Religious Art Versus Secular Art During the Middle Age Essay Example

Religious Art Versus Secular Art During the Middle Age Paper Comparison of Secular Art During the Middle Age and Religious Art During the Middle Age, art in Europe was characterized as having deep and strong connection to religion. Italy, where the influence of Christianity was largely seen, holds some of the most brilliant artists of the time. These includes Giotto di Bondone and Caravaggio, two Italian painters who were critically acclaimed because of their exceptional works. Although the level of their talents are comparable, their difference with their preference in the themes of their works sets them apart from each other. Historical Context: The Arts During the Middle Ages The Middle Age is said to have started with no exact date. Diebold, 2001). However, some scholars believe that it started after the fall of the great Roman empire, around the fifth century. The Middle Ages lasted until the 15th century, before the rise of the age of Modernity. At the fall of the Roman empire, only one institution remained to be strongthe church. It has become a universal and powerful institution. ( Lethaby, 1971). Because of this, the arts during the Middle Age was primarily a reflection of the people’s religion. Most of the themes of artistic creations were anchored with religious stories and beliefs. We will write a custom essay sample on Religious Art Versus Secular Art During the Middle Age specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Religious Art Versus Secular Art During the Middle Age specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Religious Art Versus Secular Art During the Middle Age specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer However, during the early Middle Age, Christianity was a religion perceived differently by Romans and Greeks. While Christianity promotes humility and divinity, Hellenistic belief was purely earthly and towards worshipping of nature. (Tillman and Cahn, 1969). That it why artistic works with theme like Christianity this was highly forbidden. It was during the Byzantine period when Christianity has been finally accepted in the societies. It was also in this period when the arts marked its highest point during the Middle Age. Giotto di Bondone was born at this particular time. The late Middle Age, on the other hand, was a specific point for change. People have learned the need for modern ideas and progress with their governments and societies. The arts during this point marks the decline for traditional ideas but the start of accepting modernity. Caravaggio was born during this point of transformation. Religious Art As Seen in Giotti’s Works Religious art was mostly characterized as any form of artistic creation that employs religion in style and meaning. During the Middle Age, artistic works are known because of their general characteristics. In the field of visual arts, artists found a new way to depict their creativity. They emphasized emotion and hierarchy ( Lethaby 1971). One of the most salient characteristics of paintings with religious themes is the impressive depiction of the divine cosmos. Every icon or image in the painting plays an important role to the overall meaning of the artwork. Usually, the paintings represent a significant religious event. An example is Giotto’s â€Å"The Epiphany†, ( which depicts an important event in the Christian religion the manifestation of Christ to the Magi as the Son of the King. Other images present in the painting were Mary, Joseph, and the angels. Another important point that should be considered in religious paintings is the way the artist should portray the religious images. According to Diebold (2001), the artist should portray the religious icon as clearly and as visible as he could, including its personal features. In that way, the spectators would get easily connected to the image in the paintings. A good example of how this principle was applied by Giotto is his â€Å"Flight into Egypt†. This painting shows the famous picture of Mary riding in an ass during her pregnancy. On Giotto’s version, though, Jesus the Child is already part of the picture, riding in the ass with Mary. This is probably part of Giotto’s portraying the religious icon as clearly and as visible as possible. The presence of halos in the heads of Joseph, Mary, Jesus, and the angel also proved the intention of the creator to connect easily the painting to his spectators. The use of halos was also employed to indicate the people they are representing. This only means that religious icons during the time were given a lot of emphasis. Secular Art as Seen in Caravaggio’s Works Although Middle Age art was primarily focused with religious themes and ideas, the entrance of the late Middle Period marked new changes in this tradition. Some visual artists chose to use secular ideas as themes for their artworks. One of these artists is Caravaggio. Secular paintings in the late Middle Age were characterized as aesthetically appealing and products of the imagination and ingenuity. As compared to religious paintings, secular paintings did not use religious texts or manuscripts as reference to their works. Basically, secular artists provided their own genuine images through their imagination. Example of this kind of painting is Caravaggio’s â€Å"Boy Bitten by a Lizard† (Kitson, 1967). The painting is an example of how Caravaggio used his pure imagination in order to depict the boy. The image was also appealing to the eyes of the viewers. With his realistic way of painting the boy, it seems that one is looking at a real person. Because of this, Caravaggio’s paintings, or secular paintings in particular, depict more of the human life rather than the divine cosmos. Secular paintings during the period were easily recognized with the presence flowers, garlands, and beautiful background scenes. In addition,, the paintings were there to represent something that has a socio-cultural value. Caravaggio’s â€Å"Bacchus† (Kitson, 1967) was such a perfect example. The artist used images of flowers and garlands to adorn the central image Bacchus. Giotto vs. Caravaggio Although both painters had lived during the Middle Age in Italy, they seemed to be e not colliding with each other. Both painters possess exceptional talent in the field of visual arts. However, they were still different from each other in terms of their style, ideas, and contributions. Being a religious artist. Giotto was accustomed in doing artistic works based on the teachings of the Christian religion. Most of the images he used fell under this specific theme. When compared with those themes created by Caravaggio, Giotto’s paintings are purely founded in religion. This could be attributed to his training in Cimabue’s custody. Caravaggio’s works, on the other hand, were purely realistic. Aesthetically speaking, those of Carravagio’s are more appealing and vividly captured. Apparently, the images he used were purely creative by his imagination and not bounded by any religious scenarios. This could be attributed to the time of his birth the late Middle Age, which was characterized as the period before modernity fully arise. Finally, Giotto and Caravaggio were different from each other due to their orientations. While Giotto could paint religious-related images, Caravaggio could use his imagination to direct him with his works.

Uranium in a Nutshell

Uranium in a Nutshell Uranium is an extremely heavy metal, but instead of sinking into the Earths core it is concentrated on the surface. Uranium is found almost exclusively in the Earths continental crust, because its atoms dont fit in the crystal structure of the minerals of the mantle. Geochemists consider uranium one of the incompatible elements, more specifically a member of the large-ion lithophile element or LILE group. Its average abundance, over the whole continental crust, is a bit less than 3 parts per million. Uranium never occurs as bare metal; rather, it most often occurs in oxides as the minerals uraninite (UO2) or pitchblende (partially oxidized uraninite, conventionally given as U3O8). In solution, uranium travels in molecular complexes with carbonate, sulfate and chloride as long as the chemical conditions are oxidizing. But under reducing conditions, uranium drops out of solution as oxide minerals. This behavior is the key to uranium prospecting. Uranium deposits mainly occur in two geologic settings, a relatively cool one in sedimentary rocks and a hot one in granites. Sedimentary Uranium Deposits Because uranium moves in solution under oxidizing conditions and drops out under reducing conditions, it tends to gather where oxygen is absent, such as in black shales and other rocks rich in organic material. If oxidizing fluids move in, they mobilize the uranium and concentrate it along the front of the moving fluid. The famous roll-front uranium deposits of the Colorado Plateau are of this type, dating from the last few hundred million years. The uranium concentrations are not very high, but they are easy to mine and process. The great uranium deposits of northern Saskatchewan, in Canada, are also of sedimentary origin but with a different scenario of much greater age. There an ancient continent was deeply eroded during the Early Proterozoic Era some 2 billion years ago, then was covered by deep layers of sedimentary rock. The unconformity between the eroded basement rocks and overlying sedimentary basin rocks is where chemical activity and fluid flows concentrated uranium into orebodies reaching 70 percent purity. The Geological Association of Canada has published a thorough exploration of these unconformity-associated uranium deposits with full details of this still-mysterious process. At roughly the same time in geologic history, a sedimentary uranium deposit in present-day Africa actually grew concentrated enough that it ignited a natural nuclear reactor, one of Earths neatest tricks. Granitic Uranium Deposits As large bodies of granite solidify, the trace amounts of uranium become concentrated in the last bits of fluid left. Especially at shallow levels, these may fracture and invade surrounding rocks with metal-bearing fluids, leaving veins of ore. More episodes of tectonic activity can concentrate these further, and the worlds largest uranium deposit is one of these, a hematite breccia complex at Olympic Dam in South Australia. Good specimens of uranium minerals are found in the final stage of granite solidification- the veins of large crystals and unusual minerals called pegmatites. There may be found cubic crystals of uraninite, black crusts of pitchblende and plates of uranium-phosphate minerals such as torbernite (Cu(UO2)(PO4)2Â ·8–12H2O). Silver, vanadium and arsenic minerals are also common where uranium is found. Pegmatite uranium is not worth mining today, because the ore deposits are small. But they are where the good mineral specimens are found. The radioactivity of uranium affects the minerals around it. If you are examining a pegmatite, these signs of uranium include blackened fluorite, blue celestite, smoky quartz, golden beryl and red-stained feldspars. Also, chalcedony that contains uranium is intensely fluorescent with a yellow-green color. Uranium in Commerce Uranium is prized for its enormous energy content, which can be harnessed to generate heat in nuclear reactors or unleashed in nuclear explosives. The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and other international agreements govern traffic in uranium to ensure that it is used only for civilian purposes. World trade in uranium amounts to more than 60,000 metric tons, all of it accounted for under international protocols. The largest producers of uranium are Canada, Australia and Kazakhstan. The price of uranium has fluctuated with the fortunes of the nuclear power industry and the military needs of various countries. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, large stores of enriched uranium have been diluted and sold as nuclear fuel under the Highly Enriched Uranium Purchase Agreement, which kept prices low through the 1990s. As of about 2005, however, prices have been climbing and prospectors are out in the field again for the first time in a generation. And with renewed attention on nuclear power as a zero-carbon energy source in the context of global warming, it is time to become familiar again with uranium.

Future Layout Plan for Chicago O'Hare International Airport Research Paper

Future Layout Plan for Chicago O'Hare International Airport - Research Paper Example Comparing both the plans would help one understand how the future layout plan can resolve certain limitations that exist. Fro example, the existing airfield contains a total number of 3 paralell runways and a single north-south runway. Amongst these there is only one runway that meets the standard of ADG VI, while the rest of them are just 150ft wide. Now the betterment plan includes a puporsal of the field suggest the parallel runways to be raised to the amount of 6 in number and along with that two runways will be made enough wide i.e. 200ft wide to meet ADG VI standards. The rest of the runways would be kept 150 ft wide to accommodate ADG V. An additional thing would be the designated taxi ways that would aid aircraft taxing from terminal to aircraft runways. Terminal facilities are to provide the passengers with facilities and conduct operations both internationally and domestically. At present there are four terminals with one of them being conducting international operations, and all of them being simultaneously connected to ATS, that is further linked to a station in parking lot E. The future layout plan does not plan to make an entirely new terminal system but suggests amendments in the existing terminals and simultaneously offers development of new one on the western side. The modifications include extension of the existing terminals and development of new ones within them . The purposed plan for the west terminal includes the addition of satellite concourse and apart from that it purposes the term of making three terminals able enough to conduct international operations. And underground system is also purposed in order to connect satellite system to existing core and ATS. Support/ancillary facilities are a vital feature of any airport, if we look at the existing ones in Chicago OHare airport we have a main cargo area in the southwest part of the airport and an additional