Tina Janockina
The essay on Renoir could have benefited from further analysis of Impressionismand the reasoning behind its consequent relationship with bourgeoisie subjects. As the essay mentioned, impressionism,both in content and in style, was an art of industrialized, urbanized Paris—a reaction to the sometimes brutal and chaotic transformation of French life that occurred during the latter half of the19th century. The rapidity of these transformations and changes parallel the attempts of impressionists to capture a fleeting moment, by conveying the elusiveness and impermanence of images and conditions. Renoir’s paintings are often dappled by sunlight and shade blurred into the figures to produce the effect of floating and fleeting light that the Impressionists cultivated. Furthermore, scenes of dining, dancing, and other forms of urban recreation were mainstays of Impressionism, facilitated by industrialization(which, by setting working hours, created more regimented schedules and allowed people to plan their favorite pastimes). The essay mentions several types of biases yet fails to mentionRenoir’s motivations for producing a lot of his work. For example, The Girl with a Watering Can mentioned in the essay was done because Renoir thought that the pretty child in her fancy dress might attract portrait commissions. Renoir, a son of a tailor, was in a constant struggle for money, especially in his early career. He began to paint charming, light-filled scenes with women and children in the hopes of increasing sales.Also, it was not that Renoir thought “art should be pretty” as stated in the essay, but rather he felt that art should be indescribable and inimitable. From his point of view, if viewers could explain a picture, it wasn’t art.
*this essay topic connects to the themes of the arts as reflections of societal influences and/or reactions to changes in the social/political/economic landscapes esp. those of France; in this case, the art of impressionism is a reaction to the transformation of French life that occurred as a result of urbanization and industrialization (unit connection)during the second half of the19th century
The essay on ballet nicely parallels the Renoir essay, especially since it mentions Edgar Degas, also an impressionist. The fascination he had with patterns of motion brought him to ballet schools in Paris where, like other Impressionists, he depicted more formal leisure activities. Degas’ often arbitrarily cut off figures, patterns of light splotches, and blurriness of images indicate his interest in reproducing single movements that are so markedly Impressionist. Degas urged his fellow artists to join him in a realist endeavor, as in creating works grounded in contemporary life and actual experiences. Rather than create idealized images of mythological figures and historical subjects, he wanted to paint everyday urban scenes, just like Renoir. Louis XIV, on the other hand, and as mentioned in the essay, was quite fascinated with mythological figures especially with the image of Apollo, god of the sun and arts. Even though the king may have encouraged the growth of ballet and other arts because he himself was their proponent, the king and his principal adviser, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, mainly strove to organize art and architecture in the service of the state. They understood the power of art as propaganda and the value of visuals for cultivating and shaping public opinion (much like WWII propaganda in Goebbels and Chaplin in Germany and USA respectively).
*Louis XIV and his advisers spared no pains to raise great symbols and monuments to the king’s absolute power(unit connection); thus, the construction of the VersaillesPalace, VersaillesPark, and the Louvre
Thetulip essay was accurate in stating that there was a “true proliferation of modern economic principles” that occurred during the Dutch tulip mania—a maniathat also shows the positive aspects of capitalism and its potential downfall. Professional tulip traders sought out flower lovers and speculators,and while the supply of tulip buyers grew quickly, the supply of tulips did not, especially since it tookseven years to grow one tulip from seed. Prices people were willing to pay for tulips grew to astounding levels—interesting since the Dutch considered morality and propriety as a central tenet to their Calvinist ethic and had a disdain for excessive ostentation (which they associated with Italian Baroque and Catholic manner). While the growing middle class still sought ways to announce their success and newly acquired status, they favored small, low-key works. Although a tulip is a simple thing, paying an exorbitant price for it is not. Alas, not long after the tulip mania, the tulip market crashed. The downward spiral began in Haarlem, at a routine bulb auction whena buyer refused to show up and pay. Within days, panic spread across the country—andpanic was something that traders could not suppress or control, despite their efforts to prop up demand (no public trust in market=problem). It was too late, and the market for tulips had evaporated.
*the Dutch Golden Age (unit connection) spanned the 17th century and during this time Dutch trade, science, and art were among the most acclaimed in the world (in part because of strategic location and religious tolerance)
As the EU essay mentioned, in the aftermath of the war, there were several factors that contributed to the goal of establishing greater European cooperation. For the French, cooperation would be a means for keeping an eye on its tradition enemy, Germany. There was also a growing sense that economic cooperation was needed to end fruitless competition and ease tensions between nations. The threat of the Soviet Union was also an impetus for unity. The essay could have also included some of the negative effects of joining the European community to balance out the positives. For example, on one hand, joining the EU means more freedom to travel, study, and work (anywhere in the EU). On the other hand, some less well-off countries, like Latvia for example, suffer demographically because of these freedoms; since the pay is higher in other (wealthier) countries, and Latvia cannot match these conditions, the young workforce is leaving in large numbers and, odds are, will not come back. The flooding of Europe with cheaper labor also has a negative consequence on regular labor within Europe. In addition, the cost of living in Latvia and in other, less stable countries went up rapidly due to the standardization of European pricesyet salaries have not caught up; furthermore, in the aforementioned countries, pensionsare rising atdisproportionately slower rates and wideningsocietal gaps.
Although the connections to enlightenment ideals and the establishment of the Risorgimento were a good start to the Italian Unification essay, a more than a passing mention of Cavour would have better completed the picture. Giuseppe Mazzini and his leading pupil, Giuseppe Garibaldi, failed in their attempt to create an Italy united by democracy; it was Cavour who, using the tools of realpolitik, united Italy. Cavour employed the principle of realpolitik— notion that politics must be conducted in terms of self-interest of individual nation-states and a realistic assessment of their power. He sided with the British and French side of the Crimean War, using the peace conference to give international publicity to the cause of Italian unification. Cavour allied with France when necessary and with France's enemy, Prussia, when necessary. Cavour alone understood the relationship between national and international events, and was thus able to manipulate foreign policy for his own ends, thereby helping to bring the eventual unification of Italy to fruition.
* Italian Unification/the beginnings (unit connection) + effective leadership/ realpolitik