My 100 post.

Literature. Part nine.

                      "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry

Jim and Della are young spouses. So, on Christmas Eve they decided to make a gift to each other. Couple had less than two dollars. Main family treasures are Della's brown hair and Jim's old watch.

Della sold her hair and bought a platinum chain for husband's watch; Jim sold his watch and bought several combs with tortoise shell for wife's hair.

At the end they embraced and put oof their Christmas gifts. It's sad. But they tried to one another. It's happy.

Source of image:

http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/christmas-tree-50793202?st=91088ea

Rococo.

Rococo art style was popular in Europe, from XVII until XVIII centuries. This type has similarities with Baroque. Both art style featured luxury.

Rococo manifested in many areas at the time. Philosophy, music, architecture, painting, theatre, design.

In central and western Europe rich people had big and luxurious furniture. Large mirrors with large cutouts. The backs of chairs and table legs were of gold or other precious material.

In Rococo paintings were painted with less bright colors than Baroque. Example, Marie Antoinette a la Rose by Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun, 1783.

Architecture was known for luxury. Buildings were built in the style of a lot of wealth. Also sculpture had many beautiful features, even if there was little.

In fashion were big and wide dresses with radiant colors popular. Wigs were still in fashion.

P.S. It ended another era of beauty and wealth. Then will be a new era.

Source of image:

http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/rococo-chairs-60251434?st=bb53faf

Source of image:

http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?autocomplete_id=&language=fr&lang=fr&search_source=&safesearch=1&version=llv1&searchterm=rococo&media_type=images&page=1&inline=287416829



Source of image:

http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/pilgrimage-church-of-wies-wieskirche-interior-18285853?st=0eb1de6

Simple handmade ideas.

Baroque.

Baroque style was important for European people from XVII until XVIII centuries. This type of art manifested itself in a variety of things. Painting, architecture, philosophy, music, sculpture, theatre.

Pictures of this era were bright. Example, Still-life by Josefa de Obidos. In Baroque architecture, popular was luxury. Baroque and Classicism have similar features.

Example, the Church of Saint Susanna at the Baths of Diocletain.

Baroque style was big on large premises. Furnitures were big, too. Mirrors with frames, chairs with luxurious backs, huge beds.

In music were popular composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Claudio Monteverdi.

Fashion of Baroque looked rich. Big dresses and wigs were very popular. Rich women used make up.

P.S. Baroque created a path for modern art.

Source of image:

http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?autocomplete_id=&language=fr&lang=fr&search_source=&safesearch=1&version=llv1&searchterm=baroque&media_type=images&page=1&inline=179479043



Source of image:

http://www.shutterstock.com/fr/s/baroque/search.html?page=2&thumb_size=mosaic&inline=208215838



Source of image:

http://www.istockphoto.com/vector/j-s-bach-antique-engraved-portrait-23376632?st=f8a2c64

Recipe of homemade chocolate bar or candy.

Ingridients:

Sugar-500 g
Heavy Whipping Cream-250 g
Sweet cream butter-150 g
Baking cocoa-14 table spoon
Salt-1 pinch

Pour sugar  into a pan and add Heavy Whipping Cream. Boil about 15-20 min over medium heat. Mass can escape! Caution!

Add the butter. Mix constantly. After add the baking cocoa. Mix all. Add the pinch of salt. If you like dark chocolate you can add more baking cocoa.

Cool mass of 10 min after removing from the heat in the cold bath or ice.

Brush with oil dish.

Pour the mass in a dish.

After 20-30 minutes you can chopped chocolate with warm knife.

P.S. If you want you can add dry fruit and nuts in liquid mass and mix. Keep refrigerated.

Me.

Chocolate in a red wrapper.

Classicism.

Classicism was popular in western Europe from XVII until XIX centuries. It appeared in different types of arts. Painting, theatre, architecture, and sculpture.

The first classic arts appeared in Ancient Greece and Rome. After human history has seen many problems, in XVII century people returned to old art.

Example of classicism painting, Moliere by Nicolas Mignard.

The first classical architecture can be found in the territory of Ancient Greece and Rome. Example, Maison Carree in France.

During two hundred years people returned to their past. They studied the work of their ancestors. Artists created a new art form.

So appeared the new art works. Pictures and sculptures were similar to the ancient.

Classicism has split in several parts of art. But more about that some other time.

Source of image:

http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/column-8467284?st=d8bae22

Source of image:

http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/trevi-fountain-in-rome-78952643?st=9cfa34a

Source of image:

http://www.shutterstock.com/fr/s/classicism/search.html?page=2&thumb_size=mosaic&inline=103257545

Handmade ideas for Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Part three.

Gothic art.

Gothic art was an important period in Medieval history. It was developed in central and western Europe. Gothic art was a dark type of art which appeared in painting, architecture, and sculpture.

This type of art was popular from XII until XVI centuries. For Medieval people God and religion were very important. So, on Gothic pictures and sculptures Christian were shawn saints. Example, Notre-Dame de Paris in Paris, France. One of the most famous architecture work of Gothic art.

In that time people built simple furniture in Gothic style. Painting in Medieval period performed on differnt things: stained glass, frescoes, and panel painting.

Gothic art was popular just during Middle Ages. On Renaissance another types of art appeared because people have changed values.

But the era of Gothic art was important for Medieval people.

Source of image:

http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?autocomplete_id=&language=fr&lang=fr&search_source=&safesearch=1&version=llv1&searchterm=gothic&media_type=images&page=1&inline=235854979



Source of image:

http://www.istockphoto.com/vector/ornate-centre-scrolls-2418181?st=2530e46

Source of image:

http://www.shutterstock.com/fr/s/gothic/search.html?page=3&thumb_size=mosaic&inline=210914332

Delicious chocolate.

Literature. Part eight.

                        The Star-Child by Oscar Wilde.

Once upon a time in a winter night two poor Woodcutters found a baby boy in the snow. One of them took the founding in his house. Woodcutter and his wife had own children. Despite the fact that the family wasn't rich they sheltered the child.

Boy grew up very handsome. But his behavior was terrible. He was very proud and arrogant. Child called simple people with bad words. Also he mocked the animals. Woodcutter and his wife often said to Star-Child that he shouldn't do so to others. Boy didn't hear their words.

When Star-Child was ten years old in their villiage appeared the poor woman. She recognized her son in very handsome boy. The poor woman asked to kiss her. Child refused to make it. His mother went and cried.

He retured to his friends. But they just laughed. Woodcutter's children said that Star-Child's appearance very ugly. Boy looked into the water... His face was awful as his behavior.

The Star-Child cried and went in search of his mother. He asked animals but they didn't want to say that was a poor woman because boy mocked them.

So he found his mother during three years on the way people laughed at him.

In one day an old man whom was an evil magician took the ugly boy himself. He mistreated the Star-Child. The evil magician asked him brought the coins three times. Star-Boy found coins with the help of a hare. But each time he gave the beggar a coin. So evil magician beat the Star-Child.

Once on a day people said that Star-Child son of the King and Queen. Boy was sure that he is son of the poor woman. Boy kissed woman's hands. The Star-Child cried. He raised his head... King and Queen were near. Boy became a handsome again.

Renaissance.

The Renaissance was one of the beautiful periods in our history. If in the Middle Ages, people lived to get "another life", in a new historical period, people became richer and paid attention to the worls around them.

In that time in Europe, arts were popular. Saints appeared on the pictures. Leonardo da Vinci-an Italian artist and scientist drew the most famous pictures, like Mona Lisa in 1517. Gioconda still has many mysteries. Also he drew God and saints in his pictures. These work were studied, too.

Amother Italian painter Michelangelo made a famous sculpture The Statue of David in 1504. This work is still one of the most famous statues.

In the Renaissance, people changed their philosophy views. Humanism was a new type of philosophy. Human personality was the subject for study.

Scientists began to study space and planets, too. They made a new discoveries. But church didn't support them.

Renaissance was the age of culture and prosperity.

Source of image:

http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/mona-lisa-postage-stamp-6278806?st=066f2c8

Source of image:

http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/david-statue-michelangelo-florence-italy-1921773?st=0bfc868

Source of image:

http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=fr&language=fr&ref_site=photo&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&use_local_boost=1&autocomplete_id=ih9xn3p5ouam31fmqpt&search_tracking_id=LWDU2dYx-z-h_M_s_6rdsg&searchterm=renaissance&show_color_wheel=1&orient=&commercial_ok=&media_type=images&search_cat=&searchtermx=&photographer_name=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&page=1&inline=85946197

Recipe of homemade "zebra" cake.

Ingridients:

Flour-450 g
Sugar-300 g
Eggs-2
Sour cream-100 g
Maionese-2 table spoons
Milk-50 g
Sweet cream butter-100 g
Cocoa powder-4 table spoons
Nuts-3 table spoons
Salt-1/3 tea spoon
Baking powder-1 tea spoon

Mix sugar and butter in one bowl.
Add eggs. Mix all.
After add sour cream, maionese, salt, milk, and baking powder.
Add the flour, cocoa powder, and nuts.
You must make two different types of dough. One with cocoa powder and other simple.

Warm up oven 425 F. 400 F stay "zebra" cake on 30 mintunes. After switch off oven on 5-6 hours in it.

Bon Appetit!

Handmade ideas for Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Part two.

Middle Ages.

Middle Ages (Medieval) was one of the hard periods in human history. In Europe, people forgot many important things such as science, civilization, washing, and etc.

Medieval period was during the fifth to fifteenth centuries. The New World still wasn't opened, Africa and Asia were first expericing civilization.

In this hard time, religion appeared. People began to believe in one God instead of many. Artists painted pictures and icons with new saints.

Also, during Middle Ages, people expericed a terrible disease. The bubonic plague called the "Black Death". This horrible ill killed several million people.

Church was very important for medieval people. They did everything to live in heaven. People didn't notice things which happened around.

In Middle Ages human survived crisis. It took several years to recover.

P.S. After Medieval period, began a new part of human history. But I will tell you about it next time.

Source of image:

http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/narrow-street-with-restaurant-6479048?st=c5f10e8

Source of image:

http://www.shutterstock.com/fr/s/medieval/search.html?page=3&thumb_size=mosaic&inline=237231865



Source of image:

http://www.shutterstock.com/fr/s/medieval/search.html?page=6&thumb_size=mosaic&inline=171916583

Purchase sweet chocolate.

A cup of coffee.