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

Renaissance: A Profound Cultural Transformation

The Renaissance was a profound and complex transformation of human culture that manifested itself in all areas of literary life. It marked a return to the artistic and philosophical ideals of the Greco-Latin world in Italy, flourishing during the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries in Europe.

Origins and Context

• In the late Middle Ages, the bourgeoisie dedicated itself to business and economic prosperity.
• Intellectuals discovered and imitated Greek and Latin classics.
• Five powerful states acted as patrons.
• Key figures include Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio, who established a new heritage.

Humanism

Humanism: An intellectual and cultural movement in Italy and Spain during the 14th to 16th centuries.

Characteristics

Renaissance vs Baroque in Spain

Key Historical Factors

• Expulsion of the Moors
• The military decline
• The economic crisis
• Cultural isolation
• Disappointment
• The War of Succession

Style and Topics

• Style
• Interest in language
• Desire for originality
• Struggle of opposites
• Dramatization of the world
• Topics
• Inexorable

Patriarchy

Patriarchy is the treatment of women throughout the ages. It dictates their future and success in life. It not only defines how society functions but also how it controls women. Patriarchy is best defined as control by men. Women fight for rights and to survive without the power and domination of men. It has roots in Christianity and the family.

Noble Savage

Noble Savage is a literary device that affirms the basic tenet of the goodness of mankind.

Pathetic Fallacy

Pathetic Fallacy is a term used to describe the attribution of animate or human characteristics and feelings to inanimate objects of nature. It is said that these are 'false' descriptions of nature. This term is now commonly used to describe any developed or impassioned personification.... Continue reading "Key Literary & Social Concepts: Patriarchy to Englishness" »

Jackson Pollock's Number 1 (1948)

Classification of the Work

• Title: Number 1
• Author: Jackson Pollock
• Timeline: 1948
• School or Country: USA
• Style: Abstract Expressionism

Theme

A path of fine lines overlaps and extends across the canvas, creating a composition that seems to have no limits.

Description

• Support: Canvas
• Technique: Oil and enamel painting (with aluminum paint)

Formal and Compositional Elements

• Form: Open pictorial
• Composition: Open or centrifugal
• Geometric Perspective
• Asymmetry
• Technique/Geometry: Dripping

Antecedents and Subsequent Influences

Pollock learned techniques from Native American (Navajo) sand painting. He also studied the works of Picasso and Miró. He created and utilized the dripping technique in several paintings.

Relations with Similar

Camera Shots, Angles, and Movements

Types of Camera Shots

• Major General Plan (Extreme Long Shot): The person appears reduced in size or is not visible. Establishes the scene.
• Outline (Long Shot): The person occupies approximately one-third of the frame. Focuses on the character.
• Plan Set (Medium Long Shot): Shows relationships between people, often used for Augmented Reality (AR) figures.
• Entire Plan (Full Shot): The person appears complete. Portrays the character fully.
• American Plan (Medium Shot): The person is shown from the knees up. Brings us closer to the character.
• Midplane (Medium Close-Up): Cuts the character at waist height. Highlights gestures.
• Foreground (Close-Up): Shows the character's face. Highlights emotions and feelings.
• Plan Detail

Semantic Meaning Relations

These relations define how the meanings of words interact:

• Antonymy: Words with opposite meanings.
• Synonymy: Words with equal or very similar meanings.
• Polysemy: A single word having multiple related meanings.
• Hyperonymy/Hyponymy: A hierarchical relationship (e.g., vehicle is the hyperonym of car).
• Homonymy: Words that share the same form (spelling or pronunciation) but have distinct, unrelated meanings (e.g., hard (adjective) and hard (adverb)).
• Homophony: Words that sound the same but are spelled differently (e.g., to, too, two).
• Homography: Words that are spelled the same but are pronounced differently (e.g., read (present) vs. read (past)).
• Paronymy: Words that are similar in sound and spelling but have different meanings

Literary Genres and Their Characteristics

• Narrative Genre: Includes novels and short stories.
• Lyrical Genre: Focuses on poetry and the expression of feelings.
• Dramatic Genre: Involves comedy and tragedy, intended for representation (performance).
• Didactic Genre: Aims to teach or instruct, including fables, essays, and newspaper articles.

Fundamentals of Grammar

Adverbs

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, indicating aspects such as manner, quantity, time, or place.

Conjunctions: Kinds and Functions

Conjunctions link words, phrases, or clauses. They are categorized by the relationship they establish:

• Copulative (Joining): Express a relationship of addition or sum (e.g., and, e, nor).
• Adversative (Opposing): Express contrasting concepts (

Gothic Art: Influences and Evolution

Gothic art underwent significant transformations influenced by several key factors:

• The evolution of theological and philosophical thinking.
• The awakening of humanism.
• The Cistercian Reform.
• New social structures.

Gothic Sculpture: Characteristics and Development

Gothic sculpture is characterized by:

• Naturalism.
• Humanism and expressiveness.
• Volume and movement.

Evolution of Gothic Sculpture Style

During its early stages, reliefs did not prioritize perspective. Over time, they gained more volume and naturalism, though full development wasn't achieved until the fifteenth century. Initially, figures were simple, presenting a clear style. In the fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries, figures became elongated, outlined... Continue reading "Gothic Art and Sculpture: Evolution, Forms, and Masterpieces" »

Picasso's Guernica: A Cry Against War

Guernica by Picasso is a huge cry against war and brutality. It is also one of the most crucial paintings in the history of twentieth-century painting.

Style and Influences

It gathers geometric forms from Cubism, haunting images from Surrealism, and the dramatic force of Expressionism.

Style: Cubism, Surrealism, Expressionism.

Theme and Context

Theme: It denounces the brutal bombing of Guernica suffered by the civilian population due to the fascist German aviation. This was the first indiscriminate attack of modern warfare on civilians.

The absence of color is related to the fact that Picasso learned of the killing from newspapers.

Composition and Structure

The painter used expressive resources so that illuminated... Continue reading "Picasso's Guernica: Analysis of a Masterpiece" »

Renaissance and the classical antiquity in Italy, fifteenth century. In Italy, medieval art did not carry over. Classicism was always present. The rebirth is an Italian art movement that stretches across Europe. It is difficult to locate the styles, as in Flanders in the fifteenth century arose a school different from the medieval. Van Eyck, linked to cultural Renaissance humanism, brought a new idea: anthropocentrism versus theocentrism. This movement recovers classical culture, which was replaced by the church's essence. From the economy, establishing the urges, which sponsors make us part of the political creation of new nation-states, divided into small regions. Florence, Italy, and Rome in the XV and XVI centuries saw the anonymity disappear... Continue reading "Renaissance Art in Italy: Key Concepts and Styles" »