AntoniaValencia_DESMA9

Edward Stitt's Self-Portrait Sagittal Slice (1994)   Throughout history, humanity has continuously exhibited a drive to understand itself, to learn more about the human body and human mind. It’s this drive that’s at the forefront of art and medicine. For instance, in ancient Greece, physicians began to dissect cadavers to explore the human body, despite religious nonacceptance. It’s due to this that physicians such as Vesalius, the father of modern medicine, were able to make significant discoveries regarding the accurate anatomy of the human figure (which had previously been erroneous, largely based on animal anatomy). Such discoveries influenced not only the future medical field, but also the artistic field as they added opportunity to art pieces, allowing artists to truly bring their work to life.  An example of the blending of anatomy and art can be found in the piece, Self-Portrait Sagittal Slice by Edward Stitt. It’s a portrait that depicts the artist’s outer face as well as

The underground factory workers maintaining the Machine On Friday, April 16th, I had the opportunity to watch the film Metropolis with a group of fellow students. Indeed, this science-fictional film portrays a futuristic society that’s subdivided into two classes --  a developed, pampered citizenry who live above ground in pleasure and extravagance, and the exploited factory workers who live below ground, forced to sustain a Machine that, with its maintenance, ensures the continuance of the decadent city of Metropolis. Beyond its social commentary regarding how capitalist societies subsist on inequality, corruption, and exploitation, the film additionally offers its perspective on the contemporary modernization of 1920s society. Overall, Metropolis’s message suggests that the intersection between mechanics and man is ultimately problematic and simply engenders the prolongation of not only manipulation and social stratification, but of the overall cruelty of man. Indeed, throughout the

A photograph of Henry Ford's assembly line Although technology has become an undeniable necessity for 21st-century life, the mechanization of society is a relatively recent affair. Of course, this rapid-pace industrialization didn’t arise from thin air; in fact, its roots can be traced back to Johannes Gutenberg's development of the printing press in the 1450s. Indeed, while the first to invent the printing press was actually the Chinese, Gutenberg was the first to bring the notion to the west. Further, it was his development process that led not only to the cheap, mass manufacturing of books, but it was also the dawn of assembly-line production -- the same assembly line production that Ford utilized for the development of his automobiles (MacFadden). Of course, with this newfound industrialization of society comes the mechanization of the arts, considering that the arts themselves are simply artists’ interpretations of society and their responses to contemporary cultures or te

Although many modern social beliefs typically dictate the arts and mathematics as distinct disciplines, one can soon find that the two are quite intertwined. Indeed, when focusing on the application of mathematics in art, it’s evident that math is critical in the study of visual art, for in order to replicate geometric shapes in one’s work, the use of mathematical techniques and concepts is a necessity. Moreover, mathematics additionally influences the arts by offering mechanisms to present notions in newfound manners, as well as encouraging artists to move beyond traditional artistry by expressing avant-garde styles. Raphael's "School of Athens" with superimposed lines pointing towards the vanishing point.  Foremost, mathematics influences the arts by providing numerous techniques that individuals can utilize to develop their pieces. For example, the vanishing point shows a logical, mathematical system where three-dimensional spaces can be portrayed on two-dimension surf

Growing up, I understood the complications of existing between two separate cultures. At home, I embraced my Latino heritage, but elsewhere I exulted my American culture. Yet after years of conflict, I recognized that finding a balance between my cultures was essential to better my state-of-mind and understand the world at hand. Image of UCLA's campus After reading C. P. Snow’s “The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution,” I realize that I’m once again polarized between two cultures, which Snow distinguishes as scientists and literary intellectuals. Separated by miscommunications and stereotypes, Snow espouses that universities are large factors that propagate distinction between the two disciplines. Indeed, I've observed such separation at UCLA. For instance, after choosing a major, most of one’s studying centers around that particular topic. Hence, as a biology major, most of my requisites surround developing STEM-based knowledge; the UCLA campus itself also physically fu