Balta Emilio
Giovanni Armillotta Luca Vergura Angelica Borazio
Salice Barbara
Maria Antonietta Tommasone Alessia Rinaldi Anna Piemontese
Daniele Ognissanti
Elisa Trotta
Francesca Pistorio
Ivana Renzullo
Marco Rinaldi
Maria Pia Armillotta
PORTUGAL GEOGRAPHY
Portugal occupies the western part of the Iberian Peninsula. The country is crossed by three large rivers that rise in Spain, flow into the Atlantic, and divide the country into three geographic areas: the Minho River, the Douro River, the Tejo River. The Azores stretch over 340 mi (547 km) in the Atlantic and consist of nine islands with a total area of 902 sq mi (2,335 sq km). Madeira, consisting of two inhabited islands, Madeira and Porto Santo, and two groups of uninhabited islands, lie in the Atlantic about 535 mi (861 km) southwest of Lisbon. HISTORY The country of Portugal emerged in the tenth century during the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula: first as a region under the control of the Counts of Portugal and then, in the mid-twelfth century, as a kingdom under King Afonso I. The throne then went through a turbulent time, with several rebellions. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries overseas exploration and conquest in Africa, South America and India won the nation a rich empire .In 1580 a succession crisis led to a successful invasion by the King of Spain and Spanish rule, beginning an era known to opponents as the Spanish Captivity, but a successful rebellion in 1640 led to independence once more. Portugal fought alongside Britain in the Napoleonic Wars, whose political fallout led to a son of the King of Portugal becoming Emperor of Brazil; a decline in imperial power followed. The nineteenth century saw civil war, before a Republic was declared in 1910. However, in 1926 a military coup led to generals ruling until 1933, when a Professor called Salazar took over, ruling in an authoritarian manner until 1974. His retirement through illness was followed by a further coup, the declaration of the Third Republic and independence for African colonies.
TRADITIONS, MUSIC AND CUSTOMS Each region of Portugal has its own style of dance and songs with the most traditional tunes. Some of the best examples of the regional dances are the vira, chula, corridinho, tirana and fandango, where couples perform a lively dance usually to a fast beat of hand-clapping, guitars and accordions. Many of these dances reflect the courting and matrimonial traditions of the area and are often passionate and exciting to watch.
During many of these traditional dances, people dress up in a variety of ways ranging from working clothes to colourful costumes.
Fado is Portugal’s main traditional music and is a form of song which can encompass anything and everything but is mainly characterised by mournful and melancholy tunes and lyrics. In 2011, Fado was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.The word ‘Fado’ means fate in Portuguese, however given the sad nature of the music, a good way to describe the spirit of the song is ‘lament’. There are several different theories to its origin with some believing Fado to have roots in Moorish songs as well as African-Brazilian rhythms. Portugal is proud of its music and it is best heard in the Fado houses.
VISUAL ART The ancient cave paintings at Escoural, the Roman township of Conímbriga, the Temple of Diana in Évora and the typical Moorish architecture of the southern towns Olhão and Tavira are just some examples of extraordinary cultural gems that can be found in the country. Throughout the centuries, Portugal's arts have been enriched by foreign influences, including Flemish, French and Italian. The voyages of the Portuguese discoverers opened the country to Oriental inspiration and the revelation of Brazil's wealth of gold and jewels fed the Baroque flame in decoration. Portugal has a huge cultural heritage that is just waiting to be discovered… A school of primitive painters headed by Nuno Gonçalves was prominent in the 15th century, and subsequently Flemish artists interpreted the native style, decorating palaces, convents and leaving a rich heritage of religious art. Romanesque and Gothic influences have given Portugal some of its greatest cathedrals, which are fantastic places to visit while on holiday
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for its visual artworks and writings. The aim was to "resolve the previously contradictory conditions of dream and reality." Artists painted unnerving, illogical scenes with photographic precision, created strange creatures from everyday objects and developed painting techniques that allowed the unconscious to express itself and/or an idea/concept. Surrealist works feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non sequitur; however, many Surrealist artists and writers regard their work as an expression of the philosophical
movement first and foremost, with the works being an artifact. Leader André Breton was explicit in his assertion that Surrealism was, above all, a revolutionary movement.
Salvador Dalì,The Persistence of Memory
Renè Magritte False Mirror 1928
The Harlequin's Carnival
Michele Prencipe Matteo Quitadamo
Valentina Pacillo Giuseppe Basta
Leonardo Salcuni
Antonio Prencipe
Giuseppe Borelli
Gabriella Palumbo
Anna Clara Castigliego Lucia Guerra
Piercosimo Zino Emanuele Triventi
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), commonly known as Michelangelo was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, poet, and engineer of the High Renaissance. He was considered the greatest living artist in his lifetime, and ever since then he has been held to be one of the greatest artists of all time. A
number of his works in painting, sculpture, and architecture rank among the most famous in existence. His output in every field during his long life was prodigious; when the sheer volume of correspondence, sketches, and reminiscences that survive is also taken into account, he is the best-documented artist of the 16th century. Two of his best-known works, the Pietà and David, were sculpted before he turned thirty. Despite his low opinion of painting, Michelangelo also created two of the most influential works in fresco in the history of Western art: the scenes from Genesis on the ceiling and The Last Judgment on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. As an architect, Michelangelo pioneered the Mannerist style at the Laurentian Library. At the age of 74 he succeeded Antonio da Sangallo the Younger as the architect of St. Peter's Basilica. One of the qualities most admired by his contemporaries was his “terribilità”, a sense of awe-inspiring grandeur, and it was the attempts of subsequent artists to imitate Michelangelo's impassioned and highly personal style that resulted in Mannerism, the next major movement in Western art after the High Renaissance. The most important works of Michelangelo Buonarroti The statue of David
David is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculptu re created between 1501 and 1504. It is 5.17-metre marble statue of a standing male nude. The statue represents the Biblical hero David, a favourite subject in the art of Florence. Originally commissioned as one of a series of statues of prophets to be positioned along the roofline of the east end of Florence Cathedral, the statue was placed instead in a public square, outside the Palazzo of Signoria, the seat of civic government in Florence, where it was unveiled on 8 September 1504. Because of the nature of the hero that it represented, it soon came to symbolize the defence of civil
liberties. David is depicted just after his battle with Goliath. His sling is thrown over his shoulder by his left hand and his right hand hangs loosely. The twist of his body effectively suggests to the viewer the feeling that he is in motion, an impression heightened with contrast. The statue is a Renaissance interpretation of a common ancient Greek theme of the standing heroic male nude. His classic pose and his contrast emphasized by the turn of the head to the left, and by the contrasting positions of the arms causes the figure’s hips and shoulders to rest at opposing angles, giving a slight s-curve to the all torso. Michelangelo’s David has become one of the most recognized works of Renaissance sculpture, becoming a symbol of both strength and youthful human beauty. It was the colossal size of the statue that impressed Michelangelo's contemporaries, however. the figure has an unusually large head and hands which represent respectively human brain and instrument of the reason . David has been endlessly reproduced and by the 20th century, Michelangelo's David had become iconic shorthand for "culture". Rome the Last Judgment
It is a fresco by Michelangelo executed on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. It is a depiction of the Second Coming of Christ and the final and eternal judgment by God of all humanity. The souls of humans rise and descend to their fates, as judged by Christ surrounded by
prominent saints. The work took four years to complete and was done between 1536 and 1541 While traditional medieval last judgments showed figures dressed according to their social positions, Michelangelo created a new standard. His groundbreaking concept of the event shows figures equalized in their nudity, stripped bare of rank. The artist portrayed the separation of the blessed and the damned by showing the saved ascending on the left and the damned descending on the right. The fresco is more monochromatic than the ceiling frescoes and is dominated by the tones of flesh and sky. The cleaning and restoration of the fresco, however, revealed a greater chromatic range than previously apparent. Orange, green, yellow, and blue are scattered throughout, animating and unifying the complex scene.
Pencil Pencil sharpener Ruler Rubber Glue Compass Pastels Square Chisel Statue Building Fresco
Matita Temperino Righello Gomma Colla Compasso Pastelli Squadra Scalpello Statua Edificio Affresco
Painting Architecture Sculpture Pillar
Pittura Architettura Scultura Pilastro
Kitsch is a style of mass-produced art or design using cultural icons. The term is generally reserved for unsubstantial or gaudy works, or works that are created to have popular appeal. Kitsch originated in the art markets of Munich, describing cheap, popular, and marketable pictures and sketches. The term kitsch defines a pseudo-artistic phenomenon focused to the object or to the event that has the appearance of the art but not having the substance of it: it is kitsch the novelty object that derives from the falsification and from counterfeiting of an authentic artistic object. One generic definition adopted in the architecture and in the design points as kitsch every object whose form doesn’t derive from the function. Kitsch is, so, a window on the new world, is analysis of the present, artistic expression according to a new esthetic, but also an unfathomable aspect and somehow paradoxical of the humane soul, for which the ugly seems begun in the contemporary art the true beauty.
Painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface (support base). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and airbrushes, can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is also used outside of art as a common trade among craftsmen and builders. Paintings may have for their support such surfaces as walls, paper, canvas, wood, glass, lacquer, clay, leaf, copper or concrete, and may incorporate multiple other materials including sand, clay, paper, gold leaf as well as objects. Oil
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body and gloss. Oil paint eventually became the principal medium used for creating artworks as its advantages became widely known. The transition began with Early Netherlandish painting in northern Europe, and by the height of the Renaissance oil painting techniques had almost completely replaced tempera paints in the majority of Europe. Pastel
Pastel is a painting medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation. The color effect of pastels is closer to the natural dry pigments than that of any other process. Because the surface of a pastel painting is fragile and
easily smudged, its preservation requires protective measures such as framing under glass; it may also be sprayed with a fixative. Nonetheless, when made with permanent pigments and properly cared for, a pastel painting may endure unchanged for centuries. Pastels are not susceptible, as are paintings made with a fluid medium, to the cracking and discoloration that result from changes in the color, opacity, or dimensions of the medium as it dries. Acrylic
Acrylic paint is fast drying paint containing pigment suspension in acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints can be diluted with water, but become waterresistant when dry. Depending on how much the paint is diluted (with water) or modified with acrylic gels, media, or pastes, the finished acrylic painting can resemble a watercolor or an oil painting, or have its own unique characteristics not attainable with other media. The main practical difference between most acrylics and oil paints is the inherent drying time. Oils allow for more time to blend colors and apply even glazes over under-paintings. This slow drying aspect of oil can be seen as an advantage for certain techniques, but in other regards it impedes the artist trying to work quickly. Watercolor
Watercolor is a painting method in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a water soluble vehicle. The traditional and most common support for watercolor paintings is paper; other supports include papyrus, bark papers, plastics, vellum or leather, fabric, wood and canvas. In East Asia, watercolor painting with inks is referred to as brush painting or scroll painting. In Chinese, Korean, and Japanese painting it has been the dominant medium, often in monochrome black or browns. India,
Ethiopia and other countries also have long traditions. Finger-painting with watercolor paints originated in China.
BULGARIA
GEOGRAPHY Bulgaria shares borders with Serbia, Macedonia, Romania, Greece, and Turkey. Two mountain ranges and two great valleys mark the topography of Bulgaria, a country situated on the Black Sea. The Maritsa is Bulgaria's principal river, the Danube also flows through the country.
HISTORY The Thracians lived in what is now known as Bulgaria from about 3500 B.C. They were incorporated into the roman Empire. Then the Bulgars, who crossed the Danube from the north in 679, took control of the region. Although the country bears the name of the Bulgars, the Bulgar language and culture died out, replaced by a Slavic language, writing, and religion. The Bulgars were invaded by the Ottoman Empire, which made Bulgaria a Turkish province until 1878. In 1878, Russia forced Turkey to give Bulgaria its independence after the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878); but the European powers intervened limiting Bulgaria's territory.In the First Balkan War (1912– 1913), Bulgaria and the other members of the Balkan League fought against Turkey to regain Balkan territory, but in the Second Balkan War lost the war and all the territory. Bulgaria joined Germany in World War I in the hope of again gaining Macedonia and fought on the side of the Nazis in World War II.
CULTURE AND TRADITIONS Bulgarians may wear the martenitsa (мартеница) — an adornment made of white and red yarn and worn on the wrist or pinned on the clothes — from March 1 until the end of the month. One can then tie the martenitsa to the blossoming branch of a tree. Family-members and friends in Bulgaria customarily exchange martenitsas, which they regard as symbols of health and longevity. The white thread represents peace and tranquility, while the red one stands for the cycles of life. Bulgarians may also refer to the holiday of 1 March as Baba Marta (Баба Марта), meaning Grandmother March. It preserves an ancient pagan tradition.
Many legends exist regarding the birth of this custom, some of them dating back to the 7th-century times of Khan Kubrat, the ruler of Old Great BulgariaThe ancient Bulgarian ritual of kukeri (кукери), performed by costumed men, seeks to scare away evil spirits and bring good harvest and health to the community. The costumes, made of animal furs and fleeces, cover the whole of the body. A mask, adorned with horns and decoration, covers the head of each kuker, who also must have bells attached to his waist. The ritual consists of dancing, jumping and shouting in an attempt to banish all evil from the village. Some of the performers impersonate royalty, fieldworkers and craftsmen.
VISUAL ART Bulgaria has a rich heritage in the visual arts, especially in frescoes, murals and icons. Tomb art provides one of the most important sources of information about Thracian lifestyle and culture. Visual arts in the Bulgarian lands experienced an upsurge during the entire period of the Middle ages. The earliest of those dates from around the 9th century AD. The Tarnovo Artistic School, the mainstream of the Bulgarian fine arts and architecture between 13th and 14th centuries, takes its name from the capital and main cultural centre of the Second Bulgarian Empire, Tarnovo.
The wall piers and the arches often featured medallion-shaped bust images of saints. During the period of Ottoman rule (1396-1878) the authorities suppressed Bulgarian art. Many churches suffered destruction, and newly built ones remained somewhat modest. In the end of the 18th century the Islamic Ottoman empire began to decay slowly. Following the Liberation in 1878, fine arts rapidly recovered and came under the influence of European artistic currents such as late Romanticism.
Giuseppe De Nittis was an Italian painter whose work merges the styles of Salon art and Impressionism. He was born in Barletta in 1846. He came into contact with some of the artists know as the Macchiaioli. In 1867 he moved to Paris and entered into a contract with the art dealer Adolphe Goupil. Then he returned to Italy where he produced several views of Vesuvius. In 1872 he returned to Paris and achieved a success at the Salon of refused with his painting “Che Freddo!”. In that same year he was invited to exhibit at the first Impressionist exhibition, held at Nadar's. The invitation came from Edgar Degas. A trip to London resulted in a number of Impressionistic paintings. On a trip to Italy De Nittis took up pastels, which were to be an important medium for him in his remaining years. In 1884, at age of 38, De Nittis died suddenly of a stroke at Saint-Germain-en-Laye. De Nittis works are in many public collections, including the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the National Gallery in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
“Driving” by AutoCAD
AutoCAD is a software application for 2D and 3D computer-aided design (CAD) and drafting — available since 1982 as a desktop application and since 2010 as a mobile web- and cloud-based app, currently marketed as AutoCAD 360.AutoCAD was first released in December 1982. The software is currently marketed in its eighteenth generation. As Autodesk's flagship product, by March 1986 AutoCAD had become the most ubiquitous microcomputer design program worldwide, with functions such as "polylines" and "curve fitting" .Prior to the introduction of AutoCAD, most other CAD programs ran on mainframe computers or minicomputers, with each CAD operator (user) working at a graphical terminal or workstation. It is used across a range of industries, including architects, project managers and engineers, among other professions, with 750 training centers established worldwide as of 1994
“Walking� through Daunia
The Daunian civilization developed between the X and the IV century B.C. This population inhabited Gargano. They used to worship natural elements such as Sun and Water. They were known as a peaceful people and mostly involved in agricultural and crafting activities and were also great artists. Their culture was native. They produced clay pottery. At first they let dry pottery under the sun, afterwards they started to bake it into kilns. They used to bury deads with their personal belongings. Decorated pottery was used for grave goods Simple pottery was usually used in everyday life
Crystall Armillotta
Emanuela Lauriola Marianna Della Torre Pietro Melchionna Rosy Romagnolo Sipontina Fabrizio Claudio Gatta
Vittorio Gatta Matteo Castriotta Rosita Impagniatiello Sara Ruffino Giuseppe Bisceglia
LEONARDO DA VINCI
Leonardo da Vinci(April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519, Old Style) was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer. His genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time and perhaps the most diversely talented person ever to have lived. Born in Vinci in the region of Florence, Leonardo was educated in the studio of the renowned Florentine painter Verrocchio. Much of his earlier working life was spent in the service of Ludovico il Moro in Milan. He later worked in Rome, Bologna and Venice, and he spent his last years in France at the home awarded him by Francis I. Leonardo was, and is, renowned primarily as a painter. Among his works, the Mona Lisa is the most famous and most parodied portrait and The Last Supper the most reproduced religious painting of all time
Creation of Adam. Leonardo's drawing of the Vitruvian Man is also regarded as a cultural icon, being reproduced on items as varied as the euro coin, textbooks, and T-shirts.
THE LAST SUPPER
Leonardo's most famous painting of the 1490s is The Last Supper, painted for the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria della Grazie in Milan. The painting represents the last meal shared by Jesus with his disciples before his capture and death. It shows specifically the moment when Jesus has just said "one of you will betray me". Leonardo tells the story of the consternation that this statement caused to the twelve followers of Jesus.
MONA LISA
Its fame rests, in particular, on the elusive smile on the woman's face, its mysterious quality brought about perhaps by the fact that the artist has subtly shadowed the corners of the mouth and eyes so that the exact nature of the smile cannot be determined. Other characteristics found in this work are the unadorned dress, in which the eyes and hands have no competition from other details, the dramatic landscape background in which the world seems to be in a state of flux, the subdued colouring and the extremely smooth nature of the painterly technique, employing oils, but laid on much like tempera and blended on the surface so that the brushstrokes are indistinguishable.
On 24 January we took part in a lecture organized by the "National Rotary Club". At 8.30 p.m. we went to "Regio Hotel Manfredi ". Carlotta Fatone was the speaker. She told us about jewish people, what happened to them during the different ages. We were explained how they lived in the Roman Empire, how they were forced to leave Spain by the catholic sovereigns
Isabella and Ferdinando during the Middle Ages. Then we dealt with Nazism. Some people expressed their ideas and asked some questions. We thought about the hostile attitude and we tried to find the reasons that caused it. However nothing can justify that violence. It was very interesting, it made us think and we understood how is important remembering the past.
POLAND GEOGRAPHY Poland is located at the heart of the European continent. The country is a meeting place not only for cultures and ideas, but also for conflict and confrontation. Poland's borders have changed many times over the centuries. Its present borders were set after World War II ended in 1945. Poland has seven neighbors: Germany, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, and Russian Kaliningrad
Poland has a variety of striking landscapes, from the sandy beaches of the Baltic Sea coast in the north and the rolling central lowlands to the snowcapped peaks of the Carpathian and Sudeten Mountains in the south. Poland has more than 1,300 lakes throughout the country.
HISTORY Poland is an ancient nation that was conceived near the middle of the 10th century. Its golden age occurred in the 16th century. During the following century, the strengthening of the gentry and internal disorders weakened the nation. In a series of agreements between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland amongst themselves. When Poland regained its independence it became a Soviet satellite state following the war, but its government was comparatively tolerant and progressive. A "shock therapy" program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe, but Poland currently suffers low GDP growth and high unemployment. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004
CUISINE, TOURISM AND TRADITIONS Polish cuisine and dining table etiquette is a perfect reflection of the warmth in the Polish character. Having a meal with one's family is not just consumption of food - it is celebration. Guests are always welcomed. Breakfasts are generally
heavy with vegetables and cold cuts of meat. Dinners, even more so. Only suppers are a tad lighter, perhaps, keeping in toe with the universal proverb: After dinner rest a while, after supper walk a mile. The Poles are the original potato eaters and potatoes have been the darling of the Polish kitchens through centuries. Meat is also a mainstay (cold cuts and sausages mainly) and is grilled more or less ceremoniously at the country home, in the garden, or on the front lawn. Seasonal markets and holiday fairs expose travelers to Polish culture and hospitality, restaurants serve up Polish cuisine, and souvenir shops maintain a steady stock of folk crafts and handmade art. For centuries since the dawn of feudalism, a traditional folk art has thrived in the villages and small towns of Poland. This art, intimately connected with the everyday life and local interests of the common people and enriched by creative individuals in each new generation, reflects the uniqueness of each of Poland's regions. Folk art includes not only such standard forms as painting, sculpture and wood engraving, but also decorative art, such as paper cut-outs, decorations made of straw, painted Easter eggs, and wedding and birthday cakes. Folk art also includes weaving, embroidery, pottery, wooden vessels and household utensils and metal products. Folk art is still very much alive in many regions of Poland. Today, its lasting artistic value and the specific features of its content and style give this art a high place in Poland's national culture
RELIGION AND FESTIVALS
Polish traditions through the year include holidays, customs, superstitions, rituals, and celebrations. Some stem from pagan rites of seasons, but most of Polish traditions are firmly rooted in Catholicism, a predominant religion in Poland. Nowadays, any pagan elements still present in the culture take the form of fun festivals and shows. Two Catholic celebrations - Christmas and Easter - are the most important religious events in Poland. During the holiday season Poles take the time to pray in churches, get together with families, relax and cook and enjoy festive, traditional meals. Easter is a major holiday in Poland that lasts for few days. It's a time when people celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easterrelated festivities begin on Palm Sunday, when faithful bring colorful palms for a mass, and continue all through the Holly Week to end with Wet Monday, known for a rich tradition of pouring water on each other. This period is marked with religious rites. Poland is a strongly Roman Catholic country - you will see religious processions through streets on feast days. One really nice tradition is that of a competition for the best nativity scene or szopka. These resemble Russian palaces more than our traditional crib and manger but can be viewed in the Main square in the Old Town during the weeks approaching Christmas. Christmas holidays in Poland are celebrated on December 25 and 26. The festivities have both a family and a public setting. Around this time town squares and streets are lit with colorful, festive lamps. Every year during the month of December, Christmas fairs are arranged to sell traditional foods, gifts and souvenirs. Christmas Eve (Wigilia), an evening preceding Christmas Day, is traditionally celebrated with a festive Christmas supper. It's a very special occasion, when families prepare 12 types of meatless dishes - one for each of the 12 apostles. At midnight a special mass is held in every church, when people pray in celebration of the newly born savior.
.
Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch painter of the 17th century who painted mostly domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. He worked slowly and with great care, using bright colours and sometimes expensive pigments. He is particularly known for the use of light in his paintings. He painted about fourty-five pictures produced for a small group of patrons in Delft but we have thirtyseven of them. Vermeer used a limited palette of browns and greys
over which he applied more saturated colours. Maybe “A girl asleep” is the first image he created. Other of his famous and important works are “The milkmaid”, “Woman with a water jug” and “Girl with a turban” also known as “Girl with a pearl earring”.
The book “Girl with a pearl earring” is inspired by Vermeer’s picture “Girl with a turban”. It was written by Tracy Chevalier in 1999. It tells the story of Griet, a sixteen girl of the XVII century that lives in Delft, Holland. Her father decorates tiles but he became blind because of an accident in the factory. She has got a sister and an older brother. One day the famous artist Johannes Vermeer and his wife Catharina go to Griet’s house. She is told that she will work at Vermeer’s house as a servant. She goes to the house and she wins the trust of the artist. They become accomplices preparing the colours and the painter is nearly obsessed with her. Then Vermeer asks Griet to pose for one of his pictures. When Vermeer finishes, they aren’t satisfied of the work. So the painter tells Griet to wear the pearl earrings of his wife. The girl agrees and pierces her ears. The moment when Vermeer plugs the pearl earrings is like a love meeting. Catharina discovers what happened and gets angry. Griet leaves the house and her work. She marries Pieter, the butcher she knew at the market. Twelve years later Vermeer dies and, as he wanted, Catharina gives the earrings to Griet.
There is a film based on the book “Girl with a pearl earring”. Obviously it is quite different from the novel. The characters aren’t described in detail as in the book. In the romance Tanneke the cooker is envious of Griet because she has more privileges than her. Instead they get on well in the movie. In the book Griet pierces both of her ears on Vermeer’s advice, but in the film only the left one is pierced. The producer chose the actors carefully: Scarlett Johansson, who plays the protagonist, is very similar to the girl of the picture. Compared to the film, the book is much more envolving. ty in Silesia in southern Poland. It is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union with a population of 2 millions people but the population within the city limits is 113.162(June 2009). It is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Rowa River (a tributary of the Vistula).
HISTORY The name of the oldest settlement Chorzow was applied to the amalgamated city. The etimology of the name is not known. Chorzow is believed to be first mentioned as Zvesov in a document of 1136 by Pope Innocent II as village with peasants, silver miners and two inn. Another place name likely indicating Chorzow is Coccham, which is mentioned in a document of 1198 by the Patriarch of Jerusalem. Next, Chorzow is mentioned as Chacrew in 1257 and then Chorzow in 1292. In the 12th century, the castellany of Bytom, including the Chorzow area, belonged to the province of Krakow. In 1179 it was awarded by Duke Cosimir the just to the Duke of Apole, and since that time the history of Chorzow has been connected to the history of Upper Silesia. The oldest part of the city, today called Chorzow Stary, belonged since 1257 to the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. From 1327, the Upper Silesian duchies were ruled by the dukes of the Piast dynasty and were subject to Bohemian overlordship. The Lord of Boheniam Crown elected Polish-Lituanian Jagiellons Kings from 1490 and Austrian Hobsburgs King after 1526. In 1742, the area was conquered by the Prussian Hohenzollern in Silesian Wars. The Prussian and then German period lasted for about 180 years. 1922-1939:In the Upper Silesia plebiscite a majority of voters voted to remain in Germany while the minority of voters were given for Poland. Following three Silesian uprisings, the eastern part of Silesia, including Chorzow, was separeted from Germany and awarded to Poland in 1922. GERMAN PERIOD DURING WORLD WAR II In September 1939, Chorzow was taken by Nazi Germany. Mainly Silesian uprising veterans and Scouts, put up resistence to the regular German forces for three days, most of them were murdered in mass executions. Polish property was confiscated, and Chorzow was promptly re-incorporated into German Silesia; the Upper Silesian industry being one the pillars of the Nazi Germany war effort. There were several enforced labor camps in Chorzow and two branches of the Auscwitz
concentration camp. Chorzow was occupied by Soviet Red Army in January 1945 with the subsequent persecution of many ethnic Silesian and Germans
ECONOMY ROYAL IRON WORKS, COAL MINES AND CHEMISTRY With the discovery of bituminous coal deposits at the end of the 18th century by a local church priest, new industrial sectors developed in the Chorzow area. In the years 1791-1797 the Prussian Royal Coal Mine was constructed. In 1799, first pig iron was made in the Royal Iron Works. In 1819 the iron works consisted of 4 blost furnaces. Then the modern Lidognia Zinc Works was added in the area. In 1871 a steel mill, rail mill and workshops were added. In the vicinity of the Royal Coal Mine, Countess Laura Coal Mine was opened in 1870. in 1898, a thermal power plant was commissioned which was, until the 1930s, the biggest electricity producer in Poland. Today, it operates as "Elcho". In 1915, nitrogen chemical works were built nearly to produce fertilizers and explosives by newly invented processes: from air, water and coal. Today, it operates as Zaklady Azotowe SA AFTER 1945 At the end of World War II, generally the Chorzow industry suffered little damage. This intact industry now played a critical role in the past-war reconstruction and industralization of Poland. After the war, businesses were nationalized and operated, with minor changes, till 1989. At the fall of communism in 1989, the area was in decline. Since 1989, the region has been transitioning from heavy industry to a more diverse economy. In 2007, Chorzow become part of Upeer Silesian Metropolitan Union improving its competitiveness, modernizing the infrastructure. TODAY Chorzow used to be one of the most important cities in the largest Polish economic area (the Upeer Silesian Area) with extensive industry in coal mining, steel, chemistry, manufacturing and enegy sectors. Many eavy-industry establishments were closed or scaled down in the last two decades because of environmental issues in the center of highly urbanized area and also because of decades-long lock of investment. But others were restructure and modernized.
Jhon Amon Comenius was born in Hungary in 1519. His fame and his doctrines are due not only to the religious life as a refugee and the defense of public education, but also to his enormous knowledge and his literary innovations. It is considered the father of modern education. He argued that the goal of education was the formation of man. He said that in fact educate is live, what you need to learn before they act and to educate that you have to have a clear vision of the goals to be achieved and the method by which the instruction must be given. The ideal pansophic (teaching all things to all in Latin) of Comenius expresses the need for education to be extended to all social classes, but without overloading the mind, but by stimulating the "pursuit of knowledge throughout their lives. From education should not be excluded not only women, but even the handicapped, even the latter, in fact, have a soul that needs to be done to progress through learning. According to Comenius, man must investigate the nature and learn from her, as beings of nature are appropriate at each stage of their development. Comenius therefore divides the course of studies in 4 cycles, each of which is a revival and deepening of what has been treated in previous cycles, according to a trend 'spiral' of teaching.