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

Early Cinema History and Film Concepts

Early Motion Capture and Art?

Rupestrian paintings and shadow puppets.

Magic Lantern Inventor and Year?

Athanasius Kircher in 1640.

Science of Motion Decomposition?

Chronophotography.

What is Retinal Persistence?

It is the phenomenon by which the brain retains an image for a few tenths of a second after its disappearance. By joining several pictures successively, one can perceive movement.

1895 Support for Linking Images?

Celluloid film.

Appliance Preceding Motion Pictures?

Magic lantern.

Edison's Patented Vision Device?

Kinetoscope.

Film Inventors and Year?

The brothers Louis and Auguste Lumière in 1895.

Lumière Brothers Films?

• Workers Leaving the Factory
• The Arrival of a Train

Lumière Operator in Spain?

Eugène Promio.... Continue reading "Film History and Core Concepts Explained" »

Late Baroque Spanish (Churrigueresque) and its Influence in Latin America

From the mid-seventeenth century, an art movement began that favored broken ornaments, increasing the simplicity of the previous stage. It increased the ornamentation on the exterior with sculpture in the round and reliefs, and plant columns. The dramatic and theatrical effect was achieved by concealing the structures with decorative extravagance.

The term Churrigueresque characterized these decorative and ornate Baroque styles, which had a huge success in Latin American architecture. Family workshops and renowned architects took on great prominence.

Main Sites:

Madrid:

Architect Pedro Ribera (Toledo Bridge). His work affects the exterior decoration, which is dynamic, original,... Continue reading "Churrigueresque: Late Baroque Art in Spain and Latin America" »

Carracci's Artistic Relationships and Style (1580-87)

In 1580-81, Carracci collaborated closely with his brother Augustine, maintaining a strong relationship. Carracci's figures echo those used by Caravaggio in Saint Matthew (a motif previously employed by Tintoretto in San Marcos).

Barocci's Influence

According to Pérez Sánchez, Barocci's Virgin of the Popolo (1575-1580, Uffizi) features a character in shadows, dressed in the fashion of Philip II's time, possibly a portrait of a patron. Barocci's work is characterized by a misty, soft style. He is considered a much sweeter painter. Correggio's influence is evident in the faces of the Virgin.

Correggio: Another Worship is not just a depiction of worship but a sacred conversation with the apostles... Continue reading "Carracci and Correggio: Influence and Artistic Style" »

Josep Maria Bonet and the Audiovisual World

Josep Maria Bonet is a playwright, screenwriter, and one of the most decisive contemporary dramatic fiction writers in Catalonia. His early works are realistic and express audiovisual conflicts. Later, he incorporates universal problems using theatrical techniques of estrangement. He has written works such as the trilogy of "Drudània" and "Berenàveu in the dark," which are realistic in nature, and works of great complexity and richness of language such as "The Disappearance of Wendy," showing the myth of Peter Pan, and "Revolt of Witches." He has also successfully cultivated youth and children's theater. Bonet has continued to run and produce representative plays. Since the appearance of Catalonia... Continue reading "Josep Maria Bonet, Joan Francesc Mira, and Joan Fuster: A Literary Analysis" »

Understanding Newspaper Structure & Content

Key Sections of a Newspaper

• International Politics: Political events occurring abroad.
• National Policy: Current political affairs.
• Economy: Concerns the world of national and international economics.
• Culture: Includes national and international events (theater, cinema, music, etc.).
• Labor & Education: Work-related issues nationwide.
• Events: Information on accidents and offenses.
• Local: Information pertaining to the specific locality.
• Sports: Comprehensive sports information.
• Academic & Educational News: Insights into the broader world of education.
• Science: Information on research and scientific issues.
• Religion: News and features related to different religious communities.
• Society: Human interest

Christ in Glory with Saints, A. Carracci (1597-1598)

This work is related to Cardinal Odoardo Farnese, who would be a great protector from 1594 to 1605. Odoardo was the brother of Ranuccio Farnese, both sons of Alexander Farnese. Odoardo was made a cardinal in 1591; he moved to Rome and settled in the Palazzo Farnese. The palace had been completed, but its decor had not. He called the Carracci, who had previously worked with him in Parma. The figure of the donor is part of that sacred conversation. He appears with the cardinal's red cape and is protected by St. Edward, and before him, St. Hermenegildo. Behind them is Santa Catalina, as is always depicted. The composition is the same as previous ones: division between the two parts, figures in... Continue reading "Annibale Carracci: Religious and Mythological Works" »

Understanding Culture: Key Characteristics

Culture encompasses the learned and shared patterns of behavior and thinking within a social group.

Key Characteristics of Culture

1. Culture is learned behavior, unlike animal behavior, which is often instinctive.
2. Culture is an adaptation device, enabling humans to develop diverse responses to environmental challenges.
3. Culture is transmitted from generation to generation.
4. Culture changes due to endogenous and exogenous factors.
5. Culture provides a framework for meaning and interpretation of reality; the same behavior can have different meanings in different societies.
6. Individuals within a society share the same culture differentially, influenced by age, gender, economic status, ethnicity, race, and religion.

Elements

The Renaissance: A Cultural Transformation

The Renaissance is a cultural movement covering all aspects of human activity. It originated in the mid-14th century in the cities of northern Italy and from there spread throughout Europe, where it developed in the 16th century.

Key Characteristics

Its features are the result of social and ideological transformation based on two pillars:

• The imitation of classical models.
• The application of the principles of Humanism.

Admiration for the classics, including their imitation, and the defense of Latin, led to a concern for national languages, considered the most natural expression. Additionally, Latin became the language of culture. The Renaissance attached importance to humanistic studies. This interest in... Continue reading "The Renaissance: Cultural Transformation & Lasting Impact" »

Historical Context

• The failure of the revolution of 1850-1868
• The Elizabethan regime of the Bourbon monarchy, 1868
• Restoration of Alfonso XII, 1875-1886
• The labor movement

Realism in 19th-Century Literature and Art

Realism was a literary and artistic movement that attempted to carefully and objectively represent contemporary reality: the daily life and problems of the bourgeois society of the second half of the 19th century.

Romanticism vs. Realism

Romanticism

• One wing rejected bourgeois society and fled to the past.
• Art was seen as a product of inspiration and subjectivity.
• Themes emerged from delusions of fantasy and feelings.
• Heroic characters and rebels clashed with society and the power of destiny.
• Literary genres: lyric and drama.
• Language included

Early 20th-Century Avant-Garde Art Movements

Beginning around 1904, new renewal movements emerged, often referred to as avant-garde, seeking to challenge and supersede previous artistic norms. These movements often originated in Paris, were typically short-lived, and gave way to new eras, with many concluding around 1940. Magazines and 'isms' were particularly important platforms for these artistic shifts. There was a strong desire for artistic universality, and several prominent avant-garde movements include:

Cubism (1904)

Emerging around 1904, Cubism saw its first significant pictures, such as *Capriccio*, appearing around 1907. Henri Matisse recognized the importance of this movement. Key figures include Pablo Picasso and Juan Gris. Cubist... Continue reading "Modern Art Movements: Cubism to Surrealism" »