Publisher: Brainstorm Books
Few things can compare to the texture, the look and the feel of an oil painting. Combined with the magnificence of mother nature, this book is an unbelieveable combination...Get it now!
The Tokugawa Shogunate, which had ruled Japan for over two centuries, faced a gradual but inevitable decline in the mid-19th century. Although the regime had maintained stability and peace through strict social hierarchy and isolationist policies, internal weaknesses and external pressures ultimately led to its downfall. The combination of economic struggles, social unrest, and increasing foreign intervention exposed the shogunate’s vulnerabilities, setting the stage for a dramatic political transformation. One of the major factors behind the decline was Japan’s rigid economic system. The Tokugawa rulers relied heavily on a feudal structure in which the daimyo, or regional lords, maintained their own domains under the authority of the shogun. However, the economy began to shift from an agrarian-based system to one influenced by commerce and trade. The samurai class, who traditionally depended on fixed stipends from their lords, found themselves in financial hardship as inflation and economic instability grew. Meanwhile, wealthy merchants gained power, disrupting the established social order and creating tensions between classes. In addition to economic issues, political dissatisfaction increased within Japan. Many daimyo and samurai resented the centralized control of the shogunate, believing it had become ineffective in governing the country. Corruption and inefficiency within the government further weakened public trust. While some reform-minded leaders proposed changes, the rigid nature of the Tokugawa system made meaningful reform difficult to achieve. This frustration contributed to the rise of movements advocating for a return to imperial rule under Emperor Meiji.Show book
Leonard Bernstein is a household name. Most know him for his classic musical reworking of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as Broadway’s West Side Story. But Bernstein accomplished so much more as a composer, and his body of work is both broad and varied. He composed ballets (Fancy Free, Facsimile, Dybbuk), operas (Trouble in Tahiti, Candide, A Quiet Place), musicals (On the Town, Wonderful Town), film scores (On the Waterfront), symphonies, choral works, chamber music pieces, art songs, and piano works. In Experiencing Leonard Bernstein: A Listener’s Companion, Kenneth LaFave guides readers past Bernstein’s famously tortured personal problems and into the clarity and balance of his Serenade after Plato’s Symposium for Violin and Orchestra, the intense drama of his music for On the Waterfront, the existential cosmography of his three symphonies, and his vibrant works for the musical stage. Perhaps the most famous American classical musician born in the twentieth century, Bernstein divided his time between cShow book
Spotlighting one of today's most talked about and successful musicians, this unauthorized biography showcases the Grammy-nominated talent of hip-hop artist Aubrey Graham, aka Drake. The account reveals the entertainer as a triple threat: a rapper, a singer, and an actor whose journey to fame has been nothing short of atypical. From his debut going double platinum and selling millions of copies in the United States alone to topping the Billboard 200 charts and spawning numerous hits, this chronicle reviews Drake's numerous achievements, including the record-breaking digital popularity of his sophomore release. The celebrity's acting career is also touched upon, detailing how he is already being touted as the next Will Smith — another respectable rapper and an award-winning actor — after starring in nine seasons of Degrassi: The Next Generation, one of the most consistently watched drama series for teens in North America. Conducting a journey through the life of a 25-year-old wonder, the book travels from Drake's childhood in Toronto to his emergence as an unlikely global pop culture hero — breaking all of the music industry and societal clichês in the process — illustrating what makes this modern-day Renaissance man tick.Show book
Supporting Staged Intimacy: A Practical Guide for Theatre Creatives, Managers, and Crew examines the relationship between staged intimacy, intimacy direction, and those supporting the process during pre-production, rehearsal, and performance. First, this book addresses challenges and trends in staging intimacy, helping backstage and offstage theatre artists recognize the problematic approaches and culture that led to the emerging field of intimacy direction. This text will then provide tools and recommended practices for supporting the creation and maintaining of staged intimacy, enabling team members to enact contemporary protocols concerning advocacy and agency. Finally, this book will educate and empower readers with the necessary skills to prompt change; by providing modern techniques, essential workplace protocols, and achievable action items, this book will transform the way theatre designers, managers, crew, and other creative team members engage with theatrical consent. Supporting Staged Intimacy is written for every pre-professional and professional artist working behind the scenes who wish to better support consensual workplaces, physically intimate stories, and the individuals telling those stories.Show book
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET THE ULTIMATE TRIVIA COLLECTION FROM THE MOVIE DIRECTED BY MARTIN SCORSESE CREATED BY FILM TRIVIA METAVERSE ABOUT THE FILM The Wolf of Wall Street is a biographical black comedy directed by Martin Scorsese, based on the memoir of stockbroker Jordan Belfort. The film follows Belfort’s rise in the world of finance, from working at a modest brokerage firm to founding his own company, Stratton Oakmont. The movie delves into his life of excess, corruption, and debauchery, highlighting themes of greed, moral decay, and the corrupting influence of wealth. With fast-paced storytelling, dark humor, and sharp social commentary, the film critiques the culture of greed and the lengths people will go to achieve success at any cost. TRIVIA SAMPLES: “The actors used crushed B vitamins as a stand-in for cocaine in scenes where the characters snort drugs. Jonah Hill later had to be hospitalized due to bronchitis after excessive inhalation during the filming.” “Martin Scorsese’s films often feature improvisation, and The Wolf of Wall Street was no different. A large portion of the movie was improvised by the actors, as Scorsese encourages it during production.” “Jonah Hill took a significant pay cut to be part of the film, earning only the minimum salary from the Screen Actors Guild, which was $60,000. This decision was driven by his desire to work with Martin Scorsese.”Show book
What paintings can teach us—if we can really learn to see themWhat happens when we look at a painting? What do we think about? What do we imagine? How can we explain, even to ourselves, what we see or think we see? And how can art historians interpret with any seriousness what they observe? In six engaging, short narrative "fictions," each richly illustrated in color, Daniel Arasse, one of the most brilliant art historians of our time, cleverly and gracefully guides readers through a variety of adventures in seeing, from Velázquez to Titian, Bruegel to Tintoretto.By demonstrating that we don't really see what these paintings are trying to show us, Arasse makes it clear that we need to take a closer look. In chapters that each have a different form, including a letter, an interview, and an animated conversation with a colleague, the book explores how these pictures teach us about ways of seeing across the centuries. In the process, Arasse freshly lays bare the dazzling power of painting. Fast-paced and full of humor as well as insight, this is a book for anyone who cares about really looking at, seeing, and understanding paintings.Show book
