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

Legal Language Characteristics

Legal language is a specialized language used predominantly in legal contexts. It is characterized by intertextuality, a conservative function, and a form that seeks clarity, precision, and targeted communication within the legal-administrative sphere. Legal texts are not uniform; they vary across legislation, written administrative documents, notarial acts, and doctrinal texts.

Morphosyntactic Level

Noun Phrase

• Abundance of abstract nouns.
• Substantive accumulation of enumerations.
• Generalizing-value items.
• Specified adjectives.

Verb Phrase

• Utilization of the 3rd person.
• Present tense.
• Future indicative and periphrasis of obligation.
• Future subjunctive.
• Present participles (Latin-influenced).
• Gerunds (often overused).

Syntax

• Long

Neoclassical Art in Spain

Neoclassical art in Spain faced the challenge of overcoming a deeply rooted Baroque tradition. Consequently, the finest examples of this artistic style emerged in the last quarter of the eighteenth century.

Carlos III introduced the neoclassical aesthetic during his reign. Villanueva constructed the palace that now houses the Museo del Prado. Ventura Rodríguez designed the facade of the Cathedral of Pamplona.

Urban Planning and Neoclassicism

Excavations and studies of antiquity influenced urban planning. While there was no overarching plan, urban areas were modified to expand and regularize streets. Examples include the construction of the Brandenburg Gate, marking the main axis of Berlin's Royal Avenue, and Carlos III'... Continue reading "Neoclassical Art in Spain: Sculpture and Painting Analysis" »

The Quattrocento: 15th Century Italian Art

Architecture

Architects sought mastery of space by introducing simple, ordered elements inspired by Greco-Roman models.

Key figures in Florence included:

• Filippo Brunelleschi
• Leon Battista Alberti

Sculpture

Sculptors were interested in representing the human body, following classical models regarding proportions and the treatment of the nude.

Painting

The great innovations of Quattrocento painters included the rational use of perspective to represent depth on a flat surface.

Masaccio, Piero della Francesca, and Sandro Botticelli are among the most representative painters of this period.

The Cinquecento: 16th Century Shift to Rome

In the 16th century (Cinquecento), the artistic capital shifted from Florence to... Continue reading "Italian Renaissance Art: Quattrocento and Cinquecento" »

The Language of Heraldry Explained

The heraldic language encompasses all the symbolism and its composition to achieve full visual expressions of content and meaning. The base element of this language is the shield. It is built from symbols and colors within the shield, assembled according to specific purposes, principles, and rules.

These rules and the composition of symbols and colors form a visual grammar. When properly applied, this grammar defines the language of heraldry, organizing a language syntax where heraldic terms structure a visual language to define everything incorporated into armories.

What is an Armory?

An armory is the combination of the shield together with its exterior decorations. The shield is the basic concept around which... Continue reading "Understanding Heraldry: Symbols, Armory, and Shield Shapes" »

Open Nature: Rural Life and Environmental Themes

In his work, Delibes vehemently defends rural life, free from pollution and environmental aggressions. The natural world is depicted as a kind of "Arcadia" threatened by progress. This positive progress is often offset by what Delibes called a "kickback" or regression. The action primarily takes place within this natural world. It has been said that the novel's landscape coincides with the fields of Extremadura, where the peasant is resigned and happy, living in perfect harmony with the earth. For the family of Azarías and the rest of the peasants, the countryside is their very livelihood. Nature itself is treated like the humble characters in the novel.

Azarías leads a life quite similar to... Continue reading "Delibes's Los Santos Inocentes: Themes & Analysis" »

The Concept of Esperpento

The tragedy is our tragedy, but it is presented as esperpento. To understand this, we must define two fundamental terms: "tragedy" and "ours."

• Ours: This refers not only to the characters in the play but also to the Spanish people of the 20th century.
• Tragedy: The first meaning refers to a dramatic event, while the second refers to the theatrical genre. In the misunderstandings between the characters Max and Don Latino, their dialogue defines esperpento as a new theatrical subgenre and a unique vision of Spanish reality.

Valle-Inclán created a genre in which to channel his feelings. We can consider esperpento the only grotesque aesthetic capable of revealing the tragic sense of Spanish life. The literary deformation proposed... Continue reading "Valle-Inclán's Esperpento: A Grotesque Vision of Reality" »

Islamic Art: An Overview

ISLAM: Islamic art flourished within diverse contexts, from settled communities to nomadic cultures. Islam originated in Arabia in 622 AD when Muhammad fled to Medina from Mecca. The religion's central text is the Koran.

Within a century, Islam and its culture spread through military conquests, reaching from India to Spain, establishing a relatively homogeneous culture. Key contributions include advancements in business, science, philosophy, agriculture, and urban development.

Urban Planning and Architecture

Urban life, characterized by narrow streets, centered around key areas: corners (groupings of buildings, shops, workshops, and markets), bathhouses, residences, palaces, madrassas (Koranic schools), and mosques (prayer... Continue reading "Islamic and Roman Art: History, Characteristics, and Influence" »

Theatre of Epidaurus

General Information

Title:

Theatre of Epidaurus

Architect:

Polykleitos the Younger

Period:

4th Century BC

Material:

Stone

Location:

Epidaurus, Peloponnese, Greece

Formal Analysis

Description:

Nestled against a hillside, the Theatre of Epidaurus features distinct sections: the orchestra, the cavea (seating area), and the skene (stage building).

• Orchestra: A circular, sandy area at the base, used by the chorus and featuring a central altar dedicated to Dionysus.
• Cavea: The semi-circular seating area, accommodating up to 15,000 spectators, divided into two sections by a corridor (diazoma).
• Skene: A building tangent to the orchestra, serving as a backdrop, with a raised platform (proscenium) in front for theatrical action.

The theatre's lateral... Continue reading "Epidaurus Theater: Ancient Greek Architecture and Acoustics" »

The Comedia Nueva: Innovations

The plays of the Comedia Nueva did not respect the three unities of place, time, and action characteristic of classical Renaissance theater. Instead, the work is structured in three acts or 'days': exposition of the case, complication of the facts, and resolution (desenlace).

• The same work can mix the comic and the tragic.
• All works are written entirely in verse.
• Polymetry is resorted to, using various meters and stanzas that are appropriate to different dramatic situations (e.g., quatrains for love scenes, tenths for complaints, and romances for stories).
• The language is adjusted to the social status of each character, which is known as poetic decorum.
• The plays may include dances and popular songs.

Themes and Arguments

The... Continue reading "Characteristics of Spanish Baroque Theater and the Comedia Nueva" »

Hreinn Fridfinnsson's Art of Duality

The works of Hreinn Fridfinnsson are often structured around dualities such as left/right, past/present, vacuum/packed, and light/darkness. Hence the use of mirrors, which reflect not only the viewer but also the reflected.

In this exhibition, we can find several unique pieces. For example, in one corner of the gallery are placed dried tree leaves arranged from floor to ceiling. Or some strategically placed convex mirrors that reflect much of the exhibition.

Hreinn Fridfinnsson has shaped a delicate and unique style, unpretentious in materials, yet powerful in effect.

Susan Collis: Art of Deception

In this exhibition, nothing is as it seems. Susan Collis plays hide and seek with her art, inviting viewers to share... Continue reading "Diverse Contemporary Artworks and Exhibitions" »