«Starring Night»

Introduction The painting captures similar themes when analyzed at surface level as well as in relation to the artist’s life. Van Gogh was schizophrenic, yet he managed to make beautiful art. Starring Night is a painting that epitomizes restlessness or turbulence; this was a reflection of the artist’s state of mind.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on  «Starring Night » specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Description of the painting An initial observation of the painting reveals an expansive sky; it accounts for most of the space in the painting. Van Gogh probably called the piece ‘Starring Night’ because bright stars are a prominent feature. White and yellow light surround them while a glaring moon also stands alongside them. In between the moon and the stars are swirls which are a combination of dark and light colors; some are black, others green, yellow, dark and light blue, and to some extent white. However, the predominant color is blue, which is the color of the sky. Underneath the sky, one can see a village where some houses, hills as well as other physical features are located. The hills are so tall that they appear to merge with the sky. The painting also has a tree that also stretches to the sky; it is the tallest feature in the village. Gogh’s brushstrokes in the hills as well as the trees face upwards, as though to suggest that the sky is what matters. The pine tree is black, dark green and brown. Since this feature is at the foreground of the painting, it affects one’s overall perception of it. A few houses can be seen clustering next to each other. No human beings are in the Starring Night; this may probably be because most of them were asleep. The most outstanding building is a church, whose spire also points to the sky (Museum Of Modern Art 1). Overall, the interaction of the colors, lines and paintings in the picture gives an impression of restlessness. Analysis Background of the painting It is likely that the theme of turbulence and restlessness reflected Van Gogh’s state of mind. The artist was mentally ill and even did this work of art in an asylum. He struggled with so many aspects of his life. For instance, a special lady rejected him and told him that she would never marry him. He was thrown out of art galleries in Paris. The artist had an abysmal financial situation since he depended on his brother, Theo, for sustenance. His many career changes were fruitless, and he was not making any money as an artist. People misunderstood Gogh; members of his township Arles wanted to ban him from the village after he developed an ear infection.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More He did not even have friends because he always embarrassed or argued with them. Clearly, Van Gogh was an isolated man who could not find comfort in many things. His experiences in the past led him to a turbulent state of mind. This situation was so serious that it manifested in schizophrenia. One can thus assert that the painting was a reflection of what the artist was going through in his mind. Alternatively, the theme of restlessness may also have been indicative of the dissatisfaction with his situation at the asylum and the longing for normalcy. Perhaps Gogh wanted to go out into the Starring Night and enjoy all the wonderful visuals first hand. However, all he could do was admire the view from his window or use supervised visits around the garden in the asylum (Brooks 29). The effect of lines and color Lines in any work of art show motion. Therefore, when one looks at the way lines in the sky swirl around the moon and the stars, one thinks of movement. Since most of the lines in the painting are not heading in one direction, then one can deduce a mood of restlessness. The choice of color in the painting is also an indication of the painter’s mood. Warm colors, like yellow, are only present in minimal quantities. The most predominant color is blue, which is a cool color. This color is primarily responsible for the darkness and mystery of the piece. Nonetheless, the blue color has a dark hue, in that it is not the typical sky blue. This one mirrors the color of the sky at night as it is blue-black. If the artist had left the sky uninterrupted by dark lines, then it would have given off a serene or even dreamy feel. The mixture of the dark and cool colors in the form of lines and shades is what contributes to a feeling of turbulence (MacDonald 15). As mentioned earlier, the colors in the picture are bold and captivating. The moon and starts each have bright hues that are hard to ignore. In one of his letters to his sister, he asserted that the stars had a peculiar brilliance, which â€Å"warranted for more than white dots on a blue-black surface† (Van Gogh Museum 76). One may d educe that this artist saw things in a different way through the use of color. Most artists in his era were realists, and his countrymen were quite conservative in their use of color. Most realists relied on pale color and soft, thin lines to create texture. However, Gogh created a new approach to texture by using bold brush strokes. The artists did not paint to please others but he stuck to what he felt was right. Vincent’s preference for bold color was something new and refreshing. Even the way he drew stars was quite unique. The palate in ‘Starring Night’ was substantially different from the palate combinations of other French artists like Millet. In fact, Gogh started out with contemporary influences but quickly changed after he discovered Japanese art. Japanese art had a profound influence on the painter. The artist was defiant and brave in his work since he was willing to pursue trajectories that others shunned. These color choices and the artists’ p ast life prove that he was indeed a restless individual. He was not satisfied with the status quo and sought ways to explore new avenues.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on  «Starring Night » specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Choice of features Van Gogh was a spiritual man; in fact, he was so committed to his vocation that it turned into an obsession. This was part of the reason why the artist was sent out of the mission school. Additionally, Gogh’s father was a spiritual minister. When the artist tried to follow in his footsteps, he failed dismally. In the painting, the spire of the church building is the tallest man-made feature. However, its height comes nowhere near that of the cypress tree. The tip of this tree makes contact with sky. One can interpret these two features in light of Gogh’s life. He may have sought solace in the church, but did not find it there. His experiences at the mission may have shown him that one cannot find spiritual fulfillment in other men. In the painting, the church is a man-made creation. Even though its builders tried to make it as tall as possible, they could not reach the sky. One may construe the sky to symbolize the heavens. Therefore, Gogh was saying that man’s efforts were not sufficient to establish contact with the heavens. On the other hand, if one sought God in nature, one was likely to find him. The cypress tree was tall enough to reach the skies. One may deduce that the author could not find support in a spiritual establishment. He may have been criticizing the existing religious order. Once again, the theme of restlessness comes into play because he is not happy with where he is spiritually, so he must look for answers elsewhere. In line with these sentiments is the fact that the hills appear to face the opposite direction of the church spire. They mirrored a real physical feature in Gogh’s country; they were call ed Les Alpilles Mountains. Their opposition to the prevailing order may be regarded as proof of the artists’ opinion about the church. The manner in which the images in the diagram have been represented is indicative of the theme of restlessness as well. The stars seem to be bursting out of the sky. Furthermore, the cypress tree looks like it is touching the sky. Even the moon looks like it is covered by a yellow ball. Clearly, these are not conventional representations of the night sky. An artist who was faithful to nature would have revised his choice of color, lines and technique to reflect the actual appearance of the sky; however, Gogh was not such an artist (Boime 55). He was rebellious, and when he had a point to make, he did not hesitate to make it. His use of proportions and the way he drew was a reflection of the artist’s style. Gogh was not satisfied with a mere imitation of nature. This means he was agitated by this approach, so he chose another one that wo uld not reflect contemporary work. Therefore, his approach to art was one that caused turbulence. One of the artists’ centerpieces in the painting is the cypress tree. A lot can be deduced from this choice in features that reflects the state of turbulence in his mind. During Gogh’s time, Cypress trees were common in cemeteries. Additionally, the tree seems to connect the earth and the heavens.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More One may assert that his selection of the tree was indicative of his ideas about death. The painter was at a place where he could not decide whether he wanted to live or die. By choosing a centerpiece that is found in cemeteries, Gogh was thinking about death. The tree touched the heavens because when one dies, one leaves earth and goes to the heavens. The artist was thinking about death but was ambivalent about it. It is likely that the intense movement in the painting reflected this indecision concerning whether he should live or die. There was turbulence in his conscious about the matter. Later, the artist made up his mind about death and committed suicide. He chose death over a life of misery. At the time of painting ‘Starring Night’, the cypress tree reflected the confusion in his conscious about death. Overall, the piece has so many features to analyze that it is possible to become overwhelmed with the process. Trees, hills, houses, stars, the moon, the sky and oth er features are present in the painting. One must determine why the artist selected so many features. It is likely that he would only convey his message if he amalgamated all these aspects together. However, the circular motions and the spiral effect in the sky are what carry the theme. Therefore, the point of emphasis in the painting gives an indication of what one should focus on; in this case it is turbulence. Painting technique From the image, one can deduce that the artist used decisive bush strokes to color his piece. This practice was not common in his society. Impressionist artists relied on a method of drawing that involved joining several dots together to form the impression of color. However, Gogh got bored of this style when living in Paris. He devised his own method of painting that was quite different from the rest. These decisive brush strokes contribute towards the turbulence of the piece. It would have been quite difficult to convey that sentiment if the author util ized the impressionist method in ‘Starring Night’. The decisiveness of the brush strokes was crucial in creating a feeling of chaos or turbulence. The circular lines needed to be in unison with another in order to have this effect. Using joined dotes, like the impressionists, would have been insufficient to create this effect (Hulsker 93). Conclusion Starring night as a work of art carries forward the theme of restlessness. This is evident in the artist’s use of color. He mixes cool colors with dark ones in a manner that creates this mood. Additionally, his painting technique which involves decisive brush strokes also testifies to the turbulence of the piece. His choice of objects and emphasis reflects the turbulence in the artist’s mind. The cypress tree was an indication of his confusion about death. The unconventional stars were an indication of the turbulence in his life. He was also unconventional like the stars, and this led to his isolation. This pa inting’s theme is an expression of the artists’ life. Works Cited Boime, Albert. Van Gogh: Starry Night: Art history in detail. NY: Voyager, 1996. Print. Brooks, David. Starry Night. Amsterdam: Brooks, 2012. Print. Hulsker, Jan. The complete Van Gogh: paintings, drawings, sketches. NY: Random House, 1986. Print. MacDonald, Mary. â€Å"Who was Vincent?† Artist’s Monthly 1.6(1990): 15. Print. Museum Of Modern Art. 2013. Vincent Van Gogh: The Starring Night, June 1889. 2013. Web. https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79802 Van Gogh Museum. 2013. Vincent Van Gogh letters. 2013. Web. http://vangoghletters.org/vg/letters/let782/letter.html This essay on  «Starring Night » was written and submitted by user Virginia Eaton to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Finding The Best Buy Example

Finding The Best Buy Example Finding The Best Buy – Case Study Example "Finding the Best Buy" From the case study, corporate challenges are likely to face Best Buy. Among the challenges that face Best Buy Co. Inc. includes the high debt levels that have outdone the profit margins (Best Buy Co. Inc. 104-116).This results form the rapid expansion of the company. Additionally, the operating expenses of the company have been indicated to be very high; thus, placing the company at a loss over its competitors. In terms of purchasing power, Best Buy Co. Inc. is far much weaker over its competitors such as Wal-Mart. With the operating expenses rising by the day, Best Buy Co. Inc. is likely to face major issues in the present day market (Best Buy Co. Inc 104-116). Evidently, a great percentage of consumers have opted for online shopping. It is this fact that has led to some companies deflating its expenses so as to have competitive advantages. This competition will indeed make it difficult for Best Buy Co. Inc. to survive in such competition. To overcome these challenges, Best Buy Co. Inc. may opt for expansion of its products. After expansion the company may invest in advertising and promotions so as to attract more clients. This will increase competition with its competitors; thus, place the company at the same level with its competitors. Secondly, the company may come up with a novel marketing plan that will allow for more advertisements and promotions. This will automatically increase the brand awareness and the clients will be given more incentives to be loyal clients in the company. Work CitedBest Buy Co. Inc. Retaining Valuable Knowledge: Proactive Strategies to Deal With a Shifting Work Force. 2002. Web. 19 Aug. 2014.

Wal-Marts Vision Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wal-Marts Vision Statement - Essay Example The company’s main stakeholders are the shareholders, customers, and employees (Wal-mart, 2008). This report focuses on the backbone of the company the employees. The aim is to understand the current situation of the employees and whether the company’s vision is helping the employees achieve the objectives. Wal – Mart has wide operations spread across 14 markets, 7390 Wal – Mart stores. The company employees over 2 million associates. It is the largest employer in America. The company claims to give importance to the employee’s growth and careers. The company’s website claims to provide the employees with a competitive pay, skills development and health benefits for the employee and family. However, a recent article in Business Week highlighted the fact that the company has been paying employees about $8.23 per hour, or $13,861 a year. This pay is well below the federal poverty line of $14, 630 for a family of three. Other articles and studies have shown that the company pays employees a salary which is way below the poverty line and employees have confessed that they cannot live out of the pay received from Wal – Mart alone. The average hours worked by employees is around 40 hours a week. However the pay received is very low and for some of the employees, it is just enough to live out of a Dodge truck (Greenhouse, 2005). The employee’s goals, however, are very different. Employees benefit from a company that is making profits which in turn would mean the employees being paid higher salaries and bonuses. From the above discussion, it is clear that employees do not receive any extra benefits in spite of the company making profits. A study showed that even though employees were given hikes in salary they did not really benefit from the hikes. Wal – Mart has instituted a new payment method.  

Global Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Global Governance - Essay Example As the paper declares the interests and benefits of common people are mainly focused in global governance. From the ancient times, the empires of various regions played vital role in the movement of global governance. U.S has given huge efforts in establishing human rights. The empire of America organized and implemented the concept of sovereignty. Earlier, the empire used to have huge power in their hand and in most of the cases they misused that power by oppressing people. The movements of global governance tried to end that oppression. The conqueror or empire was considered as government. But in the present times, people play significant roles in selecting the government. This process is considered as an important result of global governance. This discussion stresses that the concept of globalization was developed in 19th century and it became highly popular in different nations during 1980s. Effective policies and regulations were developed for benefiting common people. At the time of empire rule, countries used to focus only on their growth and developments which in many instances hampered other countries. The strong and powerful nations like U.K, U.S etc used to control several other countries. During the empire rule, people of many countries suffered from strong oppression. They did not have the right to go against the words of the empire. Gradually with the development of the government, the condition of common people started improving.

National Transportation Safety Board Case Study

National Transportation Safety Board - Case Study Example The investigation into the accident by the NTSB revealed that the probable cause of the accident was the asymmetrical stall and the aircraft’s ensuing roll due to the uncommanded retraction of the lift wing outboard that led to the edge slats and the loss of the slat disagreement and stall warning indication systems (Aviation Safety Network, 2012). This occurrence resulted from maintenance-induced damage that led to the separation of the pylon assembly procedures and the number one engine, which eventually led to the pylon structure’s failure (Vatz, 2003). This accident was mainly a result of structural and mechanical factors. Investigations by the NTSB revealed that when the engine separated because of the asymmetrical stall and the aircraft’s ensuing roll, it disabled the control panel of the Captain. The Captain’s control panel contained both systems of slat disagreement (National Transportation Safety Board, 1979). The separation of the pylon assembly procedures and the number one engine, which ultimately resulted in the failure of the pylon structure, are all structural and mechanical aspects of aircraft. The severed hydraulic lines allowed the slats on the aircraft’s left wing to retract gradually and the stall speed on the aircraft’s left wing rose significantly (Vatz, 2003). When it slowed through 164 knots, left-wing aerodynamically stalled because of its clean configuration. This happened while the right wing continued to generate lift with its slats still in the position of takeoff. Since one wing was stalling and the other was producing lift, the aircraft ultimately rolled past a 90 degrees bank and crashed to the ground (Kilroy, 2012). While structural and mechanical factors were the main cause of the accident, investigations revealed that there were factors that contributed to the accident of American Airlines Flight 191 (Aviation Safety Network, 2012). Report by NTSB reveals that the vulnerability of the pylon attaches points design to maintenance damage contributed to the accident.  Ã‚  

Experiment to Study Conservation of Energy

Experiment to Study Conservation of Energy Conservation of Energy Osamah Nuwisser Abstract: The purpose of this experiment was to study the conservation of energy. We considered all type of energies present in our system (KE and PE) to compute total energy at any instant during the experiment. We accomplish two tasks: first we verified the conservation of total energy during single step of the movement of the glider over the ramp and then we compared total energy of several consecutive up and down motions to check whether the collision of glider with the bumper at the lower end of the ramp was elastic or inelastic. For first task, we found that kinetic energy increases as potential energy decreases during downward motion of the glider but the total energy remains almost constant. For the second task, we found that the total energy of each step was less than that of the preceding one. This tells us that the collision between the glider and the bumper was inelastic due to which we have a net energy loss. We also increased height and mass of the glider and found that as a cons equence the coefficient of restitution decreases. Arbitrariness of PE is also described. Introduction: According to the law of energy conservation: Energy can neither be created nor destroyed; however it can be converted from one form of energy to the other. Also, we know that energy is conserved in elastic collision. Obviously, a loss in energy during a collision will imply that the collision was inelastic. In this experiment, we accomplished two tasks in which were able to verify/use the two mentioned facts. For the first task, we simply observed that during the first downward motion of the glider the total energy remained constant throughout the motion. Also, in our system there are only two types of energy involved: kinetic energy and potential energy. Thus Therefore, for the total energy to remain constant it is necessary that the kinetic energy increases as the potential energy decreases due to downward motion of the glider. This can easily be observed if we plot the three curves, total energy, kinetic energy and potential energy, in one graph for downward motion of the glider. For the second task, we recorded the same data for a few consecutive upward and downward motions of the glider. By comparing the amount of total energy for each step, we can tell whether the collision between the glider and the bumper was elastic or inelastic. If the total energy of each step is less than that of its preceding step, the collision is inelastic. Coefficient of Restitution:- For our case, it is defined as Its value can be in [0, 1]. In case of 0 the glider will be at rest after collision, in case of 1 the collision will be elastic. For intermediate values, collision will be inelastic with glider in motion after the collision. Experimental Description: The apparatus consisted of a glider which was moved on a tilted ramp with a bumper at the lower end. This set up was connected to the computer where the appropriate software recorded the required quantities. The glider was kept at the top of ramp at rest. Then it was allowed to move under gravity. It moved until it reached near the ground level where it hit the bumper and was reversed to move up the ramp where it stopped at certain height and then moved down again and so on. We stoped the data storage in the computer after about 10s. We repeated the experiment two time varying height and then mass. We took 3 readings in each case. Figure i: An Experimental Set -up Data and Analysis: Run 24: 2014-10-30 17:08:53 Figure ii: Position, Velocity Energy vs Time Data of position, velocity and energy (total, kinetic and potential) was plotted in the computer by the software against time (see figure ii above). PE was defined to be zero on ground level. For first task, we need to examine the variation of energy during first 2.5s. In start, PE is the maximum and KE is zero. As the glider moves down on the ramp, PE decreases and KE increases gradually. But we see that PE is not zero at its minimum. This non-zero minimum value is the value of the PE at the small height when it collides with the bumper. Figure iii: A Comparison of KE, PE ME We also find that the total energy is not conserved at the point of collision where we see a loss in total energy (annihilation of energy). For second task, we compare the values of the total mechanical energy for each cycle with that of the preceding one. It is evident from the graph of energy that this energy decreased suddenly after each collision. Thus the collision was inelastic. Also, we can see from the previous graphs that total energy of the glider was zero at certain instant after collision; the glider collided with the bumper, imparted its all (kinetic) energy to the bumper and came to the rest. Then bumper shifted a fraction of this energy to the glider in form of KE forcing it to move in the opposite direction (up the ramp). To read total energy as zero at certain point, we can construct the following simplest case. Consider the glider to be at rest at a height from the ground on the ramp (say 80cm). Obviously, KE is zero. We define the origin at this point. So its height w.r.t. origin becomes zero. Now we measure PE with reference to the same point (because of arbitrariness of PE) which becomes . Thus the total energy at this point is zero. As far as the conservation of energy is concerned, that is satisfied because we have defined origin at the highest point. As the glider moves down the ramp, value of h becomes negative. This negative value of PE annihilates the positive value of KE that is produced due to increasing velocity. Thus the total energy remains zero. Another way of doing the same is to define PE to be zero at the highest point, measure height as positive and add a minus sign with the formula for the PE in the equation of the total energy. To study the variation in the coefficient of restitution, we chose two continuous parameters: height and mass of the glider. We took 3 readings because the tendency of increasing/decreasing should not be study by taking the minimum possible, 2, readings due of the possibility of error. The data is given in the following table. Table 1 The following plot shows coefficient of restitution vs height. Figure iv: Coefficient of Restitution vs Height Second and third readings show that the coefficient of restitution decreases with increasing the height. But the first two readings tell the reverse. However, by considering the error bars of first two points we can conclude that: â€Å"Coefficient of restitution decreases with increasing height.† The following plot shows coefficient of restitution-mass vs mass. Figure v: Coefficient of Restitution Mass vs Mass This tells us clearly that: â€Å"Coefficient of restitution decreases with increasing mass.† Results and Conclusion: For task 1: we have found that total energy remains constant during the motion of the glider until the collision occurs. Thus law of conservation is verified and its limitation (inelastic collision) is found. For task 2: By comparing the total energy before collision with the total energy after collision, we conclude that the collision is inelastic. Also, we showed that by using the arbitrariness of the value of PE we can set the total energy of a sliding object to be zero. By varying two continuous parameters mass of the glider and initial height of the glider, we found that increasing any one of them leads to a decrease in the value of coefficient of restitution. Since smaller value of coefficient of restitution means greater loss of energy, we conclude that: by increasing height or by increasing mass, more energy is lost during the collision. The physical reasoning behind this conclusion can be understood. In both the cases, increasing height or increasing mass, the maximum PE (mgh) increases. This entire maximum PE becomes maximum KE just before the collision. Thus more energy is lost during the collision. References: Air Track and Cart (1996). Available from: [Online] http://demo.physics.uiuc.edu/LectDemo/scripts/demo_descript.idc?DemoID=110 Energy Conservation on an Incline. Available from: [Online] http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/energy/ie.cfm Coefficient of Restitution (2014). Available from: [Online] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coefficient_of_restitution

Childhood Obesity is Preventable Essay -- Obesity in Children

Childhood obesity in America is a growing disease that has become an epidemic that has lasting psychological effects, because of advertisement of fast food, lack of physical activities, and parental control has made food become a major health issue in many young teenagers’ lives today. Overall, who is to blame? Obesity plagues America and threatens to seriously degrade our society in many ways. There are some that would argue to say that obesity is okay and that it is not that big of a deal, they are wrong. There are some variations pertaining to build but everyone’s body is designed to carry a certain weight, when you increase that weight you threaten the balance of your body and can expect your body to break down much sooner than expected. For example, think of a machine, a machine that was designed to lift 100 pounds could easily do the job and continue doing the job for a very long time before breaking down. Now, think of that same machine lifting 300 pounds instead, since it was designed for only 100 pounds, how much quicker will that machine break down? It is also in our nature to not desire obesity, we are genetically designed just like the rest of nature to desire the fit and healthy of society. This is the root cause of social dislike for obesity as well as personal dislike for obesity. Which brings us to the focus of how childhood obesity has become an enormous issue today. In order to truly understand the impact of obesity and why we should prevent it, we first need to look at the causes of obesity and what keeps people obese. The logical first step for us to look at is childhood obesity, even if children are merely o... ... of the blame. In conclusion, while childhood obesity is alarming, it is preventable and treatable. Works Cited 1."Parents, Kids Don’t Perceive Obesity as a Health Problem." Journal of the American Dietetic Association n. pag. Web. 20 Feb 2015. . 2.N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb 2015. . 3.N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb 2015. . 4. Rabin, Robin. "Child Obesity Risks Death at Early Age, Study Finds ." (2012): n. pag. Web. 20 Feb 2015. . 5. Levine, Susan, and Rob Stein. "Obesity Threatens a Generation." 'Catastrophe' of Shorter Spans, Higher Health Costs (2013): n. pag. Web. 20 Feb 2015. 6. Maine, M. (2012). Body Wars. Carlsbad: Gurze Books