BKa


 * Benito Mussolini **

Benito Mussolini was an Italian Dictator who ruled from 1922-1943. He was a fascist dictator who centralized all of the power in Italy to himself as dictator. After WW1 Italy was in turmoil. There were worker strikes and the people feared a socialist revolution. Through this turmoil, Mussolini formed the fascist party. He stressed aggressive nationalism and disliked communism because they believed in owning private property. However, he did not support democracy because he believed different parties split up the country. To take power in Italy, Mussolini led a "March on Rome". The public meaning of this march was to stop a communistic revolt, however the secret agenda was to frighten the people to name Mussolini Prime Minister. Once in office he increased his power by appointing fascist leaders in high positions and creating a strict dictator ship. He enforced the slogan, "Everything in the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state."

Bartholomeau Dias Bartholomeau Dias was a famous explorer for the Portuguese during the 15th century. Little is known about his childhood, but it is believed that he was of decent from one of Prince Henry the Navigator’s. This however has not been proven. He was to lead an expedition to find the southern most part of Africa. Eventually, in the year 1488, he rounded the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa. After rounding the tip his crew ran into natives and it was a unanimous decision to return home.

Raphael - Marriage of the Virgin Raphael’s “Marriage of the Virgin” is a prime example of Renaissance art. It contains many different qualities that are common in paintings of that time. The use of perspective is very apparent in the floor tiles leading up to temple. Some different techniques used in this painting such as chiaroscuro and sfumato were common in the Renaissance. It also exhibits realism because of the authenticity of the scene, and how it would have been a common sight to behold. However it has religious meanings as well due to a temple in the background. This shows that religion still had an impact on daily life. Even with this religious theme, humanism still makes its way through. We see a marriage ceremony which is a human idea. There are no angles or holy figures present in the picture. Also, humanism focuses on mans achievement, compared to that of religious figures. In the background is a beautifully built church, a great architectural achievement of man. Having something built by man in the background compared to a naturally occurring masterpiece shows the focus on man.