Introduction To The Visual Arts Essays - Byzantine Art, Mosaic

Introduction To The Visual Arts Essays - Byzantine Art, Mosaic Introduction to the Visual Arts Throughout history art has played an intricate role in society's perception of life. Art is used as form of expressionism be it physical or emotional, religious or the mockery of religion. The birth of new artistic eras were due to the technological advancements of the world. Below are a few examples of works of art that from different era in our humanity. Francisco de Stefano's, named Pesellino during the renaissance, A Miracle of Saint Silvester is a scene representative of an episode of Saint Silvester's life who was pope during the reign of Constantine the Great. Originally this work forms the lower portion of an altarpiece. The scene may be recognized as showing the miracle by which the Pope Saint Silvester convinced Helen, the mother of the emperor Constantine, that her son's conversion to Christianity was justifiable. Saint Silvester is shown bringing back to life a bull that had been killed by a Jewish Doctor, who had argued for his faith. Witnessing this godly act all present at this scene were converted to Christianity. Helen is seen enthroned under the right hand loggia, the Emperor under the left hand, while the Jewish pagans witness the miracle. Pesellino uses rich colors that entice the spectators' attention, which was common during the Renaissance. The use of orange, blue, and gold allows the artist to draw the spectators attention to what he feels is imperative within the work. Pesellino composes with an extremely finished style which is apparent with the detail used in the facial features as well as the gold trim that is which is shown on all present within the work. This style of painting opened the door for many artists who followed. Andrea Del Sarto's Saint John the Baptist only one of few paintings in America composed by Del Sarto. He composed this work of the patron saint of Florence at the height of his artistic career. The harmonious balance composition, delicate modeling, and glowing tonalities are hallmarks of his artistic style. The graceful design and blending of rich colors reflect the idealized style of the High Renaissance. He also uses Christian and classical traditions such as the portrayal of a coarse hair shirt, pointing hand, and reed cross are representative of Jesus Christ. The use of light on the right arm and pointing hand draws the spectator to focus attention to the cross symbolizing Christ. The use of analogous colors, red and green gives the spectator a genuine portrayal of human skin and stimulates our eyes. The use of golden halo and ivy reef alludes to Bacchus, who was considered a pagan antetype of both Christ and the Baptist during the Renaissance. The late Roman Hunting Scene is mosaic that was escavated from Antioch in three pieces of pavement. The sheer size of this work is breath taking, 20 ft. 6.25 inches X 23 ft. 9.75 inches. The mosaic depicts the hunting of dangerous game, an aristocratic pastime which is represented throughout Roman work. At first glance from a distance one may mistake the pavement to be a carpet. At the center position is a hunter surrounded by animals in a pattern that doesn't clutter the mosaic. The animals are portrayed more naturalistic than the humans and were used to fill the voids in the mosaic. The tiles are arranged in an arching motion, which gives the illusion of movement to the spectator. Hunters on foot and horseback attack a variety of animals that are highly placed with in the animal kingdom. There is a sense of grotesqueness due to the portrayal of blood with in the mosaic. The hunters seem to consider their conquests as sporty due to their facial expressions. The hunters dress in a He llenistic style. Mosaics were produced by workshops consisting of mastercraftsmen and apprentices. Mosaicists painted or scored the basic designs ad figures into the wet surface. Tesserae were then laid onto a thin bed of sort mortar. Once the entire floor was finished, the surface was polished with an abrasive stone and fine sand. An excellent piece of architecture is the Chapter House from west central France. It served the purpose of prayer, study, and reflection. The gothic style of the arches, which support the

Schmitz Surname Meaning and Family History

Schmitz Surname Meaning and Family History The surname Schmitz is an occupational surname for blacksmith or metalworker, from the German word schmied or the Danish smed. In some cases it was used as a patronymic form of Schmidt, meaning son of Schmidt. See also the surnames SCHMIDT and SMITH. SCHMITZ  is the 24th most common German surname. Surname Origin:  German, Danish Alternate Surname Spellings:   SCHMID, SCHMITT, SCHMIDT Famous People with the Surname SCHMITZ: James Henry Schmitz - American science fiction writerJupp Schmitz  - German musician and entertainerBruno Schmitz - German architectJohannes Andreas Schmitz - 17th century Dutch physicianE. Robert Schmitz - Franco-American pianist and composerLeonhard Schmitz - German-born classical scholar and educator Where is the SCHMITZSurname Most Common? The SCHMITZ surname today is most prevalent in Germany, according  to surname distribution from  Forebears, where it ranks as the 25th most common surname. It is more common  based on population percentage, however, in the small country of Luxembourg, where it is the 6th most common last name. According to  WorldNames PublicProfiler, Schmitz  is extremely common throughout the country of Luxembourg, especially in the Diekirch region.  It is also especially frequent in the Nordrhein-Westfalen and Rheinland-Pfalz regions of Germany. Surname maps from Verwandt.de also indicate Schmitz is most common in western Germany, in places such as Cologne, Rhein-Seig-Kreis, Rhein-Erft-Kreis, Rhein-Kreis Neuss, Euskirchen,  Dà ¼ren, Aachen, Viersen,  Mà ¶nchengladbach and  Dà ¼sseldorf. Genealogy Resources for the Surname SCHMITZ German Surnames - Meanings and OriginsUncover the meaning of your German last name with this guide to the origins of German surnames and the meanings of the top 50 most common  German surnames. Schmitz  Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Schmitz  family crest or coat of arms for the Schmitz surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. Smith DNA ProjectOver 2,400 individuals with the Smith surname- including variations such as Schmidt, Smythe, Smidt and Schmitz- have joined this DNA project to use DNA in combination with genealogy research to sort out over 220 distinct groups of Smith descendants. Schmitz  Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Schmitz  surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Schmitz query. FamilySearch - SCHMITZ  GenealogyExplore over 5.5 million results from digitized  historical records and lineage-linked family trees related to the Schmitz  surname on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. SCHMITZ  Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Schmitz  surname. DistantCousin.com - SCHMITZ  Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Schmitz. GeneaNet - Schmitz  RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Schmitz  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. The Schmitz  Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Schmitz  surname from the website of Genealogy Today.   - References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997. Back toGlossary of Surname Meanings Origins