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Art is a means of communication and expression of important messages that need and want to be shared. This underlying relationship can be used to understand certain deep rules of the structural anthropology of the individual and of the structures of society, and to indicate changes. We have before our eyes the objects that are really important on this subject: those left to us by our ancestors, clear messages that we must learn to read in their true perspective. We are dealing with the representations of the female body that, in the words by Marija Gimbutas, “embodied the divine feminine principle that has survived several thousand years, which are immediately evident in the artifacts that have come down to us from the Upper Paleolithic”. Those figures always present a unitary vision of an ontological problematic core and of the coherent answer provided by different cultures in different times. In modern art the unity is lost and the representation of the female essence has become fragmentary and partial. What does this loss mean?
The question of temperament, the way in which keyboard instruments are tuned, has permeated western music for centuries. This article sets out the main aspects of this question and presents the highly original way in which the composer Ligeti has exploited it in a contemporary composition for viola.
This study focuses on an Italian Renaissance painting depicting Saint Mary Magdalene, dated circa 1505/1506. By combining their expertise, the art historian, the scientist, the restorer and the painting expert each contributes their know-how to deepen the understanding of this artwork and its historical context. The investigations undertaken have revived the memory of a portrait by Raphael Sanzio, considered lost since 1631 and which had sunk into oblivion.
Here are presented two letters by a young Ernst Haeckel, who became a major figure of biology, as well as recognized as a scientific artist, in the late 19th century. The letters, previously available only in German, are given here with his illustrations, in English. They were written when he was a medical student, addressed to his parents, describing his travels and impressions during one of his first voyages abroad. They show Haeckel with a character distinct from his latter years, somewhat insecure, eager to share his experiences with his parents. Haeckel’s talent as a storyteller and travel writer were evident early on. During his stay in Nice he saw, for the first time, living specimens of organisms that would later be the subjects of iconic illustrations. In a companion article (Migon et al. 2024), the letters are presented and discussed in French.
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