The Fall of the Euro (Current)

The creation of the European Union has been seen by many as something both good and bad. The EU has made in a sense a "united" Europe, easing travel between countries, lowering import/export taxes and setting the European continent on a similar standard of living, education, medicine, etc. Unfortunately, the other side is that a united Europe has brought in new problems for many nations to face. Illegal immigration to many EU countries such as Greece, Italy and France has caused culture clashes, riots, misunderstanding and job loss for the citizens of each nation. Greece has been dealing with an influx of thousands of illegal Albanians who have come to the country and stripped Greece of many of jobs for its own people. Italy is dealing with the same problem as well as France.
The worst thing the EU has done is create a single-currency system: the Euro. This currency in my opinion is destroying Europe. Inflation has been on the rise the past decade and now hard economic crisis has hit the nations of Portugal, Ireland (ROI), Italy, Greece, and Spain. The introduction of the Euro has hit the smaller and weaker economies of the EU the hardest. The cost of living in each of these countries has skyrocketed. From going to Greece this past summer and multiple times in the past, the price of living in Greece has become more expensive than living the USA. People over here may marvel at the Euro and what it has done for Europe, but the Europeans themselves hate it. There are calls in Greece by many Greeks to abandon the Euro for the Greek Drachma once again because people cannot get by with all the inflation the Euro has caused. The idea of the Euro to me is good on paper, but when applying it to almost 20 countries who have varying cultures, people, and especially economies it is a recipe for disaster. The wealthier nations like Germany and France are paying to keep their currency tangible at this point creating bailout packages for their neighbors to the South. This is not going well with their own people, for they themselves feel they shouldn't be paying another country's debt. I say down with the Euro and bring back the Drach!

Piet Mondrian's "Composition 10" (WWII)

Looking at Piet Mondrain's "Composition 10" I began to realize how modern art came to be. The painting uses many geometric shapes specifically the square. It reminded me of modern art and architecture such as the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. It also reminded me of the contemporary art that became popular during the 20th century. The art also made me think about stain glass windows in churches as well. The use of the white background and black lines with the other colors filled in made me connect that to the way the countries of Europe were divided. The black lines represent the borders of the countries and the different colors represented the different races/cultures that Europe contains. This paintin perfectly represents the division on the continent and the lack of being able to come together as one in order to solve problems. It also reminded me of life today with the divisions that separate us. Whether it is religion, color or heritage there is still division among us today. We as humans feel more comfortable with those who are similar to us. These divisions don't seem as prevalent though in cities such as New York where people from all backgrounds are able to live with each other in peace.

Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks" (WWII)

Reading up on Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks", I learned some new things about this famous painting. The painting shows people sitting in a diner in Manhattan late at night. Hopper painted this very soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The painting is meant to illustrate the overall gloominess the country was in after the attack on World War II. It was a time when people were afraid to leave their homes. This made me think of the attacks on the World Trade Centers on September 11, 2001. People were afraid, depressed and unsure of what the future held. In the 1940's people knew this attack would launch them into the war in Europe and they were afraid of what that would bring. With news coming in about what was happening to other nations in Europe and already being attacked at home, people were scared that it could happen again. When would the attack come? Would it happen on the mainland this time? Would New York, Chicago, Washington or LA be next? Or would small towns and military bases be the next places to be attacked. What was coming next?

"Cut the Line" Thomas Benton (WWII)

Looking at "Cut the Line" I began to see the sheer work and emotion that the effect of the war had on people at home. In the picture, the crowd seems to be somewhat distraught at the ship leaving the shores of the United States. The American flag is waving in the background with the men cutting the lines of the ship for it to prepare for setting sail. The ship is carrying thousands of American men over to Europe to fight in a war that distraught thousands of people. It seems this picture illustrates the frustration that people had with having their family leaving to fight a war that was thousands of miles away. People were war-weary by 1944. World War I had just occurred a few decades earlier and people were not in a position to want to fight another war. Looking at the past, even after the war people were damaged mentally if not physically by the war for the rest of their lives. You can see war having lasting effects on people even today with the war in Iraq. Soldiers come home facing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as well as other injuries both physical and mental. War only leads to pain, and that pain can last much longer than after the last bomb is dropped.

The Holocaust (WWII)

Continuing to learn about the Holocaust, I was more clearly able to see and learn about the atrocities the Jewish people faced during the mid-20th century. This also makes me think about the genocides happening all over the world today. I can't imagine how the rest of Europe did not know what was occurring across their borders. It was not like they were the United States thousands of miles away across the Atlantic Ocean. Why did it take so long for anyone to react? For other European countries to claim they did not know what was happening is a bit hard for me to stomach. I also don't believe the Pope did enough to condemn the killings. He is the leader of the Catholic Church. He is the vicar of Christ, and as so he should have done anything possible in order to help the others. That is why he was elected to be the Pope. He instead stayed in the Vatican where he could not be touched. I would hope if something like this happened today the Pope would be more apt to speak up and bring attention to such crimes against humanity. This not only goes for the Pope but other leaders of other religions as well. It can be argued that we don't do enough in other areas of the world such as Darfur where a genocide is occurring today. We must act now in order to prevent more innocent killings.

Edward Hopper's "The Long Leg" (1935) (Age of Anxiety)

Looking at Edward Hopper's "The Long Leg" painted in 1935, I began to get a sense of the relaxation and peace he painted with the calm of the ocean and sailboat. When I looked at the date it was painted, 1935, I began to connect it to a sense of the "Calm before the storm". Things in Europe were bad at this time, and people could begin to see that a conflict was on the horizon. This also made me think of the calm that was in the USA for the problems the world were facing were thousands of miles away across the Atlantic, where the USA could not easily get involved. The scene itself reminded me of the Hamptons, and this location for the picture makes sense in my mind since the painter lived in New York City. The colors used, primarily blue and white both send messages of purity, innocence and peace. No splashes of red or black to depict blood or death. Looking at the picture, one immediately senses calm and ease of a place far away where conflict does not exist, where simply the splash of the ocean waves on the beach creating a serene scene the is untouched by conflict. The painting helps me understand also what people back in the 30's enjoyed doing. Even today, one can still see thousands of people sailing at beaches as a getaway from reality and conflict.

Georgia O'Keeffe "Radiator Building" (1927) (Age of Anxiety)

Looking at Georgia O'Keeffe's "Radiator Building" I felt the painting describing to me the new energetic life of the Big City that the 20's and 30's helped build and give a personality to. In the picture a skyscraper in New York City is pictured filling the night painting with light giving the city life at night. Behind it are pictured spotlights that you can see, giving the city a celebrity-feel as well similar to the lights you might see at a movie premier or a club. This picture shows how many people like O'Keeffe who came from small-town Wisconsin came to the big city and found an energy and life that was completely unknown until the time. The rise of New York City, the new capital of the world, the new Rome, was coming with its famous Art Deco buildings rising up daily. New York as well as other cities in the USA such as Chicago were becoming hubs for culture, life, commerce and trade. People were moving from the rural life of the previous decades and going to the cities to pursue their dreams. Even today people harbor feelings of leaving their homes behind for the energy and excitement of the big city. This painting is essential in understanding the mindset of the people of the 1920's; Excitement-driven with the ability to spend money wherever and whenever. The city helped bring people to their knees with the Great Depression and owing debt left and right. The city is still a dream for millions today, but hopefully those going will be a bit more money conscious.