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

Antonio Buero Vallejo's Theater

• Characters: Adopt perspectives shaped by time to confront events, aiming to provoke reflection in the audience.
• Audience Identification: Reality is presented subjectively, as the character experiences it (e.g., if a character goes blind, the lighting might reflect this).
• Detailed Stage Directions: Meticulously describes settings, gestures, movements, and character attitudes.
• Symbolism: Characters often embody symbolic meanings; for instance, blindness can represent human limitation and loneliness, while light signifies truth.

Alfonso Sastre: Squad Towards Death

His work includes Existential Drama (Escuadra hacia la muerte - Squad Towards Death), Theater of Social Complaint (Muerte en el barrio - Death in the Neighborhood,... Continue reading "Post-War Spanish Drama: Buero Vallejo and Sastre" »

Narrative Text: Key Elements

Narrative: The story is the relationship, real or imaginary, of events that occur to characters in a specific place and time. In every narrative, there is a story (the set of events that have occurred in reality) and an account or plot (the expression of these facts, presented as history).

Elements of Narration

• Narrator and Author: The author is the real writer who writes the story. The narrator is the one who tells the story. From the narrator's point of view, this can be in:
  • Third person: The narrator recounts what happens to others and can be omniscient (knows everything) or absent (only recounts what is visible).
  • First person: The narrator recounts what happened to them (protagonist narrator) or what they saw or

Avant-gardism in Catalan Literature

Avant-gardism represents a current of authors who adopted a critical and committed stance, struggling against:

• The increasingly strong tension between the bourgeoisie and the working class.
• The profound consequences of the First World War.

These artists were often classified as "terrorists" due to their fervent desire to seek new ways to express art and challenge established standards. A notable example is Joan Salvat-Papasseit.

Key Figures of Catalan Avant-gardism

Joan Salvat-Papasseit: A Rebellious Spirit

Joan Salvat-Papasseit (1894-1924) was born into a humble, proletarian family and became orphaned early in life. His poems speak of love, the daily lives of ordinary people, and the humble pride of expressing... Continue reading "Catalan Literary Movements: Avant-gardism & Noucentisme" »

Farmhouse Narratives: Landscape and Social Dynamics

The narrative centers on two distinct farmhouses: La Jara, introduced early on, and the older farmhouse on the Piton, which forms the primary setting for the unfolding story. The landscape elements are meticulously described and carefully selected. The main farmhouse is divided into two key areas: a vast rural zone and an integrated residential section. The natural area is extensive and protected by a group of guards. This land is a place of work and a critical stage for a grand game enjoyed by its guests. The gentlemen pay close attention to three landscape elements: flora, fauna, and geological formations.

The residential area is enclosed by a wall and a gate. It features a courtyard surrounded... Continue reading "Farmhouse Narratives: Landscape, Social Injustice, and Witness Accounts" »

Understanding Text Columns

A text column is an argumentative piece where the author states or defends a particular opinion, or communicates insights to readers.

• Authorship: Often reflects the opinion of a prestigious person.
• Purpose: To inform, analyze, and educate the public about a particular event, encouraging reader interpretation.
• Topic: Can cover any subject.
• Brevity: Columnists have limited space for writing.
• Timescale: Fixed within periodic publications.
• Style: Sober, aiming for clarity and precision.

The Opinion Piece: An Argumentative Text

An opinion piece is an argumentative text where the author presents their point of view on any particular issue.

• Authorship: Often reflects the opinion of an expert on the subject, frequently collaborating

Understanding Design as a Process

Design is a process to plan, coordinate, select, and organize a set of elements to produce and create visual objects intended to communicate specific messages to specific groups.

Key Visual Design Principles

Composition

The composition of a design involves adapting and arranging different graphical elements within a visual space. These elements are selected and combined to convey a clear message to the recipient.

Harmony

Harmony is the sensation that creates visual balance through the arrangement of elements in a composition.

Texture

Texture is the manifestation of significant sensory qualities of the elements we use.

Balance

Balance is the link between elements of a composition where there is a center of gravity midway... Continue reading "Visual Design Principles and Color Psychology" »

Golden Age Spanish Theater

Comedies in the Golden Age

Comedies were performed in courtyards, with townspeople standing and nobles in rented balconies. Women were segregated from men, and performances took place during daylight. Cross Pens and Prince achieved fame. Purpose-built theaters later facilitated further development of scenery.

Lope de Vega

Lope de Vega, author of New Art of Doing Comedies, was a prolific playwright and poet. His dramatic works earned him significant fame. Over 300 comedies reflect the characteristics established in his treatise, alongside 42 morality plays.

Notable Works by Lope de Vega

• National Issue Comedies: Fuenteovejuna, El caballero de Olmedo
• Invented Theme Comedies: Often focused on love, including swashbuckling comedies

Fra Angelico: The Annunciation

Artist: Fra Angelico

Composition: This scene from the life of the Virgin Mary is set within a Renaissance-style pavilion, open on both sides. The two figures, the Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary, are positioned under a main arch, each occupying a central part of the composition. The Archangel Gabriel leans slightly and begins his address, while Mary kneels with her arms folded across her chest, a book open on her right leg, and a downcast gaze. A beam of light illuminates the Virgin, accompanied by a dove, symbolizing the Holy Spirit. In the bottom left, the scene of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise is depicted. Three medallions decorate the pavilion; at the center, a bust of Jesus appears in an... Continue reading "Iconic Renaissance Paintings: Analysis and Symbolism" »

Classical Antiquity

The Classical era encompasses centuries BC. In the early decades, philosophy arose in the Ionian Greek colonies. Key figures include Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. This period established many major philosophical concepts of Western thought. Beyond Greece and Rome, other influential ways of thinking developed. In India, the sacred Vedas, the foundation of Hindu philosophy, were compiled. Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, was a contemporary of Pythagoras. Confucius's doctrines influenced China, Korea, and Japan.

The Middle Ages and Renaissance

Medieval philosophy (4th-16th centuries) fostered dialogue between revealed faith and human reason. Scholasticism, marked by debates and encyclopedic syntheses, flourished.... Continue reading "Ancient & Modern Philosophy: From Socrates to Nietzsche" »

Argumentative Texts: Structure and Techniques

An argumentative text is one that presents certain ideas through reasoning.

Argumentar: To provide reasons to advocate for an opinion.

The ultimate objective of an argument is to convince others of our ideas about a given subject. What distinguishes an argumentative text from an explanation is, therefore, the intention of the person generating it.

Structure

Follow a logical order to ensure proper understanding of the expressed ideas:

• Introducción (Introduction): Introduces the topic and captures interest.
• Exposición de la tesis (Thesis Statement): Argumentative texts often contain an explanatory part setting out the fundamental idea.
• Argumentación (Argumentation): Justifies the thesis (main idea) with