Aesthetic Nature Research Articles

The Harp Project: Collective Learning at the Intersection of the Mathematical and Musical Arts

With this paper, we share an activity for the undergraduate mathematics classroom called The Harp Project that leverages the aesthetic nature of both the mathematical and the musical arts. This project was conceived as a STEAM/PBL project with the added feature that it was carried out in pieces by an entire class. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the uncommonly high level of students' interest and engagement in the experience and the communal feel of their participation can be attributed to this collective quality of the project's design. For this reason, we invite others to consider this curricular experience as it appears viable for supporting efforts to cultivate a broader population of students with an affinity for mathematics.

Religion and the English Language

In an article he intended to be an update of George Orwell’s Politics and the English Language, Arthur Schlesinger writes, “It takes a certain fortitude to pretend to amend Orwell on this subject” (Schlesinger, 1974: 553). Yes, amending Orwell on the subject of English usage takes fortitude, perhaps even hubris. So, it will not be attempted here. No, this essay is not an update of Orwell’s essay; it is an application of it to the field of religion. The argument presented here is that religious writers often misuse the English language, resulting in a lack of clarity and beauty. Importantly, those who write about the source of all beauty should not do so in ugly prose. The subject of an article should affect the aesthetic nature of the prose. Ugly prose to describe God is a misuse of the English language. Misuse of the English language in religious thought is both a result of poor thinking and a cause of it. The remedy is to put Orwell’s rules for writing into practice among religious writers and speakers. This article presents an argument that directly follows Orwell's observations and applies them to the field of religious studies.

‟WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE! WHAT A LANGUAGE!..” RUSSIAN CRITICISM OF THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY ON THE BOUNDARIES OF ‟ETHICAL” AND ‟DECENT” IN THE DRAMATURGY OF A.N. OSTROVSKY

The article highlights the problem of moral and aesthetic evaluation of the works of A.N. Ostrovsky in literary criticism of Russia in the second half of the 19th century. On the material of newspaper and magazine reviews published in the 1850s–70s, contradictions are revealed between the ethical and aesthetic expectations of the reading audience and the artistic innovations of A.N. Ostrovsky in depicting scenes of everyday reality. The article attempts to generalize critical judgments of moral and aesthetic nature, outline the range of issues and claims against the author, and track their influence on the playwright’s work.

THE ROLE OF PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN IN THE AESTHETICS OF LINEAR FORMATIONS IN THE KISWAH OF KAABA

The linear formations in the Kaaba's covering are characterized by several design principles that have effectively contributed to giving the Holy Kaaba's covering an aesthetic appearance. Therefore, this study aims to reveal the technical design foundations of the covering of the Kaaba, according to a methodological and analytical perspective. The method used in this study is the descriptive-analytical method. This study is classified under applied field studies. The study concluded that the linear formations present in the covering of the Holy Kaaba enjoy several design foundations of an artistic and aesthetic nature. These foundations are balance, supremacy, rhythm, unity, contrast, coordination, proportionality, symmetry, and sequence. The study also concluded that artistic design principles had been applied to the highest degree to achieve the aesthetic goal of designing the linear formations in the cladding and to enhance the artistic dimensions through a functional and aesthetic rhythm.

КОММЕНТАРИИ К РАБОТАМ ПРОФЕССОРА К. АРТЫКБАЕВА, ПОСВЯЩЕННЫМ МЕТОДИКЕ ПРЕПОДАВАНИЯ КЫРГЫЗСКОЙ ЛИТЕРАТУРЫ

Professor K. After the publication of Artykbaev's textbook, it was vigorously discussed by the public. Among them, articles that give a positive assessment of the professor's textbook and celebrate its success include: K. Asanaliev and S. Zakirova "The First Textbook", O. Ibraimova "The Multifaceted Search", etc., the writers spoke about the success of the "textbook" in their articles. And A. Such critics as Erkebaev and S. Zhigitov wrote articles discrediting the work of K. Artykbaev. Among them, A. Erkebaev’s article on the textbook “History of Kyrgyz Soviet Literature” is very different from other articles, K. Artykbaev’s successes are the creation of Kyrgyz Soviet literature, its development and evolution to the present, the first mention of the names of our poets-writers 1918-1924. » as the main advantage, the disadvantages are as follows: 1. The introduction is not written according to the requirements, a lot of repetition. 2. The principle of the writer's timing is not correctly distributed. 3. Among the poems written in the 60-70s, “Journey to the Stars” by S. Eraliev, “To the Alive” by S. Zhusuev, M. The content of the article is that the works of Abylkasymova “Memory speaks” are forgotten, as well as in the absence in the textbook of a deep analysis of the artistic and aesthetic nature of the writers' works.

Escaping the Crowds: The Harmonious Environments of Sociability in Eighteenth-Century Writings

This article looks at the eighteenth-century ways of thinking about nature in connection with sociability and retirement by juxtaposing some of the poetry of the period with the discourses concerned with gardens and the aesthetics of garden design. In the writings of Anthony Ashley Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, Joseph Addison, William Gilpin, Elizabeth Montagu, and William Shenstone, the interest in the value of retirement as a much-needed respite from polite society is accompanied with some concern about the dangers of inactivity and idleness. Nature is thus supposed to offer an appropriately shaded, harmonious environment that provides spiritual reinvigoration and cultivation of taste, away from the tumult of urban crowds. In the poetry of Thomas Gray and William Blake, in turn, one may notice the evocation of nature as a more disturbing force, which, rather than merely confirming to the taste for harmony, seems to challenge some of the premises of polite culture. Paying attention to aesthetic thought, cultural history and poetic discourse, the article provides some insights into the complexity of the eighteenth-century aesthetics of nature.

B. Ber and A. Sheller-Mikhailov: The history of a creative dialogue

The article is devoted to the history of a creative dialogue between the poet and translator B. Ber and his literary patron A. Sheller-Mikhailov. The correspondence between the two writers, which began in 1895, continued until 1900 when the latter died. The surviving part of the epistolary genre (letters from A. Sheller-Mikhailov to B. Ber) contains about twenty documents; B. Ber’s response letters have not been found yet. Based on the analysis of their correspondence, the history of their acquaintance, the literary ties and cooperation between the two artists of the realistic and pre-modernist trends is restored, the main motives of their correspondence are revealed, which, on the one hand, is the evidence of the acquaintance and communication of representatives of different literary generations; on the other hand, it is a curious epistolary text that actualizes such meanings as “old” and “young”, “capital” and “province”, “craft” and “inspiration”. Particular attention is paid to literary masks and game strategies used by the addressee and the sender of the letters, framing the epistolary dialogue as an aesthetic phenomenon and an artistic act. The study of the creative dialogue between B. Ber and A. Sheller-Mikhailov is interesting as it enables to characterize each of the participants in the correspondence and to understand the nature of pre-modernist aesthetics, which was formed in the conditions of simultaneous assimilation and rejection of classical traditions.

Authorial notes to the text: an artistic device or an ego-document?

Based on the authorial notes to the “Letters of a Russian Traveler” by N. Karamzin, who separated “poetry” from “truth”, the article considers the following questions: how to determine the aesthetic nature of the notes; how they are connected with the change of literary trends, genres and styles, with the communicative function of verbal art, how the artistry of notes is formed; whether they are an integral part of the work; whether the author of the notes and the author of the main text are identical. We emphasize that Karamzin’s notes should be analyzed, first of all, in terms of his attitude to the problem of “literature and reality”, since for him authenticity was more important than artistry. The writer enters not into an artistically mediated, but into a direct dialogue with the reader, in order to gain his understanding and trust, to convince him of the veracity of what is described, while revealing a new level of understanding of what happened earlier. The article investigates the dynamics of the relationship between the notes and the main text. The special arrangement of the notes, the temporal and spatial distance separating them from the main text is interpreted as the evidence of their heterogeneity. We note the differences in their status: the main text, in principle, can exist and be perceived by the reader without the notes, albeit in a flawed form, while the publication of the notes in isolation from the main text is meaningless. The article highlights that it is in the literature of sentimentalism and, in particular, in Karamzin’s works, that a specific artistic quality of notes is developed in the form of a dialogue with an imaginary reader. The conclusion is made about the referential function of the authorial notes: in the “Letters of a Russian Traveler” they link literature and reality, the world of images and the real world, which is characterized by “its selective affinity” with the world of fiction.

What drives our aesthetic attraction to birds?

In the Anthropocene, the era when the imprint of humans on nature is pervasive across the planet, it is of utmost importance to understand human relationships with other species. The aesthetics of nature, and of species, is one of the values that plays a role in shaping human-nature relationships. Birds are ubiquitous across the world. The beauty of birds exerts a powerful tug on human emotions, and bird-rich areas attract scores of eco-tourists. People naturally find some birds more beautiful or interesting than others, but we currently lack a global understanding of the specifics of what makes a species aesthetically attractive. Here, we used a global citizen-science database on bird attractiveness covering nearly all extant bird species, to show that there are specific visual features that drive our aesthetic appeal for some bird species over others. First, our aesthetic attraction is highest for smaller birds with specific, vivid colors (e.g., blue and red, and departing from brown-grey) and extreme ornaments (a long crest or tail). Second, our aesthetic attraction is highest for species with broad ranges, possibly because such species may be more familiar to us. The features that make us attracted to a particular bird strongly align with broad human visual aesthetic preferences in modern society. Unveiling the visual features underpinning our aesthetic attraction to birds is a critical step towards optimizing conservation (e.g., via conservation marketing) and education campaigns, and leverage the cultural ecosystem service potential of birds.

The Process of Appropriating the Inhabitants of Bălți During the Years 1932–1933

The year 1921 was an important one for the inhabitants of Greater Romania, who benefited from the stipulations of the Agrarian Reform regarding ownership and, respectively, the right to build a house. In Bessarabia, the Agrarian Reform served as the basis for a real campaign to distribute land plots to the local population, between 1925–1937, including the inhabitants of Balti. Beyond the main goal of the Romanian administration to increase the number of residents through the land acquisition procedure, we note the City Hall’s direct interest in obtaining management of the estate properties of the Catargi and Crupenschi families, on whose estates, by 1922, the city Balti. The study analyzes the context and the problems faced by the local administration in the process of allotment the residents of Balti, the urban development perspectives of the city are elucidated, including those of an aesthetic nature, such as the architectural style provided for future buildings, the ambience of neighborhoods with civil constructions and the actions provided for the greening of the city area. Also, based on archival sources and unpublished works, the problems generated by allotment even in the environment of the urban community were identified, among which we distinguish the subject of the transfer of the Orthodox Cemetery from the “Pamanteni” neighborhood to a neighborhood on the outskirts of the city or, even more frequently, the problem of repeated distribution of the lot due to the postponement of the subdivision plan and the change of place to other parts of the city. The analysis of these aspects contributes to the knowledge of the historical period and the consequences of the appropriation undertaken by the local authorities during the years 1932–1933 in the city of Bălți.

Stylistic Study of the Late Mesolithic Industries in Western France: Combined Principal Coordinate Analysis and Use-Wear Analysis

Abstract The notion of style has been the subject of much research and theoretical development in prehistoric archaeology. This vast concept touches several fields, including the morphology of artefacts, technical gestures and their function. The lithic typology of arrowhead armatures was widely developed in the twentieth century for the study of the French Mesolithic and includes some of these aspects. The functional, technical, or aesthetic nature of the morphological characteristics of these artefacts has received little attention, while the mapping of types has been overvalued This article presents a new approach combining statistical analysis with the use-wear analysis of arrowhead from several Breton sites, dated to the Late Mesolithic.

„Człowiek gór” — od epickiej deskrypcji do ekspresji samoświadomości

The term ‘man of the mountains’ appears in various cultural discourses basically in two contexts, referring either to the situation of people born in the mountains, living near the mountains, and whose their daily lives are connected to the mountains, or to people fascinated by the mountains, for whom mountain peaks and their own attitude towards them are the subject of verbalised reflection, often of a philosophical, axiological, and aesthetic nature. In the first case, one simply is a man of the mountains (permanently, due to the circumstances), while in the second case, one becomes such person, more or less consciously striving to achieve this status. The first situation is exemplified by literary works and various descriptions of journeys in which a highlander is treated as an integral, natural component of the landscape being described (such an image can be found in Stanisław Witkiewicz’s most famous work, Na przełęczy [On the Mountain Pass]). The second and chronologically later situation, on the other hand, is exemplified by specific testimonies of representatives of the mountaineering community. They function in the form of own literary works (written by, among others, Reinhold Messner, Jernej (Nejc) Zaplotnik, Denis Urubko, Jerzy Kukuczka, and Marek Raganowicz) or in the form of interviews with famous climbers, which are very popular among readers interested in mountain-related issues (an interesting example of this is the book Rozmowy o Evereście [Talking about Everest], in which Jacek Żakowski interviews Krzysztof Wielicki and Leszek Cichy). These books include various themes and reflections, often of a personal nature. The authors often do not limit themselves to presenting their own achievements in the field of extreme Alpine and Himalayan mountaineering but also highlight the specific process of inner growth of the climber, their discovery of mountain secrets, their own place in the world, and their knowledge of themselves and their abilities and limitations. These reflections also often reveal the symbolic meanings of mountain climbing, which may turn out to be a metaphor for human existence.

A Study on the Creative Approach of Luo Zhenyu's Oracle Bone Calligraphy

In the history of Chinese culture, the oracle bone script, along with the Dunhuang documents, the Han jian of the Western region, and the Great Treasury of the Cabinet, are known as the four major discoveries of the twentieth century. The oracle bone script has a history of more than 3,000 years. In the field of philology and archaeology, its appearance has brought original materials for the examination of the origin of Chinese characters; in the field of art, its appearance is a great asset for the study of oracle bone script calligraphy. From the dimension of the study of the history of calligraphy, the oracle bone script already possesses the three basic elements of calligraphy: the brush, the knotted character, and the chapter, and is the earliest system of writing with a more mature system and aesthetic nature in the development of Chinese writing. From the perspective of the pen, the oracle bone script was carved with a knife on hard turtle shells or animal bones, so the lines of the script are mainly straight lines of uniform thickness, showing a slightly thicker middle and slightly thinner ends, showing the aesthetic characteristics of thinness and solidity, uprightness and sharpness, giving people a strong three-dimensional sense and visual impact. As a script, oracle bones have both their linguistic communication and their calligraphic artistry.We examine oracle bone calligraphy in terms of writing instruments, brushwork, and chapter forms. The purpose of this paper is to identify problems and analyze them in a step-by-step manner by using a logical tree model of deduction through writing practice and documentary evidence to explore the feasibility of oracle bone calligraphy from three aspects: writing materials, brush structure, and composition form

Aesthetic teaching of russian as a foreign language: phonosemantic approach to the analysis of a literary text

The article deals with the issues of perception by foreign students of the sound side of the Russian language and speech, phonetic components of the organization of artistic (poetic and prose) texts that reflect the aesthetic nature of the Russian language The phonosemantic approach in the analysis of literary texts reveals additional connotative information created by a special, unique sound author’s symbolism, which serves as the key to decoding additional semantic shades, associations, author’s overtones, demonstrating creative imagery, expressiveness and uniqueness of literary texts.

TOWARDS ENHANCING POST-PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS' LEARNING EXPERIENCE: THE CASE FOR NIGERIAN SCHOOL LANDSCAPE ENVIRONMENT

Landscape elements have significant importance in school designs due to the contributions they can make to students' learning experience and well-being. Learning in an aesthetically pleasing environment has been established to add value to the learners’ experience as well as enhance their sense of well-being. In Nigeria, several public secondary schools mostly lack adequate landscape elements, which has caused a major strain on students' learning experiences and staff's productivity. This research explored the landscape environments of selected public secondary schools in Nigeria with a view to bringing to light the potential and value that landscape can add to the learning experience and wellbeing of the students. To investigate the precise roles of landscape components in enhancing student learning experiences, public secondary schools in Ilorin, Nigeria, were randomly selected for the study. Primary data was collected through questionnaires, case studies, and observation schedules. Findings reveal poor design quality in nature, with the result showing that the majority of public secondary schools were poorly landscaped. The study concludes that most students attending public schools in Nigeria are deprived of learning environments connected with nature's aesthetics and qualities. It recommends a holistic approach to public school management that goes beyond establishing schools and providing needed buildings but should give importance to good school landscaping to enhance not just the students’ learning experience but also the learners’ health and well-being, as well as nurture their ability to appreciate the beauty of nature right from school age. Keywords: Landscape Elements, Landscape Environment, Landscape Management, Post-Primary School, Physical Environment, School Environment

Indigenous sport and nature – a case study of a Sámi sport club

ABSTRACT Applying a broad interpretation of education, this paper investigates how one Sámi (the Indigenous people of Northern Norway) sports club teaches traditional lingual knowledge to its youth members. Using Wittgenstein’s language philosophy and Mead’s understanding of figurative cultures as theoretical frameworks, and qualitative methods, two relatively contradictory sets of findings were revealed. First, the content of the education focusing on the accuracy and functionality of Sámi words for elements of nature based on traditional Sámi knowledge; second, the education takes modern forms. Sport club is a modern concept, as is friluftsliv – the Norwegian/Scandinavian way of nature life often aiming at recreation and experience of nature aesthetics—which is apparently challenging the traditional Sámi nature life aiming at purposefulness in every aspect. The paper also shows the dispute and actuality surrounding the Sámi accuracy of words for nature elements.

Change in cardiorespiratory parameters following surgical correction of pectus excavatum: protocol for the historical-prospective HeartSoar cohort

IntroductionHow cardiorespiratory function changes following the surgical correction of pectus excavatum (PE) often gives mixed results, with meta-analyses demonstrating no benefit in terms of pulmonary function but improvement in cardiac...

MEZZALUNA

Author Statement: As a queer artist bisected by two ethnicities, I'm driven to examine the world views around me and share my unique perspective through my work. Combining my formal training in media design, language acquisition, and cross-cultural exchanges, I strive to create pieces that reflect the idiosyncrasies of the human condition. My writing often explores themes of identity, culture, and society, drawing on my lived experiences—moonlighting between different cultures and identities—to repurpose representation into a more reflective mirror whilst simultaneously rejecting its historically misty veneer. To achieve this, I use a variety of literary devices and techniques, such as experimental punctuation and sensory nomenclature, to imbue my work with emotional depth and nuance. I'm particularly fascinated by the intersection of the sublime and the mundane, using poetry as a means of translating the ineffable and exploring the grandeur of everyday experiences. This equipoise frequently imbues my overarching lyrical conceit with intimate conviction. My artistic output is deeply personal, often starting with imagining a persona and scene, visualizing what they may encounter or never come to know, and refining my imagery and resolution into decisive moments of execution. When polishing an idea, I delight in the sonic and structural cues of verse, availing myself of alliteration and experimental punctuation to evoke specific emotions that require the full scope of my language to anatomize its message. I spend countless hours on the organization of color schemes, typography, and graphics for more visually endowed pieces to complement the magnitude, mood, and motifs being conveyed. Looking to the future, I hope to further explore the richness and aesthetics of human nature through my background in Asian Studies, Romanticism, and children’s literature/media while connecting with others and fostering a deeper appreciation for the intersectionality and complexity of the world around us. By using poetry as a means of translation, I contend to create artwork that inspires the senses, confronts systemic ways of thinking, and fosters an empathetic mien for those who truly need it; and, above all, I aim to provide a representation of the working world that is worthy of one’s fullest attention and my highest efforts.

The competition as an ‘exchange’ of values: An aesthetic and existential perspective

In a music competition, victory is never unequivocal. Such a competition is a rivalry not just of artistic personalities, but also of the aesthetic values manifested through performances, which are measured and compared, often leading to relativisation. The performances of one candidate can be devalued compared with those of others. So are we dealing more often with the devaluation of one performance compared to another, or with the instability of the assessment criteria and changing circumstances to the issuing of the value judgement? While questions of an aesthetic nature can be considered in isolation from the interpreter of a musical work, that does not apply when we look at the ‘value exchange’ of a competition from the perspective of a gifted and sensitive performer engaged in rivalry.

Indigenous and Local Knowledge and Aesthetics: Towards an Intergenerational Aesthetics of Nature

In a recent paper, Allen Carlson moves away from a purely scientific–cognitive framework for environmental aesthetics towards a ‘combination position’ based on the ecoaesthetics theorised by Xiangzhan Cheng. Carlson argues that only an aesthetics informed by ecological knowledge can offer the correct foundations for the continued relevance of environmental aesthetics to environmental ethics. However, closer analysis of Cheng's theory of ecoaesthetics reveals a number of problems related to questions of anthropocentrism and in particular, the issue of an ethic based on love. In this paper, I offer an alternative approach for the future of environmental aesthetics in the form of an intergenerational aesthetics based on Indigenous and Local Knowledge (ILK).