Comparing Medieval Art to Renaissance Art Essay

Medieval art period Medieval art covers a large scope of time. The period covered over 1000 years of art in Europe, Middle East and North Africa. The period was characterized by major art movements based on national art and regional art. There was also the aspect of revivals and artists crafts. Art historians have been successful in classifying medieval art into major periods and styles. This is often characterized with significant difficulty. The major periods of art in medieval period include, the early Christian art, the migration period art, the insular art, the Pre Romanesque art, and lastly the Romanesque art. Gothic art was also a prominent period on medieval art. In addition to these periods, each region which later became nations had its own distinct artistic style. Medieval art was basically produced in a large array of media (Veronica, 2008). The works have remained significant and large in number. They include illuminated manuscripts, stained glass, sculptures and mosaics. Paintings were als o a common occurrence during this period. Historians have pointed out that medieval art in Europe grew as a result of artistic heritage that highly influenced by the Roman Empire. There is also an influence of iconographic traditions in this art period. It has been noted that these artistic source we mixed with what warfare to as barbarian artistic culture of northern Europe to provide excellent pieces of art. Byzantine art was one of the most influential arts during medieval time. This art form was basically influence by the Byzantine Empire and went on to be accepted in major areas. From the period of the late antique in the medieval period, there emerged the Byzantine Art (Veronica, 2008). Although it basically originated from the catholic Europe, the art was embraced by all as a result of its originality. During the period of 730 to 843, there were a large number of icons that were destroyed and therefore very little remain today to present the originality of this era in medieval art. From the medieval eras, there came prominent artist by the name of Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti, commonly known as Michelangelo. The most famous piece by Michelangelo was his art work done on the Sistine Chapel in Rome: the scenes from Genesis on the ceiling and The Last Judgment in the altar wall. His works were inspired by the developments of the time. His works encompassed rhythm and contrast in a way that brought out the basic details of the artistic works. He used dull colors to reflect his somber mood while also embracing balance as a way of inspiring the generations. Most of his notable artistic works were influenced by color and balance. He used these two aspects of art to bearing out a message through his works. There is a major understanding the medieval art period was the real cause for the developments in the renaissance period (Lawrence, 2007). It is also argued by historians that as a result of the best steps taken by artists of the medieval period especially the late medieval period, the artists of pre renaissance period were able to build their trade. The argument is informed by the fact that during the late medieval period, there were early renaissance period artistic representations that were present. There is the basic understanding that the two periods ran concurrently for a certain period of time before they partied ways. The later medieval period gave rise to the early renaissance period. Renaissance Art Renaissance Art period is conceivably one of the utmost celebrated art periods in the history of mankind. The period was characterized by a wide array of disincentive artistic talent that put paint to work producing excellent results. Some of the notable artists of this period include Leonardo da Vinci, Robert camping, Santos Botticelli, Raphael and titian. There have been arguments in the artistic historical world whether the period was the best period in the history of art. Renaissance art originated from the renaissance period (Johnson, 2009). According to art historians, the period was characterized by sculpture, painting and decorative arts that formed the renaissance period in history. The period emerged with its distinct style in about 1400 parallel to developments in philosophical, literary and musical industries. The period art is referred to as the rebirth of ancient traditions and has its roots in the classical antiquity. The period has transformed by the absorption of recent developments to give a different approach to art in the northern Europe through application of contemporary scientific knowledge. The renaissance art period was also characterized by the renaissance humanist philosophy that spread throughout the western history. This affects both the artists and the patrons of their works. There was a development of new techniques and also new artistic sensibilities. The renaissance period was basically the time from medieval period to early modern age. One of the most respected pieces of art of this period was the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. The artistic representation of the last supper has been addressed as one of the unsurpassed in the history of mankind. This has given Leonardo da Vinci an upper hand among his peers of the renaissance period. The absorption of recent developments in the early modern age characterized a radical shift in renaissance art. It is believed that this change of tact formed the basis for the new approach on the aspect of artistic representation of ideas. Historical facts show that early renaissance art was infarct produced parallel with the late medieval art. By 1500, the renaissance part was declared the better of the time thereby prevailing over the late medieval art. The late renaissance art was later called mannerisms and developed to become a fully fledge artists pattern. This pattern took distinctive attributes of each region and merged them together (Johnson, 2009). The proto renaissance period was basically I Italy and ran from 1280 to 1400. By the late 14th century, Italy had already been introduced to the new version of the renaissance era. That period was characte4rise by outstanding arts like the sculpture of Nicola Pisano and also Giovanna Pisano. There was a major development in figurative painting where precedence was set on naturalistic and three dimensional approaches that classified the classics it into different categories (Charles, 2009). The period was viewed as aim of classifying and rebirth of art from different perspectives. Leonardo da Vinci work captured all the major aspect of art including color, balance rhythm and balance. He used bright colors in his trademark works including the Last Supper. The use of bright colors was restricted to the foreground on f the pictures while the background was characterized by dark colors. In conclusion, there was an aspect of balance in both periods as they seek to balance different occasions with specific colors. There is a major understanding that both works have a similar approach to balance. The use of rhythm in the latest installations of these works in the periods offered a new way of understanding art. The two periods have emphasized on the need to build themes based on the current issues of the time. References Charles, A, 2009, ‘Renaissance Art’, Washington: Parkstone International Johnson, A, 2009, ‘Renaissance Art: A Very Short Introduction’, Washington: Oxford University Press Lawrence, N, 2007, ‘Early Medieval Art’, Washington: Oxford University Press Veronica, A, 2008, ‘Medieval Art’, Washington: Oxford University Press

Sociocultural Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sociocultural Theory - Essay Example 101). The debate about the definition of term 'collaborative' as well as ongoing attempts to identify relevant criteria to determine whether learning is collaborative or not does not seem to have any major implications for the basics of collaborative learning. Almost every research study exploring collaborative learning environment comes to positive conclusions (Johnson, Johnson, and Stanne, 1986; Natasi and Clements, 1991). Natasi and Clements (1991) summarize these conclusions in the following way: "Cognitive-academic and social-emotional benefits have been reported for students from early elementary through college level, from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and having a wide range of ability levels Furthermore, cooperative learning has been used effectively across a wide range of content areas, including mathematics, reading, language arts, social studies and science" (p. 111). Initially, research in the realm of collaborative learning focused on functioning of an individual learner in a group: the theories which dominated cognitive psychology over the 1970s tended to emphasise the role of individual information processors in the process of cognition. The social context of this process was viewed as secondary to individual activity (Dillenbourg et al, 1996: 189). The last decades of the 20th century were marked by increased attention to the social context, and, consequently, improved understanding of the process of cognition. Much of the shift was due to growing influence of sociocultural theory in pedagogical practice. This theory is very helpful in predicting, explaining and justifying the above listed cognitive, psychological and social benefits of engaging students in collaborative learning activities MAIN DISCUSSION The theoretical background underlying contemporary models of collaborative learning relies heavily upon three major theories of learning: socio-constructivist theory, socio-cultural theory, and shared cognition theory (Dillenbourg et al, 1996). These three perspectives share the basic features of cognitive stance, including the focus on the interactive aspect of human development and learning, but the socio-cultural theory has been recently gaining momentum as the most influential among the three in the realm of language education (Lantolf, 2000; Wells, 1999). L. S. Vygotsky formulated the basics of socio-cultural theory in the 1920s and 1930s, though current conceptualisations of this approach also draw on works and ideas of other theorists (Luria, 1979; Wertsch, 1991, 1998; Newman and Holzman, 1993; Cole, 1996). The essence of socio-cultural theory is exploring the causal relationship between the social interactions and cognitive

Was Plutarco really a person as history describes or a person Almada Essay

Was Plutarco really a person as history describes or a person Almada depicted in her documentary, El General Did Almada personalize to examine her controversial ancestor, Plutarco Calles - Essay Example The contrast lies in the sense that while history portrays him as the Puppet President, the one who has Catholic blood on his hands, the one who deceived many to make his way through, on the other hand, Almada portrays him to be reasonable, logical and nonetheless ‘humane’ in contrast to popular opinion. One will have to explore facts and indulge in an in-depth study in this context to be fair in an analysis, and to explore as to which side of the story holds more truthful value. The paper aims at exploring the mainstream history books popular not just in Mexico but rather in the world. The study will focus on how Plutarco is portrayed and perceived in the world, also how the opinion has been altered. Furthermore, the opinions will be contrasted with data from the documentary produced by Almada who is Calles` great grand-daughter. This data will reflect how a daughter perceived her father, i.e. the firsthand account of someone who was directly associated with the much co ntroversial figure. Thus, based on the analysis, contrasts would be made to predicate how history is de-shaped and de-framed by the historians. Calles is essentially portrayed as someone who was deeply indulged in a power struggle throughout his life, which poses certain paradoxes. He is perceived as a rather controversial yet revolutionary figure, a President who failed to deliver his promises, deported priests on a massive scale, destroyed covenants, closed Catholic schools while he was facing a huge scaled rebellion. However, he sent his daughter to the United States, and that too to study at a Catholic school. This poses a question-mark over the issue i.e. if he hated Catholics such deeply, why would he want his daughter to be indulged in an education purely based on those values he abhorred. Historically, Calles was many things, portrayed by mainstream history, i.e. a school teacher, a Guaymas native, someone who went as far as to become

Reflection of Gender and Power in the Salem Witchcraft Trials Essay

Reflection of Gender and Power in the Salem Witchcraft Trials - Essay Example An analysis of the event, with reference to the cultural norms prevalent during the era, reveals that gender is one among the salient factors that contributed to the culmination of the Salem Witchcraft Trials. In colonial New England women were considered as promiscuous and female children were assigned the lowest social status. Thus, it transpires that in a male dominant society, through implicating women in witchcraft, men have actually attempted to demonstrate their power within a patriarchal system by punishing the hapless females from the lower strata of society in the name of the Salem Witch Trials. During the trials, many including Constable Joseph Herrick deposed that they either had seen or were informed that one of the main accused, Sarah Good, had gone â€Å"barefoot and bare-legged† and â€Å"afflicted† Elizabeth Hubbard and other young girls (Godbeer 77). This contention has also been substantiated by the afflicted Elizabeth Hubbard, who testified that she had seen Sarah Good’s apparition â€Å"afflicting the body† of other girls (75). It transpires that the neighbors of the accused had malevolent intentions towards her and in connivance with the governing class that held the power, she was implicated in witchcraft. In this context, it needs to be recalled that Puritans held the notion that the native inhabitants of New England â€Å"belonged to the Devil† until the arrival of the Protestants and that religion had exercised power over the government (17). Thus, women like Sarah Good have been falsely implicated with witchcraft, tried and executed in Salem, which is a reflection of misuse of power during that regime. Another major factor to be considered is that religion has played a crucial role within the society in colonial America and religious leaders had a dominating presence due to which their â€Å"advice extended beyond spiritual matters† and, hence, they had a say in â€Å"economic and political c oncerns, as well as gender relations† (Parrillo 52). Thus, in the absence of a â€Å"civil government of its own† religion assumed the power in governance, which it could use in any manner to attain its objectives (Godbeer 19). Such was the power of the church that the affected young girls actually believed that they were possessed and were â€Å"fighting a war against their inner demons† (23). Under the circumstances, the afflicted persons, who believed that their neighbors caused the problem, had to choose between the options of either spiritual retribution or taking legal action against them. Thus, the decision of â€Å"subjecting a supernatural crime to judicial scrutiny† was taken, for which strong evidence is required. However, since religion wielded a higher power than logic, women who were assigned a lower social status within the social system were tried and put to death by the powerful church, to restore the faith of more prominent citizens. Anot her major factor to be considered in Salem Witchcraft Trials is that for a mysterious occurrence in a village, the entire community implicated members of one gender as if women were to be blamed for all that was bad and men to be praised for all the good. This notion stems from the patriarchal system in the society, which never wanted to recognize the significance of women within in the familial and social contexts. For the powerful church and male chauvinists as well the government it was an easy way out to blame women from the lower social strata like Sarah Good and

Research Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Research Project - Essay Example These sources of energy, particularly oil, have also been associated with water pollution as well as destruction of marine life and diversity through oil spills in oceans, seas, rivers and lakes among others. Even most of the existing renewable sources energies such as geothermal, wind and hydroelectric have been extremely expensive to install. In addition, these sources of energies are normally extremely affected by changes in weather conditions. Also, their abundance as compared to that of the solar energy is limited. Due to the problems associated with the available sources energies such as fossil fuels, nuclear, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal, the use of solar energy is becoming popular in most parts of the world, particularly in China and Africa (House-Soremekun & Falola 2011). The solar energy seems to the source of energy that is more sustainable as compared to other sources of energy (Richards 2010). This paper, therefore, aims at discussing the use of solar energy in Afr ica and basics of this source of energy. Africa receives more solar radiation than any other continent in the world, thereby making it the continent with the greatest potential than any other continent in the world. Sun shine in Arica is virtually uninterrupted, and one of the most abundant energy resources in the continent. However, this precious source of power has not been fully exploited in the continent for number years. Despite the abundance of this energy resource, it is estimated that about 2 billion individuals (people) in world (most of them from Africa) either struggle or fail to meet their daily energy requirements due to scarcity of supply of energy (Richards 2010). Even though there has been reluctance in the harvesting of solar energy in Africa, the situation seemed to have change to day since a number of organizations in Africa as well as African governments have been turning their attention towards renewable and sustainable sources of energy. Amongst the renewable s ources of energy that have been greatly focused by the African countries is solar energy. Africa as continent has made number of milestone towards harvesting solar energy. For example, the headquarters of United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) based in Nairobi (Kenya) is fully powered by solar energy (House-Soremekun & Falola 2011). Further according to House-Soremekun & Falola (2011), South Africa and Ghana are also planning to build amongst the biggest solar power plants in the world. Solar energy is also known as the radiant light, and it is referred to as heat energy from the sun (Richards 2010). This energy can be converted by different transducers to produce different sources of energy. For example, solar energy can be converted directly to electric energy by use of solar cells (also known as Photovoltaic). This particularly important for small scale energy requirements such as for watches and calculators. The solar energy can also be directly used to heat water for both domestic and industrial use. In addition, solar energy can be used to produce large amounts of solar energy through the use of solar radiation concentrators such as parabolic troughs. We have discussed how solar energy is converted into electric energy or used as heat energy to heat water among others (Hantula 2010). The question that might probably be lingering in the mind of the reader is how this precious energy is formed

ECG Compliance Officer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

ECG Compliance Officer - Essay Example According to the paper leaders also tend to think outwards on how their policies and ideas impact the society in the sense perspective. Managers on the other hand focus on things. For example, the major concern of a retail manager is whether the merchandise is moving and not about the people doing the work. They also have a myopic view of attaining the targets set and do not have the bigger picture. In terms of goal setting, leadership entails the articulation of the organization’s vision. The purpose of leaders is to give their followers a reason to do something and show the followers the way to the future. Essentially, leader sees the bigger picture and rallies the followers in an effort to attain it. The role of a manager is to execute plans and strive to improve the present situation in the organization. Simply put, a manager is focused on the present situation and sees the tree rather than the forest. The type of governance that is implemented also shows remarkable differ ences between leaders and managers. A manager uses authority to govern the people that he/she manages. They use their position to get things done. Also, managers avoid conflicts in their organization since they feel conflicts threaten their power. In handling issues, a manager is bound to act in a responsible manner. On the contrary, leaders use influence to govern people. In fact, leaders do not need a title in order to execute their plans. Leaders use conflicts to create tighter bonds with their followers and move forward in unison. When matters of concern arise, a leader acts decisively to solve the issue immediately with the information available. Employee relations are a pointer to whether a person is a leader or a manager. Managers aim to control the staff that they are in charge of and consider them their subordinates. As previously indicated, managers are title oriented and thus endeavor exercise authority at all times. Managers tend to specialize in directing and coordinati ng the people they are in charge of. This paper highlights that the hallmark of leadership is empowering people to do their work. Leaders recognize their followers as colleagues and they commit to developing relationships of mutual respect and trust with them. The other unique role of leadership is to create change. Leaders are tasked with ushering people they lead into new realms of uncharted territories. To achieve this, leaders learn to do the right things as the world of change is full of uncertainties. Also, leaders serve the people they lead by putting the interests of the followers ahead of theirs. Managers run their operations by perfecting the skill of managing change. Their role is to do the right the right things after they have been given a brief. The managers endeavor to serve the wishes of their superiors at all times to ensure that their bosses are happy and satisfied at whatever costs . The organization is about to go public through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) a nd acquire a new company which will lead to the creation of a new department.  

The Story of Daniel Pearl Essay Example for Free

The Story of Daniel Pearl Essay The Story of Daniel Pearl as a journalist in Dubai was very tragic. Daniel Pearl was very brave of facing those people for a interview seeking and asking information into unknown territory that leads him to a very tragic death. In the movie narrated by Mariane his wife, it has been said that his body was cut into seven pcs. though that the video of Daniel Pearl being killed by the people who kidnapped him was not shown in the movie I can imagine how hard his experience being tortured and killed of the reason of probing information to a person who is on his own territory, the Muslims knows that he is part of the CIA or some spy of USA, besides of being a Jew I suppose that’s one of the unlucky part of his short journey in Dubai. With my own opinion, I think that Daniel Pearl should not pursue that interview, because in the first place he knows that the person he wanted to interview was a dangerous person and doesn’t want a person like him or a journalist like him that leads him to be kidnapped by supporters of Omar Sheikh, though I know that Daniel Pearl only wants to seek information about Omar Sheikh but he should think first about his safety of performing that interview. I believe that a journalist should not put his/her self or life into danger when he/she already knows that it is not safe to interview a specific group or person because it may lead to a misunderstanding and may cause a problem between the journalist and the interviewee. For me it is important to a journalist to make sure that the interviewee is harmful and knows what a journalist are capable of and especially their task that they just want to know and to write information to a specific matter, also for me a journalist should seek first or observe some of the information about the person or group he/she needs to communicate with regarding the issues about the interviewee. The goal of a journalist is to â€Å"tell the truth and nothing but the truth† but in the situation of Daniel Pearl he told that he is a Jew that is not pleasant to the Muslims that’s why he got kidnapped and murdered by them, but on the other side of being a journalist they should always state information that are real and complete but also they need to remember that they have to keep secret the sources of confidential information not only for the safety of the source but also their safety. In order for a journalist to be a reliable source of information a journalist should do his/her best to obtain information from all possible sources, to make sure it is complete, truthful and unbiased just like what Daniel Pearl did, he interviewed different people to gather information about the certain person before he undergo an interview to avoid future conflicts. I think Daniel Pearl should introduce himself in a different way that is appropriate to the interviewee and also he should approach the interviewee well in that way I think the murdering of him will be prevented. It doesnt matter that he was a Jew. The race that he was born doesnt dictate who you are, it’s the content of your character and who you are inside. He was a journalist because he wanted to put an end to this kind of foolishness, killing someone based on race can never be justified, Muslims should not be so cruel to the people that if they don’t like that person they will already kill the person. Its not because he was a Jew that many place some of the blame for his death on him. Its because he was a prominent Jew in the territory of the enemy looking for glory at the knowing risk of his own life. He should have been thinking of his wife and child, it is understood that he will be killed like that because of his being prominent that he is a Jew. Daniel was working for CIA and eventhough the athourities have warn him several times, he ignored. He was looking for glory. I think he is responsible for his death because he did not think of his safety of going there and not thinking of what might happen if the Muslims will kill him and that’s the most unfortunate thing that happened to him because he become careless about his identity he is very vogue about it, just like what Mariane told in the movie he doesn’t hide that he is Jew though he doesn’t also speak about it, but if someone ask him he will not hesitate to tell the truth about identity or religion. This movie does tell us something. It’s telling us about the dangers that a jounalists face in their line of duties. Not alot of people realize how dangerous it really is sometimes to go report some news stories. The Pakistanis didn’t kill Daniel Pearl for fun, they did it to pay Americans back for the suffering of their people, but did the Pakistani’s take off the suffering of their people by killing lots of people who’s trying to end their conflicts and issues? for me the answer is NO their just making it more complicated and worsen the problem, the Muslims should stop this horrifying killing of people just for their own beliefs, and to avoid this kind of situation a journalist should always know what is their limitations of probing information to avoid incidence like what happened to Daniel Pearl and to the other journalist they should always think first about their safety. Also a journalist should not take part in activities or organizations which could limit the independence of his/her thinking and endanger his/her professional integrity.