Title Creator Date Era City Countrysort icon Emotional Sum (Sense of Life or emotional World View) Theme
Black Stallion Director: Carroll Ballard 1979 Sardinia Italy

Everything is possible between boy and beast, between an innocent human and mother nature.

Man and nature in harmony. At least this is the theme of the first half of the movie. See "Description" and "Context" info below for more on this comment.

Niobe Sculptor: unknown c. 200 BC Rome Italy

Human action is beautiful.

Life is movement.

Ebben? Ne andrò lontana (aria from La Wally) Composer: Alfredo Catalani 1892 1851-1900 Milan Italy

Longing is the overall emotional tone of the music. The lyric gives reason to this overall tone.

Sadness at having to leave forever the place where you were happy once.

Wisdom and Strength Painter: Paolo Veronese 1580c 1500s Venice? Italy

Sumptuousness is good, and the human form is good.

Three Graces Sculptor: Antonio Canova 1814 1800s Italy

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: Domenico Ghirlandaio 1490 1400s Florence Italy

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.)

Monster, The Director: Roberto Benigni 1994 1991-2010 Italy

Just laughter and more of the same.

Laocoon (Laocoön and His Sons) Sculptor: Agesander 1st century BCE to 1st century CE 500 BCE - 1 CE Rome Italy

Life is a desperate, agonizing struggle.

The heroic but agonizing defeat of Men. This sculpture certainly represents at the same time the heroic nature of men but cast into an impossible situation that can only be tragic.

La Gomena (Towing a Boat) Painter: Ettore Tito 1909 1900s Italy

There is great effort in life, and a woman can be the master of it. This painting is a curious combination of romantic heroism and 19th century genre naturalism. It has a visual dynamism and dramatic content that is strongly romantic, yet the subject is the prosaic task of pulling a boat out of the water.

The will and the power of a woman. Implacable determination.

Real Chiesa di San Lorenzo (Royal Church of St. Lawrence) Architect: Guarino Guarini 1680 1600s Torino (Turin) Italy

The world is perfected. The joy of seeing complexity that is simplicity, i.e., that the rich complex vision arises from simple elements which because of their arrangement provide layers of visual thrills.

Complex, soaring geometric order.

3 Idiots Screenwriter: Chopra Vidhu Vinod 2009 1991-2010 India

Life can be fun and productive and exciting. As is true in some other Bollywood features, this story and the ideas behind it about pursuing the good life, has an honesty and clarity and benevolence that is not part of the U.S. movie scene.

Be what you want to be; follow your passion in life

Tzena Tzena Tzena Miron - Parish: 1941 1900s Israel

Joyous celebration

Joyous celebration

Euphronios Krater aka Sarpedon Krater Vase Painter: Euphronios 515 BC Greece

Exquisitely beautiful hardship.

Riace Bronze A Myron?: c.460 BCE 500 BCE - 1 CE Greece

Man is strong and indomitable

Intelligence, Pride, Strength = Man

Chariot of Apollo Sculptor: Jean Baptiste (1630-1700) Tuby 1668-1670 1600s Versailles France

The world has thrilling powerful men of action.  There are no limits to what can be achieved.

Elegant, physical power.  The fantasy ability to fly through water and air with grace and ease.

Eiffel Tower Designer: Gustave Eiffel 1889 Paris France

The works of Man are thrilling.

Rose Window - La Sainte-Chapelle (aka The Holy Chapel Designer: Unknown 1248 Paris, Ile de la Cite France

The world is open and bright and colorful and gay.

Sainte-Chapelle Architect: Anonymous 1248 Paris, Ile de la Cite France

The world is brilliant, light, colorful, orderly.

The world is brilliant, light, colorful, orderly.

Tell No One (aka Ne le dis à personne) Director: Guillaume Canet 2006 1991-2010 France

Life is sad, and controlled by mysterious corruption.

Helene Arpels Dress Designer: Maggy Rouff 1937 1901-1950 Paris France

Elegance and richness of detail

Cyrano de Bergerac Playwright: Edmond Rostand 1897 1900s France

Life can be exciting. Life can be grand, literally. There is also some great sadness about consummated love, since it is portrayed as unreachable.

The importance of independence and independent thought. Compromise is deadly to one's soul. Sub-themes: a) Doubt of one's goodness because of an incidental fact (physical feature) is terribly damaging and tragic. b) Helping someone by faking reality is damaging and can come to no good.

La Grande Nevrose Loysel, Jacques: c.1896 1800s Paris France

The dynamic female body is beautiful and exciting. Although it may not explicitly suggest it, the nude and its tense position could be felt as erotic.

An animated female body is a vessel of perfection.

Shade, The Rodin, Auguste: 1880-1904 1900s Paris France

Life is a gruesome trial. There is no hope.

The world destroys man. (Some unknown evil force is destroying this young strong man.) Given that the sculpture is titled as a "Shade" and is related to the Group sculpture "Gates of Hell", one can presume the evil is some unnamed condition that can overpower life and cause destruction of the good.

Burgos Cathedral Crossing Architect: Unknown 1569 circa 1500s Burgos Spain

God is order and reason and light.

The spirit of god is rational, uplifting and rich in detail

Biviel Shoe BV2773 Biviel Design: 2010 2000s Germany

Feeling: texture and line create a sense of elegance and beauty.