Universal Ethics

While it’s a loaded question, I definitely believe in universal ethics. There are things that exist in every culture that are unacceptable. They are things that violate others and reach beyond one’s self. They are universal because they are intrinsic in the human psyche. They are things that we know are wrong, that we know hurt others. They are most likely evident in all forms of life, whether here on Earth or not. In the animal world, the same universal ethics apply-- don’t kill my cubs, steal my food, or try to cheat me. They exist for the good of all life and if they did not exist the world would be a terrifying place.
There are similarities between universal ethics of different cultures because all beings are born with the same basic set of beliefs. They spring from things being done to us and those around us. We notice unconsciously that we do not like it when someone steals our crayon and in the future we should avoid making others feel that way. We know that it is bad enough when a family member or close friend dies, the situation does not need to be made worse by learning that they were murdered. We all hold these beliefs inside us, and those who do not are mentally unstable.
The moral/ethical principles that are currently universal are very basic:                                            
1. Don't kill.
2. Don't steal.
3. Don't cheat.
4. Don't lie.
5. Treat those who cannot properly take care of themselves with respect (children, the elderly, the disabled, etc.)

I think in the future with the advent of technology these principles will start to tweak slightly, as privacy becomes a precious commodity-- but the basic principles will stay the same.

Making Sense of Chaotic Compositions



Everything is beginning to click into place. I have formulated a thesis that I believe will give my paper a consistent drive, and have begun writing. The rough draft will, of course, be very rough, but I am confident that I have a good understanding of Magritte as an artist, his motives behind his work, and his influence on later artists as well as those who influenced him. I do need a bit more information to fulfill the required amount of sources, and I think I will collect some concerning the Surrealist movement to add context to my paper. I will provide analysis of a few of his major works, and focus the paper on what makes so much of his work memorable: his ability to mystify us by manipulating the familiar and creating a desire within us to understand a meaning beyond the present image.

Magritte: Critique and Criticism



The second book that I have read is also called Magritte, written by Bernard Noel. When first starting it, I thought that I may have made a bad choice and picked up a book not only similar in name to the last, but also similar in content. However, as I read further I found it to be quite the opposite. Noel wrote about Magritte’s paintings with criticism, deeply analyzing and critiquing, and always returning to one specific example, Hegel’s Vacation. This provides me with another viewpoint concerning the artist, not contradicting the last author but challenging her, and will help in forming a well-researched opinion, and in turn, a better paper.

Noel dealt with analysis and criticism of the paintings, questioning their subject and style. With Hegel’s Vacation, featuring an umbrella balancing a glass of water on its top, he writes about the simplicity of the subjects and the irony in the composition, and if the viewer should take the painting at face value or look for further representation of something else. Magritte compositions were designed to invoke a sense of mystery and desire for meaning beyond the mash-up of random objects in unrelated settings.

Magritte



I have just finished reading Magritte, written by Suzi Gablik. The book covered much analysis of Magritte’s work, explanation of his style and purpose, and included both images of his paintings as well as quotations from the artist himself.

 Not knowing much about him before reading, aside from seeing a few examples of his art, and his association with the surrealist movement, it was particularly interesting for me to read about the purpose behind creating these images. Magritte’s artwork challenged all societal preconceptions of common sense. He took simple, familiar subjects, and changed or combined them in ways that are completely unfamiliar to the viewer. For example: wooden figures resembling chess pieces or table legs would take the place of trees or people.  My favorites had an “inside-outside” theme: a background scene framed by a window would be continued or repeated onto a painted canvas containing the same image in the foreground.

Viewers would look for symbolism in Magritte’s paintings, but whatever was found wasn’t there by intent. Magritte desired to simply mystify by rearranging or transforming what had always been known. As Gublik writes “A person who only looks for what he wants in a painting will never find that which transcends his preferences. But, if one has been trapped by the mystery of an image which refuses all explanation, a moment of panic will sometimes occur. These moments of panic are what count for Magritte. For him they are privileged moments, because they transcend mediocrity.”

This is fascinating for me to read about, as someone who also creates art and attempts to mimic surrealism. We’ll see what else I find in the next book.

Starting Over



I am changing the topic of my research paper to focus on art. Like Kasey, I will be researching surrealism, but specifically focusing on the artist Renee Magritte, his life, and his approach to his work. In my AP Art class I have been working on a Concentration of 12 pieces under the theme of Dreams and Nightmares, working with surrealism to create images that might convey the sort of disconnected feeling with reality that one has after waking. I am hoping that my research of Magritte will help with both my understanding of surrealism as well as my Concentration.

Ottoman update

     Well, my paper is starting to slowly form itself together. Right now I'm a few paragraphs deep into it and it's coming along surprisingly well. For instance, I got a nice intro, a good overview of ottoman history, and I am currently working on forming paragraphs about the Green Mosque and the Great Mosque, two buildings that I found show the most Ottoman architectural influence. I know, too, that only talking about mosques wouldn't be very interesting, so I am deciding that I will include a caravan outposts, bridges, and perhaps maybe one of their many luxurious palaces. I also really want to include the Hagia Sophia too, but I feel as though it would veer me off course because, in my opinion, it has much stronger Byzantine ties than Ottoman. Yet, I know I should to explain how the Ottomans changed monuments into Muslim buildings.

     Apart from  working on my research paper, I realize I need to find more sources. This has been quite difficult because very few books are made about Turkish architecture. I was fortunate enough to find one book about it and derive other information from a story which is based on the siege of Constantinople. Nonetheless, I have found some good sites called sciencedirect.com and geoscienceworld.com where it lists a ton of articles on Turkish monuments today. Though it focuses more on the longitivity and functions of the building, I hope to still use some of that information in my paper. Apart from that, I am thinking that there must be a documentary on my topic and I am wondering if I should look into renting one. 

    All in all, my project is going along steadily. The only main problem I have with it is the fact that I am low on sources. I am enjoying working on it, however. I find it to be quite a compelling learning experience and I enjoy sharing my knowledge that I have gained. I hope that my paper turns put well all in all and look forward to sharing it.

Closer Look at Kahlo

As I've gathered more and more information about Frida Kahlo, I'm finding it hard to give my paper direction. There are many ways and facts/stories I could share about her but and it's hard to form a clear thesis with so many things I want to get across. What I did do was look at some critiques of her paintings and analyze more about what influences from her life made her create the art. One of her most famous pieces was "The Two Fridas" which shows on one side Kahlo in a white (possibly wedding) dress and on the right her in traditional mexican wear. Both of their hearts are shown with veins running until they finally meet one another. After further research I found out she painted this right after divorcing Rivera and I think it is a reflection of the separation between the part of her that was influenced by him and loves him and the parts that are totally separate. I think it was extremely brave of her to paint her feelings so clearly for the world to see.
My Wet Nurse and I is also another very interesting piece that gives further insight into Kahlo's personal life. Because her mother got pregnant again right after giving birth to her, Frida was breastfed by a native indian wet nurse. The picture depicts a baby Kahlo with her adult head being fed by her wet nurse who has a mask on because she couldn't remember what she looked like. The relationship seems to be very cold and it also hints at the fact that Kahlo had to grow up very quickly and may have thought she never really had a childhood. This paper is definitely going to be hard but when it's done I know I will have learned a lot! P.S. I tried to put the two pictures below but it wouldn't let me add a link :(