The Palace of Versailles and Contemporary Art Takashi Murakami Free Essays

The Palace of Versailles located approximately twelve miles outside Paris, France and is viewed as a place to showcase modern art. Much of the art that the palace has put on exhibitions over the years has brought a lot of controversy including the most recent one by Japanese artist Takashi Murakimi. Looking back at the 400 years of history at the Palace of Versailles it was once a home for the French royal family, a center for political power and today is a symbol of absolute monarchy. We will write a custom essay sample on The Palace of Versailles and Contemporary Art: Takashi Murakami or any similar topic only for you Order Now King Louis XIV viewed Versailles also as a showcase for the artists he supported. Louis and his successors were passionate about contemporary art and were constantly having parts of the palace demolished and rebuilt and redecorated by the newest and finest artists of their day. Versailles serves as a place where the newest ideas in art are showcased and served as a trendsetter for other palaces as well such as The Louvre; with it’s over the top decorations showing the monarchy’s wealth. Today, the palace is constantly having some of the currently most popular artists showcase their work at Versailles for the public to view. The most recent exhibit at the palace by Takashi Murakami ran from September 14, 2010 to December 12, 2010 has sparked a lot of controversy. This exhibition is called Murakami Versailles features 15 statues placed in different rooms of the palace. Murakami is a contemporary artist from Japan and has been billed as the new Andy Warhol, who is also Murakami’s mentor. The showcase features big, brightly colored cartoonish figures, flowers, globes and other inanimate objects. The style is far from the Baroque style of the palace, leaving most critics to deem the show inappropriate. Some groups visiting the Chateau complained that Murakami’s work has no place in rooms once residence to historical figures such as King Louis XIV, France’s Sun King and Marie Antoinette. Prince Charles-Emmanual de Bourbon-Parme, an heir of Louis XIV, tried to get the exhibit banned stating that it dishonored his family and their past but the courts dismissed his bid. One of his most tasteless pieces is a sculpture titled Hiropon, a large-breasted girl in a bikini who is skipping through a â€Å"rope† made of breast milk, this piece is not included in the exposition but it shows that Mr. Murakami is undeserving of Versailles. Muarakami spoke at a news conference and discussed the controversy. â€Å"When I hear such things, I say to myself that when a (sports) team scores a goal, there are always people who aren’t happy about it and who express that discontent†¦ The exhibit’s meant to be a sort of face-off between the Baroque period and postwar Japan, and I hope it will create in visitors a sort of shock, an aesthetic feeling† (Barchfield). Jean-Jacques Aillagon, president of the Chateau de Versailles defended the showcase saying he believes it is â€Å"‘his duty to open the palace to the artistic creation of our times’† (Barchfield). He also stated it gives the â€Å"visitors to historic monuments the chance to discover art that is less familiar to them† He added that the protests â€Å"come from far-right fundamentalists circles and from very conservative circles who see the museum as a reliquary of nostalgia of Ancient Regime France, of a France, that is turned in itself and hostile to modernity† (â€Å"Protesters†). Aillagon also stated â€Å"the palace and Murakami’s work are both joyful- the palace was not a place of penitence, not a place to be sad† (â€Å"Takashi Murakami’s Versailles†). Versailles curator, Laurent Le Bon, stated â€Å"most of the visitors come for the chateau, not for Murakami, and are unfamiliar with contemporary art† (Von Uthmann). Several online petitions gathered thousands of names online even before the exhibition opened to the public. Two years ago a similar controversy occurred when Aillagon brought in contemporary American artist Jeff Koons. Call me a far right fundamentalist and conservative but I agree with all of the criticism surrounding this issue. This past November I got the privilege of traveling to Paris and visiting the Palace of Versailles. I had not heard anything about this exhibit occurring until getting to the Palace, walking into one of the first rooms and seeing it firsthand. I was appalled when seeing the first statue, my family and I thought the statues took a lot away from the beauty of the chateau. It also prevented us from seeing parts of the rooms and taking pictures of ceilings, walls, specific architecture that was being blocked from the statues. One visitor stated â€Å"[w]e are in a historic place, we want to see how history happened here, but every time you see a doll or a crazy monster it takes you completely out of the climax of the place† (â€Å"Takashi Murakami’s Versailles†). Another stated, â€Å" it totally detracts from everything that’s here. It’s almost insulting to the palace and to visitors† (â€Å"Takashi Murakami’s Versailles †) My least favorite was a piece called Tongari-Kun, also known as Mr. Pointy, inside one of the state rooms because it was so tall it blocked me from seeing the entire ceiling. Moreover, another piece called Flower Matango in the Hall of Mirrors was just awful in this room. The hall of mirrors is one of the most famous and beautiful rooms in the entire palace rich in beauty and history but it was all masked because of this statue. The sculpture of a bunch of bright, animated, ugly flowers. We could not step back and see the entire hall in its original beauty without seeing this statue smack in the center and the beauty of the mirrors was taken away because this statue was being reflected off of almost every one at that end of the hall. The statues were too brightly colored and too in your face from the mood of the rest of the palace. I have no personal pictures of the artwork because I, along with everyone else in my family, made sure Murakami’s art was out of every picture frame. I can understand why they have the exposition and the cultural exchange, the fact that they want to keep the tradition of showing the world modern art but unlike when the palace was being used for residence and power today the palace is an enormous historical landmark and is visited by over three million people per year. People do not go to the Parthenon in Greece or the Colosseum in Rome to see other artists or even have other artists intruding on its beauty. Likewise, these visitors do not go to see modern art but to see the old beauty of the palace and walk into a bit of history for a day. There are so many other museums in Paris that show modern art that the Palace of Versailles does not need to be one of them. The Palace is a piece of art on its own and does not need to have these controversial exhibits constantly demolishing its beauty. After seeing this overall I was disappointed with the exhibit and I wish I could go back another time when there will not be such a distraction. How to cite The Palace of Versailles and Contemporary Art: Takashi Murakami, Papers

Main Characteristics of Hinduism free essay sample

The majority of Hinduism is henotheistic- worship of one God while acknowledging the existence of other Gods. Hinduism concepts teach a cycle of life. From birth to rebirth can happen 84 million times because there are 84 million species. All living beings are created by God and has a soul known as Hindus. It identifies one deity and acknowledges the remaining Gods and Goddesses as part of the supreme God. Henotheistic religions are known to be very tolerant and diverse. B. G. Tilak (1995, July 2) at the Supreme Court in India quoted, the true definition of Hinduism: Acceptance of the Vedas with reverence; recognition of the fact that the means or ways to salvation are diverse; and the realization of the truth that the number of gods to be worshipped is large, that indeed is the distinguishing feature of the Hindu religion. † Hinduism is not regulated by a central institution. It welcomes other religions as one of the many paths to redemption and is not in favor of organized effort to convert someone to a religious faith. We will write a custom essay sample on Main Characteristics of Hinduism or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Throughout its history, scholars, kings and emperors, seers and sages have contributed to modifying and molding aspects to suit the social and intellectual requirements or the times.Many Hindus believe Hinduism is not a religion but more so a way of life. Religion is imbedded in the life of Hinduism. According to the Hinduism principles life and religion go hand and hand. Religion is everywhere dominating, regulating life with divine existence making for a purposeful and meaningful life. Each Hindu person is free to follow a path they would like but underneath the mind the religion remains and influences the actions and decisions made. V. Jayaram (2009, May 26) proposed that religion is: â€Å"According to Hinduism, religion is not separate from living. It is living itself. God does not exist in temples and sacred places only. Going to the temples is a good practice, but that is not the only way to worship God. God does not exist in temples alone, in some particular alter or sacred place. † The Hinduism lifestyle urges individuals to accept everyday as self-realization. As stated by (V. Jayaram, 2009) every activity that we perform while living and every aspect of life that we know and deal with becomes means to realize God. Life is a time to discover your hidden self. Hinduism has three symbolic essentials: roots, for meditation on Vedas; ethics, focusing on karma and ignorance of self.The most well-known Hindu concepts are Advaita, Samkhya, Vedanta and Yoga. The most sacred scriptures of Hinduism is the Vedas. According to the Hinduwebsite (V. Jayaram, 2009), some people say that all human knowledge is available in the Vedas in symbolic form and that the knowledge of all our discoveries and inventions is already contained in the Vedas. The Vedas are religious texts full of spiritual knowledge and often thought of as the basis of Sanatana Dharma. They are a celebrated set of ancient hymns that was not written until the first millennium B-C-E. The text contains four parts established over time: Samhitas, which are hymns of worship; Brahmanas, instructions on how to carry out ritual sacrifices to the Gods; Aranyakas, literature by inhabitants meditating in the woodlands; and Upanishads, based on teachings from superior spiritual leaders. The Vedic scriptures go beyond human time being as significant today as they were thousands of years ago. One of the most fascinating aspects of Hinduism is the yoga, that has influenced many people no matter what religion they practice. Yoga started in Indus-Sarasvati civilization in northern India about 5000 years ago.The Rig Veda contains the first original reference to yoga. Although the development of yoga basics has been a long process with many influences, the overall path of the discipline can be divided into classical, post-classical and modern periods (And Then There Was Yoga-The Yogic Story, 2009, par 4). The various types of yoga can be so different and serve different purposes . Bhakti Yoga concentrates on devotion, emotional bond and love of God. This yoga has been used prior to the fifth century BC and officially has nine forms: Sravana, Kirtana, Smarana, Padasevana, Archana, Vandana, Dasya, Sakhya and Atmanivedana.Karma (deeds) yoga, dating as far back as 800 BC promotes good behavior and positive actions. Practicing karma yoga consists of doing good, selfless deeds that allow for goodness. This yoga is performed in unity with the Devine. Around 5000 BC Ashtanga yoga was created by Patanjali Yoga Sutra. It involves paying attention to the eight limbs, that are: Yama- moral code; Niyama- disciplines; Asana- posture; Pranayama- breathing; Prayahara- removal of senses; Dharana-concentration; Dhyan-meditation; Samadhi- salvation. Top Yoga Techniques For A Healthy Life (2009) suggest Jnana yoga for the brain, which means: â€Å"Jnana yoga is yoga that focuses on knowledge. There are seven stages to Jnana, involving study, self-realization, desire, protection of the mind, developing indifference to objects, letting the world appear like a dream, non-attachment to the world, bliss and knowledge of truth. † The United States mostly practices Hatha Yoga which applies to the modern period. In the 1800’s early 1900’s Yoga masters started traveling around the world. T.

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Rescheduling Marijuana in America essays

Rescheduling Marijuana in America essays In the United States today many people have seen great advances in terms of medicine and technology and how these advances have benefited people suffering from a multitude of diseases and the symptoms caused by diseases. One aspect of medicine that remains prehistoric is the use of medicinal marijuana. Numerous studies exist in the United States and other countries that show that marijuana is in fact beneficial from a medicinal standpoint, however the number of scientific studies is limited in the United States. Scientist and doctors have received little approval on proposed scientific studies on medicinal marijuana by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) because the federal government has scheduled marijuana as a schedule I drug. As a Schedule I drug, marijuana is considered illegal. The federal government does not recognize any of the laws passed by the eighteen states and D.C., legally allowing its use as medicine. People using marijuana for medicinal reasons, despite the fact that it may very well be legal in their state, could still face federal prosecution. Repeatedly the DEA has parried any advancement in the judicial process to make medicinal marijuana use legal. The DEA (2011) stated that The clear weight of the currently available evidence supports this classification, including evidence that smoked marijuana has a high potential for abuse, has no accepted medicinal value in treatment in the United States, and evidence that there is a general lack of accepted safety for its use even under medical supervision (Drug Enforcement Agency, 2011, p. 2). It is time these draconian laws were reversed and the federal government reschedules marijuana to a lower class, schedule II, allowing marijuana to be fully researched by members of the scientific community and that marijuana be allowed to be used medicinally under the supervision of a physician without the threat of federal prosecution so that those patients who may ...

Professionalism in context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Professionalism in context - Essay Example Transgression of these boundaries has meant that society has greatly suffered. In view of this information, this paper will explore professionalism based on a news article as well as some of the laws that have been passed to ensure that professionalism is adhered to. Background Information According to a news article in the Guardian by Joe Curtis, Mr. Patel who worked in a Magistrates Court in Britain made a promise that he would influence the results of a court case. He said would only do this if the victim in the case was willing to pay for the favour. The sum to be paid was put at ?500 (Curtis 2011). He was a clerk in the administrative department of the court. After the fraud was discovered, he was arrested and faced several charges in court for obstruction of justice as well as corruption. If convicted, Mr. Patel faces a maximum jail term of ten years. The man will be prosecuted under the new Bribery Act which came into effect in June 2011 (James 2011). Among other things, this laws places strict laws and penalties for civil servants who engage in bribery activities and also companies which offer bribes to other institutions in order to gain favour from the institutions (Curtis 2011). This is a major step in the reduction of corruption charges in the country as it will keep people on their toes when it comes to corrupt practices. Professionalism and Ethics Professionalism is the ability of a person to perform his duties as required by law and guidelines of the career. Professionalism has been thought to be a complimentary feature of ethics and thus people are expected to be ethical at all times while practicing their professions. Debate has centred on whether ethics and professionalism are part of the same process or one can be implemented separately from the other (Kultgen 1988). Ethics is a major part of society and involves identification of conflicting choices. For a choice to be termed as ethical, it must bring out the greatest good fro the greatest n umber of people. A simpler definition of ethics is the choice between what is considered wrong by society and what is termed right (Driver 2006). All ethical decisions are reasonably acceptable by the majority. However, there are some issues that may bring conflicts as decisions made in such cases seem to be continuously controversial with no specific group of people rooting for or opposing such decisions. There are different codes of ethics depending on the profession. One of the best known ethical guideline is the oath taken by doctors. These codes play a major role in the development of an organization as well as to the development of the career for a person (Shah, Farooq, Munir, Mahmood, & Saeed, 2011). Despite the differences in the codes of ethics in most careers, the goal of all organization is to achieve the best output for the organization and for the consumers. Failure to adhere to such codes of ethics can lead to disastrous outcomes for the organization such as the collap se of various organizations in the world (Ferrell & Ferrell, 2011). The employees of an organization have the responsibility of ensuring that they adhere to such codes so as to promote professionalism in the company. The leaders of the institution should play a leading role in the development of an ethical culture in the organization. The UK, upon realizing the importance of professionalism in its controlled interests, developed a law that would enable it to fight

Peer response Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

Peer response - Article Example In terms of concerns regarding sampling, the plan to obtain a representative sample through securing a list of students in remedial classes is deemed to be an appropriate mode. Soliciting these students’ approval to participate in the study is another issue that needs a good technique. Your suggestion to send email message to these students is an alternative. However, one suggests that you could directly endorse request letters to these students while in their traditional class settings. Of course, you have to request approval from the instructors, as well as from the academic authorities prior to solicitation of approval for participation. Thus, through a quick survey-questionnaire, these same students could respond immediately in the same traditional classroom setting to collect their responses. I believe this suggestion would also eliminate sampling biases since the survey would be conducted to all students taking remedial classes in their traditional classroom

Document Analysis of Julius Caesar's The Gallic War Essay

Document Analysis of Julius Caesar's The Gallic War - Essay Example The Invasion of Britain The year 55 BC was Caesar's first attempt at invading Britain. It cannot be considered a complete success in the sense that after the excursion, the army went back to Gaul and Britain was not occupied. But from the Roman position, most assuredly from Caesar’s point of view, the invasion was a resounding especially when he already received the homage of British tribal chiefs and kings. This, undoubtedly, was the needed evidence to show how the territory has already been conquered as far as the campaign is concerned. This first foray, however, has provided Caesar a fleeting glimpse of the Britain and its societies. When they arrived, they found societies made up of large tribes and clans. Leaders of these groups were not averse to calling themselves kings even when all their constituents were an amalgamation of families and clans. In Caesar’s eyes we are provided some details about how the early Britons conducted their affairs. For instance, he fou nd this out for himself when he noted that the Cantii (people of Kent) have several kings from various kingdoms found in the region. Military Strategy The first campaign involved several skirmishes with the Britons. The Romans had achieved a certain degree of success. And there were several accounts that provided a clear idea about the Roman military strategy in Gaul. The Britons like their distant Gaul cousins are also tribal in the way they wage their war. They adopted the guerilla tactic, which, of course, proved ineffective in the long run. Caesar's legions were equipped and experienced in fighting in this condition. The soldiers had the benefit of Roman training, which produced the world’s first truly professional soldiers, those that considered their work as duty and responsibility, obeying the chain of command and are immune to external influence. Additionally, Caesar’s soldiers were already used to fighting similar strategies in their war with Gallic tribes. Th e long campaign in Gaul has equipped them with better understanding in regard to the most effective approach in dealing with their British opponents. Essentially, the strategy adopted in Britain was composed of two major components: the scorch earth strategy and the show of force. The former was adopted in response to the large British force. In addition, based from Caesar’s commentaries, the Britons also proved adept in stealth and treachery. So the strategy entailed the burning and destruction of fields and property and the plunder of supplies in order to deprive the opposition the resources to sustain their operations and weaken them in an effort to resolve conflict the soonest possible time. After a year passed, Caesar decided to lead another invasion and the campaign this time became a bigger conflict. The Romans and the Britons faced off in several bloody battles. The latter, of course, sustained the most damage since the training and discipline of the Roman force were unmatched. The poorly equipped British – though far superior in number – were still technically savages, too untrained, wielding rudimentary tools. The show of force was crucial in this campaign as demonstrated in the sheer number of Roman soldiers mobilized and the use of war machines and implements such as war elephants, which, of course, deterred much of the local populace. It is important to note