Archangels were a commonplace subject for artists from the the late Middle Ages to the end of the Renaissance Period. As Angels of Presence, with the permission to enter the presence of God, the four Archangels - Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel were prominent in religious lore of Christianity, Juadaism and Islam, though mentioned very little in the canonical Gospels. Archangel statues are still present across Europe due to the popularity they received during the Renaissance era.
The most famed of the Archangel Michael resides in the Santa Maria della Concezione, a church commissioned by Pope Urban VIII in 1626. The work is from Renaissance painter Guido Reni, who favored the high-Baroque style which evolved from the Roman Catholic Churches edict that religious art should engage the commoner with dramatic and emotional appeal. Reni's The Archangel Michael shows the fair haired, musculatured angel with androgynous features hovering over the Devil, with his foot against the demon's head forcing him into submission. The painting depicts a scene from the book of Revelations where Archangel Michael commands an Angel Army against Lucifer and binds him for 1000 years. The painting is often referred to as Archangel Michael Slaying the Devil.
God's Messenger Gabriel was the angel who told the Virgin Mary that she would be touched by God and bear a son named Jesus. This biblical event is referred to as The Annunciation and is a frequent subject of Renaissance art. Two works stand out as iconic paintings on the subject. Da Vinci's the Annunciation was painted from 1472-1475 and is credited to both Da Vinci and his mentor Andrea del Verrocchio. The painting depicts Archangel Gabriel kneeling before Mary, a Madonna lily in hand which historians believe symbolizes Mary's virginity.
Botticelli's Cestello Annunciation, commissioned in 1489, shows the same Annunciaton event with similar themes. The painting is noted for its use of perspective in the tiles that lead the eye to the landscape. Botticelli paints Gabriel with mouth agape, speaking the words from the Gospel of Luke which were engraved into the paintings original frame. Both paintings are on exhibit at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
The angel Raphael was most often painted as the guardian of Tobias, son of Tobit on his journey to recover hidden money for his blind father, a passage from the Book of Tobit. His role as protector and god of healing is emphasized in these paintings that show him leading the boy by his hand. Filippino Lippi's version of Tobias and the Angel can be seen at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. Rembrandt took great interest in the Book of Tobit and the Archangel Raphael, making it a frequent subject of his work.
Da Vinci created two nearly identical paintings titled Virgin of the Rocks or Madonna of the Rocks. The painting displays a scene where the baby Jesus encounters his cousin John the Baptist as an infant. In the paintings, the Archangel Gabriel is seated to the Mary's left holding the baby Jesus. Subtle variations can be seen in Da Vinci's two paintings. In the version that hangs in the Lourve Uriel points at John. In the version of the painting exhibited in the National Gallery in London, Mary, Jesus and John are haloed.
Dan' Brown's Da Vinci Code has brought controversy to these two paintings in the name of fiction, yet - art historians surmise that the original where Uriel points at John who is closest to Mary did create confusion and the second painting by Da Vinci removed Uriel's extended hand.
The archangels appear as popular today as ever and have been frequent subjects of TV and film over the past two decades. Archangel figurines and statues are a popular decorating choice and the trend appears unlikely to abate any time soon.
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To sing at your best, it's important to look after your vocal health. There are several things that can have an effect upon the quality of your vocal performance. It is a good idea to learn how to recognize potential problems so you can limit the chance for trouble when it comes time for you to sing. Here are some common everyday factors to bear in mind:
Alcohol and your voice
Alcohol causes the blood vessels in your body to dilate and that is not good for your vocal cords when you will be singing. When the vessels in your vocal cords dilate, the blood comes closer to the surface and this makes them more susceptible to hemorrhaging while you are singing. Limit your intake of alcohol to those days that you don't have to practice or perform and drink plenty of water on those days that you choose to drink, because alcohol dehydrates you.
How cigarette smoke affects your vocal health
The smoke often causes inflammation of the tissues in the throat and that makes it more difficult to sing. Avoid smoking and secondhand smoke. You especially want to avoid smoke several days before a lesson or performance.
Clearing your throat frequently
If you frequently clear your throat, you should find out the cause so you can break the habit. Constantly clearing your throat could be an indication of a medical condition like acid reflux or postnasal drip. Try to develop the habit of swallowing rather than throat clearing and discuss the problem with your doctor to find out the cause. For many singers, throat clearing is just an unconscious habit that results from trying to clear the vocal cords for singing. Singing with a little mucus won't hurt.
The effect food has on your vocal health
You'll discover that certain foods cause vocal irritation. For instance, dairy foods are noted to cause increased mucus production and this leads you to clear your throat more frequently. Some singers are affected by spicy foods. You'll have to discover which foods bother you so you can avoid them for a few days prior to a big performance.
Pollen, dust and your vocal health
Sensitivities to allergens, such as pollen or dust, may cause the vocal folds and throat to swell. Your doctor may be able to prescribe medication to help you overcome your allergy problems. There are a few things you can do at home to limit your exposure to allergens. Clean your house on a regular basis to prevent dust from collecting and bothering you and choose non-allergenic materials for your bed linen. Pay attention to your local news and weather for pollen count updates. Usually, pollen counts are the highest in the early evening or early morning hours. Restrict your outdoor activities to the middle of the day when you are less likely to run into problems with pollen.
Medications and your vocal health
Many of the medications that you take to treat a runny nose or watery eyes will dry out your throat too. If you can't avoid taking the medications, be sure to drink a lot of water so your throat won't get dry when you sing. You may also want to avoid the medications on the days that you have to do plenty of singing.
When you're learning to sing, it's going to happen sometime, so you may as well know your options. You could have a cold, or even a sore throat, and before that happens it would be good to know how to take care of it. Use this advice for when your throat feels scratchy.
Most nasal sprays will be a problem
Certain nasal sprays will cause more problems than they fix by far. You may find that you need to use these sprays, but try to refrain from it as much as possible.
Drinking water with medication helps.
Taking OTC meds can cause you to dry out. As long as you're prepared for that and compensate with extra fluids, you won't be shocked.
Use Nasal Saline Spray
If you have an infection, then your body will attempt to take care of the problem by expelling the germs nasally. Using the spray when you're sick means you need to be careful not to get all your germs on the nozzle of the bottle and then put the lid on only to have the germs welcome you back the next time you use the spray. You don't want the bottle to get the cold germs, so make sure you keep it slightly away from your nose when you spray.
Steam it up with a humidifier
The winter heater may dry out your home, so keep the humidifier running, especially at night. You should rinse it out every day however, or it will grow mold. The water condensation on the windows will dry, but feel free to turn off the humidifier if it looks like it's raining on the inside of the house.
Thinning your Mucus
You need to thin out your mucus if you find that you have a postnasal drip. Us a nasal saline solution or other medications from your doctor to help dry up the drip without drying out your throat.
If you use throat lozenges, use the non sweetened variety
Throat lozenges will help to reduce the coughing. Most lozenges are just comforting candy on the same aisle with cold medicines. Lozenges that contain sugar can lead to dental problems, so try to avoid them. Beware of lozenges with menthol, which can dry out your throat.
There are functions while somebody is going away from you after spending a long time with you, and you get emotional.You need to convey your thoughts.It is possible to take advantage of the farewell poems as a suitable way to exhibit your sentiments to the individual going away from you; you might have passed so many years associated with each other.One of the most elegant way can be applying the farewell poems for recognizing the influence of someone’s personality on exchanging your intimate emotions in the heart in the form of poems. The poems may make one aware of the superb charm that the going away person generates on the minds of others.
These poems are for admitting distinguished leadership competence and therefore, the establishments take maximum advantage of farewell poems to account the individual in light of the knowledge of several years spent by him in the industry. Farewell poems include tender subject matter for every member of staff just about how a organization accredits the innovation factor of its persons. It is an appropriate instrument for the organization to move other employees to function in a more tough way and contribute to the company’s objective optimistically, to accomplish one of the best position in the trade. Every time a high caliber individual retires, it is convention that separating poems would be composed to praise him to let the world recognize the huge personality he possesses.
These farewell poems bring to our minds those cherished instants at our work place, which have amazing implications for the coworkers of the individual. These brilliant memories make lively the brains of the youngsters the manifestation of significance and the distinguished qualities and efficient working of that fantastic retiring person over the career with the organization. The farewell poems fill our desire to reward all the persons to become prepared to encounter the difficulties and observe the level of normalcy in every difficult circumstances. Farewell poems narrate us the whole lot about almost all of the events that took place and focus this superb character of person that a worker must develop for the company, so that he also can be complimented.
Organizations attempt with farewell poems to certify and communicate all of the invaluable executions of the retiring person that proclaimed the business enterprise and facilitated it to achieve the surpassing heights. It is also a system to incite existing workers by their accomplishments to adapt the indistinguishable path. They are prompted to utilize the identical ways and self-command to attain the goals set for the company. Farewell poems are planned to educate the employees the way to create achieve the company’s goals with devotedness. The farewell poems function as applauds for the retiring person and a source of inspiration for present employees.
Willing to Collaborate with Artists - If Interested in Lyrics, Contact Barbara Tremblay Cipak at 416-566-0643 or barbara@drageda.com - Author of Song Lyrics, and Poetry, and creator of related Videos on Drageda.com - Thank you!
