Time Traveling, Art Historian Book Chapters Essay

Time Traveling, Art Historian Book Chapters - Essay Example As I step into the machine, I think of the periods of time and the great works that will be there when I arrive. I took the greatest care in detail, the clothing prepared, my language skills perfectly honed to a time and place, as well as history can inform me, although I am sure things will not be fully as I expect them to be once I arrive. I sit into the contraption, its cold steel lying under its camouflage, an exterior that seems to be a wooden platform with a structure around it, resembling something of a small shack to be set down in out of the way alleys, calculated to exist, or within outlying avenues that support the nature of such a building. The shack would fool anyone who looked at it, its nature defined by its purpose. I step into the machine, the slight hum filling my ears and buzzing my senses as it begins to move through time. I have set the dials under the panel so that I will appear where I desire, and then stand in the center, closing my eyes because the feeling of moving through time disturbs my sight, a detail that most others do not feel when they are given the privilege of using the machine. I cannot wait to see this place, the time and moment that I have decided to enter Rome, her majesty impressive in the present, which will most likely impress me more in its past. My eyes shut, I let the hum move over me until it stills, and I assume that I have entered the right space and time, the slight strange clunk as I appear affirming the very human need for noise, something to announce to the rider that he or she has arrived. The sound, very much like the clicks on a computer as one touches the button, the noise created just to appease the user. Chapter One The Sistine Chapel I cautiously open the door, seeing that I have arrived in the alley as I expected, stepping out of the machine, I see that it looks very naturally, like a makeshift shack that was erected to temporarily house someone of no means from bits and scraps. I can see that it is n ot, but most people who would not know that it was there, would not think anything, or at least much, about its presence. As I take a breath, it feels like for a moment it is knocked from me as quickly as I breath in, the scent of the city foreign, both lacking something and feeling something added, my hand automatically coming up to cover my mouth as I try to adjust to the odor. The lack of automobiles assaults my senses as I draw in a breath, feeling it catch from its foreign taste as it hits the back of my throat. It takes a few minutes for me to be able to breath more easily, which then leads me to feel the discomfort of my clothing, heavy and cumbersome now that I am out of the air conditioned lab and in the air of the year 1511. As I step into the streets of Rome, I realize that more than just time changes from period to period. The air, the feel of the sun as it beats down to a still protected earth, the ozone layer still intact and providing filtration, all make a difference in the taste of life during that time period. Italy has that natural glow of amber, as if the olives have broken open and become airborne, and this is heavier and more beautiful than I have ever experienced in modern day Rome. I ache to see the countryside and experience its beauty, pure and whole before technology stripped it of its beauty, but I have a task that I must accomplish. I must see the Sistine Chapel before it was the Sistine Chapel and still the reconstructed Capella Magna, letting my eyes rest upon the newly painted

Examining The Importance Of CIO Surveys

Examining The Importance Of CIO Surveys Why do you think a CIO survey is important for the HMIS industry? Surveys of CIOs are important because the results promote an understanding and increased awareness of the HMIS industry. In a study conducted by IBM, CIOs spend about 55 percent of their time steering innovative activities such as implementing new technologies and business initiatives (Levein, 2009). Responsive to the challenges faced in planning, implementation and updated maintenance of systems in the current economic environment, these surveys promote insight to budget cuts, delayed spending, and increased demand for services with reduced resources faced by health organizations. Results of these studies provide a flavor for how CIO and HMIS executives pursue change management solutions that enable them to create lean strategic growth models as they anticipate aspects of future HMIS growth for the upcoming years. Results also indicate what CIOs perceive to be the main obstacles faced as well as areas of opportunity. As the economy transitions from recession to recovery and as healt h organizations revise their strategies from cost-cutting efficiency to value-added productivity, the surveys provide insight for future growth. Survey results help identify industry trends and provide insight from information technology (IT) product and service purchasers. 2. Predict what type of hardware investments would be considered key to HMIS future. Then check out the full survey results, and compare your prediction to the actual results. There are several hardware investments I believe will be considered key to HMIS future. The federal stimulus bill has promised billions of dollars in incentive payments to physicians and medical facilities that buy and use the electronic system so the first hardware investment that comes to my mind is an electronic medical record system. To promote its acceptance and utilization, the computers need to be reasonably powerful to run all the applications necessary to maintain clinical practice efficiency. Storage capacity of a centralized or distributed database is needed to archive large amounts of data. Central servers need to be powerful, and network or Internet connections fast and reliable. Updates to the solution architecture need to occur at the central server location with updates immediately available to all users. Compatibility or interoperability is also a necessity to link with other electronic clinical systems both within and outside the medical facility. Security mechanism s are required to protect client-specific information in an electronic environment. An extensive auditing system is required to monitor activity within the HMIS. I also believe there will be other electronic systems that place emphasis on quality care such as a clinical decision support system which assists clinicians apply new information to patient care and provides suggestions for how to manage a patientà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s condition. The results from this survey are consistent with my belief that an electronic medical record will be considered key to HMIS future. While I incorrectly assumed that a computerized provider order entry (CPOE) system was a standard component of the electronic medical record, the survey indicated that installing this type of system can, and is often considered a separate focus. Upon review of the alignment of organizational and IT strategic plans, I was quite surprised to see that almost half of the IT plans are not considered a component of the organizational plan. From my perspective, one cannot function effectively without the other. 3. Why do you think the results showed investment of EHR to be a top priority for CIOs in the coming year? I believe the reason why the results showed investment of EHR to be a top priority for CIOs in the coming year is because the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) intends to give health care organizations incentives to access federal funds to plan, design, and implement the infrastructure to promote the adoption and use of electronic health record systems and support health information exchange (HIE). This push will promote the implementation of interoperable health information technology over the next several years. In addition to financial incentives, it will also help to improve the overall quality and value of health care in the U.S. This will dramatically improve the continuity of care and informed medical decision-making. Why do you think those who work in a clinic/group practice are less concerned about Backup/Disaster Recovery than are those who work in a hospital/integrated delivery system? Do you think this is prudent? Why or why not? It is likely that those who work in a clinic/group practice may be less concerned about backup/disaster recovery than those who work in a hospital/integrated delivery system for a few reasons. What really drives the details of a recovery plan are the functions the medical practice needs to recover and how soon these functions must be available. Sadly, for some organizations, having a disaster recovery plan for remote and branch offices may not even exist. A clinic/group practice tends to deal with ambulatory out patients and may need minimal patient information along with the name and location of an alternate practice to refer patients. Another clinic/group may refer patients who require specialized care to another practice and continue handling routine appointments at an alternate site. Many medical practices continue to utilize a paper-based appointment scheduling system and/or a paper-based billing system. It is not uncommon for each personà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s medic al records to be scattered among all the medical facilities where care has been given. In comparison, hospital/integrated delivery systems may have a higher acuity of patients which places the institution at greater risk. Lives depend on the information in these records and losing access to them, even temporarily increases the potential for many patient safety issues that could be encountered. Many hospitals are already using electronic clinical systems that are critical to providing quality patient care. Many of these electronic systems are interfaced with each other. When considering disaster recovery, it is important to think beyond system failure and recovery; more importantly, the entire hospital needs to be considered. New advances in technology that exist in these types of practices generate more electronic data than in the past. Access to secure and reliable patient information is managed by IT personnel who are on staff to prevent most technical problems and support user needs. Hospitals and other health care facilities accredited by the Joint Commission are r equired to comply with published guidelines by having a business continuity/disaster recovery plan for all information systems (Owens Ahlstrom, 2008) When a disaster strikes, it is my belief that any medical practice must be able to retrieve valuable information through pre-established methods of disaster recovery. Disaster recovery depends on the complexity of the system however, all medical records, paper or electronic, need to be kept protected and secured in any type of disaster. Medical practices must get back up and running as quickly as possible to ensure patient safety and business continuity.

Beowulf Society Essay example -- essays research papers

Beowulf Society The earliest known manuscript of Beowulf is thought to have been written in the tenth century, however, the poem had most likely been told as an oral tradition for centuries before that. In fact, the poem’s events date back to the sixth century. However, because there is only one manuscript of Beowulf still in tact very little is known about the poem or its author. The poem does, however, give us great insight into the culture of the people who composed and told this epic tale. Because the poem was performed orally mainly between the eighth and tenth centuries, but dealt with subject matter of centuries earlier, it is difficult to decipher and separate the cultural context involved in the poem from one century to the next. The poem was probably unrecognizable from its original state after two hundred years of oral tradition that would have changed its content drastically. The storyline of the poem, the battles and significant events, probably maintained most of their identity while the cultural context took on another form more suited to the current culture of the people. By the time it was written, in 1000, the poem was probably most representative of the tenth century culture yet it still managed to tell a story similar to the original version. Beowulf, then, gives us a significant insight into the cultural views of the tenth century Anglo-Saxons including their political, social and moral views. The individualistic society was just beginning to replace the tribal system in which no individual had been seen as more important to the success of the tribe than any other. The individuality that Beowulf displayed helped establish new rules in society. Beyond this, Beowulf gives us an even greater insight into middle ages society. Woven throughout almost every aspect of their culture and the poem are very strict moral codes and values. Loyalty, honesty, family ties, courage and even Christianity play a major role in this epic poem. In each of the stories told throughout the poem elements of these values are openly displayed. All three of Beowulf’s battles demonstrate qualities deemed virtuous and essential to the people of the middle ages. Beowulf, a godfearing, heroic warrior, first faces a monster that represents all things evil. The monster is a descendant of Cain, a bloodthirsty avenger of man and an outcast. Beowulf confronts this evil fig... ...rated the final and greatest sacrifice he could make. It was a battle that he surely knew would take his life, but one he deemed worthy. Despite his incredible physical strength and courage Beowulf was unable to win the battle within himself. Like everyone that ever lived, Beowulf grew old, weak and tired. No matter how hard he tried he was unable to escape death and he knew that it would not be long in coming for him. He went into battle facing not only the dragon but also the destiny of his own death. His death, rather than being a sign of weakness, becomes his final act of glory. Beowulf, amazingly, continues to be studied and read extensively all over the world even today, one thousand years after it was composed. Its study of social conflict and heroism is what has made it become a timeless classic. The issues it deals with not only pertained to life in the middle ages, but also with issues that never die. It contains all of the elements of a modern Hollywood film. The most important aspect of the poem, though, is the insight it gives us into middle age life. This poem most likely began as a tribute to a noble war hero, but it has become one of the greatest epics of all time.

Tata Group

Tata group of companies, it is said that there is Tata in every Indian’s life directly or indirectly. Tata group of companies is India’s largest conglomerate. Tata group is made up of 90 operating companies in seven different industries which makes it India’s largest conglomerate. Tata group was founded by Jamsetji Tata in 1868. The founder of the Tata group was a visionary who was a traveler and loved travelling around the world. Jamsetji Tata was born in a small town of Navsari in Gujarat India. In his early working life, he worked with his dad in his banking firm. He wanted to start a new business, and he did start a trading company while working with his father in his banking firm. Then in he established a textile mill which he named as empress mill as a smart move to avoid any British opposition. This was the first stem to the huge Tata group which it is today. Jamsetji Tata was a traveler and brought many ideas about business in his travel. He saw new things and technology used in other countries in his travel he brought those things and new ideas home and employed them in his company and helped the country in the path of industrialization. Jamsetji Tata created trust and one of these trusts today holds the majority of the shares in the Tata group of companies. Jamsetji Tata’s one of the dream, was to construct a hotel which was the best in India and has to be the most luxuries in India. The Taj Mahal Hotel was the first building in Bombay to use electricity. Jamsetji wanted to build the best hotel in India after he was denied entry in one of the hotels in Bombay because he was Indian. The hotel which was completed, in 1904 was one of the great marvels of Tata group in Jamsetji Tata’s life time (Tata Group, n. d. ). The next big thing which happened in, the progress of the Tata Group was the establishment of iron and steel plant which was the first iron and steel plant in India. It was a challenge to start an iron and steel plant in India as there was an ever present pressure from the British raj. However, Sir Dorab Tata made it the reality when he started the steel plant near Jamshedpur. The new company was called Tata steel, which is the 10th largest steel manufacturer in the world currently. The company was established a century ago by Sir Dorab Tata in 1907. Sir Dorab Tata was also established first hydroelectric power plant which was the beginning of Tata power. Tata power is India’s largest private sector power generating company. One of the best companies in the Tata group ware established in the life time of Sir Dorab Tata. The founders of Tata group where not only the business men but also nationalist. In 1911 after seven years, after the death of Jamsetji Tata the first science instate was established in Bangalore. Where the bright brains of India can cultivate their aspirations in science, and technology. Tata’s ware fully aware of their corporate social responsibility towards society, and their country as whole (Tata group, n. d. ). The institute established by the Tata’s is today’s premier research and development institute which is in Bangalore. In its 375 acres campus, the Indian Institute of science hosts 40 departments and centers of various fields of science. Institute constantly performs research and development of cutting edge science in association with space research organization and defense research organization. Tata institute of fundamental research is one of the best research institute in the country. There are many such institutes which where the vision of the founders of Tata group, which are serving the country and society as a whole. Tata Group is also known for employee satisfaction. Tatas ware first to introduce the 8 hour working day in 1912 long before it was introduced in the western countries, they were first to introduce the provident funds which is a kind of savings account in which a certain percentage of pay is deducted, and deposited in the account, and the same percentage of the amount is matched by the employee, and deposited in same provident fund account, this was a kind of social security which was way ahead of its time. Provident fund was made compulsory by the Indian government for every company after 1952. Tata group in their process of employee satisfaction has constructed cities. Jamshedpur is very good example of the fastest growing and developing city in the country, is founded by the Tata group, to provide housing facility for the workers working in countries first steel plants, and it is named after the founder of Tata group Jamsetji Tata. With the death, of Sir Dorab Tata In 1932 Tata group lost its one of the great leaders. Sir Nowroji Tata became the chairmen of the group. By this time, Tata Group was in many business and industries. However, Sir Nowroji Tata died in 1038, and the responsibility of the company was on young 34 year old JDR Tata. JDR Tata came with new ideas, to further expanded the company. JRD Tata was the first in the country to get a commercial pilot’s license. He was the one who took the Indian in to the aviation age the first commercial aviation company was established by JDR Tata. The Tata Airlines was the first airlines of India which is still the largest airlines in the country. However, the Tata airlines was nationalized and is now known as Indian Airlines after the government of India took over the company from Tata group and regulated the aviation market and was the only airlines in the country for a long time. JDR Tata was the chair man of Tata Group for fifty three years and during his leadership Tata Group expanded in new industries. Under JRD Tata’s leadership, the company from independence to 1990 despite stringent regulations and license raj was able to grow constantly and was able to start their business in new areas. Tata started Tata Chemicals in the year 1939. Tata Motors and Tata Industries in 1945, Voltas in 1954 which is manufacturing home appliance, Tata tea, which is one of the largest tea company of the world was established under his leader ship, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) India’s largest Information Technology company by market capitalization was established in the year 1968, and the Titan Industries in the year 1984 (Tata group, n. d. ). JDR Tata steep down from the position of being chair man of that group in 1991. Ratan N. Tata took over the position as the chair person of the company and still a chair person of the company. Ratan Tata became the chair person in the mist of new economic reforms in the country where government removed many restrictions. The Indian government lifted many regulations to do business and started the end of the license raj. New entry of international origination gave competition in many industries to the Tata group. Tata group had new arena to do business in this newly freed market. Tata Group, one of the old and strong business groups whose business has seen many rough time the company in 1990 at last able to operate in a free market where it can perform to its full potential. Tata group was started as a modest trading company by the founder Jamsetji Tata is now one of India’s Biggest Company. Tata Group consists of 90 operating company which consists of communication, Information technology, chemicals, consumer products, engineering, materials, and many more industries (Tata Group, n. d. ). Tata Group is based in Mumbai India is not just an Indian company it is a global enterprise. Tata Group earns more revenues from operations outside India then that from the domestic market with in India. Tata Group earns 57 percent of its revenue, which is, $67. billion in 2009-2010 came from business outside India and rest form the business in the country. Out of 90 company the company has 28 publicly listed companies whose market capitalization is of around $98. 11 billion. The company has the share holder base of 3. 5 million. The Tata group is present in 85 countries worldwide and employees around 395,000 people worldwide (Tata Group, n. d. ). The present chairman of Tata group is Ratan Tata he is the chairman of Tata Sons the promoting company of Tata group and hence the chair man of Tata Group. Ratan Tata was born on December 28, 1937 he is the grandson of the founder Jamsetji Tata. He was raised by his grandmother Navajibai. He has done bachelors in architecture from Cornell University in 1962. He has further studied advance management program from Harvard Business School and graduated in 1975. Ratan Tata becomes the chairman of Tata sons and Tata Group in 1990. This was the time when then Indian government decided to open the Indian market to the international competition. Then Indian government also opened many industries to the private-sector investment. Tata Group being one of the biggest group in India was well in a position to take advantage of the situation presented to them and during the same time Ratan Tata was chosen by JRD Tata as the chairman of Tata group. However, Ratan Tata did not become the chairman of Tata group directly. Initially he got a job offer in IBM which he declined with the advice of JRD Tata. He started first working in Tata steel in Jamshedpur where he worked on the floor making steel in front of blast furnish. This was like a training ground for him for the feature responsibilities (Tata Group, n. . ) Tata Group is headed by a dynamic leader Ratan Tata has two decision making groups. These groups are called Group executive office, and Group corporate center. These groups divide decision-making responsibility. Group executive office, the main objectives of the group executive office are to implement the programs in relation with governance, human resource, etc. group executive office also works to improve the synergistic between various companies within the group and also to improve synergistic between group and individual companies in the group. The current GEO comprises of Ratan Tata, R Gopalakrishnan, Ishaat Hussain, Kishor Chaukar, and Arunkumar Gandhi. (Tata group, n. d. ) The other decision making body in management structure of the company is Group Corporate Center. This decision-making body in management works on promoting the Tata brand in the country, and around the world. The group issues policies for the growth of the company and entry in to a new area of business are reviewed in this decision-making group. Group corporate center also provides advices on financial, human resource, legal, and functional issues as and when necessary to companies in the group. The present members in the group are Ratan Tata the chairman, JJ Irani, RK Krishna Kumar, R Gopalakrishnan, Ishaat Hussain, Kishor Chaukar and Arunkumar Gandhi. The Tata group commits it shelf to the country they operate, and to improve the quality of life of the people who work in the group, and the communities in which Tata group operates its business. Tata group is a value driven company and they believe very strongly in their values, and have five core values which help them as a guide for growth and in the arena business of Tata group. Tata group strongly believes in integrity, and they believe that the business which they perform should be conducted in a fair manner and with honesty. The business process should be transparent. The group also believes in understanding the customer and the employees specially. Tata group strongly believes that in doing business, they should act with compassion and humanity towards the customer to whom they serve and in the internal operation of the company between the colleagues within the company. Tata group thinks that they should do their best in day to day work. They believe that the product, which they provide, to their customer should be of the best quality. They believe that they should raise their standard of works in day to day working. They also believe that they as a group should work more cohesively. It is also important that they work in unity between the companies and their partners around the world. Tata group believes that working in a united manner can result in excellent results, which impact the growth and development of the company, and Tata group as whole. Tata Group thinks it is responsible to the communities in which they operate their business, and it thinks that they are responsible towards the country, in which they operate. Tata group believes, in providing more to the people than what they received from them. Tata group also believes strongly in their code of conduct and do their day of the day operation in accordance with their code of conduct. They have twenty five clauses which make their code of conducts and works as a guide for their operation in day to day operation of the company. Tata group thinks that innovation is the best way to progress and with the innovation they can achieve what they want to achieve in the business. The best example the company has displayed is by Tata motors. The Tata Nano is an example for the innovative side of the Tata group. The nano car, which is the cheapest car in the world, Tata nano costs around 100,000 Indian rupees which translates to around $2500 depending on the present exchange rates. Many in the automotive industry said that the car was impossible to make. It was the brain child of Ratan Tata the chairman of Tata sons and Tata Group. Ratan Tata saw the Indian, middle class family of four crammed on a two-wheeler on a wet road. It is very dangerous to drive on the road in such conditions, especially in India where traffic condition is very bad. Ratan Tata got an idea of making a car which will be affordable to the emerging middle class of India. This engineering challenge which they had been never accomplished in the history of modern day automobile industry. In the early 2003 on the sides of a business meeting, Ratan Tata expressed his wish to make an affordable car for the people of India. This was going to be a challenge, and Ratan Tata knew about it very well. He called five engineers from Tata motors to Bombay house to give them the challenge of doing which was never done before. The team of the engineers did not have any kind of idea about what they are up to and came with the ideas of cheap transport. They only got the idea of the challenge when the chairman him shelf told them about his idea of INR 100,000 cars. The team was given the challenge was going to do something which did not have a bench mark, for next four years they were working on one man’s dream which can affect an entire country of 1. 2 billion people and their safety on the roads. During the process, of building the cheapest car of the world Tata motors has to start completely from the basics of car building. Engineers at Tata motors had to start over as they were not able to get parts from exiting suppliers around the world which can fit within the pries tag of the car. They did what Tata Group is all know about Innovate (Tata Moters , n. . ). Engineers at Tata motors ware able to create the marvel the Tata nan, which is the cheapest car of the world. The car was holding the price tag of INR 100,000 despite the increase in the raw material price. The car was launched on early 2009. The Tata group is not Just accomplished building a car, but in many other business too they have created the cheapest water which do not use the electricity and uses the natural materials and is cheap so that the poor farmers in a remote village can use the water filter which is called Tata Swach. This innovative feat achieved by Tata chemicals was a life changing for many rural population of India where pure water or water purification system are very costly are not cheaply available. The Tata has done it again by innovating and not only providing the solution to the problem but also providing it cheaply so that it can be used by the common Indian. The Tata Group has become the integral part of every Indian’s life is not just confined to India. Tata group is present in 85 countries. Tata group now came to the world stage my major industrial acquisition. The biggest of them all was the acquiring of Cores. Corus was the biggest steel producer of steel in Europe and was a high end steel producer. Tata steel is the low end steel producer as the market demands in India. Tata steel was mainly focused on Indian market was the second largest steel producer in India. There was no presence of Tata steel in Europe before the takeover of the company. This is the biggest takeover by any Indian company in the world. Corus was the second largest steel producer in Europe, Tata when acquired Corus made it the fifth largest steel producer in the world. Tata acquired Corus for $8. 1 billion and promised to fuse funds in Corus pension fund. This over take was also symbolizing the growth of Tata after 1990’s, during this two decades it has expanded in ever growing Indian market and also has stretched its wings in the international market, as well. The only way where it can expand to the world stage is by acquiring other companies, and as done my many Indian companies recently the deal between Tata and Corus was showing the newly found strength in Indian companies around the world. â€Å"One minute world news â€Å", 2006) Tata group did not only acquired the Corus but acquired many other brands or companies around the world. Tata motors have acquired at least one brand or company every since 2004. In 2004 Tata motors acquired the Daewoo motors. The Tata Daewoo has a very big market around the world and sells trucks under the name of Daewoo in South Korea and Pakistan and under Tata name around the world. In 2005 Tata motors acquired, Hispano Carrocera is one of the largest manufacturer of buses in Europe. Tata Motors acquired entire 100 percent stake in the company in 2009. Tata motors become biggest bus manufacturer in Europe with the acquisition of the company. Other big acquisition and most widely know is when Tata motors bought the famous and esteemed British car manufacturer Jaguar with this Tata motors came in European high end car market. Tata now owned the famous brands like Land rover and has truly become a global brand. Tata group has been at the fore front of the overtaking global company recently has also faced with many issues due to the down turn of the global economy. There were few issues not related to the economy but completely different like a terror attack on 26 November 2008 on an iconic Taj Mehal hotel in Mumbai which was constructed by non other than the founder of the group him shelf Jamsetji Tata more than a century ago. The attack was on the one of Mumbai’s land marks and left a historic building badly damaged, it was repaired, and was in service within few months. Tata’s has shown that it is not impossible to keeping on improving performance and growing the company no matter the circumstance exists in the country of operation. They have grown in the company of present day after facing the strict colonial restriction against industries in colony. They have also showed how to grow in an unfriendly environment with government license policy which was to control the industries in the country. The name Tata is said to be in every Indian's life is now on the path to spread its wings around the world, and aspires to become a part of everybody life around the world. References http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6068244.stm http://www.tata.com/htm/heritage/HeritageOption1.html http://www.crimt.org/Publications/CSSS_WP_No58.pdf

La Liberte guidant le peuple

Art is beyond the limitations of country boundaries and its values should be shared by people from all over the world eternally. When talking about art, I have to say that France Is my favorite country for the representation of art, as the country has a long history for pursuing art and fashion since Louis XIV, the King of Sun, who Is a king keen on the pursuit of art and fashion. Therefore In this summer I took the opportunity to go to Louvre Museum In Paris to pay a visit to the famous 011 paintings in the museum.In this essay, I would like to choose one of the famous oil painting La Liberty guiding el people from my personal perspective of gendered art. On entering the museum, I could sense a strong atmosphere of history and a deep sense of reverence rose deep from my soul. Then I saw the famous painting drawn by Delicacies. In the middle of the painting is a young French lady who is calling on her villagers to fight against the Restoration of Bourbon in July Revolution.The woman is half naked in the upper part of her body, with her breasts out. On her right hand, she is holding a flag with three colors, which represent freedom, equality and philanthropist. Now the flag has become the national flag of the Republic of France. On her left hand, she was grasping a long gun with a sharp knife on It. Though she Is wearing a long dress, we can see her legs are powerful and firm, and she Is leading the soldiers to move forward across the dead bodies and the ruins of the bulldogs.The background of this painting is set before Notre Dame in Paris where there is full f the smokes from gunpowder, which shows that the war is in its hottest point. Most of the critiques believe that she is the symbol of freedom, with great passion and romantic characters. To look at the female in detail, we can find that this woman shows a temperament of masculinity different from her own gender.Different from John Burger's traditional opinion on man and woman in artistic works, which mean s that a man's presence is dependent upon the promise of power, while a women's presence expresses her own attitude to herself, or his belief that men focus on the outside while women focus on the inner part Noon Berger, 1 990), here a sense of cross-gender Identification Is emphasized In the work as a way of showing opposition to the old binary system. As a result, the symbolic meaning In this painting Is evident.Just as the view from feminist that â€Å"gender is a social construction† this painting seems to reconstruct our social norm about the binary system. Traditionally, gender is presented as biological and predetermined instead of a culturally constructed, external performance (Sloop, 2004). So although the women act like men, their female dies are inscribed with sexual frailty—a weakness that can only be matched by masculine strength as their rescuer is physically privileged (Sarah Cornfield, 2011).This painting seems to doubt that: why men should be prior to women? As is seen, on the left side of the painting, there is a dead, thin male body, whose lower part of the body Is naked. Also, beside the leg of the woman, there Is a male enemy whose seems to be begging for the forgiveness of the woman and the working class. These two characters are uncommon in the paintings, as they show the weakness of male In trench. Throughout the history of OLL painting, male Image seldom appears weaker than female image, according to the introduction of John Berger.What is more, on the painting: he is holding his gun high up his head alongside with the woman. Contrary to use a strong and matured male as the hero in the painting, the existence of a young boy, though not so powerful than a strong male, represents the hope emerging in the new world. On the left side of the woman, there are two men dressing very fashionably. They represent the emerging working class who are fighting against the Bourbon. But they are not the main characters in this painting, a s their existence is for the purpose to highlight to woman representing freedom.After all, all of the unusual and creative arrangements by the painter here in fact want to suggest us that everything old will be ruined and a new social norm based on love freedom and equality will be set up in the future. To sum up, the bold imagination, the rich implied meanings in this work all contribute to its successes during the whole history. This painting gives us a romantic and ideal feeling in the severe war, and constructs our traditional conception on gender, that women not always appear as a weak image and women can be more powerful men to some extent.However, in the same time I also admit the fact that differences between male and female do exist. And in the whole painting history, as Berger has pointed out, the â€Å"ideal† is always assumed to be male and the image of the woman is designed to flatter him. In my opinion, as long as the painting present people with the aesthetic c haracters of masculinity and femininity instead of torturing them. I admire the painter Eugene