Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Arts and Humanities

The Painting of the Last Third of the Nineteenth Century: Impressionism and Post-Impressionism

Introduction

The 1870s witnessed a reversal in the economy, manifested at all artistic and social levels. The failure of the Paris Commune brought about a truce, and the great industrial and financial bourgeoisie experienced its peak. However, past revolutionary episodes obliged public authorities to carry out certain reform programs, including social insurance and compulsory, free primary education. Because of this, the illustrated press multiplied, and cultural events tended to become "mass phenomena." Two factors influenced artistic life:

1. The popularization of photography and the establishment of the movement for the use of films sensibles.
2. The spread

Language Variation

The use of any language isn't homogeneous among its speakers. Language varies due to historical, social, geographical, and stylistic factors. The style used—cultivated, standard, colloquial, or vulgar—also impacts variation. A common standard, adapting to change, is characterized by rules and guidelines from institutions like the Royal Spanish Academy.

Advertising's Persuasive Power

Advertising's main goal is persuasion. As a social communication system, it promotes products or events through commercial, institutional, and political means. It uses various media (press, television, radio, outdoor, direct mail, etc.). To persuade, advertising often embellishes reality, concealing negatives. This is debatable; while it can... Continue reading "Language Variation in Spain: A Multilingual Reality" »

Ambition & Motivation

• Achieve: (conseguirlo)
• Achievement: (éxito)
• Challenging: (estimulante, desafiante)
• Fail: (suspender)
• Fulfil: (satisfacer)
• Get something right: (hacer algo bien, acertar)
• Get something wrong: (hacer algo mal, equivocarse)
• Goal: (objetivo, meta)
• Motivated: (motivado)
• Overcome: (superar)
• Pass: (aprobar)
• Put pressure on: (presionar)
• Satisfying: (gratificante)
• Success: Make it
• Strength: (virtud)
• Under pressure: (presionante)
• Weakness: (debilidad)
• Naturally: Gifted
• Lorry: Truck
• Tiny: Very small
• A visit: A trip

The World of Work

• Ad, Advert: (anuncio)
• Applicant: (candidato)
• Application form: (solicitud, formulario)
• Apply for: (pedir para trabajar)
• Boss: (jefe)
• Employer: (empleador)
• Experience
• Fill something in: (rellenar algo)
• Full-time ≠ Part-time
• Interview:

Rafael Alberti: Themes and Style

Rafael Alberti's unique form of communication conveys vital experiences. Nostalgia allows him to evoke a lost paradise, primarily the sea of Cadiz and, subsequently, Spain. The anguish caused by these losses, coupled with a concern for social issues, led him to address contemporary Spanish reality. His work is characterized by its musicality and varied poetic meter.

Poetic Guidelines

• Neopopularismo: Based on resources and forms of traditional poetry.
• Baroque and Vanguard: Influence and significance of Gongora and the avant-garde.
• Surrealist Poetry: Evident in Sobre los ángeles (1929) and Sermones y moradas (1930).
• Social Poetry: A shift towards social concerns, highlighting the role of the poet in a society in exile.

Signs, Symbols, and Sacraments

Understanding Their Meaning

Signs, symbols, and sacraments act as indicators, pointing towards deeper realities. For instance, visible symptoms like those in the images above suggest the presence of an underlying illness. The sign mediates communication between the observer and the sickness.

Types of Signs

Many signs are human-made and conventional, such as traffic lights. These require learned interpretation and are not inherently effective; their power lies in the willingness of individuals to obey them.

Other signs are natural and understood through experience. Smoke signifies fire, dark clouds indicate a storm, and laughter symbolizes joy. These signs arise spontaneously from the emotions they represent.

Some... Continue reading "Understanding Signs, Symbols, and Sacraments" »

Playwright

A playwright writes the play, presenting the action through dialogue and stage directions.

Dialogue

Verbal exchange between characters, either in verse or prose.

Monologue

The words uttered by a single character on stage, often addressed to themselves.

Aside

A message spoken by a character that is heard by the audience but not by other characters on stage. It's a technique used to advance the plot, maintain audience interest, and sometimes provide humor.

Stage Directions

Indications from the playwright detailing aspects of the representation (performance). They inform the reader and are typically presented in a different font and enclosed in brackets.

Rule of Three Unities

A dramatic rule requiring a single action that occurs within one day... Continue reading "Key Theatre Terms Defined" »

Architecture (Juan de Alava, Juan Guas, Diego de Siloé, and Diego de Riaño)

There is continuity between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Only in recent times did it approach Italian forms, known as "purism."

Key Features of Spanish Renaissance Architecture:

• Constructive elements:
  • Cruciform pillar: Replaced the column, a fact that flourished in the "purist" period.
  • Tires: Monumental domes and ribbed vaults were built.
  • Arches: A return to the half-point or simple lintel.
• Decoration: More profuse in the Plateresque style.

Three distinct periods are identified:

• Plateresque
• Purist
• Herreriano

Sculpture (Alonso Berruguete and Juan de Juni)

Renaissance sculpture in Spain developed during the 16th century. Some artists traveled to Italy, and Italian and French... Continue reading "Spanish Renaissance Art: Architecture, Sculpture, and Painting" »

This document presents a collection of terms and their associated definitions or synonyms, aiming to clarify various concepts and expressions.

Rapture

• To seize, usurp, or swipe.

Courtesy

• Politeness, kindness, or a compliment.

Inappropriate

• Unsuitable, inconvenient, or improper.

Work

• Industrious, hard-labored.

Tactic

• A strategy, plan, or methodology.

Cortadura

• A cut or incision.

Aversion

• Antipathy, repulsion, or rejection.

Judgment

• Sanity, a prudent approach.

Barter

• To trade, swap, or replace.

Suspicious

• Distrustful, wary, or reticent.

Manic

• Mindless, obsessive, or alienated.

Agravio

• An insult, outrage, or affront.

Evil

• Wickedness, cruelty, or meanness.

Futile

• Trivial, inconsequential, or insignificant.

Test

• To donate, lead, or leave.

Pinching

• To start the sprouting of plants

Theories on the Origin of Language

The Emotivist Theory posits that human language evolved naturally from gestures or exclamations, reflecting the spontaneous and instinctive animal nature used to express emotions and subjective experiences directly. Initially, communication occurred through natural signs: interjections, shouts, and screams common to all hominids, expressing their emotions and needs. This initial expressive phase evolved, requiring a shared code for effective emotional impact, leading to articulate and conventional speech, entirely symbolic. This second phase, the copy phase, allows for shared and impressed emotions. The qualitative leap between these language forms remains unclear.

The Imitative Theory suggests that language... Continue reading "Origins of Language: Emotivist, Imitative, Instrumental Theories" »

Religious Roots of Early Drama

In Latin Christendom, three main varieties of sacred representations dominated the theatrical landscape: miracles, mysteries, and morals.

• Miracles: Inspired by legends that related the providential intervention of saints in secular life.
• Mysteries: Focused on events and prophecies from the Old or New Testament.
• Morals: Designed to remind the human race of appropriate behavior in the quest for eternal salvation.

Of these, the latter two, mysteries and morals, were the most established and influential in England.

The Role of Trade Associations

Actors often improvised and came from trade associations, which supposedly chose plays related to their craft. For example:

• Carpenters interpreted Noah during the construction of