Research paper-Art history-Choir & apse of San Vitale Essay

Research paper-Art history-Choir & apse of San Vitale - Essay Example The mosaic method has been discovered to be in use in Mesopotamia as early as the fourth millennium B. C and many researchers also feel that mosaics may have origins in imitating the various carpets and tapestries that abounded. (Anthony 27) This paper will discuss three such mosaics: the aspe and choir at San Vitale, the Deesis Mosaic of Christ flanked by the Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist and Christ enthroned, the apsidal mosaic in the basilica of Saint Paul’s. Each of these is representational of their religious affiliation as well as their historic and cultural context in which they were created. There is also a sense of humility when faced with these works. The creation of the mosaic itself is somehow representational of the many facets of the art and of the religious tradition it represents. While certainly lacking in depth of filed and light/shadow, the mosaics represent in this sense a divine use of an inner light, a creativity in the weaving of the image that can be achieved in no other art form. One author refers to this Inner Light as, â€Å"The vibrancy of effect produced by decidedly broken color creates a definite esthetic stimulant which in the right surroundings, quickens religious emotion† (Anthony 37). The juxtaposition of varying pieces of glass and fragments of tile create a quality that the mind sees almost as moving and alive, something that seems to touch the soul and heart as well as the eye. This resonance lends itself well to the feeling of spiritual and religious passions. The figures represented are perceived as symbolic icons, which already produces an immediate religious invocation only to be enhanced further by mosaic’s shapes and often brilliant colors. The first mosaic under discussion is found in the Basilica of San Vitale located in Raveena, Italy. The church was consecrated in 547AD and the Archbishop

Denver's Halloween riot( Colorado History the centennial state ) Essay

Denver's Halloween riot( Colorado History the centennial state ) - Essay Example The Chinese first settled in Colorado during the 1860s; they were drawn there by the completion of the transcontinental railroad and demand for cheap labor (Hall 77). They existed amidst poverty, wretched living conditions, and persecution, and they mostly worked in mines, laundries, and as house servants. By 1880, hostilities between other immigrants and the Chinese had intensified as competition between them for jobs increased and opium dens habited by the Chinese getting negative publicity from the local press (Brown 178). The Chinese were accused of invading the state and therefore forcing women into prostitution and men into starvation. There were accusations that California had already been ruined by Chinese labor and that Colorado was then threatened with similar disaster (Historical Findings 18). One week after the Rocky Mountain News reported about the looming disaster in Colorado due to Chinese invasion, Halloween riot erupted in Denver. The riot began when a group of four drunken white men attacked Chinese men who were playing pool along Wazee Street at John Asmussen’s salon (Brown 179). Soon after, a crowd of about three thousand started throwing bricks and breaking into the homes and stores of the Chinese. Attempts by the police to calm the riot were futile as they were vastly outnumbered by the crowd and were not able to stop the growing violence. As a result of the riot, Chinese homes and business in the area were gutted (Hall 85). Denver’s Halloween riot is important in history of Colorado; even though the riot did not immediately end the struggles with underlying issues of racism, it helped to address the challenge of racial prejudice in the long run (Brown 180). Since then Colorado has grew to be among the top states for business. In 2010, it was rank ed as the third top state for business falling behind Texas and Virginia. The state has been able to overcome the challenge of