Chiaroscuro

The world of crime fiction is much different from the real world. In the classical crime fiction world, characters take on specific archetypes that are central to the genre, and plot devices and storylines are repeated and revamped with each author or director that presents the story. Roles like the femme fatale, the hardboiled detective, the wandering daughter, the sap, and the “big man” or “crime boss” are repeated over and over again to the point where audiences are able to perfectly…

This essay discuses a pivotal work of art that forever changed Pablo Picasso’s life, it ushered in an era where he completely did away with traditional forms of art and became the infamous artist whose art beckons a range of emotion to its viewers. The significance Les Demoiselles d’Avignon has had for Picasso and to the rest of the world today is evident anywhere you look, whether it is in advertisements or in museums of modern art you are sure to find Picasso’s influence. Les Demoiselles…

In 2000, Christopher Nolan released his widely acclaimed neo noir Memento. The film stars Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby, a former insurance investigator suffering from severe anterograde memory dysfunction. His condition is a result of experiencing head trauma after witnessing his wife’s murder, and consequently, he is unable to remember anything for more than fifteen minutes. The film focuses on his pursuit of his wife’s killer, which is complicated by his paranoia and confusion. Nolan…

that Leonardo used in this painting is called sfumato, which means “smoky”. Not only is it visible in the landscape, but also in the figures, who are cast in light, which smoothly turns into areas of dark shade. It is similar to the traditional chiaroscuro technique used by earlier Italian painters, but it is more refined and elevated to convey a higher level of visual realism. This painting is one of Leonardo’s early masterpieces, and it shows his reliance on traditional Italian Renaissance…

used. The narrative she paints is this: she is proclaiming herself as the embodiment (allegory) of painting, she is diligent in her work, her outfit and jewelry let the viewer know that she is well to do, and that she can use complex devices like chiaroscuro, perspective, and foreshortening—just as the male artists were doing at the same time. As one delves deeper into the iconography present in the piece, words from Mary D. Garrard’s “Artemisia Gentileschi’s Self-Portrait as the Allegory of…

Triumph of the Will The film starts with scenes which indicate Hitler’s arrival to the rally and the sequence consist of several aspect of dramatization. It shows the sky, then modern architecture, marching, masses from Hitler’s point of view from the plane. Later Hitler exits from the plane as the nation waits for him with sheer anticipation and enthusiasm. Parallels are made between Hitler 's arrival through the skies, and the descent of a God, coming to meet his people. Leni Riefenstahl…

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti, along with Leonardo da Vinci, is considered to be the foundation of the Renaissance Florentine art (“Michelangelo.org). He has such an amazing artistic ability and eye for detail. The detail he put in to the Sistine Chapel is incredible. It is a flawless remarkable work of art. He labored hard exhausting years into painting the chapel. The Sistine Chapel is one of the most famous and inspiring works of art in the fifteenth century. Before Michelangelo…

Mystery brings an author like Oscar Wilde to fame; who writes in themes such as, “The world's a stage, but the play is badly cast,” a spin off from Hamlet, and uses metaphors for life such as, “days break in beauty and set in storm,” found in “The Sphinx Without a Secret and Lord Savile’s Crime”. His prose, setting, characters, and themes, show his style of writing when comparing closely to each of the short story works. Oscar Wilde lived and published many of his works late into the 1800’s.…

in the eyes of the beholder. Leonardo da Vinci’s The Virgin of The Rocks has a strong use of dark colors, creating a transition of light to darkness, making an emphasis on the depth of the features in the human body. These contrasts are known as chiaroscuro and sfumato, “they became a hallmark of Leonardo’s style” (Stokstand and Cothren 636). The seamless lines of the background blend into a whole with the human bodies as if they were vividly photographed. Leonardo was also known by its strong…

The House of Alba is one of the most prominent aristocratic families in Europe with ties to the Spanish monarchy. The Alba heritage is one the family has worked to preserve for over 500 years. Normally in order to see pieces from the Alba collection, one would need to visit one of the families’ palaces around the world. Therefore, it was such a privilege to observe more than 130 works of art created by a handful of master artists throughout Europe. Impeccable pieces from the Antiquity,…