Portfolio #2

Posted: March 26th, 2020

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Portfolio #2

Observations:

Art

Sir John Everett Millais: Ophelia

It was painted during the Age of Enlightenment and was completed in the period between the years 1851 and 1852. The painting is about a girl, Ophelia, a character in Hamlet by William Shakespeare, who has fallen down in a Danish river while picking flowers. The girl’s posture denotes sainthood and martyrdom, which prevailed in this historic period.

Benjamin West: The Death of General Wolfe

This 1770 painting was done to depict the death of James Wolfe in 1759, during the Battle of Quebec, which was a pivotal moment in history and determined the fate of the New France. The war was quite short and only lasted fifteen minutes where General Wolfe was killed.

Édouard Manet: The Execution of Emperor Maximilian

The paintings are done by the artist Édouard Manet between 1867 and 1869 that depict the firing squad that killed emperor Maximilian of Mexico. The painting, done on canvas bears the date of the execution as 1867.

Nicolas Poussin: A dance to the music of time

This painting was painted in between the years of 1634 and 1636 in London. The painting contains four figures, holding hands, dancing and making merry while preceding the Apollo’s chariot. The figures appear to be dancing to an old man’s tunes as he plays a musical instrument.

Rococo Art: The Stolen Kiss : Jean- Honore Fragonard

The painting done in the late 1780s depicts a passionate kiss between two lovers denoting secret romance. This sort of art was popular in the French Rococo age, and was much appreciated by the wealthier classes of people. The French aristocrats were fonder of romantic folly arts, which were quite popular before the French Revolution.

Naturalistic Art: Death of a Virgin: Caravaggio

This 1606 painting was rejected by the parish at the time. It is also a recollection of his painting, Entombment. The painting that has the Virgin Mary dying, surrounded by Mary Magdalene and the apostles was done during the period when the Roman Catholic Church prevailed.

Essays:

Eustace Budgell: On Friendship

The essay first appeared in 1712, during the Age of enlightenment in Europe. The essay talks about friendship and the characteristics of a good friend, which is reflective of the period when people began to reason and critically think about virtues of a human being.

The True Friend: Joseph Hall

As part of his collection in 1608, the author described the characteristic of a friend. Virtues and vices were an important point of discussion in the salons and coffeehouses during the period.

Death of a Soldier: Louisa May Alcott

Written during the Civil War, a part of the Age of Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution, the essay is about a conversation between a patient and a doctor, where there are death concerns voiced by the patient.

Poetry

John Wilmot: The Imperfect Enjoyment

Written in the 17^th century, during the age of enlightenment, the poem describes a woman whom the persona is in love with because would like to engage in a romantic relationship.

William Shakespeare: Sonnet 104

The poem written by Shakespeare in the 17^th century is about love and affection in friendship. Written during the age of enlightenment, the poem denotes the availability of meaningful relationships between people at the time.

Three Values

Love

Since creation, the concept of love has prevailed throughout the ages. Humankind thrives on love. Love is defined as the various feelings of affection that range in between the interpersonal affection and pleasure coupled with strong attraction. Through love, an individual feels accepted and a sense of belonging develops, which is important for the sake of peace of the mind and social interaction with others within the society. The feeling of love is an innate feeling or desire that has existed in human beings since time immemorial. Therefore, in the middle ages, the theme of love was depicted and glorified in various forms of arts such as poems, paintings, engravings, songs, essays, and short stories such as fables.

            During the middle ages, art was one of the only ways in which love could be professed. Additionally, the society then was much more reserved as compared to the contemporary society in which we live in. however, at the same time, expressions of love were quite explicit, and nudity in art was embraced wholeheartedly by the society. Therefore, paintings would contain characters in positions that would otherwise be considered inappropriate in a conservative society. This portrayal of love in sometimes-explicit art, with sexual undertones reveals the need and value of love in the middle ages, especially during the Age of Enlightenment. The men and women were keen on professing their love for each other, and thus its depiction in the form of arts was a very welcome idea at the time. In addition to this, love was considered the basis upon which families were created. Therefore, the theme of love in the middle ages remained significant, not only to the common citizens, but to artists as well.

Friendship

Human beings cannot live like islands. Social interaction among people is inevitable. Other than family members, people need to form associations and alliances with other people that are beneficial to them. During the middle ages, the society had placed high value on issues regarding friendship. Early philosophers such as Aristotle were keen on highlighting issues about friendship and defining what and how friendships should be like. He insisted on the importance of being virtuous in a friendship. Other philosophers in the middle ages such as Kant, were keen on philosophizing the concept and value of friendships.

Therefore, being such an important social aspect, friendships were considered very important to people, with artists portraying the themes in form of various arts. Friendships were the basis of social cohesion within the society. It is through friendships that alliances during times of war were formed. With the age of enlightenment, various philosophers, as mentioned earlier, put into perspective the meaning of true and meaningful friendships. The concept of virtue was preached in the salons and coffeehouses during this period. Therefore, people were keen on thinking about friendship issues that were pertinent at the time. Additionally, artists such as poets adopted the proposed principles of meaningful friendships, which were described in the poems and other writings. For instance, in his 1608 essay, The True Friend, by John Hall, there is a distinct definition of what a good friend is, and how they should behave. This is enough evidence that the age of enlightenment stirred a paradigm shift in people’s mindsets and their lines of thought about various issues. There are several other writings and poems on the value of friendship from this period that highlight the importance the theme of friendship were accorded.

Mortality

Mortality and death are intertwined concepts in life that all human beings must go through. During the age of enlightenment, various incidents of conflict that occurred between various nations. Most of the strife was characterized by bloodshed and mass killing of people. Death was common, whether though war or natural causes. Therefore, with the shift in thought and perception, people during the middle ages began to embrace death as a concept of mortality and a mandatory passage in life. Various wars occurred during the middle ages. For instance, there was The English Civil War of 1642-1651, the Russian-Polish war of 1654-1657, and the Anglo-Dutch wars of 1652-1784, among other conflicts.

With such strife, and diseases such as small pox, amoebic dysentery, and the bubonic plague, death was part of the society, just like in the modern society. Artists were keen on displaying the theme of death and mortality in their drawings, and paintings. This depiction through art was a constant reminder to the people that death is eventually upon every human being, no matter the cause. In the modern society, death has become quite rampant, as there is an increase in potentially fatal diseases and accidents especially because of the technological advancement. Artistic representation of death in the middle ages was just as important as it would be in the present day, as it would serve as a reminder to people. Not only did it remind people on the imminence of death, but also revealed the reasons why death occurred. Perhaps this can be interpreted as a message to people to take care of their own lives and avoid death whenever possible.

Opinion about Values

Love

From a personal perspective, love is a great virtue that should be upheld by people. Love is the basis for some of the best things in life. Without love, the world would be a very dull place to live in. in addition to this, the world would be characterized by strife, and war throughout. One keen and deep look at the meaning of love, and it is easy to tell that the society is held together by this virtue. For instance, if people did not have love in their hearts, they would be constantly hurting others and committing various other atrocities. An example of love closer home is the parental love showered upon children by their parents. The love the parents have for their children makes them want to provide them and give them the best life has to offer.

I think that love provides the basis upon which humanity is hinged on. For instance, it is because of love that human beings become attracted to others, and therefore, unions are formed. I think that if love did not exist, most of us would not exist. Love is the conventional basis upon which life is created. However, I think the society and people are generally becoming devoid of love within themselves. This is evidenced by the rampant cases of terrorism, massacres, genocides, and other atrocious acts. I think that people have replaced love with feelings of revenge and hatred for each other. From the look of things in the society, there may need to be a new paradigm shift and realignment of thoughts, especially on social matters.

Friendship

I think that friendship is one of the most important elements in a human beings life. If we did not have friends, our lives would be extremely lonely and desolate. From my keen observations in my social settings, it is easy top notice an individual who has the need to have friends in their lives. It is natural for human beings to want to associate with others. This, in my opinion makes life much easier. For instance, having friends provides one with the opportunity to share their problems, exploit valuable opportunities together, and share happy memories and experiences together. Friends also help one grow socially, emotionally, and mentally. Therefore, life without friends, in my opinion, is meaningless.

However, I find it important to be careful on the kind of friendships we engage ourselves. Sometimes some of the friends we may have may not have pure intentions for us and may harm us instead of building us. Therefore, before calling an individual a friend, it is only right for one to observe their character for a while before allowing them into their lives for friendship purposes.

Mortality

            Death is never an easy subject to tackle or thinks about. In my opinion, I think that death is a topic that should be reserved form when it occurs only. Having forms of arts denoting mortality and reminding people that they will all die is pointless. I think that as it is, people are sacred of death. Therefore, reminding them about it only further instills fear and sadness for those who have lost their loved ones. In the same breath, it is important to discuss death in appropriate forums for it is with us and is part of life. It is the exit from life. Therefore, I think it is only right for people to embrace the fact that we will all die, in different ways. I think that such discussions whether in art or in academic contexts will be instrumental helping people cope with death whenever it strikes. I think it would be better if human beings were immortal and we would not have to die and experience immense sadness when a loved one departs.