Spring Dawn in The Han Palace and The School of Athens
Qiu Ying’s Spring Dawn in The Han Palace and Raphael’s The School of Athens are excellent examples of paintings closely connected to a specific historical era. Spring Dawn In The Han Palace, created by Qui Ying in approximately 1517, represents various activities in a Han dynasty palace on a spring morning. The composition is supported by unique gong bi brushwork and a vivid color palette. The lavish palace scenes are punctuated by trees and decorative rocks, creating marvelous scenery similar to that of immortal realms. Overall, the painting’s environment and details refer to the Han dynasty and the activities of its members, depicting the routine practices of the 16th-century Chinese royalty.
Raphael’s The School of Athens illustrates another historical period of the ancient era. Written between 1509 and 1511, this painting presents the gathering of the scientific minds in Ancient Greece. In Raphael’s work, the two most important figures are positioned at the vanishing point to draw the viewers’ attention toward them (Alexander-Skipnes 163). Raphael uses linear perspective for the purpose of a realistic scene and to promote the importance of Plato and Aristotle, whose opposing philosophies the fresco represents. The brushwork is strong and pure, with beautiful yet elegant colors. Altogether, this work depicts the schooling environment of Athens and the most distinguished scholars of that time.
The primary similarity between these paintings is that both artworks are deeply linked to a particular historical period. While Spring Dawn in The Han Palace represents the activities of Ancient China, The School of Athens allows an insight into the environment of Ancient Greece. Another resemblant feature is the use of linear perspective, which is included in both works to make the scenes more realistic. However, the depiction of certain historical periods is also a vital distinction, as each era has its own distinguishing aspects. Furthermore, Qiu Ying’s painting illustrates the activities of Chinese royalty, while Raphael’s art portrays the educational activities of renowned Greek scholars. From this perspective, each painting represents a unique period of time in history, which connects them to each other based on the subject chosen for the artwork.
Heart of the Andes and Citlaltepetl
Heart of the Andes and Citlaltepetl are two paintings that focus on the beauty of nature. Heart of the Andes by Frederic Church, created in 1859, reflects not only the artist’s fascination with the environment but also the era’s obsession with the natural world. The painting depicts a romantic vision of a South American landscape, inspired by the artist’s trip to Ecuador. During that time, the desire to explore natural landscapes and travel has risen tremendously, and Church represents this trend in his artwork, creating an idyllic vision of nature.
Similarly, Citlaltepetl, created by Jose María Velasco in 1879, is also a depiction of a natural landscape. Citlaltepetl showcases Velasco’s fascination with the vast natural richness and diversity of Mexico. However, this work also refers to the early industrialization that happened in Mexico during the author’s lifetime. The imminent future, symbolized by the train in the right-hand corner, contrasts the vivid colors of nature, moving toward the viewer and symbolizing the rapid industrialization.
In both of the discussed artworks, nature is seen as a vital part of people’s lives. Following the artistic tendencies of that time, both Church and Velasco portray the beauty of nature and refer to its importance for humankind. Thus, these paintings have a nostalgic, sentimental tone and present the South American landscape like the last glimpse of an earthly Eden. Nevertheless, the locations of the presented landscapes differ significantly, as Church illustrates the Andes and Velasco paints the environment of Mexico. Furthermore, while Church captures the Andes’ landscape, Velasco also refers more openly to industrialization, depicting a train in the background. Therefore, even though both works seem to be linked to the same topic, Velasco’s portrayal is more directed towards the effects of industrialization on nature.
Wire Wheel and Couple, Harlem
Paul Strand’s Wire Wheel and James Van Der Zee’s Couple, Harlem, demonstrate the advancements in machine technologies, the quintessential symbols of modern life in the 1900s. Strand’s work, created in 1920, after World War I, demonstrates a part of a car. Although it might seem that it is simply a picture of a wheel, in fact, this work depicts the technological progress of the 1900s and the rapid growth of cars’ popularity.
Van Der Zee’s work, which was made around 1932, uses a broader landscape. In this photo, Van Der Zee depicts the prosperity of a couple residing a Harlem, wearing raccoon fur coats and posing in front of a new Cadillac. A row of Harlem brownstones can be seen in the background, creating a contrast between the couple’s wealth and the location’s poverty. The lustrous paint and gleaming chrome of this convertible exemplify the couple’s wealth and security, rarities in the United States during the Great Depression.
Overall, the presence of transportation vehicles and the color palettes of the two works are the primary similarities. Both photos illustrate the machines of the 1900s and use the black-and-white pallette to demonstrate the prominent symbols of modern life at that time. However, while Strand only portrays the technological side, Van der Zee also portrays the wealthy individuals of Harlem from that period. Therefore, in contrast with Strand, Van der Zee attempts to demonstrate the luxurious side of the 1900s life, a rare sight during the Great Depression.
Work Cited
Alexander-Skipnes, Ingrid. “Mathematical Imagination in Raphael’s School of Athens.” Visual Culture and Mathematics in the Early Modern Period. Routledge, 2017, pp. 160-186.
The Mandate System: Impact On The Ottoman Empire
The mandate system proposed the allocation of the Axis’ post colonies to the members of the League of Nations. Hence, the set of regulations was directed toward the Ottoman Empire and Germany, as their armies were defeated as a result of the war. Moreover, apart from the Empire’s evident loss of territory, the introduction of the mandate coincided with internal reforms of the state, leading to its abolition.
Following the Ottoman Empire’s defeat in 1918, the League of Nations established a set of laws controlling the re-administration of its past territories in the Middle East, including the regions of Iraq, Palestine, and Syria (Pedersen, 2014). The regions were then split between Great Britain and France, with partial independence of the states being recognized. At the same time, the Ottoman Empire’s position and power in the international political arena were significantly weakened, while the Western influence in the Middle East only increased.
Furthermore, the consequences of the mandate system and World War I defeat coincided with internal conflicts within the Empire, leading to the establishment of the Republic of Turkey. The Armistice of Mudros further granted the Allies power to control the Ottoman army and state. At the same time, the Turkish War of Independence marked the state’s victory and led to further negotiations with the Allies. As a result, Ankara became the capital of a new government – the Republic of Turkey (Pedersen, 2014). Hence, the formation of a new state resulted from both internal and external events.
In conclusion, the mandate system imposed by the victors of the First World War on the Ottoman Empire included significant territorial loss for the defeated, which inevitably led to the abolition of the state. Most importantly, it is important to highlight the deconstruction of the great Empire and the establishment of the Republic of Turkey as the main result of the mandate regulations.
Reference
Pedersen, S. (2014). The guardians: the League of Nations and the crisis of empire. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Tin Pan Alley In The Music Industry Context
Tin Pan Alley is a part of Manhattan that was the center of the music industry from the end of the 19th century till the middle of the 20th century. It started to grow approximately in the second part of the 1880th due to the popularity of piano music and more severe laws and restrictions on intellectual property. Their implementation made musicians, composers, publishers, and songwriters work closer together to not violate the newly implemented laws and get financial profits (Rocha Leal). That is why the music industry was centralized first in Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago and, finally, in Manhattan, specifically on West 28th Street, which was later called Tin Pan Alley.
In 1885 the publishing industry migrated to the lower parts of New York, and the majority of publishing houses moved from Union Square to The Flower District, which was soon called Tin Pan Alley. The business side of copyright and publishing was concentrated in this place mainly because it was easier for all people working in the entertainment industry to communicate and observe the newly implemented laws (Rocha Leal). That is why Tin Pan Alley became the center of the US publishing music industry, which helped the publishers strike deals with great speed and enabled them to enhance their songwriting activity (Wooley). Tin Pan Alley helped form and promote the music business in the United States since publishers working there possessed certain powers that enabled them to clearly state and defend their marketing-related interests.
Apart from that, the development of Tin Pan Alley as the core entertainment sector of New York enabled the publishers who worked there to create and promote new genres and songs. The most popular and legendary subculture created by the publishers of Tin Pan Alley was the song plugger (Wooley). It concerned the representation of wares by performing the organization’s most recent songs in public. This practice helped the public get familiar with the sound and lyrics and made famous and influential people want to use the songs in their shows. Songs written in Tin Pan Alley were popular among the middle class, and that is why they considered the themes of romantic love or home that were familiar to the representatives of the class.
Since Tin Pan Alley became the core of the entertainment and music industry of the United States, many prolific songwriters and composers were attracted by the opportunities it gave. The most famous composers working at Tin Pan Alley were Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, and George Cohan (Rocha Leal). For instance, Irvin Berlin was one of the most famous Tin Pan Alley composers, whose songs were among the most popular and widely used in Broadway musicals. The song Blue Skies, which he wrote for the Broadway show Betsy in 1926, became a hit and was available for public purchase (Rocha Leal). The song gave tremendous popularity to its author, and it was used in the film The Jazz Singer because of the amount of public recognition and love it possessed.
The Tin Pan Alley composers wrote many songs that later appeared in the musicals on Broadway and Hollywood. One of the major advantages of the Alley was that it was located near Broadway and Hollywood (Rocha Leal). It facilitated the process of communication between publishers and producers who wanted to use songs in their shows. Since the music industry is a very dynamic field and the popularity of genres changes fast, Tin Pan Alley tried to keep up with this speed. That is why many songs written for Broadway or Hollywood were later recorded in jazz style and became even more popular.
The establishment of Tin Pan Alley made it possible to create an environment of extremely creative people who worked together, which boosted the level of songwriting activity. That is why many composers wanted to work there, as the place not only allowed them to gain public recognition and fame but boosted their creativity and inspiration. However, even though songwriters and composers created phenomenal music compositions while working at Tin Pan Alley, their major goal was not music affiliation but making songs a commodity (Wooley). Such policy may be explained by the fact that music was perceived as a means of making profits.
However, with the development of rock-n-roll and the evolution of song-recording technologies, the industry slowly went away from the piano music that was typical of the Tin Pan Alley songs. Music became simple, and musicians did not have to possess a high level of music literacy (Rocha Leal). The era of piano music came to an end, which severely deteriorated the structure of Tin Pan Alley, and by the middle of the 20th century, its influence in the entertainment field was almost lost. However, it is wrong to say that Tin Pan Alley had no impact on the development of the music industry in the US. It allowed the songwriters and composers to make the public love and cherish different music genres and established the prerequisite for music development today.
Works Cited
Rocha Leal, Sheldon. “Music Publishing I: Tin Pan Alley” Medium, 2018. Web.
Wooley, Nate. “The History of Tin Pan Alley” Soundamerican. Web.