Marcus' HUM251 Blog

As I was wondering between classes to grab a coffee I couldn't help but notice a wide arrangement of artworks displayed in the Student Union building. Being an admirer of art I thought I could take a look at what GCC's art students were studying for their class finals. As it turns out there was a great variety of different mediums of art, each of which portraying different styles, colors, and techniques. After perusing a majority of the panels that were set up I couldn't help but jot down a few notes for a couple that were quite enticing for me. One of these works is titled "Magic the Witch Cover" and I believe it was done with watercolor, pen, and brush pen on a 12 inch wide by 8 inch long watercolor sheet. The work depicts a woman with midnight blue hair staring into a handheld mirror while she is wearing a water buffalo's skull, the background is very mystical as it is hued with light violet, dark purple, and a ornate light green pattern in the top left. T...

Francisco Goya's tumultuous life is capitalized by the "Black Paintings" that he produced while he was in a deep state of dejection shortly after the Napoleonic wars and becoming deaf from two severe illnesses. Goya also produced a vast series of satirical etchings called "Los Caprichos" to criticize the ignorance of the Spanish society he witness at the time. Both of the series of art works were intended to criticize the failure of the Spanish state and the horrors during the Napoleonic wars. However, the Black Paintings were never intended to be revealed to the public, especially since Goya painted them directly onto the walls of his home. This etching / aquatint drawing is titled "The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters" (1799) it is 21.5 cm by 15 cm and is one of the more famous etchings from Los Caprichos. This depicts a sleeping Goya on his drawing desk as he is harassed by an onslaught of bats and owls. I believe that Goya is haunted by the ho...

Various forms of personality quizzes over the past couple decades have evolved into a social phenomenon on smart phone apps and the internet. It has even become commonplace for one go speak with a fortune teller and toss oodles of cash into these "experiences" to discover one's own personality. A vast plethora of individuals have taken personality quizzes whether they be Pottermore tests from Harry Potter or Game of Thrones house tests, but do any of these actually accurately measure your virtue as an individual, let alone your personality? Some individual's personalities have the tendency to change overtime and to accurately gauge it consistently would be nearly impossible. However, taking the time to ask yourself simple questions about your own perspective on life could prove to be enlightening. Some fundamental aspects of an individuals personality can be discovered by comprehending if one is Romantic or Classical. As Romantics are generally more intuitive as they ...

It was the spring of 1863 and a runaway slave by the name of Gordon managed to escape the brutal grip of his master. He paved his way towards the Mississippi river while being pursued by his master's bloodhounds, and managed to throw them off the trail my masking his scent with onions from the master's farm. After traveling a grueling 80 miles towards the Mississippi river Gordon finally acquired his freedom at the Baton Rouge Union army base; this alone is an amazing feat, but Gordon did not stop there. Gordon joined the Union army a couple months after Abraham Lincoln allowed African Americans to serve in segregated corps. Once Gordon went through his medical exam the military doctors began to realize what horrors Gordon went through during his years as a slave. The scars on Gordon's back were so apprehensive that journalists from the Weekly Harper decided to photograph his wounds and mass produce the photos to inform others of the terrible situation slaves were in. Many ...

Although a majority of my interest in music stems from indie to rock I never minded listening to other variations of music such as blues, metal, house, and even classical music. One composer that I am particularly keen to is Vivaldi, his prowess with the violin is distinct from any other composer during the baroque era. His proficiency as a composer is exemplified through his four seasons concerto, with the winter sequence being my favorite. The composition is centered around the violin with other violins, violas, cellos, upright bases, and occasionally harpsichords accompanying each other. A majority of the concerto is performed in allegro, which is at a fairly brisk pace in classical compositions. Vivaldi’s winter section is especially nimble and bombastic, the pace is constantly climaxing and each note maneuvers at a breakneck pace with the rhythm following suite. Almost each instrument plays within the same measure as the lead violin breaks into subtle solos along with the base,...

Experiencing the culture and city life within Amsterdam would be at the top of my traveling bucket list. The Rijksmuseum especially peaks my interest, the historical and artistic values deriving from this museum would make a delightful stop within Amsterdam. After viewing a few of the art pieces held within the museum I would like to point out a few that I found to be compelling. The first art piece being Still Life With Flowers In a Glass by Jan Brueghel (II) with the dimensions being 24.5 cm tall and 19cm wide, and the media being oil paint on canvas. At first glance it is apparent that it is a still life of multiple flowers in a glass vase from the baroque era due to the deep contrast in dark and light. Looking closer at the top of the painting a butterfly sits atop of what seems to be a daisy, further down is a dragonfly next to a very fluffy unidentifiable flower. In the middle there is a ladybug that exemplifies baroque lighting with the glossiness of its shell; the textur...

What's commonly associated with murder, deceit, and regicide? If you guessed Game of Thrones then you were not far off as Game of Thrones, along with many other books and television shows, find their roots in Shakespeare and his plays. Richard III in particular has peaked my interest for the captivating characters as they continuously conspire and betray anyone for the sake of power. The main plot is focussed around Richard, the charismatic and manipulative son of King Edward IV of York, and his mercilus ascension to power through wit and blood become the King of England. To secure his royal adequacy he marries a noble woman and murders his older brother to ensure he succeeded the throne. Richard eventually ascends to power once his father dies and rules with fear and blood, killing anyone that opposes him until he is eventually killed by a French royal named Richmond to become king of England. This captivating yet grievous tale defines the history of the Wars of the Roses in Engla...

After reading through a few poems by John Donne I was drawn to one of his poems titled “The Indifferent”. Simply going off the title I assumed it would be about people nonchalantly sinning, however the topic within this poem takes on a different meaning. As the first stanza delves into how John Donne can love almost any kind of woman as the first verse is “I can love both fair and brown”. Each verse after that further accentuates how he can love any woman, but the last verse within the first stanza implies the overall topic of the poem, “I can love any, so she be not true”. I believe that John Donne would love almost any woman as long as they aren’t true to him or faithful. I would assume that the relationship John Donne is talking about would be akin to a prostitute or a one night stand, also meaning he could make someone unfaithful. In the beginning of the second stanza he asks “Will no other vice content you?”, almost as is he is having a conversation with one of his one night stand...

Niccolo Machiavelli generates many interesting points to how one should properly rule a state in his book, The Prince. However, major politics today are different from the Renaissance as most monarchies have been replaced by democracy and republics. This does not mean that the nature of politics has been completely altered, however there are different tactics to achieving certain goals in politics today. During the Renaissance, monarchies typically gained political power through warfare, controlling land, and controlling people; as the more land and money someone had, the more power they possessed. In many countries today power is divided equally among representatives to form a system of government called democracy. Political figures within this form of government would generally benefit from appealing to the common folk rather than appearing fearful. Although, many aspects of politics and businesses are reflected through The Prince, as politicians frequently throw others under the bus...

The humanist philosophies uphold many ideologies that I hope to adhere myself to, and the largest factor applicable to me is keeping an open mind. I believe that I do not completely belong to a specific class of humanists as there are some aspects of secular and religious humanism that I disagree with. One guideline within humanism interprets the pursuit of knowledge to be acquired through reason and science. My only dissent being my lack of scientific expertise as I am more inclined to be creative and artistic. However, that doesn’t mean i'm going to be chugging absinthe in pursuit of humanistic creativity. I would also love to believe that the world equally embraces the arts and science, however there are far too many people that place their interests in obtaining wealth. Ideally, we should devote ourselves to promoting human culture through the arts, and scientific ingenuity; they may even work in tandem to encourage cooperation. I believe that humanism should allow everyone t...

Hello! My name is Marcus, I was born in Modesto California. Most parts of Modesto can be as simplistic as farmland and industrial buildings but it was where a majority of my family lived. Although the town was simple, most of the people that lived around us were very lively and wholesome. My parents exposed me to Assyrian music, and my brother constantly played Tupac around the house which instilled my love for songs with deep sounds and powerful vocals. When I was about 4 years old my family and I moved to Arizona, and the difference in the ecosystem and culture was shocking to me. The streets were clean and black, the desert air was arid and dry, the houses were made of stucco and lawns were littered with rocks instead of grass. However, the land was not the only difference as I was also introduced to rock music more frequently on the radio. As I grew older my interest in music shifted very frequently from rap, to rock, and indie, each genre revealed new melodies and sounds. Today I ...