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Telling My Humanities Story

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Humanities 310 School of Athens Raphael 1509     Thinking back to my first week of this Humanities class, my initial thought was that I probably wouldn't enjoy the class or the class might be too overwhelming for me because I was quite unsure what humanities were. But I knew that my goals were to learn something that I may have never heard before and find new interesting topics that can help me build onto my interests which I was able to achieve. Now it is the end of the semester, I realized that I was able to achieve those goals. I felt that I learned so much more in this class than in my other classes, despite the fact that this class was asynchronous. I was unsure what humanities were and now I have a clearer definition that humanities are the study of human experience and events that can influence better acts out of humans. Humanism is something that is continuing as we are living throughout the past, present, and future and it builds a connection with one and another.      Wha
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Edgar Degas

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  Swaying Dancer  Swaying Dancer ( Dancer in Green)   Edgar Degas 1877-1879 Madrid      The artwork that I chose during my virtual visit at El Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza is the Swaying Dancer. The Swaying Dancer was created by a French Impressionist, Edgar Degas, from 1877 to 1879. The artwork is also known by another name of the Dancer in Green. In this particular artwork, Degas focused on the world of ballet which is exactly portrayed in the painting. Using pastels strokes to mimic the movements of the ballerinas in a fragmented technique. Degas was influenced by photography and Japanese prints in his work.      I couldn't find a specific JSTOR article that focuses on this specific art, the Swaying Dancer, but I was able to find a JSTOR article about the artist himself and his other works that are similar to Swaying Dancer. In this particular article, it goes in-depth on how Degas has begun his work in portraying ballerinas and the handling of critics on his arts. Dancer w
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Marriage of Figaro

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 Marceline   The Marriage of Figaro Ann Ronan Picture Library   The character in Marriage of Figaro that I chose to talk about is Marceline, the court housekeeper. Even though she isn't exactly the main character of the whole play, she was a sub-character that stood out to me. I found her character to be interesting through the beginning of how she wants to marry Figaro and create a plot within getting the Count to not allow Figaro to marry Suzanne. As a court housekeeper, Marceline's class status would lie more into the middle class but may have some advantages as upper.  In Act 3 when they all found out that Marceline is the maternal mother of Figaro. Personally, my thoughts went exactly like "huh?" because it was a weird idea that there could've been a possible chance of Figaro marrying his maternal mother. That would've been a huge twisted controversy. Marceline engaged through the plot forward by getting the Count against the marriage of Figaro and Suza
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Nicholas Poussin

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Self Portrait  Nicholas Poussin Paris 1650     Born in 1594, Nicholas Poussin became one of the most popular French artists who spent nearly his entire life working in Rome. Many have considered Poussin to be one of the founders of French classical baroque arts. Poussin's work has been known for the amount of depth and strong use of color that he depicts that demonstrates a deeper narrative and complexity. In addition, he further depicts a series of landscapes and perspectives on his work. In connection, Naomi Joy Barker in her article " 'Diverse Passions': Mode, Interval and Affect in Poussin's Paintings" dives further on the complexity of Poussin's works in terms of landscaping and color to break down the connection with classical style; " Poussin of all artists perhaps most encapsulates the theories of his time, and in his paintings, we can trace influences not just of theories of art and music" ( Barker 19 ) The Abduction of the Sabine Women
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Humanities: Queen Elizabeth I

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 Who is Queen Elizabeth I? Rainbow Portrait Unknown 1600 Hatfield House      Queen Elizabeth I was the firstborn daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, in September 1533.  Being third in line for the throne, Queen Elizabeth I succeeded in throne in the year 1558 after the death of her sister, Queen Mary. Throughout her years as a Queen, she was known as the "Virgin Queen" as she was not married nor had any kids. There isn't any specific speculation if she was loved or hated by the people. My first guess for why is she loved by the people is that during her reign, the voyage of the west emerged, and arts have begun to flourish. A reason why she may be hated by the people is that she left England in a war debt leading to economic depression. Her death is also unclear. There are many theories that her death in March 1603 was caused by poisoning, cancer, etc.      The JSTOR article that I chose based on Queen Elizabeth I is written by Rene Graziani called &q
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William Shakespeare's Hamlet

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Hamlet William Shakespeare 1603 " To be, or not to be; that is the question:" ( Act III, Scene 1, Line 56) becomes one of the most, well-known soliloquies in  Hamlet  was written by William Shakespeare. In this particular act, Hamlet who is the main character of the story, speaks loudly on his thoughts, yet is being betrayed by his significant other, Ophelia (she's listening to his speech). Throughout the play, Shakespeare creates a narrative that depicts death, betrayal, and revenge. The play all begins with the story of Hamlet who finds out that his father, the Old King, was murdered by his uncle Claudius through a ghost with the spirit of his father. Hamlet begins to seek out revenge on his uncle Claudius even though his uncle has taken the throne as the new King and is in marriage with Hamlet's mother. That's where the story has begun to play out. Shakespeare uses many themes throughout the play such as a threat to security, authority out of order, the questio
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Albrecht Dürer on Humanism

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 Who is Albrecht Dürer? Self Portrait Albrecht Durer 1500 Albrecht Dürer, an artist of paint and print, in the northern Renaissance who is famously known for work in details of human bodies. Born in Nuremberg, Germany, Durer's earliest education in art started from his father's work in wood engraving. Durer later in his early life visited Venice, Italy which is where he first encountered " linear perspective ". From here and on, Durer " adopted Renaissance humanism's concept of the artist as an inspired genius, creating a unique personal world."  ( Cunningham 336 )  The Work in Germany and Italy Though Albrecht Durer's works were influenced by the contemporaries of the Renaissance in Italy,  Durer had his own unique skill that transpire from his origins in Germany. " Durer's vision was enriched but not profoundly changed by his two journeys to Italy. Yet Durer did not just copy his strong, Southern impressions, but translated them boldly int
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