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The headline of the article is The impact of Edward Craig on stage design. The author of the article is Annette Hendley. It was published on the web site www.helium.com, on February 11, 2013. The article provides the information about the English modernist theatre practitioner Edward Gordon Craig, who worked as an actor, director and scenic designer.

In the beginning of the article the author gives the reader some biography by Gordon Craig. According to the text the acquaintance with Beggarstaff Brothers, where he learned wood engraving, influenced on his design ideas. Later his design was developed.

Further Annette reportes what and who had influenced on Craig. Thus, the artist Hubert von Herkomer who had experimented with light, and the art of woodblock by James Pryde and William Nicholson, inspired him. His father gave him a chance for his 1^st production.

In the next indention the author tells us about Craig’s concept for design in theatre. So, his design might reflect the mood of the play and also a succession of moments with a symbolic visual statements.

What is more Annette gives Craig’s steps in development of performance's design. For example, "Dido and Aeneas", where he used symbolist images and gauze and cloth to create depth when lit; or "Acis and Galatea" with its lengths of cloth and projected shadows. In the play The "Übermarionette" the critics saw strong elements of the masked ritual.

In the end the author says that Hamlet in Moscow was his best design work, and it remains a landmark production which established Craig’s influence on stage design and lighting.

I'm sure Edward Gordon Craig is the grandfather of British lighting design. He made a significant contribution to the development of theatrical lighting design practice in 19^th century.

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The Beauty of an Abstract Painting

The author of the article is Francisco Segurata. It was published on the web site http://www.jillsegal.com. The article provides the information about the abstract painting, its history and representatives.

In the beginning of the article the author gives the reader the history and information about some great abstract painters. According to the text artists began this art several hundred years ago. The most famous painters were Van Gogh, Picasso and Modigliani. So, the art of abstract painting has gained popularity in the modern world.

Further Segurata explains the meaning of an abstract painting and says that it is defined in many ways. For example, abstract painting does not depict reality, it does not depict objects in the natural world, it always uses bright colours. The author adds that it is both strange and beautiful to look at an abstract painting.

What is more, in the 1940's a movement called "Abstract Expressionism" was started in New York in a school, which was the first American school that declared its independence from the European style of artwork.

In conclusion the author says that it is important to appreciate all forms of art, including the odd art of an abstract painting. Segurata is sure it is truly an interesting thing to look at.

To my mind abstract painting is quite interesting direction in art. And I'm sure not everyone can understand it and appreciate abstract art at its true value. As for me I found it amazing. So, most of all I admire Van Gogh's works. 

William Somerset Maugham "The Moon and Sixpence"

Summary, 26-36 chapters

Strickland was brought to the Stroeve's studio. He was contemptuous of the care of him.

A couple of months later Crabbe met Dirk in tears. Stroeve told that Blanche decided to leave him. Crabbe was shocked that she went to Strickland. Stroeve gave them his studio, because he could not allow his wife lived in poverty. Dirk loved Blanche and waited for her return. He lay in wait for her in the street, entreated her to leave, but she was indifferent.

Once Crabbe came across Strickland and Blanche in cafe. They behaved as if nothing had happened. Crabbe was lost in conjectures. He could not tell how they were getting on. Later Dirk learning about this meeting, asked Crabbe about Blanche. He was always worried and had a foreboding of trouble.

A long time have elapsed. And once Dirk reported to Crabbe that Blanche quarreled with Strickland and tried to commit suicide. In hospital she refused to see anyone. She was crying and was very depressed. Ultimately she died.

REVIEW

Goya's Ghosts

Goya's Ghosts is a 2006 Spanish/American film directed by Miloš Forman, and produced by Xuxa Producciones (Spain) and by Saul Zaentz, and written by Miloš Forman and Jean-Claude Carrière. The film stars Natalie Portman, Javier Bardem and Stellan Skarsgård, and was filmed on location in Spain during late 2005. The film was written, produced, and performed in English although it is a Spanish production. Although the historical setting of the movie is authentic, the story itself is fictional.

Now I would like to tell you the plot. The action took place during the reign of Charles IV. Francisco Goya was a famous court painter. At the dawn of the Napoleonic wars, the Holy Inquisition in Spain activated. Among others get Ines, the daughter of a wealthy merchant Thomas Belbatua. She was Goya's muse, as her face was depicted with regularity in paintings and frescoes. Inez's father wanted to save his daughter and asked Goya, who was working on a portrait of an influential priest Lorenzo, to help.

Ines leaves the Inquisition 15 years later, with the arrival of Napoleon's army to Spain. Together with the Napoleon's brother, returns to his father Lorenzo, who was no longer a monk, but an exemplary family man and an influential official of Napoleonic regime.

Ines' family was murdered. She came to Goya and asked for help to find her daughter, who was born in prison. Goya seeked the help of Lorenzo. Lorenzo sent Ines to a madhouse, and began to search for his illegitimate daughter. Later Goya succeeded in redeeming Ines from madhouse.

Goya accidentally found Alicia, Ines' daughter. She earned her living as a prostitute. Lorenzo was trying to give her the money and sent to America, but he didn't tell her that he was her father. She was frightened and ran away. Later due to his order Alice got in a raid in the tavern, and was sent to America. However, at that time British troops entered to Spain, released prisoners and restored the authority of the church and the king. The final scene was Lorenzo's death penalty, who refused to apologize to the church in the face of death. Alicia observed the penalty on the balcony among the British officers, and in the crowd was Ines. Lorenzo was executed. Ines was following for the cart, carrying the body of her only man, and was holding his hand. Goya was behind her.

The main theme is violence, religious violence and war. As a painter, Francisco Goya is known for his marvelous portrets, as well as for his very crude paintings of war and violence – a contrast that one experiences when visiting the Prado museum in Madrid. I think I somewhat better understand the mind of Goya after seeing this movie, how he must have been profoundly hurt by the violence around him while at the same time experiencing deep compassion, which moved him to record in his drawings and paintings what he saw. The movie confronts us with the tragedy of those who suffer evil and violence, and it makes us more sensitive and compassionate in our own world: violence is still very much around us.

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              Abstract or Realistic Painting

The author of the article is Evelien Nijeboer, artist since 1991. It was published on the web site creativespotlite.com The article provides some artistic research on color, modern art history and other aspects of painting.

The author points out 2 main categories of art "abstract" and "realistic". Realistic paintings are immersed with abstract aspects like color, composition, forms and texture. Abstract art always has some new and creative referral to our memory of sensory perception. Evelien explaines that when you paint realistic, you need some abstract skills to make good paintings; and in abstract painting, you also need to have some realistic painting skills. When we make realistic paintings, we can play with the mood of picture by choosing specific subjects, props, or a specific time of the day. According to the text the main difficulty is that it's hard to perceive natural state. You only have to relate to your canvas with your own body as referring material. Nijeboer emphasizes that you only have to relate to your canvas with your own body as referring material. In addition to abstract art painting, it does make a difference if you take a naturalistic subject and paint it in a new way, or if you paint really abstract and try to generate meaning. Besides painting becomes interesting where realistic and abstract painting are connected.

So, the author comes to the conclusion that concepts like 'realistic' and 'abstract' are concepts that remain dead when taken as given objects, but they come alive when you connect them to each other. This kind of objectivity is what gives the real value of art. The body is the key. And Evelien Nijeboer hopes that maybe it's time we start to use it.

To my mind abstract painting is closer today than realistic. It has a very clear artistic challenges. There is enough history for generalizations, and also contains an infinite chain of differences. It is more accessible than realistic. I think that realistic painting is for “gourmet”.

William Somerset Maugham "The Moon and Sixpence"

Summary, 14-25 chapters

Crabbe returned to England. He realized that Strickland never come back, and he does not care about the opinion of him and of his paintings. Strickland's family could not believe that he left them for the sake of art, considering his passion a nonsense. In the end, Mrs. Strickland announced that she did not want her husband to come back and decided to earn her living herself.

5 years later Crabbe decided to live in Paris. He met his friend, an artist Dirk Stroeve. In a conversation Crabbe happened to discovere that they both know Strickland. Dirk considered him a genius, even in spite of the fact that his wife Blanche did not like because of bad manners. Meeting Strickland again, Crabbe felt clearly that Strickland was possessed by painting, however he didn't acquire popularity.

Christmas arrives, and Dirk decides to invite Strickland, who stayed alone. When Crabbe and Dirk visited him they found that Strickland was seriously ill, and they worried if they leave him alone, he would die. Dirk wanted to take him to his apartment to give him the necessary treatment, but Blanche was against this idea. She was afraid of Strickland and was convinced that it would bring misfortune to their house. But in the end, after Dirk's long persuasions and Blanche's hysterics, she agreed.

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Japanese Painting

The author of the article is Dieter Wanczura. It was published on the web site www.artelino.com, August 2003. The article provides the information about the The art of Japanese painting.

In the beginning of the article the author tells about the history of Japanese Painting. According to the text all forms of art had been under the influence of the Chinese culture. Gradually own Japanese styles were developed and painting schools were established. Then Wanczura notes that after the opening of Japan to the West (1868-1912), the early years were marked by an exaggerated embracing of Western art. Then Western art was condemned. However in 20th century there were establish good relations with other countries.

Further the author points out Painting Schools and Styles, tells about its history and development. The first one is Suibokuga. It is the term for painting in black ink. The 2^nd is Kano painting school, which used bright colors and introduced daring compositions with large flat areas. The 3^rd school is Tosa-ha, specialized on small miniature formats in book illustrations. The next is the Nanga style, landscapes and natural subjects like birds and flowers for a cultural elite. And the last one is Shijo school, characterized by subjects taken from people's everyday life.

Further Wanczura reports that Japanese painters used a wide variety of media over the centuries. The 1^st is horizontal scrolls called emakimono, the oldest form of paintings. The 2^nd is vertical scrolls called kakemono, which comes closest to the Western framed canvas painting. The next is byobu, used for decorating of temples and palaces. Sliding doors, called fusuma were another media for Japanese painting. And the last are shoheiga and uchiwa.

In the next subparagraph of the article the author points out several subjects, which are used in Japanese paintings, such as shiki, meisho, monogatari etc. And in the last paragraph Wanczura gives the reader the Japanese Painting Glossary.

So Dieter Wanczura comes to the conclusion that the art of Japanese painting is full of mesmerizing Asian charm. But it is also a subject that not always easily accessible for Westerners.

As for me, I am fond of Japanese culture, especialy Japanese paintings. They are quite unusual, magnificent. They reflect specific culture and traditions of Japan, so uncommon for us.