Impressionist nd Post Impressionist Art - Assignment Example

SOCIAL NETWORK FOR NARRATOR IN 'TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD' BY HARPER LEE Atticus Jem Miss Maudie Caplpurnia (Black community)SCOUT Dill Arthur 'Boo' Radley Walter Cunningham (school friends) Aunt Alexandria Mrs. Dubose Francis Teacher, Miss Walters Rev. Sykes Network Diagram of Scout's Social Network - Those closest to her name signify those to whom she connects best. Works Cited 'Brooding Woman' 'Te Faaturuma' - Paul Gaugin. 24 January 2007 http://impression.alloilpaint.com/gaugin/gaugin45.jpg 'Gabrielle with Jewel Box' - Auguste Renoir. 24 January 2007 http://www.expo-renoir.com/1_3.cfmid=1700703050 Human Evolution - About Human Evolution. Text and Tree Diagram 2. 23 January 2007. http://amonlin.net-au/human_evolution/about.htm Lee, Harper. 1960. To Kill a Mockingbird. Published by Mandarin Paperbacks 1989 - 1995 Reed International Books Ltd. London, Auckland, Melbourne, Singapore and Toronto O'Toole's Analysis. 1998. Handout from Powerpoint Presentation, Module Four: Multimodal contexts: the analysis of other semiotic modes. Rebekah Wegener Peirce, Charles Sanders n.d. A Theory of Sign Handout from Powerpoint Presentation, Module Six: Signs and Sign Systems 'The Modernist Text' Unit 3 pdf. 24 January 2007. http://www.oscail.ie/students/moduletext 2006/BA_1stassign/Lit%202%20unit%203.pdf 1. Name: Tutor: Ling 109 - Language, Culture and Communication Date: Question 2: Comparing and Contrasting Two Paintings To answer the question, I have chosen two paintings that portray two women, as the artists see them. Both use the women as the central focus, and the interplay of colour and light to capture the mood and feelings of the subjects. Renoir's 'Gabrielle with Jewel Box' (1891) is an example of Impressionist art, and Gaugin is Post Impressionist, sometimes labelled Symbolism. Gabrielle seems a warm, comfortable 'sitter' who lives in comfort and warmth. The Brooding woman also sits in the light, but because of the style, contrasts and colour conflicts, sends out a different message for the viewer to relate to, one of sadness and dilemma. In both paintings, light is important in focusing the attention on central and peripheral matter, bringing them to prominence. The subjects are both well-rounded women with dark hair and eyes, and their positions show the artist intended the viewer to focus on them. They both seem to be of similar age and both compositions are triangular. Their eyes are downcast and mouths are slightly pursed, representing different moods. Differences in technique and intent, with light coming from outside the paintings, bring motion to the pictures, creating light and dark. The complementary light and dark colours show the moods. Both wear white and again light and shadow add texture to the clothing. Both seem to be thinking of making a decision, with Gabrielle's being about what jewel to wear, and how she looks in the mirror, while the Brooding Woman has something more serious on her mind. From the way they are both sitting, the feeling comes across that they both trusted the artists who were painting them. 2. The contrasts are more in the style of painting than the main subjects. Looking first at the women, their expressions of thoughtfulness create the mood, but the differences lie in the intention of the painter. Gabrielle is comfortable, almost cosy, with a less important decision to bother her, while the Brooding Woman has something heavy on her mind. She is more sad and lost, her shoulders sag, and their position can also be seen on the dog in the background. She is fully clothed, while Gabrielle is happy to be half-undressed. The Brooding Woman seems to be looking into herself for answers and Gabrielle looks outward towards her mirror. Symbolism is another contrast, because the background in Gaugin's picture seems to have something to do with the woman's state of mind, and her dejected body language. Renoir's background is all about warmth and comfort, making Gabrielle feel safe and cared for. Renoir has realistic curtains and soft surroundings, while Gaugin has put an almost imaginary extra picture behind the woman. The realism in Renoir comes from proportion and shape, it is more geometric, whereas the background figures in Gaugin's painting are out of proportion with the women, suggesting a distance from the reality of the surroundings. But his background forms part of the whole, while Renoir's is just a backdrop. More contrasts can be seen in the cultural and economic ideas the artists portray. East and West, poor and rich, civilized and primitive are the opposites that show up in these two works. The Brooding Woman's dress is simple and lacks sophisticated adornment, while Gabrielle wears a rich, luxurious gown. These are outward symbols of the contrasts. On the modal (interpersonal) (O'Toole, 1998) level, the figures and the whole compositions both engage the viewer by bringing up emotional and intellectual responses. With the Renoir, feelings such as peaceful, calm and self-contained are brought to mind, but the Brooding Woman seems about 3. sorrow and worry. They both get the viewer thinking about what is going on in the minds of these women, and all this engagement is due to the artists' skill in use of colour, light, composition and intent. Question 3: Social Network of Scout, narrator of 'To Kill A Mockingbird' by Harper Lee 1960 I have chosen Scout, that is Jean Louise Finch, a little girl who narrates the story and tells of a summer's experiences of prejudice, injustice, violence and growing up in America's 1930s Deep South. Living in the small town of Maycomb, "a tired old town" (Lee, 5) she has a huge and varied social network which contains children and adults who are relations and friends, and other acquaintances with whom she interacts on many levels, in many circumstances, good and bad. With her father Atticus, brother Jem, Uncle Jack, Miss Maudie, their neighbour and Calpurnia, the black housekeeper and surrogate mother, Scout feels free to ask, listen and express all the feelings and concerns she has, there is always trust and truth in their exchanges. Through Calpurnia, she has contact with the black people at church, the Reverend Sykes and the Robinson family, but is a quiet well behaved little girl in the presence of these other adults. Her polite form of address is always 'Mr.', 'Miss' etc. but she calls her father by his first name, unusual in that time. No title is given to Calpurnia, but this is not because of her servant status, but rather in keeping with the mother figure and the way Scout relates to her. When another boy Dill, arrives, Scout speaks to him as an equal too, but becomes involved in the game of making the reclusive Boo Radley come out. Though he is a mystery to them, he connects to the children with the sticks of chewing gum he leaves for them in the old tree, and linguistic contact between him and Scout only happens at the climax of the book. In 4. that, she is the adult and he seems the child, as he asks her to take him home after the attack on the children. "I was beginning to learn his body English. His hand tightened on mine and he indicated he wanted to leave..'Mr. Arthur, bend your arm down here, like that. That's right, sir.' (Lee, 306) Another person Scout deals with is the Teacher, Miss Caroline Walters, but despite her politeness, she is punished for her forthright explanation of the poverty of the little boy, Walter Cunningham. This shows just how the child's dealings in communication with adults and family who know and love her, do not fit with the norms in the place and time. Looking at the multiplexity, Atticus relates to Scout as father, friend, mentor, teacher and comforter. He is the central character who links the rest of the characters in the book, setting the dominant direction. Communication means take place mostly face-to-face amongst all the protagonists. With Jem, he is seen as big brother, friend, co-conspirator when naughty things occur. Dill is also partner in crime and playmate. The shape of Scout's network is dictated by those she loves and respects, that she feels comfortable with learning from and exchanging views and meanings. Miss Maudie is an adult she relates to, outside the family circle, whereas her Aunt Alexandra does not understand her, nor does Miss Caroline Walters. The network diagram shows those closer in understanding and love to be nearer to Scout, the others farther away. She is so honest, in saying what she thinks, that it is hard to see changes, but indeed she does when dealing with different people. She responds to Calpurnia as a child to a mother, knowing she can get away with a lot, and to her brothers and friends much more freely and defiantly. Her relationships are all based on trust and love, and where this is not evident or forthcoming, she alters her behaviour and style of communication accordingly. 5. Question 4: Compare and Contrast how the Abstract Concept of Evolution is Represented The diagram of 'Humanity's Long March' is a pictorial representation of evolution. The graphic figures in the foreground are supported by simple numerical data and a flowchart of signs. This combination makes this a very visual diagram that is easy to understand, it is basically a graph. The focus is on the figures and the motion suggested in them turns the abstract into concrete and meaning is made clear. Looking at the graph axis and the flow chart, additional information is available. The Latin names above the heads of the figures might be a bit difficult, as they assume a basic knowledge of biological classification. But because of the visuals and the iconic connections they make to the whole, there is no doubt as to the meaning of the diagram. In comparison, the other diagram I have chosen, 'A New Evolutionary Tree for the Apes' is very different. It looks like a tree, which of course it is - a tree diagram- with signs on the branches to clarify meaning. Because we relate to the contextual image of a tree, it might be described as 'indexical' (Peirce). It also reminds me of 'family' tree and links to the'family of man' and what that means. The colours used are a good tool to communicate clear meanings, splitting up the tribes quite simply and graphically. The way that the brackets pull the relevant information together helps understanding. Both diagrams use Latin, but the tree diagram makes this clearer by using English on the brackets. Both have imagery, colour and movement in common. They both meet the objectives of engaging and informing the viewer, making it easier to interpret abstract scientific ideas. At first glance, the pictorial diagram seems to contain more information that can be 'seen at a glance', but I think the tree works better, especially as it is further explained by the note beneath it. I do not think that is totally necessary, because it clearly delivers the information it is designed to, with no need to look elsewhere in search of translation. Read More