Julian Beever's pavementdrawings - published by Ana Sofia

Graffiti Art- By Ana Sofia

Graffiti art is an art form. The reasons, including aesthetic criteria, as to why it is an art form far outweigh the criticism of illegality, incoherence, and nonstandard presentation. The objective of this paper is to explain how graffiti art overcomes these concerns and thereby can be considered as an art form.

Graffiti art originated in the late 1960's, and it has been developing ever since. However, it is not readily accepted as being art like those works that are found in a gallery or a museum. It is not strictly denied the status of genuine art because of a lack of form or other base aesthetic elements. Most of the opposition to graffiti art is due to its location and bold, unexpected, and unconventional presentation, but its presentation and often illegal location does not necessarily disqualify it as art. This type of graffiti is known as graffiti art, subway art, or spraycan art. The arguments of vandalism and unconventional presentation as negating the ability of some graffiti to be art is usurped by an explanation of those properties apparent in some forms of graffiti that do qualify it, aesthetically, as art. To show this, I provide a historical context of graffiti, and then I provide persuasive evidence that graffiti art is art.

The origins of graffiti go back to the beginnings of human, societal living. Graffiti has been found on uncovered, ancient, Egyptian monuments, and graffiti even was preserved on walls in Pompeii. Graffiti is the plural form of the Italian word grafficar. In plural, grafficar signifies drawings, markings, patterns, scribbles, or messages that are painted, written, or carved on a wall or surface. Grafficar also signifies "to scratch" in reference to different wall writings ranging from "cave paintings", bathroom scribbles, or any message that is scratched on walls. In reference to present day graffiti, the definition is qualified by adding that graffiti is also any unsolicited marking on a private or public property that is usually considered to be vandalism.
There are various forms of graffiti. One of the simplest forms is that of individual markings such as slogans, slurs, or political statements. Examples of this type of graffiti commonly are found in bathrooms or on exterior surfaces, and this graffiti is usually handwritten. Another simple form is that of the tag which is a fancy, scribble-like writing of one's name or nick-name. That is, tag signifies one's name or nick-name.

Graffiti in the form of spraycan art is art. It has form, color, and other base properties as well as an arrangement of these elements into structures that qualify it aesthetically as being art. Just doing something with spraypaint might make it graffiti, but it does not necessarily qualify it as art or graffiti art. In addition, when the spraycan art is analyzed according to the artist's intention and value to audience, there is even more evidence to suggest that it is genuine art. The only obstacle that has hindered the general acceptance of graffiti art is its location and presentation. However, the instances of acceptance of graffiti art by the art world shows that conventional methods of presentation are not all that matters in determining if something is art. And graffiti art is not to be disqualified as art simply because it might appear unsolicited. In short, graffiti in the form of spray can art is art like any other work that might be found in a gallery or a museum.

Raul´s life

Hi my name is Raul,i'm twenty-one years old and i'm from Angola. I've been living in Portugal since i was four, and since then i've been living with my mother and my older sisters. My brother,who's also older than me is now married and living in England. My father doesn't live with us,he lives in Angola, but we've always kept in touch with each other. I'm on my second year of college,im studying on Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas in Lisbon and i hope to graduate within the next three years. On my free time i like to be with my friends,be with my girlfriend,go to the movies,and listen to music because i love music. Other thing that i love is fashion,so one of my main goals in life is to have my own international clothing brand, and i hope to reach that goal until i'm thirty years old. My other goals is to get married, and to have a very healthy,wealthy and happy family (including myself) and i don't have an age limit to reach this goal.So,that's me basically.

Abstract Art ( introduction) - By Ana Sofia

"Of all the arts, abstract painting is the most difficult. It demands that you know how to draw well, that you have a heightened sensitivity for composition and for colours, and that you be a true poet. This last is essential." -- Wassily Kandinsky.

In its purest form in Western art, an abstract art is one without a recognisable subject, one which doesn't relate to anything external or try to "look like" something. Instead the colour and form (and often the materials and support) are the subject of the abstract painting. It's completely non-objective or non-representational.
A further distinction tends to be made between abstract art which is geometric, such as the work of Mondrian, and abstract art that is more fluid (and where the apparent spontaneity often belies careful planning and execution), such as the abstract art of Kandinsky or Pollock.
Also generally classified with abstract art are figurative abstractions and paintings which represent things that aren't visual, such an emotion, sound, or spiritual experience. Figurative abstractions are abstractions or simplifications of reality, where detail is eliminated from recognisable objects leaving only the essence or some degree of recognisable form.
In Western art history, the break from the notion that a painting had to represent something happened in the early 20th century. Impressionism, Fauvism, Cubism and other art movements of the time all contributed by breaking the "rules" of art followed since The Renaissance. Impressionism saw painters not "finishing" their paintings. The Fauvists used colour in a non-realistic way. Cubism introduced the idea of painting an object from more than one view point. From all of these the idea developed that colour, line, form, and texture could be the "subject" of the painting.
Abstract Expressionism, which emerged in the 1940s, applied the principles of Expressionism to abstract painting. The action painting of Jackson Pollock, in which paint was dripped, dropped, smeared, spattered, or thrown on the canvas, is a good example.

Purposes of Art- by Ana Sofia

Art is created and enjoyed by many people for many reasons. However, one of the things that art does is extend and expand our shared common visual language. When new visual ideas are first introduced by the artist, they are often seen as shocking, and perhaps even as incomprehensible. However, with time the best and most effective of these ideas are accepted. There is nothing harder than trying to grasp what was shocking or illuminating about certain images, or ways of making images, once the shock is gone, and we have all absorbed this bit of visual data into our own vocabularies. Artists show us new ways to see familiar things, and how to interpret new situations and events through various kinds of visual shorthand. This creation of visual language may be the artist's intention, or it may be a side effect of other purposes. So what are some of the purposes that art fulfills?
Probably the oldest purpose of art is as a vehicle for religious ritual. From the prehistoric cave paintings of France, to the Sistine Chapel, art has served religion.

Art may also serve as a commemoration of an important event. .
Art has often served as propaganda or social commentary. Propaganda images are attempts to persuade us toward particular viewpoints or actions promoted by public or private institutions such as political parties, lobbyists, governments, or religious groups.

Art may be simply a means of recording of visual data- telling the "truth" about what we see.

Art can also be seen as pleasing the eye- creating beauty. Yet the idea of beauty, like that of truth, has been challenged in the modern era. At one time, the artist was expected to portray perfection-- lofty and noble ideals of beauty.

Art is also a powerful means of storytelling. This was a common device of religious art of the Middle ages, for example in the frescoes by Giotto from the Church of San Francesco de Assisi , where sequences of panels were used to tell stories from the Scriptures or lives of saints.

In any case, one of the primary functions of art is to interpret the subject matter at hand. Subject matter does not change all that much over time. Although new subject matter has evolved, the human condition, nature, and events still continue to capture the attention of artists. The media used have changed relatively little; though new materials have appeared in this century, the conventional media continue to be used. Nor can we say that the quality or artistic merit of art works has increased or lessened with time. However, throughout the course of history as society has changed, so also has the interpretation of specific subject matter.

Workaholism by Ana Sofia And Marta

Do you spend 12 to 16 hours a day at work? do you frequently neglect your family and friends in order to work? Do you lose sleep hours working or planning what you’re going to do at work next day? Do you waste your weekend going over reports or numbers related to your work? Do you carry your pc everywhere in order to spend every spare moment working? Do you skip meals with the excuse that you have to work? Do you relinquish your holidays in order to work?
If you answer is yes you´re certainly a workaholic. A workaholic is someone who is dependent on work, a person whose obsession with work renders him/her incapable of thinking or doing anything else.
Workaholism can lead to stress and anxiety related with health problems such as high blood pressure. It can also lead to stress related addictions, such as excessive smoking, drug abuse, anorexic or bulimic eating disorders.
High social standards, rising individualism and the compulsive need to do more and be better than anyone else are at the root of workaholism.
To overcome this addiction people who are workaholic must change some habits. Instead of being hours and hours working, try to relax and be with your family, because family is more important than work in any circumstance. Don´t forget that a day has only 24hours so you spend eight hours a day working you have to have time for yourself ,your family and friends. You´ll be more fun and healthy if you think a little bit more in you and in those who are around you than if you´re just thinking in work.
Life isn´t just work so...take it easy.

Ana Sofia´s Life

My name is Ana Sofia Piteira and I was born on August 21st 1989 in São Sebastião da Pedreira in Lisbon.
I went to elementary school when I was six years old in 1995. I remember elementary school as a good place, a place that gave me lots of friends. In 1999 I changed school and it was a major turning point for me. I remember having fantastic school days with my friends and having amazing experiences. It was a time in which I met people that are very important to my life.
At the age of fifteen I went to high school and I was there for three years. Looking back, I can say that those years were the best days of my life so far because they were full of experiences that marked me. At the age of seventeen I was still in high school and one thing very important happened in my life: I met a boy that made my life even better: Pedro, my boy friend, my best friend…
Still at seventeen years old I finished high school and a few months after at eighteen years old, I went to Humanities University in the University of Lisbon to study Communication and Culture, but I made a bad choice because the course didn´t correspond to all my expectations and I didn´t like it at all. So, I decided to leave University and start working to earn some money. I was lucky because I didn´t have any difficulties in finding a job.
On 1st April 2008 I finally started working in my first job in a post office in Lisbon.
A couple of months ago, I did a few exams to go again to University and I passed all the exams with good marks.
At the moment I´m at New University of Lisbon studying translation and I´m really enjoying the course because I´m learning some interesting things.
I don´t have any project in particularly for the future. I think that in future, as any person of my age, I just want to finish my course and start working to get my own car and earn some money.
Here you have my life in a few words…

Mp3 Addict by Luis Bento

Do you like music? Imagine a world without music...were you able to live in such world? Do you always have your Mp3 player with you? Can you do a trip without your Mp3 player? Can you go into the subway without mp3? Do you listen to mp3 even when you are talking with someone? Are you constantly updating you mp3 player? Do you always want the most modern mp3 player?
Answer the questions on the top and I think you soon will realize that you are a MP3 ADDICT!!!
A mp3 addict can be defined as someone who needs a mp3 player all day and in any situation. Is someone who can’t leave home without a mp3 player and turn it on whenever it’s possible. These people use their mp3 player at home, at work, at school, at classes. This can lead them to an abstraction of the real world, to serious ears injuries in the future, and sometimes the music is so loud that they cannot listen to the warnings of danger.
To overcome this addiction these people need to change their life and have the will to change. Instead of turning on the mp3 player start reading a book and take it with you anywhere you go, also to school or work. Try to talk and meet new people and talk more with your family and friends, do new things with your friends, talk about different subjects and try to leave home without your mp3 player that is a big step.

The best Club of the World - according to Luis

Sporting Club of Portugal is the name of the most perfect club in the world. Is a Portuguese Club founded in 1906 by José Holterman Roquette also known as José de Alvalade.
SCP is multisport club but the football is the main sport.
We have a new stadium since 2004, the Alvalade XXI, which was built for the 2004 European Football Championship.
SCP is the club in Portugal with more titles in every sport, this record is very important to the club making it one of the most important symbols of Portugal in what concerns to sports.
Sporting has one of the best youth academy in Europe and many of the most important athletes of Portugal have started at Sporting Club of Portugal, and the most famous players are Nani, Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The last Portuguese league that Sporting won was in the season of 2001-2002 and also won the last two Portuguese Cups.
There is a lot to talk about the history and the trophies of this great club.
I’m proud of being an associate of this major club.
SCP FOR LIFE

Luis´s Presentation

Hello my name is Luís Bento, I’m 19 years old and I was born and raised in Lisbon. I’m a simple teenager.
I’m taking a degree of Political Science and International Relationships in FCSH, I like it and I’m learning a lot, my class is great and I hope to become a Diplomat one day that’s my main goal but I don’t mind to be a mayor or to be at the Portuguese Parliament.
My favourite hobbies are: being with my friends, go party with them; go to the cinema, play videogames watch TV or just rest and sleep. I like to cook, and to prepare new plates, make some experiences of course most of them don’t result but sometimes I feel proud of myself.
Besides my academic life and my social life I have other important hobby, Rugby. I started playing rugby at 6 years ago and this a big part of my life because I train 3 or 4 times a week. It was good for me because I have fun and at the same time I work out.
There is nothing more to say about me.
I wish you all a great year and enjoy our blog.

About Marta

Hi! My name is Marta, I’m 34 years old, and I live with my husband and daughter in a village called Pinhal Novo, on the south side of the river Tagus. I studied Psychology at the University of Lisbon, I graduated in 1998, and I have been working as a community psychologist, a trainer and a translator ever since. Meanwhile, I got a place to study Languages, Literatures and Cultures at this university and, so far, I’m enjoying it very much. I like to hang out with my family and friends, to read, to go to the movies, to travel and to meet people. I don’t like rush hour, smoky environments or cable TV.

Somethings About Tiago

My name is Tiago Bessa and I was born on the 18th of September 1987 in Lisbon, Portugal. I studied at the German School of Lisbon for 14 years, where I also did my Abitur which are the 12th grade final exams in Germany. I’m currently studying at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa (FSCH), where I’m taking the Linguas Literaturas e Culturas course. When I’m not at school I always have as an objective the practice of football or tennis. I played in a football team for 5 years, in which I won 2 championships. That can be considered as my main hobby, because I absolutely love the game of football. Another big hobby that I have is hanging out with my friends, going out at night (only on the weekends of course), and reading. I still don’t know what I want to do with my life, what career I intend to pursue, but it surely is going to have something to do with contact with people and speaking other languages. That is also why I chose this course, to better understand foreign idioms and how to better understand the history and development of language itself. I’m a very positive person who enjoys each day to the fullest, and I tend not to plan my life very much, so one could say I live by the Carpe Diem mottoJ. I just want to lead a normal and healthy life, always hoping that the ones I care about are all fine and doing well.

Is art important?- By Ana Sofia

First of all it´s not easy to talk about art´s value.
Art has its own value according to the people, the culture and society in which it’s involved.
Speaking clearly art is relative to the cultures and the contexts of people… this is way art is so
Different according to different places for example.
Through times the importance of art has been discussed by several people, and we have had answers extremely different but one thing we can´t disagree: art is connected with the evolution of men… and maybe art recreates this evolution…
In my opinion art is important…very important. Not only to become us more cultivated but also to become us more attentive and up-to-date to the world that is around us.
Art isn´t just the manifestation of the beauty art is the manifestations about all the feelings that the human being feels…art must shock us…art must wake us up to the reality that we are living in…
Art is important because is in art that many people find a way for their lives.

J. R.R. Tolkien & The Lord of the Rings:
The man behind the book
Who was J.R.R. Tolkien?
Ø John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein (South Africa), on January 3, 1892. He was a Professor of the Anglo-Saxon language in Oxford University, a philologist and the author of various books. He died on September 2, 1973 and was buried alongside his wife in the Catholic cemetery at Wolvercote, a few miles outside Oxford.


The events of Tolkien’s life that prompted him to write The Lord of the Rings:
Ø Tolkien’s Catholic religion (in the book symbolised by the forces of light and the forces of darkness);
Ø His experience of the 1914-18 World War (with Samwise Gamgee representing the English soldier);
Ø The nature of Oxford academic life and society (with the Fellowship of the Ring representing the Inklings, for example);
Ø His romance with Edith Bratt (represented in the book by the story of Aragorn and Arwen);
Ø His experience as a father of four children (which explains the origin of the hobbits and their mythology);
Ø His childhood country side living in Sarehole (which explains the origin of the Shire).
Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne,
In the land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them,
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
(Tolkien, 2008: IV)
Curiosities:
Ø Tolkien considered himself to be a hobbit (in all but size): he loved gardens, trees and unmechanized farmlands; he smoked the pipe and liked to wear ornamental waistcoats; he liked to eat good plain food and was fond of mushrooms (out of a field); he had a very simple sense of humour; he liked going to bed late and getting up late; and he didn’t travel much (Pearce, 1999).

Ø The Fellowship of the Ring was published in August 1954;

Ø The Two Towers was published in November 1954;

Ø The Return of the King was published in October 1955;

Ø In 1997, The Lord of the Rings was voted ‘greatest book of the century’ in a poll of more than 25.000 people throughout Britain (Pearce, 1999).

Some works by J.R.R. Tolkien:
Ø The Hobbit
Ø The Lord of the Rings
Ø Leaf by Niggle
Ø On Fairy Stories
Ø Smith of Wootton Major

Works cited:
Pearce, J. (1999): Tolkien: Man and Myth. Glasgow: Harper Collins Publishers [1st ed: 1998].
TOLKIEN, J.R.R. (2008): The Lord of the Rings – The Fellowship of the Ring. London: Harper Collins Publishers [1st ed. 2004].

by: Ana Sofia Piteira
Marta Teixeira Pinto
Paulo Valeiro Pereira