Major General Charles Griffin in the Civil War

Biography of Paul Cezanne, French Post-Impressionist

French artist Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) was one of the most important post-impressionist painters. His work created bridges between nineteenth century impressionism and the development of key movements in twentieth-century art. He was particularly important as a precursor to cubism. Fast Facts: Paul Cezanne Occupation: PainterStyle: Post-impressionismBorn: January 19, 1839 in Aix-en-Provence, FranceDied: October 22, 1906 in Aix-en-Provence, FranceParents: Louis Auguste Cezanne and Anne Elisabeth Honorine AubertSpouse: Marie-Hortense FiquetChild: Paul CezanneSelected Works: The Bay of Marseille, Seen from LEstaque (1885), The Card Players (1892), Mont Sainte-Victoire (1902)Notable Quote: I owe you the truth in painting, and I will tell it to you. Early Life and Training Born and raised in the town of Aix-en-Provence in southern France, Paul Cezanne was the son of a wealthy banker. His father strongly encouraged him to follow the banking profession, but he rejected the suggestion. The decision was a source of conflict between the two, but the young artist received financial support from his father and eventually a sizable inheritance upon the elder Cezannes death in 1886. Self-Portrait (1881). Heritage Images / Getty Images While attending school in Aix, Paul Cezanne met and became close friends with the writer Emile Zola. They were part of a small group that referred to themselves as, The Inseparables. Against the wishes of his father, Paul Cezanne moved to Paris in 1861 and lived with Zola. Although he took evening drawing classes in 1859 in Aix, Cezanne was mostly a self-taught artist. He applied to enter the Ecole des Beaux-Arts twice but was turned down by the admissions jury. Instead of formal art education, Cezanne visited the Louvre Museum and copied works by masters like Michelangelo and Titian. He also attended the Academie Suisse, a studio that allowed young art students to draw from live models for a small membership fee. There, Cezanne met fellow struggling artists Camille Pissarro, Claude Monet, and Auguste Renoir who would soon become key figures in the development of impressionism. Impressionism In 1870, Paul Cezannes early style of painting changed dramatically. Two key influences were his move to LEstaque in southern France and his friendship with Camille Pissaro. Cezannes work became mostly landscapes featuring lighter brushstrokes and the vibrant colors of the sun-washed landscape. His style was closely allied to the impressionists. During the years in LEstaque, Cezanne understood that he should paint directly from nature. The Bay of Marseilles (1885). Corbis Historical / Getty Images Paul Cezanne exhibited in the first and third impressionist shows of the 1870s. However, the criticism of academic reviewers deeply disturbed him. He avoided the Parisian art scene for most of the following decade. Mature Period In the 1880s, Paul Cezanne took up a stable home in southern France with his mistress Hortense Fiquet. They married in 1886. Cezannes work began to separate from the principles of the impressionists. He was not interested in depicting a fleeting moment by focusing on changing light. Instead, he was more interested in the permanent architectural qualities of the landscapes he saw. He chose to make color and form the dominant elements of his paintings. Cezanne painted many views of the Bay of Marseilles from the village of LEstaque. It was one of his favorite views in all of France. The colors are vibrant, and the buildings are broken down into rigidly architectural shapes and forms. Cezannes break from the impressionists caused art critics to consider him one of the most prominent of post-impressionist painters. Always interested in a sense of permanence in the natural world, Cezanne created a series of paintings titled The Card Players around 1890. He believed the image of men playing cards had a timeless element. They would gather again and again to do the same thing oblivious to events in the surrounding world. The Card Players (1892). Corbis Historical / Getty Images Paul Cezanne studied the still life paintings of the Dutch and French Old Masters at the Louvre. Eventually, he developed his own style of painting still life using the sculptural, architectural approach he used in painting buildings in landscapes. Later Work Cezannes pleasing life in southern France came to an end in 1890 with a diabetes diagnosis. The disease would color the rest of his life, turning his personality darker and more reclusive. In his last years, he spent long periods of time alone, focusing on his painting and ignoring personal relationships. In 1895, Paul Cezanne visited the Bibemus Quarries near Mont Sainte-Victoire. The shapes he painted in landscapes featuring the mountain and the quarries inspired the later cubism movement. Cezannes last years included a strained relationship with his wife, Marie-Hortense. The death of the artists mother in 1895 increased the tension between husband and wife. Cezanne spent much of the time in his last years alone and disinherited his wife. He left all of his wealth to their son, Paul. In 1895 he also had his first one-man exhibition in Paris. Famed art dealer Ambroise Vollard set up the show, and it included more than one hundred paintings. Unfortunately, the general public largely ignored the show. The primary subject matter of Paul Cezannes work in his last years was Mont Sainte-Victoire and a series of paintings of bathers dancing and celebrating in a landscape. The last works featuring the bathers became more abstract and focused on form and color, like Cezannes landscape and still life paintings. Paul CÃ ©zanne (French, 1839-1906). The Large Bathers, 1906. Oil on canvas. 82 7/8 x 98 3/4 in. (210.5 x 250.8 cm). Purchased with the W. P. Wilstach Fund, 1937. Â © Philadelphia Museum of Art Paul Cezanne died on October 22, 1906, in his family home in Aix of complications from pneumonia. Transition to the 20th Century Cezanne was a critical transitional figure between the art world of the late 1800s and the new century. He deliberately broke from the impressionist focus on the nature of light to explore color and form of the objects he saw. He understood painting as something like an analytical science exploring the structure of his subjects. Following Cezannes innovations, fauvism, cubism, and expressionism, the movements that dominated the early twentieth-century avant-garde Parisian art scene, were concerned primarily with material subject matter instead of the transient impact of light. Still Life with Drape and Jug Decorated with Flowers (1895). Sergio Anelli / Getty Images Legacy As Paul Cezanne became more reclusive in his last years, his reputation as an innovative artist rose among young artists. Pablo Picasso was one of the new generation who considered Cezanne a masterful leading light in the art world. Cubism, in particular, owes a significant debt to Cezannes interest in the architectural forms in his landscapes. A 1907 retrospective of Cezannes work, a year after his death, finally focused acclaim on his importance to the development of twentieth-century art. The same year Pablo Picasso painted his landmark Demoiselles dAvignon clearly influenced by Cezannes paintings of bathers. Sources Danchev, Alex. Cezanne: A Life. Pantheon, 2012.Rewald, John. Cezanne: A Biography. Harry N. Abrams, 1986.

Controversy Behind Qatar 2022 Bid Free Essays

Qatar 2022 On 2 December 2010 it was announced that Qatar would host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, after the FIFA Executive Committee voted in a secret ballot in Zurich. The government of Qatar’s successful proposal bid defeated four other candidates to stage the 2022 edition of the world’s greatest sporting event: Australia, Korea Republic, Japan and the United States of America. Qatar, with a population of 1. We will write a custom essay sample on Controversy Behind Qatar 2022 Bid or any similar topic only for you Order Now 69 million people will be the first Arab state to host the World Cup. Consequently, Qatar is the smallest nation, both by relative population and by area, ever to have been awarded the tournament hosting privilege. The Qatar bid was emphasized as the only one representing the Arab World (which has never hosted a World Cup prior) and positioned their bid as an opportunity to bridge the gap between the Arab World and the West. Their hosting of the 2006 Asian Games as well as the 2011 Asian Cup proved to legitimize their capabilities of hosting the tournament. Further, its superior financial capabilities were evident in their proposals for new stadia and infrastructure. While the decision on 2 December 2010 brought delight to Qatar, it inversely brought concern and controversy in the West. A number of rival candidates, western groups and media outlets have expressed concern over the suitability of Qatar to host the event, with regard to climatic conditions, interpretations of human rights, press freedom and allegations of corruption. Climate: Winter World Cup? The World Cup is traditionally held in the northern hemisphere’s summer. During this season in Qatar, the temperature can get to 50  °C  (122  Ã‚ °F). The Qatar bid’s chief executive, Hassan al-Thawadi has attempted to quell fears of an unbearable environment by stating â€Å"heat is not and will not be an issue† and that the 2022 World Cup would benefit from â€Å"state-of-the-art air cooling technologies. † The Qatar 2022 Bid’s official site explains this: â€Å"Each of the five stadiums will harness the power of the sun’s rays to provide a cool environment for players and fans by converting solar energy into electricity that will then be used to cool both fans and players at the stadiums. When games are not taking place, the solar installations at the stadia will export energy onto the power grid. During matches, the stadia will draw energy from the grid. This is the basis for the stadiums’ carbon-neutrality. Along with the stadiums, we plan to make the cooling technologies we’ve developed available to other countries in hot climates, so that they too can host major sporting events. † This method of cooling techniques is theoretically able to reduce temperatures from 50 to 27 degrees Celsius. The bidding committee also proposes to use such cooling technologies in fan-zones, training pitches and walkways between metro stations and stadiums. However, the architect in charge of one of the venues has abandoned their project claiming that a more old-fashioned solution would be cheaper and better. Leading firm Populous, which is designing the Sports City stadium in Doha, is trying to persuade Qatari organizers to scrap plans to have air conditioning at the venue. Populous director John Barrow said the system is too expensive and â€Å"notoriously unsustainable† for the environment when used on a large scale. Given the debate on the subject, a proposal of hosting a â€Å"Winter World Cup† has arisen. Backed by the likes of Blatter and Platini, the proposal suggests for the tournament to be held in January of 2022, rather than the summer. Blatter has told reporters â€Å"Personally, now that the decision has been taken [to have the tournament in Qatar], we must play at the most adequate period to have a successful World Cup and to have a successful World Cup we have to do it when it is best for the actors which means winter. † However, Mr. Blatter has failed to provide a solution on the effect it would have on European domestic leagues which operate in this period. There is nothing in FIFA’s rules to prevent a host changing the time of year when a World Cup is played. It is only tradition that dictates this. And the FIFA executive committee has the authority to change any aspect of the World Cup after the decision is made. Worker’s Conditions Given its lack of sporting infrastructure, the Gulf state must build nine football stadiums in the next ten years- and they’ll be using primarily migrant labor (over 90% of Qatar’s workforce is made up of foreign migrant workers). Trade union activists are now lobbying FIFA to highlight what they say are poor working conditions in Qatar. International trade unionists say FIFA has the power to impose decent working standards on Qatar and will campaign for the tournament to be moved unless FIFA presses for better conditions. If Qatar is unable to support the tournament on its own, Secretary-General Jerome Valcke has suggested the tournament be shared with neighboring states, such as Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Alcohol and Homosexuality Qatar is not a dry country. Alcohol can currently be consumed legally in a few clubs, bars, certain hotel restaurants, and the Pearl Island by showing your passport for reporting. Hassan Abdulla al Thawadi, chief executive of the Qatar 2022 World Cup bid, said the Muslim state would also permit alcohol consumption during the event. Specific fan-zones will be established where alcohol can be bought. Though legal with a permit, drinking in public is not permitted as Qatar’s legal system is based on  Sharia  law. The selection of Qatar as hosts attracted controversy, as  homosexuality  is illegal in Qatar. FIFA President  Sepp Blatter  stated that â€Å"we (FIFA) don’t want any discrimination. What we want to do is open this game to everybody, and to open it to all cultures, and this is what we are doing in 2022. Corruption: Bribery Scandal Six members of Fifa’s executive committee — a quarter of the membership – were accused by Lord Treisman (Chairman of England’s bid) of â€Å"improper and unethical behaviour† with two members, Issa Hayatou, of Cameroon, and Jacques Anouma, of Ivory Coast, alleged to received $1. 5 million each in bribes from the Qatar 2022 bid in exchange for their votes. The bribery allegations against Qatar were made in evidence from  The Sunday Times  and published by the committee. As a result, in November 2010, two ExCo members,  Reynald Temarii  and  Amos Adamu, were banned for one and three years respectively. Temarii was also fined 5,000 Swiss Francs, while Adamu was fined 10,000 Swiss Francs. More corruption allegations emerged in the summer of 2011. In May, ExCo member Chuck Blazer claimed fellow members Mohammed Bin Hammam and Jack Warner offered bribes for votes in the upcoming presidential election. As a result of this scandal, Bin Hammam stood down from the June 2011 presidential election and FIFA later suspended both he and Jack Warner. Sepp Blatter stood unopposed and won the election with 186 out of 203 votes. Bin Hammam’s suspension had been met with widespread anger in the Middle East- He was subsequently banned for life in July. Warner responded to his suspension by exposing an email by Valcke in which the Secretary-General suggested Qatar had â€Å"bought† the right to host 2022 tournament. Valcke defended his statement, insisting he was referring to Qatar using financial muscle to lobby legitimately for votes. â€Å"They were a candidate with a very important budget and used it to heavily promote their bid all around the world in a very efficient manner,† he said. â€Å"I have made no reference to any purchase of votes or similar unethical behaviour. Qatar 2022’s bid team said they â€Å"categorically deny† any wrongdoing, and asked for clarification from FIFA on the meaning of the Valcke e-mail. Nevertheless, the scandal has raised concerns over $10 billion of investment and development contracts related to stadiums and hotels for the World Cup in Qatar. Possibility of a Re-Vote Given the developments in corruption and bribery scandals, as well as questions concerning the Qatar’s capabilities of hosting the tournament effectively, there is a ground swell of popular support to re-hold the 2022 vote won by Qatar. Blatter has said that a FIFA inquiry into persistent and increasingly detailed claims of corruption could lead to the Executive Committee (ExCo) making the unprecedented move of rerunning the vote. Blatter also conceded that support for re-running the vote was â€Å"circulating around the world†. Such a move would be a monumental embarrassment to FIFA but that has to now be balanced with the equivalent embarrassment of more allegations leaking out. How to cite Controversy Behind Qatar 2022 Bid, Papers