Book 3 China’s treasure ships were part of a fleet that was larger than any in history. Zhu Di, leader and prince of the Ming dynasty, wanted the fleet of 317 wooden treasure ships all over 400 feet long. The prince wanted nothing but the best. The silk sails were a traditional red. The ships were used to carry cargo for trade. What amazes me is the boldness of the ships. Red silk sails and painted dragons and phoenixes sounds pretty impressive and coupled with the fact that they were so massive is just astounding. The work these people had to put in day after day makes me love my job.
It also makes me realize what kind of people it took to do such work. The mental capacity to and plan out design and construct it perfectly. I think it really shows what a person is capable of. I was not bothered by their pride when they described their ships. They deserved to take pride in their work it is human nature to make it bigger and better and China’s treasure ships were proof of that. Tommaso Guidi, more commonly known as Masccio, discovered the power of the vanishing point. In the Trinity he created the illusion of a hallway by converging the lines of the ceiling exactly where the audience may stand.
His works created depth which mad the viewer feel more involved in the piece. It is a personal goal for artists to make something no one has ever seen before. Making threedimensional artwork on two-dimensional canvas or in this case wall must have been striking. Another part of artists’ goal is to make you feel, the artwork needs to tell a story to thousand or just one. All that matters is that the artist can influence the viewer with his work. Not all humans understand each other but they can find solace in a piece that speaks the them.
Modern art as changed and a simple black canvas can be sold for millions of dollars but what matters is that the one who bought it felt a connection to it. Among other artists-scientists Leonardo da Vinci reigned supreme because of how he utilized his talents. Leonardo da Vinci was naturally curious about how things worked. He examined plants humans and animals he drew them and coupled them with notes of his findings. He created a universal system of proportion in reference to humans. Leonardo da Vinci was one of those special humans that come along once in a lifetime. He was a scientist and an artist.
Combining the two talents was a match made in heaven. I responded to the piece because Leonardo da Vinci is such a great icon during the fifteenth century. His artwork is still famous to this day, The Mona Lisa is one of many that can recognized immediately by anyone. Leonardo’s curiosity and hunger to dissect the world one kingdom at a time is what interests me. Not only his curiosity but his inventiveness. His notes included contraptions that looked like they were made for the skies. Which just goes to show that even then humans realized that when you want something the sky is the limit.
Michelangelo was a painter, poet, architect, and engineer. He created Pieta, which is a sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding a departed Jesus. I was one of the most emotional statues created by him. Other works possess the same attention to detail. If it were not for the pale skin and shimmer that danced across the marble you would think that an actual person was standing there with fierce eyes and an unbreakable concentration. I wanted to point out Michelangelo because his attention to detail and outstanding work conveyed subtle emotions toward the viewer. A mother could empathize the Virgin Mary.
No one knows the ferocity of a mother’s love and the sorrow that could be felt from a lost son. It is human nature to find comfort in numbers. Mothers gather their children and fathers ready their men so when you see something that has human expression you feel drawn to it. I can only imagine the number of mothers that passed the statue and pursed their lips and shed a tear because they remembered what it was like to have a child and some know what it is like to have it taken from them. The Columbian Exchange was the trade of hundreds of good between Western Europe and the Americas.
The Exchange created new cultures, new peoples, and new developments. Technology and industry boomed and it changed the people. Diet, dance and language had become more unique than ever. Languages meshed and morphed into new languages. Livestock, grains, and fruits were introduced the Americas; the new imported foods changed cooking drastically. The clash must have taken a toll on the elders, it is easier for the youngsters to become accustomed to new ways of living but elders tend to fight it in fear of losing their traditional ways. I understand that change can be a good thing but we should also remember our heritage and honor it.
I know deep down that the Colombian Exchange definitely skewed the lives of many who only wanted the best for their people. We can get so caught up in the next big thing that we do not even realized the damage it has caused until it is too late. The Qur’an is recitation of Muhammed, it is referred to as the holy book of Islam. It is a guide to holy and worldly living. According to the Qur’an men can be married to a maximum of four women and men are thought of as a degree higher than women. Eating pork, drinking wine, and gambling are not allowed.
Nonbelievers and the wicked will be punished in Hell. Although it has been translated it is considered too holy to capture the essence in any other language. While the Qur’an may have a few points about how to live a peaceful life the people who follow these beliefs do not show it. I know talking about a religion I have little knowledge on can hypocritical but they did bomb the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. You would think people who were living according to a book that would get them into paradise indefinitely that they would not go guano on a bunch of innocent people.
Plus, they do not eat pork; they obviously have never tried my dad’s stuffed pork loin. In all seriousness they thought what they were doing was right and they were confused and maybe even scared. People do crazy things when they are scared. When you are backed into a wall you either attack or run and they attacked. Death can turn you into something you are not. The radicals are just people who went so far down the wrong path that they do not empathize with people anymore, they are animals. The Song of Roland is a story passed down orally by tradition. In this time heroic deeds brought honor to a warrior and his faith.
