MyHumanitiesStudio Exercises


1			Northern Art (pp. 226-235) Art > Texture > Visual Texture > Simulated http://www.mhhe.com/HumanitiesStudio/1/1/3/2/2.html The Flemish painter Jan Van Eyck was a master of oil painting. In his famous piece Marriage of Arnolfini and His Bride (Fig. 8.10), Van Eyck created an illusion of sumptuous fabrics and other materials. How did Van Eyck use light, shadow, line, and color to achieve this affect? Why might a Renaissance audience have taken such delight in the visual reproduction of costly clothing and household objects? How does the visual texture in Van Eyck's work compare with that of Pieter Brueghel the Elder (Figs. 8.22 and 8.23) and Hans Holbein the Younger (Fig. 8.20)?




2			Sixteenth-Century Literature (pp. 219-226) Theater > Drama > Character http://www.mhhe.com/HumanitiesStudio/7/3/3.html The plays of William Shakespeare are famous for their complex characters; many critics believe that no author before or after has so successfully captured the intricacies of human psychology. Analyze the soliloquies from Hamlet excerpted in the text (pp. 225-226). How does Shakespeare use these monologues to delineate Hamlet's character? How much room do the soliloquies leave actors and directors to put their twist on Hamlet's character? What character traits emerge from these soliloquies? How does Hamlet, as a hero, compare to Achilles or Gilgamesh, or to contemporary protagonists such as Don Quixote (p. 220)?