Category: Art

The distinction between great and mediocre art is often subjective and it often cannot be accurately determined by any qualitative or quantitative measurement. The articles presented in this packet touch upon a series of questions such as artistic taste, evaluation of art, and creative courage.

The central idea that the authors emphasize is that artists and critics should focus on what they consider to be beautiful, but not on the assessments made by other people who often can be biased, prejudiced, or simply superficial.

Both evaluation of art and creativity require freedom of mind, courage, and ability to go beyond the limits of convention. This is the main idea that permeates each of the readings.

The idea that the value of art cannot measured objectively is eloquently illustrated in the article by Jamie Katz who shows that how a seemingly ordinary painting can be transformed into a real masterpiece only because its authorship was attributed to Diego Velazquez (Katz, 62).

The main paradox is that for a long time, this picture did not attract the attention of art critics or historians, even though it was not hidden or concealed from them (Katz, 61).

It grew to fame only because a single person liked it and conjectured that it could have been created by a famous Spanish painter. The issue is that the painting, itself remained unchanged; it did not acquire any new qualities.

Although the author does not pose the question explicitly, the readers may ask themselves what might have happened to this painting if its authorship had not been ascertained. This example suggests that the value of an artwork is often determined on the basis of very subjective criteria.

This is why people should primarily pay attention to their own feelings about a certain work of art, rather than to the authoritative opinions of critics. The thing is that these people often change their opinions. People, who prefer to blindly follow popular trends, deprive themselves of an opportunity to see the value of art.

This idea is also reflected in the article Alices Wonderland written by Rebecca Mead. This author tells the story of a woman who attempts to establish her own art collection. Alice Walton did not wish to buy pictures that were popular among other art collectors or dealers; she decided to collect the paintings that she liked, namely those ones dedicated to American history (Mead, 34).

Certainly, Alice Walton could have made a different choice, for example, she could collect artworks that were praised by critics. Nevertheless, such a choice would run contrary to her own artistic sense. Again, this article illustrates an idea that people should be more independent or courageous when forming their judgment about a work of art.

Unfortunately, very often people are rather unwilling to make their own judgment about paintings, films, books, or musical compositions. This is a problem that has been relevant at any time or place. Moreover, it manifests itself in various areas of art.

Thus, this argument can be equally applied to people who are engaged in creative work. Adam Gopnik whose article focuses on van Goghs life and work, shows that an artists bets his life on his work (55). Moreover, not every person has the courage to depart from existing tradition and create art forms as it was done by Vincent van Gogh who was appreciated only by a very few people, for instance, Paul Gauguin.

He was an artist who realized that his paintings would not enjoy popularity during his lifetime. Moreover, he did not expect that his works would earn his material prosperity. In this article, Adam Gopnik describes his life as making something that no one wants in the belief someone someday will (55).

This quote indicates that art requires courage and determination, and these are the qualities that not everyone possesses. Under such circumstances, an artist has to follow instinct, intuition, and understanding of art. The choice made by Vincent van Gogh may not look very attractive to many artists who may prefer short-term popularity to the mere prospects or hopes of long-term recognition.

The majority of people are more likely follow an established trend instead of creating their own artistic style. Probably, the only thing that motivated van Gogh was hope that someday his paintings will find their audience. Such hope is not sufficient for the majority of people.

Creative courage is important for every form of art, including cinematography. In his article Method Man, John Lahr discusses the life and work of Elia Kazan. This person was able to find a new approach to filmmaking and it enabled many actors to show their best qualities.

Moreover, he helped many writers such as Tennessee Williams to improve their creative work (Lahr, 54). He can be regarded as a person who shaped modern cinematography, even though his methods were very popular.

Yet, the example of Elia Kazan shows that creative work can sometimes be the only thing that can defend a person. His testimony in HUAC (House Committee on Un-American Activities) ruined his reputation among other actors and directors (Lahr, 90). For many people, Kazans testimony equaled to betrayal of people who trusted him.

It is possible to provide several arguments in favor or against this decision. The ethical aspects of this testimony can be disputed from various perspectives. Yet, Elia Kazan justified it by his willingness to continue his work that he enjoyed most of all.

His films enabled him to withstand the criticism that he faced because of his testimony in HUAC (Lahr, 91). Again, one can remember about Adam Gopniks claim according to which an artist bets his life on his work (55).

This argument can be applied to Elia Kazan did not want sacrifice his work for the sake of his reputation and even friendship with many other people. Such a step can be taken only by a very few people. For such individuals their creativity and their work are probably the only things that make their life truly valuable.

Creativity and art critique require courage, determination, and sometimes even willingness to become isolated from others. An artist has to ready for misunderstanding or lack of appreciation. His or her understanding of art has to be the major guide.

Similarly, people, who want to make their own evaluation of art, must be able to take independent decisions that may run contrary to popular opinion. Such decisions also require courage and willingness to adhere to ones artistic taste. Moreover, these articles also illustrate that an artist is a person who is willing to stake his life and reputation on his or her work.

Works Cited

Gopnik, Adam. Van Goghs Ear: the Christmas Eve that changed modern art. The New Yorker 4 Jan. 2010: 48-55. Print.

Katz, Jamie. The Painting in the Cellar Smithsonian Magazine 10 Apr. 2011: 61-66. Print.

Lahr, John. Method Man: Elia Kazans singular career The New Yorker 10 Dec. 2010: 88-94. Print.

Mead, Rebecca. Alices Wonderland The New Yorker 27 Jun. 2011: 28-34. Print.

The main idea of the essay The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction is that the traditional ritual meaning of art can be lost due to the modern technical facilities and chaotic print of the works. I consider this statement as a valid and well-grounded. For Benjamin, every work of art should be unique in order to create the spiritual connection with the audience. In the age of mass-products, the real value of art is neglected. Although reproducible works are popular and accessible, only original art has the ritual ground.

Although, in general, I agree with Benjamin, it would be wrong to insist upon the statement that all products of the mass-culture are empty and meaningless. The successful life of the reproductions, different interpretations of well-known works of art demonstrate a tendency of simplification of our life. It is the basic of modern civilization.

It is obvious that, seeing the authentic work, we can have more profound experience. However, in case if someone cannot visit the famous galleries, one has a possibility to become acquainted with the works of art by observing the reproductions. I think that the geographical distance is one of the key moments which should be taken into account, talking about the negative side of reproductions.

Benjamin says that all human artifacts can be repeated by other humans. However, the process of mechanical reproduction led to the enormous print. It is difficult to argue with the author, as today we are witness of the chaotic production of the famous pictures, for instance, Mona Lisa or Sunflowers of van Gogh on the paper, clothes, glasses, etc. But, also we can see that the mass-production became iconic for the whole population.

Therefore, it would be absolutely wrong to insist on the statement that modern art is something outlive and soulless. Perhaps, reproductions do not contain the same aura as the authentic works, but they still can inspire people.

I do not agree with the fears that reproduction can reduce a creation of the original works. In all times, people were appreciating the authentic works of great masters. Although, the mechanical print of the works of art have a significant influence, today, the originality is still essential and people of all nationalities admire the best examples of the world heritage that cannot be out-of-date, in spite of the world-wide prevalence of the secondary works and reproductions of the famous artifacts.

The Movie Fight club is popular among young people who are known for their reluctance to read. It retells the story from its original source of adaptation, a novel called Fight Club. The movie is full of violence, suspense and people who are disgruntled with modern social, political and economic systems.

There is a general suggestion in the movie that the answer to all these problems cannot be found through self improvement but through self destruction. It turns out that the protagonist has been inflicting self damage as the person he is fighting is no other than himself. The movie portrays the illogical overindulgence of mens movement and the degrading effects of consumer culture.

In fight Club, Druden is symbolic of rebellious force dedicated to tearing down the unreliable and middling way of modern life. The violence shown in the movie depicts fabricated realities, materialism and consumerism that is often sold to the public through media commercials (Fincher, 1999).

Druden observes that he is part of what he calls middle children of history who have been raised by television to believe that they will at some point in their lives become rich and famous people, something that will never happen.

The movie rails against consumerism. When the protagonist discovers that his followers have discovered his true identity, he resolves to put an end to project mayhem (Fincher, 1999). Tyler is eventually isolated by this move and is left powerless both economically and politically.

His indifference towards suffering is symbolic of capitalism that ends being oppressive towards common workers by reducing them to objects whose sole purpose is to facilitate financial transactions. The family is not an exception in this absurd treatment of human beings by the capitalist system.

The protagonist notes that his own father managed family like a business entity by serially divorcing and starting up a new family at the end of every six years. He also notes that his father disappeared at some point in his lifetime; this is symbolic of removal of God from western civilization. The protagonists confusion leads him to be sexually attracted to Druden.

The movie uses political themes to show the future of contemporary politics. Like zeitgeist, the movie shows that authoritarian institutions evolved from revolutionary left-wing movements.

This suggests that people should not blindly follow todays upcoming movements such as gay liberation, feminism, anti-globalization etc that purport to be a cure against postmodern political oppression. The proposed radical solution can turn out to be a permanent social and political problem should the cure fail to work (Fincher, 1999).

The final part of the movie ends where the protagonist realizes that Druden was his hallucination and that his total disappearance is conditional. He should not try to take any sleep inducing pills to solve his sleep problems. Any attempts to cure his alleged illness will only aggravate his sleep disorder which will only mean more schizophrenic hallucinations for him.

This is symbolic of solutions suggested by contemporary movements as to how the society should cure its political, social, economic and personal problems through unconventional means. The movie reflects zeitgeist by being able to highlight the decline of western culture and masculine crisis. It cautions people against overdependence on things and consumerism by extension.

Works Cited

Fincher, David, dir. Fight Club. Perf. Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, and Helena Bonham-Carter. 20th Century Fox: 1999. Film.

Tintorettos Susannah and the Elders takes as its topic the Apocryphal tale of an honorable young Jewish matron sexually blackmailed by elderly public servants and saved from execution by Daniels literally divinely inspired interrogation . Tintoretto chooses the moment when Susannahs lustful admirers try to spy on her while bathing, to encapsulate the longer story and showcase a stunning nude in a private moment.¹

With a cramped focus and high contrast in brightness, it is superbly effective at riveting the eye on the gleaming skin of the heroine and providing a sense of impending doom for the dutiful woman.

The picture thus succeeds admirably at capturing the materiality of glowing fleshskin, water, silver, mirror, and greenery, while still being very clearly much an artificial construct of the studio and paintbrush, because the artists most urgent purpose is to explore and represent a magnificent womans figure.

Although probably originally much brighter, the colors nonetheless seem muted. The natural items pictured; for example, vines, trees, and duck pond, exhibit the same color intensity and range as the bodies and bald head of the dirty-old-men magistrates.

The only exceptions seem to be the glowing body of Susannah, and her ornaments of display². This is a clear signal of the artifice of the artist, but it does not detract from the picture, because these elements of the setting merely set off and highlight the nudes serene self-absorption.

These muted background colors, combined with the nudes brilliant paleness, focus attention on her. The lurking perverts are almost a second thought, concealed behind the fragile-seeming espaliered wall, and blending in, as they do, with the underbrush³. For the artist, they are less interesting than the central figure, and their lack of obtrusiveness both fits the narrative and helps attention to concentrate on Susannah.

The clothing of the left-hand elder forms a pumpkin-colored mass, with a fungus-like bare pate thrusting out towards the viewer. This figure appears to be the ground to the left of the espaliered wall .⁴ The figures and objects in the landscape are clearly delineated with both line and hue.

The most striking example of this, apart from Susannah, is this mushroom-like elders cranium, outlined perhaps with a brush, to distinguish it from the background.

Figuring out this background takes effort. Unlike in a Da Vinci, such as La Gioconda (or Mona Lisa) wherein the landscape, although not always strictly realistic, is at least plausible, the background seems almost irrelevant.

Susannahs setting evokes, for modern viewers, simplified theatre-in-the-round sets: the vining plants espaliered onto the (notably skinny⁵) wall are the only explic. It reference to an orchard sweltering in the full heat of summer, as the Biblical story indicates.

However, her small supposedly private space is beautifully detailed, and this draws the eye to admire her body and to the intimate personal objects next to her feet. This is not the way space presents itself to the eye in the natural world, and is clearly showing the imprint of the artist, but it works to create a sort of tunnel vision on the naked beauty.

The space in the painting seems very shallow, in spite of the vistas of garden and pond visible to the rear. The attention of the painter and of the viewer is funneled dramatically in on the constricted bathtub-sized area where Susannah is bathing.⁶

This cramping really leaves Susannah with nothing to do but give herself a sponge bath and admire herself⁷ Since the artist is not as concerned with the action of the narrative as he is with exploring the pleasure of a lovely woman revealed, the claustrophobic space is not a detriment.

The light is uniform and nearly directionless. The body of Susannah is bright but without any indication of the source of illumination. From the artists perspective, since his goal is the elevation of her form, this otherworldly illumination is not a drawback.

It is in the use of reflective surfaces that the Venetian touch is perhaps most evident. The mirror could enhance beauty, reveal something not otherwise visible to the viewer, or tell some moral truth⁸ Susannahs mirror reflects only her toiletries and towel, not her nakedness.⁹

This habit of the Venetian painters of titillating expectations using mirrors and then disappointing them or fulfilling them in unexpected ways is described by Cranston. The light reflects from the shiny pate of her Peeping Tom, too.

The water reflects her thigh as well as the rocks or hummocks on which Susannah is sitting. It is clear, lucid, clean-looking, and still. Tintoretto uses a very thin line of blue-tintedish white to delineate where the water surface is broken.

The actual water of Venice would have been darker¹⁰, and opaque.¹¹ A and additionally, as Hills points out, the tidal waters would have been moving.¹²

All this play with reflection is a tour-de-force, a demonstration of the artists mastery of the medium. It also fits into the pattern set by other Venetian painters such as Titian, of using reflections to send a variety of messages about reality, truth, identity, age, beauty, purity and deity, as detailed by Cranston. The subtext of the mirror, which is a very artificial element in the painting, would not be missed; the nude at the center of the picture is self-sufficient

Although neither artists brushwork nor the canvas substrate is obtrusive in this, painting, the use of canvas rather than board represents a new direction for Venetian artists . It was appropriate to the locale. It is not a fresco, which would be appropriate for the dry mountainous area of Florence, and the canvas was apparently a better match with the wet environment of Venice.

Tintorettos use of oil-based paint was also part of a growing trend away from tempura at the time. This medium may explain the fact that most of the scene appears to be viewed through smoked glass.¹³

The tea-dipped atmosphere, everywhere but the figure of Susannah, endows the scene with antiquity and unreality. It is yet another way to focus the eye on her beauty, or what Tintoretto presents as her beauty. Her muscular appearance seems to reflect his lack of female nude models.¹⁴ As a result, although magnificent, she suggests a man with breasts added.

This problem does not apply to her lovely face and elaborately braided hair, however, and the overall effect is one of sensuality.¹⁵ Here again, whether we notice that the lighting and color seem like artifacts of the studio, or ignore it, Susannah as an almost sculptural nude is the central point of the picture, not the realism of her setting or female secondary sexual characteristics.

There are a number of objects clamoring for tactile appreciation: beads, delicate linen cloth, and silver containers all suggest the merchant wealth of Venice. The water looks deliciously cool and clean to touch or drink. However, in general, it is Susannahs own flawless, and uniformly- colored, flesh that appeals most strongly to the sense of touch.

How the picture balances the challenge on the one hand; representing material things, people, and places and on the other hand; being a made, material item is, as for all paintings of that era  and perhaps all paintings of all times  a work in progress; a continual striving. Although the scene is, overall, not very naturalistic, and seems to reflect some sort of studio set, this does not detract from the impact of the picture.

Susannah almost floats above the hummocks, and only her submerged leg seems to actually touch the surface of the planet. It seems likely that her figure was sketched and perhaps pre-painted from a model in a studio, not in any sort of outdoor setting. The physical location of her observers also seems uncertain and uncommitted. They are part of the substance of her landscape rather than actors in her surrounding setting.

However, none of this diminishes how the composition involves the viewer in the heroines quiet moment of comfort and relief from the heat. In a more modern painting, with no need to justify a nude, no surroundings would even be needed. Her observers could appreciate her beauty¹⁶ without backstory or moral lesson.

As a painting, in an era when artists attempted to portray the material world with maximum fidelity, while also conveying multiple layers of deliberate meaning and spiritual truths, this painting it shows its craft; its materiality. The cues to the fact that this is a painting include the vagueness of the perspective, the loose relationship between the figures and gravity, the mysteriously source-less lighting, and the masculine proportions of the studio nude.

However, Tintoretto captures with loving accuracy her peaceful, contented expression, her gleaming trinkets, their peekaboo in her mirror, the fragility of her towel, the subtle feel of still water on skin, and water reflecting skin.

The result of the artists artifice is a frankly erotic glimpse into the private toilette of a lovely woman possessing enviably beautiful (or desirable, depending on ones gender) skin, hair, and easy acceptance of self, in an all-too-fleeting moment, in a setting that is almost irrelevant in its admittedly loose connection to nature or reality.

Works Cited

Cranston, Jodi. The Muddied Mirror: Materiality and Figuration in Titians Later Paintings. State College: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2010. Print.

Da Vinci, Leonardo. Mona Lisa. The Louvre, Paris. Oil on Wood. 2012.

De Young Family Foundation. The Novelty of Painting in Oil on Cavas. 2012. De Young Family Foundation. Web.

Hills, Paul. Venetian colour:marble, mosaic, painting and glass, 1250-1550. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999. Print.

Knickerbocker, Amy. Tintorettos Susanna and the Elders: Image vs. Text, Part II. 2012. Artist in an A-Frame. Web.

Larmann, Ralph. Painting in Renaissance Art. 2012. Web.

Raffety, Michael. Masters of Venice Show Brings Paintings Never Before Seen In USA. 2011. Mountain Democrat Newspaper. Web.

Reisch, Bruce I. and Philip Stewart. Grape Breeding. 2001. Web.

The Holy Bible. The Book of Susannah Chapter 1. King James Version. Vol. Apocrypha. University of Virginia, 2012. Web.

Tintoretto. Susannah and the Elders. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. Oil on canvas.

Titian. Venus with a Mirror. Natonal Gallery of Art, Washington. Oil on Canvas. 2012. Web.

Womens Health Information & Resource Center. Our Bodies, Ourselves. 2012. Web.

Footnotes

• ¹ This piece may have been meant to be a sort of private erotica for one of the wildly successful Venetian traders.
• ² Bath linens, cosmetics, and jewelry; all those conspicuous consumption trifles scattered on the ground.
• ³ Perhaps Tintoretto is making the point that a beautiful womans personal landscape is going to inevitably include the lustful gaze of men.
• ⁴ These are vines of uncertain species, with a flower that is not unambiguously that of a grape. In fact there is little to suggest an orchard, but perhaps the translation should be garden, or even arboretum, since there were both mastic and holm trees mentioned in the Biblical storyon the property.
• ⁵ This insubstantial wall may reflect the Venetian tendency to build thin-walled, light filled structures that did not weigh heavily on the human-created real estate.
• ⁶ This space actually seems small by comparison to many modern spa-style bathtubs designed for use in private homes.
• ⁷ The mirror is set up in such a fashion that it could have captured aspects of Susannah which are normally not seen by oneself, This sort of potential for self-scrutiny eerily foreshadows the sort of female auto-examination made popular by that perennial 1970s classic Our Bodies, Ourselves. It is appealing to wonder whether the artist was hinting at such a thing for the prurient benefit of his wealthy patron/customer.
• ⁸ Cranston notes the possibility that Venus is reflected at a more advanced age in the mirror, in Titians Venus with a Mirror, also known as the Mellon Venus
• ⁹ It is interesting to wonder whether this innocent image tells us that Susannah is entirely virtuous and free of any forbidden desires
• ¹⁰ It would reflect the dark bottom,
• ¹¹ It would carry the centuries-old load of human waste and detritus.
• ¹² The winds, tides, or activity of boats would generate ripples, even waves, on the surface of the sea.
• ¹³ Well conserved Florentine tempura paintings or frescos have an almost Crayola-like brightness, with jewel tones and a brightness of color that seems absent from this Tintoretto
• ¹⁴ This was a common problem at the time, due to prohibitions against a man seeing a woman other than his wife undressed. There is another layer of potential meaning, however, suggested by the inclusion in Cranston of the words of Ghiberti regarding his erotic response to a hermaphroditic statue. Is it possible that this sort of cross-gender appeal was embedded in this and other nudes of ambiguous gender?
• ¹⁵ In fact, in the context of todays world, with female athletes and body builders advocating strongly for a more inclusive perspective on womanly attractiveness, her appearance of physical strength is rather appealing. She would make a valuable addition to the rowing team of any college.
• ¹⁶ Of her face and hair (the body would be a true womans body in a more contemporary treatment).

Gone with the wind is identified as one of the most phenomenal movies of the early 20^th century. It was especially categorical in the definition of the movie industry in regard to cultural and historical productions.

Being one of the best works of producer David O. Selznick, it is identified as a historical piece of art work that has managed to survive through the decades and still maintain its viability.

Its fame has grown over the years to a point where it is used as a point of reference by modern film scholars and other stakeholders in the industry (Mitchell and Conroy 7).

This paper seeks to analyze the famous Frankly dear, I dont give a damn scene from the movie Gone With The Wind that was released in 1939, in a bid to understand the setting of the scene as well as the producers motives and success when making it.

The particular I dont give a damn scene is set in a lavish setting where affluence is identified as a matter of necessity. This is negated by the whole premise of the film as neediness is portrayed to emanate from companionship rather than affluence.

This scene depicts the capturing of hope in a picture that captivates the viewer to a point where he or she accepts the spectacular moments even before trying to understand them. A number of movie critics, scholars and authors have tried to explain this particular aspect through their examination of the societal trends throughout history.

The movie expresses a buildup of romance in a volatile period where the particular affluence of individuals didnt matter much (Boyer, Clark, Kett and Salisbury 483). The particular characters played by Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh captivate the viewer to a point where one is forced to stop thinking and just marvel at the pictures though the story.

While the viewer may be aware of the historical events during the time that the movie is set in, there is very little in the public domain that explores the societal position on an individual level.

The political events of the time are identified to thrive on a backdrop of rich social activity and domestic turbulence. The cinematic display of romance in this movie is exceptional and has been pointed out as the basis of the success of the movie at a time when Hollywood was just defining itself.

The realism of the movie in general, lies in the fact that it is a story about the real lives of individuals in a historical period that most viewer are aware of even if most may not have experienced it.

The fact that the director of the film was able to eliminate intimations of self-deception makes the film even more real to a point where it provokes empathetic feelings in the viewer in the shower of romance. The scene is set in a domestic setting where Scarlet OHara portrays the deep hope in a romance that may be deemed dead (Mitchell and Conroy 271).

The lying at the foot of the staircase depicts the helplessness that she suffers even with her strong character as an actualized woman. The humbleness of romance is identified to brush off of her while her lover portrays a rough scorned lover who has no belief in the romance that she has so much hope in.

This hope is a contrast to the societal position during a time of political turbulence and inevitable warfare. The producer of the film succeeds in highlighting the social challenges faced by individual who try to build romantic relationships in a domestic setting through the use of realistic real life constructs.

The scene tends to strip romance to its basic tenets where the affluence as well as political situation of a society has nothing to do with the orientation of different genders in regard to romance and relationships.

It gives the viewer an idea of an actualized society in the early 20^th century and the particular worries of such a society in regard to the different genders. This actualization is not only based on the characters social standing, but also their personal aspects.

While the premise of the film may be based on romance and its thriving in an affluent society, the film tends to negate this premise until the end. Critics have identified it as the birth of feminism where Scarlet rejects her admirer for a huge part of the film even though his intentions are clearly identified through his modest actions towards her.

In the last scene, when the gentleman has given up all hope of a reasonable relationship the lady gives in only to find out that it is too late. The relationship between affluence and feminism in a situation where actualization is strong is used to identify the conflict between self-awareness and basic human tendencies that constitutes their humanity.

The producer builds up a lot of pressure through his use of suspense only to kill it through an unfortunate end where Scarlet gets rejected by her admirer (Boyer, Clark, Kett and Salisbury 76).

The use of music in the different scenes is quite articulate as it smoothly transfers the viewers feelings and moods from one setting to another, despite the conflict between the different scenes. This ensures that the story flows smoothly, which ensures the success of the production.

This also domesticates the scenes to a point where the viewer is able to connect and associate his or her personal life with that of the characters in the movie (Mitchell and Conroy 524). The producer manages to cascade the scenes in a progressive style while still providing room for soliloquies and flashbacks.

In the particular I dont give a damn scene, there is the inclusion of recollections from Scarlets father that reassure her of a positive future with her object of desire even though he had just rejected her.

This is identified as a point of weakness for the strong feminism that the film builds up in the previous scenes (Boyer, Clark, Kett and Salisbury 347). The poetic acts serve to emphasize the romance that exists in the domestic setting where external aspects of society seem to be blocked out to enhance the feelings of the characters.

The world that is constructed around the characters has been identified to emphasize the timelessness of the movie even though it is built around a historical setting.

This also emphasizes the timelessness of romance and this has been reiterated by modern film critics who identify it as the motivation behind the films success even in the modern world of film. Despite the fact that historical premise is boundless, the producer still manages to limit the storyline to a domestic context with a number of influences from the society.

Works Cited

Boyer, Paul, Clark Clifford, Kett Joseph and Salisbury Neal. The enduring vision: a history of the American people, Volume 2. Upper Saddle River: Cengage Learning. 2007. Print.

Mitchell, Margaret, and Conroy, Pat. Gone With the Wind. New York: Simon and Schuster. 2007. Print.

Introduction

This paper presents a critical analysis of the movie Elizabeth I produced by Shekhar Kapur, 1998 in UK (Kapur 2005). The film is also known as The Virgin Queen. It is imperative to note that the movie portrays the early years and reign of Queen Elizabeth I (Kapur 2005).

The author of this movie portrays the Queen as a character who has remarkable skills in leadership. On that note, this paper will examine how effective leadership has been portrayed in the movie. Through a careful review of literature and reflection from the movie, this paper will also seek to portray how a chosen leader should demonstrate effective leadership.

A critical analysis of the movie

The film Elizabeth I is visually interesting as it unfolds by portraying the creation of the Virgin Queen. This makes the movie to appear more fictitious rather than one that highlights the history of Queen Elizabeth (Schumann 2012, p. 24). In the movie, the events began in 1554 during the reign of Elizabeths half sister. It commences by exhibiting excellent performance whereby Elizabeth is portrayed as a real woman ready to face impending challenges to establish her reign.

Notably, the author develops other characters such as William Cecil and Francis who were the Queens main protectors (Schumann 2012, p. 30). These characters help her to struggle to power. Notably, the author of the film uses other characters to enhance historical accuracy and, to develop themes such as romance and melodrama within the scene (Kapur 2005).

As the plot develops, the author portrays huge divisions that existed in the 16^th century in Europe (Gillett 1999, p. 2). These divisions result due to religious differences and wealth. Therefore, Queen Elizabeth is being portrayed as a pragmatic leader due to her performance regardless of the religious and political divisions. As a ruler, she faces numerous challenges including a chronic coup plotted to overthrow her reign.

It is important to note that the movie depicts dramatization of how the Queen succession took place and also captures the adventures that occurred some years after her reign (Schumann 2012, p. 34). Several years after her reign, the Catholics and Protestants were in conflict, a factor that made the Queen to be excommunicated. At this time, she allows Judaism though it was outlawed by the realm where the largest proportion of the population England was Catholics (Gillett 1999, p. 13).

It is evident that the conflicts marked a turning point for the Queen where she tireless influenced the Roman Catholic leaders to allow religious settlement (Kapur 2005). From this point, one can argue that the Queen was very liberal and opposed religious prejudices.

Still in the scene, the issue of marriage has been addressed. Notably, most individuals perceive it as a preoccupation for success (Schumann 2012, p. 34). In the movie, the Queen deals with numerous marriage proposals though she fall in deep dilemmas on whom to be in love with. For instance, she could not get married to a foreigner since she would end up handing over her countrys rule to the foreigner (Kapur 2005).

She even feared that if she got a local lover as her husband, he might have turned into a de facto king (Gillett 1999, p. 17). Therefore, she declined the issue and kept it to herself. She claimed that she was married to England (Kapur 2005). Notably, one can deduce that the Queen is a determined public servant who is boundless dedicated to serve her country.

Needless to say, the movie has its legacy on the art and flexible development of politics and religion (Schumann 2012, 40). The reign of the Queen was engulfed by tremendous changes such as rise of new social class, conformity to state and religion. Nevertheless, the Queen emerges as a complex person, an individual with high level of intelligence that scholars could regard as a ruler in post modern monarch (Schumann, 2012, 50).

A critical analysis of effective leadership as portrayed in the movie

Gutted (2011, p. 27) argues that effective leadership begins with self-leadership. This implies that before any leader can think of leading a thriving enterprise, he must first possess and master self-leadership skills. Subtly, self-leadership employs premeditated plans in advance to ensure that the right action takes place at the desired time. Notably, some leaders are more naturally disciplined than others (Gutted 2011, p. 27).

For this reason, there are those that struggle to boost their effectiveness in order to promote their professional will. Needless to say, self-discipline refers to the ability to control your time, resources, thoughts and emotions in such a way that you remain focused on the targeted goal. Hence, effective leadership is crucial in enhancing that leaders achieve the desired ends (Gutted 2011, p. 28).

In line with this, is imperative to note that there are numerous ways can be used to assess the effectiveness of leadership portrayed by a chosen leader. For instance, one can evaluate the cognitive abilities of a leader to determine whether they can make a good leader (DuBrin 2010, p. 71). It is evident from the movie that the Queen was an effective leader. This claim can be supported by the fact that she is able to think and act rationally for the good of her country.

For instance, she stands against religious conflicts and appeal to the Catholic Bishops to allow religious freedom in England (Gillett 1999, 12). On the other hand, personality can be used to assess whether a leader is effective. It is imperative to note that a leader should be impartial yet flexible (DuBrin 2010, p. 106). For instance, the Queen is able to silence her opponents though we find that she have got advisors.

Needless to say, an effective leader can be determined by his or her passion to perform a particular task and the flow of experience (DuBrin 2010, p. 141). Notably, one can deduce that the Queen had a passion to serve the country and had a good flow of experiences. For example, she declines getting married to both foreigners and local lovers in order to protect her country. Moreover, as the film ends, it sets a legacy on the Queens ability to safeguard the monarch to an extent that it can be considered as one of the post-modern (Gillett 1999, p. 14).

That notwithstanding, the Queen demonstrates her ability to desert traditional thinking and employs creative strategies for the good of her country. Consequently, she breaks the culture that certain religious doctrines are unacceptable in the realm. Therefore, it is arguable that she has passed the test as an effective leader.

It is imperative to note that there are several attributes that one can learn from the movie on effective leadership. For instance, when considering whether leadership is effective or not, it is important to recognize who holds the power. For example, Queen Elizabeth was born in power. Moreover, during her time, the society she grew in upheld traditional values including monarch (Kapur 2005).

Therefore, once she reigned into power, she modeled the impending values perfectly. In fact the film had demonstrated her ability and commitment to execute duties while upholding traditional values. It is definite that she successfully follows the rulebook with sober personality a factor that makes her to beat all odds. Succinctly, it is arguable that an effective leader should possess a sober personality (Willets 2011, p. 5).

Moreover, effective leaders should have virtues that will enable them to interact with the subjects. These virtues include courage, wit, truthfulness, right ambition and good temper (DuBrin 2010, p. 173). In the movie, the queen is able to interact well with her protectors and other colleagues in parliament. After her reign to power in England she emerges as a mediavel Godfather who understands the nature of her power (Kapur 2005).

She uses political machinations to bring everything in control regardless of few restrictions which engulfed her. As a leader, she finds herself trapped between religious conflicts among Protestants and Catholics (Schumann 2012, p. 30). Nevertheless through her wit and support from the council member she is able to solve impending conflicts. From this analysis if is essential that effective leaders should be gentle but hardy in order to achieve stability.

This will also help them to exert authority effectively and become self-imposed. That notwithstanding, it is essential to note that the Queen possess practical wisdom that enables her to effectively reign and enhance the wellbeing of her people regardless of challenges (Kapur 2005). Inline with this, effective leaders should have moderate temperance in order to ensure that they take reasonable risk for the good of the subjects.

Moreover, integrity is a virtue that builds trust and encourages people to consider ones leadership as legitimate (Willets 2011, p. 5). In line with this, it is imperative to note that virtues, values, morals are the sum total of an effective leader. Nevertheless, scholars argue that these aspects often remain elusive since cannot be defined but they can be demonstrated (Willets 2011, p. 5).

In addition, it is essential to emphasize that competence and commitment are key ingredients that make a leader effective. For instance, competence determines what a leader can do. Contrastingly, commitment determines what an individual wants to do. Furthermore, combination of the two concepts influences the effectiveness of a leader. Needless to say, character or personality is also a key element and plays a central role in influencing leadership (DuBrin 2010, 202).

Researchers argue that character influences what leaders reinforce, notice or value in the immediate environment (Willets 2011, p. 5). Moreover, character is crucial in making effective decisions. Research has shown that most mistakes committed by leaders have their roots on poor character development. Nevertheless, it is apparent that there is no perfect leader when it comes to character development (Pater 2011, 58).

Evidence can be derived from the fact that majority of them end up making inappropriate decisions probably due to overconfidence. Some aspects in their characters bide their minds to an extent that they fail to consider important contextual variables. In this case, they are led by emotions that hijack their self-control, a factor that results into wrong decisions. Pater (2011, p. 58) argues that even good people can be fallible. Furthermore, there are traits or behaviors that influence the effectiveness of a leader over time.

Examples of common traits include extroversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness and openness to experience (DuBrin 2010, p. 302). Notably, out of the five major domains there are other traits that are worth consideration. These include perfectionism, dominance, rigidity, impulsivity and persistence.

Research has shown that all effective leaders have their own personal style of executing their roles in leadership (Endersbe, Wortmann & Therrien 2012, p.8). Nevertheless, there are specific aspects which they share. For instance, effective leaders have commitments geared toward making their roles effective.

This implies that they use the aspect to enhance teamwork, increase productivity and build cohesiveness in their respective areas. According to Endersbe, Wortmann and Therrien (2012, p. 8), commitment in effective leadership entails three components namely clarity, rhythm and stability.

According to Pater (2011, p. 58), leaders hold certain values or belief which they find essential to enhance their leadership. Research has shown that such values influence decisions and individuals behavior. Common values that act as a guidelines in the movie include harmony, equality, non-violence and freedom. It is notable that the Queen is interested and determined to see people living in harmony regardless of their individual differences.

She fights against religious violence to ensure that every individual has equal chances to determine their fate without being prejudiced. Moreover, these values influence the queens emotion and her behavior towards numerous aspects such as religion, politics and social life as depicted in the scene (Schumann 2012, p. 25).

It is notable that as a leader, there are certain times when events take place unintentionally or unexpectedly. For this reason, a leader should employ effective leadership style to deal with uncertainties (Pater 2011, 58). As a matter of fact, the movie portrays how leadership can influence peoples reactions. In the movie, the Queen represents the establishment of aspects that were perceived as dignified, old fashioned and preserved.

Nevertheless, the author uses her wit to establish significant changes in the society such as Judaism that was regarded as offensive by the realm in England. In this case, the Queen emerges as a leader who represents freedom and modernization.

In a shift of focus, leadership style is an important factor to consider while assessing the effectiveness of a leader. Most of the styles adopted by leaders reflect their altitudes and ability to contribute to change (Nielsen & Daniels 2012, p. 383). It is imperative to note that certain styles of leadership also influence the level of motivation and commitments among leaders. In line with this, different situations require dissimilar styles of leadership in order to increase competence, productivity and the well-being of those who are being led.

Notably, one of the common and most accepted styles of leadership is transformational type of leadership (Nielsen & Daniels 2012, p. 383). One can argue that the Queen was a transformational leader who strived to transform her country. Additionally, an effective leader should be transformational and work towards positive change whenever deemed necessary. Research evidences have revealed that effective leaders using transformational style have high levels of commitment and motivation.

Moreover, they are envisioned to elicit trust and loyalty to the subjects. This is evident from the movie whereby the Queen opts to remain a virgin to devote her loyalty to England (Schumann 2012, p. 37). Notably, by the time she was interacting with her lovers from the foreign country, she could have been influenced to change her mind. Nevertheless, she remained focused and motivated despite the fact that the men were noble and strong-willed to marry her.

Another lesson that one can learn from the movie is the essence of encouraging dialogue and sharing information. An effective leader should be able to initiate dialogue and listen to constructive feedbacks from the subjects (Pace 2011, p. 64). Research has revealed that dialogue has intellectual stimulating effects and often leads to creative problem solving. From the film, the Queen is being advised by Walsingham on how to deal with her opponents.

Consequently, the Queen takes ruthless action to wipe out any form of opposition against her reign. He warns the queen that sometimes she should take unpalatable decisions which he refers to the removal of head (Schumann 2012, p. 30). In this case, the Queen does away with tedious political machinations and opt for lucrative strategies to wipe out her opponents.

Nielsen and Daniels (2012, p. 383) point out that intelligence in leadership is displayed in the manner in which a leader depicts maturity in relationship skills. Intelligence emerges in the movie to be very important in leadership maturity because it aids the establishment of solutions to complex situations. Additionally, the aforementioned authors further describe intelligent leaders as those who influence others and inspire through their words, competences and actions.

The article by Endersbe, Wortmann and Therrien (2012, p. 8) points out that intelligent leadership is key in modern society as it embraces core components that hold the society. These include horizontal components and the vertical components. The authors of the article exemplify that the vertical element of intelligence is placeless, timeless, divine, sacred conscious and of high power.

The horizontal element of intelligence embraces the understanding that leaders must be of service to human beings and everything else in the world. The best description that can be given to the leadership of Elizabeth as reflected in the movie is definitely placeless.

From a careful review of literature, it is apparent that leaders behaviors influence the environment which they operate and the relationship they establish with their counterparts (Pace 2011, p. 65). In this case, leaders behavior affects effectiveness in the various roles being played. One can argue that the Queen had used classic styles of leadership behavior. This made her to be recognized as the Godfather of the medieval era.

For instance, one can note that to some extent, the Queen was authoritative though liberal. In this case, she retained her responsibility and authority. Needless to say, the fact that she was a protestant, she faced strict opposition by the Catholic nobles after ascending to power. Nevertheless, it is imperative to note that the nobles were horrified by the Queens reign in power to an extent that they began plotting against her (Schumann 2012, p. 44).

However, the queen does not appear vulnerable but determined to hold power for good measure at all cost. In this case, the queen did not care about the magnitude of the publics reaction to stop her opponents from ascending to power. She asserts her strength and authority to silence them.

The ability of a leader to have great focus, articulate professionalism in his or her duties, and maintain high ethical orientation that generates both local and international preference act as some of the most important traits for an all time leader. Perhaps, the best description that can be used for Queen Elizabeth is that of a leader who lived well beyond her time due to her peculiar view points and leadership skills that have increasingly become the driving force to many.

While the notion of democracy by most leaders has often been considered indifferent in the public realms, the depiction of high democratic ideals by Queen Elizabeth in the movie is quite moving. To rhyme with modern scholars consideration of Queen Elizabeth, Pace (2011, p. 64) cites her ability to maintain a clear future focus that facilitated his ability to transcend from level to another.

From a leaders perspective, Queen Elizabeth was perhaps one of the best learners, a consideration that greatly facilitated her ability to curve new leadership trends. As Schumann (2012, p. 44) indicates, situational leadership requires highly sensitive people who can relate the existing trend with the core demands in the society. A leader should be able to demonstrate the ability to assimilate change and continued improvement.

According to Pace (2011, p. 64), leaders should be able to see and create visionary outsets that can effectively guide their subjects for the sake of sustainability. As reflected in the movie, leaders also need to express willingness to take key responsibilities. One of the greatest considerations that 21^st century leaders can learn from Queen Elizabeths operations is her willingness and ability to take responsibilities.

This was depicted by her devotion to achieve desired results for every citizen. Besides, she was persistent in search for ethics. According to ethical theories, a leader must be able to pursue what is good even when the chances of winning are very slim.

Queen Elizabeth also demonstrated immense levels of cooperation and support for unity of purpose. In her leadership, she indicated that the need for cooperation and unity is very critical in achieving goals.

During her leadership as presented in the movie, her roles yielded successes which were only possible through cooperation with other people. The important lesson here is that the ability of a leader is to be endowed with great focus, articulate in terms of effective leadership skills and also the ability to maintain high ethical orientation.

In summing up, it is imperative to note that another classic style that makes a leader effective is the democratic aspect that enables one to delegate duties while retaining much of the authority (Rus, van Knippenberg & Wisse 2010, p. 992). Research reveals that democracy in leadership promotes collective participation. According to Nahavandi (2006, p. 57), democracy in leadership fosters effective decision making skills.

In most cases, this allows downward and upward flow of communication. From the movie, it is notable that the Queen had master spies who were her advisors. In this case, she could delegate certain activities to Walsingham and were done regardless of whether they were good or bad (Schumann 2012, p. 33).

Nevertheless, it is important to note that past performance is likely to affect the effectiveness of the present and future leadership. In this case, an effective leader should employ traits that are likely to foster cohesiveness, responsibility and motivation (Pater 2011, 58).

Case analysis table

Recommendations

On analyzing the case in the film, the following is a list of recommendations that can be used to boost the level of leadership performance.

1. One should evaluate the level of self-leadership in a leader. This should be determined by the nature of professional skills.
2. One should also analyze the level of personal efficacy and discipline to determine the leaders effectiveness. Notably, the major benchmark in the analysis determining ones ability to control time, thought, emotions and other resources.
3. It is also imperative to consider and analyze both the external and internal factors. In this case, one should analyze their benefits and how they are likely to influence leadership.
4. Moreover, one should consider the source of power for any given leader.
5. Understanding and critically analyzing the group members initiatives and their individual potential.
6. Needless to say, one should identify and analyze the qualities and traits held by a particular leader. By so doing, it will give room for further improvement.
7. One should also try to understand how certain virtues, values and morals affect leadership
8. It is also vital to examine the professional will, goals and objectives of a leader.

References

DuBrin, J. 2010, Leadership: Research Findings, Practice, and Skills, Cengage Learning Inc., Mason.

Endersbe, T. Wortmann, J. & Therrien, J. 2012, Three Commitments, Leadership Excellence, Vol. 29 no 4, pp. 8-13.

Gillett, K. 1999, Elizabeth: Too Much Fiction in This Historical Tale. Web.

Gutted, G. 2011, Great Leadership Starts with Leading an Organization of One, Agency Sales, vol. 41 no. 11, pp. 27-29.

Kapur, S. 2005, Elizabeth I. Web.

Nahavandi, A. 2006, The art and science of leadership,Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

Nielsen, K. & Daniels, K. 2012, Does shared and differentiated transformational leadership predict followers working conditions and well-being? Leadership Quarterly, vol. 23 no. 3, pp. 383-386.

Pace, A. 2011, Leading development solutions for todays leaders, T + D, vol. 65 no.12, pp. 64-67.

Pater, R. 2011, 12-Step Leadership, Occupational Health & Safety, vol. 80 no. 11, pp. 58-67.

Rus, D., van Knippenberg, D. & Wisse, B. 2010, Leader power and leader self-serving behavior: The role of effective leadership beliefs and performance information, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, vol. 46 no 6, pp. 922-932.

Schumann, H. 2012, Elizabeth  Film and History. Web.

Willets, A. 2011, How you can become a better leader, Public Relations Tactics, vol.18 no10, pp. 6-8.

Chosen for the analysis works are two statues from MFA. The Colossal statue King Aspelta is an ancient Egyptian stone. Hercules is the bronze figure of early Imperial period of Roman.

Both of them Hercules and the Colossal statue King Aspelta are the figures of strong, idealized, muscular men and this is only one similarity between two works, the differences between two works are more important due to the different origin, meaning and values of each work for its cultural background.

The bronze sculpture of Hercules is a figure of strong nude man of middle age who has a skin of a lion or tiger on his left shoulder and hand. He holds his right hand to the people.

He has a beard on his face. However, it is impossible to see his eyes, there are only two hold instead of them. The scientists say that originally Herculess eyes were made from the different material and have been left during the centuries.

It is a complete work of art, not a part of some scene or ensemble. Such sculpture can be used as a part of interior decorations in the home of the rich Roman or in one of the various temples.

The Colossal statue King Aspelta is a typical artifact of the ancient Egypt made from stone. It is a figure of man who looks quite young. Perhaps, he was middle-aged man. He looks not so muscled or strong, but his figure seems proud as it should be in case of ruler.

The present sculpture was a part of the decorations from the Kings tomb. Therefore, it is possible to say that this sculpture should be used together with other artifacts from the tomb.

For the ancient Egyptians, every sculpture had a sacral meaning and was made in order to emphasize the divine origin of king and help him to join the gods after the death.

This is one of the fundamental differences between two sculptures. The figure of Hercules did not have any sacral sense, although he was a hero of the myths, had a divine origin being a son of the major Roman god Jupiter and had a list of the outstanding characteristics.

For the Romans, the sculpture did not have such sacral meaning as the Colossal statue King Aspelta for the ancient Egyptians.

Conditions of the works are quite good. It is obvious that condition of Hercules should be better due to its age and material from which the statue is made. Probably, when Hercules was produced it had looked more bright and light.

As it was produced in order to honor this famous hero of the ancient Greece and Roman Empire, the figure looks proud and majestic. Today, the bronze is dark. However, the statue still looks good, although there are several cracks on the body.

Condition of the Colossal statue King Aspelta is very good in spite of the age of this work. Made from stone, the Colossal statue presents an ancient Egyptian King. Instead of Hercules, King Aspelta was the real historical person.

The destination of this statue was the honor of the King, presentation of his power and divine origin. Thereby, the figure, as well as Hercules, looks proud and confident. At first glance, it is clear that this man was King who governed the great Empire.

It seems that this stone will never be damaged. It is just impossible to destroy such statue which had been saved during a few thousand years.

Although there are several cracks on the statue, it makes it look more interesting, old and mysteriously. I think that, without those cracks, it would be difficult to believe that this work of art has such a long history.

As it was mentioned before, Hercules was an ancient Greek and Roman hero. According to the legends, he was fighting with a number of evil creations in order to help people, to protect them and to make the world fairer.

The statue represents the strong and muscular man who really could fight against the various enemies. His muscles are strained like the springs. He holds his hand to people trying to help them. It seems that Hercules wants to say, Dont worry, I will protect you.

In spite of Hercules, the figure of King Aspelta represents another kind of man. He was a ruler; perhaps, he was cruel or maybe fair and kind. It did not matter for the sculptor.

The ruler should look strong, intimidating the enemies of his land and emotionless, emphasizing the divine origin and denying his human side. However, it is possible to find kind of smile on the face of King. However, this smile does not seem kind; it is more mocking than kindly.

The way two sculptures carve the parts of body is a good demonstration of the degree to which they both value the accurate depiction of human body. Thus, the figure of Hercules is absolutely natural.

It is possible to see his muscles and even veins under his skin. It is well-known fact that the Roman paid an attention to the natural depiction of every part of human body.

As most of the Roman sculptures, Hercules is nude. On the other hand, the figure of King Aspelta as an example of the absolutely different culture is not so natural.

The King is dressed in the traditional costume. As well as Romans appreciated the idealization of human body, the Egyptians tended more toward the idealization of human qualities and, in case of kings, it was necessary to emphasize their connection with gods.

Comparing the faces of two figures, it is necessary to notice that both men have the different facial expressions. Thus, Hercules looks emotionless. Perhaps, it is caused by his beard.

However, I suppose it was the authors goal to show exactly this face. The citizens may consider Herculess mimicry as the sympathetic and helpful, for the enemies, this face should demonstrate the readiness of the hero to fight.

The face of King Aspelta looks sarcastic. However, at the same time, such expression may be considered as the merciful and kind. However, according to main idea and meaning of such sculptures, this expression should indicate such qualities of king as pride, divine origin and disengagement from the earthy things.

Concluding, it is possible to say that although both sculptures are the figures of men of the same age, there are much more differences between them due to the different cultural background, traditional way of depiction of human body and sacral meaning of the Colossal statue King Aspelta.

Two statues were made in order to praise the hero and King, however, the statue of Hercules emphasizes his human sides, while the statue of King Aspelta indicates his divine origin.

Of all the ways to learn about the culture of the people living centuries ago, analyzing their visual art must be the most exciting and at the same time the most deceptive one, with a constant threat of making a misinterpretation. However, when it comes to something as exotic as the Tatanua masks, it is not the context but the bizarre shapes that one notices instantly. Taking a closer look at the Tatanua mask, one might find out why these artworks arrest peoples attention immediately.

I selected the given work because of its specific authentic look. In contrast to the rest of the artworks, this one bears the air of the ancient civilizations, even though the real Tatanua culture is not that old. It was the unusual, almost frightening, atmosphere of something alien to the European culture that made me pick the Tatanua mask to discuss in the paper.

One of the first things that fall into the eye immediately is the fact that the mask is made of quite different components that one can hardly think of mixing. For example, the wooden basis of the mask, in which the intimidating face is carved, contrasts quite sharply with the shuck which the skull is made of.

However, the painted shell which the eyes of the mask are made of looks rather natural together with the rest of the elements. Creating a distinct tribal effect and adding to the air of a lost civilization or an ancient tribe, the Tatanua mask makes quite an impression.

However, the most distinct and recognizable element of the Tatanua mask is the cast of colors. The Tatanua mask is generally of a rather mild, faded-out tint of grey and brown, which looks rather natural and adds the ethnic flavor to the mask.

Nevertheless, the bright red color and the use of black makes the entire artwork look rather weird and reminds of the call of the wild, the element that addresses the beastly part of human nature. The sharp teeth add to the overall impression, and the prolonged ear lobes make the Tatanua mask look absolutely exotic, filling it with all kinds of tribal legends.

It is important to add that the Tatanua mask is the work of art belonging to the Malaysian culture and being a part of a very specific tradition of one of the Malaysian tribes. The key function of the Tatanua mask is to serve as one of the necessary elements of a death rite, the custom which was aimed at paying the tribute to the diseased. Worn during the performance of the death rite dance, the mask was further on to be destroyed, thus, symbolizing the unity of glory and death.

One of the most exotic elements of the modern world of art, Tatanua masks definitely offer more food for thoughts than any connoisseur can think of. Comprising the elements of different styles and at the same time bearing a distinct authentic air, these masks make one think of the ancient traditions and beliefs, any of the Tatanua masks immediately set the atmosphere of a mix between a wilderness and the wisdom of the centuries. An artwork truly worth appreciating, the Tatanua mask is another mystery yet to be solved.

Still life paintings were common in Netherlands in 17^th century. Artists made these paintings with specific intentions and objectives. Dutch people have loved flowers since time in memorial. Artist took an initiative to represent various flowers in paintings. Flowers were in a sub-genre of still life which was highly regarded and well paid in Middleburg, Amsterdam and Utrecht cities in Netherlands. This encouraged them to make aesthetically attractive paintings.

According to Haak and Willems-Treeman (1984), artists depicted flowers in impossible arrangements to strengthen attraction to people who viewed them. The main reason for making these depictions in Amsterdam and other Dutch cities was to provide a cheaper way of having flowers in peoples homes.

The Dutch valued flowers so much and only the rich could afford banquets. Ordinary people were forced to buy depictions rather than real ones. Artists painted the pictures to look as real as possible. Various flowers were meant to represent certain believe held by residence of Dutch republic. Some flowers represented religious believes while others represented feelings.

We are all expected to make judgments on these pictures. Like other sub-genres of still life paintings, flower depictions had moralistic messages. However, some messages would not stand the test of time. Most of the paintings were for religious purposes. For example, the Madonna lily was used to represent Virgin Mary because of its unique features.

The white iris represented Virgin Marys purity, while the rose was a sign of her love. We can as well judge the artists for just depicting what was expected of them by people instead of expanding their own ideas (Haak & Willems-Treeman, 1984).

The judgments are epistemological since depictions occurred and they represented flowers from different seasons in ancient Dutch. More so, they represented existing flowers which were grown in gardens or banquets in vases. Some depictions were combination of flowers from different seasons painted on one surface.

The pictures of flowers depicted on surfaces were appealing to people who bought them. They were considered a substitute of real flowers for people who did not afford banquets. Some artist did them on tableware which was found to be appealing by customers. However, some flowers were depicted from species seen in foreign places and people could not relate them to anything until later. Tulip was brought from Asia; however, it was not popular until later in 17^th century.

Most flowers represented class while others represented religious believes. Sunflower was believed to represent the love of God yet in modern days it is used to manufacture food products (Haak & Willems-Treeman, 1984). The image of flowers shows us that the Dutch have loved flowers since time in memorial. This is reflected by the current per capita consumption of commercial flowers which rank Netherlands at the top.

Because of flourishing painting business, depictions from Dutch republic were sold to countries in South America and Indies. Later on, other countries around the world bought the pictures too. This increased demand for flowers which were cherished by Dutch in other countries. This contributed to the current demand of flowers all over the world.

Still life paintings in Netherlands varied and included breakfast pieces, flowers, flowers and fruits, vanitas paintings, curtain paintings, pronk and Trompe LOeil. Still life paintings came up because of flourishing trade and introduction of exotica. The first still life paintings in 17^th century were flowers encouraged by introduction of tulip from foreign countries.

It then included flowers with fruits, breakfast piece and then banquet piece which was influenced by increased wealth among people. Influence of calvins led to vanitas paintings in the mid 17^th century. Trompe LOeil emerged after vanitas as a result of the Dutchs need for humor. Trompe LOeil is a French phrase which meant deceive the eye and it blended well with the Dutchs needs.

Towards the end of the 17^th century, tastes of consumers changed which led to emergence of pronk sub-genre. This represented the beginning of ostentatious. The pronk sub-genre was as a result of change in colour taste which in turn led to more baroque artistic paintings ((Haak & Willems-Treeman, 1984).

Jan Davidsz de Heem was a known painter of flowers in Netherlands. His work has stood the test of time. He combined fruits, lobsters, butterflies, moths and flowers in his paintings. He also drew several vases of flowers in his time. His work improved gradually as the time went by. His 1640 chased tankard had several elements on a marble table.

They included lemon, bottle and a silver cup. His 1648 masterpiece comprised of grapes, flowers and wheat sheaves which showed that he had mastered the art of painting by the time. The painting is in Belvedere Vienna. In 1650, Jan Davidsz de Heem proved that he could harmonize bright colors on a large scale painting than before.

The difference in the 1640 chased tankard painting and the 1650 Madonna masterpiece shows clearly that there is a big difference in aesthetic. Jan Davidsz de Heem improved his artistic skills gradually to reach the standard he was when he painted the Madonna (Haak, 1978).

Works Cited

Haak, Bob., & Willems-Treeman Elizabeth. The Golden Age: Dutch painters of the seventeenth century. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1984. Print

Haak, Bob. The Golden Age: Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth-Century: Part I, Still Lives. New York, 1978. Print.

Appendix 1

Vase of flowers painted by Dutch artist

Appendix 2

Vase of tulip with insects. Painted by Jan Davidsz de Heem

Introduction

Cinematic materials have played very important role in the lives of many people in the society. For many decades, film making and the content of the films have been of significance importance to the society through the delivery of a range of ideologies and key concepts to the people.

From observations, it is vivid that there has been a general use of cinematic paradigms well design either for universal usage or for a specific delivery of a particular message, idea, opinion or suggestion to the people. Depending on a several factors of purpose, composers competences and level of technology among others, the intended message may be passed across to the targeted audiences through simple or sophisticated means.

It is however very crucial for the cinematic producer to ensure that the audience receives the intended message in the right way without missing any key point or part of message in the film. It is from this point of view that we are interested in analyzing the film American Soldier by Rainer Werner Fassbinder in this paper.

The analysis of this paper is specifically based on the last part of the film, where we try to reveal how the message of social interaction and masculinity depicted in the society, and through which we also explore different aspects applied in the art of film production for the purpose of perfecting the film work.

Influences of Identity

In the United States, the art of cinematography has very vital role in the course of transforming the societys view of the concept of gender, especially in the area of masculinity. This has further been linked with the issues of relationship leading to recognition by the society and the state in which one live in.

The film industry has over the decades endeavored in showing such ideological attachments as well as the engagements of the people from the community. Masculinity and social interactions in diverse cinematographic works have been depicted as issue major concern.

This has contributed mainly through the indications that social interactions together with masculinity issue had been major problems not restricted within the American society, but such problems are being realized on many other societies all over the globe.

Though the root cause of these problems may not easily be stated, cinematic producers believe that there is close linkages and influence from the field of politics as well as societal change in the view of male and female identities.

Society& social interactions

In short, while social interactions are key factor to societal identify, controversial anti-social conducts may lead to confusion in individuals identifications. Similarly, there are certain situations the arise in the society leading to failure or proper identification under gender factor, which is termed at the general aspect of identification for the advanced evolved organisms including man.

The Rainer Werner Fassbinders cinematographic work developed in the years of 1970s had many of the gender issues of identity and social interactions brought to the surface of the community. Some appeared to be acceptable while other identity and social interaction aspects were unaccepted, as they apparently appeared to be against the norms of the traditional practices of the society.

Acknowledge the diversity of idea exploration by cinematographic content developers, the last scene of the American soldier focuses on the complex ideas of violence, and other closely related ideologies such as masculinity and social interactions of the people of the society.

The part on focus is a scene which I feel that it bring out the feelings of being mixed blessed individual. At the beginning of the scene, there is a revelation of tragic event happening, which involving a shooting of one the trouble makers in the society.

However, the painful scenic event does not last for a long period of time before being cut short by two men embracing in hug style on one another, who rolls for very long duration as though they were showing a kind of love or feelings of joy on one another.

While acknowledging the vital role of Ricky in his representation of the state in the Vietnam war, his engagement at high level of war representation apparently appear to have changed his ways of behaving. In the first place of his encounter with home based security men at Munich indicates that he is more empowered and experienced than the other three men.

On his encounter with the three local police officers, they plot to enter into a contract of providing security to the local community. The idea comes from the fact that there have been heated gangster attacks within the community, but the efforts of the three police officers have been fruitless.

That means local police officers have been defeated to eradicate the rising robbery activities going within the area. In this case, we find that identity is indicated by the level of responsibility associated with individual.

Ricky is thus being identified as a special person in the community duty to the accomplishment and achievements from the Vietnams war.

Indeed, all the persons involved in the dealing of the contract are men, which to some extend leads to assumption that men the only individual employed to under the work of providing security both at the community levels as well as at the inter-state struggles or attacks.

States Role &responsibility

On focusing the identity and gender issue by the role of the characters, the above particular scene showed blurred indication of how the community shared its duties and responsibilities. This raises some kind of controversial situation on which individuals of the same gender category and parties being identifies with the same kind of responsibility may work and perform differently.

The local security officer seem to fear the gangs paralyzing the people from the local communities, but with the contracting of the job to someone who has an international experience gained from the Vietnam war fight, a great shift is realized as portrayal of the men being more masculine than the local police.

Even though Rickys attack against the gangsters at his home town may be as show of being more oriented to men character behavior than female, the judgment cannot be taken as an exhaustive comparison due to the consideration of other factors including education and substance abuse, which might have been major influences of the way he acted or behaved.

Furthermore, there are other things which must be considered in the process of making judgment of issues concerning behavior which depict an individuals identity or behavior. From the watch of the last scene of the American Soldier film, the behavior of the local police officers would show that they ended up fearing the gang people who they were supposed to rule and have control over their lives.

Knowing that the police had not travelled outside their country, it is possible both the gangs and police had similar skills of attacking their opponents, which implies that none was able to show more powers over the others.

Thus, the similarities of the power potentials among the two kinds of groups might have led the police officers to succumb to the orders or demands of the opponent security group of gangsters.

On the same issue, the lack of show of greater powers of the local police over the gang group might have been caused by the state regulatory order, which prevented ruthless killings or deprivation of live without following the right established channels of justice and legal systems.

Based on the same kind of thought, Ricky who has been exposed to guerilla type of war is likely to carry out ruthless killing of any person found guilt of any crime without following the justice channels. It is apparent that due to life experiences and the exposure to certain situations/ environments of power and authority, one would appear to impose power on other people than others do.

Friends & family recognition

The act of requesting for a girl from a clerk is a good indicator of showing male powers over the female counterpart. It may be argued that, Ricky did not intend to hold talk with, or any sort of negotiations with a female. In his frustrated kind of life, Ricky takes on the defensive kind of behavior which is generally a type of behavior that was adopted by men as show of individuals masculine character.

Certainly, it cannot be said that this is his original way of conducting considering the various environments which he has gone and which might have influenced him in one way or another to change his persona.

From the basic point of view of the situation, Rickys adopted defensive kind of behavior might specifically been triggered in response to sense of alienation and vulnerability to the ant-social conduct of the people from his community. While he ruthless gets associated with his friends girl friend, he finds his mother as emotionally insensitive.

Normally, mothers and females are believed to have high emotional sense and every one from the community expects to receive comfort from mother in case his/her life is bruised from outside world. However, Rickys visitation to his fathers own home portrayed lack of emotional response to the hurt life by his mother. This further indicated the corrupted ways of gender identity in the society.

On the scenic visit of Ricky to his fathers home, we also learn of his fathers character, which depicted him as being ineffectual father. This gives more understanding of role attached to the fathers living in the country, and it goes on to portray what lead to gender identification on the basis of gender roles.

Ricky feels that his brother is fond of jealousy and he hate being unforgiving for any mistake committed. He does show that these are character behaviors for the female child, which then can be used for the purpose of gender identification and determination of masculinity within the Germany community.