Shakespearean history

In the First Folio, the plays of William Shakespeare were grouped into three categories: comedies, histories, and tragedies. The histories—along with those of contemporary Renaissance playwrights—help define the genre of history plays. The Shakespearean histories are biographies of English kings of the previous four centuries and include the standalones "King John", "Edward III" and "Henry VIII" as well as a continuous sequence of eight plays. These last are considered to have been composed in two cycles. The so-called first tetralogy, apparently written in the early 1590s, covers the Wars of the Roses saga and includes "Henry VI, Parts I", "II" & "III" and "Richard III". The second tetralogy, finished in 1599 and including "Richard II", "Henry IV, Parts I" & "II" and "Henry V", is frequently called the "Henriad" after its protagonist Prince Hal, the future Henry V.
The folio's classifications are not unproblematic. Besides proposing other categories such as romances and problem plays, many modern studies treat the histories together with those tragedies that feature historical characters. These include "Macbeth", set in the mid-11th century during the reigns of Duncan I of Scotland and Edward the Confessor and the legendary "King Lear" and also the Roman plays "Coriolanus", "Julius Caesar", and "Antony and Cleopatra".
List of Shakespeare's histories.
English histories.
As they are in the First Folio, the plays are listed here in the sequence of their action, rather than the order of the plays' composition. Short forms of the full titles are used.
Roman histories.
As noted above, the First Folio groups these with the tragedies.
Set in ancient Rome, "Titus Andronicus" dramatises a fictional story and is therefore excluded as a Roman history.
Other histories.
As with the Roman plays, the First Folio groups these with the tragedies. Although they are connected with regional royal biography, and based on similar sources, they are usually not considered part of Shakespeare's English histories.
Sources.
The source for most of the English history plays, as well as for "Macbeth" and "King Lear", is the well-known Raphael Holinshed's "Chronicle" of English history. The source for the Roman history plays is Plutarch's "Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans Compared Together", in the translation made by Sir Thomas North in 1579. Shakespeare's history plays focus on only a small part of the characters' lives, and also frequently omit significant events for dramatic purposes.
Politics in the English history plays.
Shakespeare was living in the reign of Elizabeth I, the last monarch of the House of Tudor, and his history plays are often regarded as Tudor propaganda because they show the dangers of civil war and celebrate the founders of the Tudor dynasty. In particular, "Richard III" depicts the last member of the rival House of York as an evil monster ("that bottled spider, that foul bunchback'd toad"), a depiction disputed by many modern historians, while portraying his successor, Henry VII, in glowing terms. Political bias is also clear in "Henry VIII", which ends with an effusive celebration of the birth of Elizabeth. However, Shakespeare's celebration of Tudor order is less important in these plays than his presentation of the spectacular decline of the medieval world. Some of Shakespeare's histories—notably "Richard III"—point out that this medieval world came to its end when opportunism and Machiavellianism infiltrated its politics. By nostalgically evoking the late Middle Ages, these plays described the political and social evolution that had led to the actual methods of Tudor rule, so that it is possible to consider the English history plays as a biased criticism of their own country.
Lancaster, York, and Tudor myths.
Shakespeare made use of the Lancaster and York myths, as he found them in the chronicles, as well as the Tudor myth. The 'Lancaster myth' regarded Richard II's overthrow and Henry IV's reign as providentially sanctioned, and Henry V's achievements as a divine favour. The 'York myth' saw Edward IV's deposing of the ineffectual Henry VI as a providential restoration of the usurped throne to the lawful heirs of Richard II. The 'Tudor myth' formulated by the historians and poets recognised Henry VI as a lawful king, condemned the York brothers for killing him and Prince Edward, and stressed the hand of divine providence in the Yorkist fall and in the rise of Henry Tudor, whose uniting of the houses of Lancaster and York had been prophesied by the 'saintly' Henry VI. Henry Tudor's deposing of Richard III "was justified on the principles of contemporary political theory, for Henry was not merely rebelling against a tyrant but putting down a tyrannous "usurper", which "The Mirror for Magistrates" allowed". Because Henry Tudor prayed before Bosworth Field to be God's minister of punishment, won the battle and attributed victory to Providence, the Tudor myth asserted that his rise was sanctioned by divine authority.
The later chroniclers, especially Polydore Vergil, Edward Hall and Raphael Holinshed, were not interested in 'justifying' the Tudor regime by asserting the role of Providence; instead they stressed the lessons to be learned from the workings of Providence in the past, sometimes endorsing contradictory views of men and events for the sake of the different lessons these suggested, sometimes slanting their interpretations to draw a parallel with, or a moral for, their time. Consequently, though Hall in his "Union of the Two Noble and Illustre Families of Lancastre and Yorke" (1548) saw God's curse laid upon England for the deposing and murder of Richard II, God finally relenting and sending peace in the person and dynasty of Henry Tudor, and though Holinshed's final judgement was that Richard Duke of York and his line were divinely punished for violating his oath to let Henry VI live out his reign, the chroniclers tended to incorporate elements "of all three myths" in their treatment of the period from Richard II to Henry VII. For Shakespeare's use of the three myths, see Interpretations.
Interpretations.
Shakespeare's double tetralogy.
H. A. Kelly in "Divine Providence in the England of Shakespeare's Histories" (1970) examines political bias and assertions of the workings of Providence in (a) the contemporary chronicles, (b) the Tudor historians, and (c) the Elizabethan poets, notably Shakespeare in his two tetralogies, (in composition-order) "Henry VI" to "Richard III" and "Richard II" to "Henry V". According to Kelly, Shakespeare's great contribution, writing as a historiographer-dramatist, was to eliminate the supposedly objective providential judgements of his sources, and to distribute them to appropriate spokesmen in the plays, presenting them as mere opinion. Thus the sentiments of the Lancaster myth are spoken by Lancastrians, the opposing myth is voiced by Yorkists, and the Tudor myth is embodied in Henry Tudor. Shakespeare "thereby allows each play to create its own ethos and mythos and to offer its own hypotheses concerning the springs of action".
Where the chronicles sought to explain events in terms of divine justice, Shakespeare plays down this explanation. Richard Duke of York, for example, in his speech to Parliament about his claim, placed great stress, according to the chronicles, on providential justice; Shakespeare's failure to make use of this theme in the parliament scene at the start of "3 Henry VI", Kelly argues, "would seem to amount to an outright rejection of it". In the first tetralogy, Henry VI never views his troubles as a case of divine retribution; in the second tetralogy, evidence for an overarching theme of providential punishment of Henry IV "is completely lacking". Among the few allusions in the plays to hereditary providential punishment are Richard II's prediction, at his abdication, of civil war, Henry IV's fear of punishment through his wayward son, Henry V's fear of punishment for his father's sins, and Clarence's fear of divine retribution meted out on his children. Again, where the chronicles argue that God was displeased with Henry VI's marriage to Margaret and the broken vow to the Armagnac girl, Shakespeare has Duke Humphrey object to Margaret because the match entails the loss of Anjou and Maine. (Kelly dismisses the view of E. M. W. Tillyard and A. S. Cairncross of Margaret as the diabolical successor to Joan of Arc in England's punishment by God.) As for suggestions of a "benevolent" Providence, Shakespeare does appear to adopt the chronicles' view that Talbot's victories were due to divine aid, where Joan of Arc's were down to devilish influence, but in reality he lets the audience see that "she has simply outfoxed [Talbot] by superior military strategy". (Talbot's eventual defeat and death are blamed in Shakespeare not on Joan but on dissention among the English.) In place of providential explanations, Shakespeare often presents events more in terms of "poetic justice" or Senecan dramaturgy. Dreams, prophecies and curses, for example, loom large in the earlier tetralogy and "are dramatized as taking effect", among them Henry VI's prophecy about the future Henry VII.
Accordingly, Shakespeare's moral characterisation and political bias, Kelly argues, change from play to play, "which indicates that he is not concerned with the absolute fixing of praise or blame", though he does achieve general consistency within each play:
Shakespeare meant each play primarily to be self-contained. Thus in "Richard II" the murder of Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester, inaugurates the action—John of Gaunt places the guilt on Richard II—but Woodstock is forgotten in the later plays. Again, Henry IV, at the end of "Richard II", speaks of a crusade as reparation for Richard's death: but in the next two plays he does not show remorse for his treatment of Richard. As for the "Henry VI" plays, the Yorkist view of history in "1 Henry VI" differs from that in "2 Henry VI": in Part 1 the conspiracy of the Yorkist Richard Earl of Cambridge against Henry V is admitted; in Part 2 it is passed silently over. Henry VI's attitude to his own claim undergoes changes. "Richard III" does not refer to "any" events prior to Henry VI's reign.
Kelly finds evidence of Yorkist bias in the earlier tetralogy. "1 Henry VI" has a Yorkist slant in the dying Mortimer's narration to Richard Plantagenet (later Duke of York). Henry VI is weak and vacillating and overburdened by piety; neither Yorkists nor Queen Margaret think him fit to be king. The Yorkist claim is put so clearly that Henry admits, aside, that his own is weak—"the first time," notes Kelly, "that such an admission is conjectured in the historical treatment of the period". Shakespeare is suggestively silent in Part 3 on the Yorkist Earl of Cambridge's treachery in Henry V's reign. Even loyal Exeter admits to Henry VI that Richard II could not have resigned the crown legitimately to anyone but the heir, Mortimer. Edward (later IV) tells his father York that his oath to Henry was invalid because Henry had no authority to act as magistrate.
As for Lancastrian bias, York is presented as unrighteous and hypocritical in "2 Henry VI", and while Part 2 ends with Yorkist victories and the capture of Henry, Henry still appears "the upholder of right in the play". In "Richard III" in the long exchange between Clarence and the assassins we learn that not only Clarence but also implicitly the murderers and Edward IV himself consider Henry VI to have been their lawful sovereign. The Duchess of York's lament that her family "make war upon themselves, brother to brother, blood to blood, self against self" derives from Vergil and Hall's judgment that the York brothers paid the penalty for murdering King Henry and Prince Edward. In the later tetralogy Shakespeare clearly inclines towards the Lancaster myth. He makes no mention of Edmund Mortimer, Richard's heir, in "Richard II", an omission which strengthens the Lancastrian claim. The plan in "Henry IV" to divide the kingdom in three undermines Mortimer's credibility. The omission of Mortimer from "Henry V" was again quite deliberate: Shakespeare's Henry V has no doubt about his own claim. Rebellion is presented as unlawful and wasteful in the second tetralogy: as Blunt says to Hotspur, "out of limit and true rule / You stand against anointed majesty".
Shakespeare's retrospective verdict, however, on the reign of Henry VI, given in the epilogue to "Henry V", is politically neutral: "so many had the managing" of the state that "they lost France and made his England bleed". In short, though Shakespeare "often accepts the moral portraitures of the chronicles which were originally produced by political bias, and has his characters commit or confess to crimes which their enemies falsely accused them of" ("Richard III" being perhaps a case in point), his distribution of the moral and spiritual judgements of the chronicles to various spokesmen creates, Kelly believes, a more impartial presentation of history.
Shakespearean history in the wider sense.
John F. Danby in "Shakespeare’s Doctrine of Nature" (1949) examines the response of Shakespeare's history plays (in the widest sense) to the vexed question: 'When is it right to rebel?’, and concludes that Shakespeare's thought ran through three stages: (1) In the Wars of the Roses plays, "Henry VI" to "Richard III", Shakespeare shows a new thrustful godlessness attacking the pious medieval structure represented by Henry VI. He implies that rebellion against a legitimate and pious king is wrong, and that only a monster such as Richard of Gloucester would have attempted it. (2) In "King John" and the "Richard II" to "Henry V" cycle, Shakespeare comes to terms with the Machiavellianism of the times as he saw them under Elizabeth. In these plays he adopts the official Tudor ideology, by which rebellion, even against a wrongful usurper, is never justifiable. (3) From "Julius Caesar" onwards, Shakespeare justifies tyrannicide, but in order to do so moves away from English history to the camouflage of Roman, Danish, Scottish or Ancient British history.
Danby argues that Shakespeare's study of the Machiavel is key to his study of history. His Richard III, Faulconbridge in "King John", Hal and Falstaff are all Machiavels, characterised in varying degrees of frankness by the pursuit of "Commodity" (i.e. advantage, profit, expediency). Shakespeare at this point in his career pretends that the Hal-type Machiavellian prince is admirable and the society he represents historically inevitable. Hotspur and Hal are joint heirs, one medieval, the other modern, of a split Faulconbridge. Danby argues, however, that when Hal rejects Falstaff he is not reforming, as is the common view, but merely turning from one social level to another, from Appetite to Authority, both of which are equally part of the corrupt society of the time. Of the two, Danby argues, Falstaff is the preferable, being, in every sense, the bigger man. In "Julius Caesar" there is a similar conflict between rival Machiavels: the noble Brutus is a dupe of his Machiavellian associates, while Antony's victorious "order", like Hal's, is a negative thing. In "Hamlet" king-killing becomes a matter of private rather than public morality—the individual's struggles with his own conscience and fallibility take centre stage. Hamlet, like Edgar in "King Lear" later, has to become a "machiavel of goodness". In "Macbeth" the interest is again public, but the public evil flows from Macbeth's primary rebellion against his own nature. "The root of the machiavelism lies in a wrong choice. Macbeth is clearly aware of the great frame of Nature he is violating."
"King Lear", in Danby's view, is Shakespeare's finest historical allegory. The older medieval society, with its doting king, falls into error, and is threatened by the new Machiavellianism; it is regenerated and saved by a vision of a new order, embodied in the king's rejected daughter. By the time he reaches Edmund, Shakespeare no longer pretends that the Hal-type Machiavellian prince is admirable; and in "Lear" he condemns the society which is thought to be historically inevitable. Against this he holds up the ideal of a transcendent community and reminds the audience of the "true needs" of a humanity to which the operations of a Commodity-driven society perpetually do violence. This "new" thing that Shakespeare discovers is embodied in Cordelia. The play thus offers an alternative to the feudal–Machiavellian polarity, an alternative foreshadowed in France's speech (I.1.245–256), in Lear and Gloucester's prayers (III.4. 28–36; IV.1.61–66), and in the figure of Cordelia. Cordelia, in the allegorical scheme, is threefold: a person, an ethical principle (love), and a community. Until that decent society is achieved, we are meant to take as role-model Edgar, the Machiavel of patience, of courage and of "ripeness". After "King Lear" Shakespeare's view seems to be that private goodness can be permanent only in a decent society.
Shakespeare and the chronicle play genre.
Dates and themes.
Chronicle plays—history-plays based on the chronicles of Polydore Vergil, Edward Hall, Raphael Holinshed and others—enjoyed great popularity from the late 1580s to c. 1606. By the early 1590s they were more numerous and more popular than plays of any other kind. John Bale's morality play "Kynge Johan" [:"King John"], c. 1547, is sometimes considered a forerunner of the genre. King John was of interest to 16th century audiences because he had opposed the Pope; two further plays were written about him in the late 16th century, one of them Shakespeare's "Life and Death of King John". Patriotic feeling at the time of the Spanish Armada contributed to the appeal of chronicle plays on the Hundred Years' War, notably Shakespeare's "Henry VI" trilogy, while unease over the succession at the close of Elizabeth's reign made plays based on earlier dynastic struggles from the reign of Richard II to the Wars of the Roses topical. Plays about the deposing and killing of kings, or about civil dissension, met with much interest in the 1590s, while plays dramatising supposedly factual episodes from the past, advertised as "true history" (though the dramatist might know otherwise), drew larger audiences than plays with imagined plots.
The chronicle play, however, always came under close scrutiny by the Elizabethan and Jacobean authorities. Playwrights were banned from touching "matters of divinity or state", a ban that remained in force throughout the period, the Master of Revels acting as licenser. The deposition scene in "Richard II" (IV.i.154–318), for example, almost certainly part of the play as it was originally written, was omitted from the early quartos (1597, 1598, 1608) and presumably performances, on grounds of prudence, and not fully reinstated till the First Folio. The chronicle play, as a result, tended ultimately to endorse the principles of 'Degree', order, and legitimate royal prerogative, and so was valued by the authorities for its didactic effect. Some have suggested that history plays were quietly subsidised by the state, for propaganda purposes. The annual grant of a thousand pounds by the Queen to the Earl of Oxford from 1586 was, it has been argued, "meant to assist him as theatrical entrepreneur for the Court, in such a way that it would not become known that the Queen was offering substantial backing to the acting companies". Oxford was to support plays "which would educate the English people ... in their country's history, in appreciation of its greatness, and of their own stake in its welfare". Whether coincidence or not, a spate of history plays followed the authorization of the annuity. B. M. Ward pointed out (1928) that the elaborated, unhistorical and flattering role assigned to an earlier Earl of Oxford, the 11th, in "The Famous Victories of Henry V" (c. 1587), was designed as an oblique compliment to a contemporary financial backer of chronicle plays.
Development.
The early chronicle plays such as "The Famous Victories of Henry the Fifth" were, like the chronicles themselves, loosely structured, haphazard, episodic; battles and pageantry, spirits, dreams and curses, added to their appeal. The scholar H. B. Charlton gave some idea of their shortcomings when he spoke of "the wooden patriotism of "The Famous Victories", the crude and vulgar "Life and Death of Jack Straw", the flatness of "The Troublesome Reign of King John", and the clumsy and libellous "Edward I" ". Under the influence of Marlowe's "Tamburlaine", however, c. 1587, with its lofty poetry and its focus on a single unifying figure, of Shakespeare's "Contention" plays, c. 1589–90, and of the machiavels of revenge tragedy, chronicle-plays rapidly became more sophisticated in characterisation, structure, and style. Marlowe himself turned to English history as a result of the success of Shakespeare's "Contention". In "Edward II", c. 1591, he moved from the rhetoric and spectacle of "Tamburlaine" to "the interplay of human character", showing how chronicle material could be compressed and rearranged, and bare hints turned to dramatic effect.
Shakespeare then took the genre further, bringing deeper insights to bear on the nature of politics, kingship, war and society. He also brought noble poetry to the genre and a deep knowledge of human character. In particular, he took a greater interest than Marlowe in women in history, and portrayed them with more subtlety. In interpreting events in terms of character, more than in terms of Providence or Fortune, or of mechanical social forces, Shakespeare could be said to have had a "philosophy of history". With his genius for comedy he worked up in a comic vein chronicle material such as Cade's revolt and the youth of Prince Hal; with his genius for invention, he largely created vital figures like Fauconbridge (if "The Troublesome Reign" was his) and Falstaff. His chronicle plays, taken together in historical order, have been described as constituting a "great national epic". Argument for possible Shakespearean authorship or part-authorship of "Edward III" and "Thomas of Woodstock" has in recent years sometimes led to the inclusion of these plays in the Shakespeare cycle.
Uncertainty about composition-dates and authorship of the early chronicle plays makes it difficult to attribute influence or give credit for initiating the genre. Some critics believe that Shakespeare has a fair claim to have been the innovator. In 1944 E. M. W. Tillyard argued that "The Famous Victories of Henry the Fifth", c. 1586–87, could have been a work of Shakespeare's apprenticeship, a claim developed by Seymour Pitcher in 1961. Pitcher argued that annotations to a copy Edward Hall's "Union of the Two Noble and Illustre Families of Lancastre and Yorke" that was discovered in 1940 (the volume is now in the British Library) were probably written by Shakespeare and that these are very close to passages in the play. Again, W. J. Courthope (1905), E. B. Everitt (1965) and Eric Sams (1995) argued that "The Troublesome Reign of King John", c. 1588–89, was Shakespeare's early version of the play later rewritten as "The Life and Death of King John" (the Second Quarto, 1611, had attributed "The Troublesome Reign" to "W.Sh."). Sams called "The Troublesome Reign" "the first modern history play". Everitt and Sams also believed that two early chronicle plays based on Holinshed and dramatizing 11th century English history, "Edmund Ironside, or War Hath Made All Friends", written c. 1588–89, and its lost sequel "Hardicanute", performed in the 1590s, were by Shakespeare. A rival claimant to be the first English chronicle play is "The True Tragedie of Richard the Third", of unknown authorship from the same period. In practice, however, playwrights were both 'influencers' and influenced: Shakespeare's two "Contention" plays (1589–90), influenced by Marlowe's "Tamburlaine" (1587), in turn influenced Marlowe's "Edward II", which itself influenced Shakespeare's "Richard II".
Of later chronicle plays, T. S. Eliot considered Ford's "Chronicle History of Perkin Warbeck" "unquestionably [his] highest achievement" and "one of the very best historical plays outside of the works of Shakespeare in the whole of Elizabethan and Jacobean drama." Chronicle plays based on the history of other countries were also written during this period, among them Marlowe's "The Massacre at Paris", Chapman's "Charles, Duke of Biron", Webster's lost "Guise", and Shakespeare's "Macbeth". In some of the chronicle-based plays, as the various contemporary title-pages show, the genres of 'chronicle history' and 'tragedy' overlap.
Decline.
Several causes led to the decline of the chronicle play in the early 17th century: a degree of satiety (many more chronicle plays were produced than the surviving ones listed below); a growing awareness of the unreliability of the genre as history; the vogue for 'Italianate' subject-matter (Italian, Spanish or French plots); the vogue for satirical drama of contemporary life ('city comedy'); the movement among leading dramatists, including Shakespeare, away from populism and towards more sophisticated court-centred tastes; the decline in national homogeneity with the coming of the Stuarts, and in the 'national spirit', that ended in civil war and the closing of the theatres (1642). Some of these factors are touched on by Ford in his Prologue to "Perkin Warbeck" (c. 1630), a defence of the chronicle play.
The above tables include both the Quarto and the Folio versions of "Henry V" and "Henry VI" Parts 2 and 3, because the Quartos may preserve early versions of these three plays (as opposed to 'corrupted' texts). They exclude chronicle-type plays now lost, like "Hardicanute", the probable sequel to "Edmund Ironside", and plays based on legend, such as the anonymous "True Chronicle History of King Leir and his three daughters", c. 1587, and Anthony Munday's two plays on Robin Hood, "The Downfall of Robert Earl of Huntington" and "The Death of Robert Earl of Huntington".
Shakespeare and the Roman history play genre.
Late 16th and early 17th century 'Roman history' plays—English plays based on episodes in Virgil, Livy, Tacitus, Sallust, and Plutarch—were, to varying degrees, successful on stage from the late 1580s to the 1630s. Their appeal lay partly in their exotic spectacle, partly in their unfamiliar plots, partly in the way they could explore topical themes safely detached from an English context. In "Appius and Virginia" (c. 1626), for example, John Webster added a non-historical episode (the only one in the play) about the starvation of Roman troops in the field by the neglect of the home authorities, to express his rage at the abandonment and death by starvation of the English army in the Low Countries in 1624–25. Dangerous themes such as rebellion and tyrannicide, ancient freedoms versus authoritarian rule, civic duty versus private ambition, could be treated more safely through Roman history, as Shakespeare treated them in "Julius Caesar". Character and moral values (especially 'Roman values') could be explored outside an inhibiting Christian framework.
Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" and his pseudo-historical "Titus Andronicus" were among the more successful and influential of Roman history plays. Among the less successful was Jonson's "Sejanus His Fall", the 1604 performance of which at the Globe was "hissed off the stage". Jonson, misunderstanding the genre, had "confined himself to the dramatization of recorded fact, and refused to introduce anything for which he did not have historical warrant", thus failing to construct a satisfactory plot. According to Park Honan, Shakespeare's own later Roman work, "Antony and Cleopatra" and "Coriolanus", carefully avoided ""Sejanus"s clotted style, lack of irony, and grinding moral emphasis".
The "Wars of the Roses" cycle on stage and in film.
"The Wars of the Roses" is a phrase used to describe the civil wars in England between the Lancastrian and Yorkist dynasties. Some of the events of these wars were dramatised by Shakespeare in the history plays "Richard II", "Henry IV, Part 1", "Henry IV, Part 2", "Henry V", "Henry VI, Part 1", "Henry VI, Part 2", "Henry VI, Part 3", and "Richard III". In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries there have been numerous stage performances, including:
The tetralogies have been filmed for television five times, twice as the entire cycle:
Many of the plays have also been filmed stand-alone, outside of the cycle at large. Famous examples include "Henry V" (1944), directed by and starring Laurence Olivier, and "Henry V" (1989), directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh; "Richard III" (1955), directed by and starring Olivier, and "Richard III" (1995), directed by Richard Loncraine and starring Ian McKellen; and "Chimes at Midnight" (1965) (also known as "Falstaff"), directed by and starring Orson Welles, combining "Henry IV, Part I" and "Part II", with some scenes from "Henry V".


Charles Christian Nahl

Carl Christian Heinrich Nahl (October 18, 1818 – March 1, 1878), later known as Charles Nahl, and sometimes Karl Nahl, Charles Christian Nahl or Charles C. Nahl, was a German-born painter who is called California's first significant artist.
Early years.
He was the son of Georg Valentin Friedrich Nahl (1791–1857) and Henriette (Weickh) Nahl (1796–1863). His parents divorced in 1826. He came from a long line of artists and sculptors. His great-grandfather was Johann August Nahl, the German sculptor and stuccist.
Nahl was trained at the Cassel Academy.
Career.
Unease over the political state of Hesse led him and his friend Frederick August Wenderoth (1819–1884) to Paris in 1846, where he enjoyed some success at the "salon" and changed his name to "Charles". The February Revolution prompted another move with his mother and siblings, including half-brother Hugo Wilhelm Arthur Nahl (1833–1889) to Brooklyn, New York, where they heard of the gold strike. He arrived in Nevada City, California the next year, and then moved to Rough and Ready, California. Here, he purchased a "salted" mine. Having no luck along the Yuba River, Nahl and Hugo opened a studio with Wenderoth in Sacramento, moving to San Francisco after the 1852 Sacramento fire. (There is an illustration of the fire by Arthur).
Olympic Club.
The Nahl brothers were fine athletes. At their home in San Francisco's Bush Street, their backyard gymnasium served as the early version of the Olympic Club and was its headquarters during the period of 1855 to 1860. At his brother's suggestion, it was named the "San Francisco Olympic Club" and, at the club's inaugural meeting on May 6, 1860, his brother Arthur was elected its Leader.


Philipp Foltz

 Philipp von Foltz (11 May 1805 – 5 August 1877) was a German history painter.
Biography.
He was born in Bingen am Rhein. His father, Ludwig, a painter of some note, gave him his first art lessons. In 1825, he went to Munich, where he was accepted at the Academy of Fine Arts and studied with Peter von Cornelius. Soon, he was allowed to assist Cornelius with his frescoes at the Glyptothek and the Hofgarten.
Later, he assisted Wilhelm Lindenschmit the Elder at the new Royal Palace, creating murals based on the ballads of Friedrich Schiller. At this time, he also began to create a series of oil paintings on historical subjects; notably one of King Otto saying farewell on his way to Greece.
In 1835, he took a study trip to Rome, where he created his monumental painting "Des Sängers Fluch" (The Singer's Curse), based on the poem by Ludwig Uhland. Upon his return, he was appointed a Professor at the Academy by King Maximilian II of Bavaria. In thanks, he created two monumental canvases for the Maximilianeum.
Between 1865 and 1875, he served as Director of the Royal Gallery, but was harshly criticized for his methods of restoration, which employed questionable chemical processes developed by Max von Pettenkofer, as well as the overpainting of some canvases. Despite this, he was elevated to the nobility in 1869.
His paintings are historically precise, but are now considered to be rather conservative and academic.
Foltz died in Munich in 1877.


Indonesia Maharddhika

"Indonesia Maharddhika" (; ) is a song by Indonesian progressive rock band Gipsy, consisting of Chrisye, Keenan Nasution, Oding Nasution, Roni Harahap, and Abadi Soesman, together with Guruh Sukarnoputra. It was released in 1976 on the album "Guruh Gipsy" with the names of its contributors hidden in the bilingual lyrics. In 2009, "Rolling Stone Indonesia" selected it as the 59th best Indonesian song of all time.
Recording.
The lyrics and melody to "Indonesia Maharddhika" were written in Guruh Sukarnoputra's house in South Jakarta 1975 by Guruh Sukarnoputra and Roni Harahap. Seeing Guruh struggling to compose a melody, Roni played the introduction to KC and the Sunshine Band's "That's the Way (I Like It)" with the accentuation reversed. Pleased, Guruh wrote some lyrics, drawing inspiration from Rangga Warsita's poems.
When recording, Guruh played the gendér and piano. Chrisye and Keenan Nasution provided vocals, with Chrisye also playing the bass and Keenan playing the drums. Roni played the piano, Oding Nasution was on guitar, and Abadi Soesman on synthesizers. The Hutauruk Sisters provided female backing vocals.
Lyrics.
The lyrics to "Indonesia Maharddhika" are a mix of Balinese and Indonesian.
While writing the lyrics to "Indonesia Maharddhika", Guruh Sukarnoputra decided to hide the names of the six contributors to "Guruh Gipsy": Oding (Nasution), Chris(ye), Kinan (Keenan Nasution), Roni (Harahap), Abadi (Soesman), and Guruh (Sukarnoputra). Shown below is the name Abadi in the lyrics (which can be heard above). The initials of the name is indicated in bold.
Release and reception.
"Indonesia Maharddhika" was released as the lead track of "Guruh Gipsy" in 1976.
"Indonesia Maharddhika" was well received. In December 2009, "Indonesia Maharddhika" was selected by "Rolling Stone Indonesia" as the 59th best Indonesian song of all time.


Compton Triptych

The Compton Triptych comprises three terracotta portrait heads, plinthed together, which celebrates the parish of Compton, Guildford, and the diverse figures who have contributed to this Surrey community. Using local clay from the foundations of the pottery of Mary Wondrausch this was unveiled in November 2011 at The Human Clay exhibition, Lewis Elton Gallery, University of Surrey after sittings with sculptor Jon Edgar in 2010 and 2011. The heads include G. F. Watts expert Richard Jefferies, artist/historian Mary Wondrausch and community stalwart Jane Turner, selected by the artist after a local public appeal for suggestions for the third element of the Triptych.
A triptych combines three formal elements more commonly used in painting, and this sculptural grouping was first used by Jon Edgar for the Environment Triptych of 2008, after the combination of three heads seemed to create a composition which added another dimension to the work.


Andrey Ivanovich Ivanov

Andrey Ivanovich Ivanov (Russian: Андрей Иванович Иванов; 1775, Moscow - 24 July 1848, Saint Petersburg) was a Russian painter in the Neo-Classical style who specialized in historical scenes.
Biography.
He was abandoned by his parents and was raised at the Moscow Orphanage. He was enrolled in the elementary courses at the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1782, and later studied with Grigory Ugryumov and Gabriel François Doyen, graduating in 1797. He began teaching there in 1798 and became an Academician in 1803. During this time, he was engaged in copying the old Italian masters and painting icons. In 1812 he was appointed a Professor for his painting of Prince Mstislav the Brave and the defeat of Rededya. In 1820, he painted the fresco "Minerva Hovering in the Sky" for the iron staircase at the Academy.
His painting "The Death of General Kulnev" angered Tsar Nicholas I when it was exhibited in 1830, apparently because it portrayed a controversial (and almost certainly apocryphal) moment from the incident; Kulnev's order to his allied officers to remove their insignia so the enemy wouldn't know that the Russian army was without a commander. As a result, Ivanov was removed from the Academy. A few years later, when Karl Briullov returned to Russia and was presented with a laurel wreath, he took it off his head and placed it on Ivanov's instead, as a sign of respect and appreciation.
Despite his forced retirement, Ivanov remained active as a painter and member of several artistic societies. He died of cholera. His grave in the Smolensk Cemetery has not survived. His son was the painter Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov.


Samurai Western

Samurai Western is an action-adventure video game, made by Acquire games company, released for the PlayStation 2 in 2005. The player assumes the role of a samurai named Gojiro Kiryu, who travels to the Wild West in search of his brother, Rando.
Gameplay.
"Samurai Western" does away with the adventure elements present in the main "Way of the Samurai" games, and instead is focused entirely on action. The game is divided into stages, with the goal of each being to defeat the dozens of enemies that appear within. The game can be played alone, or simultaneously with a second player. The game has multiple difficulty levels, ranging from Normal to Insane.
In a single-player game, the player takes control of Gojiro the samurai and utilizes various types of swords to defeat enemies. There are dozens of swords available in the game, which allow you to fight with five different sword styles. The basic maneuvers of each sword are similar, consisting of a quick combo, powerful charge move and aerial attack. However, each sword style offers unique abilities. In addition to the abilities given by each style, Gojiro also has the innate ability to dodge bullets, and even uses his sword to deflect them. By defeating enemies Gojiro can fill a meter which, when full, allows him to enter Master Mode. Once activated, Master Mode greatly increases Gojiro's abilities, allowing him to dispatch enemies in a single blow.
In a two-player game, the second player controls Ralph the gunman. Ralph is unable to deflect bullets (though he is also able to dodge and roll) or engage in melee combat in the same manner as Gojiro, but is instead equipped with a gun that allows long-range attacks. He also has the ability to perform punches that instantly floor an enemy and deal a small amount of damage. Two additional guns can be unlocked for Ralph through beating the game, increasing his usefulness as a backup player.
Plot.
The game takes place in America in the 1800s, in the area known as the Wild West. Gojiro Kiryu, a samurai, has arrived from Japan to find and kill his brother, Rando, who came to the United States some time before. Upon his arrival, he finds the region under the tyrannical rule of a local Tycoon named Goldberg, whose hired thugs have left the nearby settlements virtual ghost towns. Although initially uninterested in these happenings, Gojiro is nonetheless drawn into conflict with Goldberg's forces as his warrior's code demands that he do the right thing and help the people being hurt by the tycoon. After learning of a connection between Goldberg and his missing brother, a final confrontation lingers.
Development.
Kenneth Rocafort (now a comics artist) drew the cover for a video game before he got into comics at Top Cow comics.
Reception.
"Samurai Western" received "mixed" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.


The Cat and the King

The Cat and the King (1981) is a work of historical fiction about the court of French King Louis XIV (1638–1715) by novelist Louis Auchincloss. The novel's narrator—Louis de Rouvroy, the second Duc de Saint-Simon—was a real-life French noble who observed life at the court and recorded in his memoirs all that he saw and felt about the reign of the Sun King. Saint-Simon (1675–1755) is mentioned in many of Auchincloss’ works and in "The Cat and the King" he fantasizes that the Duc kept on writing after his real-life memoirs were published.
Synopsis.
Mixing fact and fiction, the Duc de Saint-Simon recounts three episodes in which he and his wife involve themselves in the notorious schemings of King Louis XIV's Versailles. Throughout, the famous courtier's attitudes toward the King and court shift. In the first story, the young Duc, appalled at the King's calculating matches of his illegitimate offspring with prominent aristocrats, works to subvert the wedding of one of Louis' nephews, but is thwarted when his adversaries threaten to expose the homosexuality of both the King's brother and the narrator's patron, the Prince de Conti. In the second, Saint-Simon is maneuvered into acting as messenger between Conti (who is briefly King of Poland in 1697) and Conti's mistress, Madame la Duchesse. In this the Duc is subverted by his own wife's schemings. Finally, in later years, rumors of incest are deployed by both sides in a struggle to determine which of two ill-pedigreed "princesses" will be matched with one of the King's legitimate grandsons. The high-minded Saint-Simon emerges from these intrigues disillusioned ("We had all...been made part of the Versailles system"), but resolves (after the King's death) to record the monarch's "great style" and quest for glory.


The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century

The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century is a 1996 documentary series that aired on PBS. It chronicles World War I over eight episodes. It was narrated by Salome Jens. In the UK, the programme was renamed 1914-18 and narrated by Dame Judi Dench.
The series won two Primetime Emmy Awards: one for Jeremy Irons for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance, the other for Outstanding Informational Series. It was funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. In 1997, it was given a Peabody Award.
Production.
The documentary series was produced by KCET/Los Angeles along with the BBC and London’s Imperial War Museum. It took five years to make and cost five million dollars. Blaine Baggett was the executive producer and Jay Winter was the chief historian. It aired in the United States on PBS in November 1996.
In contrast to a previous (1964) BBC production titled "The Great War" which focused primarily on the military and political aspects of the war, this 1996 documentary, in keeping with more recent trends in historiography, used a wide variety of types of sources to cover social, cultural, economic, and personal perspectives on the war in addition to the military and political.
Awards.
The documentary was a critical success and received several awards:
Book.
A book of the same title, authored by Blaine Baggett and Jay Winter, was released along with the broadcast of the television series in 1996. Like the television series, the book covers social, cultural, economic, and other issues in addition to the political and military aspects of the war. Though the book is a companion to the television series, it is written to stand on its own as a history of the war.


Count Kostia

Count Kostia (French: Le comte Kostia) is a 1925 French silent historical film directed by Jacques Robert and starring Conrad Veidt, Genica Athanasiou and Claire Darcas. It is based on the 1863 novel of the same title by Victor Cherbuliez which is set in the Russian Empire. It is a lost film.


Susanna Calkins

Susanna Calkins (born November 3, 1971) is an American writer of historical mysteries, an historian, and a university teacher and administrator. Through 2020, her publications include five mystery novels in two series, as well as a work of non-fiction about higher education. Her third novel, "The Masque of a Murderer" won the Sue Feder Historical Mystery Award (a Macavity Award) in 2016 for Best Historical Novel.
Born in Philadelphia, Calkins attended Northwestern University, graduating with a Master of Science in education. She then went to graduate school at Purdue University, earning Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in history. Calkins was an assistant professor of history at the University of Louisville through 2003 before becoming a lecturer in higher-education administration and associate director of Searle Center for Advanced Learning & Teaching at Northwestern University. Calkins lives with her husband and two sons in the Chicago area.
Critical reception.
Calkins' first four novels, the Lucy Campion series, are set in 17th-century London. Mystery author Stefanie Pintoff says of the first novel, "A Murder at Rosamund's Gate", "Susanna Calkins makes Restoration England come alive... Murder, romance, and flawless social history combine into a beautifully crafted mystery...".
Critic Bethany Latham finds Calkins' second novel, "From the Charred Remains", disappointing. The protagonist, Campion, is naive in matters of love, the other characters are "unevenly crafted", and the plot is too often contrived, she says.
The third novel, "The Masque of a Murderer", won the Sue Feder Historical Mystery Award (a Macavity Award) in 2016 for Best Historical Novel. Writing for the Historical Novel Society, reviewer Rebecca Henderson Palmer praises the novel for its historical detail. "The printing presses, the Quakers’ struggles with the king, the searcher with her bell, the scold's bridle, the societal upheaval after both the plague, and then the fire – all provide a setting that becomes another character in the tale."
Publishers Weekly gives a mixed review of the fourth novel in the series, "Death Along the River Fleet". "Calkins deftly evokes period attitudes toward mental illness," the reviewer writes, "but with a pivotal character too impaired to generate much suspense or action, the first half of the story doesn’t do justice to Lucy’s resourcefulness or the author’s full gifts."
"Kirkus Reviews" says of Calkins' "Murder Knocks Twice", "A spunky sleuth and plenty of period flavor enliven the first in a new series...", which is set in a speakeasy in Chicago.


Top of the Hill

Top of the Hill is an American political drama television series aired by CBS from September 21 to November 30, 1989 as part of its 1989 fall lineup.
Synopsis.
"Top of the Hill" starred William Katt as U.S. Representative Thomas Bell, Jr., son of a long-time Congressman who had been forced to resign his seat due to health issues but who remained on "The Hill" to help his son in an advisory role, which sometimes led to conflicts. Bell, Jr., had, despite his father's position, never followed politics closely or ardently prior to being chosen as his father's successor, which was sometimes a liability but also gave him the ability to look at issues, even long-running ones, through a fresh set of eyes. Young Bell also had a hard time fitting into the political party structure as he desired to do what his conscience told him would be the best thing for the country and the voters in his district. In the less than three months that the program ran, the Congressman became involved in some fairly contentious issues, including adoptee rights, labor union corruption, pollution, and military procurement.
"Top of the Hill" failed to find a large enough audience to last more than a season; the show had to compete with the Top 10 hit "Cheers" and the Top 20 hit "Dear John", both on NBC in the same time slot.


A Young Patriot

A Young Patriot: The American Revolution as Experienced by One Boy is a 1996 Children's history book by Jim Murphy. It is about the American Revolution and is based on the writings of Joseph Plumb Martin.
Reception.
The "School Library Journal" in a review of "A Young Patriot", called it "An outstanding example of history brought to life through the experience of one individual" and "Booklist" wrote "Although source notes would have been a welcome addition, young readers researching the military and social history of the American Revolution will find this an excellent resource." In a star review "Kirkus Reviews" wrote "This work offers a view of the Revolutionary War missing from most books--instead of the broad sweep of dramatic events and change, readers see the daily misery, boredom, confusion, terror, and only occasional triumph of army life. Murphy provides the best of both, the drama and the grind, appeasing readers' fascination with war without romanticizing it."
The Cooperative Children's Book Center called it a " well-documented, carefully developed narrative".


The Deliverance

The Deliverance: A Romance of the Virginia Tobacco Fields is a 1904 novel by American author Ellen Glasgow. It was the second-best selling book in the United States for 1904.
In combination with her two prior novels "Voice of the People" (1900) and "The Battle-Ground" (1902), these three works tell a history of Virginia starting from the American Civil War through the start of the twentieth century.
The frontispiece of the novel and illustrations were done by Frank Schoonover.
Synopsis.
A synopsis of the book published in 1910 states:
This is a romance of the Virginia tobacco fields and has for its central figure Christopher Blake. He is the descendant of a rich and aristocratic family, and through reduced fortunes is obligated to work as a laborer on the estate which for generations has been owned by his forebears. Upon the death of his father, when he is only ten years old, he suddenly finds home and fortune snatched from him, and with a blind mother and two sisters to support he begins a life of toil. He foregoes education and drudges unceasingly that his mother may be kept in ignorance of her change of fortune and that his twin sister may not have to work. After fifteen years of this existence his nature becomes hardened and his heart is filled with hatred for Mr. Fletcher, the past manager of the estate, who is now its possessor. Fletcher, who is a vulgar and ugly tempered man, has gained his possessions by cheating and dishonesty, and Christopher's one though from childhood has been a desire for revenge. He finds his opportunity in leading to ruin Fletcher's grandson, Will, a weak young fellow, who is idolized by his grandfather. Christopher leads him into dissipation and teaches him to despise his grandfather till finally in a moment of drunken frenzy he kills him. Then Christopher realizes the enormity of his sin, aids Will to escape, and takes the punishment. He goes to prison to serve out a five years' sentence, but after three years have passed is pardoned out through the efforts of Maria Wyndham, Fletcher's granddaughter, whom he has loved for years. Maria, who has returned his affection and is now the heir to the estate, is only too glad to restore it to its rightful owner, and the lovers, and their many years of unhappiness, are at least united.


Ramanujar (TV series)

Ramanujar () is an Indian Tamil historical soap opera, starring Gowsik, Chanthirakanth, Gayathiri and Lakshmiraj. It aired Monday through Friday on Kalaignar TV from 1 June 2015 to 27 January 2017 at 7:30PM IST for 433 episodes. It had been receiving the highest ratings of Tamil serials and received high praising from viewers.
Plot summary.
The story revolves around the life of the Vaishnavite Acharya, Ramanujar and his contributions to the Hindu religion.
Production.
The series was written by Karunanidhi, who also wrote the popular historical series Romapuri Pandian (2014-2016) and Thenpandi Singam. The drama marked his third collaboration with creative director and producer Kutty Padmini.
International broadcast.
The Series was released on 1 June 2015 on Kalaignar TV. The Show was also broadcast internationally on Channel's international distribution. It aired in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, South East Asia, Middle East, Oceania, South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa on Kalaignar TV and also aired in United States, Canada, Europe on Kalaignar Ayngaran TV. The show's episodes were released on Kalaignar TV YouTube channel.


Nizami (opera)

Nizami is an opera composed by Afrasiyab Badalbeyli and staged in 1948.
History.
In 1939, in connection with the upcoming 800th anniversary of Nizami Ganjavi, Afrasiyab Badalbeyli was charged with creation of an opera about the life of the great thinker and poet of the 12th century. But, premiere of the opera was postponed because of the beginning of World War II.
On December 12, 1948 the opera was staged in Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater for the first time.


Juan de las Roelas

Juan de Roelas, de las Roelas or Ruela (c. 1570, in Flanders – 1625, in Olivares) was a Flemish painter whose entire documented career took place in Spain. He played a major role in the transition from Mannerist to Baroque painting in Spain.
Life.
Details about the life of the artist are scarce and largely uncertain. Accepted opinion about his life, including his birth in Seville, was overturned in the year 2000 when a Spanish scholar demonstrated that early biographers had mixed up the painter with a contemporary Carmelite canon with the same name who was a native of Seville. The revised view is that the painter Juan de Roelas was not a native of Seville, but was a native of Flanders. The documentary evidence for this was found in two notarial documents which show the presence of a Flemish painter named Juan de Flandes, along with his father, in Valladolid in 1594 (the accepted opinion placed the painter's presence in this city at a later date, somewhere from 1598 to 1602). In the first document (relating to a loan repayment) Juan and his father declare themselves to be painters from Flanders. This has led to the conclusion that Juan de Roelas was Flemish by birth and not a native of Seville. This view is further supported by the fact that Juan de Roelas was later given the commission to paint the "Martyrdom of Saint Andrew" for the Chapel of the Flemish in the Saint Thomas Church in Seville (now at the Museum of Fine Arts of Seville). Saint Andrew was at the time the patron saint of Flanders. A Flemish background also offers an explanation for the stylistic characteristics of de Roelas' work which had been explained traditionally by a presumed trip to Venice and an apprenticeship with a follower of Titian.
The new findings about the prior mix-up of the biographical details of the painter with those of a Spanish monk and the lack of other documentation have made it difficult to separate and confirm the details of his life.
It is known that in 1598 he worked in Valladolid in the commemorative ceremonies for the death of king Philip II of Spain, contributing to the design of his funerary monument. He remained there until 1604, when he obtained a benefice or favour from the Count-Duke of Olivares. In the village of, Olivares, near Seville, de Roelas made several large paintings to decorate altars in and around Seville. It is reported that he moved to Madrid where he tried to obtain an appointment as painter to the royal court, but that when he failed he returned to Olivares where he died in 1625.
He had many disciples, among whom Francisco Varela from Seville and Pablo Legote from Luxembourg.
Work.
Juan de Roelas is now regarded as a pivotal artist in the evolution of the history of painting in Seville, especially in the years prior to the appearance of Zurbarán, Cano, Herrera, de Castillo, Murillo and Leal.
The latter two artists in particular were influenced by de Roelas, both in terms of iconography and composition as well as technique. Above all, his fundamental influence lies in the assimilation of Baroque naturalism which would emerge fully with Murillo and would be one of the constants of Seville Baroque painting.
De Roelas contributed to Sevilian painting of the early 17th century what was formerly interpreted as the expressive and technical aspects of the Venetian art of Titian and Veronese, causing his paintings to be considered Italianate in their variegated and theatrical compositions, their richness and warmth of colour ranges, the use of broad and bold brushstrokes and their unusual size. In light of recent scholarship, however, scholarly consensus is that Roelas' oeuvre is better understood in the context of Flemish painting than in the supposed influence of the Venetian school.
Trained in the style of late Mannerism, de Roelas introduced light effects that are similar to those of Jacopo Bassano. He was particularly adept at depicting everyday life, completing his compositions on sacred themes with vulgar elements of daily life. This aspect of his art was criticised by some contemporary painters such as Francisco Pacheco. Through its interest in the study of nature, de Roelas's work forms a transition from the artificiality of Mannerism to the naturalistic realism of Spanish Baroque.
He popularized the use of a particular format of altarpiece which was divided into two juxtaposed halves, the upper half depicting the divine world, and the bottom half representing the underworld. This division is typically Mannerist, and had already been used successfully by El Greco. This division of the canvas was very successful in Andalusia.
Roelas' paintings are very numerous in Seville. His masterpieces include "Martyrdom of St. Andrew" and "El Transito de San Isidoro" "(Death of St. Isidore)", an altarpiece residing in the Church of San Isidore; another of his finest works is the painting "Santiago at the Battle of Clavijo", hung in the Chapel of Santiago in Seville Cathedral, which represents the saint riding victoriously over the Moors. Cean Bermudez praised it for its force and grandeur. The writer Richard Ford, well-versed in Spanish art, was especially impressed by the picture of the "Conception" ("Concepción"), in the Academy, and by three in the chapel of the University at Seville. Roelas has been compared to Tintoretto and Carracci, and is ranked among the best of the Andalusian painters. He excelled in design and composition, and his work displayed a grandeur of form and character common to the great masters of painting.


Joseph-Nicolas Robert-Fleury

Joseph-Nicolas Robert-Fleury (8 August 17975 May 1890) was a French painter.
Biography.
Born in Cologne, he was sent by his family to Paris, and after travelling in Italy returned to France and made his first appearance at the Salon in 1824; his reputation, however, was not established until three years later, when he exhibited Tasso at the Convent of Saint Onophrius.
Endowed with a vigorous original talent, and with a vivid imagination, especially for the tragic incidents of history, he soon rose to fame, and in 1850 succeeded François Granet as member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts. In 1855, he was appointed professor and in 1863 director of the École des Beaux-Arts, and in the following year he went to Rome as director of the French Academy in that city.
His pupils included Marie-Adélaïde Baubry-Vaillant, David Bles, Marguerite Jacquelin, , Leon Kapliński and . His son, Tony Robert-Fleury, was also a painter.
Honours.
1887: Knight in the Order of Leopold.
External links.


Gysbrecht Thys

Gysbrecht Thys or Gysbrechts Thys (baptized on 20 January 1617, Antwerp – after 1661) was a Flemish painter active in Antwerp known for his religious and mythological works as well as for his nudes. He also painted landscapes. Very few paintings have been attributed to the artist to date.
Life.
Very little is known about the life of Gysbrecht Thys. He was born in Antwerp. It is believed he was a cousin of the more famous history and portrait painter Pieter Thijs. He was registered as a pupil at the local Guild of Saint Luke in the guild year 1629-1630. He became a master painter at the Guild in the guild year 1636-1637. He married Catharina Lodewijcx on 20 January 1650.
The date of his death is not known with certainty. He was described by Cornelis de Bie as being still alive when his book of artist biographies 'Het Gulden Cabinet' came out in 1661. The 19th century art historian Georg Kasper Nagler stated he died in 1684, citing Jean-Baptiste Descamps' "La Vie des Peintres Flamands, Allemands et Hollandois" (mid 18th century), although Descamps does not mention this death date.
Works.
Thys was described by his Flemish contemporary Cornelis de Bie as a painter particularly skilled in nudes as well as in religious and mythological works. De Bie also credited him with being a good landscape painter. Later Dutch biographers Arnold Houbraken and Jacob Campo Weyerman claimed he was a portrait painter but this may have been a misreading of de Bie's "Gulden Cabinet" or a confusion with his cousin Pieter Thijs.
A work sold as a "Bacchanal" but now identified as a representation of the Golden Age is signed and dated '… THYS F. 1653' (At Artcurial on 26 March 2014, lot 121). The Louvre has a photo on file of a painting of the artist, the location of which is unknown. This lost painting shows many similarities in style and in the figures with the composition depicting the Golden Age.
Thys was also active as a figure painter and collaborated with specialist figure painters on so-called 'garland paintings'. Garland paintings are a type of still life invented in early 17th century Antwerp by Jan Brueghel the Elder and subsequently practised by leading Flemish still life painters, and in particular Daniel Seghers. Paintings in this genre typically show a flower or, less frequently, fruit garland around a devotional image or portrait. In the later development of the genre, the devotional image is replaced by other subjects such as portraits, mythological figures and allegorical scenes. Garland paintings were typically collaborations between a still life and a figure painter. The (At Koller Auktionen on 23 March 2018, Zurich, lot 3036) is an example of a collaboration on a garland painting by Thys and the Antwerp still life painter Joris van Son.


Daniel van den Dyck

Daniel van den Dyck, known in Italy as Daniel Vandich (baptized on 3 December 1614, Antwerp – 1663, Mantua) was a Flemish painter, printmaker, architect and engineer. After training in Antwerp he left for Italy where he first worked in Venice and later became a court painter in Mantua. He was a versatile artist who created mythological and religious scenes, as well as portraits and flower-pieces.
Life.
Very little is known about the early life of Daniel van den Dyck. He was born in Antwerp as the son of Jan van den Dyck and Cornelia Kerstboom. He was baptized in Antwerp Cathedral on 3 December 1614. He was registered as a pupil of Peter Verhaeght in the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke in the guild year 1631-1632. He was registered as a master of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke in the guild year 1633-1634. It is assumed that shortly after becoming a master he left Antwerp as he was not involved in any of the large commissions on which Antwerp painters worked in the middle of the 1630s such as the decorations for the Joyous Entry into Antwerp of the new governor of the Habsburg Netherlands Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand and the decorations for the hunting pavilion Torre de la Parada of the Spanish king Philip IV near Madrid.
The artist passed first through Bergamo where he created a few signed and dated portraits. He was in Venice likely from 1634 onwards. Here he married Lucrezia Renieri, the eldest daughter of Nicolas Régnier, a Flemish painter active in Venice who was herself a painter. The couple had three sons. His father-in-law had been active in Venice since 1626 not only as a painter but also as an art dealer and art collector. Clorinda, the younger sister of van den Dyck's wife was married to the prominent Italian painter Pietro della Vecchia (1605-1678). These family ties meant that van den Dyck could rely on a network of Flemish and Italian artists in Venice. This allowed him to gain many commissions for religious paintings in churches as well as for portraits. He painted wall decorations in the Palazzo Pesaro in Preganziol together with his brother-in-law della Vecchia and their respective spouses.
Evidence of the esteem in which he was held in his time is the fact that one of his works - a portrait - was included in the early biographer Carlo Ridolfi's book on Venetian painters of 1648 entitled "Le maraviglie dell'Arte ovvero, Le vite degli Illustri Pittori Veneti and dello Stato". He was also praised by Marco Boschini in his "La carta del navegar pitoresco" of 1660, a panygeric poem about Venetian painting. Boschini dedicated two pages to van den Dyck and represented the artist in a print as "Jupiter embellishing Virtue with a royal mantle".
Giovan Francesco Loredano, one of the founders of the Accademia degli Incogniti, a learned society of freethinking intellectuals established in 1630 in Venice, often ordered the illustrations for his multiple writings from van den Dyck, Pietro della Vecchia and Francesco Ruschi. One of these prints was a which he made for Loredano's "Opere" (Collected works).
From late 1657 van den Dyck was living with his family in Mantua. On 2 April of the next year he was named by duke Carlo II Gonzaga as his official court painter, architect, surveyor of his building program and engineer for stage designs for the theatre. He also was made the superintendent of the duke's gallery and tasked with reconstituting the ducal art collection which had become dispersed during the previous two dukes' reign. Possibly his appointment was made on the recommendation of his father-in-law who had provided services to the duke on various occasions. As the "prefetto delle fabbriche" (surveyor of works) van den Dyck had to move between the various construction sites such as Maderno, Marmirolo, Mantua and Venice, to check the transportation of the many marble statues, inspect the progress and quality of the various construction works undertaken at the ducal palace as well as the suburban residences, ordered supplies and tools, organized the daily assignments of the workers and made sure the duke was informed timely through frequent correspondence. The constant and exhausting travel in this role did not allow van den Dyck to work as a painter, the premier reason for his appointment to the court. This may explain why van den Dyck operated a large workshop with assistants. These assistants would produce his works which he would then 'touch up'.
The date of his death is not known with certainty. It is placed shortly after he drew up his will on 27 June 1662. On 4 April 1663 the duke of Mantua appointed another Flemish painter called Frans Geffels as his new court painter. Van den Dyck's son may have become a painter as his grandfather Nicolas Régnier bequeathed onto him all his prints, drawings and reliefs to study.
Work.
Daniel van den Dyck was a versatile artist who created mythological and religious scenes, as well as portraits and flower-pieces. He also created prints after his own designs. He often signed his works by his Italian name 'Daniele vanden Dyck'. Very few of his works have survived or been identified with certainty.
One of his key works, a hangs in the Church of Madonna dell'Orto in Venice, which was frequented by the Flemish community residing in the Republic. This work shows the influence of Rubens in its sensuality and that of Anthony van Dyck in the livid tonality and the smooth and thin application of the paint. He is known to have created more altarpieces as well as portraits during his stay in Venice. Marco Boschini mentions in his "Le ricche minere della pittura veneziana" of 1674 a "Portrait of three lawyers" including Giovan Francesco Loredano (still alive) by van den Dyck as being kept at the Doge's Palace in Venice.
Van den Dyck is also believed to have painted the frescos on the subject of Psyche in the "Villa Venier Contarini" in Mira, Veneto.
A number of portraits have been attributed to van den Dyck. His portrait style retains a Flemish painterly quality derived from his early training in Antwerp. His early style is also close to that of other painters active in Bergamo or Mantua such as Carlo Ceresa and Domenico Fetti to whom some of his portraits have been erroneously attributed in the past and vice versa. Already in his lifetime the liveliness of his portraits was praised. His portraiture is characterized by his ability to analyze reality, describe the physiognomic features of the character, without neglecting psychological analysis.
Van den Dyck painted 13 flower pieces for the duke of Mantua's Gabinetto. These works are considered lost.
His graphic work is mainly distinguished by its cursive and quick character, which predates developments in the 17th century. This is quite evident in his , which likely dates from his Mantuan period. This work shows the classicist influences of Giulio Romano as well as the Flemish Baroque with its muscular and bearded hero Aeneas who is being submitted by the robust nymphs to a grooming before his elevation to godly status. His print of a on the other hand shows the possible influence of Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione who was also active in Mantua. A is kept at the British Museum. The heavy use of the brush and the painterly quality of the landscape in the drawing also show a closeness to Castiglione.


Peter Raadsig

Johan Peter Raadsig (18 October 1806 – 1 July 1882) was a Danish painter, dealing principally with themes from Danish and Scandinavian history.
Biography.
Raadsig was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was the son of Søren Christian Raadsig and Ellen Pouline Poulsen.
His father was a sailing master who died when Peter was very young. His mother remarried and he was raised in Skjoldenæsholm. After his confirmation, he was enrolled at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. While there, he was awarded several silver medals for his portraits and historical images and earned a reputation as a diligent painter. He first exhabited at the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition in 1830. The Royal Collection acquired four of his works between 1833 and 1840.
In 1838, he applied for travel support but, despite the recommendation of the Academy, was unsuccessful. He managed to travel some at his own expense. In 1841, he went to Rome, encouraged by some praise he had received from Bertel Thorvaldsen and C.W. Eckersberg. He received no financial help, however, and had to live austerely. He managed to study in Rome (1841-45) and in Munich (1845-46). When he returned, he was able to sell two more works to the Royal Collection.
Raadsig was occupied with topics from Danish history, especially as it was perceived in contemporary literature.
In 1850 Raadsig made the painting "Ingolf tager Island i besiddelse", depicting Ingólfr Arnarson, the first Norse settler of Iceland, newly arrived on the site of what would become Reykjavík, commanding his high seat pillars to be erected.
The painting was made at the time when nationalist sentiment was rising in Iceland, a few years after the Icelanders' ancient general assembly, the Alþingi was re-established. The painting is currently on public display at Viðeyjarstofa in Viðey (an island near Reykjavík), where a plaque explains that it was a gift to the City of Reykjavík from Eimskipafélag Íslands on the occasion of the 200th birthday of Reykjavík (1986).
He was awarded De Neuhausenske Præmier by the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen in connection with his work " Vildttyve i forhør hos en birkedommer" (1857).
He never married or had children. He died in Copenhagen and was buried at Valsølille Kirkegård in Ringsted.
His work is represented in the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen and at museums in Aarhus and Skagen.


Carl Johann Lasch

Carl Johann Lasch (July 1, 1822 in Leipzig – August 28, 1888 in Moscow) was a German artist of historical paintings. He was born in Leipzig. He attended the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts. One of his teachers was Eduard Bendemann. He later attended the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich. There he studied under Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld and Wilhelm von Kaulbach.


Will Shakespeare (TV series)

Will Shakespeare, also known as Life of Shakespeare and William Shakespeare: His Life & Times, was a 1978 historical drama series created and written by John Mortimer. Broadcast in six parts, the series is a dramatisation of the life and times of the great poet William Shakespeare, played by Tim Curry, and was co-produced by Lew Grade's ATV and RAI and distributed internationally by ITC. The two production companies had collaborated successfully the previous year on "Jesus of Nazareth".
Writing.
Each episode was based around the creation of a single play, and the idea of Shakespeare's real life experiences influencing his writing was used as the central plot device. As there are few known facts about the life of Shakespeare, Mortimer embellished upon known stories or legends about the playwright's life. These included a supposed apprenticeship with Christopher Marlowe and a homoerotic relationship with the Earl of Southampton.
Mortimer also invented a character whom the Dark Lady of Shakespeare's sonnets was supposedly based upon. The wife of a judge, she falls in love with Shakespeare after seeing his performance as Tybalt in "Romeo and Juliet", adding a secondary storyline elaborating on class divisions.
Original Literary Material.
In 1977 Hodder and Stoughton Ltd published "Will Shakespeare" as written by John Mortimer, author of the Rumpole series. Coronet published the paperback edition in 1977,
Video release.
The series was initially released on VHS home video under the title William Shakespeare: His Life & Times. A Region 1 DVD release of the series, by A & E television, was released in 2008, simply titled Will Shakespeare. Network Studio released a Region 2 DVD of the series in 2009 under the same title.


Henry, King of Navarre

Henry, King of Navarre is a 1924 British silent historical film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Matheson Lang, Gladys Jennings and Henry Victor. It was based on a novel by Alexandre Dumas.


Vasily Volkov

Vasily Alekseyevich Volkov (Russian: Василий Алексеевич Волков; 21 March 1840, Saint Petersburg – 22 April 1907, Poltava) was a Russian-Ukrainian Academic painter; known primarily for portraits and historical scenes.
Biography.
From 1858 to 1863, he studied at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts. From 1861, he was also a teacher at a local gymnasium. After graduating, he settled in Poltava.
In 1867, he was awarded the title of "Artist" (Third degree). From 1875 until his death, he taught drawing at the school. He also occasionally taught at the local Institute for Noble Maidens.
During this time, he also operated his own art school and exhibited with the Peredvizhniki, although he never became a member. He apparently served as a State Councillor.
In 1907, he died of cardiac asthma.
Among his best-known portraits are those of Tsars Alexander II and Alexander III, Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich and his fellow painters, Nikolai Yaroshenko and Leonid Pozen. However, he is largely remembered today on the basis of one work.
In 1901 his painting, "Peter the Great Visiting Pavlo Polubotok at Peter and Paul Fortress in 1724" was presented by the Peredvizhniki in Moscow. Peter died 41 days after visiting Polubotok, who ominously forecast that "Soon, very soon, the judgment of God will judge Peter and Paul!".
Public response to the painting was immediate and positive. It was praised in "Niva" and several other periodicals, including "" (Sparks), a satirical magazine. The exhibition catalog sold out and the painting was reproduced as postcards; black and white, color prints and hand-painted versions (which are valuable collectors' items).
The current whereabouts of the original are unknown. It is said that Volkov sold it to a visiting Englishman not long after it was exhibited, but there is no record of it being taxed or having left the country; something that was usually documented very meticulously. Most of the reproductions were apparently made from a copy.


Jan van Dalen

Jan van Dalen or Jan van Dalen (I) (fl. 1632 – 1670) was a Flemish painter active in Antwerp in the mid-17th century who is known for a few works executed in a Caravaggesque style. His work has been confused with a namesake referred to as Jan van Dalen (II) (Gorinchem c. 1610 - after 1677) who was active in the Northern Netherlands and is known for still lifes and portraits.
Life.
Very little is known about the life of Jan van Dalen. His date of birth is placed between 1600 and 1620 and his time of death some time between 1662 and 1682.
He is believed to have trained in Rome around 1630. He was likely responsible for a pair of paintings signed and dated 'J. van Dalen fec. in Roma 1631' ("Woman holding an Egg" and "Boy holding a Glass"), which were previously in the Liechtenstein Collection in Vienna. He must then have returned to Antwerp where he was registered in 1632-1633 as a pupil of Daniel Middeleer (also called Daniel Middeler and Daniël de Middelaer). Middeleer was a painter, printmaker and publisher whose other well-known pupils included Cornelis de Bryer and Frans Geffels.
The artist is believed to have remained active in Antwerp where he is mentioned for the last time in 1669–1670.
Work.
Only very few autograph works by Jan van Dalen are known. One is an (Christie's sale 20–21 November 2013, Amsterdam, lot 128), which is fully signed and dated 1653. A "Tambourine player" of the same date and signed with initials is in the Michaelis Collection in Cape Town. A half-length figure of a in the Kunsthistorisches Museum is also signed with initials and dated 1648.
Van Dalen's style reflects influences of artists of the early Roman Baroque. His "Allegory of the Four Elements" is a typical nocturnal scene in the tradition of Roman and Dutch Caravaggism. The dramatic lighting and figural recall nocturnal scenes of the artist Alessandro Turchi active in Rome.
The influence of Caravaggio and the first generation of his followers is more evident in his earlier works. He was exposed to these influences during his time in Rome around 1630. After his return to Antwerp he likely came under the influence of Flemish artists. As a result, his later works show a blending of Italian and northern styles.
Van Dalen painted a number of portraits of Bacchus, the ancient god of fertility and wine. In the version in the Museum of Fine Arts (Budapest) the artist possibly portrayed himself as the laughing Bacchus. In the version in the Kunsthistorisches Museum Jan van Dalen gave the deity a mischievous and challenging expression which appears to invite the viewer to enjoy a glass of wine with him. The wild and boisterous character of the god and his disregard for, and transgression of, limits and borders are emphasized by the wreath of ivy he is wearing.


Josephus Laurentius Dyckmans

Josephus Laurentius Dyckmans or Jozef Laurent Dyckmans (Lier, 9 August 1811 – Antwerp, 8 January 1888) was a Belgian painter mainly of genre scenes and portraits whose painstakingly detailed pictures earned him the nickname 'The Belgian Gerard Dou'.
Life.
Josephus Laurentius Dyckmans was born in Lier where he received his first artistic training from the local painter Melchior Gommar Tieleman. Dyckmans started his career as a decorative painter in his native town. His local patrons recognized his talent and after he had won all the first prizes at the local drawing school, the Lier city government awarded him an allowance that permitted him to continue his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts of Antwerp. He studied at the Antwerp Academy from 1834 to 1835 and worked in the workshop of Gustaf Wappers, one of the leading Romantic and history painters of Belgium at the time.
Dyckmans became a frequent contributor to the local salons (art exhibitions) early in his career. He sent in 1834 his first contribution to the Antwerp salon where his painting "A confession of love" was well received. In 1836 his "Game of checkers" won the silver medal at the Brussels salon. His 1838 submission of a "Vegetable market" to the Ghent salon was a sensation and was subsequently exhibited in Antwerp in 1840 and The Hague in 1841. In The Hague the painting was awarded a silver medal. He exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 1846, 1860, 1863 and 1869 and participated in the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1867.
In 1841, Dyckmans undertook a journey to Paris and the Netherlands. In November of that year he was appointed professor of painting and perspective at the Antwerp Academy. On 8 January 1847 he became a corresponding member of the Belgian Royal Academy. As he was of a timid disposition he did not participate in the meetings of the Belgian Royal Academy and never became an active member. He left his teaching post at the Antwerp Academy in 1854. Dyckmans is reported to have worked in London some time during his career.
Dyckmans married in 1847 and had two daughters. Despite his international success, Dyckmans lived a relatively secluded life alternating between his spacious house in Antwerp and his small country retreat in Kalmthout, near Antwerp.
Dyckmans received many official awards. The Belgian state made him a knight in the Order of Leopold in 1851 and later in 1870 an officer in the Order of Leopold.
Dyckmans had many students including from Belgium and abroad such as Franz Vinck, Ernst Stückelberg, Wilhelm Busch, Paul Weber and Emil Hünten.
Work.
Dyckmans was principally a genre painter who had a preference for intimate indoor settings. He also painted a few portraits, landscapes, cityscapes and still lifes.
When Dyckmans entered the art scene, Belgian painting was dominated by the historic-Romantic school exemplified by the grandiose works of Nicaise de Keyser, Edouard De Bièfve and his own master Gustaf Wappers. The members of this school of painting chose as the subject matter of their work important historical events in Belgium’s history, which were regarded as key to the country’s national identity. The style of these works directly referenced the Flemish Baroque of 17th century Antwerp artists such as Rubens. Unlike these masters, Dyckmans preferred to depict intimate domestic scenes in a refined style that was inspired by the 17th century Dutch 'fijnschilders' ('small masters') such as Gerard Dou and [[Eglon van der Neer]].
Dyckmans painted scenes of poor people as well as of the well-to-do bourgeoisie. The drawing of his figures was slight and his painting was like enamel and porcelain in its smoothness, particularly in his later works. Dyckmans was a master in the refined art of painting which represented each reflection, wrinkle, hair, leaf of a tree etc. He paid painstaking attention to the details of body, clothing and environment. At the same time, he aimed to represent the emotional state of the persons represented.
One of his most successful paintings was "[[:File:Jozef Laurent Dyckmans - The Blind Beggar.jpg|The Blind Beggar]]". He painted the original in 1852 ([[Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp]]) and made a reduced copy which is in the [[National Gallery]], London. The painting was extremely popular in the 19th century and was repeatedly copied after it had entered the National Gallery's collection. Dyckmans painted later a variation on the theme of the blind beggar of which he also made a reduced copy (private collections). The figure of the blind beggar in the painting is reportedly a self-portrait of the painter.
Dyckmans painted also portraits and some cityscapes of Antwerp. He further painted a still life of flowers entitled "[[:File:Josephus Laurentius Dyckmans Frühlingsblumen.jpg|Spring Flowers]]".
External links.
[[Category:1811 births]]
[[Category:1888 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century Belgian painters]]
[[Category:Belgian genre painters]]
[[Category:Belgian portrait painters]]
[[Category:Belgian history painters]]
[[Category:People from Lier, Belgium]]


Colonel Newcombe, the Perfect Gentleman

Colonel Newcome (or Colonel Newcome, the Perfect Gentleman) is a 1920 British silent historical drama film directed by Fred Goodwins and starring Milton Rosmer, Joyce Carey and Temple Bell. It was based on the 1854-55 novel "The Newcomes" by William Makepeace Thackeray.


I Live Under a Black Sun

I Live Under a Black Sun is a novelized biography of Jonathan Swift by poet Edith Sitwell. Her debut novel, it is a modernist work, and was published in 1937, straddling her productive period of poetry in the 1920s and the 1940s. Though primarily biographical fiction, it includes thematic treatments on mourning and melancholia, and political allegory.
The novel was the first to be published with Victor Gollancz, after leaving her former publisher Duckworth. At the time of its publication, the novel did not receive much critical acclaim. However, contemporary writers, including Evelyn Waugh and Edwin Muir found the novel successful.


Riches and Stitches

Riches and Stitches is a Hong Kong period drama produced by TVB starring Moses Chan, Kwong Wah, Anne Heung, Gigi Lai, and Melissa Ng. It was filmed in 2003, and then released overseas in December 2003. Then it was aired on TVB Pay Vision's TVB Drama channel from 27 June to 5 August 2005. However, it has yet to be aired on TVB Jade.
Plot.
Siu Chun Hang (Moses Chan) has had a special affection for Cheongsam. He makes his first cheongsam for his dream girl Po Chui Lung (Anne Heung), formerly a princess of the Qing Dynasty. He makes alterations to Lung's cheongsam, resulting in a design that is simple but elegant. Since then, he has become well known for his skills as a tailor and a designer. But life is full of ups and downs. Who would have guessed that his success is just the beginning of his downfall?
Lung works for triad member Wing Ho Tung (Kwong Wa), owner of a nightclub. Lung suggests Hang designs clothes for Lang Heung Ling (Melissa Ng), a top dancer from Tung's nightclub, so that he can further develop his career. Though famous for his cheongsam, things do not really go well for Hang. And because of what is brother Cheung (Michael Tong) has done, Hang gets into serious trouble.
There seems to be no hope for Hang. But then there comes an angel － Hoi Tong (Gigi Lai), a singer and Cheung's ex-girlfriend, sticks by him and does her best to help him through his darkest moments. Meanwhile, Lung and Tung also make a great effort to him build up his confidence...


Transfer of Power (Scandal)

"Transfer of Power" is the sixteenth episode and the season finale of the sixth season of ABC's political thriller series "Scandal", which premiered alongside the previous episode in the United States on May 18, 2017. The 106th episode overall of the series, it was directed by Tony Goldwyn and written by Matt Byrne and Mark Fish. The installment received mixed reviews from television criticism and was watched by 5.23 million Americans.
Plot.
Picking up immediately after the events of the previous episode, Fitz and Olivia discuss the latter's decision to free her mother from custody. Despite being initially angry at each other, they have sex to celebrate Fitz's last day in office. The following morning, Maya manages to distract NSA agents and to remove the tracker which was implanted in her neck, thus narrowing further actions from Olivia and Jake. Mellie decides not to cancel the oath ceremony, to put Jake as chief of operations and to duplicate the protection of her and Luna's children. Fitz and Rowan get ready to restart B613 and put Fitz in charge.
At the ceremony, everything goes perfectly well, though Olivia received a call from her mother, who was at the top of a building ready to shoot someone who was not Mellie. When Maya was about to tell Olivia who had contacted her, Rowan knocked her out. Meanwhile, at OPA, Huck discovers that one of the high-ranking people hired Maya to kill Mellie. Since everything went well, President Mellie continues with the ceremony and the parade. Afterwards, Olivia argues with Fitz about he ordering Rowan to overthrow Maya. Mellie, enraged by the argument, leaves the room to choose her dress. Fitz's assistant calls him, saying that David is on the phone, wanting to talk to him. Fitz leaves, leaving Olivia alone and willing to argue.
Quinn asks Abby to take over OPA, saying that her baby needs a normal place to grow and live. Olivia goes to David's office and threatens him to tell her about what he and Fitz were talking about earlier. Soon after, Olivia is shown in the White House; she reveals to Fitz that she has already discovered about the reconstitution of B613. She asks him what made him decide to collaborate on Rowan's plan, and Fitz reveals that he will be the Command. Olivia is shocked, but still convinces him to give up the plan. They say goodbye since Fitz is leaving to Vermont to run his organization. He leaves and, shortly after, Olivia shows up in the backyard. They kiss in front of a crowd of photographers. Fitz gets on the Marine One helicopter, leaving a sad Olivia behind.
Back at OPA, Olivia, Quinn, Huck and Charlie investigate on who was the high-ranking VIP who ordered Mellie's assassination. Olivia soon realizes that Luna Vargas is the one who was behind everything that happened to Francisco, to Mellie and to Cyrus. She runs to confront Luna, but the latter assumes that Olivia can't send her to jail since she's the Vice President and this could ruin Mellie's presidency. At the hospital, Olivia visits her mother, who convinces her not to let anyone stand between Olivia and the White House. The conversation between mother and daughter leaves Olivia eager to act.
At night, Abby persuades Quinn to stay in Washington and run OPA, saying that she will help in every way to take care of the unborn child. Quinn cries as Charlie enters the room. She tells him that she's pregnant and they hug, as Huck blankly watches them. At the Oval, Mellie has an emotive moment in the renovated office and, following, goes to Cyrus's to invite him to go to the ball as her date. Olivia finishes her preparation to the ball and Jake knocks her door. She opens it to tell him that she knows how to handle Luna's situation. The two invite Luna to a private room and Olivia tells her that she's going to die right there. Luna call her agents, but Jake reveals that the agents are his, and that they're not going to do anything. Olivia presents her two forms of dying: committing suicide and being recognized as a saint, or being murdered and thrown somewhere by Jake and being investigated and then called a murderer for having ordered Francisco's death. Luna complains that she did not kill Francisco. She explains that she paid someone to make him lose since she did not want to be First Lady, but they ended up killing him. However, Olivia argues that it is a lie since Luna asked not to put her children onstage the night of the death of Frankie, since she already knew that something bad would happen. Luna takes the deadly pills after Olivia agrees that she isn't pure evil.
Afterwards, Olivia asks Mellie to sign a paper while Cyrus silently observes. Unbeknownst to Mellie, she was signing the papers to fund a new B613, which Olivia is commanding. Olivia goes to her father's paleontology lab to tell him she's the new Command. She tells him that she loves him and that she wants Sunday dinners. Olivia repeats Rowan's words from before: family is a weakness. Rowan explains that Olivia is not a smart prey, she has always been the predator. Olivia and Cyrus meet on the staircase of the Lincoln Memorial. Olivia discovers that Cyrus persuaded Luna to take control after he repeated exactly the same sentences Luna said while explaining herself earlier. Cyrus, on the other hand, succeeds to understand that Olivia took over B613.
Production.
"Transfer or Power" was directed by executive producer Tony Goldwyn and written by Matt Byrne and Mark Fish. The table read for the season finale occurred on April 13, 2017, as revealed by Kerry Washington. Filming for the episode ended on April 29, 2017. The episode focuses on Mellie's oath and Fitz's departure from the White House, as well as showing a dark side of Olivia. George Newbern, Tessie Santiago and Khandi Alexander has had guest appearances. The episode features the songs "Hail to the Chief" by United States Marine Band, "The Light" by The Album Leaf, and a cover version by Aretha Franklin of "It's My Turn". Score for the episode was developed by Paul Koch, who works on it since the show's inception.
Reception.
"Transfer of Power" premiered on May 18, 2017, on American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States, along with the previous episode, "Tick Tock", comprising into a two-hour finale event. The double event was watched by 5.23 million Americans during its original run and acquired a 1.2/5 rating/share among the adults aged 18–49.
"Entertainment Weekly" writer Justin Kirkland gave the season finale a mixed review, saying the episode "has taken so many twists and turns that it’s somehow gone further from its origin while also seeming to tap into its roots more than ever before." Lindsey McGhee from "Den of Geek" gave the episode a 3.5 out of 5 stars rating. Ashley Ray-Harris of "The A.V. Club" rated the episode with a C+ grade, calling it "successful" since it "presents a tangible ending for [the show's] last season." Paul Dailly of "TV Fanatic" gave the season finale a 5 out of 5 stars rating. Lauren Busser of "Tell-Tale TV" gave the episode a 4.2 out of 5 stars rating.


Marten Jozef Geeraerts

Marten Jozef Geeraerts (1707–1791) was a Flemish historical painter. Born at Antwerp, he was intended for the law, and studied in the Jesuits' College. Preferring art, however, he became a pupil of Abraham Godijn, and was made free of the Guild of St. Luke in 1731. In 1741 he became one of the six directors of the Academy of Antwerp, who filled that office gratuitously. He died at Antwerp in 1791. He excelled in grisaille painting in imitation of bas-reliefs, of which there are the following examples:
Between 1756 and 1760 he produced nine grisaille tromp-l’œil paintings for the abbey church in Cambrai which later became the Cathedral of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.


Bastard Boys

Bastard Boys is an Australian television miniseries broadcast on the ABC in 2007. It tells the story of the 1998 Australian waterfront dispute. The script, published by Currency Press, won the 2007 Queensland Premier's Literary Award for Best Television Script.
Plot.
The series tells the story of the waterfront dispute from four points of view: Greg's War from the point of view of union leader Greg Combet, Josh's War from the point of view of lawyer Josh Bornstein, Sean's War from the point of view of dock worker Sean McSwain and Chris' War from the point of view of Patrick Stevedores Managing Director Chris Corrigan.
Degree of fictionalisation.
Most of the characters portrayed are real individuals, many of whom were interviewed in the process of writing the drama. However, a number of characters were invented and events were considerably compressed for dramatic purposes. Notably, the waterside workers portrayed in the drama were composites, based on interviews with many waterside workers.
Another example of invention was the placing of lawyer Josh Bornstein at a key protest, which would have been illegal because of a court injunction
Response.
Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells said in 2006, while the series was still in production, that it "smacks of another example of wasteful spending by the ABC, being used to drive an anti-government, pro-left agenda, conveniently timed to appear during an election year". Journalist Michael Duffy described the series as "the most blatant union propaganda" and was critical that "80 per cent of the story is told from the union point of view". "The Age"'s Debi Enker, however, described it as a "thoughtful, illuminating and superbly cast account of a seminal event in our recent history [which] represents exactly the kind of drama that one would want the national broadcaster to nurture."
Chris Corrigan was heavily critical of the series, stating after its screening that "[t]he program portrays a series of predictable stereotypes and silly caricatures and gives them real names then cleverly claims to be a drama and hence does not explore any inconvenient truths such as the impact of the waterfront rorts on ordinary Australians."
Then-Prime Minister John Howard declared the series "[o]ne of the most lopsided pieces of political propaganda I've seen on the national broadcaster in years" and argued that it completely ignored the notorious inefficiency of the Australian waterfront and years of collaborative failures to change this.
Criticism has also emerged from some members of the union movement. According to Phillip Adams, Bill Kelty was concerned that "no researcher, writer or producer - spoke to him about the dispute or his role in it. Yet they haven't hesitated to put words into their Kelty's mouth that the original Kelty never said". Chris Corrigan's brother Derek Corrigan has disputed claims that the broadcasting of "Bastard Boys" was timed to support Greg Combet's run for politics".


Angam

Angam is a documentary film made in 2010 about Sri Lankan history and the survival of its traditional martial art, angampora. It was produced and directed by Rasanga Weerasinghe. The film explores the origins of Sri Lankan civilization, and the vital role Angampora has played in its history, up to the present day. The film was released in 2011 at Goethe Institute, Colombo, as a private screening organized by the filmmakers.
Plot.
Angam: The Art of War, film talks about the origin, evolution & technical details of the martial art Angampora. The film also discusses its current situation and how they managed to attract local and foreign interest to this dying art. The story is told through historical facts & folk stories along with detailed angampora demonstrations. Angam: The Art of War, features veteran Angampora masters such as Dr. Wikramasinghe, G. Karunapala and Athula Nandasena along with the world-renowned archaeologist Dr. Siran Upendra Deraniyagala.
Screenings & Distribution.
The film was premiered at Goethe-Institut Film Forum in 2011 followed by couple of other very successful screenings in Sri Lanka & Germany. In 2012 the film got acquired by Grindout Pictures to be distributed worldwide.


Leonhard Gey

Christian Ludwig Leonhard Gey (27 June 1838, Hanover - 21 September 1894, Dresden) was a German history painter and art professor.
Life and work.
His father, , was a Royal Court opera singer. From 1854 to 1856, he was enrolled at the Technical University of Hanover, where he was a student of Conrad Wilhelm Hase. Later, he studied in Düsseldorf, Berlin and Dresden, where he worked in the studios of Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld.
In 1884 he became a Professor. After 1888, he was the head of the master classes in Drawing from Life at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts.
In addition to his paintings, he created several murals, in halls at Marienburg Castle (1860-63) and at Albrechtsburg, where he executed a wall mural showing Augustus, Elector of Saxony, and his wife Anne addressing the people of Meissen (1877). Another mural, depicting the announcement of the Peace of Westphalia, at the town hall in Osnabrück (1880), was destroyed during World War II.
In 1928, a street in Dresden's district was named after him.