Grande Odalisque

the second is the third plane, which is indicated by the separating pillar and Blechen 's use of greens that descend into darker shades as they progress to the building 's furthest wall. These three planes of dimension within the piece add to its overall likeness to real life, engaging the viewer by placing them within the scene itself. Furthermore, the focus of Interior of the Palm House is the four women who sit in long skirts, cropped tops and transparent veils that Blechen details with gold designs and low saturated orange, blue and pink. Two of the women sit engaged on a red oriental rug with a fan and instrument, while the other two sit behind them and to the left, also engaged in conversation. It 's unclear of whether they are odalisques, however, there is an undoubtable timelessness of their presence, as they sit frozen before the unnoticed viewer. In conjunction with the abundance of verdue, these fantastical women aid Blechen in blurring the lines between reality and imagination, thus creating a new space where the two coexist.1 Like the fantastical Interior of the Palm House, Carl Blechen 's career in the arts was similarly striking, but for its brevity. Carl Blechen was born in Cottbus, Germany, an industrial area near the Polish border. His vocation was that of a bank teller for eight years, until at age 24, when he enrolled in the Akademie der Künste in Berlin. Here he encountered the works of Johann Christian Dahl and very likely Caspar David Friedrich. From…

I had to understand why Seurat used such a difficult technique for his work. I then came upon the theory that perhaps he wanted to produce a deeper sense of life in his paintings. All things in the world are composed of millions of cells, and these cells create objects, color, and everything that practically exists. I imagine that Seurat's motive was to utilize this scientific law in his work to give an atmosphere of life, texture, and movement in the scenes that he…

Therefore, Mexico too knows that these characteristics cannot define their nationalism. Mexico is rich in both past and present hardships that can be considered as moments that shaped their nation. Of these hardships, which did not aid in the production of Mexicanidad? Out of these hardships there are a few that need to be overcome in order for a nation to develop and thrive. In researching the Mexicanidad, one of the biggest and most influential hardships that the Mexican people as a whole…

The Manifest Destiny certainly had good intentions. The idea that the United States was destined for greatness and expansion beyond the current borders was a substantial idea. However, enacting these ideals quickly turned into an oppressive era for surrounding territories not seized by the united states. The United States hastily settled the dispute over Oregon with Britain, not to avoid conflict, but to deal with conflict arising in the southwest. Mexico urgently broke ties with America right…

By the order of Colonel Edmund Alexander, Fort Bliss was moved to Magoffinsville. The order was placed as a barrier to guard against Apache Native Americans who were attacking the citizens. According to the Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, it states, “originally strategically located near the ice-free through the Rocky Mts., it guarded the U.S.-Mexican border and protected west- bound gold seekers… task forces against Cochise and Geronimo…” (Fort Bliss, Columbia) In the year of 1867, the Rio…

When the United States annexed Texas, they believed the Texan boundary was along the Rio Grande River, whereas Mexico insisted that the Nueces River was the boundary. Polk, being one of the many Americans who believed the border was the Rio Grande, told Congress in the “Special Message to Congress on Mexican Relations” that, “... Mexico has passed the boundary of the Unites States, has invaded our territory and shed American blood upon the American soil. She has proclaimed that hostilities have…

traveled just to steal the missions’ supplies. I believe the main reason that Spain nearly failed was because the missions did not function well enough; they were not able to convert natives. Evidence suggested that there were not many natives willing to be converted (Document C.) Life at the mission was terribly boring work, and many natives left their positions at the missions. The colonization of Texas depended on the cooperation of the Indians because settlers from Spain could feel…

Americans felt it was their duty to extend the “boundaries of freedom” speaking to other about their ideals and democratic beliefs known today as American Imperialism. The population of the U.S. was growing rapidly so there was a desperate need for land to accommodate its growth. Walter Nugent’s “YES” commentary, California and New Mexico, 1848-1848: Southward Aggression II, states that if Mexico had been a stable country then the volatility in California, President Polk aggressiveness and…

James M. McCaffrey, the author of the historical novel “Army of Manifest Destiny: The American Soldier in the Mexican War 1846-1848”, writes about American soldiers during the Mexican-American War. The Mexican-American War was a huge contribution to the history of the United States and what it is today. He describes America’s first foreign war, the Mexican-American War, through the day-to-day experiences of the American soldiers in battle and camps. McCaffrey states “The purpose of the present…

They won over only the Rio grande making that the US border, and the US purchased California for $15 million dollars, this was over 2 million square kilometers. This is what mostly all US history books will teach but looking into the Mexican perspective it was a big loss of territory and the $15 million dollars were not for purchase of California but a pension for all the damages (Universidad Nacional de México). This was not a big sum of money for all their land and as well all the suffering…