Assignment Task:
Select (1) one of the following (3) essay topics and write at least two paragraphs single-spaced (include graphics as needed) .. Include properly labeled title page and file name as noted in Syllabus.
1. Many great works of art have been commissioned by "divinely empowered" individuals or the rulers of modern totalitarian states. For example, the Forbidden City in China is a huge, lavish compound of palaces, temples, and other structures built for the Chinese Imperial family. Often such great works of art carry a high cost in lives and funds. Can this be justified? Would such grand works of art and architecture ever be created without enormous power behind them?
2. Photography is often associated with factual reporting. The camera however records only one point of view, and that can be edited quite easily today. Photographers choose which pictures to take and which to ignore. Editors select only a few images to print. Governments can control the press's access to events and thus influence coverage, as happened in the early 1990s during Operation Desert Storm. Is the news factual? Is art factual?
3. The Sun King. Louis XIV was known as the "Sun King" because he associated himself with Apollo, who was also associated with the sun, in that they brought peace and were patrons of the arts. Louis XIV also had an elaborate ritual in the morning, and his room was aligned east to wake with the rising sun. Research more points of comparison between Louis XIV and the sun. What other people and symbols are associated with the sun?