11/8/08

11/8/08

 

We looked at Enlightenment paintings, such as the Death of Socrates by Jacques Louis David. This is an Enlightenment painting because it shows that ideas are more important than a human’s life, and Socrates died for his ideas. We also looked at another painting by Jacques Louis David, which had three gladiators saluting a man. It showed that it was alright for people to die and not be afraid of death, and they were sacrificing themselves for entertainment, and that death was necessary for enlightenment. We looked at painting by Delacroix called Liberty Leading to Victory, where a lady is leading liberty, and holding the French flag, showing the French Revolution. The dead people where the people, who stood against liberty- which were the monarchs. We saw a painting by Francisco de Goya, who drew the noble family, where the painting had many shadows, and there was a big shadow to the left so you couldn’t see many of the faces. Certain people were looking away, and the Queen drew the most attention in the whole picture. Another one of his showed Napoleon’s army killing the Spanish Resistance. We saw a painting of Saturn eating his kid, which represented the tyrannical rule.

We then talked about Europe and other forms of government in the world. The Europeans liked the rational ideas of China. They liked the scholars, the knowledge, and the art the Chinese possessed. They approved of Confucianism, Enlightened Despotism, and the absolute power. They disapproved the use of torture and the hindrance of liberty. In Japan, the Europeans found the peace, the Authoritative government, and the value of nature appealing. They found the despotism unattractive. In India, the Europeans found Sanskrit attractive. They liked how it was similar to Latin and how they probably shared a father language. They liked the lack of importance of religion, and the age of the Indian civilization. They disliked the empire and the social hierarchy. For the Ottomans, they liked the education, the hygiene, and the institutions. They also liked their economy, and the religious tolerance, and the respect of the law. They disliked that the people had to fear the Sultan, the docility of the subjects, and the form of government.