Sunday, February 23, 2020

Films that Inspire You


1.  What 3 films inspire you?
2.  Why are these your favorite films?
3.  What is the message behind the films plot?
4.  How has it affected your life so far?

1.       Godfather series are one of my favorite films, I love them because of good acting of cast, directing, music, montage, photography etcetera. I have lived in Italy for 25 years and I am very familiar with Italia criminal organizations: La Cosa Nostra (Sicilian Mafia), Camorra in Campania Region (Naples), Ndrangheta in Calabria Region (Reggio Calabria), and Banditismo Sardo in Sardinia Island, watching Godfather movie changed my vision toward Mafia in good and bad sense. La Cosa Nostra was the only revolutionary organization among others in fact their goal and activities were focused on freedom of Sicily from  Spanish Bourbon occupiers later when some of these people such as Giuseppe Morello, Johnny Torrio, Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Frankie Yale immigrated to USA they transformed this liberator organization to an organized crime. The Godfather movie brings a different image of Italian Mafia to world-wide theaters and spectators now have more compassion with Don Corleone who was a simple New Yorker worker standing against organized crime to defend poor people’s rights and later the power converts him from a liberator to a criminal. I believe the message behind the movie is that how power may transform a person from a good liberator to an aggressive criminal who wants to be the only powerful family among other Mafioso families in New York and at any cost by buying politicians and other powerful personalities, but at the end they all fail in different ways. How has this movie affected me so far? The answer is stay away from any of these kinds of organizations and activities.

2.       Twelve Angry Men with many famous actors: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley, E. G. Marshall, and Jack Warden. Following the closing arguments in a murder trial, the 12 members of the jury must deliberate, with a guilty verdict meaning death for the accused, an inner-city teen. As the dozen men try to reach a unanimous decision while sequestered in a room, one juror (Henry Fonda) casts considerable doubt on elements of the case. Personal issues soon rise to the surface, and conflict threatens to derail the delicate process that will decide one boy's fate. I love this movie because of the observation of one of the jurors on details of the crime scene and how he changes other 11 jurors’ decision for the verdict. The message behind the film plot is never rush on making decision and with prejudice. After watching this film I realized that serving in a jury trial gives is a big responsibility and I avoid serving in any Jury duty if possible!

3.       Gandhi, this acclaimed biographical drama presents major events in the life of Mohandas Gandhi (Ben Kingsley), the beloved Indian leader who stood against British rule over his country. Dedicated to the concept of nonviolent resistance, Gandhi is initially dismissed by English officials, including the influential Lord Irwin (John Gielgud), but eventually he and his cause become internationally renowned, and his gatherings of passive protest move India towards independence. This was an amazing film with amazing cast and acting I love this film because of fascinating life of Gandhi and his victory over British colonialists I see how a man can stand against an empire and win with nonviolence. Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King and many civil right activists inspire me to be someone like them or at least.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Pietro da Cortona


One of the leading Italian Baroque Architects and Painters, Pietro Berrettini, but is primarily known by the name of his native town of Cortona, Tuscany. I worked on restoration of one of the three churches he designed for the city of Rome, Santa Maria in Via Lata (my own drawing of the main elevation at the center of the collage).

Pietro da Cortona had a great respect for classical architecture in fact his design for the Santa Maria in Via Lata that was built on a crypt of a Roman building and the house of Saint Paul reflects that, but the use of an arch interrupting a tympanum was unusual for a classical design and it was critiqued by historians later.

Santi Luca e Martina is another church in Rome, Italy, designed by Cortona situated between the Roman Forum and the Forum of Caesar and close to the Arch of Septimus Severus (the dome at the right side of the collage is from this church). This church is also known as protector of Architects!

Cortona worked mainly in Rome and Florence. He is best known for his frescoed ceilings such as the vault of the salone or main salon of the Palazzo Barberini in Rome and carried out extensive painting and decorative schemes for the Medici family in Florence and for the Oratorian fathers at the church of Santa Maria in Vallicella in Rome. He also painted numerous canvases. Only a limited number of his architectural projects were built but nonetheless they are as distinctive and as inventive as those of his rivals. The “Allegory of Divine Providence and Barberini Power” is a fresco by Italian painter Pietro da Cortona, filling the large ceiling of the grand salon of the Palazzo Barberini in Rome, Italy (background picture of the collage).

Cortona studied the human anatomy and produced hundreds of detailed drawing from man and woman body (the illustration on the right side of the collage). As any other painters he was sketching his scenes as a base drawing for the fresco creation on the walls or ceilings (the sketch on the left side of the collage)    

Tuesday, April 9, 2013


Let Love, the fountain of life, flow through my veins

Let Dawn’s mirror reflect the mysteries of night

O ecstatic joy, pierce my soul’s lifeline!

Became the sacred Chalice of truth and abandon these two words!

Hunt down my intellect, you are a consummate marksman

Take my heart as your archer’s bow and aim for my soul!

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

 
Before

 
After
 
I enhanced my original picture (Before) by adjusting: Brightness, Contrast, Fill Lights, Blacks, Clarity, Variance, and Saturation
I re-sized the picture and changed the resolution.
I saved the same picture as (After) and under adjustment I changed, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow values to obtain a sunset effect for the whole image.
With selection tool I selected the ivory strips of the hat and again under adjustment I change the Cyan value to 25, Magenta to -44, and Yellow to -55 to obtain some sort of sunset reflection!