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

Romanesque and Freestanding Sculpture

Romanesque sculpture was intrinsically linked to architecture. Its primary purpose was not only decorative but also to indoctrinate a largely illiterate population. While religious themes predominated, sculptures also depicted fantastic animals, scenes of everyday life, and decorative floral, vegetal, and geometric motifs. This secular character was often found in the decoration of cloister capitals and interior spaces.

Architectural Integration and Key Examples

In Spain, the Cloister of Santo Domingo de Silos is particularly noteworthy. On cathedral portals, the tympanum typically features the Theophany or Christ in Majesty, accompanied by the Tetramorph. Surrounding this central space, the archivolts display... Continue reading "Romanesque and Freestanding Sculpture: Forms & Features" »

Kinship and Family

Defining Family

Family: A group of people directly linked by kinship ties, where adult members take responsibility for childcare. Kinship ties are established through marriage or genealogical lines, connecting individuals within a family. Marriage: A socially recognized and approved union between two adults. Marriage creates kinship between individuals and their families.

Family Structures

Nuclear Family: Two adults in a relationship living together with their children (biological or adopted).

Monogamy/Polygyny: The practice of one person being married to one or multiple spouses.

Unilineal Descent: Kinship traced through one parent (father or mother).

Cognatic Affiliation: Kinship traced through both parents. Bilateral cognatic... Continue reading "Kinship and Family Structures: A Sociological and Anthropological Perspective" »

Poetic Dimension in The House of Bernarda Alba

Lorca defines theater as poetry that rises from the book and becomes human. This introduces the multi-layered nature of The House of Bernarda Alba. The work transcends realism; while the action is plausible, characters, space, and situations are viewed poetically. Metaphors enrich dialogues, and the interplay between realism and symbolism poeticizes reality. Lorca's poetic language is integral to the characters' interactions.

Colloquial expressions with poetic undertones and realistic details, prominent in the first act, gradually diminish. By Act Three, poetic elements like the starry night or the old woman with a lamb emerge. This contrasts with the realism of the first act, such as the maid eating... Continue reading "Symbolism and Social Conflict in The House of Bernarda Alba" »

Neoclassicism vs. Romanticism: A Comparison

Neoclassicism

• Defends the power of reason.
• Man participates in a collective project of progress.
• Generates vital optimism.
• Art seeks balance.
• Art and literature have a didactic function, promoting values.

Romanticism

• Defends feeling and subjectivity.
• Man reaffirms individuality and freedom.
• Contrast between ideal and reality creates pessimism and angst.
• Art seeks new forms of expression for human passions.
• Art has a subversive intent.

The Romantic Lyric

Key Themes

• Love: Idealized yet often tragic.
• Existence: Life is pure agony; the poet lives in a world that doesn't suit them, leading to sadness, loneliness, and suicide.
• Freedom: A fight against all rules and oppression, including the defense of patriotism as a territory

Renaissance Art

Context and Origins

The Renaissance is characterized as a rebirth of classical antiquity, originating in Italy during the fifteenth century. Unlike other parts of Europe, Italy did not fully embrace medieval art; classicism was always present. The Renaissance is an Italian art movement that stretched across Europe.

While primarily Italian, the movement influenced other regions. For example, in Flanders during the fifteenth century, a distinct school arose, exemplified by artists like Van Eyck.

Key Characteristics

Linked to cultural Humanism, the Renaissance brought a new idea: anthropocentrism versus theocentrism. It recovered classical culture, shifting focus from purely church-centric thought.

Economic and Political Factors

Economically,... Continue reading "Renaissance, Romanesque, and Gothic Art Styles" »

Narrative Texts: Events in Time and Space

These texts recount events within a specific time and space.

Elements of Narrative

• Narrator: First-person (hero or witness) or third-person (omniscient narrator).
• Narration: The structure can be linear (presentation, middle, end), circular, in media res (starts without introduction), or parallel (presents multiple stories simultaneously).
• Characters: Marked by physical, psychological, and social features.
• Space and Time: Can be internal or external, real or fictional. Two types of time are distinguished:
  • Historical or External: Refers to the time or era in which the action unfolds.
  • Narrative or Internal: Refers to the duration of the story.

Language in Narrative

• Lexical Features: Prevalence of verbs, including

Narrative Genre

The narrative genre is a literary genre that represents real or fictional characters in a specific place and time.

Structure of a Narrative

• Exposition: Beginning of the story, presentation of the characters, and the time-space situation.
• Rising Action/Knot: The conflict unfolds.
• Climax: The most intense moment of the conflict.
• Falling Action/Dénouement: Resolution of the conflict.
• Resolution: End of the story.

Narrative Perspective

• First-person narrator: The narrator is one of the characters in the story, often the protagonist, and uses the first person ("I," "we").
• Third-person narrator:
  • Omniscient: The narrator knows everything about all the characters and events.
  • Limited: The narrator is a witness, telling what happens without revealing

Paul Cézanne: Post-Impressionist Master

Initially struggling, Paul Cézanne reached artistic maturity around 50 years old. Upon his father's death, his inheritance freed him from economic hardship, but it also strained his friendship with Émile Zola, who depicted a frustrated painter committing suicide in his novel L'Œuvre, a character Cézanne identified with.

Cézanne then developed an original pictorial conception. His style emphasized the interplay between the eye and the brain, believing they had to assist each other. This approach, combined with his reflections on composition, led him to believe that all natural forms could be reduced to simple geometric shapes: the sphere, cone, and cylinder. This simplification was crucial in the development... Continue reading "Post-Impressionist Art: Cézanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh's Influence" »

Benito Pérez Galdós

Galdós' novelistic production is a reflection of the society of his time. Galdós' novels are notable for their characterizations and the integration of everyday life into the historical events of the time. The author combines various narrative techniques: the omniscient narrator, direct dialogue, and monologue. The language is consistent with the character.

National Episodes

They are demonstrations of 19th-century historical events treated from the standpoint of anonymous individuals. Examples include Trafalgar and The Battle of Arapiles.

Novels of the First Period

The first novels of Galdós, such as Doña Perfecta and Gloria, are called thesis novels because they are subject to the author's ideology: they contrast characters... Continue reading "Benito Pérez Galdós & Leopoldo Alas Clarín: Spanish Literary Masters" »

Gothic Architecture: General Characteristics

• Geographic Area and Timeline

  • Western Christian Europe
  • Late Middle Ages (second half of 12th century to early 16th century)
  • Originates in France, with multiple influences:
    1. Normandy
    2. Cistercian Art
    3. Saint-Denis, near Paris (1144), featuring simple and double church aisles

• Stages of Development

  (Uneven development across different countries)

  1. Early Gothic
  2. High or Classic Gothic
  3. Late Gothic (also known as Blooming or Flamboyant style, characterized by a more complex, decorative, ornate, and Baroque-influenced style with curved shapes resembling flames, hence its name)

• Changes in Construction

  • Building Types

    • Religious structures (monasteries, churches, cathedrals)
    • Civil works (municipal buildings, market halls, châteaux)