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

Core Functions of the Press

The functions of the press are to report and comment. The primary function is to inform readers in an objective and truthful manner. The secondary function is to comment on the present and thus help to form the opinion of the readers.

Common Publication Types

Publication types include weekly, daily, and monthly formats. The press is composed of newspapers that collect the latest news. Non-daily publications are often magazines, which can be published every week or every month. Examples of magazines include those focused on entertainment, cinema, music, and books.

Newspaper Organization and Design

In a newspaper, texts are distributed and arranged carefully in order to attract the reader's attention and facilitate the... Continue reading "Press Roles, Publication Types, and Journalistic Genres" »

The Essence of Aesthetics: Subjectivity and Art

Aesthetics emerges as an alternative to a culture that often prioritizes objectivity, emphasizing subjectivity and originality. The artist seeks to re-interpret reality, offering a second way of seeing the world. It's not just any distortion; the more profound the distortion, the better. The artist never shows objective truth, but a distorted one. Aesthetics is not measured by utility; art begins where something ceases to be useful. Anything abnormal gains value because we are accustomed to despising what lacks utility.

Art vs. Science: Objective Truth vs. Subjective Expression

Science rejects subjectivity, seeking universal thought and a singular truth. In contrast, art embraces subjectivity, striving... Continue reading "Aesthetics, Art, and Reality: Subjectivity, Science, and Criticism" »

Attitudes in lyrics correspond to the mood of the poet and can be mainly three:

• Attitude Point: The lyrical speaker captures something external, internalizes it, and expresses it in a narrative or descriptive manner, trying to maintain objectivity.
• Apostrophe: The poet addresses an external entity directly, creating intensity and drama. The lyrical speaker moves between subjective and objective perspectives.
• Carmina or Lyric Song: This is the attitude of excellence, where the poet expresses their inner soul with subjectivity prevailing.

Literary Figures

Literary figures are resources used to transform language in poetry. They give language elasticity and evocative power, expressing new meanings beyond the referential.

Figures of Speech

• Hyperbaton

Entertainment

Television

Show: show (English), audiencia (Spanish), espectador (Spanish)
Viewer: presentador (Spanish)
Broadcast: emisión (Spanish)
Advert: anuncio (Spanish)
Screen: pantalla (Spanish)
Camera: cámara (Spanish)
Remote control: mando (Spanish)
Talent show: show de talento (Spanish)
Quiz show: preguntas (Spanish)
Game show: concurso de juegos (Spanish)
Soap opera: novela (Spanish)
Sitcom: comedia (Spanish)
Episode: episodio (Spanish)
Cartoon: dibujos (Spanish)

Reality TV

Reality show: reality show (English), programa de telerrealidad (Spanish)
Drama series: serie de drama (Spanish)

Environment

Recycling and Waste

Recycle: reciclar (Spanish)
Reuse: reusar (Spanish)
Save: salvar (Spanish)
Pollute: basura (Spanish)
Poison: veneno (Spanish)... Continue reading "Comprehensive Vocabulary List for Language Learners" »

Neoclassicism: Art, Reason, and Revolution (1750–1815)

Neoclassicism developed between 1750 and 1815, roughly coinciding with the Enlightenment and the first revolutionary wave that ended the Old Regime in much of Europe.

The Enlightenment's Influence on Aesthetics

The Enlightenment championed the light of reason, believing it capable of explaining all things. Therefore, the enlightened defended the power of reason against the superstitions of the Old Regime. This philosophical shift had a very strong impact on artistic creativity; a reasoned conception of beauty caused profound changes in artistic expression.

The Enlightenment, therefore, laid the foundations of contemporary art by granting autonomy to the artwork itself, making it an autonomous... Continue reading "Neoclassicism: The Intersection of Art, Reason, and Revolution" »

The Narrative

What Is a Text?

A text is a statement or a set of consistent statements, oral or written, which have a communicative purpose.

Narrate Events

Narrate events means to relate actions and characters across time and space. Its intention is to inform, explain, entertain, or tell a story. If the purpose goes beyond aesthetics, it is a literary narrative.

Elements of the Story

Narrator

"Narrator:" a fictional or real voice that recounts the facts.

• In 1st person: The narrator appears as a character in the story (may be the protagonist or a witness).
• In 3rd person: The narrator relates events from an external perspective, with limited knowledge or with full knowledge (omniscient).

Objective (Objectivist) narrator: Tells what is seen without making... Continue reading "The Narrative: Elements, Characters, Space, Time & Language" »

El Greco's Masterpiece: The Martyrdom of Saint Maurice

El Greco's painting, The Martyrdom of Saint Maurice, depicts the martyrdom of the Roman general Maurice and his entire legion for refusing to participate in the sacrifices to pagan gods.

Composition and Style

The unique, novel, and complex composition of the painting gives it a special attraction. In the foreground, Greco-Roman generals are shown discussing their predicament. They do so while enveloped in a supernatural atmosphere, where their gestures and attitudes denote a position of mystical acceptance.

In the background, using a curious perspective serpentinata, all the members of the Theban Legion are placed. Some are decapitated, while others await their fate. This synchronous vision... Continue reading "El Greco's Masterpiece: Martyrdom of Saint Maurice" »

Structural Techniques in The Aleph

Borges's stories are characterized by great structural originality, which is based on the following characteristics:

• Essayistic Form: They are sometimes confused with an essay, as they often take the form of an argument to begin referring to studies, classical myths, legends, and historical events.
• Mixture of Reality and Fiction: Imaginary apocrypha or authors are cited and mixed with real authors. In some stories, the protagonists are historical, while others are legendary characters or invented.
• Intertextuality: Some stories star characters from existing books.
• Narrative Puzzles: In all his stories, Borges grabs the reader by presenting a series of puzzles that, ultimately, always have an unusual and surprising

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