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

Image Culture

Icons attempt to replace words, offering advantages like overcoming language barriers and aiding illiterate societies. However, they can be non-obvious, create visual noise, and introduce sexism. Sometimes, icons are accompanied by written explanations.

Images can replace the objects they represent. Today, images are central to communication, replacing text in public spaces. This leads to a culture of the image and a new functional illiteracy where literate individuals struggle with simple texts.

Image Analysis

Image comes from Latin imago (representation, portrait) and Greek eikon (icon). Images represent something concrete through various techniques. We distinguish between fixed and moving images. Iconicity is the similarity between... Continue reading "Image Culture: Icons, Framing, and Visual Impact" »

Photography and Film: Definition and Origins

Photography - A procedure for recording images based traditionally on the impression created by the light reflecting off objects in the film within a camera.

Films - A procedure to capture a sequence of images very quickly so that when reproduced, it gives the sensation of movement.

Technicalities of Photography I

We can say that the camera and the human eye are similar in many respects. In the process of vision, light reflects off objects.

• The frame - Refers to the piece of reality you want to photograph and select through the viewfinder of the camera.
• The approach - To capture an object, it is clearly necessary to properly place the camera lens.
• The depth of field - Is smaller the closer and more focused

Futurism

Futurism was a literary and artistic movement that emerged in Italy in the first decade of the 20th century. It was named for its intention to break completely with the art of the past, especially in Italy, where the artistic tradition permeated everything. Futurists wanted to create a new art, according to the modern mind, the new times, and new needs. This new art was modeled after machines and their main attributes: strength, speed, energy, motion, and dehumanization. The main feature of Futurism is plastic dynamism and movement.

Dadaism

Dada (1916) emerged with the intent to destroy all codes and systems established in the art world. It is an anti-artistic, anti-literary, and anti-poetic movement because it challenges the existence... Continue reading "Major Art Movements: From Renaissance to Fauvism" »

Understanding Cinema and Film

Film, also called cinema, is the technique of capturing and projecting frames in rapid succession to create the impression of movement. The term also refers to the theaters where movies are shown.

The Dawn of Cinema

The history of cinema arguably begins on December 28, 1895, when the Lumière brothers publicly projected short films in Paris. These early works depicted scenes such as workers leaving a French factory in Lyon, the demolition of a wall, the arrival of a train, and a boat leaving a port.

Film Theory Essentials

Film theory is based on the principle of presenting sequences of photographs rapidly enough to create the illusion of continuous movement.

Classic vs. Modern Cinema Styles

Classic cinema typically features... Continue reading "Cinema Fundamentals: History, Theory, and Formats" »

Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe by Edouard Manet: A Closer Look

Techniques and Styles

Unconventional painting methods angered the public. Manet abandoned chiaroscuro in favor of sharp contrasts between light and shade. He painted shapes with large patches of pure color for greater modernity and vitality. Critics called his style "spotty." The intense green enlivens the landscape, the yellows and reds dominate the still life, while the pure white and smooth skin tones reduce Victorine's body to nearly flat surfaces of light.

Manet, in his execution, leaves the careful style of academic literature. He draws the figures without contour lines. The background has no details, it is simply outlined. It has a total disregard for the rules of perspective. The... Continue reading "Edouard Manet's Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe: A Deep Dive" »

Sociocultural Context of Oscar Wilde's Era

From the end of the 19th century to World War I, we witnessed a transitional period in many fields, marked by significant changes in old traditions, social standards, and men's thoughts. This era went in consonance with a weakening of Victorian values, alongside the economic and political decline of the state and a pervasive loss of faith. The rise of pessimism was profoundly reflected in almost all the literature of the time.

Literary Movements Influencing Oscar Wilde

During this period, Realism still occupied a dominant position in literary techniques, but other significant movements were also emerging and gaining influence:

• Naturalism
• Aestheticism
• Symbolism

Aestheticism Defined

The Aesthetic Movement is... Continue reading "Oscar Wilde: Life, Works, and Literary Impact" »

Key Features of Drama

1. Inseparable Link Between Text and Performance: Drama features a dual stage design, meaning the written text is intrinsically linked to its theatrical representation. While the text can be read individually, its true dimension is realized on stage.
2. Use of Verbal and Non-Verbal Codes: The staging process involves a variety of codes, including verbal (dialogue) and non-verbal elements like lighting and costumes.
3. Collective Communication: Drama is a collective communicative process, both in its creation (involving the author, stage manager, and others) and its reception (while individual reading is possible, the primary experience is collective, in a theater).

Theatrical Elements

Elements of the Written Text

• Text A: This includes

Human Action: Imagination and Purpose

Human action encompasses the ability to imagine, organize, plan, and make wishes. Proposed plans and hopes can transcend the scope of what is strictly necessary, allowing for the recreation of new worlds and the devising of a fairer and more beautiful reality. This involves several key dimensions:

1. Intentionality: A way in which the subject moves towards the world as external reality. There are two main forms:
   • Theoretical intentionality: Expressing the human desire to know.
   • Practice-oriented intentionality: Aimed at meeting human needs.
2. Finality: To define an action towards an end implies choosing the means and carrying them into practice.
3. Flexibility: The same end can be achieved by different means, and the means

Defining Language and Signs

Language is fundamentally a system of signs. These signs can be categorized into three main types:

• Icon: A sign that bears a formal or visual resemblance to what it represents.
• Index: A sign where there is a causal or evidential relationship between the sign and what it stands for.
• Symbol: A conventional sign that has no inherent formal or causal relationship with what it represents; its meaning is culturally agreed upon.

Ultimately, language is defined as a structured set of these signs.

Words and Concepts

Words are articulated phonetic symbols that conventionally represent reality, without a direct, inherent connection to the things they signify. In the development of human language, the spoken word holds priority as... Continue reading "Understanding Language and Communication Fundamentals" »

General Characteristics of the Baroque Era

The Baroque era was characterized by artistic splendor, contrasting sharply with economic, political, and moral decline. The loss of political power imprinted a pessimistic character on all ideological trends. However, an opposing reaction also emerged, centered on a popular interest in an easier life, entertainment, and fiction, which, unlike harsh reality, offered a world of beauty too distant from daily misery.

Two contrasting orientations emerged: first, a refined idealization, and second, a more aggressive mockery. The societal conflicts of the era and humanity's inner struggle between spirituality and sensuality produced the finest creations across all arts. The intense competition and the difficulties... Continue reading "Baroque Era: Art, Society, and Literary Innovations" »