Picasso's Works at Metropolitan Museum of Art Essay

Picasso's Works at Metropolitan Museum of Art - Essay Example The essay "Picasso's Works at Metropolitan Museum of Art" explores the famous museum and analyze Pablo Picasso's artworks. Spanish-born artist Pablo Picasso is One of the undisputed masters of modern art. His initial Blue Period of 1901-04 is marked by the monochromatic focus on that particular color and subject-matters defined by ‘a particular cast of characters: lonely, suffering, poverty-stricken outcasts from society’. This morphed into the brightened tones of the Rose Period lasting two years, which featured the first appearance of circus performers in his paintings. Yet a transitory revolution was on its way, sparked by his association with Braque, whom he met upon moving to Paris. By 1910, Analytical Cubism was erupting, defined by the pictorial deconstruction of an object to produce a conceptual (as oppose to perceptual) image of an object. After two more years came Synthetic Cubism, with its revolutionary collages. After World War I Picasso broke with Braque and began moving towards Surrealism. The significance of this cannot be underestimated, as ‘the Surrealist movement moved Picasso in a direction including new imagery and vocabulary for emotional expression, and he incorporate violence, psychic fears, and eroticism in his works’. This is the period of the painting hung before me at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1934’s Girl Reading at a Table. Color is my first impression—the warmth of the red, orange and yellow against a black background with hints of blue and green. A woman with white skin and hair and an elaborate green garland around her head is reading at a tall and simple table. One feather-esque hand touches her face while the other secures the book that so thoroughly captures her attention. Her fair skin features slight echoes of pink on her cheeks and neck, and her head is at such an angle that her pale hair falls before her eyes. Also on the desk is an amorphic yellow lamp and a tall and curving po tted plant in a brown container rises from the ground. This still thriving plant and the wreath adorning her hair bring a form of nature inside this space. Although the contents of the room are compressed within the frame of the painting, there is no awkwardness in the composition. The straight table legs are wonderfully offset by the gorgeously flowing lines of the red and orange dress as well as the plant and the yellow light flowing from the small lamp that brightens the dark night scene. Yet there is something young about this woman at the oversized reading table, and that is

Leases Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Leases - Essay Example IAS 17 has undergone many revisions in the past to improve its application. However, even with all the amendments and revisions, it still has some issues that cause problems in its application in accounting for leases. The purpose of IAS 17 is to classify leases and provide the policies to guide how a firm treats leases in its financial statements. The standard has a few exceptions concerning some lease agreements. Some assets are also not part of the standard, therefore, their recognition and treatment do not fall within the standard. For the leases and assets that qualify within the standard, classification divides them into finance and operating leases (IFRS, 2013a, p.771). The determination of the class of a lease as either a finance lease or an operating lease is at the commencement of the lease agreement. IAS 17.4 defines the two classes of leases giving their characteristics. The substance of the transaction, as opposed to the form, determines whether a lease is a finance or operating lease (IFRS, 2013a, p.772). The treatment and accounting for the two classes of leases differs. The lessee recognizes operating leases as an expense. The lease payments appear in the income statement as an exp ense over the lease term and follow a straight-line basis. The lessor recognizes assets under lease in the balance sheet. The income statement of the lessor recognizes the lease income on a straight-line basis. As for finance leases, their accounting involves recognition both as an asset and liability in the books of the lessee. The value to appear in the books is either the asset’s fair value or the present value of the minimum lease payments, whichever is lower. The lessee also accounts for the depreciation of the asset in accordance with the existing depreciation policies and apportions lease payments between the reduction of the outstanding liability and the finance charge. On the lessor’s books, the accounting for a

China Economic Report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

China Economic Report - Research Paper Example ration or conflict, how the country has adjusted to period of G-Zero world, behavior of its policy with the changing geopolitics of energy, and how diaspora groups of China affect the country’s economic development remain disturbing to many analysts. Therefore, answers to these questions require deep and lengthy journey into China’s domestic and foreign policy, economic reforms, and international development, politics and military aspects. Evaluation of China’s policies makes one to conclude that developments and economic progress top as key priorities China would want to pursue, both in domestic and foreign environment (Norway’s Embassy and Consulate General Para. 3). As a result, the country’s effort has been directed at ensuring there is domestic social stability as well as regional and international political stability. China makes every effort to isolate itself from conflict that might threaten or endanger its economic development policy, thus the country ‘appreciates’ cooperation ties although its commitment to cooperation agreements and ties continue to be questionable (Norway’s Embassy and Consulate General Para. 3). An overview of China’s activities and strategies convinces one that the country has increased its engagement and interdependence with the outside world, although general suspicion of its partners persists. Indeed, this perception can be associated to China’s growing military might and the potential threat it poses. In summary, it can be stated that China has accelerated its efforts to change its foreign policy based on the sole aim to convince international community that it remains a responsible actor on the international arena (Central Asia-Caucasus Institute Para. 2). China continues to integrate in the global world of economy, political and cultural relations but the extent, quality, and quantity of these relations remain a matter of debate. China as usual remains cautious and alert in pursuing its global integration.

Genre Text Essay Example for Free

Genre Text Essay When you think of the term ‘genre’, what does it exactly mean to you? Well I’m sure it’s without a doubt that you all commonly believe it constitutes either a kind or category of text, but in actual fact does it really? Good morning Year 11. The prime focus of your studies during the HSC course next year, I’m going to discuss how the genre of crime fiction has extended through time, whereby a variety of notions and characteristics exhibited throughout a text may either reinforce, challenge or extend on genre parameters. So what is genre then? Although genre is quite difficult to define, there are numerous interpretations of the term since the confines between genres are constantly evolving due to changing values. As Daniel Chandler states, â€Å"defining genres may not initially seem particularly problematic but it should already be apparent that it’s a theoretical minefield. † However, Jane Feuer believes â€Å"genre is ultimately an abstract conception. † These critics therefore prove that yes, while it may be easy to classify a text to a particular genre, we must understand genre as a concept that can apply to varying applications rather than its fundamental relevance to a text. In saying this, as changing contexts and values have developed over time, resulting in new-found conventions, I’ve come to agree with Stephen Neale’s understanding; â€Å"Genres are instances of repetition and difference difference is absolutely essential to the economy of genre. † (Neale, 1980). This my friends, effectively reflects constant changing cultural values and attitudes in our social milieu, don’t you think? Hence, my aim today is to focus on the conventions of the genre of crime fiction and how they have been recreated in a number of ways to reflect the social and cultural aspects that are dynamic to their survival within the popularity of a text. As Neale further suggests, â€Å"genres exist to assist in shaping values. † Subsequently, I will discuss how and why Alfred Hitchcock’s film Rear window and Tom Stoppard’s play The Real Inspector Hound have re-worked and extended upon crime conventions prevalent in crime writing through genre, often defying audience expectations in one way or another. As a result, Rear Window highlights and expands upon the cosy conventions of its contemporary society by paralleling the post-war issues of voyeurism and women and subverting them, reflected through its social milieu. The Real Inspector Hound also utilises cosy conventions but parodies them instead, challenging the classical Golden Age’s ‘whodunit’ storyline in a satiric way, so as to query the restoration of justice and the idea of reality vs. allusion. Thus, whilst both texts seek to extend and challenge crime conventions, they also serve to explore society’s human conditions and issues at the time in order to become seminal texts of the genre. Directed in 1954, Hitchcock’s Rear Window reinforces the fact that very few works exemplify all required characteristics of a particular genre, by cleverly breaking the ideal conventions of a suspenseful circumstance in a crime fiction text. The film is rather based around the notion of both solving the crime and proving that it happened. Rear Window further revolves around the concepts of the changing roles of women and queries the morality of voyeurism. Such notions reflect the contextual concerns of the post-war era where a revolutionary social change was clearly prevalent in society, thus endangering the traditional gender restrictions marked by WW2. Through the mis-en-scene of Jeff holding his camera looking outside the window as blinds are swiftly raised to reveal vignettes of apartments, it’s evident that a didactic message outlining the unethicalness of voyeurism is contained within Rear Window. As voyeurism further exposes hidden worlds within the film, Hitchcock manages to reflect upon American society through each of these blocks acting as a microcosm. But it stops there. Quite similarly to our other text The Real Inspector Hound, Hitchcock withdraws from typical crime conventions by not showing the occurrence of the crime itself. This was due to growing conflict between the conservative American government and growing acceptance to sexuality by society at the time, as a result of censorship on films. The concept of voyeurism is cleverly employed by Hitchcock via subverting a cosy setting, a convention to reflect the concept of McCarthyism where there was a fracturing of society due to the paranoia of communism, which was most prominent during the Golden Age. This is illustrated as the camera pans across Jeff’s apartment, focusing on his photography tools and emphasising his infatuation for observing life. Thus, Jeff’s dilemma of being entrapped in his apartment persuades him to do â€Å"something drastic† to remove him â€Å"out of the swamp of boredom,† which metaphorically foreshadows his forthcoming hobby of spying on his neighbours. I’m certain you all must think he’s strange, but the aspect of social insecurity and fear at the time was what Hitchcock was seeking to embody. Where spying begins as an innocent obsession, it soon becomes a neurotic effort to prove Thorwald’s criminal actions. Therefore, after the growing tension depicted through continual panning shots, Jeff takes action which exposes clues in Thorwald’s apartment. However, the consequences of voyeurism are made apparent through the non diagetic sound and quick motion of Jeff falling out the window. Hitchcock hence questions the moral ambiguity of voyeurism due to society’s fear of maintaining social order, by focusing on the depraved aspect of society becoming â€Å"a race of peeping toms. † Despite changing perceptions of females in the workforce, how exactly did Lisa become an amateur detective and femme fatale, whilst presenting the evolving independance and roles of women? In actual fact, Hitchcock broke a key crime convention – there must only be one detective! A high angle shot first characterises Jeff as bound to his wheel chair, and the cast around his injured leg is symbolic of the identity boundary he endures. Consequently, Jeff is left helpless, a frequent motif that’s prevalent throughout the film in which Jeff is metaphorically incapable of embracing his male dominance, hoping to â€Å"emerge from his plaster cocoon. † Thus when Lisa emerges, the dark lighting and shadows surrounding her signifies Jeff’s intimidation, as men were startled by the role of women in the post-war period. By having Jeff restricted at home in a feminised position, Hitchcock underpins Lisa as the amateur sleuth, sustained through her constant dominance over Jeff within the framing. Hitchcock further challenges the authority of women in crime fiction as femme-fatales, whereby negative connotations strengthen the presence of conceited masculinity. Yet Lisa’s strong persona and sheer determination leads to her fatal participation in â€Å"the next assignment,† exhibited in the panning tracking shot of her investigating Thorwald’s apartment, underlining Lisa’s unusual role as a detective and the film’s conclusion of restoration. Subsequently, Hitchcock illustrates the development of crime conventions by challenging traditional crime conventions, via representing the shift in the growing independence and role of women in society, by maintaining both genders as main detectives. Thus, Rear Window not only reinforces and extends upon crime genre parameters, but also reflects society’s changing values, hence explaining why it’s considered a critical crime fiction text even today. Unlike Hitchcock who reinvented some crime writing rules, Stoppard completely goes against them. Whilst Stoppard experiments with the classical Golden Age crime conventions, the crime genre is seen to continuously mirror society’s changing attitude and values. In successfully challenging the audience to interpret whether the perceived distinction between what is real and an allusion in crime is essential, Stoppard also leads them to question the restoration of justice. The perceived distinction between reality and allusion is no longer relevant in today’s post-modern world as it was in the Golden Age, due to changing societal expectations, like Stoppard suggests. He breaks traditional conventions, as the margins of a play-within-a-play have been intersected, demonstrating the blurring of reality. Whilst Rear Window uses a cosy setting to depict society’s issues, Stoppard instead parodies it to demonstrate that a crime isn’t always within its confines, and hence defies crime conventions to outline the irrationality of society. The cosy method of contrivance supports this, being parodied through Mrs. Drudge’s absurd dialogue about the â€Å"somewhat isolated Muldoon Manor, which is surrounded by deadly swamps and fog. † Thus Stoppard criticises S. S Van Dine’s code where â€Å"the detective himself† â€Å"should never turn out to be the culprit,† by forwarding the murderous role onto Puckeridge, whom the audience come to learn as Inspector Hound and Magnus also. This is depicted in the final scene through an exaggerated climax of a string of revelations. For eg. â€Å"I am not the real Magnus Muldoon! It was a mere subterfuge. † Stoppard effectively emphasises the melodramatic and absurd situation of the play, by demonstrating multiple pauses and an overuse of explanation points in union with stage directions. Through a variety of dramatic devices, the distinction between reality and allusion is dissolved, as Stoppard denounces the lack of innovation and irrelevancy of crime fiction conventions. Society is further challenged by Stoppard to query the relevancy of the nature of truth and justice within the traditional crime fiction genre. So must there always be a hero within the context of the text? The authorities within the play are not central figures, just like the police aren’t in Rear Window, as justice isn’t achieved. But whilst the police in Rear Window are idiotic, Inspector Hound doesn’t even convey detective traits. Alternatively, Inspector Hound is continuously ridiculed through stage directions. For eg. He is wearing â€Å"inflatable swamp boots and carrying a foghorn,† in his entrance. Therefore, The Real Inspector Hound has eloquently challenged the conventions of crime fiction, leading the play to become a significant crime fiction text as it crucially contributes to the revolution of crime over time. In summation, it’s without a doubt that Hitchcock’s Rear Window skilfully challenges the conventions of crime fiction in such a way that classifies the film as unlike your traditional crime film, as he endeavoured to reflect the cultural values of the post-war era. Moreover, Stoppard also extended upon genre parameters in The Real Inspector Hound by satirising the classic conventions of characters and plot from the Golden Age, whereby he duplicated postmodernist beliefs at a point where it was seen as time for change. Thus, both texts have grown to become seminal crime fiction texts, by cleverly reinventing already established crime conventions in numerous ways.

Relationship Between Social Policy And Welfare

Relationship Between Social Policy And Welfare Social policy may be described in two ways. Primarily, social policy is seen to have a direct impact on individuals and groups of people. Secondly, Social policy is an academic subject to be researched. Social Policy may be defined as the developing and implementing measures to combat social problems in society, and to the academic study of these measures and their broader social context (Alcock, Erskine, and May, 2002:240). Baldock, Manning, and Bickerstaff (2007: xxi.) describe a social policy as the states deliberate involvement to redistribute resources amongst its citizens so as to achieve a welfare objective. Social policies affect a wide range of people, whether it is at an individual level or regards to communities. According to Spicker (2008:1) social policies have to concentrate on several issues including housing, health, education, social security and employment. The development of Social policies and their implementation have a direct impact on the social welfare of everyone in the society. Social welfare refers to the various social arrangements that are in place to meet the needs of individuals and groups in society, with the hope to tackle social problems. According to Fitzpatrick (2001:5) social policy aims to maximize welfare and minimize diswelfare and he states that there are six main perspectives on welfare: happiness, security, preferences, needs, desert, and relative comparisons. There are numerous texts that exist around the issue of policy formation and its contested relationship with the effects of the policies implementation on the welfare of those it aims to target. This essay aims to provide an overview of the evolution of social policy, legislation and practice in relation to child welfare in Irleand. Relation to an Aspect of Irish Policy Hill and Hupe stated that Implemenation inevitably takes different shapes and forms in different cultures and institutional settings(2006:2). This section of the essay will examine some of the relationship between social policy and child welfare in Ireland from the 1940s up to the present day. Children Allowance and Health Care: Perphaps one of the most signisifcant social policy developments regarding child welfare was in introduction of Childrens Allowance in 1944. However, the initial implemention of the Act included serveral discrepancies, thus it did not benefit the welfare of all the communitiy. For example, initially the payment was only availabe to families with three or more children. Means testing meant that many families were elimanted from the possible social welfare they deserved. Simliarly, in 1950, Noel Browne introduced the Mother and Child Scheme. He hoped that this would overcome many of the elements that infringed the rights of people in regards to the Childrens allowance. However, both the Catholic church and the medical profession opposed hes scheme in fear that state run and free medical care would go against their hierachy. With Browns later resignation,the hope of his scheme being fully implented collapsed. Burke (2005:29) stated that the controversy over the mother and child scheme h as profound effecs on the developement of social policy in this country. The power struggle between the church and the state most definelty lead to diswelfare among citizens. Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse: Society has a challenging task of protecting children. Societies need to employ several ways in which they can achieve this, for example, social, economic, moral, legal and environmental. In the mid 1990s, The Law Reform Commission recommended the introduction of mandatory reporting of child abuse. The matter of mandatory reporting is one of complexity which has implications not only for childrens welfare but also families, workers and the state. One of the main advantages of the implemenation of such a system was the hope that it would empower proffesionals to report abuse. Above all else it was prodicted that this would secure consistency and would provide a basis for better statistical evidence. However, disadvantages included the danger of over reporting of cases using scarce resources. There was great variety of options about the mandatory reporting of child abuse. Many argued for an immediate introduction of mandatory reporting of child abuse as it was seen as a means of protecting children( ACT Legislative Assembly: nd) and their welfare. However, others believed it would divert the already scarce resources from programs that delivered assistance to families and at risk children. For example, Lipsky (1980) beleived that scarcity of resources leads to street- level bureaucracies being consistently criticized for their inability to implement policies which are related to the areas they work in thus leading to diswelfare in many cases. After much debate, the government decided against the introduction of mandatory reporting on the basis that it was not in the childrens best interests and welfare. The scarcity of resources combined with the complex relationship between proffesionals and clients made it unrealistic. Legislative Framework Governing the Implementation of Childcare Policy: The Children Act of 1908 and the Health Act 1953 and 1957 were replaced by the Child Care Act 1991 and the Children Act 2001 as the primary statutory framework for the care and control of children in Ireland. Among many provisions, the main aim of the Act according to O Sullivan (2009:251) is the placing of a statutory duty on health boards to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection. In the period following the passing of the childrens act in 1991, many attempts were made to standardise procedures and practises in the area of childcare services. For exmaple, the Report of the Killkenny Incest Enquiry in 1993 evidently highlighted that guidelines were not being used and many workers were not even aware of there existence. However, in 1995, new guidelines on The Notification of Suspected Cases of Child Abuse Between Healthboards and Gardai were issued and aimed at standardising the cases between the two agencies. This was a step forward for ma ximising the welfare of children. In 1999, in the Publication of Children First; National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children were introduced to improve proffesional practise and thus improving the welfare of children. It highlighted the importance of consistency between policies and procedures. Unlike guidelines before it, Children First was built upon a set of principles which included participation by parents/carers and children in conferences and the development of child protection plans. These guidelines were valuable as they provided a framework for practise, meaning that proffessionals are accountable for their actions. In 2002, Buckley made a warning of the dangers of an over regulated system, as she believed it may lead to discretion and therapeutical skills being replaced by adminstrative management and regulation. In 2003 The Social Services Inspectorate was asked to monitor the implementation of the guidelines, however, while some aspect of the report were postivie,it was concluded that the progress in realtion to Garda/health board cooperation, the child protection committees and planning for family support services was inadequate O Sullivan (2009:257) Confusion surrounding the implementation of this policy still exists. Conculsion: This essay has attempted to summarise and give a critical analysis of certain social policy in Ireland and their relationship with childrens Welfare. As illustrated in the above examples, the in most cases policies may be developed with the hope to benefit and increase the welfare of children but unless they are implemented correctly the policies may lead to diswelfare.

Thesis Essay -- essays papers

Thesis The purpose of this research paper is to investigate the effectiveness of character education programs and how technology can be used to enhance student learning about character education. According to Laura and Malcolm Gauld (2002)" For families, educators, corporations, and communities, the biggest job we'll ever have is nothing less than a new paradigm for reconnecting education with core values." (p.1) The world of education is at a place where they are placing extreme importance on teaching our students values. This paper will discuss the true meaning of character education, give ideas on how to incorporate character education, and give examples of technology that is helping this process. Items such as the computer blocking software and parental controls will be explained. All of these things will make up what character education means to our students and schools. Defining Character Education Before we discuss methods of character education we must first define the term. Many sources define character education as different things but all reach one general view. In the book, Bringing a New Era in Character Education Damon (2002) says, â€Å"there are two themes needed in character education today. The first is a consensus that fundamental moral standards must be passed along to the young and that educators at all levels bear a serious obligation to transmit these core standards to their students†¦The second theme that emerges from this volume is a shared determination to get rid of sterile old oppositions that have paralyzed even some of the best efforts in this field over the past decade.†(p.11) Damon’s view is a summary of the definition of all those involved in character education. The goal of character educa... ...orporate character education into the classroom. Damon, W. (Ed.). (2002). Bringing in a new era in character education. Stanford, CA: Hoover Press. This book shows different peoples pint of views on what character education is and how they maintain it in their classrooms. Frieman, B. (2001). Children at risk. New York: McGraw-Hill. This book discusses different way children are at risk in the classroom and how to help them if they are at risk. Gauld, L., & M. Gauld. (2002). The biggest job we'll ever have. New York: Simon and Schuster. This book talks about the fact that teaching our children how to be good people is the hardest and most important job we will ever have. Steyer, J. (2002). The other parent. New York: Atria Books. The book by Steyer talks about how technology such has television and computers are parenting America’s children.

Quentin Tarentino Essay -- Auteur Quentin Tarentino Films Movies Essay

Quentin Tarentino   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout the many years the film industry has grown, a certain type of filmmaker immerged, known as an auteur. An auteur, usually a director, has a strong personal style and exercises creative control over his or her works. Quentin Tarentino, for example, has proven himself to be an auteur in various ways. Quentin Tarentino worked for four years as a clerk in a Los Angeles video store, where he made his feature directorial and screenwriting debut of Reservoir Dogs, and where he further expanded his great knowledge of film. Tarentino’s personal style incorporates a lot of well thought out violence, swearing, repetitive casting, and many other filming techniques. In looking at Reservoir Dogs, Jackie Brown, and Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarentino, we see the visual and stylistic similarities between the films that mark Quentin Tarentino as an auteur, and find that these similarities are shown through the intense violence, similar casting, and unique filming of each of these movie s.    Reservoir Dogs, shot in 1992, relays a story about a mastermind mob-boss, Joe, who assembles a gang of high-end criminals to pull off a jewelry store heist. As the movie begins, it becomes completely clear that the plan went wrong which forces the survivors, who meet in a warehouse, to try and figure out which one of them is a police informant. The crew, which consists of Mr. White, a veteran, Mr. Orange, the wounded â€Å"informant†, Mr. Pink, a squabbling criminal, Mr. Blonde, a crazy ex-con, and Nice Guy Eddie, Joe’s son. Eventually, all the criminals meet in the warehouse, and it all ends in a bloody Mexican standoff. Quentin Tarentino set this film within the heist genre of other films perfectly, yet managed to completely change around the way a heist is normally shot. This movie is completely exclusive to the other heist movies that have been filmed due to the way it is shot in reverse, with the story unfolding as the characters meet in the warehouse. Whereas othe r heist films are straightforward from the beginning. Throughout this film, the amount of violence runs rampant. For example, at the beginning of the movie Mr. Orange is being taken to the warehouse with a bullet in his stomach and stays with that bullet in his stomach throughout the whole movie, while he screams and passes out from all the pain. Another example of the intense violence that o... ...d it leads one to. Tarentino uses the tracking shots in his movies as a stylistic element to build up the suspense of a scene and to show the paranoia of the actors fulfilling the role. Although not explored, Tarentino uses the swearing of the gangsters/criminals to further display their roles in each movie. Yet, the actors and actresses that did not act as a criminal tended not to curse at all, which can be found interesting. To further extend Quentin Tarentino’s role as an auteur, he repeatedly uses the same actors, actresses, and objects in each movie. The characters in each movie learn that a life of crime leads to death and/or other bad situations. The audience learns that swearing is good, drugs are good, and movie cuts are cool. Just kidding. The audience learns that thinking before one’s actions and leading a clean lifestyle, will lengthen one’s life. In looking at Reservoir Dogs, Jackie Brown, and Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarentino, we see the visual and stylistic comparisons between the films that portray Quentin Tarentino as an auteur, and find that these comparisons are advocated through the severe violence, similar casting, and unique filming of each of these movies.