Michelangelo Essays (1627 words) - Sistine Chapel, Painted Ceilings

Michelangelo Michelangelo was pessimistic in his poetry and an optimist in his artwork. Michelangelo's artwork consisted of paintings and sculptures that showed humanity in it's natural state. Michelangelo's poetry was pessimistic in his response to Strazzi even though he was complementing him. Michelangelo's sculpture brought out his optimism. Michelangelo was optimistic in completing The Tomb of Pope Julius II and persevered through it's many revisions trying to complete his vision. Sculpture was Michelangelo's main goal and the love of his life. Since his art portrayed both optimism and pessimism, Michelangelo was in touch with his positive and negative sides, showing that he had a great and stable personality. Michelangelo's artwork consisted of paintings and sculptures that showed humanity in it's natural state. Michelangelo Buonarroti was called to Rome in 1505 by Pope Julius II to create for him a monumental tomb. We have no clear sense of what the tomb was to look like, since over the y ears it went through at least five conceptual revisions. The tomb was to have three levels; the bottom level was to have sculpted figures representing Victory and bond slaves. The second level was to have statues of Moses and Saint Paul as well as symbolic figures of the active and contemplative life- representative of the human striving for, and reception of, knowledge. The third level, it is assumed, was to have an effigy of the deceased pope. The tomb of Pope Julius II was never finished. What was finished of the tomb represents a twenty-year span of frustrating delays and revised schemes. Michelangelo had hardly begun work on the pope's tomb when Julius commanded him to fresco the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel to complete the work done in the previous century under Sixtus IV. The overall organization consists of four large triangles at the corner; a series of eight triangular spaces on the outer border; an intermediate series of figures; and nine central panels, all bound togeth er with architectural motifs and nude male figures. The corner triangles depict heroic action in the Old Testament, while the other eight triangles depict the biblical ancestors of Jesus Christ. Michelangelo conceived and executed this huge work as a single unit. It's overall meaning is a problem. The issue has engaged historians of art for generations without satisfactory resolution. The paintings that were done by Michelangelo had been painted with the brightest colors that just bloomed the whole ceiling as one entered to look. The ceiling had been completed just a little after the Pope had died. The Sistine Chapel is the best fresco ever done. Michelangelo embodied many characteristic qualities of the Renaissance. An individualistic, highly competitive genius (sometimes to the point of eccentricity). Michelangelo was not afraid to show humanity in it's natural state - nakedness; even in front of the Pope and the other religious leaders. Michelangelo portrayed life as it is, even with it's troubles. Michelangelo wanted to express his own artistic ideas. The most puzzling thing about Michelangelo's ceiling design is the great number of seemingly irrelevant nude figures that he included in his gigantic fresco. Four youths frame most of the Genesis scenes. We know from historical records that various church officials objected to the many nudes, but Pope Julius gave Michelangelo artistic freedom, and eventually ruled the chapel off limits to anyone save himself, until the painting was completed. The many nude figures are referred to as Ignudi. They are naked humans, perhaps representing the naked truth. More likely, I think they represent Michelangelo's concept of the human potential for perfection. Michelangelo himself said, ?Whoever strives for perfection is striving for something divine.? In painting nude humans, he is suggesting the unfinished human; each of us is born nude with a mind and a body, in Neoplatonic thought, with the power to be our own shapers . Michelangelo has a very great personality for his time. In Rome, in 1536, Michelangelo was at work on the Last Judgment for the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel, which he finished in 1541. The largest fresco of the Renaissance, it depicts Judgment Day. Christ, with a clap of thunder, puts into motion the inevitable separation, with the saved ascending on the left side of

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley An analysis of some of the themes and motifs in Shelleys novel

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley An analysis of some of the themes and motifs in Shelleys novel Adham KarimAlienation Isolation in FrankensteinMary Shelley develops the theme of alienation and isolation and its consequent increase of hostility through various characters throughout her novel Frankenstein. The theme may have originated from various elements, including Mary Shelley's father, William Godwin, who felt that the isolated individual would become vicious. This idea was shared by Shelley and manifested in the characters, Victor Frankenstein and his monster (The Journals of Mary Shelley). These two individuals were not born hostile, however, but were driven to perform their hostile actions in order to force the acknowledgement of their existence.A third character with whom Shelley identifies the theme of isolation would be Robert Walton, the seafaring adventurer who is narrating the story. Although he is surrounded by a ship full of men, Walton confides early on to his sister that he feels isolated because none of the members of his crew could "keep hardly a word with me ."Manuscript page from Frankenstein by Mary ShelleyFurthermore, Shelley portrays Walton's isolation through his instant friendship with Frankenstein, and intellectual being.From early in the story, the reader can visualize Frankenstein's isolation when speaking of his youth. He says that his father was the only one who had educated him when he was young; therefore, he never attended any formal schools, or interacted with many children his age. It is this type of isolation that will later lead to Frankenstein's creation of the demon.Frankenstein, at college, had found a keen interest in natural philosophy, and, because he wasn't accustomed to social interaction, had soon immersed himself in his studies, rather than meeting new acquaintances, unlike his friend Henry Clerval, who would always engage himself in conversation with new friends. In the midst of working hard to discover the "secret of life," Frankenstein lost all sense of morals and...

Dark Pools Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Dark Pools - Case Study Example They are known to be trading in a dark pool. Thus, the concept of Dark Pool was introduced much back in 1980. This was initiated when many few of the institutional investors and traders got involved in trade in a secure place, away from the interfering eyes of the brokers or public exchanges. Their main aim was to sell or buy large amount of the stocks without being affected by the market fluctuations and achieve a better price than that provided by the public exchanges (â€Å"Definition of Dark Pools†). It was noticed that around 2005, the dark pools was successful in capturing 3-5% of the total market activity. After that, the situation had started to improve when the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) passed a new regulation, called the Reg NMS (Regulation National Market System). In this regulation, there were provisions which had increased the level of competition among the exchanges. However, it got rid of the rules that confined manual quotations which are generated by the stock exchanges. It allowed the investors the option to avoid the exchanges, if they are unsatisfied with the price and receives better price and convenience elsewhere. Dark Pools The dark pools can be defined as the name that is given to the networks which enables the traders to sell or buy huge orders without bearing the risk of other traders and their price of selling the orders. Thus, they are criticized for the lack of transparency that the later possesses. The unavoidable fragmentation of trading can lead to less competent pricing in the conventional open stock exchanges. In the dark pools, the pre-trade prices of the shares that are open for sale are not detectable to the public. The participants are also not aware of the prices at which the shares are traded. The prices are revealed only when the trade is done (â€Å"What the Heck is a Dark Pool and Why are People Trading in Them?†). The Reg NMS gave an opportunity to the brokers and the dealers to start their own automated trading, thereby creating dark pools. The institutional investors and the banks which generate huge money, started to head towards these dark pools in order to save their trading costs. The recent statistics indentify that there has been 12% trading in the dark pool accounts in United States (â€Å"What are dark pools?†). The main benefit of trading in dark pool can be recognized as the price improvement. The benefit can be explained through an example. Suppose the bid price of a stock on an exchange is $10.00 and the asking price is $10.10. The dark pool will set the price at $10.05 which is in the midpoint of ask and bid price. The investors like the activity of the dark pool and thus, prefer to invest there. The equity markets in United States and worldwide are prospering at an increasing rate. The participants work on a certain model which allows the people, interested to trade display the sell or buy price and ask or bid price. In the exchanges, the displa yed prices by the brokers are seen in the Tier II quotes (â€Å"What the Heck is a Dark Pool and Why are People Trading in Them?†). The opposite of the displayed prices are the dark pools. It refers to the place where the trading liquidity