Individuality in 20th Century Art Essay Example for Free

Individuality in 20th Century Art Essay 20th Century art has spawned great art forms. Its evident transformation had triggered the question of whether or not the development was caused by the pure genius of the artist or by the preceding art that he was born into. This essay will discuss how the artists of the 20th century have made art almost indefinable (Nicolas Pioch, The 20th century) by looking into the quotes of Immanuel Kant (1790) and Andre Malraux (1953), as well as looking at some actual works before and after 1950 which would illustrate that art has clearly become an expression of an artist’s emotions and thoughts as honed by the past. As individuality steps in, we will closely look at how an individual’s person is actually affected by his experiences and orientation on various aspects of his existence such as how he could have been raised, how he may have been exposed to previous artworks and the like. Immanuel Kant, in his quote from the Critique of Judgment (1790) had clearly defined genius as, â€Å"a talent for producing that for which no definite rule can be given†. I believe that this is like how scientists are referred to as geniuses, they have defied popular beliefs or what had actually become a norm for their time or era. They would produce materials that are not usual for the majority. Similar to this, I believe that such was also the case as he may have found that an artwork, which proved to be unique for its genre, is already a product of a genius. A good example of what was said to be a work of a genius was that of Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Donatello’s Crucifix (images shown in the Documentation). These were considered unique and were painted outside the what was considered as standard during their time or era, as these works had clearly defied the usual idea of what our usual picture of the heavens is (Starry Night) as well as the common picture of how Christ was crucified. Texture of these creations also scream of individuality as was the case with Van Gogh’s work. As was said by I. Kant, â€Å"originality must be its primary property† for an art to be considered as the work of a genius. It is clear he meant that it was something that was not usually done but did not deduce it to not being influenced at all by artworks that came before them. Instead the focus was on how they have made their creations different from the others without necessarily straying from the same idea or thought. Like in Van Gogh’s work, there had already been paintings depicting the heavens at night but its form and texture as well as the colors utilized were clearly out of the ordinary and had been very original despite the presence of previous artworks that had been made. On the other hand, Andre Malraux’s, â€Å"The Voices of Silence† (1953) compared artwork to a child that matures. Meaning that art basically evolves. It does not necessarily veer away from its contemporaries but is created from what he may have experienced. Like a child that may have learned to walk more carefully after acquiring a scratch from a fall, an artist was also said to rise from their own conflicts and the achievements of their predecessors. A person that may have lived within a war-torn era may create an artwork that depicts what he had witnessed, at the same time picking out best practices from works that were previously done by others and using them as inspiration to put his experience or what he had witnessed into a work of art. As such, A. Malraux was right about picking them out â€Å"from their struggle with the forms that others have imposed on life†. We note though, that experiences do not necessarily remain within the context of a person’s personal struggles but can derive thoughts from their successes as well or the comfort that they may have had. A classic example is Jose Manuel Merello Arvilla’s â€Å"bodegon electrico†, which depicts Spain’s colorful yet subdued culture evident in the shades and texture utilized. Similar to this is Vijendra Singh Devra’s painting of a three-part series called the Blue Night, where the texture was actually smooth and the contrast was stark that may be an evidence of the painter’s experiences or social status. It may not be easy to defy the norms. An artist is faced with the risk of being singled out either as great or poor. The genre of which the artwork is in defines the product that the artist creates. As mentioned in â€Å"Necrophilic Logics and the revolt of the imagination†, http://www. geocities. com/kk_abacus/carp. html: A split between the rational and irrational is constructed by every rational system; each rationality creates a corresponding irrationality, that which does not fit inside of it. Therefore, each rational system has inherent limits. To break out of a rationality, one must also be capable of conceiving of that which lies beyond the limits of that system. Rational systems can be useful tools but they can also become mental prisons. There is a slim demarcation between the subconscious and the imagination of a person as it says that both are something that goes beyond the inherent limits of man’s rationality. As such, it is clear that an artist’s genius is based on how he creates a unique description of what he has undergone or experienced as well as his absorption of what had been proven effective and successful for other artists as well.

College Admissions Essay: Deafness Will Not Hold Me Back :: College Admissions Essays

Deafness Will Not Hold Me Back A challenge is nothing more than an obstacle that lies in one's path. I have had my fair share of such obstacles The main one has been my deafness. Many people consider deafness a disabilitya handicap that leads to problems or failure. I am proof that this stereotype is false. I was raised with the awareness that a person in my position can either be a "deaf person" or a person who happens to have a problem hearing. I chose to be the latter. An example of the ways in which this decision shaped my life was the way I dealt with the junior and senior high school foreign language requirement; I have none: since I'm deaf, I am exempt from taking a foreign language. However, I never considered taking advantage of this exemption. I turned a "deaf' ear to my friends who said that I was crazy to take a course that I didn't need or my parents warning that it might be extremely difficult. Taking a foreign language was something that I wanted to do (not merely to prove to others that I could do it) because knowing another language seemed so interesting. Why should I have to go through life with only one language when everyone around me was learning new languages? So I began studying Spanish in seventh grade. Trying to articulate sounds that I could not hear was incredibly frustrating, as was the realization that my grades in Spanish were much lower than my grades in my other subjects, including my AP courses. Every semester, instead of my average being high enough for High Honor Roll, I was only able to make Honor Roll. Still, I was determined to succeed and I did. I can speak, read, and write Spanish. I am proud of my decision to persevere despite the knowledge that my perseverance would lower my academic average. Like so many experiences in my life, a challenge that I could have avoided became a test of my determination. Also, I enjoy challenges that have helped me develop as a human being. For example, chairing committees in Model Congress provided me with opportunities to work with students of different ages, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Similarly, my volunteer activitiesworking on Thanksgiving Food Drives for the homeless, the Interact Food Drives, and Hurricane Relief effortsenabled me to improve my ability to collaborate with a variety of people. College Admissions Essay: Deafness Will Not Hold Me Back :: College Admissions Essays Deafness Will Not Hold Me Back A challenge is nothing more than an obstacle that lies in one's path. I have had my fair share of such obstacles The main one has been my deafness. Many people consider deafness a disabilitya handicap that leads to problems or failure. I am proof that this stereotype is false. I was raised with the awareness that a person in my position can either be a "deaf person" or a person who happens to have a problem hearing. I chose to be the latter. An example of the ways in which this decision shaped my life was the way I dealt with the junior and senior high school foreign language requirement; I have none: since I'm deaf, I am exempt from taking a foreign language. However, I never considered taking advantage of this exemption. I turned a "deaf' ear to my friends who said that I was crazy to take a course that I didn't need or my parents warning that it might be extremely difficult. Taking a foreign language was something that I wanted to do (not merely to prove to others that I could do it) because knowing another language seemed so interesting. Why should I have to go through life with only one language when everyone around me was learning new languages? So I began studying Spanish in seventh grade. Trying to articulate sounds that I could not hear was incredibly frustrating, as was the realization that my grades in Spanish were much lower than my grades in my other subjects, including my AP courses. Every semester, instead of my average being high enough for High Honor Roll, I was only able to make Honor Roll. Still, I was determined to succeed and I did. I can speak, read, and write Spanish. I am proud of my decision to persevere despite the knowledge that my perseverance would lower my academic average. Like so many experiences in my life, a challenge that I could have avoided became a test of my determination. Also, I enjoy challenges that have helped me develop as a human being. For example, chairing committees in Model Congress provided me with opportunities to work with students of different ages, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Similarly, my volunteer activitiesworking on Thanksgiving Food Drives for the homeless, the Interact Food Drives, and Hurricane Relief effortsenabled me to improve my ability to collaborate with a variety of people.

Wal-Mart Ethics Case

Wal-Mart is the largest grocery chain in the world, second largest company on Fortune’s 500 2012 list, and the largest employer in North America. Wal-Mart is faced with many dilemmas and issues that can be expected of such a large and imposing organization. These problems include environmental issues, employee’s issues, leadership issues, supplier issues and creating an uncompetitive market. This is not an exhaustive list, and Wal-Mart has other dilemmas as well, but this paper will concentrate on the issues involving Wal-Mart interaction with employees and the problems Wal-Mart faces with them.Wal-Mart employees’ relations have been a dilemma for various reasons. One reason is that Wal-Mart has been criticized for not paying a decent wage or providing enough benefits. Another issue that Wal-Mart has with employee relations is Wal-Mart’s stance as not allowing any unions in Wal-Mart stores. Wal-Mart has also faced problems with discrimination and the allow ed hiring of illegal immigrants. All of these are a dilemma for Wal-Mart because it is such a large employer and is well respected by other employers.This puts Wal-Mart in a corporate leadership position and the way in which Wal-Mart handles situations with employees is viewed by other corporations as potential solutions to their employee problems. This is also dilemma for Wal-Mart because it is such a large employer and its decisions affect a great number of people. Wal-Mart employs over 1. 4 million people in the United States alone, encompassing 1% of the U. S. work force. At the same time Wal-Mart wants to remain the low-cost leader in the grocery and box stores market.The conflicting forces that Wal-Mart must try to balance are maintaining their leadership aspect while maintaining healthy relationships with employees and customers. There are many stakeholders involved in this dilemma. These stakeholders include Wal-Mart’s employees, Wal-Mart customers, Wal-Mart’s competitors, and the unions. All of these stakeholders have the ability to influence decision concerning employee welfare, within the organization, as well as being influenced by those decisions. The first stakeholder mentioned is the employees for Wal-Mart.Employees are considered supportive stakeholder for the most part, although they can also be considered mixed. This stakeholder is important because Wal-Mart employees so many people, but it is also important because Wal-Mart wishes to stay competitive in the market place. One way to stay competitive is by recruiting good and hardworking employees who are invested and engaged in their work. Otherwise the employee retention will be low, and the work performed will be substandard. This stakeholder is important also because Wal-Mart’s reputation and commitment to low prices.One way to maintain low prices is by maintaining costs that permit these low prices. One way to keep costs down is to keep wages down and provide lower co sting benefits. At the same time, one significant way to retain employees and ensure they are invested in their work environment is by paying them fair wages and providing essential benefits. Wal-Mart employees are also an important stakeholder because Wal-Mart has developed a reputation as being discriminatory in their hiring practices and use of illegal workers.This is important for Wal-Mart, because once again a negative reputation can make it hard to recruit and retain workers. It is also important because a negative reputation can spur litigation and lawsuits that can be initially somewhat costly and end up becoming a burdensome expense, as out of court settlements tend to large. These legal proceedings also garner new headlines and the negative publicity can negatively affect sales, and recruiting efforts. The publication of these problems can also embolden the unions who want to break into and unionize Wal-Mart’s employees.The problem with illegal aliens being used in the work force is a dilemma not only because Wal-Mart can face the cost of fines for breaking the law, but also because Wal-Mart already has a reputation as being bad for the American worker. It has been shown that Wal-Mart is the reason that some companies that supply Wal-Mart with goods, have moved their manufacturing overseas to keep labor and production costs down, and to be better able to maintain their supplier relationship with Wal-Mart. This has caused the loss of jobs in the United States, with the perception that Wal-Mart has no concern about the American worker.Wal-Mart using illegal workers could be perceive as Wal-Mart being only concerned about saving money, and once again denying American workers from jobs. This is also looked on negatively in the current political environment where illegal workers are such a hot topic and unemployment is high. Another stakeholder in these situations is the Wal-Mart customer. The Wal-Mart customer is considered supportive, and Wal-Mar t tries to keep it this way. The customer is an important stakeholder because essentially they are the reason that Wal-Mart exists.Wal-Mart basically provides the facility of easing customer access to goods and services. Customers have a choice in this very competitive market environment and can find the same goods and services elsewhere, as Wal-Mart offers few exclusives on either of these. Wal-Mart does provide a presumed lower cost marketplace, and will match cost of competitors which is viewed as desirable traits from consumers. Still consumers will not continue to patronize organizations they feel are mistreating their employees and are using discriminatory practices in hiring and advancement.Wal-Mart has to maintain a reputation as being a good employer that has genuine concern about it employees and that is also dedicated in being fair in its labor practices. Otherwise customers will go elsewhere for their goods and services, even if they pay a little more. Consumers will no longer support companies that they feel are lacking in proper ethics, because the consumer feels that it will only be a matter of time before the company manages to treat them unfairly.Current consumers are especially proficient at the decision between saving money with one company, and supporting a more sustainable company even if it means spending more. This proficiency comes from facing this decision on a daily basis, and the ease of accessing information. So far, even with some well publicized discriminatory cases, Wal-Mart has been able to retain a strong customer base. Consumers will tend to give companies some benefit of a doubt, especially when it comes to saving money, but this cannot be viewed as a reason to willfully negligent in employee hiring practices.After all, a consumer boycott is only one corporate scandal away. Therefore, the customers can be considered the most important stakeholder, because without them Wal-Mart would cease operations. Another stakeholder invol ved in this case are Wal-Mart’s competitors, like Target, Kmart, Home Depot, etc. , who look at Wal-Mart as a leader in their market. Wal-Mart competitors are neutral because they are more concerned with their own operations than with Wal-Mart’s operations.The decisions that Wal-Mart makes concerning their employees are seen as opportunities to exploit or as problems. These decisions could be opportunities because decisions made in a positive light could be reviewed and possibly adopted by the competition. Whereas decisions made that reflect Wal-Mart negatively can be criticized by the competition and as a recruiting tool. Wal-Mart decisions with employees can also be problematic to competition because their decisions can force unwanted changes into the competitor’s organization. For example, if Wal-Mart changed ts viewpoint about unions it could have great impact throughout the box chain world giving unions leverage to be able to break into other store brands. The final stakeholders in Wal-Mart’s employee welfare situation are unions. Unions are considered an unsupportive stakeholder. The unions have a stake in this situation because their existence is based on membership, their fees, and continued support. Wal-Mart is very opposed to ever accepting a union in their work environment. Wal-Mart feels that it treats it employees fairly enough and a union would only complicate things.Unions see Wal-Mart as the great mountain to climb, and getting Wal-Mart workers to unionize would give the unions a large base of employees to their membership ranks, and leverage through the retail industry. Unionizing Wal-Mart would not necessary be all positive, as the unions would now be presented with a relationship with large market and an adversarial attitude towards them. The relationship between these stakeholders can be contentious. Consumers want to support organizations that treat workers fairly, but public support for unions is rather low (20 10 Pew Poll places it at 41%).Wal-Mart also does not view unions favorably. The relationship between Wal-Mart and employees can be difficult at times also, but the relationship is mostly mutually beneficial for the majority of employees. The stakeholder with the most power is the customers because they still hold purchasing power over Wal-Mart. Customers could easily find other places to go to and buy goods, and therefore customers hold the most leverage over Wal-Mart. The stakeholder with the most to win would be the unions, because breaking the Wal-Mart wall would greatly heighten the power of the unions.The stakeholders with the greatest potential to lose are the employees because at this time and point Wal-Mart has the leverage of possible employment during such tough economic times. Employees may actually lose out on potential wage and benefit gains because of the economic downturn, and Wal-Mart has jobs and is one of the few companies with expansion plans in these times. To im prove the situation with the employees and the public perception of Wal-Mart, the organization could attempt two corrective measures.The first proposal would be for Wal-Mart to start an employee appreciation and welfare camps in their stores. This would be through employee only contests or having a shopping day where employees get extra markdowns. This would make Wal-Mart a more popular place to work at, and could be considered a cheaper alternative to raising wages and improved benefits. Some employees might see these as cheap ploys to improve employee morale, but it could be quite popular. Another corrective measure would be a public relations campaign in which Wal-Mart explains to the public the benefits of working at Wal-Mart.This P. R. campaign would show Wal-Mart as an employer of choice, that people enjoy working for the company, and that Wal-Mart is a great place to work at. This campaign could help sway the public in favor of Wal-Mart and also convey the message that Wal-Ma rt doesn’t need unions and employee unrest is unfounded. The campaign could also show employees of differing backgrounds, gender, ages, ethnicities, capabilities and colors, thus displaying that Wal-Mart employs all types of people. My recommendation would be to go with the public relations campaign.This could prove to be the most beneficial, because the customers are the most important stakeholders in this situation. Also good public relations could help the bottom line of the company, but also make employees feel good about working there. It would keep the union at bay, and keep competitors on their toes because they would now have to compete with a Wal-Mart that people actually liked. Bibliography Blodget, Henry. â€Å"Wal-Mart Employs 1% of America. Should it be Forced to Pay it Employees More. † BusinessInsider. om. Business Insider, Inc. 10 Sep 2010. Web. Accessed 24 Nov 2012. http://articles. businessinsider. com/2010-09-20/news/30081785_1_minimum-wage-real-wage s-employees Ferrell, O. C. et al. â€Å"Wal-Mart: The Future of Sustainability. † Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases. Carnegie Learning. South-Western:Mason, OH. 9th ed. 2011. Surowicki, James. â€Å"State of the Unions. † New Yorker. Conde Nast. 17 Jan 2011. Web. Acessed 26 Nov 2012. http://www. newyorker. com/talk/financial/2011/01/17/110117ta_talk_surowiecki

Timeline of Women in Flight

1784 - Elisabeth Thible becomes the first woman to fly -- in a hot air balloon 1798 - Jeanne Labrosse is the first woman to solo in a balloon 1809 - Marie Madeleine Sophie Blanchard becomes the first woman to lose her life while flying - she was watching fireworks in her hydrogen balloon 1851 - Mademoiselle Delon ascends in a balloon in Philadelphia 1880 - July 4 - Mary Myers is the first American woman to solo in a balloon 1903 - Aida de Acosta is the first woman to solo in a dirigible (a motorized aircraft) 1906 - E. Lillian Todd is the first woman to design and build an airplane, though it never flew 1908 - Madame Therese Peltier is the first woman to fly an airplane solo 1908 - Edith Berg is the first woman airplane passenger (she was a European business manager for the Wright Brothers) 1910 - Baroness Raymonde de la Roche obtains a license from the Aero Club of France, the first woman in the world to earn a pilots license 1910 - September 2 - Blanche Stuart Scott, without permission or knowledge of Glenn Curtiss, the airplanes owner and builder, removes a small wood wedge and is able to get the airplane airborne -- without any flying lessons -- thus becoming the first American woman to pilot an airplane 1910 - October 13 - Bessica Raiches flight qualifies her, for some, as the first woman pilot in America because some discount the flight of Scott as accidental and therefore deny her this credit 1911 - August 11 - Harriet Quimby becomes the first American woman licensed pilot, with flight license number 37 from the Aero Club of America 1911 - September 4 - Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman to fly at night 1912 - April 16 - Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman to pilot her own aircraft across the English Channel 1913 - Alys McKey Bryant is the first woman pilot in Canada 1916 - Ruth Law sets two American records flying from Chicago to New York 1918 - The US postmaster general approves the appointment of Marjorie Stinson as the first female airmail pilot 1919 -  Harriette Harmon becomes the first female ever to fly from Washington D.C. to New York City as a passenger.   1919  - Baroness Raymonde de la Roche, who in 1910 was the first woman to earn a pilots license, set an altitude record for women of 4,785 meters or 15,700 feet 1919 - Ruth Law becomes the first person to fly air mail in the Philippines 1921 - Adrienne Bolland is the first woman to fly over the Andes 1921 - Bessie Coleman becomes the first African American, male or female, to earn a pilots license 1922 - Lillian Gatlin is the first woman to fly across America as a passenger 1928 - June 17 - Amelia Earhart is the first woman to fly across the Atlantic -- Lou Gordon and Wilmer Stultz did most of the flying 1929 - August - first Womens Air Derby is held, and Louise Thaden wins, Gladys ODonnell takes second place and Amelia Earhart takes third 1929 - Florence Lowe Barnes - Pancho Barnes - becomes the first woman stunt pilot in motion pictures (in Hells Angels) 1929 - Amelia Earhart becomes the first president of the Ninety-Nines, an organization of women pilots 1930 - May 5-24 - Amy Johnson becomes the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia 1930 - Anne Morrow Lindbergh becomes the first woman to earn a glider pilot license 1931 - Ruth Nichols fails in her attempt to fly solo across the Atlantic, but she breaks the world distance record flying from California to Kentucky 1931 - Katherine Cheung becomes the first woman of Chinese ancestry to earn a pilots license 1932 - May 20-21 - Amelia Earhart is the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic 1932 - Ruthy Tu becomes the first woman pilot in the Chinese Army 1934 - Helen Richey becomes the first woman pilot hired by a regularly scheduled airline, Central Airlines 1934 - Jean Batten is the first woman to fly round trip England to Australia 1935 - January 11-23 - Amelia Earhart is the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to the American mainland 1936 - Beryl Markham becomes the first woman to fly across the Atlantic east to west 1936 - Louise Thaden and Blanche Noyes beat male pilots also entered in the Bendix Trophy Race, the first victory of women over men in a race which both men and women could enter 1937 - July 2 - Amelia Earhart lost over Pacific 1937 - Hanna Reitsch was the first woman to cross the Alps in a glider 1938 - Hanna Reitsch becomes the first woman to fly a helicopter and the first woman to be licensed as a helicopter pilot 1939 - Willa Brown, first African American commercial pilot and first African American woman officer in the Civil Air Patrol, helps form the National Airmens Association of America to help open up the U.S. Armed Forces to African American men 1939 - January 5 - Amelia Earhart declared legally dead 1939 - September 15 - Jacqueline Cochran sets an international speed record; the same year, she is the first woman to make a blind landing 1941 - July 1 - Jacqueline Cochrane is the first woman to ferry a bomber across the Atlantic 1941 - Marina Raskova appointed by Soviet Union high command to organize regiments of women pilots, one of which is later called the Night Witches 1942 - Nancy Harkness Love and Jackie Cochran organize women flying units and training detachments 1943 - Women make up more than 30% of the workforce in the aviation industry 1943 - Loves and Cochrans units are merged into the Women Airforce Service Pilots and Jackie Cochran becomes the Director of Women Pilots -- those in WASP flew more than 60 million miles before the program ended in December 1944, with only 38 lives lost of 1830 volunteers and 1074 graduates -- these pilots were seen as civilians and were only recognized as military personnel in 1977 1944 - German pilot Hanna Reitsch was the first woman to pilot a jet aircraft 1944 - WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) disbanded; the women were given no benefits for their service 1945 - Melitta Schiller is awarded the Iron Cross and Military Flight Badge in Germany 1945 - Valà ©rie Andrà © of the French Army in Indochina, a neurosurgeon, was the first woman to fly a helicopter in combat 1949  - Richarda Morrow-Tait landed in Croydon, England, after her round-the-world flight, with navigator Michael Townsend, the first such flight for a woman -- it took one year and one day with a 7 week stop in India to replace the planes engine and 8 months  in Alaska to raise funds to replace her plane 1953 - Jacqueline (Jackie) Cochran becomes the first woman to break the sound barrier 1964 - March 19 - Geraldine (Jerrie) Mock of Columbus, Ohio, is the first woman to pilot a plane solo around the world (The Spirit of Columbus, a single-engine plane) 1973 - January 29 - Emily Howell Warner is the first woman working as a pilot for a commercial airline (Frontier Airlines) 1973 - U.S. Navy announces pilot training for women 1974 - Mary Barr becomes the first woman pilot with the Forest Service 1974 - June 4 - Sally Murphy is the first woman to qualify as an aviator with the U.S. Army 1977 - November - Congress passes a bill recognizing WASP pilots of World War II as military personnel, and President Jimmy Carter signs the bill into law 1978 - International Society of Women Airline pilots formed 1980 - Lynn Rippelmeyer becomes the first woman to pilot a Boeing 747 1984 - on July 18, Beverly Burns becomes the first woman to captain a 747 cross country, and Lynn Rippelmeyer becomes the first woman to captain a 747 across the Atlantic -- sharing the honor, thereby, of being the first female 747 captains 1987 - Kamin Bell became the first African American woman Navy helicopter pilot (February 13) 1994 - Vicki Van Meter is the youngest pilot (to that date) to fly across the Atlantic in a Cessna 210 - she is 12 years old at the time of the flight 1994 - April 21 - Jackie Parker becomes the first woman to qualify to fly an F-16 combat plane 2001 - Polly Vacher becomes the first woman to fly around the world in a small plane - she flies from England to England on a route that includes Australia 2012 - Women who flew as part of WASP in World War II (Women Airforce Service Pilots) are given the Congressional Gold Medal in the United States, with over 250 women attending 2012 - Liu Yang becomes the first woman launched by China into space. 2016 - Wang Zheng (Julie Wang) is the first person from China to fly a single-engine plane around the world This timeline  © Jone Johnson Lewis.