Title Creator Date Era City Country Emotional Sum (Sense of Life or emotional World View) Theme
Attila (live performance) Composer: Verdi, Giuseppe 2010 03 03 1851-1900 Life is a mix of strength, heroism, romantic passion.

The work is a long complex opera, so it has many other lyrical emotions as part of it, but this covers the basic sense of life.

Loving a heroic woman leads to death
Pieta Sculptor: Buonarotti, Michelangelo 1500 1500s United States Resignation in the face of tragedy.

Recognition and acceptance of a great personal loss.
Are You Lonesome Tonight? Composer: Handman, Lou 1926 1900s United States Sensuality and bitterness

The remembrance of past love.
East of Eden Author: Steinbeck, John 1952 1951 - 2000 Life is filled with great and important choices.

The battle between good and evil, guilt and innocence. Takes the position that we are influenced by many things, but ultimately we have free will.
Sports March Singing Group: Soviet Army Chorus and Band unknown mid-20th century 1900s Russia Happiness triumphs.

The power of joy to motivate action.
Design for Living Writer: Coward, Noel 1932 1900s Life can be giddy and bright. Facing up to one's anti-conventional values is important. Conventional morality must be questioned if it causes suffering and conflict.

You should follow your deepest values and accept them no matter how unconventional the outcome.

A rare combination of the wittiest, lightest of Noel Coward's style, along with deeper themes of romantic love, proper morality and how should one live.
Wall-E Director: Stanton, Andrew 2008 1991-2010 The world is garbage, and more garbage and humans have destroyed the earth, because of their wanton consumerism.

Mankind is a blight on the universe, and only cute robots (as opposed to evil robots) can save the earth from human degradation.
Comedia Painter: Dewing, Thomas Wilmer 1892-4c 1800s Philadelphia United States Life is sumptuous and beautiful and alive.

Feminine vivacity and gaiety
Rape of Polyxena, The Sculptor: Fedi, Pio 1866 1800s United States Strength and complex beauty are central.
Vitality, passion and action are hallmarks of this work.

Life is complex strife, entwined with strong god-like characters.
Far Country, The Author: Shute, Nevil 1952 1951 - 2000 Life can be bright, happy and successful, but hard decisions must be faced and dealt with.

A good and happy life is made up of self-directed actions, self-chosen goals.

A less important theme is:
Freedom from government control.
Whether the government control results from devastating wars, or from socialist control of medical care, freedom is to be sought and prized.
Brass Bowl, The Vance, Louis Joseph 1907 1900 - 1950 The world is a delightful place. Good things happen to the deserving.

Life as a gay, lighthearted adventure.
Three Graces Sculptor: Canova, Antonio 1814 1800s The female human form is beautiful, graceful, ideal.

Quiet repose and sisterly love. The piece exudes a quiet elegance and peacefulness amidst the complex three-dimensional composition. The inclusion of "sisterly love" is less certain, except that taking into account the mythological background of the piece. It can be argued that one should not take that into account, so perhaps that should not formally be included in the theme.
Old Man with a Young Boy Painter: Ghirlandaio, Domenico 1490 1400s United States Human companionship or family closeness is real.

Quiet familial love. (A grandfather (perhaps) gazing upon a grandson, and vice versa, in a clear moment of happy communion.)
Fame Director: Parker, Alan 1980 1971-1990 Life is hard, but you can succeed, and it is worth it and exhilarating.

Go after your heart's desire.
Bolero Dancers: Torvill and Dean 1994 1990-2009 Harmony, grace exist.

Two people as one.
Rashomon Director: Kurosawa, Akira 1950 1931-1950 The world is terrible and full of disasters and mankind is awful and pathetic.

Objectivity is a myth -- everyone sees a different reality, a different "story".
Billy Elliot Director: Daldry, Stephen 2000 1991-2010 Life is dirty but one can clean up.

Go after what you love.
Head of a Bearded Man Domenichino 1625c 1600s Pensive, worried, detached qualities of humanity

Worry is the way of the world.
Ruggles of Red Gap Director: McCarey, Leo 1935 1931-1950 Happiness and fulfillment is in yourself.

Personal declaration of independence from servitude
Tzena Tzena Tzena Miron - Parish 1941 1900s Joyous celebration

Joyous celebration
Chariots of Fire Director: Hudson, Hugh 1981 1971-1990 A complete feeling of openness of the world to greatness of your own choosing.

Life is achievement.
Rob Roy Director: Caton-Jones, Michael 1995 1991-2010 Life is a struggle. The life you make for yourself can be difficult, but living it with strength and morality is the way to live. Happiness is possible in romance.

Heroism in everyday life leads to heroism writ large. A man works hard to lead his life and those of his extended clan in an honorable, productive, honest way. This is the everyday heroism. But dishonorable, evil men seek to steal from him and ruin him. This leads to a life of larger-than-life heroism to vanquish his mortal, and stronger enemies.
National Farmers' Bank Architect: Sullivan, Louis 1907 1900 - 1950 Being able to breath freely -- expansively, and feeling that there are no limits to what man can do.

The world is expansively, infinitely rich.
Love Actually Director and Screenwriter: Curtis, Richard 2003 1991-2010 Romantic love, family love, filial love, and the love of friendship are of central importance to human existence, and are possible to achieve.

Wonderful experiences of love are found in many forms and places.
The New Colossus Author: Lazarus, Emma 1883 1800s Benevolent celebration of liberty as a beacon to a troubled world.

A marvelous land of liberty offers welcome to the oppressed of the world.