Air (painting)

Air ...is a painting created by Flemish painter Jan van Kessel (1626-1679) and was painted around the year 1647. It is a part of the permanent collection at the Flint Institute of Arts.

Description

The four elements - earth, air, fire and water - were popular subjects with 17th century painters. In this painting, air is represented by a wide variety of creatures of flight, mythological figures and atmospheric conditions. A multitude of birds, including peacocks, turkeys, parrots, owls and an ostrich are shown in the painting. Several bats also appear in the painting, including one in the upper right that devours a bird while in flight. In the center of the painting, Apollo drives his chariot across the sky. Beneath him, Urania, the Muse of Astronomy, sits on a cloud, and in her left hand she holds an armillary sphere. Another of her attributes, the compass, appears on the ground next to her along with an astrolabe, a quadrant, and a cross staff, which are all instruments used for measuring the position of the planets and stars. All of this takes place in a landscape characterized by a dark, stormy sky on the left, complete with a bolt of lightning. On the right, the sky brightens over a vast expanse of trees and mountains.

Airó

Airó is a Portuguese parish, located in the municipality of Barcelos. The population in 2011 was 913, in an area of 3.02 km².

References

Air (classical element)

Air (also sometimes called Wind) is often seen as a universal power or pure substance. Its fundamental importance to life can be seen in words such as aspire, inspire, perspire and spirit, all derived from the Latin spirare.

Greek and Roman tradition

Air is one of the four classical elements in ancient Greek philosophy and science. According to Plato, it is associated with the octahedron; air is considered to be both hot and wet. The ancient Greeks used two words for air: aer meant the dim lower atmosphere, and aether meant the bright upper atmosphere above the clouds.Plato, for instance writes that "So it is with air: there is the brightest variety which we call aether, the muddiest which we call mist and darkness, and other kinds for which we have no name...." Among the early Greek Pre-Socratic philosophers, Anaximenes (mid-6th century BCE) named air as the arche. A similar belief was attributed by some ancient sources to Diogenes Apolloniates (late 5th century BCE), who also linked air with intelligence and soul (psyche), but other sources claim that his arche was a substance between air and fire.Aristophanes parodied such teachings in his play The Clouds by putting a prayer to air in the mouth of Socrates.

Air (Agua de Annique album)

Air is the debut album of the band Agua de Annique formed by the former The Gathering vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen. The album is a pop/rock oriented album and was released in 2007. Anneke van Giersbergen also plays piano on the album.

Track listing

All tracks by Anneke van Giersbergen except where noted

There is an animated video of the song "Day After Yesterday" which can be viewed on their official site. There is also a video for the cover song "Come Wander With Me," which was released as a download-single in 2008.

Personnel

External links