ALEXANDER the Great died when he was quite young. He was but thirty-two years of age when he ended his career, and as he was about twenty when he commenced it, it was only for a period of twelve years that he was actually engaged in performing the work of his life. Napoleon was nearly three times as long on the great field of human action.??Notwithstanding the briefness of Alexander's career, he ran through, during that short period, a very brilliant series of exploits, which were so bold, so romantic, and which led him into such adventures in scenes of the greatest magnificence and splendor, that all the world looked on with astonishment then, and mankind have continued to read the story since, from age to age, with the greatest interest and attention.??The secret of Alexander's success was his character. He possessed a certain combination of mental and per-sonal attractions, which in every age gives to those who exhibit it a mysterious and almost unbounded ascendency over all within their influence. Alexander was characterized by these qualities in a very remarkable degree. He was finely formed in person, and very prepossessing in his manners. He was active, athletic, and full of ardor and enthusiasm in all that he did.

ALFRED THE GREAT figures in history as the founder, in some sense, of the British monarchy. Of that long succession of sovereigns who have held the scepter of that monarchy, and whose government has exerted so vast an influence on the condition and welfare of mankind, he was not, indeed, actually the first. ??There were several lines of insignificant princes before him, who governed such portions of the kingdom as they individually possessed, more like semi-savage chieftains than English kings. Alfred followed these by the principle of hereditary right, and spent his life in laying broad and deep the foundations on which the enormous superstructure of the British empire has since been reared. If the tales respecting his character and deeds which have come down to us are at all worthy of belief, he was an honest, conscientious, disinterested, and farseeing statesman. ??If the system of hereditary succession would always furnish such sovereigns for mankind, the principle of loyalty would have held its place much longer in the world than it is now likely to do, and great nations, now republican, would have been saved a vast deal of trouble and toil expended in the election of their rulers.

THERE were three great European nations in ancient days, each of which furnished history with a hero: the Greeks, the Carthaginians, and the Romans.??Alexander was the hero of the Greeks. He was King of Macedon, a country lying north of Greece proper. He headed an army of his countrymen, and made an excursion for conquest and glory into Asia. He made himself master of all that quarter of the globe, and reigned over it in Babylon, till he brought himself to an early grave by the excesses into which his boundless prosperity allured him. His fame rests on his triumphant success in building up for himself so vast an empire, and the admiration which his career has always excited among mankind is heightened by the consideration of his youth, and of the noble and generous impulses which strongly marked his character.??The ROMAN hero was CAESAR. He was born just one hundred years before the Christian era. His renown does not depend, like that of Alexander, on foreign conquests, nor, like that of Hannibal, on the terrible energy of his aggressions upon foreign foes, but upon his protracted and dreadful contests with, and ultimate triumphs over, his rivals and competitors at home.

ELIZABETH was about three years old at the death of her mother. She was a princess, but she was left in a very forlorn and desolate condition. She was not, however, entirely abandoned. Her claims to inherit the crown had been set aside, but then she was, as all admitted, the daughter of the king, and she must, of course, be the object of a certain degree of consideration and ceremony. It would be entirely inconsistent with the notions of royal dignity which then prevailed to have her treated like an ordinary child.??Next came Elizabeth, who was about fourteen years of age. She was the daughter of the king's second wife, Queen Anne Boleyn. She had been educated a Protestant. She was not pretty, but was a very lively and sprightly child, altogether different in her cast of character and in her manners from her sister Mary.??Then, lastly, there was Edward, the son of Jane Seymour, the third queen. He was about nine years of age at his father's death. He was boy of good character, mild and gentle in his position, fond of study and reflection, and a general favorite with all who knew him.

Referindu-se la Pesc?ru?ul ?ntr-o scrisoare din octombrie 1895, Cehov nota, ?ntre altele: ?Scriu o pies? pe care probabil nu o voi termina p?n? la sf?r?itul lui noiembrie. O scriu nu f?r? pl?cere, de?i m? tem de conven?iile scenei. E o comedie, exist? trei roluri pentru femei, ?ase pentru b?rba?i, patru acte, peisaje (priveli?tea unui lac), o mul?ime de conversa?ii despre literatur?, pu?in? ac?iune, mult? iubire“. Premiera s-a dovedit dezastruoas?, editorul s?u aduc?ndu-i acuze ca, pild?, la?itatea evident?, caracterul din cale afar? de feminin. Con?tient de geniul s?u, Cehov riposteaz?: ?De ce aceast? calomnie? Dup? reprezenta?ie am luat cina la Romanovi. Pe cuv?ntul meu de onoare. Apoi m-am dus la culcare, am dormit s?n?tos ?i a doua zi am mers acas? f?r? a suspina vreo nemul?umire. Dac? a? fi fost un la?, a? fi alergat de la un editor la altul ?i de la un actor la altul, i-a? fi implorat s? fie ?ng?duitori ?i a? fi petrecut dou? trei s?pt?m?ni ?n Petersburg, agit?ndu-m? cu Pesc?ru?ul meu, cu emo?ie, cu o transpira?ie rece ?n lamenta?ii. Am ac?ionat at?t de rece ?i de responsabil precum un om care a f?cut o ofert? ?i apoi a fost ?nt?mpinat cu un refuz ?i nu mai are nimic altceva de f?cut dec?t s? plece. ?ntr-adev?r, vanitatea mea a fost n?ucit?, dar ?ti?i, nu a fost o lovitur? din senin. A?teptam un e?ec ?i m? preg?tisem pentru el precum te-am prevenit cu o absolut? sinceritate“.

IN ancient times, when the city of Rome was at the height of its power and splendor, it was the custom, as it is in fact now with the inhabitants of wealthy capitals, for the principal families to possess, in addition to their city residences, rural villas for summer retreats, which they built in picturesque situations, at a little distance from the city, sometimes in the interior of the country, and sometimes upon the seashore. There were many attractive places of resort of this nature in the neighborhood of Rome. Among them was Antium.??The beauty and the salubrity of Antium made it a very attractive place of summer resort for the people of Rome; and in process of time, when the city attained to an advanced stage of opulence and luxury, the Roman noblemen built villas there, choosing situations, in some instances, upon the natural terraces and esplanades of the promontory, which looked off over the sea, and in others cool and secluded retreats in the valleys, on the land. It was in one of these villas that NERO was born.??NERO's father belonged to a family which had enjoyed for several generations a considerable degree of distinction among the Roman nobility, though known by a somewhat whimsical name. The family name was Brazenbeard, or, to speak more exactly, it was Aheno-barbus, which is the Latin equivalent for that word. ?

Cine-ar fi crezut c? lumea afacerilor poate fi at?t de fascinant? ?i plin? de dramatism? 350 de milioane de dolari investite ?ntr-un model de automobil plin de imperfec?iuni, f?r? s? fie g?sit m?car un responsabil pentru acest e?ec; ascensiunea spectaculoas? a unei mici companii produc?toare de h?rtie fotografic? p?n? la actualul gigant Xerox, ?nceput? de o m?n? de oameni care ?i-au riscat chiar ?i averea personal? pentru o inova?ie revolu?ionar?; b?t?lia titanic? dus? de Rezerva Federal? a Statelor Unite pentru ap?rarea lirei sterline de atacurile speculatorilor; sunt doar c?teva dintre exemplele ce arat? c?, ?n lumea afacerilor ?i a Wall Streetului, oamenii pot da dovad? fie de geniu, spirit de cooperare ?i ?n?elepciune, fie de ?nc?p???nare ?i lips? de ra?iune, indiferent de miza aflat? ?n joc. Un avertisment c? istoria se poate oric?nd repeta.

Cartea pe care o ?ine?i ?n m?n? este periculoas?. Incomod?, scor?oas?, incendiar? fiind, ?n mod cert, va deranja unele personaje, nelipsite de importan??, din arena politicii rom?ne?ti, care confund? adeseori politica cu diletantismul, tr?d?nd interesele sus?inute cu at?ta patos ?n campaniile electorale. ?n mod sigur, Nu tr?da?i, v? rog! va alarma edilii capitalei ce se ?ntrec ?n a distruge ?micul Paris“ de pe vremuri. Aceast? carte, a?adar, va deranja nu pu?in? lume prin scenele din via?a social-politic? post-decembrist?, cu at?t mai mult, cu c?t umorul ?fichiuitor nu-i este str?in nici pe departe autorului. Nici deta?area…

The present ebook comprises the complete writings of William Shakespeare (37 plays, 160 sonnets, 5 poetry books). It comes with 150 original illustrations which are the engravings John Boydell commissioned for his Boydell Shakespeare Gallery.------------Contents:COMEDIES:The Comedy of ErrorsThe Taming of the ShrewThe Two Gentlemen of VeronaLove’s Labor’s LostA Midsummer Night’s DreamThe Merchant of VeniceThe Merry Wives of WindsorMuch Ado about NothingAs You Like ItTwelfth Night, or What You WillThe History of Troilus and CressidaAll’s Well That Ends WellMeasure for MeasureHISTORIES:The First Part of Henry the SixthThe Second Part of Henry the SixthThe Third Part of Henry the SixthThe Tragedy of Richard the ThirdThe Life and Death of King JohnThe Tragedy of King Richard the SecondThe First Part of Henry the FourthThe Second Part of Henry the FourthThe Life of Henry the FifthThe Famous History of the Life of King Henry the EighthTRAGEDIES:The Tragedy of Titus AndronicusThe Tragedy of Romeo and JulietThe Tragedy of Julius CaesarThe Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of DenmarkThe Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of VeniceThe Tragedy of King LearThe Tragedy of MacbethThe Tragedy of Antony and CleopatraThe Tragedy of CoriolanusThe Life of Timon of AthensROMANCES:Pericles, Prince of TyreCymbelineThe Winter’s TaleThe TempestThe Two Noble KinsmenPOEMS:Venus and AdonisThe Rape of LucreceSonnetsA Lover’s ComplaintThe Passionate PilgrimThe Phoenix and Turtle

Cartea de fa?? r?spunde unor ?ntreb?ri majore: ce este omul? Cine este omul? De ce este omul?Cartea cuprinde teme subiective de medita?ie, filosofie diletant? ?i analiz? psihologic?, ?n genul unor confesiuni, fiind structurat? pe trei p?r?i. Cuvintele abuzive reprezint? o g?ndire fraged?, haotic?, pueril?, prima descoperire a propriului g?nd ?n contradic?ie cu g?ndirea lumii ?i cu g?ndirea proprie ?n alt? faz? a ei, necesitatea dubl?rii g?ndirii ?n dezacordurile ei.Dialogurile sunt descoperirea min?ii personajului ?n proprie minte, descoperirea personajelor vie?ii ?i amintiri fugare ale unor ?nt?mpl?ri obi?nuite care primesc subiectivism paranoic.A treia parte prime?te obiectivitatea, a?a zis? universal?, a unui anumit Narator, care reinterpreteaz? ?i reintegreaz? g?ndurile unui anumit om, ales la ?nt?mplare, dar decis totu?i de circumstan?ele c?r?ii. Dovedirea c? omul ?i ?nsumeaz? pe to?i, lumea.

De la ?nfiin?area sa, acum o sut? de ani, MI6 a fost ?nconjurat de mister ?i a avut un aer aproape mitic. Pentru opinia public?, no?iunea de ?spion“ a fost modelat? de universurile fic?ionale ale unor scriitori precum Ian Fleming, p?rintele lui James Bond, ?i John le Carré, creatorul cerebralului Smiley. Gordon Corera le ofer? cititorilor s?i ?ansa unic?, f?r? precedent, de a p?trunde ?n aceast? lume secret? ?i de a observa realitatea care a stat la baza fic?iunii. Cartea prezint? pove?ti individuale – mai degrab? dec?t pe cele ale institu?iilor sau descrierea evolu?iei situa?iei politice de-a lungul timpului –, scopul fiind acela de a explora rela?iile unice ?i personale din spatele spionajului – ceea ce Graham Greene numea ?factorul uman“, cu alte cuvinte, ?n cazul de fa??, motiva?iile ?i loialit??ile unui spion sau ale unui tr?d?tor ?i faptele care decurg de aici.De la ?nceputurile R?zboiului Rece p?n? ?n ziua de azi, MI6 a suferit o transformare extraordinar?, devenind dintr-o organiza?ie de diletan?i, cu iz de club select, una modern?, profesionist?, dar nu mai pu?in controversat?. Iar Gordon Corera ?i dezv?luie deopotriv? e?ecurile ?i succesele de-a lungul timpului, ?n contextele politice aferente. Marile drame ale R?zboiului Rece, ridicarea ?i c?derea Zidului Berlinului, Criza Rachetelor Cubaneze, atacurile de la 11 septembrie 2001, r?zboiul din Irak – toate aceste evenimente care au marcat istoria reprezint? fundalul pentru pove?tile adev?rate cu spioni.Corera prezint? cazurile interesante ale celor care au spionat, au min?it, au ?n?elat ?i, ?n unele cazuri, chiar ?i-au pierdut via?a ?n slujba ??rii pe care au servit-o. ?i oric?t de palpitante ar fi c?r?ile sau filmele cu spioni, ve?i vedea c?, cel pu?in aici, via?a bate filmul.

Cartea lui Dan Dungaciu se individualizeaza prin originalitatea metodei sale: logistica. Sociologia este, prin excelenta, o "stiinta de spate", cum ar spune logisticienii, adica o stiinta care serveste marilor incordari colective (ofensive sau defensive) pe o durata anumita. Dan Dungaciu propune, in acest sens, cel putin trei procedee de cercetare a sociologiei la scara unei epoci si a unei arii de civilizatie, cea europeana in acest caz: a) "centrele logistice ale gandirii sociale" (care sustin retelele sociologiei); b). "Harta logistica a sociologiei" (romanesti in acest caz); c). Seria teoriilor reprezentative pentru cateva dintre temele dominante ale sociologiei interbelice. Modelul lecturii dezvaluie o fata surprinzatoare a uneia dintre cele mai spectaculoase manifestari ale sociologiei in secolul XX: sociologia romaneasca interbelica. Istoria logistica a sociologiei romanesti reconstituie astfel una dintre secventele de mare tensiune creatoare ale dramei neamului romanesc in secolul al XX-lea, ceea ce face din cartea lui Dan Dungaciu una de exceptie.

Lucrarea abordeaz? cele mai relevante manifest?ri ale modernismului literar interbelic, propun?nd spre analiz? reprezentan?i ai poeziei (George Bacovia, Ion Barbu, Lucian Blaga, Ion Vinea, Ilarie Voronca, Tudor Arghezi), ai prozei (Anton Holban, Camil Petrescu, Max Blecher, Mircea Eliade), tendin?ele ?i mi?c?rile coagulate ?n jurul marilor reviste interbelice (Sbur?torul, Contimporanul, 75 H.P., Integral). Volumul se adreseaz? elevilor de liceu care doresc s?-?i aprofundeze cuno?tin?ele referitoare la una dintre cele mai importante v?rste literare rom?ne?ti, miz?nd ?i pe redescoperirea cititorului avizat, dornic s?-?i sus?in? punctele de vedere, s?-?i modeleze gustul estetic ?i s? descopere modele, ierarhii, valori.

What is the magic of pastoral Greece? What is it that gives to you a sensation of being gently released from the cares of life and the boredom of modern civilization, with its often unmeaning complications, its unnecessary luxuries, its noisy self-satisfactions? This is not the tremendous, the spectacular release of the desert, an almost savage tearing away of bonds. Nothing in the Greece I saw is savage; scarcely anything is spectacular. But, oh, the bright simplicity of the life and the country along the way to Marathon! It was like an early world. One looked, and longed to live in those happy woods like the Turkish Gipsies. Could life offer anything better? The pines are small, exquisitely shaped, with foliage that looks almost as if it had been deftly arranged by a consummate artist. They curl over the slopes with a lightness almost of foam cresting a wave. Their color is quite lovely. The ancient Egyptians had a love color: well, the little pine-trees of Greece are the color of happiness. You smile involuntarily when you see them. And when, descending among them, you are greeted by the shining of the brilliant-blue sea, which stretches along the edge of the plain of Marathon, you know radiance purged of fierceness.? The road winds down among the pines till, at right angles to it, appears another road, or rough track just wide enough for a carriage. This leads to a large mound which bars the way. Upon this mound a habitation was perched. It was raised high above the ground upon a sort of tripod of poles. It had yellow walls of wheat, and a roof and floor of brushwood and maize. A ladder gave access to it, and from it there was a wide outlook over the whole crescent-shaped plain of Marathon. This dwelling belonged to a guardian of the vineyards, and the mound is the tomb of those who died in the great battle. PICTURESQUE DALMATIA ? Chapter I: PICTURESQUE DALMATIA IN AND NEAR ATHENS ? Chapter II: IN AND NEAR ATHENS THE ENVIRONS OF ATHENS ? Chapter III: THE ENVIRONS OF ATHENS DELPHI AND OLYMPIA ? Chapter IV: DELPHI AND OLYMPIA IN CONSTANTINOPLE ? Chapter V: IN CONSTANTINOPLE STAMBOUL, THE CITY OF MOSQUES ? Chapter VI: STAMBOUL, THE CITY OF MOSQUE

Books of instruction in the practice of painting have rarely been successful. Chiefly because they have been too narrow in their point of view, and have dealt more with recipes than with principles. It is not possible to give any one manner of painting that shall be right for all men and all subjects. To say "do thus and so" will not teach any one to paint. But there are certain principles which underlie all painting, and all schools of painting; and to state clearly the most important of these will surely be helpful, and may accomplish something. It is the purpose of this book to deal practically with the problems which are the study of the painter, and to make clear, as far as may be, the principles which are involved in them. I believe that this is the only way in which written instruc-tion on painting can be of any use. It is impossible to understand principles without some statement of theory; and a book in order to be practical must therefore be to some extent theoretical. I have been as concise and brief in the theoretical parts as clearness would permit of, and I trust they are not out of proportion to the practical parts. Either to paint well, or to judge well of a painting, requires an understanding of the same things: namely, the theoretical standpoint of the painter; the technical problems of color, composition, etc.; and the practical means, processes, and materials through which and with which these are worked out. It is obvious that one cannot become a good painter without the ability to know what is good painting, and to prefer it to bad painting. Therefore, I have taken space to cover, in some sort, the whole ground, as the best way to help the student towards becoming a good painter. If, also, the student of pictures should find in this book what will help him to appreciate more truly and more critically, I shall be gratified. There is a false implication in the saying that "a poor workman blames his tools." It is not true that a good workman can do good work with bad tools. On the contrary, the good workman sees to it that he has good tools, and makes it a part of his good workmanship that they are in good condition. In painting there is nothing that will cause you more trouble than bad materi-als. You can get along with few materials, but you cannot get along with bad ones. That is not the place to economize. To do good work is difficult at best. Econo-mize where it will not be a hindrance to you. Your tools can make your work harder or easier according to your selection of them. The relative cost of good and bad materials is of slight importance compared with the relative effect on your work.The way to economize is not to get anything which you do not need. Save on the non-essentials, and get as good a quality as you can of the essentials. Save on the number of things you get, not on the quantity you use. You must feel free in your use of material. There is nothing which hampers you more than parsimony in the use of things needful to your painting. If it is worth your while to paint at all, it is worth your while to be generous enough with yourself to insure ordinary freedom of use of material.The essentials of painting are few, but these cannot be dispensed with. Put it out of your mind that any one of these five things can be got along without:—You must have something to paint on, canvas or panel. Have plenty of these.

Maszumé hétk?znapi kamaszlány a 60-as évek Iránjában. Iskolába menet meglát egy fiatalembert, akivel egymásba szeretnek. Maszumé bátyjai megtalálják ártatlan levelezésüket, húgukat megverik, majd máshoz kényszerítik feleségül. A lánynak fel kell adnia álmait, és el kell indulnia egy g?r?ngy?s úton, melyet a sors rendelt neki. Az ?tven évet fel?lel? regény a hazáját jól ismer? szerz? szemével k?veti végig Irán viharos t?rténelmét: a 60-as évek a sah elnyomó uralma alatt, majd az iszlám forradalom, mely visszahozta Iránba a k?zépkort, az iraki–iráni háború. A regényt, mely az utóbbi évtized legnagyobb bestsellere lett Iránban, kétszer is betiltották, azonban nem politikai tartalma miatt, hanem mert egy olyan független és er?s n? sorsát állítja példaképül, aki a sorscsapások és nehézségek ellenére sosem adja fel a reményt, s bár csendesen, mégis határozottan tiltakozik társadalmának elnyomó hagyományai ellen. Parinoush Saniee szociológus és pszichológus, t?bb regény szerz?je. A sors k?nyve els? regénye, melyet t?bb nyelvre fordítottak le, Olaszországban elnyerte a Boccaccio-díjat, Németországban bestseller lett. Az iráni írón? 1949-ben született, férjnél van, két fia külf?ld?n él.

THE earliest record we have of the employment of an infernal machine at all resembling the torpedo of the present day, was in 1585 at the siege of Antwerp. Here by means of certain small vessels, drifted down the stream, in each of which was placed a magazine of gunpowder, to be fired either by a trigger, or a combination of levers and clockwork, an Italian engineer, Lambelli, succeeded in demolishing a bridge that the enemy had formed over the Scheldt. So successful was this first attempt, and so tremendous was the effect produced on the spectators, by the explosion of one of these torpedoes, that further investigation of this new mode of Naval warfare was at once instituted.But it was not until some two hundred years after that any real progress was effected, though numerous attempts were made during this period, to destroy vessels by means of sub-marine infernal machines.It was owing to the fact, that the condition which is now considered as essential in torpedo warfare, viz., that the charge must be submerged, was then entirely ignored, that so long a standstill occurred in this new art of making war. Captain Bushnell, the Inventor of Torpedoes.—To Captain David Bushnell, of Connecticut, in 1775, is most certainly due the credit of inventing torpedoes, or as he termed them submarine magazines. For he first proved practically that a charge of gunpowder could be fired under water, which is incontestably the essence of submarine warfare. Submarine Boat.—To Captain Bushnell is also due the credit of first devizing a submarine boat for the purpose of conveying his magazines to the bottom of hostile ships and there exploding them.Drifting Torpedoes.—Another plan of his for destroying vessels, was that of connecting two of his infernal machines together by means of a line, and throwing them into the water, allowing the current to carry them across the bows of the attacked ship. Mode of Ignition.—The ignition of his magazines was generally effected by means of clockwork, which, when set in motion, would run for some time before exploding the machines, thus enabling the operators to get clear of the explosion.Captain Bushnell's few attempts to destroy our ships off the American coast in 1776 and 1777, with his submarine boat, and his drifting torpedoes were all attended with failure, a result generally experienced, where new inventions are for the first time subjected to the test of actual service. Robert Fulton.—Robert Fulton, an American, following in his footsteps, some twenty years after, revived the subject of submarine warfare, which during that interval seems to have been entirely forgotten. A resident in France, in 1797, he is found during that year making various experiments on the Seine with a machine which he had constructed, and by which he designed "to impart to carcasses of gunpowder a progressive motion under water, to a certain point, and there explode them."[A] Fulton's Failures.—Though these first essays of his resulted in failure, Fulton thoroughly believed in the efficacy of his schemes, and we find him, during that and succeeding years, vainly importunating the French and Dutch Governments, to grant him aid and support in carrying out experiments with his new inventions, whereby he might perfect them, and thus ensure to whichever government acceded to his views, the total destruction of their enemy's fleets. Bonaparte aids Fulton.—Though holding out such favourable terms, it was not until 1800, when Bonaparte became First Consul, that Fulton's solicitations were successful, and that money was granted him to carry out a series of experiments. In the following year (1801), under Bonaparte's immediate patronage, Fulton carried out various and numerous experiments in the harbour of Brest, principally with a submarine boat devised by him (named the Nautilus), subsequently to his invention of submarine carcasses as a means of approaching a ship and fixing one of his infernal machines beneath her..

Imaginea Romaniei prin turism, targuri si expozitii universale, in perioada interbelica, este titlul unei noi carti extrem de interesante, adresata atat specialistilor cat si publicului larg. Lucrarea elaborata de dr. Claudiu-Alexandru Vitanos reprezinta bilantul unor eforturi sistematice ale autorului de cercetare a modului in care a fost elaborata politica nationala privind dezvoltarea turismului si, totodata, politica de promovare a Romaniei prin intermediul targurilor si expozitiilor universale de-a lungul deceniilor interbelice.

Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (June 6, 1599 – August 6, 1660) was a Spanish painter who was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV and one of the most important painters of the Spanish Golden Age. He was an individualistic artist of the contemporary Baroque period, important as a portrait artist. In addition to numerous renditions of scenes of historical and cultural significance, he painted scores of portraits of the Spanish royal family, other notable European figures, and commoners, culminating in the production of his masterpiece Las Meninas (1656). From the first quarter of the nineteenth century, Velázquez's artwork was a model for the realist and impressionist painters, in particular ?douard Manet. Since that time, famous modern artists, including Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Francis Bacon, have paid tribute to Velázquez by recreating several of his most famous works. Early lifeBorn in Seville, Andalusia, Spain, Diego, the first child of Jo?o Rodrigues da Silva and Jerónima Velázquez, was baptized at the church of St Peter in Seville on Sunday, June 6, 1599. This christening must have followed the baby's birth by no more than a few weeks, or perhaps only a few days. Velázquez's paternal grandparents, Diego da Silva and Maria Rodrigues, had moved to Seville from their native Porto, Portugal decades earlier. As for Jo?o Rodrigues da Silva and his wife, both were born in Seville, and were married, also at the church of St Peter, on December 28, 1597. They came from the lesser nobility and were accorded the privileges generally enjoyed by the gentry. Velázquez was educated by his parents to fear God and, intended for a learned profession, received good training in languages and philosophy. Influenced by many artists he showed an early gift for art; consequently, he began to study under Francisco de Herrera, a vigorous painter who disregarded the Italian influence of the early Seville school. Velázquez remained with him for one year. It was probably from Herrera that he learned to use brushes with long bristles. After leaving Herrera's studio when he was 12 years old, Velázquez began to serve as an apprentice under Francisco Pacheco, an artist and teacher in Seville. Though considered a generally dull, undistinguished painter, Pacheco sometimes expressed a simple, direct realism in contradiction to the style of Raphael that he was taught. Velázquez remained in Pacheco's school for five years, studying proportion and perspective and witnessing the trends in the literary and artistic circles of Seville.To Madrid (early period) By the early 1620s, his position and reputation were assured in Seville. On April 23, 1618, Velázquez married Juana Pacheco (June 1, 1602 – August 10, 1660), the daughter of his teacher. She bore him two daughters—his only known family. The elder, Francisca de Silva Velázquez y Pacheco (1619–1658), married painter Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo at the Church of Santiago in Madrid on August 21, 1633; the younger, Ignacia de Silva Velázquez y Pacheco, born in 1621, died in infancy. Velázquez produced notable works during this time. Known for his compositions of amusing genre scenes (also called bodegones), such as Old Woman Frying Eggs, his sacred subjects include Adoración de los Reyes (1619, The Adoration of the Magi), and Jesús y los peregrinos de Emaús (1626, Christ and the Pilgrims of Emmaus), both of which begin to express his more pointed and careful realism.

Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (1488/1490 – 27 August 1576) known in English as Titian was an Italian painter, the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno (in Veneto), in the Republic of Venice. During his lifetime he was often called da Cadore, taken from the place of his birth. Recognized by his contemporaries as "The Sun Amidst Small Stars" (recalling the famous final line of Dante's Paradiso), Titian was one of the most versatile of Italian painters, equally adept with portraits, landscape backgrounds, and mythological and religious subjects. His painting methods, particularly in the application and use of color, would exercise a profound influence not only on painters of the Italian Renaissance, but on future generations of Western art. During the course of his long life, Titian's artistic manner changed drastically but he retained a lifelong interest in color. Although his mature works may not contain the vivid, luminous tints of his early pieces, their loose brushwork and subtlety of tone are without precedent in the history of Western art. Early years This early portrait (c. 1509), described by Giorgio Vasari in 1568, was long wrongly believed to be of Ludovico Ariosto; it is now thought to be a portrait of Gerolamo Barbarigo, and the composition was borrowed by Rembrandt for his own self-portraits. The exact date of Titian's birth is uncertain; when he was an old man he claimed in a letter to Philip II, King of Spain, to have been born in 1474, but this seems most unlikely. Other writers contemporary to his old age give figures which would equate to birthdates between 1473 to after 1482, but most modern scholars believe a date nearer 1490 is more likely; the Metropolitan Museum of Art's timeline supports c.1488, as does the Getty Research Institute.He was the son of Gregorio Vecelli and his wife Lucia. His father was superintendent of the castle of Pieve di Cadore and managed local mines for their owners. Gregorio was also a distinguished councilor and soldier. Many relatives, including Titian's grandfather, were notaries, and the family of four were well-established in the area, which was ruled by Venice. At the age of about ten to twelve he and his brother Francesco (who perhaps followed later) were sent to an uncle in Venice to find an apprenticeship with a painter. The minor painter Sebastian Zuccato, whose sons became well-known mosaicists, and who may have been a family friend, arranged for the brothers to enter the studio of the elderly Gentile Bellini, from which they later transferred to that of his brother Giovanni Bellini. At that time the Bellinis, especially Giovanni, were the leading artists in the city. There Titian found a group of young men about his own age, among them Giovanni Palma da Serinalta, Lorenzo Lotto, Sebastiano Luciani, and Giorgio da Castelfranco, nicknamed Giorgione. Francesco Vecellio, his older brother, later became a painter of some note in Venice.A fresco of Hercules on the Morosini Palace is said to have been one of Titian's earliest works; others were the Bellini-esque so-called Gypsy Madonna in Vienna, and the Visitation of Mary and Elizabeth (from the convent of S. Andrea), now in the Accademia, Venice.

Toate popoarele sunt preocupate de identitatea lor, dar la rom?ni aceast? chestiune a ?mbr?cat forme speciale. Rom?nii, locuitori p?n? ?n epoca modern? ?n dou? principate autonome supuse Por?ii Otomane ?i r?vnite de mul?i al?i vecini, dar tr?itori ?i ?n vaste provincii ocupate de unguri, de austrieci, de ru?i ?i de turci, pierdu?i ?n mijlocul at?tor str?ini rapace, s-au ?ntrebat, parc? mai mult dec?t al?ii, de unde vin ?i cine sunt ei. P?n? la urm? ?ns?, toate popoarele mici, lovite de soart? ?i l?sate la cheremul celor mari, au asemenea preocup?ri, transformate uneori ?n adev?rate obsesii. (Ioan-Aurel Pop)