Renaissance Notes Essay Example for Free

Renaissance Notes Essay The 15th century artistic developments in Italy matured during the 16th century. The 15th century is thus designated the â€Å"Early Renaissance† and the 16th century the â€Å"High Renaissance†. Although there is no single style that defines the period, there is a distinct level of technical and artistic mastery that does. This is the age of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Titian, artists whose works exhibit such authority, that later generations of artists relied on these works for instruction. These exemplary artistic creations further elevated the prestige of artists. Artists could claim divine inspiration, thereby raising visual art to a status formerly only given to poetry. Painters, sculptors, and architects were elevated to a new level and they claimed for their work a high position among the fine arts. Leonardo da Vinci (1452 1519) was born in the small town of Vinci, near Florence. He trained in the studio of Andrea del Verrocchio. He was brilliant man with many interests. His directions foreshadowed those that art and science would take in the future. A discussion of his many interests enhances our understanding of his artistic production. Those interests are seen in his Romulus sketchbooks filled with drawings and notes from his studies of the human body and natural world. He explored optics in-depth, allowing him to understand perspective, light, and color. His scientific drawings are artworks themselves. Leonardo’s ambition in painting, as well as science, was to discover the laws underlying the processes and flux of nature. Leonardo believed that reality in its absolute sense is inaccessible, and that humans can only know it through its changing images. He considered the eyes the most vital organs and sight the most essential function. In his notes, he repeatedly stated that all his scientific investigations made him a better painter. Around 1481, Leonardo left Florence, offering his services to Ludovico Sforza, duke of Milan. In his offer he highlighted his competence as a military engineer, mentioning his artistic abilities only at the end. This provided Leonardo with increased financial security and highlights the period’s instability. During his first trip to Milan Leonardo painted Virgin on the Rocks as a central panel of an altarpiece for the chapel of the confraternity of the Immaculate Conception in San Francesco Grande. The painting builds on Masaccio’s understanding and usage of Chiaroscuro. Modeling with light and shadow and expressing emotional states were, for Leonardo, the heart of painting. A good painting has two chief objects to paint man and the intention of his soul. The former is easy, the latter hard, for it must be expressed by gestures and the movement of the limbs A painting will only be wonderful for the beholder by making that which is not so appear raised and detached from the wall. Leonardo presented the figures in Virgin of the Rocks in a pyramidal grouping and more notably, as sharing the same environment. This groundbreaking achievement the unified representation of objects in an atmospheric setting was a manifestation of scientific curiosity about the invisible substance surrounding things. The Madonna, Christ Child, infant John the Baptist, and angel emerge through nuances of light and shade from the half light of the cavernous visionary landscape. Light veils and reveals the forms, immersing them in a layer of atmosphere that exists between them and the viewer. Atmospheric perspective is in full view. The figures actions unite them; prayer, pointing, and blessing. The angel points to the infant John. His outward glance involves spectators out of view, perhaps the viewers of the painting. John prays to the Christ Child and is blessed in return. The Virgin herself completes the series of interlocking gestures, her left hand resting protectively on John’s shoulder. The mood of tenderness, enhanced by caressing light, suffuses the entire composition. Leonardo succeeded in expressing â€Å"the intention of his soul.† For the refectory of the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Leonardo painted Last Supper. Despite its ruined state (in part from Leonardo’s unfortunate experiments with his materials) and although it has often been restored ineptly, the painting is Leonardo’s most formally and emotionally impressive work. Christ and his twelve disciples are seated at a long table set parallel to the picture plane in a simple, spacious room. Leonardo amplified the drama by placing it in an austere room. Christ with outstretched hands, has just said, â€Å"one of you is about to betray me† Matt 26:21. A wave of intense excitement passes through the group as each disciple asks himself or his neighbor, â€Å"Is it I?† In the center, Christ appears isolated from the disciples and in perfect repose, while emotion swirls around him. The central window in the back frames Christ and has a curving pediment above it. The arc serves as a diffused halo. Christ’s head is the location of the single vanishing point on which the orthogonals converge, further emphasizing Christ. Leonardo presented the agitated disciples in four groups of three, united among and within themselves by the figures’ gestures and postures. The artist sacrificed traditional iconography to pictorial and dramatic consistency by placing Judas on the same side of the table as Jesus and the other disciples. His face in shadow, Judas clutches a money bag in his right hand and reaches his left forward to fulfill the Master’s declaration† :But yeah behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is on the table† Luke 22:21. The two disciples on the end contain the action by their quiet composure. Leonardo’s, Mona Lisa is the world’s most famous portrait. The sitter’s identity is not certain, but Vasari asserted that she is Lisa di Antonio Maria Gherardini, the wife of a wealthy Florentine hence, â€Å"Mona (an Italian contraction of ma donna, â€Å"my lady†) Lisa.† It is notable because it is a convincing representation of an individual, rather than serving as an icon of status. The ambiguity of the famous â€Å"smile† is really the consequence of Leonardo’s fascination and skill with chiaroscuro and atmospheric perspective. Her they serve to disguise rather than reveal a human psyche. The artist subtly adjusted the light and blurred precise planes Leonardo’s famous smokey sfumato (misty haziness) rendering the facial expression hard to determine. The lingering appeal of Mona Lisa derives in large part from Leonardo’s decision to set his subject against the backdrop of a mysterious uninhabited landscape. Originally Leonardo represented Mona Lisa in a loggia with columns. The painting was cropped later on (not by Leonardo) and the columns were eliminated. The remains of the column bases may still be seen to the left and right of Mona’s shoulders. Leonardo completed very few paintings; his perfectionism, relentless experimentation, and far ranging curiosity diffused his efforts. The drawings in his notebooks preserve an extensive record of his ideas. His interests focused increasingly on science in his later years, and he embraced knowledge of all facets of the natural world. One example is The Fetus and Lining of the Uterus, although not up to 20th century standards for accuracy, it was an astounding achievement in its day. Though not the first scientist, Leonardo certainly originated a method of scientific illustration, especially cutaway and exploded views. Scholars have long recognized the importance of these drawings for the development of anatomy as a science, especially in an age predating photographic methods such a X rays. Leonardo was well known as an architect and sculptor in his lifetime, but no existing building or sculptures can be attributed to him. From his drawings he was interested in the central style plan of buildings. Leonardo left numerous drawings of monumental equestrian statues of which one was made into a full scale model for a monument to Francesco Sforza (Ludovico’s). The French used it for a target and shot it to pieces when they occupied Milan in 1499. Due to the French, Leonardo left Milan and served for a while as a military engineer for Caesar Borgia, who, with the support of his father, Pope Alexander VI, who tried to conquer the cities of the Romagna region in North Central Italy and create a Borgia duchy. At a later date, Leonardo returned to Milan in the service of the French. At the invitation of King Francis I, he then went to France, where he died at the Chateau of Cloux in 1519. Julius II: The Warrior Pope Pope Julius II (Giuliano della Rovere (1503 1513), was an individual whose interests and activities effected the course of the High Renaissance. Julius II was a very ambitious man who indulged his enthusiasm for battle in a supposed quest to expand the church and the Kingdom of Heaven by worldly means. This earned him a designation as the â€Å"warrior pope†. He selected his name Julius after Julius Caesar, and he ran the papacy using the Roman Empire as his model. Julius II’s papacy was notable for his contributions to the arts. He was an avid art patron and understood well the propagandistic value of visual imagery. After his election as pope, he immediately commissioned artworks that would present an authoritative image of his rule and reinforce the primacy of the Catholic Church. He commissioned a new design for Saint Peter’s basilica, the construction of his tomb, the painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, and the decoration of the papal apartments. These large scale projects clearly required considerable finances. Because of this need, Julius sanctioned the huge increase in the selling of indulgences as a way to raise the revenue needed to fund the art, architecture, and the lavish papal lifestyle. This perception prompted disgruntlement among the faithful. Despite his exceptional artistic legacy, Julius II’s patronage contributed to the rise of the Reformation. Saint Peter’s Old Saint Peter’s had fallen into considerable disrepair and did not fit Julius II’s taste for the large, colossal, and glorious. He wanted control over all Italy and make the Rome of the Pope’s as glorious as or greater than that of the Caesars. This important commission was awarded to Donato D’Angelo Bramante (1444 1514). Bramante was trained as a painter. He went to Milan in 1481 and stayed till the French arrived in 1499. In Milan he abandoned painting and went on to become the most renowned architect of his generation. Influenced by Brunelleschi, Alberti, and perhaps Leonardo, who favored antiquity, Bramante developed the High Renaissance form of the central plan church. Bramante originally conceived the new Saint Peter’s to consist of a cross with arms of equal length, each terminated by an apse. Julius II intended the new building to serve as a martyrium to mark Saint Peter’s grave and also hoped to have his own tomb in it. A large dome would have covered the crossing, and smaller domes over the subsidiary chapels would have covered the diagonal axes of the roughly squared plan. The ambitious plan called for a boldly sculptural treatment of the walls and piers under the dome. His design for the interior space was complex in the extreme, with the intricate symmetries of a crystal. It is possible to detect in the plan nine interlocking crosses, five of them supporting domes. The scale was so titanic that, according to sources, Bramante boasted he would place the dome of the Pantheon over the Basilica Nova. During Bramante’s lifetime, the actual construction on the new Saint Peter’s basilica did not advance beyond the building of the crossing piers and the lower choir walls. After his death, the work passed on to other architects and finally to Michelangelo, whom Pope Paul III appointed in 1546 to complete the building. Not until the 17th century did the Church oversee the completion. An earlier building completed by Bramante is considered the perfect prototype of classical domed architecture for the Renaissance and after. The building is called Tempietto â€Å"Little Temple† because to contemporaries it had the look of a Roman pagan temple. The lower story was directly inspired by the round temples of Roman Italy that Bramante would have know in Rome. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain commissioned the Tempietto to mark the conjectural location of Saint Peter’s crucifixion. Available information suggests the project was commissioned in 1502, but there is dispute over the date. Bramante relied on the composition of volumes and masses and on a sculptural handling of solids and voids to set apart this building, all but devoid of ornament, from the structures built in the preceding century. Standing inside the cloister along side the church of San Pietro in Montorio, Rome, and the Tempietto resembles a sculptured reliquary and would have looked even more like one inside the circular colonnaded courtyard Bramante planned for it but never executed. At first glance, the structure seems severely rational with its circular stylobate and Tuscan style colonnade. Wonderful harmony is achieved in the relationship of the parts (dome, drum, and base) to one another and to the whole. Conceived as a tall domed cylinder projecting from a wider lower cylinder of the colonnade, this building incorporates all the qualities of a sculpted monument. There is a wonderful rhythmic play of light and shadow on the form. Although the Tempietto may superficially resemble a Greek tholos, the combination of parts and details was new and original. If one of the main differences between Early and High Renaissance styles of architecture was the former’s emphasis on detailing flat wall surfaces versus the latter’s sculptural handling of architectural masses, then Tempietto certainly broke new ground and stood at the beginning of the High Renaissance. The architect Andrea Palladio credited Bramante as the â€Å"first to bring back to light the good and beautiful architecture from antiquity to that time had been hidden.† Round in plan, it is elevated on a base that isolates it from its surroundings. Michelangelo The artist whom Pope Julius II deemed best able to convey his message was Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 1564), who received some of the most coveted commissions. Though a man of many talents, architect, sculptor, painter, poet, and engineer, he thought of himself first as a sculptor. He regarded sculptor as a superior calling to painter because the sculptor shares in something like the divine power to â€Å"make man.† Drawing a conceptual parallel to Plato’s ideas, Michelangelo believed that the image produced by the artists hand must come from the idea in the artist’s mind. The idea, then, is the reality that the artist’s genius has brought forth. But artists are not the creators of the ideas they conceive. Rather they find their ideas in the natural world, reflecting the absolute idea, which, for the artist, is beauty. One of Michelangelo’s best known observations about sculpture is that the artist must proceed by finding the idea the image locked in the stone, as it were. Thus, by removing the excess stone, the artist extricates the ideas, like Pygmalion bringing forth the living form. Michelangelo felt that the artist works through many years at this unceasing process of revelation and â€Å"arrives late at novel and lofty things.† Michelangelo sharply broke from his predecessors in a very important respect. He mistrusted the application of mathematical methods as guarantees of beauty in proportion. Measure and proportion, he believed, should be â€Å"kept in the eyes.† Vasari quotes Michelangelo as declaring that â€Å"it was necessary to have the compasses in the eyes and not in the hand, because the hands work and the eye judges.† Thus Michelangelo went against Vitruvius, Alberti, Leonardo, and others by asserting that the artist’s inspired judgment could identify other pleasing proportions. He believed that the artist must not be bound, except by the demands made by realizing the idea. This insistence on the artist’s own authority was typical of Michelangelo and anticipated the modern concept of the right of self expression of talent limited only by the artist’s own judgment. The artistic license to aspire far beyond the â€Å"rules† was, in part, a manifestation of the pursuit of fame and success that humanism fostered. In this context, Michelangelo designed architecture and created paintings that departed from High Renaissance regularity. He put in its stead a style of vast, expressive strength conveyed through complex, eccentric, and often titanic forms that loom before the viewer in tragic grandeur. Michelangelo’s self imposed isolation, creative furies, proud independence, and daring innovations led Italians to speak of the dominating quality of the man and his work in one word -terribilita, the sublime shadowed by the awesome and the fearful. David In 1501, the Florence Cathedral building committee asked Michelangelo to work a great block of marble left over from an earlier aborted commission. From this stone, Michelangelo crafted David, which assured his reputation then and now as an extraordinary talent. The form and its references to classical antiquity appealed to Julius II who associated himself with the humanists and Roman emperors. This sculpture and the acclaim that accompanied its completion lead to Michelangelo’s papal commissions. Like other David sculptures, Michelangelo’s had a political dimension. With the political instability of the time, Florentines viewed David as the symbolic defiant hero of the Florentine republic, especially given the statue’s placement near the west door of the Palazzo della Signoria. Forty years after David’s completion, Vasari extolled the political value of David claiming that â€Å"without a doubt the figure has put in the shade every other statue, ancient or modern, Greek or Roman this was intended as a symbol of liberty for the palace, signifying that just as David protected his people and governed them justly, so whoever ruled Florence should vigorously defend the city and govern it with justice.† Michelangelo depicted David, not in victory, but turning his head sternly watching the approaching foe. His whole body and face is tense with gathering power. This energy in reserve is characteristic of Michelangelo’s later figures. The Roman sculptor’s skill in precise rendering of heroic physique impressed Michelangelo. In David, without strictly imitating the antique style, Michelangelo captured the Lysippan athletes and the emotionalism of Hellenistic statuary. This David differs from Donatello’s and Verrocchio’s as Hellenistic statues depart from classical ones. Michelangelo abandoned the self contained compositions of the 15th century David statues by giving David’s head the abrupt turn toward Goliath. Michelangelo’s David is compositionally and emotionally connected to an unseen presence beyond the statue; a quality in Hellenistic sculpture. As early as David, Michelangelo invested his efforts in presenting towering pent up emotion rather than calm ideal beauty. Julius II’s Tomb The first project Julius II commissioned from Michelangelo in 1505 was the pontiffs own tomb. The original design called for a freestanding two story structure with some 28 statues. This colossal monument would have given Michelangelo the latitude to sculpt numerous human statues while providing the pope with a grandiose memorial which Julius intended to be in St. Peter’s. Shortly after the project began, it was interrupted, possibly because funds had to be diverted to Bramante’s building of St. Peters. After Julius II’s death in 1513, Michelangelo was forced to reduce the scale of the project step by step until, it became a simple wall tomb with one third of the originally planned figures. The tomb was completed in 1545 and was placed in San Pietro in Vincoli, Rome, where Julius at one time had been a cardinal. It is with surety that the ambitious Julius II would have been bitterly disappointed. The spirit of the tomb may be summed up in the figure of Moses, which Michelangelo had completed in 1513, during a sporadic resumption of work. It was meant to be seen from below and to be balanced with seven other massive forms related to it in spirit. The position of Moses now in his rather paltry setting’ does not have its original impact. Michelangelo depicted the Old Testament prophet seated, the Tablets of the Law under one arm and his hands gathering his voluminous beard. The horns were a recognizable convention to identify Moses. Michelangelo used the turned head, which concentrates the expression of awful wrath that stirs in Moses’ powerful frame and eyes. The muscles bulge, the veins swell, and the great legs seem to begin slowly to move with pent up energy. Originally 20 sculptures of slaves in various attitudes of revolt and exhaustion, appear on the tomb. Bound Slave is one of those sculptures. Scholars question whether this sculpture and three other slave sculptures should have been part of Julius’s tomb. Many scholars also reject their identification as â€Å"slaves† or â€Å"captives.† What ever their intended purpose they are definitive. The figures do not represent an abstract concept, as in medieval allegory, but embody powerful emotional states associated with oppression. Michelangelo based his whole art on his conviction that whatever can be said greatly through sculpture and painting must be said through the human figure. The Sistine Chapel With the suspension of the tomb project, Julius gave the bitter and reluctant Michelangelo the commission to paint the Sistine Chapel in 1508. Michelangelo gave in hoping that the tomb commission would be revived. He faced enormous difficulties in painting the Sistine ceiling. He was inexperienced in fresco painting. The ceiling was some 5,800 square feet of surface to be covered and it was 70 feet above the ground. The vault’s height and curve created complicated perspective problems. Yet, in less than four years, Michelangelo produced an unprecedented work a monumental fresco incorporating the patron’s agenda, Church doctrine, and the artist’s interests. The theme of the creation, the fall, and the redemption of humanity weave together more than 300 figures. A long sequence of narrative panels describing the Creation as recorded in Genesis, runs along the crown of the vault. The Hebrew prophets and pagan sibyls who foretold the coming of Christ appear seated in large thrones on both sides of the central row of scenes from Genesis where the vault curves down. In the four corner pendentives are placed four Old Testament scenes with David, Judith, Haman, and Moses and the Brazen Serpent. Scores of lesser figures also appear. The ancestors of Christ fill the triangular compartments above the windows, nude youths punctuate the corners of the central panels and small pairs of putti (cherub little boys) support the painted cornice surrounding the entire central corridor. The overall concept a sweeping chronology of Christianity was keeping with Renaissance ideas about Christian history. Such ideas include interest in the conflict between good and evil and between the energy of youth and the wisdom of age. The conception of the entire ceiling was astounding in itself, and the articulation of it in its thousand details was a superhuman achievement. One of the ceilings central panels, the Creation of Adam, is also one of the most famous. Michelangelo created a bold, entirely humanistic interpretation of the momentous event. God and Adam confront each other in a primordial unformed landscape of which Adam is still a material part. The Lord transcends the earth, wrapped in a billowing cloud of drapery and borne up by his powers. Life leaps to Adam like a spark from the extended hand of God. The communication between Gods and man was common in myth and the connection here is clear. It emphasizes how High Renaissance thought joined classical and Christian traditions. Beneath the Lord’s sheltering arm is a female figure comprehensive but uncreated. Scholars traditionally have believed this to be Eve, but recent scholarship suggests that it may be the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child at her knee. If this is true, Michelangelo incorporated into the fresco the basic tenets of the Christian faith. Raphael While Michelangelo was working on the Sistine Ceiling, Pope Julius II commissioned Raphael (1483 1520) to decorate the papal apartments in 1508. Raphael painted the Stanza della Segnatura (Room of the Signature the papal library) and the Stanza d’Eliodoro (Room of Heliodorus). His pupils completed the other rooms, following his sketches. On the Four walls in the Stanza della Segnatura, under the headings of Theology (Disputa), Law (Justice), Poetry (Parnassus), and Philosophy (School of Athens), Raphael presented images that symbolize and sum up Western learning as Renaissance society understood it. The frescos refer to the four branches of human knowledge and wisdom while pointing out the virtues and learning appropriate to a pope. Given Julius II’s desire for recognition as both a spiritual and temporal leader, it is appropriate that the Theology and Philosophy frescos face each other. The two images present a balanced picture of the pope as a cultured, knowledgeable, individual, on the one hand, and as a wise, divinely ordained religious authority on the other. The Philosophy mural (the so called School of Athens) is the setting not of a school but a congregation of the great philosophers and scientists of the ancient world. Raphael depicted these luminaries rediscovered by Renaissance thinkers conversing and explaining their various theories and ideas. In a vast hall covered by massive barrel vaults that recall Roman architecture (and approximate the appearance of the new Saint Peter’s in 1509 when the painting was executed), colossal statues of Apollo and Athena, patron gods of the arts and of wisdom, oversee the interactions. Plato and Aristotle serve as the central figures around whom Raphael carefully arranged others. Plato holds his book Timaeus and points to heaven, the source of his inspiration, while Aristotle carries his book Nichomachean Ethics and gestures toward the earth, from which his observations of reality sprang. On Plato’s side are the ancient philosophers, men concerned with the ultimate mysteries that transcend this world. On Aristotle’s side are the philosophers and scientists concerned with the nature of human affairs. At the lower left, Pythagoras writes as a servant holds up the harmonic scale. In the foreground, Heraclitus (probably a portrait of Michelangelo) broods alone. Diogenes sprawls on the steps. At the right, students are around Euclid, who demonstrates a theorem. This group is especially interesting; Euclid may be the portrait of the aging Bramante. At the extreme right, just to the right of the astronomers Zoroaster and Ptolemy, both holding globes, Raphael included his own portrait. The figures’ self assurance and natural dignity convey the very nature of calm reason that balance and measure the great Renaissance minds so admired as the heart of philosophy. In this work Raphael placed himself among the mathematicians and scientists. His convincing depiction of a vast perspective space on a two dimensional surface was the consequence of the union of mathematics, with pictorial space, here mastered completely. All the characters in the School of Athens, communicate moods that reflect their beliefs, and the artist’s placement of each figure tied these moods together. From the center, Raphael arranged groups of figures in an elliptical movement around Plato and Aristotle. It seems to swing forward, looping around the two foreground groups on both sides and then back again to the center. Moving through the wide opening in the foreground around the floor’s perspective pattern, the viewer’s eye penetrates the assembly of philosophers and continues, by way of the reclining Diogenes, up to the here reconciled leaders of the two great opposing camps of Renaissance philosophy. The perspective’s vanishing point falls on Plato’s left hand, drawing the viewer’s attention to Timaeus. In the works in the Stanza della Segnatura, Raphael reconciled and harmonized not only the Platonists and Aristotelians but also paganism and Christianity, surely a major factor in his appeal to Julius II. Galatea Pope Leo X (Giovanni de Medici, 1513 1521), the son of Lorenzo de Medici, succeeded Julius II as Raphael’s patron. Leo was a worldly, pleasure loving prince who spent huge amounts on the arts. Raphael moved in the highest circles of the papal court, the star of a brilliant society. He was young, handsome, wealthy, and adulated, not only by his followers, but also by Rome and all Italy. Genial, even tempered, generous, and high minded. Raphaels personality contrasted with the mysterious and aloof Leonardo, or the tormented and obstinate Michelangelo. The Pope was not Raphael’s only patron. His friend Agostino Chigi, an immensely wealthy banker who managed the papal state’s financial affairs, commissioned Raphael to decorate his palace, the Villa Farnesina, on the Tiber with scenes from classical mythology. Outstanding among the frescos was Galatea, which Raphael based on Metamorphoses, by the ancient Roman poet Ovid. In Raphael’s fresco, Galatea flees from her uncouth lover, the Cyclops Polyphemus, on a shell drawn by leaping dolphins. Sea creatures and playful cupids surround her. The painting erupts in unrestrained pagan joy and exuberance, an exultant song in praise of human beauty and zestful love. Raphael enhanced the liveliness of the composition by placing the sturdy figures around Galatea in bounding and dashing movements that always return to her energetic center. The cupids, skillfully foreshortened, repeat the circling motion. Raphael conceived his figures sculpturally. Galatea’s body is strong and vigorous in motion suggesting the spiraling motion of Hellenistic statuary, and contrasting with Botticelli’s, almost dematerialized Venus. Pagan myth presented in monumental form, in vivacious movement, and a spirit of passionate delight resurrects the naturalistic art and poetry of the classical world. Pope Paul III Pope Paul III maintained the lavish lifestyle of previous popes and was a great patron of the arts. He commissioned a palace for himself while he was still Cardinal Farnese. The Palazzo Farnese in Rome was designed by Antonio Da Sangallo the Younger (1483 1546) who established himself as the favorite architect of Pope Paul II and received many commissions that might have otherwise gone to Michelangelo. Antonio was from a family of architects and was an assistant and draftsman for Bramante. Antonio built fortifications for almost the entire papal state and received more commissions for military than for civilian architecture. The Palazzo Farnese set the standard for the High Renaissance palazzo and fully expresses the classical order, regularity, simplicity, and dignity of the High Renaissance. It was finished by Michelangelo after Antonio’s death in 1546. The Last Judgment Many of Pope Paul III’s commissions were part of an orchestrated campaign to restore the prominence of the Catholic Church in wake of the Protestant Reformation. The Reformation was the result of widespread dissatisfaction with the leadership and practices of the Catholic Church. Led by Clerics such as Martin Luther (1483 1546) and John Calvin (1509 1564) the Reformation directly challenged papal authority. The disgruntled Catholics voiced concerns about the sale of indulgences, nepotism, and high Church officials pursuing personal wealth. This reform movement resulted in the establishment of Protestantism, with sub groups such as Lutheranism and Calvinism. Central to Protestantism is a belief in personal faith rather than adherence to decreed Church practices and doctrines. This personal relationship between an individual and God, in essence eliminated the need for Church intercession central to Catholicism.

Sherlock Holmes :: Essays Papers

Sherlock Holmes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as many know, is the prestigious author and creator of the sharp witted, fictional character of Sherlock Holmes. However, he had written on subjects other than that of his brilliant mystery stories. For example, he wrote historical novels such as The White Company, Sir Nigel, and Micah Clarke. There were many events in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s life that had a direct effect on why he became a writer and the subject matter that he wrote on. He was born in Edinburgh in May of 1859. His mother Mary was Irish, and could trace her ancestry back to the famous Percy family of Northumberland and from there to the Plantagent’s line. As a result of this fact, the young Conan Doyle was introduced to many tales that reeked of historical knowledge, which gave him a good base to later write such novels as the ones listed earlier. Life was fairly difficult for the young Arthur Conan Doyle. He was one of ten children, who were raised on the meager income of a civil servant, his father, Charles. Charles Altamont Doyle was the son of John Doyle, a famous caricaturist. Charles’s brothers, which would be Conan’s uncles, all had made a name for themselves: James wrote The Chronicles of England; Henry became the manager of the National Gallery in Dublin; and Richard became famous for being an artist. With all of this fame and appreciation for â€Å"the arts† that was floating around him, it is no wonder that Conan Doyle grew up to become a writer. Charles Doyle had a few artistic talents as well, but chose only to use them as a spare time leisurely thing to do. Besides this, he had also lost his drive to work, which in turn resulted in the loss of his post in the Office of Works in Edinburgh. He slowly began turning to alcoholism as a means to drown his sorrows, which caused his epilepsy to become slowly worse. He was put in an institution for the last few years of his life until he died in 1893. The alcoholism of his father affected Conan Doyle very significantly. Conan decided to leave the exact details of this crisis out of his autobiography Memories and Adventures, but the subject of alcoholism was not taken lightly in his later fictional stories.

Detailed assessment of The Toy Essay

Introduction I am a student at †¦.College and I am doing The Early Childhood care and education Course FETAC Level 5. One of mandatory modules in this course is Early Childhood Education and Play and The Toy Critique assignment is part of that. I have to choose a toy and write detailed assessment about it. My chosen toy is The Memo Locomotives Puzzle made by Goki. Goki is the name of the brand for high-quality wooden toys at a fair price, ensuring that excellent toys remain affordable. Memo Locomotives puzzle is set of 32 wooden tiles with 4 different, attractive locomotives and comes in hard cardboard box. Each locomotive is in different colour. To connect pieces together child has to look at colours, pictures and shapes, like square and diamond. Aim, Objectives, Rationale My aim of this assignment is to choose a toy that is suitable for children in age group 0-6 years and to assess and to examine it under various headings. I will critique it fewer than 40 criteria points and discuss the toy specific to P.I.L.E.S and the role of the adult in supporting play. I will write up and evaluate my findings and give conclusion and recommendations at the end. I chose to critique Memo Locomotive Puzzle for this assignment because it is a toy that my family members had played with for few years and children really loves it. I have learned that play is not only enjoyable, but it has a value to learning and development as well. It is in play that young children encounter their own learning situations. Play facilitates social skills and helps children to see things from other people’s point of view. Play helps to strengthen the imagination of children and it is  necessary in cognitive development. Through play, children develop a greater ability to concentrate (Flood and Hardy, 2013, pg 47). Aistear recognises the value of play in early learning and development. Section 3 of the Good Practise Guidelines deals with the subject of play and its role in the early childhood curriculum (Flood and Hardy, 2013, p 165) Aistear recognises the enormous body of research that shows that young children (particularly those aged 0-6) learn most effectively through play and that more directive methods do not work but actually curb children’s natural desire to explore and discover (Flood and Hardy, 2013, pg 92). Going through this assignment I want to find out for what type of play and what stage of play. The Memo Locomotive Puzzle is suitable and I want to see how it stands up in relation not only to play but to learning and developmental values too. I will look at adult’s role in play activities regarding this toy and if there are any changes to be made to improve the toy. I will state my conclusion and give my recommendations at the end. List of criteria 1. Name of toy? Puzzle and Memo Locomotives. 2. What is the price range? It can be bought online at amazon.co.uk and it costs 24 euro, shipping is included. 3. What is a brand for it? The brand is Goki. 4. Who is a toy manufacturer? It is Gollnest & Kiesel KG, Germany. 5. Is it ready available? Yes, it is and can be bought online at amazon.co.uk. 6. At what age group is it suitable? It is suitable for children from 2 years of age up to 6 years of age. 7. Is it suitable for boys or girls? It can be played by boys and girls. 8. Does it suit all cultures? Yes, it does. 9. Is it suitable for children with special needs? Yes, it is. There could be some difficulties to use the puzzle if child has specific movement restrictions. 10. Does it suit single or multiple players? It can be played by single child or up to four children. There are 4 locomotive sets in the box and up to 4 children can play with it at the same time. 11. Is it aesthetically pleasing? Yes, it definitely is. The puzzle comes in four bright, contemporary colours: red, blue, yellow and green. There are lovely, colourful, attractive motifs of animals and children illustrated on it. 12. Is it educational? Yes, it is. It promotes physical, intellectual, language, emotional and social development. 13. Does it help to develop language? Yes, it does. Child names colours, shapes and animals and talks about pictures that appear when pieces are connected. 14. Does it develop motor skills? Yes, it does. It is a great builder of fine motor skills as a child has to connect pieces without a glitch to get a complete picture. 15. Does it encourage imaginative play? No, it does not. This toy is more suitable for manipulation type of play. 16. Does this toy have any sensory benefits to the child? Yes, it does. Wood has individual character, smell and texture. This awakens the natural senses and kelps the child to recognize and understand natural materials. 17. What size is it? Does it need a special storage? The puzzle comes in hard cardboard box sized 21x8x5 cm and does not need a special storage; can be easily put on the shelf. 18. Does it require batteries or does it need to be charged? No, it does not require batteries or charging. 19. From what kind of material is it made of? It is a wooden toy. 20. Is it durable? Yes, it is very durable. The puzzle is made from sturdy wood, so it is very hard to cause any damage to it while it is used in playing activities. 21. What kind of texture does it have? It has smooth, even and solid surface with warm feeling. 22. Is it waterproof? It is not waterproof. But I had experienced that a small amount of water does not cause any damage to the toy. 23. Is it washable or does it need special cleaning? It is not washable and does not need special cleaning. It can be cleaned with dump cloth. 24. Is it for use indoor or outdoor? It is for indoor use, but can be played outdoors as well, if it is not too wet. 25. Is it moveable? Yes, it is. Child can move it, for example, from table to ground very easily. 26. Is it portable? Yes, it is. It comes in nice box with lid and is lightweight. 27. Is it qualitative? Yes, it is. My family members have used this game for more than three years and it still looks and feels the same as it was whet it was brand new. Material is qualitative and sturdy and printings have stayed on place till now. 28. Is it good value for money? Yes, it is. 29. Are parts of it replaceable? No, they are not. 30. Are there levels of difficulty? No, there are not. But adults can make them up, like, asking the child to connect pieces by looking at colours. When child has appreciated it, adult can encourage the child to connect pieces matching the shapes. 31. Are there add-on packs available for it? No, there are no add-on packs available. 32. Is it suitable for multiple purposes? No, it is not. But, if the child has an imagination, he can find another function, for example, use wooden pieces as a part of construction project. 33. Is there a special instruction or programming required? The toy does not require programming or special instruction. 34. Does it require an upgrade? No, it does not require an upgrade. 35. Does it need an adult supervision? It does not require an adult supervision. 36. Is it safe for children? Yes, it is. It is fully tested and certified to meet all safety requirements. It has CE marking. 37. Is there choking risk? No, there is no choking risk. Each piece of puzzle is in size 5Ãâ€"7.7 cm and big enough to be safe for even a very small child. 38. Is it flammable? No, it is not flammable. But it will burn if put in flame, because it is a wooden toy. 39. Does it have a guarantee? No, it does not. But it can be returned to Amazon.co.uk within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. 40. Is it recyclable? Yes, it is. It is made from wood and wood is a natural made material which can be subjected to recycling. 41. Are there reviews about the toy? No, I couldn’t find any reviews about this particular toy. Detailed assessment of the Toy Initially I found out for what type of play my chosen toy can be used for. There are several types of play, but to my chosen Locomotives Puzzle fits Manipulative type of play that is under Physical form of play by Moyles’s forms of play (Beaver et al, 2001, p471). Manipulative play involves practising and refining motor skills. This type of play enhances physical dexterity and hand-eye co-ordination. Over time children need to experience a range of different levels of manipulation if they are to refine their motor skills. This type of play includes manipulating objects and materials (NCCA, 2009, pg 54) Manipulative play includes using puzzles, threading, playdough, carpentry, construction sets and blocks (Department of Education, Training and Employment, 2012, pg2). In this type of play the child has to manipulate with puzzle pieces by lifting, turning and placing them. This  toy can be a part of Intellectual play as well as it helps child to discover and learn colours, shapes and counting and has a benefit to memory skills. This toy can be tested under five areas of benefits to development that links with Aistear’s themes. Aistear recognises the enormous body of research that shows that young children (particularly those aged 0-6) learn most effectively through play and that more directive methods do not work but actually curb children’s natural desire to explore and discover. This section describes how play benefits all five areas of development: intellectual, language, emotional and social (PILES). This links with Aistear’s four themes: wellbeing, identity and belonging, communicating, and exploring and thinking (Flood and Hardy, 2013, p 165). I will look closer how my chosen toy can benefit all five areas of children development. Physical Development: Wellbeing Physical play is very important and essential to children development. Physical play (†¦) promotes gross-motor skills. Children develop balance and increase co0ordinaton trough practising skills such as running, jumping, climbing, skipping, walking on tip-toe, hopping, pedalling, etc. Physical play also promotes health and wellbeing because it increases appetite and tires children so that they sleep well. Physical development also involves the development and refinement of fine-motor skills; creative and construction play are both particularly beneficial in this area (Flood and Hardy, 2013, pg 92). Physical development and health is also one of Key Developmental Indicators (KDIs) that â€Å"together form a framework that guides teachers in the planning process of beneficial learning experiences for the children in their care† ( Flood and Hardy, 2013, pg 61). There are 4 KDIs that relate to physical development and health. This toy is valuable to fine-motor skills. Small-muscle or fine-motor development also is included in the physical development of a child, and deals with such areas as smiling, picking up a fork or tying a shoe. Small-muscle development is evident as infants grasp cereal to put in their mouths and is enhanced by activities such as picking up blocks or drawing with crayons (Brotherson, 2006, pg 2). Playing with The Memo Locomotives Puzzle the child has to lift and turn pieces, and sort them in groups. Children have to do accurate movements to connect pieces thus getting the complete picture of the train.  Children develop control and strength in their fingers by doing that. These things are very essential to educational process at later stage, for example, to handwriting and drawing practise. Intellectual Development: Exploring and Thinking Intellectual, cognitive development takes a big part in children’s overall development. Cognitive development includes the development of each of the following: imagination, creativity, memory skills, concentration skills, problem-solving skills, concept information (Flood, 2013, pg 96). And playing has important role in intellectual development. Through play children can explore and think about a wide range of concepts in a non-threatening way. Play cannot be ‘wrong’ so children are much more likely to take risks with their learning when they are engaged in play (Flood et al, 2013, pg 93). Through play with The Memo Locomotives Puzzle children can explore colours and shapes. This toy helps children to improve their sorting skills, because they have to sort out pieces by colours at the start to make each train. Children will get 8 pieces for each train after sorting them by colours. Now they will be able to sort those 8 pieces in pairs by connecting shapes and by linking pairs together they will get complete train. Each time by playing with it children train their memory skills by remembering which piece has to be taken to make complete diamond shape and which one is needed to make the monkey and bananas picture. Children can learn or improve their counting skill. For example, for a small child teacher/parent can count each piece that child has placed and soon child will start to count together with teacher/parent. Language Development: Communicating The definition of language is: â€Å"Language is any form of communication, be it spoken, written or signed. Language consists of words and system of combining them† (Flood and Hardy, 2013, pg 122) The memo Locomotives Puzzle can give benefits to language development by naming colours, shapes, animals and other parts of pictures. Because of Puzzle’s bright and vivid printings it has a big value to teaching child the right name of exact colour. Besides that, game can be played up to 4 children and by communicating and explaining the rules to each other they will improve they language skills.  Virtually all types of play involve communication. Children negotiate their roles, talk about what they are doing and talk about their plans for what will happen next. (†¦) When playing games with rules, children have to explain rules to newcomers. (Flood and Hardy, 2013, pg 93) Children will learn new words and they will learn new ways how to put words in sentences. Teacher/parent can be a companion to child if he’s playing alone and communicate with him during play thus helping to improve his language development through play. Emotional Development: Identity and Belonging, and Communicating Emotional development involves children learning to deal with their emotions (both negative and positive) in a healthy way. Emotional development also involves the promotion of a positive self-image and high self-esteem. (Flood and Hardy, 203, pg 93) Play is important part of emotional development and The Memo Locomotives Puzzle can help in that. During play with this toy children have to deal with emotions like anger and frustration when something does not work the way children wish to or pride and happiness when they got it right. Those good emotions promote positive self-esteem, child is happy about himself, for example, he is proud he did his train set first or he did his one carefully and at the end it looks nicer than other ones. Children learn to share their emotional with adult and peers, like; child learns not only to show but to talk about his emotions. Emotional regulation is an important part of emotional development (Flood, 2013, pg 175). During play with The Memo Locomotives Puzzle teacher/parent can observe children and help them deal with their negative emotions, like they can teach how to deal with frustration when it is hard for child to find right piece of puzzle. Social Development: Identity and Belonging, and Communicating Social development basically involves the development of three related skills: (1) the ability to interact effectively with others, (2) learning and understanding the norms of the society in which the child lives and (3) moral development. Play can be a very effective way for children to learn and perfect these skills (Flood and Hardy, 2013, pg 94). The Memo Locomotives Puzzle can help children to interact effectively with others. They have to communicate while playing by handing pieces to each other,  helping find the right piece for each other. They have to learn to share The Locomotive’s sets and wait for their turn. They will learn to ask for a piece nicely and use phrases like ‘thank you’ and ‘you are welcome’ thus learning and teaching to each other good manners. Children learn to understand the norms of society by doing that. â€Å"Social norms are descriptions of ‘rules’ about people’s behaviour, beliefs, attitudes and values within a society or social group† (Flood, 2013, pg 151). It is very important to select not only the right type of play to promote child’s development but to make sure that the play will match his stage of development also. Most of theorists of play, like Maria Montessori, Friedrich Froebel, Steiner Waldorf, Sigmund Freud, Jean Piaget and Rudolph Steiner, have identified stages of development. For example, Rudolf Steiner distributed 3 different stages: 0-7 years, 7-14 years and 14-18 years (Flood et al, 2013, pg 42-43). The Memo Locomotives Puzzle is suitable for children in age group 2-6 and fits under first stage (0-7) years by Steiner’s concept: The first seven years of children’s lives are of greatest importance. (†¦) Children conquer the skills of movement, speech, gesture and communication. (†¦) Children absorb every aspect of their environment and they are open to external influences also. The focus at this point is on learning by doing (Flood and Hardy, 2013, pg 42-43). I already have clarified that my chosen toy helps to improve children’s basic knowledge in physical, intellectual, language, social and emotional development and it means that age group marked on The Memo Locomotives Puzzle’s label match the concrete toy. Detailed assessment of the role of the adult There are two styles of play that are relevant to adult’s role in children playing activities. They are structured play and free play. Structured play is planned, guided and led by adults. Structured play can be useful but there is a risk that if it is too adult-led children can lose interest. (†¦) Adults can provide support by demonstrating skills that the child can then try out for themselves. (†¦) Some theorists advocated a very structured approach. Montessori advocated that certain skills should be very clearly demonstrated by the adult, with the child carefully watching so that  they could then copy exactly what the adult had done (Food and Hardy, 2013, pg 87, 88) Free play is not adult-led. Adults provide equipment, materials and resources for free play, but they do not direct it any way. Advocates of free play believe that children learn much more from this style of play than from structured play, since they are more motivated by having created it themselves (Flood and Hardy, 013, pg 88). The Memo Locomotives Puzzle needs adult participation to improve children development in all five areas of benefits to development. Adult participation is essential to help children by naming colours or shapes, showing which colour or shape are the one that has been named. Therefore adult attendance is not essential all the time. Children can be left with the toy by themselves thus giving them time to practise their object manipulating skills and memory. Adult has to observe children while playing and make a decision when to intervene and when to stand back. Adult must intervene and help in communication thus helping to develop children’s social and communication skills, like helping to resolve conflicts and to solve problems in peaceful manner. I like Janet Moyles concept and I believe it suits the best regarding adult role to play with The Memo Locomotives puzzle. The concept for which she (Janet Moyles) is best known is the spiral of play or spiral of learning. The spiral of play describes how children move in and out of different modes of play: direct play to free, and back again (Flood and Hardy, 2013, pg 105). Adult observes to children playing and decides when and if he/she is required to intervene in the play to support it. Evaluation I consider results of my assignment as positive and valuable. I found out a lot about my chosen toy’s benefits to children learning through play. I discovered for what type of play this toy would suit the best and how adult can support children in play with it. Conclusion My aim was to find out can The Memo Locomotives Puzzle be supportive in learning through play and give any benefits to children’s development. I  introduced with my chosen toy and did description of the toy including 40 assessment criteria and described the toy under five areas of benefits to children’s development. I also looked at adult role in play with The Memo Locomotives Puzzle. I found out that toy is educational and fun. I found that The Memo Locomotives Puzzle fits under manipulative type of play. The toy can be useful in all five areas of benefits to development: physical, intellectual, language, social and emotional development. I believe that manufacturer has positioned this toy under the right age group because of children’s developmental stages and age stages. I discovered that for this toy looking at adult role better suits structured style of play with adult stepping in and out giving children time for free play as well. Overall I looked at toy from many aspects and found this toy suitable for children’s learning through play. Recommendations My list of advantages and disadvantages: Advantages Disadvantages Attractive for children Age group toy is suitable for Benefits all five areas of children development Material for storage box is not quite durable Affordable High quality Made of natural material In overall I really like this toy. I have experienced that children love this toy and it is attractive for them. There are only two things I would recommend to change about it: 1) Although the toy comes in good hardboard box, I would recommend using wooden box instead. The hardboard box can be destroyed in a second if child steps on it and it would make storage very impractical. I believe it would lead to lost pieces. I agree that wooden box  would make the toy a bit more expensive, but it would make the toy last longer. If there are no pieces lost, this toy really last for many years because of its durability. 2) I would recommend to manufacturer to change an age group that toy is suitable for. Because of my own experience I can say that this toy is really attractive to children aged 2-4. Children at age 5-6 lost their interest after the first time playing with it. They already know colours and they know shapes and they got along very quickly, level of difficulty is too easy for them. All the other aspects, like durability, bright and vivid colours, lovely printings. I believe, are very good regarding this toy. I like about this toy that it is really educational and attractive for children and I would highly recommend it to parents and teachers for children aged 2-4. References Beaver, M., Brewster, J., jones, P., Keene, A., Neaum, S., and Tallack, J., 2001, Babies and children, Diploma in childcare and education, United Kingdom: Nelson Thornes Brotherson Sean, Bright beginnings #8, 2006, US: NDSU Extension Service Department of Education, Training and Employment, 2012, Giving children a flying start, Australia: Queensland Government Flood E., Hardy C., 2013, Early Childhood Education & Play, Dublin: Gill and MacMillan Flood, E., 2013, Child Development, Dublin: Gill and MacMillan NCCA, Aisthear: The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework, 2009, Ireland: NCCA

Complaint letter examples - 1460 Words

Complaint letter Example--- complaint for the poor cleats 65 Market Street Val Haven, CT 95135 June 30, 2004 Customer Service Cool Sports, LLC 8423 Green Terrace Road Asterville, WA 65435 Dear Sir or Madam: I have recently ordered a new pair of soccer cleats (item #6542951) from your website on June 21. I received the order on June 26. Unfortunately, when I opened it, I saw that the cleats were used. The cleats had dirt all over it and there was a small tear in front of the part where the left toe would go. My order number is AF26168156. To resolve the problem, I would like you to credit my account for the amount charged for my cleats; I have already went out and bought a new pair of cleats at my local sporting goods store so†¦show more content†¦I am looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you for your assistance. Thank you very much for your kind assistance. I appreciate that this is an unusual request, but I would be very grateful for any help you could provide. I look forward to hearing from you. If you think the reader might have further questions, you can suggest that he or she contact you; e.g. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Example Golden Gate Engineering Prince Square, Prince Street, Kowloon 8 May 2007 ProSkills Training Centre Jubilee Building Silver Road Wan Chai Dear Sir or Madam, Enquiry about Quality Control Course I am writing to enquire whether your company could offer a course on Quality Control for our managers. I saw your advert in the HK Daily on Friday, 4 May 2007, and the Quality Control Training Course (Ref.: QC 101 ) mentioned in the advert might be suitable for us. I would like to know if it is possible for you to offer a 3-month training course starting before or, at the latest, on Friday, 25 May 2007, for a group of 20. Could you send us some information about the teaching staff and the possible schedule for this course? I am looking forward to receiving your reply. Yours faithfully, Chapmen Au Chapmen Au Managing Director Example 2 Rich Lucky Trading Company 345, Nathan Rd, Kowloon, H.K. 10 May 2007 Hi-fashion Garment Ltd Unit 398 Shek Kip Mei Industrial Estate Dear Sir or Madam Request for Catalogue Please sendShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Complaint Letter1027 Words   |  5 Pagesprovide the best service and tend to all of the guests’ needs and requirements. If there is no service then there would be no business. When running a business, the costumer is always placed first. Poor services can results in a complaint from a guest. But that complaint can be used to better the business in the future. There are many issues that Mr. Metz should be concerned with when it comes to running the ATMI hotel. 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