Case Study, History

1. (250 words)
a) Line, color, hue, balance, form and perspective were some of the key concepts covered in this week. Use the example of a painting by Peter Paul Rubens and discuss how one or more of this weeks key concepts are featured in the painting. Identify the painting by title, and include citations for any material youve researched.
b) Artists often become known for regularly employing certain themes, subjects, or styles in their work. Consider Monet and his haystacks, Van Gogh and his sunflowers, Picasso and his blue period; each one of these artists had some recognizable characteristic or trope that, while not defining his work, certainly helped to make it recognizable. Rubens was famous for painting cherubs and women who were “pleasingly plump.” Has anyone heard the term “Rubenesque”? What does it mean?

2. (250 words)

a) This question leads us into the minds of some of the great thinkers of the modern age, let's get started by attempting to break down the meaning of the word Enlightenment:

There is a difference between (1) the meaning of the word “enlightenment” as it is generally used in conventional conversation, (2) the specialized meaning of “enlightenment” in religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, and (3) the 18th Century movement in history that is called “The Enlightenment” (also called the Age of Reason or the Age of Humanism).

Would anyone like to help the class understand some of the essential differences?

Remember that the primary focus of this discussion is #3 above.

So, what does “The Enlightenment” mean in terms of the humanities? What changed when the medieval period gave way to Humanism?

b) Given the information from this week's reading on the Enlightenment, the New Rationalism, and the Scientific Revolution, how did advancements in science and reasoning change the lives of people at this time? In addition, what effects did the Industrial Revolution have on the world?