The Nude in Weatern Tradition essays

The Nude in Weatern Tradition essays The depiction of the nude female model by a male artist in oil painting has played a significant role in the western tradition over the last 500 years. The oil painting of the female nude is subject to the artists interpretation of her form. She is affected by the artists desire for his model, as well as his art and she is torn between the artists inability to be both lover and painter. Hubert Damischs The Underneaths of Painting helps the reader understand the importance of the male painters imaging of the female form. By analyzing Balzacs Unknown Masterpiece, Damisch uncovers several tangents to the unique relationship between artists and the women they create on canvas. Balzac tells a tale of the truth behind the creative process of an artist and the way he perceives his vision when finally completed in oil. Poussin is a young painter who doesnt quite understand how the concepts of desire and love will affect the perception of his model, and lover, Gilette. He soon embarks on a journey that takes him underneath the paint: Under the paint and as its truth, instead and in the place of the so-called picture, the exchange assuming its last true face: a woman for a picture and a woman for what forms (or ought to) its subject. It is at this point in the picture where the subterranean, archaeological presence of the woman reveals itself, that something is given to see, something that can be spoken, that can be named, something moreover alive, delectable, a foothold for desire; in a word, something that looks at us unlike the inexpressible wall of paint that holds it captive, (Damisch 202). There are many layers of paint put on to one canvas, but the image isnt visible right away, she must grow through the brushstrokes. When the last brush of paint tou ...

Benjamin Britten Biography

Benjamin Britten Biography Introduction A renowned classic music composer, soloist and director, Benjamin Britten was born in England, on November 22, 1913. Even in his childhood, he was actively involved in music, composing his first works at the tender age of five. From then on he progressed in creativity and composition even though he had no form of technical training in music. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Benjamin Britten Biography specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, his mother was a part time singer and she aided his growth in approach and musical content. The Royal Falily is one of his well known compositions in his early childhood, which was about the death of the fifth son of George V in 1919. Educational background Frank Bridge, who was a well known music composer, became interested in Britten while he was still very young. Frank had a passion for developing innovative styles of music which led him to see the unique qualitie s of Britten’s work [1]. Frank was therefore in a sense responsible for mentoring Bitten, providing him with the technical understanding that Bitten needed to create quality compositions. The only well known institution that Britten enrolled into was the Royal College of Music in 1930 with a goal of studying musical composition and the piano under the tutorship of Arthur Benjamin, John Ireland and Harold Samuel [2]. It was here that his work begun receiving acclaim, for he went on to receive numerous awards for compositions like a â€Å"Boy was Born†, in 1933. Musical career From April 1935, Britten adopted music as a profession when he took on the job of creating music for documentary films produced by the General Post Office (GPO). It was here that he met W.H. Auden in July 1935, and they went on to work on several projects together while at GPO, including the films Coal Face, Night Mail and the song series â€Å"Our Hunting Fathers†. Auden was a brilliant p oet who went on to influence much of Britten’s 1942 composition; â€Å"Hymn to St. Cecilia† [3]. It is while still working at GPO when Britten met Peter Pears in 1937, who later became his musical collaborator and a source for musical inspiration. It was in that same year that he composed â€Å"Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge† for string orchestra, one of his most remarkable works. Move to America The primary reason that made Britten move to America in 1939 was that at the time, Auden had immigrated to America. Another reason is that he was disgruntled by the cold reception that his work â€Å"A Pacifist March† had received, after he had composed it for the Peace Pledge Union [4]. Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Along with his friend Peter Pears, they set off for the United States and eventually settled in Amityville, Long Island, New York. In 1940, Pears inspired Britten to composed â€Å"Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo†, the first among many songs that he would dedicate to Pears. His stay in America consequently influenced Britten, who together with Auden wrote an operetta, â€Å"Paul Bunyan† a musical drama which was followed by a number of works like â€Å"the Violin Concerto† and â€Å"Sinfonia da Requiem† for orchestra performance [5]. In 1943, Britten together with Pears returned to England and went on to release â€Å"Hymn to St. Cecilia† which he had composed on his trip back from America in March, 1942 and shortly after his return, in 1943, he composed â€Å"Rejoice in the La† [6]. Famous works A unique quality that can among others be identified in Britten is his consistency. Through out his life, Brittan went on to write and compose music till his death in 1976. However, some of his works went ahead to receive great public acclaim and consequently won Britten a great number of prizes and awards. Britten’s most popular works include; â€Å"A Midsummer Nights Dream†, â€Å"Peter Grimes† and â€Å"The War Requiem†. A Midsummer Nights Dream This is an opera by set to a libretto and was modified by Benjamin Britten together with Peter Pears and was drawn from William Shakespeares play, â€Å"A Midsummer Nights Dream†. The sound is highly individual and harmoniously subtle and riddled with tenor undertones. Unlike most of his other works, Peter Pears did not assume a leading role on stage, as an alternative he took up the comical character of Flute. â€Å"A Midsummer Nights Dream† won Britten the 1961 UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers Award. Peter Grimes Peter Grimes is also an opera with the libretto having been modified by Montagu Slater. The original Peter Grimes was from a section of George Crabbes poem â€Å"The Borough†. It is highly thought that the main reason why Britten moved bac k to England from America is because of this poem, because he strongly related with the misfortune of the fisherman named Peter Grimes [7]. However, Britten altered the personality of Grimes from the antagonist he was in Crabbes poem, to a victim of social injustices who is wrongly understood. In this opera, the borough is a fictional village which shares the same scenario with that of Crabbe and also to that of Aldeburgh, on Englands east coast, where in fact, Britten lived at the time. The opera therefore had several innuendos pointing at Britten’s and Pears’ life. In a broader sense, Peter Grimes was the first opera composed by Britten that was professionally criticized and popular among the public.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Benjamin Britten Biography specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The War Requiem The War Requiem was written for the commemoration of Coventry Cathedral where it was first per formed on 30 May 1962. The core of this composition was full of pacifist signatures mainly so because the Battle of Britain in World War II had left the Coventry Cathedral completely ruined [8]. Britten was requested to compose something to be performed at the ceremony to officially announce the completion of a new cathedral which was designed by Basil Spence and was built next to the ruins of the original structure [9]. Bearing in mind that the work was to be presented inside the new cathedral, acoustics were definitely to be included since Brittan was an accomplished acoustic pianist. The ceremony was graced by a number of Britten’s works, including Tippetts opera King Priam. The War Requiem was dedicated to four of Brittens friends who were killed during World War I, and was used to send a strong pacifist message. It was not a glorification of the British troops, rather a public declaration of Brittens anti-war convictions. This piece pointed out to others the wickedness of war, and not necessarily the wickedness of human beings [10]. Britten wrote the War Requiem for a German, a Russian and a British soloist, meaning he viewed war as a universal loss and not just loss to his home country, and therefore emphasized the need for unity and peace. Effectively, the War Requiem was as well intended to serve as a warning to future generations, negating the absurdity of taking up arms against fellow human beings. Among all of his works, The War Requiem has by far been deemed the most popular to this day. Consequently, he went on to receive numerous awards due to this piece even after his death. Some of the prizes he received are â€Å"Grammy Awards 1963 Classical Album of the Year†, â€Å"Grammy Awards 1963 Best Classical Performance†, â€Å"Grammy Awards 1963 Best Classical Composition by a Contemporary Composer†, Sonning Award 1967, â€Å"BRIT Awards 1977 Best Orchestral Album† and the â€Å"Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1998†. Conclusion There is no doubt that Benjamin Britten was a gifted individual when it came to music. Apart from being a skilled pianist, he composed some remarkable works and was also a music conductor. He drew inspiration from the people he surrounded himself with like Peter Pears and the poet Auden. Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Britten did however face rejection from other composers whom did no find his style trendy. He was forced to move away from London due to the rejection which can be seen in most of his work. Most of his leading characters are misunderstood by the society that they are in and it is possible that he was pointing at himself. All in all, Britten’s work will surely prevail for a long time for his compositions are performed. References Carpenter, Humphrey. Benjamin Britten: A Biography. New York: Charles Scribners Sons, 1992. Evans, Peter. The Music of Benjamin Britten. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 1979. Kennedy, Michael. Britten Works. London: J.M. Dent Sons Ltd, 1981. [1] Humphrey Carpenter. Benjamin Britten: A Biography (New York: Charles Scribners Sons, 1992), p. 32 [2] Michael Kennedy. Britten (London: J.M. Dent Sons Ltd, 1981), p. 21. [3] Peter Evans. The Music of Benjamin Britten (Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 1979), p. 54. [4] Humphrey Carpenter. B enjamin Britten: A Biography (New York: Charles Scribners Sons, 1992), p. 38. [5] Peter Evans. The Music of Benjamin Britten (Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 1979), p. 54. [6] Michael Kennedy. Britten (London: J.M. Dent Sons Ltd, 1981), p. 46. [7] Michael Kennedy. Britten (London: J.M. Dent Sons Ltd, 1981), p. 75. [8] Michael Kennedy. Britten (London: J.M. Dent Sons Ltd, 1981), p. 117. [9] Peter Evans. The Music of Benjamin Britten (Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 1979), p. 54. [10] Michael Kennedy. Britten (London: J.M. Dent Sons Ltd, 1981), p. 21.

Exercise in Women with Heart Failure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Exercise in Women with Heart Failure - Essay Example A study mentioned by Oka, Demarco & Haskell in 1999 mentioned a study which examined the relationship between observed physical condition, fitness and the levels of activity in 32 men and 8 women. It was observed that higher oxygen uptake occurred with increased self efficacy for stair climbing and increased participation in recreational activity. In the aerobic and resistance acquiring program that was based at home no physical gains were reported in peak oxygen consumption even after the study of 3 months period. But the same studies did not concentrate a maximum on women with HF. Design: The study used a controlled two group experimental method with randomization. Measures were recorded during a 2 week period before the randomization of group Investigators visited homes of the women during randomization. At the end of 12 week period T2 measures were recorded. 32 women participants were made to enter into the study. Half of them were selected in random for combined walking along with education program. The remaining half were selected in random for educatin program only. ... The adherence to the guidelines is 85 percent in first group and 83 percent in the second group. The depression levels were also measured and observed that 40 percent of the women in both the groups observed depression. The main outcome is that the women participated in the walking programs were capable to increase their self efficacy. Those who adhered to the walking guidelines even walked for farther distances in six minute walk test after improved quality of life. But the women with debilitating physical condition did not get that QOL by adhering to walking test guide lines. In another analysis of 52 people who are training trials with a 12 week period demonstrated increase in HDL -C levels. Exercise trial regarding health, risk factors, exercise training and Hereditary study were conducted more carefully. This study even addressed the effect of exercise in persons with lipid problems. 2674 participants with 44 randomized trials were studied and the effect of exercise on resting blood pressure was studied. 1.8mm HG reduction of diastolic blood pressure was observed against 2.4mm Hg reduction which indicates that the exercise will enhance self efficacy. It was observed that the intensity of training, the amount of blood pressure reduction have no relationship between them. This suggests that the dose response curve will be flat if it is plotted between exercise timing for corresponding blood pressure. References: The references were given in the following format Name of the author, year of publication, title, publisher or sponsor, edition information, type of media, date retrieved, website address. In the above mentioned details except website address the other details were given on availability. 1. Author not mentioned, 2006,