Neoclassism and Romanticism Era Art essays

Neoclassism and Romanticism Era Art essays The period of Neoclassical art began in the 18th century and overlapped with the 18th century Age of Enlightenment. The Neoclassical art period continued on into the 19th century. The Neoclassical art period embraced stylistic characteristics and often resembled art from the ancient Greco-Roman society. Neoclassical art was grandiose, poised, and very self-controlled. This period held a belief that society was too reckless, playful, and indulgent. The period sought to provide society with past virtues, ethics, and morality. The period of Romanticism began around the 1770s and continued until the second half of the 19th century. The period of Romanticism conflicted with the Age of Enlightenment and the Neoclassical art period in the 18th century. Self-Consciousness was a key element to the period of Romanticism. Romanticism evolved from myth and symbolism while embracing nature. Romantics were unsure about the world around them and many became socially involved while seeking involvement in politics as a result. Many others became socially detached. Artists during the period of Romanticism expressed their views with emotion, often taking public stands and expressing these emotions through their writings and art. The artists of this period felt the middle-class did not understand them and were indifferent to their values and The artists of the Neoclassical period were often viewed as having a higher social class than the artists of the period of Romanticism. The artists during the Neoclassical period did not seek to arouse emotions and were cautious. Artists of the period of Romanticism were the opposite. They sought to stir emotions of society and create more individualism and spontaneity. They ...

The Pros and Cons of Solar Power

The Pros and Cons of Solar Power The prospect of generating pollution-free power from the sun’s rays is appealing, but to-date the low price of oil combined with the high costs of developing new technology have prevented the widespread adoption of solar power in the United States and beyond. At a current cost of 25 to 50 cents per kilowatt-hour, solar power costs as much as five times more than conventional fossil fuel-based electricity. And dwindling supplies of polysilicon, the element found in traditional photovoltaic cells, are not helping. The Politics of Solar Power According to Gary Gerber of the Berkeley, California-based Sun Light Power, not long after Ronald Reagan moved into the White House in 1980 and removed the solar collectors from the roof that Jimmy Carter had installed, tax credits for solar development disappeared and the industry plunged â€Å"over a cliff.† Federal spending on solar energy picked up under the Clinton administration, but trailed off again once George W. Bush took office. But growing climate change worries and high oil prices have forced the Bush administration to reconsider its stance on alternatives like solar, and the White House has proposed $148 million for solar energy development in 2007, up almost 80 percent from what it invested in 2006. Increasing the Efficiency and Lowering the Cost of Solar Power In the realm of research and development, enterprising engineers are working hard to get solar power’s costs down, and expect it to be price-competitive with fossil fuels within 20 years. One technological innovator is California-based Nanosolar, which replaces the silicon used to absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity with a thin film of copper, indium, gallium and selenium (CIGS). Nanosolar’s Martin Roscheisen says CIGS-based cells are flexible and more durable, making them easier to install in a wide range of applications. Roscheisen expects he will be able to build a 400-megawatt electricity plant for about a tenth of the price of a comparable silicon-based plant. Other companies making waves with CIGS-based solar cells include New York’s DayStar Technologies and California’s Miasolà ©. Another recent innovation in solar power is the co-called â€Å"spray-on† cell, such as those made by Massachusetts’ Konarka. Like paint, the composite can be sprayed on to other materials, where it can harness the sun’s infrared rays to power cell phones and other portable or wireless devices. Some analysts think spray-on cells could become five times more efficient than the current photovoltaic standard. Venture Capitalists Investing in Solar Power Environmentalists and mechanical engineers aren’t the only ones bullish on solar these days. According to the Cleantech Venture Network, a forum of investors interested in clean renewable energy, venture capitalists poured some $100 million into solar start-ups of all sizes in 2006 alone, and expect to commit even more money in 2007. Given the venture capital community’s interest in relatively short-term returns, it’s a good bet that some of today’s promising solar start-ups will be tomorrow’s energy behemoths. EarthTalk is a regular feature of E/The Environmental Magazine. Selected EarthTalk columns are reprinted on About Environmental Issues by permission of the editors of E.