Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
Picasso is considered by many to be the greatest painter of the 20th century. He is best known as the inventor of a revolutionary art style, Cubism, and for his work as a painter, sculptor, and designer. He was born in Málaga, Spain, and spent most of his life in Paris. It was there that he met writer and art collector Gertrude Stein, who helped support him by purchasing many of his early works. One of the more remarkable qualities of Picasso’s career was the rapidity and ease with which he evolved from one artistic style to the next. His work between 1900 and 1906 was representative of the Impressionist style founded by masters such as Matisse, Monet, and Seurat. At that time he also experimented with a style borrowed from the Art Nouveau movement. The years between 1901 and 1904 are considered as his Blue Period. His work between 1904 and 1906 is known as his Pink Period. In 1907, we see the beginning of Cubism. During the Spanish Civil War, he painted his most historically significant work, Guernica (1937), as a protest of the bombing of the Basque town of the same name.
Frida Kahlo (1907-1954)
Frida Kahlo is perhaps the most recognizable female painter in the world. She was born in 1907 in Mexico City. Frida began painting while convalescing from a serious road accident at the age of 15. As a young girl, she sent her work to the painter Diego Rivera, whom she later married (1928). Characterized by vibrant imagery, many of her pictures were striking self-portraits. Pain, which followed her all her life, and the suffering of women are recurring and indelible themes in her surrealistic and often shocking pictures. Andrè Breton likened her paintings to ‘a ribbon around a bomb’.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Spanish Artist
Tito Puente (1923-2000)
Tito Puente was one of the most prolific musicians in the world. When he died at the age of 77, he had recorded over 100 albums. Most of the rock generation is familiar with Tito Puente through Santana’s cover of Oye Como Va. This Juilliard-trained musician is credited with fusing Cuban rhythms with big-band swing and bop. The son of Puerto Rican immigrants, Puente grew up in the Spanish Harlem section of Manhattan. By age 13, his family, friends, and band mates regarded him as a musical prodigy. With his innovative and highly danceable blend of Latin rhythms and big band jazz, Puente found success quickly. Puente also benefited from much collaboration with other musicians, including jazz greats like Buddy Morrow and Woody Herman and vocalists such as Celia Cruz. In 1963, he recorded the hit song Oye Como Va, which became a modern classic and a huge crossover hit for Santana. He won five Grammy Awards over the course of his career.
Carlos Gardel (1890-1935)
Gardel’s skyrocketing career was cut short in 1935, when he lost his life in a plane crash while on tour. A wave of grief and mourning spread through the Spanish-speaking world: a woman in Havana committed suicide, thousands of people made a pilgrimage to see his body in Buenos Aires, some of them traveling from Columbia, New York, and Rio de Janeiro. Known as el zorzal criollo, the song bird of Buenos Aires, Carlos Gardel is a legendary figure in Argentina. His career coincided with the development of that intrinsically Argentine cultural icon, the tango. Gardel made the music his own by inventing the tango-song. Radio performances and a film career extended this appeal. Instantly immortal and preserved forever young, his enduring fame is measured by the popular expression, “Gardel sings better every day.”
Tito Puente was one of the most prolific musicians in the world. When he died at the age of 77, he had recorded over 100 albums. Most of the rock generation is familiar with Tito Puente through Santana’s cover of Oye Como Va. This Juilliard-trained musician is credited with fusing Cuban rhythms with big-band swing and bop. The son of Puerto Rican immigrants, Puente grew up in the Spanish Harlem section of Manhattan. By age 13, his family, friends, and band mates regarded him as a musical prodigy. With his innovative and highly danceable blend of Latin rhythms and big band jazz, Puente found success quickly. Puente also benefited from much collaboration with other musicians, including jazz greats like Buddy Morrow and Woody Herman and vocalists such as Celia Cruz. In 1963, he recorded the hit song Oye Como Va, which became a modern classic and a huge crossover hit for Santana. He won five Grammy Awards over the course of his career.
Carlos Gardel (1890-1935)
Gardel’s skyrocketing career was cut short in 1935, when he lost his life in a plane crash while on tour. A wave of grief and mourning spread through the Spanish-speaking world: a woman in Havana committed suicide, thousands of people made a pilgrimage to see his body in Buenos Aires, some of them traveling from Columbia, New York, and Rio de Janeiro. Known as el zorzal criollo, the song bird of Buenos Aires, Carlos Gardel is a legendary figure in Argentina. His career coincided with the development of that intrinsically Argentine cultural icon, the tango. Gardel made the music his own by inventing the tango-song. Radio performances and a film career extended this appeal. Instantly immortal and preserved forever young, his enduring fame is measured by the popular expression, “Gardel sings better every day.”
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Sakura Wars 2
Here was a little-known game released on the Saturn about three years ago that came up and bit every Saturn owner righteously in the butt.
Its name was Sakura Wars. With the passing of time, it seems that the Saturn is now in its last day, but to paraphrase the works of many a classical writer, Sega is drawing upon its dying breath to strike one last palpable blow against its competitors at that time. And what a blow it is. Taking the form of a three-pronged attack, the Saturn launched games that redefined their respective genres through ingenuity and sheer, raw power. Burning Rangers and Vampire Savior are two of the. The last, and probably the greatest, is Sakura Wars 2.
Strapping on the boots of Oogami once again, you re-enter the ranks of the Flower Squadron a year after the events of the original Sakura Wars. Your mission is now to defend your local territory and defeat a newly formed faction that is intent on world dominance, the Black Demon Marauders. As was the case in the original game, you get to roam about the Hanagumi mansion and converse with your fellow pilots in between each fight sequence.
As you make a somewhat tearful return to the Hanagumi mansion, you will be met with characters new and old. Old flames like Sakura, the exquisite Sumire, the revoltingly cute little Iris (who would realistically be quite illegal to chase after), and the other characters have all made a return. New to the fold is a stuck up Italian girl named Soretta and a 12-year old boy genius called Reni.
Bigger and better animation during conversations is enough to make any true anime fan drool. For those who have been deprived of the pleasure of playing the original Sakura Wars, the conversational element basically allows you to select from a variety of responses to which the ladies will react negatively, positively, or indifferently. A positive response earns a point, and a negative response deducts a point.
Chalk up the most points with any one particular girl, and you’ll steal her heart at the end of the game… or is that the other way around? When the alarm bells go off, the characters jump down the secret chutes, change into their battle uniforms, and get ready to rock in some isometric mech strategy action. The magic of Sakura Wars 2 comes from the fact that, like its predecessor, it is set out like an actual anime series.
Its name was Sakura Wars. With the passing of time, it seems that the Saturn is now in its last day, but to paraphrase the works of many a classical writer, Sega is drawing upon its dying breath to strike one last palpable blow against its competitors at that time. And what a blow it is. Taking the form of a three-pronged attack, the Saturn launched games that redefined their respective genres through ingenuity and sheer, raw power. Burning Rangers and Vampire Savior are two of the. The last, and probably the greatest, is Sakura Wars 2.
Strapping on the boots of Oogami once again, you re-enter the ranks of the Flower Squadron a year after the events of the original Sakura Wars. Your mission is now to defend your local territory and defeat a newly formed faction that is intent on world dominance, the Black Demon Marauders. As was the case in the original game, you get to roam about the Hanagumi mansion and converse with your fellow pilots in between each fight sequence.
As you make a somewhat tearful return to the Hanagumi mansion, you will be met with characters new and old. Old flames like Sakura, the exquisite Sumire, the revoltingly cute little Iris (who would realistically be quite illegal to chase after), and the other characters have all made a return. New to the fold is a stuck up Italian girl named Soretta and a 12-year old boy genius called Reni.
Bigger and better animation during conversations is enough to make any true anime fan drool. For those who have been deprived of the pleasure of playing the original Sakura Wars, the conversational element basically allows you to select from a variety of responses to which the ladies will react negatively, positively, or indifferently. A positive response earns a point, and a negative response deducts a point.
Chalk up the most points with any one particular girl, and you’ll steal her heart at the end of the game… or is that the other way around? When the alarm bells go off, the characters jump down the secret chutes, change into their battle uniforms, and get ready to rock in some isometric mech strategy action. The magic of Sakura Wars 2 comes from the fact that, like its predecessor, it is set out like an actual anime series.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Saga Frontier II
The description of Saga Frontier II is about the history of Gustav’s battle in 100 years, and the players write this 100-years-chronological table by themselves.
According to the fun series, it is easy to understand and visualize Romancing Saga II. However, in the history which passes over 100 years, general events can be determined beforehand. With creating one occurrence/event, several next occurrences are filled in chronologically. So, the players select the event which is played and makes the 100-years-history come true. Neat?
In Saga Frontier II, the player makes the chronological table and history. This generation events keep advancing and become the subject of this game. Even tough the history outline is determined, the details of history change according to the creation condition of the event.
For example, the earliest hero is Gustav as we have mentioned before, but his 49-years life time has already been fixed. However, what kind of life he passes through and what name (image) is cut on the history are decided/determined by the players.
In this game where history events become the subject, the players can see each event from various points of view. At the vary beginning of the event, they are playing Gustav, the main character but they can also have a glimpse of a different side. It is because while playing other characters as the enemy’s side at the same event, it seems that number of heroes which are chosen by an event change the playing method.
According to the fun series, it is easy to understand and visualize Romancing Saga II. However, in the history which passes over 100 years, general events can be determined beforehand. With creating one occurrence/event, several next occurrences are filled in chronologically. So, the players select the event which is played and makes the 100-years-history come true. Neat?
In Saga Frontier II, the player makes the chronological table and history. This generation events keep advancing and become the subject of this game. Even tough the history outline is determined, the details of history change according to the creation condition of the event.
For example, the earliest hero is Gustav as we have mentioned before, but his 49-years life time has already been fixed. However, what kind of life he passes through and what name (image) is cut on the history are decided/determined by the players.
In this game where history events become the subject, the players can see each event from various points of view. At the vary beginning of the event, they are playing Gustav, the main character but they can also have a glimpse of a different side. It is because while playing other characters as the enemy’s side at the same event, it seems that number of heroes which are chosen by an event change the playing method.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Classic Authors Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1850. He was a frail child, who was greatly influenced by his father’s punishments and by his nurse’s horrifying tales of demons.
Stevenson refused to follow the family profession of engineering and chose law when he went to the University of Edinburgh to study. But he soon gave that up and turned to writing, which his poor health could not deter.
After he married an American woman, Stevenson and his devoted wife traveled throughout the world trying to improve his delicate health while he continued his writing. In the four years between 1883 and 1887, Stevenson wrote his four longest and greatest novels: Treasure Island, The Black Arrow, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Kidnapped, and his famous book of poems, A Child’s Garden of Verses.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was born in a nightmare, but Stevenson remembered enough of it when he awoke to get it down on paper. Within three days he had the entire first draft written. He intended this book not only as a “thriller,” but also as a study of good and evil, which are always at war within man.
Stevenson and his family spent his last years on the South Pacific island of Samoa where he continued his writing until he collapsed and died in 1894 at the young age of forty-four.
Stevenson refused to follow the family profession of engineering and chose law when he went to the University of Edinburgh to study. But he soon gave that up and turned to writing, which his poor health could not deter.
After he married an American woman, Stevenson and his devoted wife traveled throughout the world trying to improve his delicate health while he continued his writing. In the four years between 1883 and 1887, Stevenson wrote his four longest and greatest novels: Treasure Island, The Black Arrow, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Kidnapped, and his famous book of poems, A Child’s Garden of Verses.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was born in a nightmare, but Stevenson remembered enough of it when he awoke to get it down on paper. Within three days he had the entire first draft written. He intended this book not only as a “thriller,” but also as a study of good and evil, which are always at war within man.
Stevenson and his family spent his last years on the South Pacific island of Samoa where he continued his writing until he collapsed and died in 1894 at the young age of forty-four.
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