Homi Jehangir Essay

Homi Jehangir Bhabha, FRS (30 October 1909 – 24 January 1966) was an Indian nuclear physicist who played a major role in the development of the Indian atomic energy program and is considered to be the father of India’s nuclear program. Bhabha was born into a prominent family, through which he was related to Dinshaw Maneckji Petit, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Homi K Bhabha and Dorab Tata. After receiving his early education at Bombay schools and at the Royal Institute of Science, he attended Caius College ofCambridge University to pursue studies in mechanical engineering. After taking mechanical engineering, he pursued studies underPaul Dirac to complete the Mathematics Tripos. Meanwhile, he worked at the Cavendish Laboratory while working towards his doctorate in theoretical physics under R. H. Fowler. During this time, he embarked on groundbreaking research into the absorption of cosmic rays and electron shower production. Afterward, he published a string of widely-accepted papers on his theories regarding cosmic ray showers. World War II broke out in September 1939 while Bhabha was vacationing in India. He chose to remain in India until the war ended. In the meantime, he accepted a position at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, headed by Nobel laureate C. V. Raman. He established the Cosmic Ray Research Unit at the institute, and began to work on the theory of the movement of point particles. In 1945, he established the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Bombay, and the Atomic Energy Commission of India three Electron-positron scattering was later named Bhabha scattering, in honor of his contributions in the field.In 1936, Bhabha collaborated with Walter Heitler to formulate a theory on cosmic ray showers. They conjectured that the showers were formed by the cascade production of gamma rays and positive and negative electron pairs. The calculations agreed with the experimental observations of cosmic ray showers made by Bruno Rossi and Pierre Victor Auger a few years before. Bhabha later concluded that observations of the properties of such particles would lead to the straightforward experimental verification of Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. In 1937, Bhabha was awarded the Senior Studentship of the 1851 Exhibition, which helped him continue his work at Cambridge until the outbreak of World War II in 1939. In 1939, Bhabha went back to India for a brief holiday. In September, World War II broke out, and Bhabha decided not to return to England for the time being. He accepted an offer to serve as the Reader in the Physics Department of the Indian Institute of Science, then headed by renowned physicist C. V. Raman. He received a special research grant from the Sir Dorab Tata Trust, which he used to establish the Cosmic Ray Research Unit at the institute He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society on 20 March 1941. With the help of J. R. D. Tata, he established the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Bombay. With the end of the World War II and Indian Independence, he received a commendation from Jawaharlal Nehru for his efforts towards peaceful development of atomic energy. He established the Atomic Energy Commission of India in 1948. Homi J. Bhabha was also a close friend of Jawaharlal Nehru and he, along with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, had played a significant role for developing the Indian nuclear program as well as education reforms in India. Bhaba founded and directed two major scientific institutions – the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)of India[1]. He represented India in International Atomic Energy Forums, and as President of the United Nations Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, in Geneva, Switzerland in 1955. Death and legacy He died when Air India Flight 101 crashed near Mont Blanc in January 24, 1966. Many possible theories have been advanced for the aircrash, including a conspiracy theory in which CIA is involved in order to paralyze Indian nuclear weapon programme. The atomic energy centre in Trombay was renamed as Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in his honour. In addition to being a famous scientist, Bhabha was also a painter and a classical music and opera enthusiast, besides being an amateur botanist. After his death, the Atomic Energy Establishment was renamed as the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in his honour. Bhabha also encouraged research in electronics, space science,radio astronomy and microbiology. The famed radio telescope at Ooty, India was his initiative, and it became a reality in 1970. Bhabha has since become known as the â€Å"Father of India’s Atomic Energy Programme†. The Homi Bhabha Fellowship Council has been giving the Homi Bhabha Fellowships since 1967 Other noted institutions in his name are the Homi Bhabha National Institute, an Indian deemed university and the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, Mumbai, India. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was an Indian nationalist leader who established his country’s freedom through a nonviolent revolution. His beliefs are shown in today’s society as an excellent means of resistance to unjust rule. The life of the Mahatma was a long struggle filled with brutality and hardships. In order to understand passive resistance, we will take a look at his hate-filled upbringing. Gandhi was born in Porbandar in the present state of Gujarat on October 2, 1869, and educated in law at University College, London. In 1891, after having been admitted to the British bar, Gandhi returned to India and attempted to establish a law practice in Bombay, with little success. Two years later an Indian firm with interests in South Africaretained him as legal adviser in its office in Durban. Arriving in Durban, Gandhi found himself treated as a member of an inferior race. He was appalled at the widespread denial of civil liberties and political rights to Indian immigrants to South Africa. He threw himself into the struggle for elementary rights for Indians (Gandhi, Arun). Gandhi was disgusted with the way his people were treated. This paper will discuss his religious and spiritual point of view and the environment which c When Mohandas Gandhi returned to India from South Africa, he saw the British ruling India. The British brought some benefits to India but many costs to the Indian people, such as economic. When the British persuaded farmers to switch from growing crops to growing cotton, there was not enough food for the country and millions of people died from lack of food. The increasing taxes and lack of food made many Indians suffer on account of the B ritish. The Eleven Vows of Mahatma Gandhi-Their Observance and Relevance Kurangi Desai Any of us who has attended a prayer meeting at a Gandhian institute is likely to remember a chant beginning:-â€Å"Ahimsa Satya Asteya –.† The two verses beginning with these words enumerate the eleven vows that Gandhiji considered almost mandatory for the inmates of his Ashram, in Sabarmati as well as in Sevagram. The eleven vows are: (1) Satya-Truth, (2) Ahimsa-Nonviolence, (3) Brahmacharya-Celibacy (4) Asteya-Non-stealing, (5) Aparigraha or Asangraha-Non-possession (6) Sharira-Shrama; Physicallabour or Bread Labour. (7) Asvada-Control of Palate, (8) Abhaya-Fearlessness, (9) Sarva-Dharma-Samanatva- Equal respect for all Religions, (10) Swadeshi-Duty towards Neighbour and (11) Asprishyatanivarana – Removal of Untouchability. Of these eleven, the first five are found in most of the religions of the world and are called ‘Pancha Mahavratas’ – the Five great Vows. The remaining six are somewhat new ideas that have been given the importance of vows to fulfill the need of the time. The image of Gandhiji in the minds of his contemporary Indians was that of a political leader – of one who brought Swarajya. Essentially, however, Gandhi was a Sadhaka, one who was in search of God. His ultimate goal was Moksha or the realization of God. Since he believed that service of man was the best way to realize God, he lived and died in the service of India, which in a mircrocosm, was the service of Mankind. That was his pilgrimage towards realization. In this context, the eleven were very important to him. They were a part of ‘Tapa’ Austerity and Self – denial for Purification. Tapa is considered necessary in all religions for elevating oneself spiritually, for control over desires, as a check upon an unruly mind and for paving the way to sacrifice for others – all these leading to Moksha. But Gandhiji was a ‘Sadhaka’ with a difference; his ‘Sadhana’ did not end with himself. He wanted to include society in his spiritual efforts and so he gave a new dimension to the Five Great Vows and extended them into the remaining six. Let us have a closer look at these vows and their observance: 1. Satya -Truth Truth is the most important vow, being the very basis of all the others. The word ‘Satya’ is from ‘Sat’, which means ‘Being’. On ‘Sat’ depends true knowledge, known in Sanskrit as ‘Chit’ and Bliss that is ‘Ananda’. The three together form the word ‘Sachhidananda’ which is one of the epithets of the Supreme Being. According to Gandhiji, Truth is God. Satya, therefore, was the pivot of the life of an Ashramite. Observance of Truth was expected not only in speech but also in thought and in action. One may wonder what one should do if what appears to be truth to one person does not appear to be truth to another. Gandhiji suggests that after due deliberation and humble consideration of the opinion of the other person, if one still feels his own truth to be truth for himself, he should follow it according to his own light. In order to be convinced about one’s ability to understand truth, one s hould use as the measuring rod those who have suffered for Truth and should himself be ready to suffer similarly. 2. Ahimsa – Non-Violence Truth and Non-Violence are like the two sides of a coin – one cannot exist without the other. Using another imagery, Ahimsa is the path along which one reaches truth. Violence leads to more violence and hampers the clear vision which is essential for the pursuit of Truth. At a personal level; Ahimsa consists in not only forbearing from physical violence; in order to achieve non-violence it is necessary to remove from the mind all hatred, all jealousy and all desire to harm even those who harm us. The next step would be to extend our love to all living beings, including living beings like snakes, tigers, etc. At a social level, the goal of Ahimsa is to create a society where there would be no need to act in an anti-social manner and hence no need for any punishment. This can happen only when the economic differences between the classes get considerably narrowed down and when the erring members of society are considered as their own brothers by the righteous. Top 3. Brahmacharya- Celibacy or Chastity Brahmacharya normally connotes a rigid control over sexual urge. An unmarried man who shuns sex is called a Brahmachari. According to Gandhiji, however, this is a very narrow meaning of the word. ‘Brahmacharya’ really means ‘Moving towards, Brahma’ that is, towards truth. For such a person, a control over all senses is necessary. So also, it is necessary to keep himself away from attachment to social connections. In achieving this end, control of sex is perhaps most helpful, because sex is one of the strongest temptations to cause one to stray from the narrow path of truth. Again marital relations are the cause of the strongest social bond, that of the family. Hence the importance attached to the control of sex, which became synonymous with Brahmacharya. Control of sex, can also help the Sadhaka to gain control over his other senses. Gandhiji believed that a celibate life was most congenial for the pilgrim to truth. However, married couples could also tread that path by subtracting sex from their marital life. Such a step would free them from undue attachment for each other and free them for service of mankind. It is obvious that Brahmacharya, like truth and Non-violence, should be adhered to not only at the physical level, but also at the level of thought. To harbour a passion in the mind, while practicing physical control of the senses is not really Brahmacharya. On one point, however, Gandhiji differed radically from the orthodox believers in Brahmacharya – he did not believe that a Brahmachari should shun the company of women. He wanted the Brahmachari of his Ashram to live a life of service to society; so it was inevitable that he would come into contact with women social workers. In Gandhiji’s opinion a Brahmachari should keep his public contact with women workers and learn to look upon them as sisters and mothers. If someone could adhere to Brahmacharya only when there were no women around, according to Gandhiji, he was not a real Brahmachari. While laying all this stress on Brahmacharya, Gandhiji was not unmindful of the difficulty experienced by the Ashramites in its day to day observance.. We are told by persons near to Gandhiji that he was completely aware that a number of the Ashramites were only partially successful in their attempts at Brahmacharya. Since Gandhiji himself never claimed complete success, he was satisfied that the Ashramites sincerely tried their best. 4. Asteya – Non Stealing In an ordinary sense, very few people actually steal anything from others, partly because of the social stigma attached to stealing. Gandhiji, however, gave a far wider connotation to stealing. According to him those members of the family who help them-selves to better facilities depriving the other members, are thieves. Even those who enjoy luxuries not available to the lower strata of society are also thieves. So, a person who wishes to apply Asteya in his life ought to lead such a simple life that he takes for himself from society only his minimum requirements. In the Ashram, one aspect of Asteya, namely avoiding waste, was strictly observed. Nothing was to be wasted-food, water, clothes or even paper. As a matter of fact, Gandhiji would reply to a letter in the blank half; he used to open addressed envelopes on all sides, gum them up inside out and use them again; the idea was something more than mere frugality – he wanted to use as little of the people’s money as p ossible for his own purpose and thus be as little indebted to society as possible. It was on this principle that he did not allow Kasturba the personal use of the gifts she received in South Africa for his public service. 5. Aparigraha – Non-Possession Aparigraha is almost a corollary of Asteya. In order to follow the dictum of non-thieving one must have as few pos-sessions as possible. For Gandhiji, Non-possession was also a proof of one’s faith in God. He used to quote instances of devotees who did not believe in keeping back a little food even for the next meal. Aparigraha also helped one in slowly giving up the attachment towards wordly possessions, an essential condition of a seeker of truth, which every Ashramite was expected to be. And yet Gandhiji realized that giving up possessions was no easy matter. So, for non – Ashramite she propounded the ideal of trusteeship. Possessions, particularly in the form of business assets or land, could not be given up without complications. So he suggested that businessmen and landlords should consider themselves not owners but trustees of their property. A trustee is expected to use the income of the trust solely to the advantage of the beneficiaries. In the case of wealthy people the beneficiaries are all the employees and underlings connected with the wealth. So, all income from the business or the land should be shared-with the employees or tillers of the land. The owner turned trustee should avail himself of the bare minimum, thus narrowing the economic gap between himself and his dependants. The concept of trusteeship can be called a, slightly diluted social extension of both Asteya and Aparigraha. These, then, are the interpretations of Panch Maha Vratas. Let us now turn to the other six vows, which project the social application of these five. Top 6. Sharirashtrama – Physical Labour or Bread Labour Gandhiji got the idea of Bread labour from Tolstoy. The idea is that everyone must put in some physical labour to earn his daily bread. An intellectual or an artist or a person with any other ability should utilize that ability for the service of society, while bread should be earned through physical labour alone. Economic differences in society can be mitigated in this way. Even those professions essential to society-those of a teacher, a doctor, a pleader-the wages of the professional should not be more than those of a physical labourer. Gandhiji modified this idea into the concept of shrama-yagna. He suggested that even those who earned their livelihood through other professions should devote at least one hour every day to some kind of physical labour performed in the spirit of oneness with the poor. At the time when Gandhiji presented this concept to India, cheap foreign cloth was being dumped in the country by the British rulers to the detriment of our indigenous industry. So, Gandhiji revived the art of spinning and decided that spinning the Charkha should be the symbol of Shrama-yagna. The Ashramites were expected to spin for an hour every day without fail. This exercise was called Sutrayagna. Over and above this, he made it a rule that all domestic chores should be performed by the Ashramites themselves, including a reformed method of scavenging – the last out of respect for the ‘Bhangi’, whom he later called ‘Harijan’, the lowest of the low in the Hindu caste system. 7. Asvada – Control of Palate Palate being one of the senses, its control is obviously a part of Sadhana of the pilgrim to Truth. Gandhiji gave it a special place as a separate vow because he believed that control of the palate was inevitable for Brahmacharya that observance of Brahmacharya became easier if taste was conquered. Besides, conquest of taste was helpful in the conquest of other senses too. The most important condition of Asvadawas the conviction that food is meant only to sustain the body for service of others. So, to indulge the taste by a variety of culinary delicacies was against the spirit of Asvada. This vow was adhered to rather rigidly in the Ashram. The food in the common kitchen was as simple as possible, without any condiments, some times even without salt. Individual families who cooked at home did not always develop Asvada to the extent desirable. All the same most of these families had their own rules regarding simple diet more or less in keeping with the concept of Asvada. 8. Abhaya – Fearlessness Psychologists tell us that fear is a natural reflex in all living beings on par with hunger, sleep and the sexual urge. How then can one vow, â€Å"I shall not experience fear† ? And yet fearlessness is the backbone of most other virtues. Gandhiji appreciated the importance of fearlessness partly because he used to be a timid child, full of all kinds of fears. Later on he consciously trained himself into fearlessness. The Gita places Abhaya at the head of divine attributes. Many poet-devotees sing the praises of fearlessness in spiritual life. Fears are innumerable. All of us are afraid of disease, injury, death; of loss of wealth, loss of prestige, loss of loved ones; of displeasing our dear ones, of displeasing the boss, of displeasing society and so on. Some people can get rid of some of these fears, others struggle to conquer other fears. In order to realise truth, it is necessary to remove all fear, which is hardly possible. A Sadhaka should, therefore, endeavour to rid himself or herself of as many kinds of fears as possible. The fear of God, which in other words means the fear of wrong doing, is one fear which no one should give up. This fear keeps us on guard against further growth of unwholesome traits of the mind and perhaps helps us in going beyond ordinary fears. Top 9. Sarva-Dharma-Samanatva- Equal Respect for all Religions This is a very important vow in a multi-religious country like India. One has a natural respect for one’s own religion, and rightly so. But that respect need not lead one into disrespect for other religions. All religions help their adherents to proceed towards an ideal life. All religions have had devotees who realised God in their own way. And yet no religion is perfect. Quest of truth being the moving spirit behind all religions, they are always subject to a process of evolution and re-interpretation. So one should never consider one’s own religion to be the only perfect religion. On this ground, Gandhiji was against conversion unless it was desired by some one through conviction. All should study first one’s own religion and then as many others as possible and appreciate the good points of all of them. In the daily prayers of the Ashram, there were chantings from the Koran, the Buddhist prayer, the Bible and so on. In South Africa a bhajan was being sung which said â€Å"Dear to me is the name of Rama.† A Parsi friend once suggested, â€Å"Why don’t we sing ‘Dear to me is the name of Hormuzd?† The congregation took up the idea. That was the spirit generated by Gandhiji’s ideal of Sarva-Dharma-Samabhava. 10. Swadeshi – Duty Towards the Neighbour As early as 1909 Gandhiji had found that India was filled with items of every day use imported from England. This was one of the main causes of the impoverishment of the country. Then again, it was necessary to induce Indians to be proud of their country. In order to achieve this, Gandhiji after returning to India in 1915,researchedon Khadi, reestablished the forgotten Charkha and unfolded his theory of Swadeshi, for the rejuvenation of Indian economy and Indian self-respect†¦ But then, Gandhiji was never satisfied with only the economic or political aspect of ideas. He gave Swadeshi a deeper significance based on an ancient ideal which says that one’s first duty was not one’s neighbours. Fulfilled in the spirit of love, that duty was not to at variance with one’s duty to mends further away either. It was in this light that Gandhiji said that the Swadeshi movement was not harmful to the British mill hand, as it saved him from exploitation of his Indian brethren. This spirit of love made the labourer in Manchester his mend when Gandhiji went there even though Gandhiji was instrumental in bringing about unemployment of the British textile labourer. 11. Asprishyata – Navaran- Removal of Untouchability This vow meant that Ashramites would mix as freely with so called untouchables as with all other people. This was, perhaps the vow most difficult to be practiced. Among the Ashramites themselves all were not free from the age-old Hindu belief that a person born in certain castes pollutes others by his touch. For Gandhiji ever since his twelfth year the ideal that any human being was inferior to another was not palatable. He always resisted the very basis of untouchability. He called it a cancer of Hindu Society. He had already started practicing the removal of untouchability while in South Africa. Then, soon after he returned to India he accepted an untouchable family in the Ashram. Several of the inmates, including Kasturba were quite upset at this step; the financial aid that the Ashram was receiving all but stopped. Gandhiji, however did not flinch from his decision. The resentment soon died down and sympathetic friends solved the financial problem as well. Later on Gandhiji gave the name ‘Harijan’ to the untouchables and gave a great deal of his time to their amelioration. So these were how the eleven vows were observed in Gandhiji’s Ashram. They were quite well known in his lifetime. Even non-Ashramites studied them and tried to follow some of them to some extent. People ask us: â€Å"Are Gandhiji’s vows relevant today?† My husband once asked a counter question: ‘Is a lamp relevant in darkness?† The eleven vows cover such a vast canvas of life that one cannot say enough about their relevance today and tomorrow. In ending this resume we hope that these spiritual lamps would shed enough light on the paths of the people of India, nay on the paths of the people of the world to enable them to make this poor troubled Earth a better place to live in.

Boston Beer Company Essay

Address the following questions in a 4-5 page write-up of the Boston Beer Company Case to explore the issue of Initial Public Offerings. 1) What do you think of Boston Beer’s business model relative to the traditional beer companies’ business model? Relative to Redhook and Pete’s? (Hint: consider their brewing, production, distribution, marketing strategies. How is each firm attempting to achieve its own sustainable comparative advantage in the market place? ) 2) Evaluate Boston Beer’s performance relative to its peers (Compare BBC’s ratios to the ratios of its peers in exhibit 4). (Hint: how do differences in operating strategies translate into differences in financial ratios? Are there any downside risks to BBC’s contract brewing strategy? ) 3) What is your assessment of the intrinsic value of Boston Beer’s stock at the time of the case? What should be its IPO price? (Some hints below: First, you should look at the P/E multiples for Pete’s and Redhook around the IPO time for BBC. You should also look at the average amount the price seems to jump on the day of the IPO, and the EPS of BBC for 1994 and 1995. From this, you should figure out what the implied price per share for BBC should be in this market environment. Second, you should try to justify this price per share by doing FCF analysis. Create a ten year pro-forma spreadsheet, projecting out barrels of beer each year, revenue per barrel, revenue, costs, taxes, etc. Calculate net income, then subtract out net investments and add back depreciation to obtain FCF each year. Don’t forget to calculate terminal value at the end of 10 years. Use a 4% growth rate after year 10. Calculate the cost of equity and then discount the free cash flows by this discount rate. Calculate the Present Value of these FCFs plus the present value of the terminal value. To find the implied price, divide this present value by the new # shares outstanding, 19. 182mm. To determine the new market value of the firm, multiply the implied price by total number of shares outstanding. Are your assumptions about growth in unit sales realistc or over-optimistic? Using REALISTIC growth assumptions, what price per share do you get?). 4) Do you think the total market value of Redhook, Pete’s and Boston Beer (at your proposed IPO price) makes sense, given the total size and profitability of the beer industry, and the craft-brewing segment? What profitability and growth assumptions are necessary to justify the total market value of these three craft brewers? (Hint: First determine the total market value of these three companies. Then figure out what the average after tax operating profit margin is for these three companies. Figure out what the value of these three companies would be if their after tax earnings continued forever, but did not grow at all. Then take the difference between their total Market Value and this (no growth) perpetuity value. This difference reflects the market value due to GROWTH. Try to figure out what growth rate in revenues is implied here by projecting total revenues for 10 years, and finding the after tax earnings for 10 years, and then discounting the after tax earnings at the cost of equity. Don’t forget to calculate the terminal value (grow earnings at 4% after year 10.). 5) In late December 1995, sell-side analysts were forecasting long-term growth of 25-40% for the craft-brewing segment. How achievable are these growth targets? What factors are likely to influence analysts’ growth forecasts? (Hint: Is the implied growth rate in revenues found in (4) realistic? What would you consider a realistic growth rate for the craft brewing industry? At this growth rate, what would be the implied market value of these three firms? What do you predict will happen to the market prices of each of these three firms in the short to medium term? ).

Cyber Attacks Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Cyber Attacks - Term Paper Example A background of origin of tense environment between America and the world of terrorism sharply identifies foreign variables in defining the current conditions in the country. The implementation gap on effective anti-terrorism policies identifies in detail the nature of evolving terror environment backed by technology and online computer usage to support the magnitude of current terror threats (Saskia, 2011). The nature of legislation and criminal justice system with respect to provisions of the constitution dominate the remaining sections of the discourse, with case laws illustrating the standoff to flawless war on terror. Two classical cases that defined the interaction between the fight against terror and legally supported government polices illustrate the apparent standoff. Finally, opinion is given on different issues touching on the overall global status of US effort in fighting terrorism. The Department of Homeland Security is a constitutional establishment that takes up the task of ensuring that the country wards off crime and potentially harmful actions, in accordance with the requirements of the constitution with regard to provision of protection by national government. The government deploys resources within its control for provision of a safe environment through the Department of Homeland Security. Internal threats precipitated by actions happening within the country or beyond the borders constitute the concerns of the Department at all times. It is increasingly impossible for America to remain safe, with the impact of foreign intrusions dwelling on the country than ever before. In view of the state of threats to national security, America devotes the largest fraction of its national budget to fund departments entrusted with ensuring that America is safe. If the country did not perceive such threats to be as serious, perhaps the proportion of budgetary allocatio n across the other departments would not show such a huge disparity. Aggression against

Ways of knowing are a check on our instinctive judgments. To what Essay

Ways of knowing are a check on our instinctive judgments. To what extent do you agree with this statement - Essay Example Next, a discussion of intuition as a way of knowing will discussed followed by a discussion of how the other ways of knowing reinforce and control our instinctive judgment; that it, their benefits as well as their flaws in shaping instinctive judgment. These will be discussed through their application in the various areas of knowledge. By the end of the essay, I hope to conclude that ways of knowing are a check on our instinctive judgments. The first word that needs explaining is â€Å"instinctive.† Going by the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the word instinctive is derived from â€Å"instinct† and refers to â€Å"natural tendency for people and animals to behave in a particular way using the knowledge and abilities they were born with rather than thought or training.†2 One may have an instinct for fear, business or anything else. It is also a feeling that makes one do or believe that something is true, even though it is not based on facts or reason; in other words, intuition. In this case, instinctive judgment is equated to intuition. What we get from this definition is that one judges something without having to reason or give facts; it is a strong feeling that something is going to happen but we cannot be able to explain why. For example, women do have maternal instincts such that when something is going to happen to their child, they know it before hand or they can feel it but cannot explain what exactly is going to happen. Another case is when one is about to have an accident such as plane crash; one can feel it or there is a strong inner voice which tells you something bad is going to happen and you can act based on this instinct. As such, it is a way of knowing and justifying that knowledge even if it is not through conscious reasoning. If that something does happen, then we can prove our instincts right. In this sense, other ways of knowing such as reasoning act as verifiers to what we already know. This

Civil War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Civil War - Essay Example The sovereignty they believed was their right was constantly threatened in the period leading up to the Civil War as the balance of power moved from the Southern States to the Northern. It was felt that these States were being eroded as their ability to self-determine slowly changed. Particularly the Northern States’ greater voting power was questioned by Southern leaders such as John Calhoun, who advocated secession from the Union if certain issues were not resolved. He argued that the Union could eventually only be held together by the superior numbers, and the superior wealth of the Northern States as they forced the South to remain in the Union (Calhoun, 1850). It was particularly in the Nullification ordinances that the South expressed resistance to Northern dominance. For example in 1828, a Tariff was imposed on foreign imports by the Federal Government. The Southern States argued that this tariff was intended to favor domestic manufacturers and only certain foreign manufacturers, primarily based on Northern business interests. In fact, it was felt that the Tariff of 1928 â€Å"exceeded its just powers †¦ and †¦ the true meaning and intent of the Constitution† (Calhoun, 1832, & The Constitution of the United States of America Overview, 2012). Thus Ordinances of Nullification were published by the Southern States (for example the South Carolina Ordinance of Nullification) declaring that this and other federal laws would not be honored by these States. The North’s response can be summarized in the words of President Andrew Jackson, that United States laws are â€Å"paramount to State constitutions and laws†. (Jackson, 1932) Similarly, slavery was threatened, and consequently so was the way of life, economic prosperity and a perceived equality with all the States in the Union in the Southern States. As world opinion moved against Slavery, so too did the dominant political opinion among the Northern States. For Southern

Wine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Wine - Essay Example lending the labeling process is undertaken, packaging and labeling changes over time and also will depend on the market, shapes of bottling, the cork and the label style. For example the Asian consumers prefer gold labels. The process of producing a single barrel bourbon involves mixing several barrel to achieve a uniform mixture, they are then stored in a warehouse and these barrels are checked regularly, over time the best part of the warehouse produces high quality whiskey and these barrels are allowed to mature for a longer period, when they mature they are bottled one barrel at a time. Aberfeldy is a single malt scotch whisky made in the highland region, it was founded in 1896 by John Dewar, 12 years old single malt that has a deep gold color and has a heather honey and Seville orange taste. Balvenie is a single malt whiskey founded by William Grant in 1886, 10 year whiskey and has the following characteristics: it is medium golden straw in color, honey and oak taste traces, smooth and medium dry. Caol Ila is a single malt whiskey founded by Hector Henderson in the year 1846, it is age ranges from 12 to 25 years and has the following characteristics: pale straw color, sweet and slight acidity but pleasant taste and has a sweet Smokey

Valuation of the benefits of infrastructure projects(built Essay

Valuation of the benefits of infrastructure projects(built environment) may sometimes be difficult but it is essential for the rational determination of sector - Essay Example The public services are not able to mobilize resources to meet the increasing demand in these areas, mainly due to bureaucratic interventions, organizational lapses and political lethargy. Therefore, it has become necessary for the private sectors to involve themselves prominently in this strategic area of human living. The fact remains that the implementation and execution of infrastructure developmental projects have remained uppermost in the hands of their planners and executors, but they have not considered its implications nor pondered over the necessary ways in which these projects could provide long time succor and increased standard of living for the masses effected by these projects or the ultimate beneficiaries of these efforts. Hence these projects have been carried out in an ad hoc manner, which is why it has become imperative to upgrade and enhance the quality of service to bring it at par with acceptable standards. The emphasis should be on providing infrastructure proj ects with a national or regional development policy or strategy and also to link the resources decision with local social, economic and environmental requirements. This way, not only the broader objectives of the project would be met but its utility value, in the grassroots level would also stand ensured. This is because all important infra structural projects should have social upliftment and emancipation of the underprivileged and marginalized sections of society in mind when they are conceptualized and also when they are finally implemented. The economic evaluation of development projects should be such that it renders maximum benefit to social welfare. Although the objectives may be clearly delineated, the derivation of net benefits or its quantitative benefit value may not be assessable in real money terms. To take an illustration, the Government wished to seek the

Analyzing Written and Visual Texts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analyzing Written and Visual Texts - Essay Example On a Wednesday evening, 11th August 1965, 21 year old Marquette Frye, an African American was pulled over by a white California Highway Patrol Motorcycle officer Lee Minikus on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. A situation occurred and quickly escalated when Ronald, Marquette’s brother ran and called Rena Price their mother to the scene, attracting the attention of people. The incident turned violent when someone pushed Price Frye got struck Price jumped an officer and another officer pulled a shotgun. All these made the situation intense as growing crowds of local residents watching the argument began yelling and throwing objects at the police officers; leading to the six day riot in Watts. The rioters started fighting physically with the police, blocked fire fighters and beat white motorists. Arson and looting was done but was majorly confined to white-owned stores and enterprises that were said to have caused resentment in the neighborhood due to perceived unfairness, (Oberschall, 322-341). In his response to the Watts riot, Martin Luther King wrote an essay by the name â€Å"where do we go from here† where he took a firm stand of commitment to nonviolence. However, he expressed his understanding of the riots that happened not just in Watts but in other areas as well when he says â€Å"one sees screaming children and angry adults fighting hopelessly and meaninglessly against impossible odds†. By this King means that he knows the desperate frustration of the Black people who riot from the unchanging unfairness of living conditions in their own country. He acknowledges the need for action against the unfairness against the Black community as he goes on to say, â€Å"what is needed are a plan for change, a tactical program that will bring the Black people into the mainstream of American life as quickly as possible† (King, 17). This would allow for the Black community to be recognized as an equal citizen of the United States of America with equal rights. King also acknowledges the fault of the white people; who have gone to great heights to ensure that the Black man is classified as less important to the white man. He says that he sees the hatred on the faces of sheriffs, Klansmen and white citizens in the South who have allowed the hate to change their personality as they are burdened by the hatred they feel for the Black man. King interprets the riot as such because he sees fault on both the black man and the white man’s actions. He does not advocate for a sympathetic truce but an affirmative action that will bring the black man from his misery of oppression from under the feet of the white man. So that there can be respect and equality among the two. A newsreel report by the name â€Å"Troops patrol L.A† gave a report of the incident after it happened. The report said that six days of rioting in a Black section of L.A left the city looking like a scene from war torn cities, with most build ings on fire leaving few intact. It also said that the firemen were harassed by brick throwing looters and snipers; to a point of having to wear flack suits with mesh to protect themselves from the snipers who continued to shoot from roof tops. The estimated damage by fire alone was 200 million; while estimates were yet to be done for losses acquired from looters who stole everything

Two Works Of Art Essay Example for Free

Two Works Of Art Essay Italy experienced a massive art boom in the early fifteenth century, or as Italians themselves call it â€Å"Quattrocento†. This especially concerns the art of painting, deeply affected by changes, inspired by approaching Renaissance. It is hard to say, that paintings of that time belonged to pure Renaissance, however, their style already could not be attributed to earlier Gothic. The transition period generated a number of painters and entire painting schools each of them with it’s own original manner. This paper is to compare and examine the similarities and differences between the paintings of Gentile da Fabriano (1370-1427), as representative of late Gothic iconographic painting and Paolo Ucello (1397-1475), whose paintings more likely include Renaissance trends. Fabriano’s â€Å"Coronation of the Virgin† (1420) and Ucello’s â€Å"Madonna and Child† (1470) shall be taken as examples. Both paintings can be found in the The J. Paul Getty Trust museum, Los Angeles, California. The theme of coronation of Virgin Mary by her Son Jesus as Queen of Heaven was quite popular in the medieval painting. Almost all the artists of the time, including Michele Giambono Lorenzo Monaco and later Raphael and Velasques   have once tried to depict this event[1]. Fabriano himself turned to it for a few times. The â€Å"Coronation† being described here belongs to one of his late paintings and should not be confused with the most famous â€Å"Coronation of the Virgin and Saints†, painted in 1400. The style of the â€Å"Coronation of the Virgin†, painted by tempera and gold leaf on panel may be called both Gothic and Renaissance. It can be noticed, that Fabriano has been strongly influenced by the Byzantine style, which has been accepted in Southern Europe for many centuries[2], and made artist’s paintings in a way similar to Orthodox icons of Byzantium and Russia. The main characteristics of such combined style, often called International Gothics, are the strict situation of figures and groups, flat plain background and absence of perspective, special set of brightly contrasting colors, including usually yellow, golden, red and blue, as well as vivid symbolism of each object, being depicted. Especially the Italian Gothic, which arose in during the second quarter of the fourteenth century, is characterized by balanced forms and a grave mannerism. Figures are painted against monochrome or gold backgrounds in a formula that barely hints at a third dimension, but never shows it.   Nevertheless, this style appeared to be much more realistic, than the one of earlier centuries. This panel of Christ crowning his mother, Mary, originally formed the front of a two-sided processional standard carried in religious ceremonies in Gentiles native town of Fabriano. In this shimmering image, Gentile makes effective use of the complex patterning and wealth of surface ornamentation that is characteristic of the International Gothic style and that recalls the rich fabrics woven in Florence. â€Å"Madonna and child†, painted by Paolo Ucello 50 years later by tempera on panel demonstrates a breakaway from international Gothic and turning to Renaissance. Ucello belongs to painters, who first started experimenting with one of the basic elements of new art style – linear prospective. This even caused the famous Italian expert of arts Vazari to call Ucello â€Å"an eccentric† and add, that he has been â€Å"intoxicated† by prospective. At the picture we can see the green meadows, yellow fields and blue skies, spreading up to horizon behind Virgin’s back. In contrast to Byzantium and Gothic art, which is almost always â€Å"frozen out of time and space†, now it is possible to identify the place, time of year and often even time of day, which brings an element of action and development to the painting, although prospective   still remains more an element of decoration. The new style is also characterized by increased volume of figures, and a depth of emotion which suggests human feeling instead of static and passive icons[3]. The medieval tradition of using religious subjects is now combined   with classical ideals of the human figure and an increased interest in depicting nature. In contrast to International Gothic, the colors become more varied and not so dramatic, with more overtones being used. â€Å"Coronation of the Virgin† belongs to one of the few surviving Fabriano’s masterpieces, since most of his early paintings and frescos have been destroyed[4]. Gentiles most famous surviving works were made during a short but influential stay in Florence in the 1420s, where he probably encountered the austere realism of his younger contemporary Masaccio. This golden picture is almost entirely taken up by the symmetrical figures of the seated Christ on the right, placing a bejeweled golden crown on the inclined head of the Virgin Mary, who sits on the left, her hands crossed over her chest. Above them, centered in the rays of a golden sunburst, hovers a white dove with grey-tipped wings and bearing a halo. Standing below and beside the figures, three miniature angels are aligned in two vertical rows. The Christ is wearing a medieval-style tunic of gold gathered at the waist by a narrow golden sash. The garment is embroidered with five-pointed golden stars, surrounded by stars of blue, and encircled by red stars. Falling from his shoulders as he raises his arms is a rich burgundy gown bordered in patterned gold, bearing vines with golden leaves and five-petaled golden flowers with hearts of blue. The Virgins gown, which she holds close to her, has tightly-clustered seven-petaled floral pinwheels of gold over a background of royal blue. Behind the two figures, from their shoulders down, flows a patterned dark green tapestry reminiscent of Christs robe with its five-pointed snowflakes of red and gold. The figures and the background, absent of depth, are laid virtually flat against each another. Standing in the lower corners on either side, the angels, partially obscuring each other in descending columns, look upward toward the figures of Mary and Christ, their lips open in song, their hands holding an unfurled white parchment ribbon with musical notes and Latin words that wind in and out of view. The hands and faces of the principal figures are painted realistically in a greyish pink, making their skin ashen, and their placid, almost expressionless features, look otherworldly, in great contrast to the richly-tooled golden crown, the embossed halos, and opulent, embellished fabrics. Presiding over all this, Christs uplifted hands, in the moment between setting the crown and blessing the Virgin Mary, are set against a broad sheet of pure gold that rises behind the figures until it vanishes under a gilded arch of carved leaves supported by spiral columnsan ornately-carved wooden frame through which we view the coronation. To create a sumptuous surface resembling tapestry, Gentile da Fabriano used extensive tooling, decorative patterning, gold leaf, and rich pigments. Considerable features of International Gothic Style can be noticed on the painting, including complex patterning, elaborate materials, and long flowing lines of the robes of the Madonna and Christ[5]. At the time the gold-encrusted panel functioned as a processional standard held aloft in parades that honored the Virgin Mary and originally depicted The Stigmatization of Saint Francis on the reverse. The centre of the composition is formed by the hands of Saviour, raised to bless his Mother and put a crown on her head, which contrasts to the painting of Ucello, where centre is formed by faces of Mary and Christ. The two pictures represent different approaches towards position of head and eyes of the figures. The Gothic style pays almost no attention to eye contact of the depicted person with a spectator, and the eyes of the Saints are always in a way divert. In Fabriano’s case the Virgin is looking down, vailing before her Son, while Jesus is looking directly at Mary. In contrast, the painting by Ucello brings in a brilliant example of fresh Renaissance relationship between the figure and the spectator. His Mary and Child are looking closely at the spectator and it seems, that they are trying to see that what is behind his outlook and spot his soul. Both paintings are deeply symbolic. The most recognizable Fabriano’s symbol is, definitely, the white dove over Madonna’s head, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, descending upon her. The red color of the gown, falling down from Christ’s shoulders, is a symbol of His Oblation to the humanity and it’s green backing, noticeable on top, is to point on the Resurrection. Finally, the golden color of Jesus tunic is to prove him as the Heavenly King. The clothes of the Virgin are depicted golden and blue, symbolizing   divinity, combined with purity and faith. The nimbuses of both figures are almost invisible in the golden light, streaming through heaven. The symbolism of Ucello’s â€Å"Madonna† is not so sophisticated as Gothic one. The divine Child is depicted, holding his mother’s clothes with his fingers, which is to hint the connection between them. The nimbuses of both figures differ, since the nimbus of Christ includes a cross – a traditional element of earlier iconographic schemes. This cross is red, once again symbolizing Christ’s Oblation[6]. In the years which passed between the creation of these two paintings, the ideas of humanism changed the attitude to human’s body. Fabriano covered the corpses of both figures with reach adorable dresses, leaving no space to any bodily features. In contrast, Ucello’s Madonna and Child displays a type of hushed beauty lost with the advent of the High Renaissance style in Italy. Her face and the body of the child are still pallid and far from Raphael’s vision, however, the Maid is depicted as a beautiful woman with golden hair, appearing from under her modest mantle. While Fabriano used medieval monochromic background, Ucello is one of the first artists, who used landscape to underline prospective in three well-rounded dimensions. Painting now becomes a window on the physical world rather than merely the spiritual one. In an effort to open up the scene, the artist from Paolo Uccellos workshop placed a landscape behind the Virgin and Christ. Instead of trying to show depth, however, the countryside simply forms a pattern of almost abstract trees and zigzags. The resulting design has a flatness and regularity that subtly enlivens the picture and complements the elusive three-dimensionality of the figure group.   Summarizing the overstated one can say that the two discussed may be found both similar and difficult. They are noticeable examples of corresponding painting styles – namely International Gothic and Early Renaissance. Being connected by the religious topic and symbolic filling, they differ in attitude between the characters and the spectator, the special position of figures and attempt to use a prospective in the later work, as well as use of more pigments and tones. It should be pointed, that Ucello’s   perspective studies were to influence the Renaissance art treatises of artists such as Piero della Francesca, Leonardo da Vinci, and Albrecht Dà ¼rer[7]. Due to the changed attitude and eye contact, Jesus and Madonna by Ucello seem to be much closer to us and more human, than Jesus and Madonna by Fabriano, which embodies the ideals of upcoming era of Renaissance. REFERENCES Bernhard Berenson., The Central Italian Painters of the Renaissance. 2nd New York: G. P. Putnams Sons, 1909 Germain Bazin., Italian Painting in the XIVth and XVth Centuries. New York: French and European Publications, 1938 Michael Levey., A Concise History of Painting: From Giotto to Cezanne. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1962 Linda Murray, Peter Murray., The Art of the Renaissance. New York: Praeger, 1963 Frank Jewett Mather Jr., A History of Italian Painting. New York: Henry Holt, 1923 [1] Bernhard Berenson., The Central Italian Painters of the Renaissance. 2nd ed. New York: G. P. Putnams Sons, 1909, at p. 131 [2] Germain Bazin., Italian Painting in the XIVth and XVth Centuries. New York: French and European Publications, 1938, at p. 26 [3] Bernhard Berenson., supra note, at p. 133 [4] Michael Levey., A Concise History of Painting: From Giotto to Cezanne. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1962 at p. 44 [5] Linda Murray, Peter Murray., The Art of the Renaissance. New York: Praeger, 1963, at p. 257 [6] Germain Bazin., supra note at p. 29 [7] Frank Jewett Mather Jr., A History of Italian Painting. New York: Henry Holt, 1923, at p. 144

Thomas Eakins & Miss Amelia Van Buren Essay Example for Free

Thomas Eakins Miss Amelia Van Buren Essay The current project will analyze the oil canvas titled ‘Miss Amelia Van Buren’ that was created by a well-known USA painter and portraitist Thomas Eakins in 1891. The portrait is part of a series titled â€Å"Women in Pink† and belongs to the masterpieces of American Realism. The aim of the paper is to discuss the style and subject matter of this artwork as an integral part of the artist’s creative ancestry and within a broad historical framework. Eakins’s production was often rejected by contemporaries. This fact proves that any piece of artistry expresses different meanings for patrons and art audiences as well as for the artist himself. These competing implication will be assessed throughout the paper. Thomas Eakins: Brief Biography The reputation of Thomas Eakins (1844–1916) as an outstanding representative of the American school of realism in painting, photography, sculpture, and fine arts education was established only a few decades upon his death. Eakins was born in Philadelphia, where, watching his father, a writing master and calligraphy teacher, at duty, by twelve he has acquired profound skills in drawing, perspective planning, employing a grid to produce an accurate design. Thomas was graduated from Central High School, the first-class public school for applied science and arts, and entered the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1861 to refine the knowledge of drawing and anatomy. The latter realm interested Eakins to such an extent that in 1864-1865 he started diligently attending courses in anatomy and dissection at Jefferson Medical College. In 1866, the young man joined the studio of Jean-Leon Gerome, a prominent Orieintalist painter, at the Paris School of Arts. The American student also frequented into the atelier of Leon Bonnat who put forward anatomical preciseness as a cornerstone of Realism. Upon the four-year period of studying abroad, Eakins returned back to the native city. His first portrayals of rowers (e. g. , ‘Single Scull’ or ‘The Champion Single Sculling,’ 1871; a series of eleven oils and watercolors altogether) stirred attention within Philadelphians due to their innovative treatment of a dynamically moving human body portrayed outdoors. In parallel with inquiring into the sports themes, the young artist created a range of domestic Victorian interiors (e. g. , ‘Home Scene,’ 1871; ‘Elizabeth at the Piano,’ 1875; ‘The Chess Players,’ 1876; ‘Elizabeth Crowell and her Dog. ’ 1874). The first large scale portrait ‘Kathrin’ was made in 1872. In 1876, Eakins commenced his teaching career at the Pennsylvania Academy – first as a volunteer teacher, then as a salaried professor (since 1878), and finally as director (1882-1886). Upon the scandalous resignation consequently to original methods of teaching, Eakins lectured at many art schools, including the Art Students League of Philadelphia, the Art Students League of New York, the National Academy of Design, Cooper Union, and the Art Students Guild in Washington, D. C. , until the withdrawal from teaching in 1898. Eakins was not only a talented painter, but also a gifted photographer. His acquaintance with camerawork took place during his European studies and continued thereupon, when the artist learnt about the photographic motion research of Eadweard Muybridge and started his own experiments in the field. Many well-known canvases of Eakins were created relying on photographs to better understand the dynamics of body movements and increase the awareness of perspective (e. g. , ‘Mending the Net,’ 1881; ‘Arcadia. ’ 1883). In 1883, the artist started shooting the so-called ‘Naked Series,’ nude photographic depictions of students and professional models that revealed human anatomy from certain angles. About eight hundred photographs are thought to belong to Eakins and his followers. The fame of Eakins as a prominent representative of American Realism heavily relies on his portraits. Several hundred canvases depicted representatives of the local Philadelphian Bohemia, scientists, and medical workers (e. g. , ‘The Gross Clinic,’ 1875; ‘The Portrait of Dr. John Brinton,’ 1876; ‘The Agnew Clinic,’ 1889; ‘The Deans Roll Call,’ 1899; ‘The Concert Singer,’ 1890-92; ‘The Portrait of Maud Cook,’ 1895; ‘Antiquated Music,’ 1900; ‘The Portrait of Professor Leslie W. Miller,’ 1901) in their professional environment. On the reason of intense anatomic realism and the artist’s notoriety upon dismissal from the Pennsylvania Academy, Eakins’ portraits were often rejected by the sitters or their relatives. Therefore, the artists invited his relatives and friends (e. g. , ‘The Portrait of Walt Whitman,’ 1887-1888) to act as models. In the 1880s and 1990s, the artist created his finest examples of figure studies (e. g. , ‘The Swimming Hole,’ 1884-5; ‘Between Rounds,’ 1899; ‘Salutat,’ 1898). The portraits created by Eakins in the early 20th century captured the local Catholic clergymen (e. g. , ‘The Portrait of His Eminence Sebastiano Cardinal Martinelli,’ 1902; ‘The Portrait of Archbishop William Henry Elder,’ 1903; ‘The Portrait of Monsignor James P. Turner,’ ca. 1906). In the late period of life Eakins started enjoying recognition. In 1902, he was granted the title of a National Academician. Two years before death, in 1914, the artist sold a portrait study of D. Hayes Agnew for The Agnew Clinic to Dr. Albert C. Barnes for four thousand dollars. In 1917-18, Eakins’ works were exhibited at the memorial retrospectives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy. Upon the death of Susan Macdowell Eakins, the artist’s wife, the major part of Eakins’ creative ancestry was purchased by Joseph Hirshhorn, and now is stored at the Hirshhorn Museums collection. Eakins house in North Philadelphia was included to the National Register of Historic Places list in 1966. In 2006, a group of sponsors paid $68,000,000 to keep ‘The Gross Clinic’ in Philadelphia, while previously it was planned to sell the canvas to the museums located in other cities, ‘Miss Amelia Van Buren’ (1891) Miss Amelia Van Buren (c. 1856-1942) was Eakins’s student and the friend of his family. This gifted painter and photographer participated in an episode that indirectly initiated resignation of the master from the post of director at the Pennsylvania Academy. One day, a young female asked the teacher to explain the anatomical function of the pelvis. At his lessons, Eakins exercised bold methods and stirred the differences between male and female students by exposing nude models of both sexes in the class where both men and women were present. Putting anatomy of a human body to the foreground, professor encouraged his followers not to afraid the Victorian model and bravely approach the secrets of physiology. Therefore, Eakins invited Van Buren to his studio and provided the requested instruction. The painter described the episode as follows: â€Å"There stripping myself, I gave her the explanation as I could not have done by words only. † Later on, Eakins’s behavior made the evil-wishers accuse him of sexual harassment and inappropriate methods of teaching. The painter responded with dignity, yet showing no signs of regret or shame: â€Å"There was not the slightest embarrassment or cause for embarrassment on her part or mine. I think indeed [Van Buren] might have been embarrassed, if I had picked up a man on the street and endeavored to persuade him to undress before the lady for a quarter. † Eakins often used his students as models for his works and saw nothing undignified in exchanging professional secrets with the members of his circle regardless of their sex. Van Buren was also publicly accused of posing nude in front in the painter. That fact aroused many rumors and negatively affected the womans reputation that could seriously spoil her social activity in those prudent times. Werbel has stressed that Amelia Van Buren altogether with Elizabeth Macdowell, Eakins’ future wife Susan, Cecilia Beaux, Alice Barber Stephens, and other female students of the Pennsylvania Academy belonged to the circle of the so-called â€Å"New Women. † They shared Eakins’ opinion concerning equal rights of men and women for education and social activity. Those females were talented artists and actively participated in the cultural life of Philadelphia. Feeling at ease with their own principles and encouraged by the master, to whom they deeply trusted, those New Women were not afraid of public hypocritical scorn. To return back to the oil canvas, it provides us with attentive, unflattering, and surgically sharp vision of a young woman, sitting near the window. Her figure is softly glowing in the daylight, while the background remains deem and dark. Salcman made an almost poetic description of the portrait’s details. A woman in her twenties sits in the armchair, as if she has suffered through a hard day and now is having an unexpected break. The model is so absorbed into her thoughts that even the atmosphere around her is pregnant with some intensive, yet joyless mental activity. The gaze of a spectator is initially attracted to Miss Van Buren’s Victorian pink dress with a standard for that time fluffy crinoline. The pink color of the upper gown that reminds of slightly dewed rose petals harmonizes with the soft, milky tint of the crinoline apron. Multiple folds on the skirt that underline the pensive, slightly tired pose of the woman, mask the body. Eyes that are literally lost in this whirl of light cloth approach the face of the model only upon spending some time on looking at minor details. The latter are the half-opened fan, lying on a thigh of the figure, and a narrow and elegant hand that is shadowed by the arm of the armchair. The rosy pale face of Miss Van Buren sharply contrasts with her gray hair that makes her look, as if she is in the late thirties or even forties. Salcman has noted that the artist is far from flattering his muse. The head of the woman rests on the left loosely fisted hand with its left temple and turned towards the light, away from spectators. The pose signifying uneasy feelings arouses hot arguments among the researchers. Salcman observed â€Å"regret,† â€Å"disappointment,† and â€Å"a loss of possibilities† in the expression of Amelia’s face as shown in the tight lips and lowered eyes that are thoughtfully gazing into the window. Kirkpatrick has noted that the model looks â€Å"unhappily lost in thought, trapped and vulnerable as a caged bird. † It is evident that each art critic tried to impose his or her own understanding of human facial mimics or the inner world of the artist. On the point, a very important observation was delivered by Henry Adams who analyzed the works of Eakins in parallel with peripetias of the artist’s life. The researcher stressed that the master â€Å"was not simply recording faces, but also exploring something about his own mental condition. † In 1891, when the portrait of Miss Van Buren was made, Eakins could not still re-discover the inner equilibrium upon the scandalous resignation from the Pennsylvania Academy. Teaching was one of the favorite activities for the master, where he could freely communicate with young like-minded people and test his innovative ideas in painting and photography. At that period, Eakins lectured at the Art Students League of Philadelphia, but the institution was about to dissolve, which happened the following year upon execution of the portrait. The painter’s canvases were constantly rejected by critics and exhibitioners, so it was rather the 47-year-old master than his model had reasons to look gloomy and caged. It really seems that both spectators and critics tend to apply their own emotions onto the canvas, while forgetting about the broader context for the artwork. Amelia Van Buren left no memoirs about the implications for her suspected depression at that period. She truly admired Eakins both as a professional and a teacher, being not afraid of exposing her soul in front of the artist’s intent eyes. Van Buren was a rare exception so far as many people, whom the painter asked to sit for their portraits, declined the invitation. As one of Eakins’ contemporaries explained, â€Å"He would bring out all those traits of my character I have been trying to conceal from the public for years. † It speaks on the fact that the master intended to excavate, so to say, the inner deposits of ideas and emotions that common members of the Victorian society were scared to reveal. The fear of self-exposure was not the case of Miss Van Buren. She agreed to sell the portrait only in 1927. Her letter to an exhibitioner who proposed to purchase the masterpiece of American Realist school contains the following lines: I accept your offer and while I shall miss the picture I shall like to think of it in your gallery where I hope to see it sometime soon. Mr. Eakins’ friends have always been sure that his work would be appreciated in time. The portrait of Miss Amelia Van Buren is now stored in the Phillips Collection, Washington, D. C. , and arouses a combination of stress under the burden of intense emotions depicted and admiration at the mastery of Eakins in showing the secret depths of human souls. Women in Pink Relying on Eakins’ memoirs, Adams has stressed that the theme of females clad in the pink gamut has been explored by the painter for almost two decades. Some well-known canvases from this series include Miss Amelia Van Buren (1891), The Concert Singer (1890-92, Philadelphia Museum of Art), ‘The Portrait of Maud Cook (1895, Yale University Art Gallery. ), and The Actress (1903, Philadelphia Museum of Art). These artworks should be examined both separately and within a group to understand the state of the artist and the dynamics of his creative potential. The 1890s was an extremely hard period for Eakins who was vulnerable to the complications of life and public reactions as every great man of arts. As it has been mentioned earlier, his teaching career collapsed, partly on the cause of his own provocative behavior and remarks. Upon the initial period of recognition among the critics and gallery owners shortly upon coming back from Europe, the master experienced challenges in regards to both selling his works to make for living and to establishing stable relationships with relatives and the broader public. Adams treats the series of female portraits that were executed in the late 1880s and throughout the 1890s as manifestation of depressive feelings and unsettled creative quests. The portrait of Van Buren demonstrates a perfect harmony between the complex inner state of the painter and the concealed disharmony of the model who suffered from emotional illness. The slumped pose of the model, the eyes diverted from spectators, the sharp contrast between the warm pink-milky gamut of the figure in the foreground and the rich, brown and mahogany color of the background – all these feature the mood of tension that abruptly mutilates into the deep exhaustion. The depiction of a â€Å"small woman with a large brooding spirit† is the first step on the ladder of self-discovery for the painter, and the next is The Concert Singer. The model for the portrait – a famous opera performer Weda Cook – started sitting or better say standing for Eakins in 1890. Cook debuted at the Pennsylvanian Academy of Music when she was only sixteen years old, and since then often pleased the demanding Philadelphian public. The painter depicted his model as dressed in a radiant pink dress, singing on the stage. It should be stressed here that Eakins was particularly accurate in depicting the specifics of his model’s profession or emotional state. He asked Weda Cook to sing â€Å"O Rest in the Lord† from Mendelssohn’s Elijah to convey intensity of her artistic manner and carved the opening notes of the musical piece on the frame. Another interesting detail is that for the sake of better rendering of body, Eakins asked the model to undress to her underwear. Cook strongly opposed the idea but finally gave up and agreed. There is a similarity between the two portraits of Van Buren and Cook in regards to the pyramidal composition, but the general gamut and mood of the canvases contrast each other. While the choice of colors for Van Burens depiction aims to reveal the models delicacy, fragility, even exhaustion, the gamut for Cooks portrayal manifests a greater extent of energy and self-assuredness. Such effect takes place due to the background: in case of Van Buren it is intense and dim (in a manner similar to Diego Velazquez and Jusepe de Ribera, Eakins’ favorite Spanish painters), and in case of Cook the olive smoky backstage is rather light, and the whole pose of the full-length figure of the model altogether with decorations of the scene remind of some European masters such as Edgar Degas and James Whistler. To continue about composition, the body of Van Buren is framed by the chair, as if the only thing that provides her with some kind of support is the furnitures arm. Her slumped pose and bended head create the atmosphere of misbalance and awkwardness. On the opposite, the erect pose of the singer and her hands that are elegantly and somewhat affectively placed in front of the waist remind of a bird that is ready to fly upwards. However, this is not a triumphant gesture but a movement of â€Å"flight and loss. † The opera performer is placed in the center of the composition. It seems that minor details – such as the conductors hand in the lower left corner of the canvas, the bunch of roses on the floor in the lower right corner, and the palms branch in the upper left section of the picture – do not constrain the freedom of the heroine. However, similarly to Van Buren, Cook diverts her eyes from spectators and looks upfront and above peoples heads. The very pose underlines the model’s concealed isolation and loneliness. Her eyes are surrounded with red rims and shades so that there is an effect of hastily wiped tears or insomnia. There is a difference also between the tints of models’ gowns: the one of Van Buren looks like slightly frosted, the effect is unlined by the pearl color of her grayish hair; the dress of Cook is radiant and festive, decorated with olive inserts and a long trail. One might also note that the flesh is almost totally absent on the portrait of Van Buren, whereas Cook demonstrates bare neck, shoulders, and hands. The contrast in regards to body exposure between the two females emphasize their attitude to public attention: while the first model attempts to conceal her internal state from spectators, the latter derives her energy from the outer world. Eakins does not want to portray women as more beautiful that they are. Van Buren looks older than other women of her age, and the features of her face are not harmonious. Cook cannot either be called young and pretty. Her hands are plump and reddish, her open mouth and a wrinkle on the neck makes one think that she is doing a hard job instead of executing a beautiful song. Werbel has commented on the specifics of Eakins’ treatment of women’s beauty. The artist conceptualized it as â€Å"faithful, undistorted attention to the individual anatomy and attributes of each person. Due to his original technique the painter was often thought of as â€Å"a rebel† as he transferred onto the canvas all defects of the sitters’ physical appearance. Both Van Burens and Weda Cooks faces are sculpturally expressive and anatomically true. Some of Eakins’ followers and many representatives of that time society got scared of such preciseness and sharpness. The physically attentive dissection of women’s features that are perceived by Eakins as a combination of bones, muscles, and soft tissues became less intense by the mid-1980s. The thesis can be illustrated by the portrait of Maud Cook (1895) that concludes the first half of the series depicting women in pink. We see the tenderly dimmed face and upper part of torso belonging to a young, dark-haired woman with large eyes that are glowing from inside. Her delicate long neck streaming down softly to get lost in the gaze material of her light pink dress. In his usual manner, Eakins shows the model gazing away from the artist and the public. Her concentration on her emotions speaks of melancholy rather than of depression. In comparison to the portraits of Van Buren and Weda Cook, this particular image is less intense in feelings and is remarkable for restoration from frustration. According to Adams, the portrait of Maud Cook signifies the improvement in the artist’s fight with his demons. His works of the mid-1890s manifest recovery from the previous depression and self-disagreement. However, the stability was ruined by the suicide of Eakins’ niece Ella Crowell, after which grievous facts the painter’s sister and her husband broke relationships with Thomas. The master returns to the theme of female portraits only within a decade. The canvas titled ‘The Actress’ (1903) that depicts Suzanne Santje looks completely different from the earlier examples of the same series. In the foreground we see a woman in her thirties. The model sits in the pose that is usual for Eakins’ female portraits – the head is diverted towards the source of light and away from observers. The narrow face with high cheekbones looks slightly emaciated. Even a tender radiance that evaporates like a gaze from the middle facial part cannot conceal the paleness of the skin. Thick dark hair are in the artistic disorder as well as the festive bright pink gown. Suzanne Santje is portrayed full-length, and her body reminds in its graciousness of a mermaid who has just appeared from waters to brood over her tragic destiny. The model’s hands rest on the chair’s arms, demonstrating fatigue and grieve. It seems that the actress has just left the stage where she demonstrated luxurious and self-conscious hedonism, but here, in the artist’s studio she can be herself – tired, ageing, concentrated on the shallowness of life. The series under the collective title â€Å"Women in Pink† reveals Eakins’ progression between various artistic styles under the impact of his inner state. The earlier â€Å"clinical approach to the body† as evident in previously made portraits of Van Buren and Weda Cook gives place to the more merciful treatment of the sitter’s appearance as in the portrait of Maud Cook and finally resolves into the sympathetic, yet intense observation of the model soul as in ‘The Actress. ’ Regardless of Eakins’ experiments with composition and gamut, representations of a series from different periods demonstrate the same â€Å"blood and bone authenticity,† for which the painter was severely criticized throughout life and for which he is praised nowadays. These female portraits provide an attentive, brilliant account of women living in the Victorian or Early Modernism age and were constrained in their emotions and behavior by rigid standards of the broader, pro-masculine society. As Ratcliff has observed, the painter gave a chance to his female sitters, sitting in dim and small rooms, to look through the window into the sunlit world of freedom, self-discovery, and harmony. Clark argues that women’s portraits are part of â€Å"a poignant and pointed critique of woman’s place in the ‘heroic’ modern world. † Despite the merciless accurateness and realism of the painter in revealing physical drawbacks of the models, they look really feminine and attractive. What adds real gorgeousness to the images of both females is their passionate absorption by their rich inner world and the courageous flexibility, with which they face the unwelcoming, prison-like environment. The series demonstrates also the continuous struggle of Eakins himself to freely express his creative potential and to overcome all challenges imposed by the society and the family. Thomas Eakins: Blood and Bone Authenticity Art critic Lloyd Goodrich referred to the artistic manner of Thomas Eakins as follows: Seldom has there been so consistent a realist as Eakins – one whose art was such a direct outgrowth of reality†¦ Every figure be painted was a portrait, every scene or object a real one†¦ the actual rather than the ideal. Each Eakins’ model is not isolated in its anatomical validity but becomes a mirror for the surrounding contexts so that the inner and outer realities are colliding, mixing up, confrontating and intermingling between each other just in front of observers’ eyes. Due to Eakins’ mastery people turn into iconographic symbols that express both their own value and convey the atmosphere of the social period. The specifics of Eakins’s style tackles the portrait genre as treated flexibly both in the interiors and outdoors – in the offices, streets, parks, water basins, arenas, and hospitals of his hometown, Philadelphia. As a painter and photographer, Eakins admired the beautiful human bodies – either completely nude or lightly dressed so that to reveal motion – demonstrating energy altogether with harmony between the inner and outer sides of person’s nature. Bibliography Adams, Henry, and Thomas Eakins. Eakins revealed: The secret life of an American artist. New York City: Oxford University Press, 2005. Boyer, Paul S. â€Å"Eakins, Thomas. † The Oxford Companion to United States History. Oxford University Press. 2001. Encyclopedia. com. (April 21, 2009). http://www. encyclopedia. com/doc/1O119-EakinsThomas. html. Clark, William J. â€Å"The Iconography of Gender in Thomas Eakins Portraiture. † American Studies 32, no. 2 (1991): 5-28. Craven, Wayne. American art: History and culture. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Kirkpatrick, Sidney. The revenge of Thomas Eakins. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006. MacCoubrey, John. American tradition in painting. Philadelphia: Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania Press, 2000. Ratcliff, Carter. â€Å"Thomas Eakins: Pictured lives. † Art in America, no. 6 (June 2002), http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m1248/is_6_90/ai_87022989/. Salcman, Michael. The clock made of confetti. Alexandria, Va. : Orchises, 2007. Shi, David E. Facing facts realism in American thought and culture, 1850 – 1920. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. Simpson, Marc. â€Å"Thomas Eakins and His Arcadian Works. † Smithsonian Studies in American Art 1, no. 2 (1987): 71-95. Werbel, Beth. Thomas Eakins: Art, medicine, and sexuality in nineteenth-century Philadelphia. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007.