Titanic (The Movie) 1977

Titanic

(The Movie)

1977

What Is The Context?

The movie Titanic is based on the ship Titanic that crashed. The Titanic was an enormous ship that was the largest of its time. It was called “the unsinkable ship”, and people said “Not even God could sink this ship”. With its several bottoms and intricate applied engineering it was the most amazing boat of its time, second to none. It was luxurious and everyone wanted a chance to be aboard. It took two years to make the ship. Unfortunately, on 15 April 1912, It crashed into an iceberg and sank. 1,500 passengers and crew died, making it one of the deadliest commercial peacetime disasters in modern history. In memory of this ship and those who died a movie was made. The movie was directed, produced, and written by James Cameron. This movie starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as two lovers from different economic classes on the titanic. This movie was of incredible quality and did an amazing job memorializing the people that passed away in the unfortunately dramatic accident. It took seven years to make this movie. This was the first movie to make over one billion dollars worldwide only to be overtaken by his own movie, Avatar.

What Is the Author Communicating and How?

The movie Titanic tells the story of two “star crossed lovers”(Rose and Jack). Jack was in the poor class and Rose was in the rich class. The trip on the Titanic was Rose's last chance to marry a rich man and remain in the upper class and keep her family wealthy because they were practically broke. But it all changed when she met Jack, a boy in a lower class. But in the end they are separated when Jack dies from the boat crash. The artist uses this romance to make the audience more connected to the story when the boat crashes. This makes the movies long scene of the sinking titanic more real to the audience. By making the movie this way, the author was able to communicate to the audience what it was like to be on the titanic. After reading about what happened people can get and idea but a picture is worth more than 100 words and a movie is, well, even more! From the song My Heart Will Go On The author introduces the theme of remembrance that the people that died on the titanic will live on in our hearts. This is demonstrated at the beginning with the close ups of the condition that the titanic is in today under water. The old version of Rose tells the story of her life on the boat and the romance she has with Jack as well as how she was able to survive because of him and he will always remember him. The artist also used the theme of tragedy in this movie through the several scenes of the boat sinking. The dramatic camera angles in these sinking scenes made the scenes more tragic and intense. The editing also added to the intensity when you went back and forth to Jack's and Roses struggling to get out of the rapidly sinking boat looking for each other.

Why Do I Find This Beautiful?

This movie was very well made, acted, written, and produced. The songs were lovely and it was so cool to see what life was like back when this took place. I was able to attain a more full understanding of the course of events that happened when the Titanic sank. I agree with the ideas that it is communicating. I think it did a beautiful remembering the 1,500 people that died and what it was like to be there and how we should remember those who died. This is arguably beautiful because of the realness of it and how connected it is to history. The quality of the movie is amazing. I love that they took actors that were not super famous at the time because it made it easier to enter the movie as if you were there. Movies that have famous actors tend to take out the reality of the movie because you recognize the actor and have seen them in other movies. But the less known actors really added a depth and beauty to this movie that is non existent in many other movies. I also loved the romance in this movie, which also added depth to the movie and also made it feel more real when the accident happened and it came as a surprise when the boat sank because I got so sucked into the romance even though I knew the boat was going to sink before I watched the movie.

Crazy Horse Memorial

The Crazy Horse Memorial

What is The Context?

Crazy Horse was a Lakota Indian that was celebrated for his ferocity in battle and as a visionary leader in preserving his people's way of life. At the age of thirteen he was stealing Crow horse from another tribe and led in a battle before he was even twenty. The Crazy Horse Memorial sculpture is located in the Black Hills. The mountain that this art has been carved into is 6,532ft and is ranked that 27th highest mountain in South Dakota. This was created to preserve the culture, tradition and living heritage of the North American Indians. The Oglala Lakota chief Mato Naji commissioned sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski to build the Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Mato Naji said, “My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know the red man has great heros, too”.  Korczak alone started the construction of the enormous monument and continued his work on the monument until he died of acute pancreatitis at age 74 at the monument site in 1982. His ten children continued the construction of the monuments. The Construction is still continuing today with the help of hired workers and the children running off of visitor donations.

What is the artist communicating and How?

In this large sculpture, Korczak, hired by Oglala, began the construction of this sculptor in order for white Americans to realize the importance of the Native Americans and how they had heroes too. Early Americans took over the Indian lands and treated them unfairly and poorly. They have been forced onto reservations today and many are really struggling and very poor. They wanted to remember Crazy Horse who was one of the strongest warriors against early white men who fought selflessly for his people and his land. Even today, many Americans look down on the Native Americans that we treated so poorly and most people forget about them. Thousands of Americans visit the Mount Rushmore monument of the president's every year. Close by, the construction of the larger sculpture of Crazy Horse continues to be built. This sculpture tries to communicate to the audience the importance of the Native Americans. The sculpture tells the story of how the Native Americans land was taken away in a cruel unfair way by the early American immigrants. It criticizes the way that they were treated in the past and demonstrates that they are still present and strong. It stirs emotions in most visitors as they remember what we did to the Native Americans and gather an understanding of what we did to them that they might not have understood previous to their visit. Two themes that are displayed in this sculpture are History and Strength. History is demonstrated by the location and person chosen for this sculpture. Strength is demonstrated by the size and details of the sculpture.

Why do I Find This Beautiful?

I think that this structure demonstrates a sad history that most Americans avoid thinking about. I think that the history that we had with the Native Americans is shameful. I think that it is great that we have been able to begin the construction of the Crazy Horse Memorial as a reminder of the great people that were unjustly killed. I believe that the Native Americans deserve a lot more than this memorial, but I still think that it is a step in the right direction. This sculpture strikes me with its size and history. I agree strongly with the ideas that it is communicating that the Native Americans deserve recognition for their heros. I think that this is good art because of the clear talent and skill and beauty that is physically amazing about it. But more importantly, I find it beautiful in how it has a deeper meaning than some random sculpture. I think that Crazy Horse was an excellent choice for the memorial. I think that the pose that they chose gives a view of great strength, pride, and dignity to the Native American people. I think that when this sculpture is completed, which I will most likely not live to see, I think it is going to be amazing and even more beautiful.

The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China

What is The Context?

The construction of the Great Wall began with various fortifications that  were built in 771 BC. From 475- 220 B. C, the Great Wall Of China the was ordered by Qin Shi Huang to be connected, in order to protect his new Qin Dynasty. Construction continued under the power of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The Great Wall continued construction for several hundred years through several dynasties. The great wall of China was built over 2,000 years ago for military protection purposes against invasion from nomads from inner Asia. The wall is composed of rammed earth and hard labor. The wall expands through mountains and forests that makes for beautiful scenery. The immensity of this sculpture overwhelms all visitors who walk tiny portions of its incredible length. By the year 212 the length of the wall was from Gansu to the coast of southern Manchuria. Once claimed to be seen from space, this sculpture is of an unbelievable size. The Great Wall is known as the world's largest military structure. The total length of the Great Wall of China is 5,500.3 miles! In total about 2,000 years were spent on building and rebuilding the Great Wall of China into its impressive size and history it has today.

What is the Artist Communicating and How?

The Great Wall of China is perhaps one of the most well known pieces of Architecture in the world. More well known than other part of China (other than rice) it acts as a strong symbol of the country for the rest of the world. I think that the creators of the Great Wall of China helped to communicate the story of China through the construction of the Wall. The construction of this monstrosity took place over such a huge amount of time and through so much of China's history. Through the course of 2,000 years, China was ruled by several dynasties that helped to build up China to the powerful country it is today. The Great Wall of china is often used as a description of the strength of China and its powerful history. As the strength of the wall grew, so did the strength of the country of China. It also demonstrates the ability for them to work hard together for the good of the country. 300,000 soldiers and 500,000 commoners all worked together in the construction of the wall. Many of these people died during the construction of this wall. The Wall exemplifies a culture of preserving cultural heritage, and greater openness to the outside world, as China's biggest tourist attraction.The Great Wall demonstrates the unification of China because China became the most unified during the construction of the Wall. Two themes communicated by the artists are strength and unity. Strength is demonstrated by the material that the wall was made with. Unity is demonstrated by all of the rocks places together by so many people to make such a significant wall.

Why Do I Find This Beautiful?

Although the wall itself is unbelievable, I think the location and the scenery around it adds to its beauty. Visiting this art over the summer, it was an amazing and overwhelming experience. The sheer length, time and labor also makes this beautiful. The Great Wall of China is recognized as a wonder of the world to everyone in the entire world. Even before visiting the Wall I was so captured by its beauty, size, and history. I do agree with the ideas that it was communicating. I believe that it is amazing, strong symbol of the Chinese and their history. One reason why I believe that this is more beautiful than any other architecture is because I simply believe it cannot be compared to anything else. The simple concept that something this large and beautiful could be made before any of the technology we have today blows my mind. The wall was built practically by hand makes every part of the wall have that much more value. When I visited, I looked at the wall and was constantly struck by the questions, “How much of this wall did the average person contribute? Who made this part of the wall? Who hauled these enormous rocks that make up this part?”. It amazes me how hundreds of thousands of people died for the construction of this Wall is unbelievable.

Dover Beach, Matthew Arnold, 1867

Dover Beach - Poem by Matthew Arnold
The sea is calm to-night.
The tide is full, the moon lies fair
Upon the straits; - on the French coast the light
Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand,
Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!
Only, from the long line of spray
Where the sea meets the moon-blanch'd land,
Listen! you hear the grating roar
Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,
At their return, up the high strand,
Begin, and cease, and then again begin,
With tremulous cadence slow, and bring
The eternal note of sadness in.
Sophocles long ago
Heard it on the {AE}gean, and it brought
Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow
Of human misery; we
Find also in the sound a thought,
Hearing it by this distant northern sea.
The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furl'd.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world.
Ah, love, let us be true
To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.
Dover Beach
Matthew Arnold
What is The Context?


This poem was written by Matthew Arnold. He was born in Laleham, Middlesex, in December 24, 1822. He was early in his life recognized as a poet at Rugby School, where his father worked as a strict headmaster. He went to college at Balliol College, Oxford University. Later in his life he returned to Oxford as a poetry professor and was the first to lecture in English rather than Latin. He lived and wrote within the beliefs of the people of the Victorian Era. Most of his poems are meditative and rhetorical. His main plot within his writings wrestles with problems of physical and mental isolation. In “Dover Beach”, he links the problem of isolation with the deterioration of faith in his time. His writing tried to re enlighten the belief in Christianity to his society through his poems. He was afraid that people would stop believing in God altogether and will therefore be left alone. His greatest fear would be that God in fact does not exist, and that he would be left alone. He held a great comfort in his strong belief in God that he was not alone, but the society's lack of belief led him to slightly falter in his own beliefs and feel more isolated. He clearly talks about how God exists and talks about his feelings in a very transparent, open way.

What is the artist trying to communicate and how?

The author uses this poem to truthfully express the reality of how dark life can be sometimes. “Dover Beach” expresses the sense of loneliness that everyone feels in their life. This can help the readers because we feel less alone when we realize that we are not the only ones that are alone. Everyone goes through life separately, and we all experience judgement. We never sense that we fit in, even when we do. We never feel good enough for others. We are afraid to be successful and different because we are afraid of rejection, failure, and judgement. This poem tells us that everyone has these feelings and therefore we are not alone. This in a way the author is trying to help people attain the confidence in their life to know that they can do and be whoever they want to be and the only thing that anyone will really think when they achieve their goal is that they are jealous because they were too scared to pursue their dreams because of fear of failure. The last paragraph in particular tells us how we should open up to each other for acceptance in order to avoid isolation. This poem attempts to communicate that there will always be bad times, and we can pursue through them for the light at the end of the tunnel. If we will always have such hard times in our life, why don't we approach those times as we strive for our goals rather than hiding in our comfort zone? If either way we have hard times, we might as well have higher times when the times are high doing things that we love. The two main themes that are demonstrated by this artist is that you are not alone and there will always be dark times in your life that you have to learn to accept.

Why is is Beautiful?
I find this piece of art very beautiful because of its depth and very belief centered purpose. The way it was composed and the words used are also very well picked and flow very elegantly. It is beautiful in a dark way that one might not expect. People often find beauty in happy colorful things but I like how this artist takes a different approach to create beauty. I think how he tries to tell how we are alone together is a very complex beautiful concept. I think that this is beautiful in the welcoming openness that it is written in. I love when poets writings are so open and personal to the readers. I think that it ties a beautiful connection between the writer in a reader. I think that the ways that he tries to display how we need to have God in our lives is also beautiful. He describes how empty we are without him. It helps us to understand how God is the origin for our world and how much he loves us. The last paragraph talks about how beautiful the world that God make for us is, and how amazing the people around us are. The community that he invites us to accept is beautiful. When we take God out of the equation, what is left?

Afghan Girl, 1984.

Afghan Girl, 1984.

Steve McCurry is arguably the most famous portrait photographer of all time. His picture Afghan girl is one of the most recognizable portraits of all time. It has even been likened to Leonardo da Vinci's painting of the Mona Lisa.

STEVE MCCURRY

What Is The Context?

Steve Mccurry had taken many other pictures of afghan people and thought little of this particular picture. He was captured by her shyness and her huge green eyes. This was the first time she had ever had a picture taken of herself. This photograph was on the cover of National Geographic in 1985 when the women’s green eyes caught the attention of the nation. She did not have another picture taken of herself until Steve returned again seventeen years later.

No one, not even the photographer knew her name until he returned those 17 years later. The photograph was taken in the town of Peshawar where she lived. When he returned to find her only one man recognized the woman in the picture. It took her three days to arrive. After a six hour drive and three hour hike, she arrived. At her arrival, Steve instantly recognized her. Her name is Sharbat Gula, a Pashtun, the most warlike of Afghan tribes. The 17 year question was finally answered. She had a very rough life. She was six when the soviets bombed and killed her parents. Her and her brother had to flee from the incoming Russians in order to survive. She was constantly on the run with her brother and got an arranged marriage at only 16. She said the only way that she survived it all was that it was, “The will of God”.

What is The artist communicating and How?

In this photo, the artist is trying to demonstrate the life of the people that were in Afghanistan. This photo has a profound effect on everyone who sees it. You can the the furry and resilience in the woman's eyes for her life and constant fight for survival. The women in the photograph had a very hard life constantly on the run. Back in America, most people didn't really know how other people in the world were getting affected by the war. This photograph in my opinion does a great job of demonstrating this. This is such a strong image because it shows the difficulty that the people lived through and at the same time does so without displaying any gore or inappropriate aspects. The woman's simple but profound facial expression demonstrates the level of suffering and force the people had in order to simply stay alive and persevere. You can tell that the woman has a complicated back story by just a glimpse of this picture. Steve, the photographer, did not know this woman at all when he took the picture and when it became popular after it was on the cover of National Geographic magazine. But when he visited her 17 years later he instantly recognized her and felt like he knew her personally simply based on the image. When he visited he got her name and back story that people had wondered about ever since they laid their eyes on the picture of the young woman. Two themes that were demonstrated in this photograph are strength and war. Strength is demonstrated by how the camera is focused face on and it is her normal face, not posed for. War is demonstrated also in this photo from the location of the photo and what it can do to innocent people.

Why do I find this Beautiful?

I think that this is beautiful for several reasons. I think that first of all her eyes are amazing. The color and the way she is defiantly staring into the camera gives so much depth and power to the image. You can see her unfailing strength and perseverance and all of her struggles that she has had to overcome through her eyes. This picture is an amazing example of how your eyes are the refection of the soul. One can achieve more of an understanding of the girl when they look into her eyes in this image. I find it almost incomparable to any other art. I think that the quality and how profound and strong the image is makes it beautiful. I think that this image is beautiful past some paintings because of how real it is. Some artists paint things that do not exist or just use nice colors that make the art look pretty. On the other hand, other artists use dark colors and effort to display deep dark images. But this photograph is beautiful in the depth of its reality. It was not a made up image or a posed picture. This image encompassed the life in afghanistan for the united states when it was on the cover of National Geographic.

Vincent Van Gogh Starry Night over the Rhone September 1888

September 1888

What Is The Context?

The work of art, Starry Night over the Rhone, by Vincent Van Gogh, was painted in Arles. Van Gogh was one of the first painters to pay attention to the sparkling colors of the night sky and artificial lighting. This was one of Van Gogh’s favorite works of art. Therefore, he wrote to his brother several times about it, writing descriptions of all of the angles as well as the colors. This painting was the predecessor to Starry Night, which is Van Gogh’s most well known paintings. I believe that as the predecessor, this painting holds a significant importance for Van Gogh’s art. Location was very important in Van Gogh’s art. The Starry Night Over the Rhone was located from his apartment in Place Lamartine. He was very happy with the view of his apartment and was therefore was inspired to make this painting. He also wrote to his friend Eugene about the painting and how happy he was with his new home. Based on his autobiography, this was the happiest time of his life. This was the last painting he did before he went into his depression. On the other hand, Starry night (written a year later) was painted when he was in an insane asylum, where he was for a significant amount of time, the sky being an important thing to him so he drew that painting, not including the bars on his window.


What is the author communicating and how?

The author, Vincent Van Gogh, painted the work of art, Starry Night over the Rhone, presenting a pleasing and joyful image that has a beautiful landscape view as well as a happy romantic couple. He describes this couple to his friend in a letter as, "two colorful figurines of lovers", although he was not sure if they were married or not, that was to be left to the interpretation of the viewer. We have discovered that this was a picture to display cheerfulness, by Vincent Van Gogh, but there are certain aspects that some people identify with an interpretation of a darker meaning. The original painting was apparently lighter and more evident for this "happy" demonstration. But unfortunately, later in the year when Van Gogh painted the art in oil, it cast a more negative view. This was mainly because of his development of his depression. There is not a distinction between the sky and the water, which was very clear in the original image. The question is, is the boat sinking or docked? The second thing that Van Gogh is communicating is religious. People have noticed that the moon and the stars are surrounded by large halos, like angels. Also, the churches are more noticeable and have more details than all the other buildings. Finally, people think that the title Starry Night alludes to genesis,” Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to me.” Genesis 37:9

Why is it beautiful?

I think that this art is beautiful for many different reasons. I think that the night sky is one of the most beautiful and amazing things that we can look at because there is so much that we do not know about all of the things out there in space. I also like the way his brush stokes are, so soft and thick. It all flows together to make the painting more united. Also, the shine of the water and the representation of the light in contrast with the darkness are especially beautiful. I also agree with the spiritual ideas that it attempts to communicate with the halos and the distinctions of the churches. I would define this art as good because it is eye catching and easy to look at. This painting is not overwhelming in bight colors as other “good art” may be. Instead, using a limited number of colors, Van Gogh was able to make more depth in this piece with the usage of light and dark shades. I also love the texture of this painting. His use of a lot of paint makes the painting literally jump out at you with a 3D effect!