Torana,
also referred to as vandanamalikas, is a free-standing ornamental or arched gateway for ceremonial
purposes seen in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain architecture of the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia
and parts of East Asia. Torana is a sacred or honorific gateway in Buddhist and Hindu architecture. Its
typical form is a projecting cross-piece resting on two uprights or posts. It is made of wood or stone, and
the cross-piece is generally of three bars placed one on the top of the other; both cross-piece and posts
are usually sculpted
Renaissance
he Renaissance is a period in European history, covering the span between the 14th and 17th centuries
and marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity. Italian masters such as Leonardo da
Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael. In addition to its expression of classical Greco-Roman traditions,
Renaissance art sought to capture the experience of the individual and the beauty and mystery of the
natural world. Though the Catholic Church remained a major patron of the arts during the Renaissance–
from popes and other prelates to convents, monasteries and other religious organizations–works of art
were increasingly commissioned by civil government, courts and wealthy individuals. Much of the art
produced during the early Renaissance was commissioned by the wealthy merchant families of Florence,
most notably the Medici.
The Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave in the Ardèche department of southern France is a cave that contains
some of the best-preserved figurative cave paintings in the world, as well as other evidence of Upper
Paleolithic life
Probably Picasso's most famous work, Guernica is certainly the his most powerful political
statement, painted as an immediate reaction to the Nazi's devastating casual bombing practice on
the Basque town of Guernica during Spanish Civil War. Guernica shows the tragedies of war
and the suffering it inflicts upon individuals, particularly innocent civilian
Augustus (Latin: Imperator Caesar Divi filius Augustus;[nb 1] 23 September 63 BC – 19 August
AD 14) was a Roman statesman and military leader who was the first emperor of the Roman
Empire, reigning from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. One of Augustus’ most famous portraits
is the so-called Augustus of Primaporta of 20 B.C.E. (the sculpture gets its name from the town
in Italy where it was found in 1863). =At first glance this statue might appear to simply resemble
a portrait of Augustus as an orator and general, but this sculpture also communicates a good deal
about the emperor’s power and ideology. =In fact, in this portrait Augustus shows himself as a
great military victor and a staunch supporter of Roman religion. =The statue also foretells the 200
year period of peace that Augustus initiated, called the Pax Romana.
The three primary pyramids on the Giza plateau were built over the span of three generations by
the rulers Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure. Each pyramid was part of a royal mortuary complex
that also included a temple at its base and a long stone causeway (some nearly 1 kilometer in
length) leading east from the plateau to a valley temple on the edge of the floodplain. The
pyramid was also clearly connected to the sacred ben-ben stone, an icon of the primeval mound
that was considered the place of initial creation. Benben was the mound that arose from the
primordial waters Nu upon which the creator deity Atum settled in the creation myth of the
