaud with the serious topic of the last days of Christ.
Like the 19th century entrepreneur, Marithé and François Gribaud have selected an artist to borrow from who is exceedingly well-known and well-respected as an artist and an innovator, still today.
Like Millais, and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in England, Leonardo da Vinci was trying ou t new directions in art, as well as proposing inventions in other fields as well, such as manned air flight. Thus, until the ad was banned (Merritt) the fashion house could borrow from da Vinci the exciting aura of being multi-talented, cutting-edge, and individual.
Many people, even those who have not taken an art appreciation course, probably have heard of his bold choices for everything from his painting media (ultimately disastrous in the case of this fresco) to his shockingly human depiction of these iconic characters from the Biblical narrative. The completely uninformed may not know these facts, but they are perhaps not the target audience for the high-end sportswear. They could have chosen a contemporary media darling as well, with similar results (Gibbons 133)
Movies also use fine art and architecture to great advantage. While those who have not visited Rome may not know the names of all the background monuments and buildings and fountains in the 1953 film, Roman Holiday (Hepburn and Peck), they are highly recognizable. Such valuable pieces of set dressing are available conveniently without construction and without a sound stage (Hoffman 76) .
The art and architecture provides immediately identifiable atmosphere, and places the tale in Rome or its equivalent instantly. What could otherwise be a lightweight tale of a confused and spoiled girl becomes mysterious and elegant by its background associated with the grandeur of tourist, classical, Rome.
Figure 5: Stafford.
Thus, in all popular media for centuries now, fine art has been a source of inspiration, fodder for parody and satire, and helpful visual cues for the viewer. Ads have used the expert eye of the artist to help them set up appealing compositions, whether seriously or in humorous homage.
They have used the high status and respectability or innovativeness of the artist as a source of borrowed characteristics and prestige. Moviemakers have used art and architecture to give credibility to their stories and instant depth and richness of detail to their scenes. All of these uses can be traced to the earliest applications of fine art to the selling of a commodity. Further, it could be suggested, much of art has been selling something, whether religious or political, since the first artist applied themselves to the earliest media.
The development of a prosperous middle class with discretionary funds to spend on art, often entirely secular, rather than under the aegis of a church, and to support offspring who wanted to pursue art, was at least partly responsible for this shift in Europe and Britain.
The bubble is a transient object of wonder, geometric perfection, and iridescent beauty, all difficult to capture in two dimensions.
Workshop of bellini: mother and child with st. John: example of the early venetian renaissance and foreshadowing of later renaissance naturalism.
The Indianapolis Museum of Art’s European Gallery is displaying a painting by the Venetian workshop of the Early Renaissance painter, Giovanni Bellini, titled Madonna and Child with St. John (Bellini). It shows an effort to personalize both the mother and the child that is characteristic of the Renaissance. However the background cherubs, wallpaper-style, hearken back to the formal and iconic style of the Medieval Period. Despite these leering faces,[1] the work is a serene and loving portrayal of a mother and her infant, and his cousin.
The picture, painted somewhere around 1490, depicts the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, and St. John[2]. All wear simple robes that were the artist’s idea of biblical apparel. The naked infant Jesus sits nearly upright on the mother’s lap, with her pinky finger pointing to his inguinal region [3]. St. John stands to the mother’s right, with hands folded in prayer and adoration. This is all congruent with contemporary iconography, visible elsewhere in the European collection[4].
The faces are believable, although lacking in any imperfections. The body proportions are relatively realistic as well, unlike the elongated figures of the Gothic period. The cherubs are peculiar and so incongruent with the credible mother and child as to seem irrelevant. Those paintings attributed directly to him rather than to his workshop, for example in other collections, show even more individualization of faces (National Gallery of Art).
The painting is executed in both tempera and oil on a wooden board. Such boards would have been prepared with animal skin sizing (perhaps clippings from parchment), gesso (compounded from plaster of Paris and glue), and a mix of oil and resin. The paints were compounded of water, eggs, and mineral and other items of questionable toxicity, such as lead (Indianapolis Museum of Art).
Bellini began his career working in tempera, but his later work explored the color transparency offered by oils (Brittanica). The mix of these two media must have been challenging given the different drying properties of these two paints. The tempura often results in a brighter set of colors than oil, as is visible in other paintings of the medieval period and the early Renaissance[5]
This work shows a careful use of initial drawing to create the detail of the faces , bodies, and draperies (Indianapolis Museum of Art). This is one use of line in this painting: to delineate the forms of the human and cherubic subjects. There is also the line created by the composition of the painting.
This consists of a slightly asymmetrical triangle, including the Madonna’s body with the head at the apex, the baby on her right knee, and St. John at the left lower edge. However, this asymmetry is balanced by the direction of Mary’s gaze, drawing the eye in the opposite direction.
There is no plausible space in the picture, although the implausible cherubs lean on believable clouds behind her. The colors are intense[6] and the texture is uniformly smooth, with the skin of the baby duplicating the smoothness of the Madonna’s silky clothing. The composition, as noted above, is generally of a triangle, with the emphasis placed on the two children by putting them right next to one another.
There is unity of color intensity and value with no dramatic contrasts except the white headscarf. The figures are all in reasonable realistic proportion, although they fill the space overpoweringly. The repeating motif of weird cherubs adds its own rhythm. The simplicity of this painting differs from the more complex compositions and dramatic lighting of such later artists as Caravaggio.
The work is a representative example of the Early Renaissance trend towards naturalism, of which Bellini was an important part. The composition is straightforward, but unlike the stiff figures of prior centuries of religious art, the figures are believable. The slightly unbalanced triangular composition departs from the rigid symmetry of the Gothic style. Bellini’s workshop, mixing tempera and oils, thus shows the direction that Bellini would take in his later career and points towards the evolution of the Venetian Renaissance.
Works Cited
Bellini, Workshop of Giovanni. Madonna and Child with St. John. Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis. tempera and oil on wood. 2013. Web.
Bugiardini, Giuliano. Madonna and-Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist. Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis. oil on wood. 2013. Web.
Indianapolis Museum of Art. “Bellini: Creating and Recreating.” 2013. Indianapolis Museum of Art. Web.
National Gallery of Art. “Giovanni Bellini.” 2013. National Gallery of Art. Web.
Vall, Pere. St. Stephen and Mary Magdalene. Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indiana. tempera and gold on wood. 2013. Web.
Footnotes
Many of these were repainted much later than the original painting in an effort to cover damaged paint (Indianapolis Museum of Art).
According to the Christian gospel biblical account, this second, slightly older child was the son of Mary’s relative, Elizabeth. This John, grew up to become a preacher and was known as St. John the Baptizer (or John the Baptist).
This is perhaps intended to draw attention to the fact that Jesus could, if he wished as a later adult, engage in the sexual activity that the Roman Catholic Church has always identified with original sin, but chose instead to remain sinless, according to Roman Catholic dogma.
For example in the slightly later Bugliardini painting in oil on wood of the same subject (Bugiardini).
An example from the IMA would be the Pere Vall painting, St. Stephen and St. Mary Magdalene (Vall).
According to the IMA conservationists, the intense white of her head draperies arise from the lead in the paint (Indianapolis Museum of Art).
This paper seeks to discuss the reformation and its effect on the development of the arts. The reformation period occurred between the medieval ages and the 17th century. It is estimated that this period experienced religious as well as political developments dating back to the 16th century. It was shaped by a variety of events that affected European way of life, mannerisms and culture. The reformation period encompassed developments in literature, art and science.
Reformation occurred as a result of the disintegration of the Roman Catholic Church into competing denominations. This has been termed by several scholars as a religious reform movement. Martin Luther (a German theologian) is credited to starting the reformation through his criticisms of the Catholic Church regarding its doctrines.
The idea that the Catholic Church teachings were fallacies contributed to a rebellious reaction. However, Luther did not solely contribute to the reformation hence credit should be attributed to others who equally made significant contributions.
Spread of the reformation
The reformation occurred as a result of conflicts between the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and the Bible. This was due to the fact that the views and practices expressed by the Catholic Church were restrictive. The reformation was an attempt to ‘fix’ the Catholic Church because of perceived falsehoods in their teachings.
A major contributor to the spread of reformation was the existence of the printing press that facilitated productions of materials and writings that were in turn circulated. Furthermore, people became more literate and enlightened hence sparking critical thinking and re-evaluation. People acquired different perspectives on knowledge and education hence driving them to challenge authority and not simply accept what they were told without questioning.
Key players in the reformation era
Several people contributed to the reformation era. Most of them were mostly theologians, linguists and scholars. They include the following, just to mention but a few: Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536), Estienne de la Boetie (1530-1563), John Calvin(1509-1564), Martin Luther(1483-1546), Thomas Paynell (1528-1567), Thomas More(1478-1535), Thomas North(1535-1601), Francois Hotman(1524-1590) and Huldrych Zwingli (1484-1531).
Effect of reformation on the arts
Differences between the Catholic Church and the Protestant Church were revealed through the kinds of art that each party produced. However, the effect of reformation on art mainly dwelt on secular subjects as it sought to counter what the Catholic Church upheld.
The art designed brought about different themes and ideas that were advanced by radical Christians who felt that the Catholic Church was restrictive. Church reformers like Martin Luther (1483-1546) and John Calvin (1509-1564) played major roles in challenging the inefficiencies of the Catholic Church. This included translating the Bible into vernacular which developed diverse interpretations of biblical texts.
Martin Luther, who was a priest and biblical scholar, contributed to linguistics by writing famous theses. John Calvin was also a theologian who wrote an influential book on Protestantism. Calvins’ proposals became the building blocks of the church. Other writers like Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) made contributions to the field of political philosophy.
Other contributions include translation of various Latin works into English by Thomas Paynell (1528-1567). Francois Hotman (1524-1590) advanced the field of literature and political theory.
He taught in several European universities in the fields of history and literature. Sir Thomas North (1535-1601) contributed to the development and enhancement of the English Language. This was later employed by Shakespeare as a basis for most of his plays and writings. Drama was greatly enriched and people appreciated it as a form of entertainment.
Hans Holbein (1460-1524) was instrumental in design of curios and wood art. He specialized in making carvings and woodcuts which he developed to illustrate concepts from books and what he felt. He is famously known for the Erasmus: ‘In Praise of Folly’. The reformation period is also credited to the development of architecture and music.
Music grew within this period due to the fact that Catholic views on music were receding and lacked a lot in expression hence the development of secular music. Famous composers that emerged during this period include Lassus, Tallis, Bull, Gibbons, Campion, Byrd, Arcadet and many more.
From the above, it is evident that artists sought to imitate and improve classical art. A good example is where paintings were designed to be more realistic. The paintings tended to evade being attached to religious topics, hence implying they were secular. Paintings were used to express individuals’ views and opinions arising from the religious tension. These paintings also reflected a more individualistic faith and personal growth. Architectural designs were also developed, notably the Catholic Church baroque design.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is evident that the reformation brought about a variety of changes not only to religion, but to arts and culture as well. The key players in their various capacities served to enrich art with their contributions that revolutionized and improved the field. Reformation led to the enrichment of literature as well as drama. Music grew as well as paintings and sculptures were developed that contributed to the maturity of the arts.
Soy Cuba (I am Cuba) is a film that accounts for a state of revolution that did not take place at all. The film appeared three decades late. The movie was directed by Mikhail Kalatozov. He used to be a great fanatic of moving pictures even during his early days of childhood (Rosenbaum 370). This film product was indeed a major accomplishment on his part.
During the 1960s, the Soviet Union was experiencing intense de-stalinization. At the same time, communist uprising that was considered to be popular erupted about 180 kilometers away from the shores of America. It is imperative to note that the focus of attention was Cuba (Holden 4).
In order to physically witness the progress of the revolution, key personalities such as Agnès Varda, Jean-Paul, and Sartre Chris Marker made their way to the island. They were also accompanied by several technicians, bureaucrats and advisors drawn from the Soviet Union. As a matter of fact, they came along with a lot of financial resources from the Soviet Union so that they could help the situation that was running out of control (Rosenbaum 370).
The presence of ICAIC (a new film organization in Cuba) and Mosfilm led to the conception of the I am Cuba (Soy Cuba) film. The entire film project was headed by Kalatozov (Henderson par. 3). Sergio Corrieri also stars in this movie.
He was a notable film personality during the 1968 Memories of Underdevelopment. It is profound to note that the plot of the film was excellently developed from a rejection point to the level of obscurity. It has also been laced with multicultural background alongside a decent visual brilliance that captivates the audience.
From the film, it is possible to trace the Soviet’s history with a great sense of clarity. The movie has been divided into four main categories. In the first vignette, exploitation of the Batista era and moral corruption have been vividly depicted. The portrait of the countryside has been categorized as the second vignette.
The second classification of the film also reveals how the sugar trade was wrecked by inequalities. In the third vignette, violent protests by students in the city streets have been dramatized (Rahul 64). The last classification demonstrates the hills and countryside where armed rebellion was launched by Castro and the soldiers on the ground (guerrillas).
Although there are various melodramatic plots in the film that attempt to harmonize the four vignettes together, they are not very instrumental in the overall development of the theme and plot of the film, bearing in mind that both the visual representation and the elaborate sequences have been integrated so well that the actual flow and content can be assimilated easily by the audience.
The pre-Castro Havana resorts have been brought out in the film using well planned sequence camera shots that have been amazingly choreographed. Although they are simply imitated pieces, the audience is left with a feeling of reality moves that can be hardly differentiated from the actual scene (Nesbit par. 4).
The funeral ceremony of a student who was murdered due to his staunch religious beliefs is also depicted as part of the theme development (Rosenbaum 372). At this point, it is worth to note that the methodology used to capture certain sections of the funeral ceremony elicits various degrees of suspense. For instance, although the funeral scene has been captured in one camera shot, the picture plot is indeed dramatic.
The shot is initiated from the ground level where the coffin has been positioned. The camera is then shifted to acquire the aerial view at the top of the buildings followed by a dashing move along the cigar factory. It is finally projected on top of the swelling crowd on the city streets and over the mourners. The coffin has been covered with the Cuban flag. Moreover, the visible emotions on the face of the mourners leave the audience with a thrilling sight.
The scene where the Havana hotel is located is also another point of interest in the film. The Batista cronies, colonial exploiters as well as the dizzy world have been captured by the moving pictures. While the film depicts various scenes of exploitation and prosperity, the prevalence of poverty in Cuba has also been brought out.
It is apparent that the film also aims at juxtaposing the significant disparity that exists between the wealthy and poor citizens in this country. Although this divide has not been elaborated vividly, it is evident from the visible emotion of crowds in the streets and at the place of burial (Rahul 66).
The Havana hotel seems to be a place of happiness in spite of the sad moments down the streets. While the poor are suffering, the rich opressors are celebratng. The lifestyle of those who opress the weak individuals in society has been vividly captured by the film (Holden 3).
The film has managed to bring out the fantastic and exotic look of the Cuba island. It is also vital to mention that the movie has been structured in such a way that the various apects of the revoluton are well expounded through visual and dramatic illustrations.
In spite of the fact that there are several cast members, the film’s revolutionary rhetoric does not entirely rely on the characters in the scene because the vusual represenebation of various settings have clearly communicated the Cuban and Soviet’s settings alongside building the main themes.
The film has also exposed celebrated characters who may be perceived as heroes in the development of the plot. Some of the heroic characters in the movie include the exploited bar girl working in Havana by the name Betty, a poor cane cutter known as Pedro and a student leader (militant) by the name Enrique. Alberto is a popular character in the film because he has idenified himelf as a fredom fighter who hardly gets fatigued.
Even in the wake of celebrations by the oppresive class of wealthy people, the american businessmen are considered as enemies toward the progress of the ordinary Cuban people. They even explot the Havana bar girls through commercial prostitution. One of the most inflamatory scenes in the movie is presence of the american sailors.
As the latter sing a jingoist anthem, a lady is frightened and decides to escape through the empty city streets. This type of fear is a clear indication of how the poor Cubans are living in poverty coupled with insecurity and uncertainity for the future (Henderson par. 2).
One of the most outstanding scenes that compels the audience to watch “I am Cuba” is the visionary cinematography created by Sergei Urusevky. The latter makes the film to stand out beyond a mere relic of Communist kitsch.
For instance, the burning passions of the affected segments of the population and the explosive polarities of the ensuing revolution have been illustrated by the black and white photography laced with high contrast color setting. This visual impression has been illuminated through the inky skies as well as the sugar cane and palm tree fields.
The wide angle lenses of cameras have been used frequently in the film. Indeed, there is a good reason why such distortion angles have been employed when capturing various scenes in the movie. For example, the Havana nightlife is elaborately depicted using such camera angles.
The surrealism of such scenes has also been enhanced with the wide-angled camera lens. In addition, tourists who are clad in bikini have also been captured from the deck of the Havana hotel. The sequence of the shots begins from the pool sides to regions below the vast pool waters (Henderson par. 3).
It is vital to reiterate that the movie goes beyond mere celebration for a state of revolution. Every aspect in the film depicts dreams that have been truncated to black and white. In a more rhetoric manner, the plot, content and theme of the film can be analogous to the popular saying you are either part of the problem or part of the solution.
On a final note, it is prudent to underscore the fact that such a masterpiece production may lack significance to certain segments of the audience who do not fully identify themselves with the events of the soviet’s revolution or the massive social disparities witnessed in Cuba during the time depicted in the movie.
Nonetheless, the most outstanding theme that is worth recalling in the film is the social malpractice that has left certain people more impoverished. It is evident from the film that the main role of the oppressors in society is to undermine and exploit the weak individuals. While there may be promises and positive hope for the future, uncertainty and despair is a glaring reality in the face of the disadvantaged population.
