Month: April 2019

An extremely important time in art was during the renaissance. In particular the Italian renaissance which was the start of the entire period brought a change in culture, poetry, music and art. This time period was a time of rebirth in which old beliefs and ideas were challenged by new ones. This was a time of transition that would bring humans from the medieval times into modern Europe.

Some of the world’s finest masterpieces were created during the renaissance and much of this work was created in Italy as the center of the Renaissance was first Florence and Siena and then later Venice. The new ideas that came about during the Renaissance quickly spread throughout the rest of Europe even after the Italian renaissance finished.

Some of the art world’s great masters produced work during the Italian Renaissance and much of the paintings and sculpture have influenced today’s modern artists. Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Perugino, Piero della Francesca, Giotto di Bondone, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Ghirlandaio and Masaccio all created works of art that are greatly valued to this day.

There were many stylistic changes that occurred in the art world during the Renaissance. One of the most important was that three dimension objects were depicted realistically instead of skewed. This was noticeably different as humans were painted in proportion instead of with elongated faces or longer arms and legs, as the prior art period much of the human form was changed to appear more beautiful. This realism is a pivotal point in art history.

Other changes included changes in perspective as most landscapes and forms were now correctly depicted on a two dimensional canvas as in their true 3 dimensional form. These new techniques also created a large amount of literature on the nature of new renaissance ideas and techniques.

The use of light was also used differently as many painters changed how they used dark and light. Many of the portraits done by Titian are an excellent example of this play of light. During the renaissance the subject matter of art also included non-religious subject matter such as mythology. The Birth of Venus by Botticelli is a great example of mythology artwork.

How sculptures positioned their subjects also brought about what is known as classical poses. Raphael developed the contrapostopose and also created the first free standing sculpture. These classic poses gave more of an emotional intensity to the subject and also were more realistic. Many Renaissance sculptures also captured figures in motion.

Architecture also utilized the principles behind the Renaissance. Buildings constructed during the Renaissance concentrated on using light and creating space to provide enlightenment and clarity. Additionally many of the Renaissance artists contributed to the buildings as many sculptures and paintings are found on and in the churches and other grand buildings.

The Renaissance is an exceptional time where new ideas where producing some of the most important works of art. This rebirth of culture and society was an extraordinary time in which many of the ideas and principles are still used. Much of the renaissance still influences artists and individuals.

Annie Deakin is an expert furniture and interior design writer who is currently interested in bathroom cabinets, coffee tables and home office furniture

From the beginning, there was going to be some establishment resistance to mixed martial arts. The sport, with its absence of structured rules, did not fit into the regulations that were laid out by the athletic commissions across the country. In fact, most of the regulatory people didnt understand it, and therefore had no idea how to classify it. It certainly wasnt boxing, which used hands only, or kick boxing, which allowed for kicks and which was sanctioned in some states. And it most definitely was not a “worked” sport like professional wrestling, which also fell under the jurisdiction of some of the athletic commissions.

Plus, there was not really enough mixed martial arts activity going on for the states to take the time out to draft rules and regulations for it. If there was the possibility of only a couple of events per year, why would they go through the process of engaging commission attorneys to draw up a new set of rules, or approach the state legislature with a bill to be passed, in order to accommodate it?

Besides, there was a growing – and influential – constituency of people who looked upon mixed martial arts as “barbarism” and “bloodsport.” Many of these people used an expression that became a standard for cheap shots as time progressed – “human cock fighting.”

When you have pervading mainstream attitudes like this, the atmosphere is ripe for political opportunity. And sure enough, out of the rubble emerged one of the great political opportunists of recent years.

John McCain, a United States Senator from Arizona, had gotten a lot of mileage out of his five-year internment in a Vietnamese prisoner of war (POW) camp; rather than the more realistic portrayal of him as a pure victim, the slick public relations machine he had cultivated was able to spin him into a full-blown hero. More often than not, McCain was successful in co-opting the press in what was a somewhat blind pursuit of political glory. His critics opined that he never met a camera he didnt like or headline-grabbing issue he was not willing to sell himself out to. But he had a following, particularly among the media, that was willing to ignore the fact that despite his public stance for campaign finance reform, McCain was one of the great abusers of the process; in fact, he was one of the disgraced members of the “Keating Five,” which doled out political influence in exchange for hefty contributions and financial favors.

Though he had been labeled a “maverick” by most of the press corps, McCain was hardly that; rather, he was he was a very calculating political animal who often saw which way the wind was blowing and hurled himself – with sycophantic media grasping on to his boots – in that direction.

McCain purported to be a lifelong boxing fan, and claimed to be a boxer of some note at the Naval Academy, where he gained admission as a “legacy” (his father was an alumnus) and graduated near the bottom of his class. He favored legislation to bring about some federal control of boxing and would later spearhead efforts to pass more extensive bills in that quest. He was quite fond of accepting free tickets from the very promoters his legislation would have regulatory authority over. Coincidentally, these gifts and gratuities often landed him ringside, right in camera view, during an HBO or Showtime telecast.