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

Cinematography in The Truman Show

In addition to camera angles which are intended to be a part of the story itself, traditional cinematography is used to develop the plot and characters through angles and various techniques.

Overhead Shots and Control

Overhead shots are utilized to present the idea that Truman functions according to the whims of an omnipotent “puppet master”. The overhead shot casts Truman in a light which highlights his unwitting subservience to the powers that be.

Tracking Shots and Obstacles

Tracking shots are used in one scene where Truman sees his father, who he had long presumed to be dead. The tracking shot follows Truman as he chases after his father who is whisked away by various stage hands, all while Truman is being...

Masaccio's Holy Trinity: A Renaissance Masterpiece

The Trinity, painted by the Italian Renaissance master Masaccio between 1426 and 1428, depicts Jesus crucified accompanied by five figures and a skeleton. Its full title is the Holy Trinity with the Virgin, St. John and donors (in Italian, Santa Trinità). This fresco is located on one of the side walls of the church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence. It is perhaps the most celebrated work by the artist, apart from the Masaccio frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel.

Rediscovery and Historical Significance

The views on the dating of the fresco range between 1425 and 1428. Some sources list its dimensions as 667 centimeters tall and 317 cm wide, while others suggest 680 by 475 cm. It was rediscovered...

The Foundations of Roman Civilization

Rome represents a pivotal era in European history, defined by its political, economic, artistic, and military dominance. The city of Rome and its empire expanded to occupy Europe, Asia Minor, and North Africa. Key elements of Roman society were its eminently practical, military, and commercial outlook on life. This pragmatic nature led the Romans to adopt Greek sculpture as the standard for beauty in their art.

Roman Architecture and Urban Legacy

Architecture is the field where Rome left its greatest legacy. The empire covered its territories with new cities, imposing an urban civilization upon conquered lands. Roman mentality dictated that cities be designed according to a pre-established urban model that...

According to Bill Nichols, the four key elements that form the basis of documentary are: indexical documentation (shared with scientific film and the cinema of attractions), poetic experimentation, narrative storytelling, and rhetorical oratory.

Poetic Experimentation in Documentary

Poetic experimentation arises in cinema from the union between film and the modernist avant-gardes that flourished in the early 20th century. This plays a vital part in the emergence of the documentary voice. This feature is not present in the Cinema of Attractions or scientific images. Examples of poetic filmmaking include Luis Buñuel (Un Chien Andalou) and Abel Gance (La Roue). The filmmaker's way of seeing things was more important than what the camera was showing....

Visigothic Art in Hispania (5th–8th Centuries)

Visigothic art flourished in Hispania from the 5th century until the Muslim invasion in 711. It synthesized Greco-Roman classical heritage, early Christian traditions, and Byzantine and Eastern barbarian influences.

Historical Stages

• Early Period: Up to 587.
• Conversion: Conversion to Catholicism under King Reccared (587).
• Decline: Ended with the Muslim invasion (711).

Architecture

Visigothic architecture is characterized by robust construction and specific decorative motifs:

• Plan: Often basilica floor plans or Greek cross plans.
• Structure: Barrel vaults, walls of ashlar masonry, and a notable lack of windows, resulting in dark interiors.
• Features: Square apses, horseshoe arches (often slightly narrower

The Aesthetic Movement

The Aesthetic Movement developed in universities and intellectual circles during the late 19th century. Beginning in France with Gautier, it reflected artists' frustration and uncertainty, a reaction against bourgeois materialism and moral codes. French artists sought refuge in aesthetic isolation, embracing Gautier's concept of "Art for Art's Sake." The bohemian lifestyle, with its pursuit of sensation and excess, embodied this protest against monotony.

The Movement in England

American painter James Whistler, working in England, imported this doctrine. However, the roots of the English Aesthetic Movement can be traced to the Romantic poet Keats. Rossetti exemplified an artist wholly dedicated to art, as did Ruskin in his...

Catullus: The Learned Poet of the Poetae Novi

A group of poets known as the Poetae Novi (New Poets) initiated a trend towards more refined poetic subjectivity, prosodic and metrical perfection, and more sensitive themes such as life, death, and love. Catullus (Gaius Valerius Catullus) is considered the foremost lyric poet of this movement.

Born into a wealthy family from Verona, Catullus possessed great intellect and was called doctus poeta (learned poet) for writing with singular mastery. He delved deeply into the Alexandrian Greek tradition. His surviving work comprises 116 poems, which are typically divided into three groups based on their meter and style:

1. Nugae (Trifles - Poems 1-60): These are shorter poems, primarily in hendecasyllables

Understanding Advertising

Advertising is a component of various marketing activities, specifically promotion. It serves to communicate the message of an identified sponsor to a specific audience, using paid, impersonal, and far-reaching media such as television, radio, print media, and the internet, among others, in order to achieve set objectives.

Advertising vs. Publicity/Propaganda

Propaganda is regarded as work done to spread an idea and is usually free, while advertising is a set of paid activities used by a company to win and increase their clientele.

Key Features of Advertising

The primary feature of advertising is communication.

The Communication Process

Communication is a process that consists of a set of elements:

• Issuer: The source of communication.

The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot

1. Sections and Summaries

This poem comprises five sections:

• The Burial of the Dead

  Part I conveys a sense of apprehension and incomprehension among various characters in different situations. Madame Sosostris, a fortune-teller, adds to the confusion with enigmatic pronouncements that only gain clarity later in the poem. The city, particularly London, is depicted as a grim place inhabited by people unable to live fully or escape their deadness.

• A Game of Chess

  Part II presents two scenes showcasing the desolation of people's lives. The first depicts a richly decorated room where a wealthy lady's constant questions reveal her anxiety and lack of control. The second scene unfolds in a London pub, where two women discuss

Dating Terminology:

• Christian Terms: BC (Before Christ), AD (Anno Domini)
• Secular Terms: BCE (Before the Common Era), CE (Common Era)

I. The Classical Period (1200 BC - 455 AD)

A. Homeric or Heroic Period (1200 - 800 BC)

B. Classical Greek Period (800 - 200 BC)

C. Classical Roman Period (200 BC - 455 AD)

D. Patristic Period (70 AD - 455 AD)

II. The Medieval Period (428 - 1450)

A. The Old English (Anglo-Saxon) Period (428 - 1066)

B. The Middle English Period (1066 - 1450)

III. The Renaissance and Reformation Period (1485 - 1649)

A. Early Tudor Period (1485 - 1558)

B. Elizabethan Period (1558 - 1603)

This period marks the works of William Shakespeare.

C. Jacobean Period (1603 - 1625)

D. Caroline Age (1625 - 1649)

IV. The Enlightenment (Neoclassical) Period (1660