Italian Renaissance Masterpieces: Architecture and Art Analysis
Analysis of Renaissance and Gothic Masterpieces
San Lorenzo Church (Brunelleschi)
This Quattrocento Renaissance structure belongs to the 15th century. The plan grows from the transept. The church features three naves separated by Corinthian columns, with a dome over the transept. The aisles are covered with hemispherical domes, while the nave has a flat wooden ceiling (tezumbre) decorated with medieval elements (coffers). Lighting is maintained in the side aisles through arches resting on oculi, which
Read MoreHollywood’s Golden Age: WWII Dramas and Gangster Film Classics
World War II and Hollywood Cinema
America’s studio system played a significant role during wartime, producing films that both entertained and supported the war effort. Some of the most acclaimed movies, however, came after the war, reflecting on its impact and consequences. Notable examples include:
- The Best Years of Our Lives
- Stalag 17
- From Here to Eternity
- Patton
- Saving Private Ryan
Frank Capra’s Why We Fight series served as powerful propaganda, while Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator offered
Read MoreFilm Storytelling & Visual Design: Narrative and Mise en Scène
Film Narrative: Storytelling Frameworks
- Narrative form is the organizing storytelling framework of a film.
- The opening scenes of a film, during which a great deal of information about characters and situations is imparted, are known as the exposition.
- The standard pattern that shapes narrative films is the three-act structure.
- The dénouement is a series of events in the third act of the film that resolves the conflicts that have arisen.
- In a film, the exposition usually takes place near the beginning.
Shakespeare & Swift: Tragic Flaws, Satire, Humanism, and Identity
Literary Analysis: Key Themes and Interpretations
Hamlet: Tragic Flaw and Humanism
Hamlet’s Tragic Flaw: Interpretations
- Indecision and Overthinking: Often identified as Hamlet’s primary flaw, leading to delays in avenging his father’s death.
- Goethe’s View: Goethe believed Hamlet is a sensitive and thoughtful character, too delicate and intellectual to handle the burden of revenge. For Goethe, Hamlet’s flaw lies in being overwhelmed by a task too great for his nature.
- Schlegel & Coleridge: Schlegel
Art Fundamentals: Concepts, Functions, and Historical Movements
Understanding Art: Core Concepts and Elements
Art comes from the Latin Ars, artis, which translates the Greek techne and signifies the technique, skill, or expertise to do something.
Fundamental Art Concepts
Painting
The art and technique of representing on a flat surface any visible concrete object or something imaginary, using lines and colors.
Rhythm in Art
The repetition of an element within a structure at marked intervals, creating a regular or periodic recurrence.
Terrain
Consists of a cut or reduced
Read MoreFriends S1E1: Deconstructing Media & Cultural Impact
Media Language in Friends S1E1
Multi-camera Sitcom Style & Laugh Track
- Example: Scenes set in Central Perk and Monica’s apartment use fixed cameras, with audience laughter cued after jokes like Ross saying “We were on a break!”
- How it’s shown: The laugh track guides audience response and highlights comedic timing.
- Theory link: This fits Curran & Seaton’s idea of formulaic sitcom production aimed at mass appeal, using standard genre conventions to maintain audience comfort and expectations.