Impressions †art Essay

The ballet paintings of Degas featured women in a variety of intimate moments, so to speak. It is at this point that after trying out a variety of techniques, mediums and themes that his work takes on a completely Impressionist image. Paintings done during his early years turn out to have little resemblance in terms of style and composition to the artwork he did later on. Nevertheless, certain features of Degas’ painting methods remained the same regardless of the many modifications and adaptations to this styles and mediums. For one, he always painted indoors. This remains in effect a testament to his derision at the en plein air technique of the Impressionists; he would always prefer to work in his studio instead, relying on memory or live models for his paintings. This was what he did during some of his paintings on dancers, where he would get a female ballet dancer to act as a live model in his studio. His subject too, remained the primary focus, and the landscapes and background were simply reproduced from memory or created from his imagination. In general, one can say that aspects of Degas’ work carry an element of sensuality, perhaps even hyper-sensuality, in them especially during the paintings of the nudes. It is crucial to know that understanding this is important to be able to successfully analyze, comprehend and appreciate his other works. A blatant example of one of Degas’ works that has clear elements of sensuality is Four Dancers. In this painting, Degas arouses a variety of sensual responses based on the primary visual image, to the eroticism exhibited by the female models. Degas did not only reveal his artistic and personal introversion through linear revelation but also through the use of color and light. The dancers stand in muted quite with earth tones while their outfits have small hints of brilliant color with blue or pink sashes. The stiff form of the skirt while a dancer is standing still and straight as can be witnessed in Four Dancers in the forefront dancer’s position is easily transformed into a fluid myriad of colors whenever a dancer takes movement and Degas reveals an asymmetry with color, line, and the imbalance of the two. Theatre Peter Shaffer’s play Amadeus is in summary about the ‘feckless’ artistic genius of Mozart pitted against the mediocrity of Antonio Salieri whose jealousy over Mozart’s success in the play lends itself to murder. The play was an in depth exploration of Mozart as a man and not just as a genius composer; the director Kent Thompson brought Mozart’s humanity to the stage as well as accurately portraying the script composed by Shaffer. The elements of fear in failure and ebullience in joy were the true rivals in the play, and the way in which the audience relates to these characters was extraordinary. The magic, as it were, of the play was the way in which both Shaffer’s ideas and Kent’s ideas bred a new life into the classical artist Mozart; he was not only a composer by the end of the play but the audience was so engrossed in his life that he became a person to them, relatable with his life, his marriage, his children and his music. The play by Shaffer introduced to audiences a psychological background that was highlighted in Kent’s portrayal by lighting and theme background. The stages were generally a dark atmosphere which juxtaposed Mozart’s own emotional allegiance to failure, but also the lights were introduced in brilliant colors when Mozart’s psyche was enjoying a brief happiness. Kent made the lighting a major part of Shaffer’s script. Kent did a lot of spotlighting, or mood lighting in which only a few characters on stage were illuminated to show their importance. The corners and niches of darkness were the psychological equivalent to the turmoil that Mozart was going through not only in his composition powers, but also in his relationship with his mother, his wife, his rival, himself. Therefore, it was not just the use of lighting but the introduction of shadow that enabled Kent to deftly portray Mozart’s emotional being. Also, Kent incorporated into the design of the show six luxury pendant lamps above the audience members. This allowed the action and the scenery of the stage to overlap the audience so that the actions on stage would be more realistic since the audience was almost part of the play with the same scenery above their head. When the pendant lamps turned on during a palace scene or a scene calling for luxury the audience members were being incorporated into the play by the extension of the stage design into the seats. This is not the only technique Kent used in allowing the audience to become part of the actions on the stage. The way that Shaffer wrote the script, in plot, Salieri is in a wheelchair, and the action is taking place 32 years after Mozart’s, ‘assassination’. Salieri lets out a very penitent dialogue in which he asks the audience to be his confessors. In this action, both Kent and Shaffer are introducing that the suspension of disbelief does not exist at the proscenium, but at the entrance to the audience since the audience itself is asked to become characters, or confessors in the play. The life of the play, the essence that Shaffer had imagined it to be, was aptly give in Kent’s direction. The actors, the plots, the dialogue all gave Amadeus the possession of a reality given in psychological torpor by Salieri and Mozart. Not only was the costume impeccable in portraying 1781, but the props themselves gave the play an extra touch of reality in their presence on stage. The sound in the background, the classical music notes, the rendition of specific Mozart pieces added to the ambiance of the play and the inclusion of the audience members into the action on stage. The lighting however was one element that was very unique in its rendition and aided in the audience’s understanding about characters, setting, and their own inclusion in the play. The lighting was a major part of the success of the play, not only its highlighting of certain characters but in the use of shadow as well; there was a very chiaroscuro effect that Kent employed, that worked for the extra drama of the Amadeus. Dance Gina Pane was able to transform performance art to be inclusive of pain as a gateway of understanding life, and for the audience to understanding of that pain was exhibited through art. Gina Pane would, during her performances, burn her limbs and slice herself with sharp razors. During multiple performances she would take her own blood and outline her physiognomy on the plane of a mirror, at which she was peering. She would take blood from her sliced open eyelids and trace her face in the glass. By performing in this fashion Gina Pane was able to visually and metaphorically re-engineer the product of artistry in her shedding of her own blood which in turn become a dichotomy of both process and product (Hewitt 1997; 103). Thus, not only was the performance geared toward the audience but the act of bloodshed was art, thereby attributing self-mutilation as a genre in performance art. Often times this sacrifice of the performer’s blood is equated with Christ’s sacrifice for redemption of humankind, thus, the performer is acting out self-mutilation thereby cleansing the audience of their sin (Hewitt 1997; 104). The artist is using this pain and sacrifice for the importance of self expression. Gina Pane utilized this masochism in order to save the audience from the din of inexcusable art and thus she saw herself as a scapegoat that eventually rescued the audience from the cultural retardation of art from the perspective of art being disembodied and mundane because of its equaliency of being inhuman or at least no longer defined through human qualities. Gina Pane’s onstage sacrifices were a tribute to her faith in that art was not only for expression but salvation. She believed in the body, and had faith in that art through masochism was a way in which she could associate herself as an artist through recognition of the human as blood and in this was found a truth she wanted to relay to the audience (Hewitt 1997; 104). Art should not be devoid of human life and experiences and thus Gina Pane placed much importance on her shedding of blood as performance. Pane perceived the body as a vehicle, a tool of expression through pathological masochism. Thus, when Pane includes these self-mutilation acts in her work she is making a succinct statement to the audience not only of sacrifice and redemption but also in an egotistical fashion she is stating that her arms are hers to do with what she pleases. If she wants her arms to be scarred then that is how they will be and this message is delivered to the audience as control. Gina Pane’s performances are about control of the body. Music. Gangsta rap originated from the blues as well as poetry since rap in essence is poetry put to a beat just as most African American music derives itself in some form from the Deep South’s work music, so does gangsta rap originate from the hardship of the rappers’ lives, and they lived, where they lived and how they survived which is all put into the lyrics of the gangsta rap song. In gangsta rap, it is with the Blues that it is attributed to adhering to, and it is with the Blues that the cadence and lyrics gangsta rap can be found with regard to the artist and how they wrote blues as a new age rhythm in rap. In the following essay, cultural, economic, and social factors will be explored as to their impact on gangsta rap and the artist. The lyrics and the artist will be compared and contrasted and the difference between the two, will be the focus of the following pages. Also, in the music production, business will be considered, and the aesthetic aspect of production will be examined, both monetarily, and otherwise. Gangsta rap takes its cue from the Blues. The gangsta rap artist illustrates life in the hood; thus they lyrics do not propagate the problem but merely report about the problem. In this fashion gangsta rap artists are more like journalists instead of musicians as most of their lyrics are fueled from poverty stricken lives, doing drugs or selling drugs just to make money or seeing their family and friends to the same thing. All of these issues are written into the gangsta rap lyrics. As mentioned prior, the Blues was a musical form founded in the Deep South, both rooted in spirituals, and labor (Gospel Music Association). The Blues became more sophisticated as the music, and musicians moved from rural landscape to cityscape. It was within the urban environment that the Blues found its voice (Dean, 1998), as it is true that gangsta rap found its voice in the over urbanization of a culture. One of the central figureheads of gangsta rap is Tupac. His blues mixed with voice, lyrics, and the slow acceptance of depression and love in his song are reminiscent of blues, but his strict adherence to the lyrics and the politics in the lyrics made him the transcendental leader of gangsta rap. Gangsta rap is a genre of hip hop which also is heavily influenced by politics. The focus of gangsta rap and the artist was one concerned with inner-city living or ‘da hood’. Thus, the attention to gangs and gang members as part of the lyrics of gangsta rap become synonymous with this type of policy; chaos. Crime and violence are a large part of the lyrical side of gangsta rap because of its origins in the city. The artist writes what they know and it is with lyricists such as Ice-T, and 2Pac that the illusion of the nuclear family was put to waste and the creation or rather recognition of America’s streets was brought to the forefront of society. Gangsta rap is known as a realistic sound, typically associated with the angst filled lyrics of the rising rock and roll sound emerging at the same time with hip hop. Due to the eclectic influence of gangsta rap, the sound was much misinterpreted, or hard to pinpoint as a genre, and thus the inclusion of the advocacy of drugs was initiated into this musical genre. This however is not the case. Gangsta rap is anything is a narrative, and as a narrative the lyrics reflect what the artist is living or already seeing. The artist then becomes a surrogate for the rest of society in understanding life on the street and the real America. Work Cited Hewitt, Kim. Mutilating the Body: Identity in Blood and Ink. Bowling Green State University Popular Press. 1997.

Eradicating risk Essay

Judges, Chairman, Members of the Floor. Life is full of risks. Even in our day to day lives we encounter many situations which could include risk: playing sport or travelling to and from school. And it is of course important to understand this risk, whether that is by merely educating yourself of the risks attached to a specific activity, or by taking small steps to try to reduce that risk. Using the example of driving, there are hundreds of thousands of traffic accidents that occur in the UK each year. You could therefore say that it is purely common sense to wear a seatbelt when travelling in a car. However, I would argue that there is a huge difference between taking the sensible action of wearing a seatbelt and condemning the roads as just being too dangerous and deciding to stop driving altogether. I feel that, in our society, we are too quick to see the downside and the negative aspects of risk and not sufficiently tuned in to the need to see risk as something that occurs naturally and simply needs to be understood and taken wisely into account. School trips are arguably one of the most enriching parts of your education as they help to reinforce the curriculum that you learn in the classroom. However, there is a risk that the numbers of school trips will fall due to the huge amount of paperwork required. Before a school trip can take place, an extensive risk assessment has to be carried out, outlining all the possible hazards that might occur during this trip. And the claims culture that exists today only serves to worsen this problem. Teachers are rightly uneasy to participate in school trips as they are immediately liable for any injury, however minor, that may occur. We are at the point now where schools are considering removing playground equipment to avoid being sued when children suffer minor injuries. Kent County Council has paid out ? 700,000 to children since 2008 and claims have become so common that schools face mounting bills, even when children get hurt while breaking school rules by climbing walls or trees. To quote Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, â€Å"Schools become so risk-conscious they no longer present children with challenges and they are wrapped up in cotton wool†. The staggering number of personal injury lawyers offering â€Å"no-win no-fee† deals will attest to the fact that claims are so commonplace in our society that they only way for any organisation to reduce their liability is to attempt to eradicate risk involved. The huge popularity of insurance nowadays is just another example of how we have become obsessed with eradicating risk. There are not only many insurance companies, but also a huge number of different types of insurance. Gadget and mobile insurance, a relatively new industry, is now estimated to be worth ? 1. 24 billion across Europe. Even the scandal over PPI (payment protection insurance) was essentially due to banks frightening their customers into thinking that they needed insurance to ensure that they paid off their debt. In conclusion, risk is not something that we should fear, nor is it something that we should seek to eliminate completely from our lives, as I believe we, as a society, are increasingly in danger or doing. As I have demonstrated, risk is simply a consequence of the combination of a set of circumstances and this combination simply needs to be understood so that sensible precautions can be taken to manage or mitigate the risk, but there is certainly no requirement to eliminate this. Indeed, a life without risk would be a very boring life indeed. â€Å"This House believes society has become obsessed with eradicating risk†

Mustafa Kemal Atatrk Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mustafa Kemal Atatrk - Research Paper Example Mustafa Kemal Atatà ¼rk  has shown the world that how effective leadership and dedicated services can make revolutionary changes in the life of people. The life of Atatà ¼rk is a lesson for the modern political leaders who are struggling to contribute something to their nations because of widespread corruption, partialities, biases, discriminations and prejudices.  Ataturk was born in Salonica in 1880 into a family which was Muslim, Turkish speaking and precariously middle class†(Mango, p. 25). Salonica is not part of Turkey at present; it is the part of Greece now. Even though, Ataturk had many brothers and sisters, only one of Atatà ¼rks siblings, a sister named Makbule survived childhood. Mustafa Kemal was the childhood name of Ataturk. Even though the origin of Ataturk is still controversial, it is widely accepted that his father was an Albanian whereas his mother was a Macedonian. Ali Raza, a civil servant, was the father of Ataturk who died at the age of 46 because of his crazy life styles (Mango, p. 30). The sudden and unexpected death of Ali Raza brought the entire responsibility of looking after the family, on the shoulders of his mother. His mother was a strong believer in God and religion and she encouraged Mustafa to attend childhood education at a religious school. Even though Atatruk was not much interested in religious education, he spent a brief period of his childhood in this religious school. However, he joined another secular school later because of the instructions of his father. His parents were interested in making Ataturk a business man and forced him to learn more about the trade activities. But his interests were different and unknown to even his parents. Atatà ¼rk continued in the President ship for 15 years until his death in 1938. He did everything possible to make Turkey capable of standing in its own legs with the help of comprehensive reformation processes in the political, social, legal, economic, and cultural spheres. Emerging nations now admire and imitate him as an idol. The visions of Atatà ¼rk were highly integrated and he believed in secular credentials and humanity. Renowned world lead ers like Churchill, Roosevelt, Nehru Nasser, Kennedy etc paid immense tribute to Atatà ¼rk for his contributions to the world. He never treated neighbouring countries as friends rather than enemies which helped Turkey to get more cooperation from the neighbouring countries for its economic growth.

What are the different ways in which tariffs are levied in the United Essay

What are the different ways in which tariffs are levied in the United States and what are the various types of nontariff barriers imposed in the United States - Essay Example Protection is achieved by raising the price of imported products so that they cost the same as those produced domestically. The government computes the tariffs in two main ways. The Ad Valorem, which means â€Å"On value,† involves tax that is levied as a fixed percentage of the value of the imported commodity. Currently, the U.S collects 2.5% on imported automobiles. Therefore, if the country imports $100,000 Hyundai automobiles, then the government collects $2,500 in tax (Suranovic 2012).Specific tariffs involve levying a fixed amount of tax on each unit of the imported product sold without regard to the selling price. In some cases, the tariffs imposed may be a combination of the specific and Ad Valorem (Webb 2011). For example, a specific tariff of $0.51% is levied on imported wristwatches in the U.S coupled with a $6.25% ad valorem tariff on the case and the strap. A 5.3% ad valorem tariff is also imposed on the battery (Suranovic 2012). The tariffs levied on imports vary depending on the commodities, for example, goods from a country with the status of â€Å"most-favored† nation may i ncur a different tariff compared to products from other trading partners. Non-tariff barriers include rules and regulations geared to keeping foreign goods out of the domestic market. They include specific limitations on trade, such as quotas. Quota refers to limiting an amount of import, for example, the U.S allows 1 million tons of sugar to be imported and not more than that (Bairstow 2011). The second barrier involves customs and administrative procedures such as antidumping practices and valuation systems. The implementation of standards, that is, packaging, labelling and other standard disparities are other barriers to trade that are incorporated in the U.S (Bairstow 2011). The government’s participation in trade through export subsidies, procurement policies, countervailing duties and domestic assistance programmes

The Importance of Cultural Ties Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Importance of Cultural Ties - Essay Example It's vital that people who find themselves in this position find new ways to cope with that loss, maintain a sense of their cultural heritage, and create some form of identity with their country of birth. Cross culture adoption, a trend that has become more popular in recent years, points to the child's need to maintain close cultural ties with their birth country. In a recent study of Asian American adoptions it was found that while growing up, the children often considered themselves white. As they reached adulthood, that trend had reversed and most considered themselves Asian American (Dong). As adults they would seek out ways to connect to their country of birth through language, art, and ethnic organizations. Many of the adoptees in the survey reported lifelong feelings of alienation and isolation. Nancy Ng, member on the board of the Palo Alto group Families Adopting in Response (FAIR) asserts the importance of "the need to honor the birth country and raise them with knowledge of their birth culture" (Dong), Developing a cultural awareness and close ties to your ethnic heritage is more than just the curiosity to discover who you are. Lacking the knowledge of ones background can lead to more serious issues and manifest in an identity crises.

Hydropower Resource Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hydropower Resource Analysis - Assignment Example This paper also reviews in depth about the hydroelectric scheme and discusses the methods of determining its sustainability by way of presenting methods of selecting appropriate turbines in relation to the head and flow of water source. It uses tables of generation tariffs in U.K. and shows how and what revenue is achievable with possible periods of payback of huge initial investment needed for the project. The power of water is dependent upon its pressure which is built by the height of water source. The pressure is found at the point from where water is released. The vertical distance between the water releasing point and water source such as reservoir, tank, etc. determines the water pressure. It is this elevation which is known as â€Å"Head† and measured in meters as a vertical distance. Water ‘Flow’ is the amount of water quantity or ‘volume’ in a given time. It is therefore measured as cubic meter per second (m3/s) representing volume of water and time in which it flows. The density of water and earth gravity also affects the flow of water. The density of water is commonly taken as 1000 kg/m3 and earth gravitational force is a constant having value of 9.81 m/ s3 (ESHA 2004) Pipelines are most commonly used for moving water from higher source point to a lower release point. There are many barriers in the way of water travel that reduces water distance. This includes size and shape of pipelines, friction of water with pipe material, the joints, design flow and the sides. All of these and many other factors create loss and therefore Head is always taken as net; the vertical distance is subtracted with expected loss in transit and Net Head is derived. All calculations in this paper are based on net head. The word Hydropower refers to the force of water. It is also referred mostly as hydraulic power. Generation of electricity from hydropower or hydraulic power is referred as Hydroelectric or hydraulic electricity. Figure 1 illustrates

Forms of Business Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Forms of Business Organisations - Essay Example Thus, â€Å"every partner in a firm other than an incorporated limited partnership is liable jointly with the partner’s co-partners, and also severally, for everything for which the firm becomes liable under section 10 or 11.†Ã‚  Ã‚   Joint and several liability means, within the partnership context, that the claimant may bring a claim against all of the partners or choose to recover the entire amount of damages from only one or some of the partners, leaving the partner/s whom the claimant has/have successfully recovered from to go after other partners for the latter’s proportionate contribution to the claim. Applying the above principles, it can be concluded that Stacey can go after both Bertha and Sam or either Bertha and Sam for the recovery of damages caused to his spine due to the wrongful practices of the firm, regardless of whether only one of the partners is at fault or both. In a joint and several liability, the partners will be left to determine for the mselves their exact liability and recover from each other the amount of the other’s liability. Therefore, Besa Constructions should seriously consider accepting liability for the injury of Stacey after validating the reports of the insurers. Since the firm is not a separate entity from its owners, this means that Bertha or Sam or both should pay the claim, in accordance to the extent of their individual participation in the wrongful company practices. Moreover, they should initiate a change in its existing working practices to prevent the same problem from occurring again in the future.