Northern Renaissance of European Art

When we talk about the Northern Renaissance, what we mean is Renaissance happenings that occurred within Europe, but outside of Italy. Because the most innovative art was created in France, the Netherlands, and Germany during this time, and because all of these places are north of Italy, the Northern tag has stuck. Geography aside, there were some significant differences between the Italian Renaissance and the Northern Renaissance. For one thing, the north held on to Gothic (or Middle Ages) art and architecture with a tighter, longer grip than did Italy. (Architecture, in particular, remained Gothic until well into the 16th century) This isnt to say that art wasnt changing in the north - in many instances, it kept apace with Italian doings. The Northern Renaissance artists, however, were scattered about and few initially (very unlike their Italian counterparts). The north had fewer centers of free commerce than did Italy. Italy, as we saw, had numerous Duchies and Republics which gave rise to a wealthy merchant class that often spent considerable funds on art. This wasnt the case in the north. The only notable similarity between northern Europe and, say, a place like Florence, lay in the Duchy of Burgundy. Burgundys Role in the Renaissance Burgundy, until 1477, encompassed a territory from present-day middle France northward (in an arc) to the sea, and included Flanders (in modern Belgium) and parts of the current Netherlands. It was the only individual entity standing between France and the enormous Holy Roman Empire. Its Dukes, during the last 100 years it existed, were given monikers of the Good, the Fearless and the Bold. Although apparently, the last Bold Duke wasnt quite bold enough, as Burgundy was absorbed by both France and the Holy Roman Empire at the end of his reign. The Burgundian Dukes were excellent patrons of the arts, but the art they sponsored was different from that of their Italian counterparts. Their interests were along the lines of illuminated manuscripts, tapestries, and furnishings. Things were different in Italy, where patrons were more keen on paintings, sculpture, and architecture. In the broader scheme of things, the social changes in Italy were inspired, as weve seen, by Humanism. Italian artists, writers, and philosophers were driven to study Classical antiquity and explore mans supposed capacity for rational choice. They believed that Humanism led to more dignified and worthy humans. In the north, possibly in part because the north did not have works of antiquity from which to learn, the change was brought about by a different rationale. Thinking minds in the north were more concerned with religious reform, feeling that Rome, from whom they were physically distanced, had strayed too far from Christian values. In fact, as northern Europe became more openly rebellious over the authority of the Church, art took a decidedly secular turn. Additionally, Renaissance artists in the north took a different approach to composition than did Italian artists. Where an Italian artist was apt to consider scientific principles behind composition (i.e., proportion, anatomy, perspective) during the Renaissance, northern artists were more concerned with what their art looked like. Color was of key importance, above and beyond form. And the more detail a northern artist could cram into a piece, the happier he was. Close inspection of Northern Renaissance paintings will show the viewer numerous instances where individual hairs have been carefully rendered, along with every single object in the room including the artist himself, distantly inverted in a background mirror. Different Materials Used by Different Artists Finally, its important to note that northern Europe enjoyed different geophysical conditions than did most of Italy. For example, there are lots of stained glass windows in northern Europe partly for the practical reason that people living there have more need for barriers against the elements. Italy, during the Renaissance, produced some fabulous egg tempera paintings and frescoes, along with glorious marble statuary. Theres an excellent reason the north isnt known for its frescoes: The climate isnt conducive to curing them. Italy produced marble sculptures because it has marble quarries. Youll note that Northern Renaissance sculpture is, by and large, worked in wood.   Similarities Between the Northern and Italian Renaissances Until 1517, when Martin Luther lit the wildfire of Reformation, both places shared a common faith. Its interesting to note that what we now think of as Europe didnt think of  itself  as Europe, back during  Renaissance  days. If you had had the opportunity, at the time, to ask a European traveler in the Middle East or Africa where he hailed from, he likely would have answered Christendom regardless of whether he was from Florence or Flanders. Beyond providing a unifying presence, the Church supplied all artists of the period with a common subject matter. The earliest beginnings of northern Renaissance art are eerily similar to the Italian  Proto-Renaissance, in that each chose Christian religious stories and figures as the predominant artistic theme. The Importance of Guilds Another common factor that Italy and the rest of Europe shared during the Renaissance was the Guild system. Arising during the Middle Ages, Guilds were the best paths a man could take to learning a craft, be it painting, sculpture or making saddles. Training in any specialty was long, rigorous and comprised of sequential steps. Even after one completed a masterpiece, and gained acceptance into a Guild, the Guild continued to keep tabs on standards and practices amongst its members. Thanks to this self-policing policy, most of the money exchanging hands, when works of art were commissioned and paid for, went to Guild members. (As you might imagine, it was to an artists financial benefit to belong to a Guild.) If possible, the Guild system was even more entrenched in northern Europe than it was in Italy. After 1450, both Italy and northern Europe had access to printed materials. Though subject matter might vary from region to region, often it was the same, or similar enough to establish commonality of thought. Finally, one significant similarity that Italy and the North shared was that each had a  definite artistic center during the 15th century. In Italy, as previously mentioned, artists looked to the Republic of Florence for innovation and inspiration. In the North, the artistic hub was Flanders. Flanders was a part, back then, of the Duchy of Burgundy. It had a thriving commercial city, Bruges, which (like Florence) made its money in banking and wool. Bruges had cash aplenty to spend on luxuries like art. And (again like Florence) Burgundy, on the whole, was governed by patronage-minded rulers. Where Florence had the Medici, Burgundy had Dukes. At least until the last quarter of the 15th century, that is. Chronology of the Northern Renaissance In Burgundy, the Northern Renaissance got its start primarily in the graphic arts. Beginning in the 14th-century, an artist could make a good living if he was proficient in producing  illuminated manuscripts.   The late 14th and early 15th centuries saw illumination take off and,  in some cases, take  over  entire pages. Instead of relatively sedate red capital letters, we now saw whole paintings crowding manuscript pages right out to the borders. The French Royals, in particular, were avid collectors of these manuscripts, which became so popular that text was rendered largely unimportant. The Northern Renaissance artist who is largely credited with developing oil techniques was Jan van Eyck, court painter to the Duke of Burgundy. Its not that he discovered oil paints, but he did figure out how to layer them, in glazes, to create light and depth of color in his paintings. The Flemish van Eyck, his brother Hubert, and their Netherlandish predecessor Robert Campin (also known as the Master of Flà ©malle) were all painters who created altarpieces in the first half of the fifteenth century. Three other key Netherlandish artists were the painters Rogier van der Weyden and Hans Memling, and the sculptor Claus Sluter. Van der Weyden, who was the town painter of Brussels, was best known for introducing accurate human emotions and gestures into his work, which was primarily of a religious nature. One other early Northern Renaissance artist that created a lasting stir was the enigmatic Hieronymus Bosch. No one can say what his motivation was, but he certainly created some darkly imaginative and highly unique paintings. Something that all of these painters had in common was their use of naturalistic objects within compositions. Sometimes these objects had symbolic meanings, while at other times they were just there to illustrate aspects of daily life. In taking in the 15th century, its important to note that Flanders was the center of  the Northern Renaissance. Just as with Florence, at this same time, Flanders was the place that northern artists looked to for cutting edge artistic techniques and technology. This situation persisted until 1477 when the last Burgundian Duke was defeated in battle, and Burgundy ceased to exist.

Children And Young People Are Best Cared For By Their Own...

The Children Act 1989 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Local authorities, courts and parents, together with other agencies in the UK were allocated duties to ensure children and young people are safeguarded, and to promote their welfare. The idea is that children and young people are best cared for by their own families, but provisions are made for those parents and families that are unable to co-operate with statutory bodies. 7) Any delays in the system when a childà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬TMs welfare is at risk will have a detrimental impact on their wellbeing. The childà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬TMs welfare is paramount. 8) The child is listened to and their wishes are taken into account alongside physical and emotional needs, age, sex, background circumstances, the likely effect of the child and the harm suffered or likely to suffer. The parentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬TMs ability to provide these needs to the child or young person and the powers available to the court are also a consideration. 9) Family links should be maintained, either through visits or other forms of contact. Both parents are important, and attachments should be respected, sustained and developed. The law does not distinguish between married and unmarried as long as both parents have a parental responsibility. 10) 11) Young people under the age of 18 are classed as a child. 12) 13) For those dealing with children and young people on a daily basis, the childrenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬TM activities must be planned to ensure learning and play are enjoyable whilst in a safe and secure environment. The ratio betweenShow MoreRelatedMy Role As A Young Child1514 Words   |  7 Pages My role as a young child often involved taking care of Megan and Shane. Getting them dressed and washed-up, combing their hair and keeping an eye on them. 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Was the Spanish-American War Justified free essay sample

To that extent, many feared Spain would be detrimental to imports and exports because of their presence in the Caribbean Sea, which served as the main trade link between the U. S. and Latin America. Finally, widely circulated, factually overblown newspaper articles intended to increase sales brought the public eye to the violence unfolding in Cuba, leaving many clamoring for war. A significant number of Americans wanted to end European colonization in the West so that America could finally shine as a world power, even if it meant a potentially bloody, costly conflict (albeit it was ultimately neither) followed by ruling over or controlling the foreign populations left standing in its wake. A wave of jingoism swept the U. S. in the 1890’s, and many people around the country, including President McKinley himself, wanted Spain removed from the Caribbean so that the U. S. ould become the sole global power in the Western Hemisphere and exert even greater political dominance over Latin America. We will write a custom essay sample on Was the Spanish-American War Justified? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This principle also extended to the Philippines, another Spanish territory, as well; the U. S. viewed the islands as a clear gateway to relations with the Far East. The intention to expand the American sphere of influence appealed primarily to U. S. demands and showed little concern for the welfare of the less developed nations, especially in the case of the Philippines. Nonetheless, the acquisition of territory and consequent extension of power would follow the ability to compete with the rising empires of Europe, causing the spoils of the war to overshadow its inherent selfishness. There were also many possible economic benefits to removing Spain, such as maintaining trade ties formed during the Pan-American Conference of 1889 with Latin American and South American nations as well as reviving the Cuban sugar trade disrupted by the Cuban Revolt in 1895. U. S. nvestors and businessman nonetheless feared they might interfere with precious sources of commerce if they remained in the Caribbean, preventing them from competing on the global market. Additionally, even McKinley considered both the ongoing and potential harm as grounds for declaring war, evidenced by the third point made in his War Message. Much like with its intended political gains, the U. S. was chiefly concerned with its own economic interests in the war, even though Spain was not a thre at to them at all. Once the Cuban Revolt began, yellow journalists, particularly William Randolph Hearst, printed wildly exaggerated stories about the events surrounding it, making the Spanish â€Å"atrocities† appear far worse than they actually were, drawing large numbers of readers’ attention towards the conflict and selling far greater quantities of newspapers. Adding fuel to the fire, a letter written by Spanish diplomat Dupey de Lome which criticized President McKinley, something many people perceived as an insult to national honor because of the way it was presented, was printed in Hearst’s newspaper Journal. The major public outcry, however, emerged from the stories printed about the sinking of the U. S. S. Maine in early 1898, an accident which many newspapers wrongly blamed on Spain. The warped versions of these respective events caused a vast majority of citizens to urge Congress and McKinley to push even harder for war because they finally had proper reasoning to declare war and push Spain out. Ironically, these three accusations were made despite the strong efforts to maintain diplomatic relations between the U. S. and Spain. The falsified pieces of â€Å"evidence† of Spain’s belligerence towards America served as the central basis and, in many cases an excuse, for starting the war, which debases the call to arms even further. Many historians argue that the U. S. took the moral high ground during the war because they set out to end the suffering of the Cuban people at the hands of Spain, citing the crux of McKinley’s War Message. Although this may be true to some extent, the worst of the rebellion had ended by 1898 as the result of a ceasefire agreement and the departure of General Valeriano Weyler; therefore, American interference was needlessly invasive. Some also point to the Teller Amendment as counter-evidence against the imperialistic nature of the war, but, following the war, the Platt Amendment to the Cuban Constitution transformed Cuba from a truly independent nation into a puppet of the U. S. for enforcing the Monroe Doctrine on Europe’s empires. Moreover, the motive to free an oppressed Cuba fails to explain why the U. S. also took action to remove Spain from the Philippines, where no major rebellion was taking place. Although morality may have played some role, its motivational effect was far outweighed by the imperialism and hysteria factors. The major underlying reasons behind the Spanish-American War were simply extensions of the jingoism and slandering journalism trends in the U. S. during the late 19th century. Although the Spanish Empire had no ill will towards America, both the desire to compete internationally and the impulse to intervene in a conflict that was not fully understood were far too powerful. Sources: Resnick, Eugene. Barron’s AP United States History. Hauppauge, New York: Barron’s Education Series, 2012.

The Worlds Natural Resources Are Being Consumed At An Alarming Rate. A

The world's natural resources are being consumed at an alarming rate. As these resources diminish, people will be seeking alternative sources by which to generate electricity for heat and light. The only practical short term solution for the energy-crisis is nuclear power. Nuclear power, however is not as safe as burning coal, gas or oil in a factory it is in fact , much more dangerous, There are dangers associated with a nuclear power plant which far out weigh the benefits to society as a whole and in part to the community living and working around the power plant. About 20 percent of our nation's total electrical consumption per year is supplied by nuclear power from the 100 or so nuclear power plants throughout the country. Even though atomic power has been in use for over 50 years it was primarily a tool of war and destruction when the war ended need for atomic bombs diminished. The scientists who created the weapons were out of jobs . They then turned this destructive power into huge plants generating "clean and cheap " electricity for the country. It was called progress. Progress also brought with it sickness, mutations, cancer and event ually death to those exposed to high levels of radiation. Government declared that nuclear power is safe and efficient. Also have big Oil corporations who have a lot of money invested in nuclear power and want to see as many plants as possible put into and kept in operation. The truth is that accidents do happen at nuclear power plants and at other facilities all the time. An accident at a nuclear power plant has the potential to be much more devastating than an accident at a coal or gas plant because of the radiation that could be released. An example of this is Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania where there was a partial core meltdown in march of 1979 and acceptable" amount of radiation escaped into the atmosphere. However no amount of radiation is acceptable if released as a result of an accident at a nuclear power plant . Today many Americans adopt lifestyles that are based on energy in-efficient devices. These include large automobiles and electric appliances that require electricity from energy-intense industrial processes. The public is doing all it can to force nuclear power plants into production by wasting electricity and the resources which are used to produce it ( coal , oil , gas) and by failing to recycle. Nuclear power has been promoted World-wide as economically advantageous and necessary to replace fossil fuels as the means of energy production in the 21st century. However this is untrue. There are many other economically viable and environmentally safe methods of producing energy. These include solar power, hydroelectric power and wind power. Today one fifth of the world's total energy production either comes from either wind, water or solar power. It is estimated that by the year 2000 forty percent of the world's energy production will be from sources other than fossil fuels or nuclear power. It is estimated that to meet, via nuclear power a quarter of the projected U.S. primary power demand in the year 2000 that the US would have to order a new nuclear power plant to be built every five days to compensate for the irradication of the coal, oil and gas powered plants. On the other hand if all U. S. nuclear power plants were shut down now, it would not make any difference at all. The existing electrical backup systems have reserves of power that can more than make up for the loss of the nuclear power plants. The nuclear power plants that are in use today are no more than large plants serving no purpose at all and endangering many peoples lives. With any large energy producing facility there are risks. The risks posed by a nuclear power plant however, are far greater than those posed by any other. Meltdowns, cancer, radiation, mutations and eventually death are all possible end results of the building of a nuclear power plant. Meltdown or the explosion of the main reactor itself can release tons of radioactive particles into the atmosphere. The meltdown of a nuclear power plant