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“Freedom of Thought”…a painting that became a famous icon

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“Freedom of Thought”…a painting that became a famous icon

Sharjah: Aladdin Mahmood

American painter Norman Rockwell, “1894-1978”, gained great fame as he is considered one of the greatest artists. He was born on the West Side of Manhattan and showed creative talent from his childhood as his mother observed. The first drawings of warships at the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, a sign of a strong future talent, indeed, his father had a literary sense, and he read many and varied books, especially the classic works and novels of the author Charles Dickens. He would read aloud to the family, and Rockwell Junior enjoyed drawing characters from novels he imagined in his mind and turning them into drawings.

Because of his passion for drawing, Rockwell attended the Chase School of Applied Arts during his high school years, which was open on Wednesdays and Saturdays. In his final year of high school, he decided to drop out. Studying “hard,” he enrolled at the National Academy of Design, which qualified him, he enrolled in art college and got what he wanted in 1910. Later, his work matured and became widely distributed. Among the public, they appeared on birthday cards and official American events. He was offered the position of director of a magazine associated with the Boy Scouts of America, which he accepted, and Rockwell introduced him into his life. Many works of art and timeless paintings. .

The painting “Freedom of Expression” is one of Rockwell’s most important works, painted in oil colors, and is the first of his other works to focus on the goals and slogans known as the “Four Freedoms”. Franklin Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, expressed the artist’s preferences and belonged to his movement. The artist, the undisputed artist of the American people in the 20th century, adopted a simple method of recording his thoughts, observations and writings. He occupied the throne of this popular art specialty, known as illustration, and was concerned with the printed illustration, often executed in a realistic, exploratory style, and the rules of art and universal skills were very complete. And it becomes a work with all the characteristics of fine art. As with many of Rockwell’s works, it may reach the quality of fine museum art, which he enlarged in oil colors in the finest form of fine art. The artist reached the peak of his genius in the fifties and sixties of the last century, when his paintings, monopolized by the international magazines “Saturday Evening” and “Shahid”, were printed in millions. On their covers, later many art and media were simultaneously published in posters, folders, books and cards, as well as through specialized companies, and in this way, many of the artist’s works were printed. , which increased his popularity. His paintings have been described as conscious, intelligent snapshots, popular wisdom and proverbs, and this painting belongs to the conscience of the people as much as to “freedom of opinion”.

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Background

This painting is part of a series of paintings inspired by President Franklin Roosevelt’s 1941 address to the nation in which he spoke about human rights, called the Four Freedoms of Speech, and included the 4 basic freedoms a person should enjoy: (Freedom of Thought, Freedom of Belief, Freedom of Demand and freedom from fear) and these should be enjoyed by every human being in the world, and the President of the United States at the time believed that these freedoms formed the basis of an office. -War World Order Roosevelt summed up the democratic values ​​behind America’s bipartisan consensus, and this famous passage from the speech exemplifies these values: “For men do not live by bread alone, so they do not fight by arms alone,” in the second half of the speech on economic opportunity, employment It details the benefits of democracy such as opportunity, social security, “adequate health care,” and of the four freedoms, the only two freedoms described in the United States Constitution are freedom of expression and freedom of worship, while the meaning of the four freedoms was eventually incorporated into the Atlantic Charter and the United Nations Charter.

effect

The speech had a great influence on intellectuals, artists and creatives, including Rockwell, who transformed the meanings and ideas of the speech into 4 paintings, considered icons in America, which were published in the magazine in 1943. “Saturday Evening,” along with an essay showing and clarifying works written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Booth Tarkington, in addition to many other well-known authors. These works were converted into posters and stamps. Popular, the artist was celebrated by experts and the public until he was named the leader of popular art, and his paintings and works of art were widely accepted as a symbol.

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The painting “Freedom of Thought” depicts a scene of a meeting in a small local town. The picture shows a man named Jim Edgerton, who is giving a speech to the people in the town where the old school was burned down. He wanted to build a new one in its place, and after the meeting, Edgerton gave a speech to the working-class youth because he was a “blue-collar” person. That is, working people. He appears in the painting wearing a patterned shirt and deerskin jacket, his hands are dirty and his skin is darker than the other participants, while the others wear white shirts, ties and jackets. Although they appear more elegant than the speaker, they are more interested in the speech. Edgerton portrays Gill in the painting. Young people, he looks younger than the rest of the audience, and he stands tall with an open mouth and bright eyes. Or perhaps his fears were overshadowed by the political victories and class victories achieved in that era. rights.

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This pose of the young speaker has multiple meanings, and some critics point out that Edgerton is depicted in this painting as being too close to US President Abraham Lincoln. Bruce Cole, writer and editor of the Wall Street Journal, notes that the subject of the pre-speech meeting in the painting is discussing the city’s annual report, while the art Critic John Updike pointed out that the work was painted. Without any pictorial brush, the critic Robert Scholes says the work shows the speaker’s deep interest and admiration for the public.

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Writing in “The Night’s Night” is Ahmed Balhamer’s compass

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Writing in “The Night’s Night” is Ahmed Balhamer’s compass

Poet Ahmed Balhamar (from source)

Friday 1 December 2023 / 18:58

Emirati poet Ahmed Umar Balhamar’s collection of poems “The Vase of the Night” was recently published by Nariman Publishing, Printing and Distribution House in Lebanon. The collection consists of 160 pages of medium size and 127 short and concise poems. Prose poetry.

Most of the poems have single-word titles, including Nostalgia, Dust, My Loss, Separation, My Friends, Division, Escape, Leak, Point, Measure, Exchange, Chaos, Rain, Burn, Shadow, Our Story, Limits, Days. , etc. But will not the reader find in the pages of the anthology a text entitled “The Night’s Vessel,” as other poets are accustomed?

Most of the poet’s texts are sensitive and emotional, reflecting his outlook on life, and they carry many meanings of the night, its sadness, vocabulary and atmosphere. The poet wrote on the cover of the book covered by the darkness of a dark night, so we read there:
I wrote it in the middle of the night and on the streets of memories
It’s like I’m there every step of the way
And in every word
I draw the way to my heart
So I walked with the poem in hand.
Here we see what writing represents to its poet, as poetry accompanies him on his journey as a faithful friend, leaning on his arm and strengthening him, being his compass on the paths of life.

Ahmed Umar Balhamar, who holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering and works in its field, says: “I started my journey by writing 10 years ago, and then wrote an occasional newspaper article titled “Broadcast” in Al-Anba, a Kuwaiti newspaper. After that, I wrote in the Egyptian newspaper “Rose Al-Youssef” in the same year. Around a period of time, I collected the articles and published them as a book titled “Getting to Know You” by Al-Raitiyya Publishing House. and distribution house in Saudi Arabia. The articles were varied but most of them social and discussed scenes that attracted me from the reality of life and its daily occurrences.
About the development of his literary talent, Balhamar confirmed to 24: “The process of human self-development begins and does not end, it continues and does not stop. From childhood, the passion for reading and the hunger for knowledge came together. With me, it is with me to this day.
He said about the most important writers who influenced him: “I read many authors and authors, and the names never attracted me, but rather, I was attracted by the strength of the written words, their sweetness and the degree of their difference. I’m not influenced by one author over another, all the books I’ve read have influenced me in one way or another, there’s no doubt about that.” I’ve influenced the minds of others who read me. Yes, the process is intimate. It’s possible for contagion to spread without us noticing.”
Ahmed Balhamar writes in classical and colloquial, and in response to the question of who is closest to his heart, how the genre of poetry determines the moment of inspiration, he added: “All literary genres are dear and close to me. My literary taste, but colloquial dialect is closer to the listeners because It is their spoken language, but as for inspiration, a strange creature meets a person without permission or acquaintance, surprises us at strange times and places. To be frank, I do not choose the form and symbolism of poetry when I write. Words are the master of will, they impose their presence and form on the white, They decide when to start and when to end.
Commenting on the tendency of many poets to write novels in the current era, and whether Balhamer would remain loyal to the poetic field, or consider writing fiction, he says, “Up to this moment I had no idea. Writing a work of fiction, but I don’t know if I will knock on this door in the future or continue. “Clinging to my old place and loyal only to poetry.”
Regarding the source of inspiration for his poems or essays, he said: “Ideas are born in the conscience of the writer, through his interaction with people and society, his daily activities with them and observation of what is happening in the world around him. “

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It is noteworthy that Ahmed Balhamar participated in many poetry evenings in the Emirates Writers and Authors Association and other cultural organizations, he regularly attends cultural events and events. In colloquialism, Napati Publishing House and some of his works were translated into the language.
In the collection of poems “Ana al-Layl” titled “Lost” we read:
you
Your shadow has not left you since the sunrise
Until the full moon and starry evening come
How lucky you are
My sun rose and set
And my shadow is still missing.

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Controversy over the “Napoleonic firing” of the Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza

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Controversy over the “Napoleonic firing” of the Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza

International director Ridley Scott’s American historical film “Napoleon”, which cost around $200 million, was a notable success in terms of audience and revenue, but it also provoked widespread criticism on historical and artistic levels. Indeed, particularly troop-launching scenes Napoleon Bonaparte shot at the Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza during his campaign in 1798. The film, which is currently showing in American cinemas, presents the character of Napoleon Bonaparte in a new perspective. , she appears in him in two ways, one through his relationship with the army and his country France, and the other through his love for “Josephine”.

“There is no evidence that the French campaign led by Bonaparte fired his fire at the nose of the Sphinx,” said Salima Akram, professor at the American University in Cairo, and continued, “He certainly did not fire at the pyramids. We know that he did not hold the Sphinx and the pyramids in high esteem and took advantage of their presence. “

Egyptian critic Tarek El-Shenawy said, “There have been criticisms of historical errors, including the Battle of the Pyramids in Egypt, but Ridley Scott presents a visual perspective, not a historical one, and said the phrase is dynamic. Rich material for dialogue and controversy, the director’s freedom to add or remove facts.” dealing with.” His visual vision has been documented in history.

For his part, Scott responded to these criticisms by saying, “I don’t know whether Napoleon Bonaparte did it or not, but to me it was a quick way of saying that this is how Egypt was controlled at the time.”

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Historian Michael Bowers said: “There are events that Scott has to move quickly, and events that diverge from reality with the aim of making it easier for the audience to follow them, and to clearly understand the filming of the pyramids. In this context, nothing of the sort actually happened during the French campaign.” 1798 in Egypt, but it’s interesting to have these kinds of scenes in the film.”

When discussing doing so with director Scott, he said, “When you said we’d shoot in front of the pyramids, you laughed, didn’t you?” said. “So it will be.”

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“Bee Sting”: Family Stories and Secrets in Dramatic Novel Form

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“Bee Sting”: Family Stories and Secrets in Dramatic Novel Form

The novel “Bee Sting” written by Irish novelist Paul Murray, involves a family drama that is narrated from multiple angles to a family of four struggling in the midst of financial and existential crisis. Throughout its 656 pages, the mysteries, secrets and self-deception experienced by its members are revealed one after the other.

Unstable service

The novel was shortlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize, and has been described as “hilarious, heartbreaking, epic and brutally honest”. The award website summarized the following: “An icy road, a charming stranger and a bee stuck in the bride’s veil. Can a moment of misfortune change the course of life? “

events

The events of the novel take place in a town in contemporary Ireland where we learn about the Barnes family who are in financial trouble. Father Dickie flees to the woods after the collapse of his lucrative car business in 2008, where he works long hours on a shelter project to predict the end of the world, while his exasperated wife, Imelda, sells their wares on eBay. Their daughter Cass, first in her class, is apathetic and fears for her future. Their 12-year-old son BJ, who is in debt He plans to run away. We see each person’s life through the eyes of each person during the worsening environmental disaster, paralleled by floods, droughts and the collapse of the family, the parents continuing to deny their previous lives, and the loss and turmoil of both of them. Teenage children.

Hon

Quoting novelist William Faulkner, Murray said in an interview that “the past never dies,” but preferred to write about the present with all its horrors, including climate change.

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The author draws the novel’s characters as life-like, they have moments of love and generosity despite their faults and problems, and tracks their transformation by using a cyclical method of telling stories in each person’s tongue, as change appears. Some of them are funny, others are sad. The novel initially introduces us to wife Imelda’s sharp temper and materialistic tendencies, and as she lifts the curtain on her life, her marital circumstances, and the difficulties of her childhood, it appears to be the self-delusion she experiences. Purely human nature. In this way, the writer enters the characters’ worlds to bring them to life with a new perspective.

curiosity

What drew critics to the novel was its interest in teenage life and friendship and family relationships, father-son relationships, sibling rivalry, tragedy, self-destruction and denial, as well as the subjectivity of misguiding people. , all on par with the creativity of Funny Moments. The British newspaper “The Daily Telegraph” described the novel as “a brilliant work of fiction, sharp in mind and keen in thought, but big in heart”.

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