Author: Victoria Charles File Type: pdf Van Dyck was accustomed early to Rubens sumptuous lifestyle and, when he visited Italy with letters of introduction from his master, lived in the palaces of his patrons, himself adopting such an elegant ostentation that he was spoken of as the Cavalier Painter. After his return to Antwerp his patrons belonged to the rich and noble class, and his own style of living was modelled on theirs so that, when in 1632 he received the appointment of court painter to Charles I of England, he maintained an almost princely establishment, and his house at Blackfriars was a resort of fashion. The last two years of his life were spent travelling on the Continent with his young wife, the daughter of Lord Gowry. His health, however, had been broken by the excesses of work, and he returned to London to die. He was buried at St. Pauls Cathedral. Van Dyck tried to amalgamate the influences of Italy (Titian, Veronese, Bellini) and Flanders and he succeeded in some paintings, which have a touching grace, notably in his Madonnas and Holy Families, his Crucifixions and Depositions from the Cross, and also in some of his mythological compositions. In his younger days he painted many altarpieces full of sensitive religious feeling and enthusiasm. However, his main glory was as a portraitist, the most elegant and aristocratic ever known. The great Portrait of Charles I in the Louvre is a work unique for its sovereign elegance. In his portraits, he invented a style of elegance and refinement which became a model for the artists of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, corresponding as it did to the genteel luxury of the court life of the period. He is also considered one of the greatest colourists in the history of art.

Author: Sebastian Gertz File Type: pdf 50 years before Philoponus, two Christians from Gaza, seeking to influence Alexandrian Christians, defended the Christian belief in resurrection and the finite duration of the world, and attacked rival Neoplatonist views. Aeneas addresses an unusual version of the food chain argument against resurrection, that our bodies will get eaten by other creatures. Zacharias attacks the Platonist examples of synchronous creation, which were the production of light, of shadow, and of a footprint in the sand. A fragment survives of a third Gazan contribution by Procopius. Zacharias lampoons the Neoplatonist professor in Alexandria, Ammonius, and claims a leading role in the riot which led to the cleverest Neoplatonist, Damascius, fleeing to Athens. It was only Philoponus, however, who was able to embarrass the Neoplatonists by arguing against them on their own terms.This volume contains an English translation of the works by Aeneas of Gaza and Zacharias of Mytilene, accompanied by a detailed introduction, explanatory notes and a bibliography.

Author: Emmanuel Levinas File Type: pdf

Author: Misagh Parsa File Type: pdf In Misagh Parsas view, the outlook for democracy in Iran is stark. Gradual reforms will not be sufficient for real change the government must fundamentally rethink its commitment to the role of religion in politics and civic life. For Iran to democratize, the options are narrowing to a single path another revolution. **Review This book deals with an important and timely issue the difficulties of democratizing the Islamic Republic. Drawing from a wealth of primary materialsinterviews, newspapers, and recent memoirsDemocracy in Iran is the first work that focuses on the movement as a social movement, with a basis in the larger society, and contains valuable insights on problems of democratization. (Ervand Abrahamian, author of The Coup 1953, the CIA, and the Roots of Modern U.S.Iranian Relations) For decades now, Parsa has thrown shafts of illumination on social movements and politics in Iran by sidestepping the polemics and theology to apply the tools of hard-nosed sociological analysis. Here he has analyzed Irans Green Movement in the same incisive way, and anyone who wants to understand the contemporary situation in that countryas opposed to the fantasies constructed by think tanks and opinion page editors inside the Beltwaymust read this book. (Juan Cole, author of The New Arabs How the Millennial Generation Is Changing the Middle East) In this erudite and intellectually challenging book, sociologist Parsa seeks to tackle a fundamental question of democratization theorynamely, under what conditions can a country achieve democratization? In answering this question, Parsa uses Iran as a case study. He frames the case of Iran in a broad comparative perspective. He analyzes alternative routes of democratization and explains why South Korea succeeded in democratizing through reform, whereas countries like the Philippines and Indonesia experienced tumultuous and violent upheavals on their paths toward democratization. (N. Entessar Choice 2017-03-01) Misagh Parsas brilliantly argued Democracy in Iran posits a new revolutionary future for the country, suggesting that as the gap between ruler and ruled widens, and as the different sides in Irans political spectrum become ever more entrenched, the prospector necessityof dramatic upheaval becomes ever more realShe shows us how the Islamic Republic is in danger of becoming as laughable in the distance between reality and propaganda as the Soviet Union became. (Anthony Forbes Times Literary Supplement 2017-05-10) This fine book shreds the dominant narratives about the Islamic Republic as Parsa analyzes the titanic struggle under way in Iran between theocracy and democracy. Along the way, the author shows why gradual reformthe leitmotif for Western supporters of pragmatic Iranian president Hassan Rouhani and of the Obama administrations nuclear dealis unlikely. Parsa digs deep into Persian primary material often ignored in Washington policy discussions, intelligence analysis and journalism. He also mines data from other authoritarian countries to compare and contrast those that have transformed peacefully with those that have changed more violently but still democratically (Indonesia) or erupted and returned to dictatorship (Egypt). Parsas careful scholarship leads him to one overarching conclusion A peaceful evolution to a more humane system in the Islamic Republic, let alone a more democratic one, isnt in the cardsWhile anyone curious about Iran will find it illuminating, for those working in government or the foreign-affairs community, it is mandatory reading[This] book is easily the most important work in English on the Islamic Republic since the revolution. (Reuel Marc Gerecht Wall Street Journal 2017-06-20) Misagh Parsas account of Iran is one of the most important books published about the Islamic Republic since its inception. Parsas mastery of an impressive range of sources, his elegant writing style and his intellectual honesty set his account apart from the legion of other books published on the theocratic state. His conclusions are as stark as they are important the Islamic Republic cannot reform itself, and its path to genuine democratisation can only come through an actual revolution. (Ray Takeyh Survival 2017-04-01) About the Author Misagh Parsa is Professor in the Department of Sociology at Dartmouth College.