Title Creator Date Era City Country Emotional Sum (Sense of Life or emotional World View) Theme
Octopus Schaefer, Taf Lebel 2005 United States Playful.
Of Human Bondage Maugham, W. Somerset 1915 1900 - 1950 United Kingdom Life is a fearful gray spread of actions and in-actions without genuine values. We are all deformed in mind or spirit and should accept convention as demanded by those around us.

Man's life is outside his control. Conventionality is the final ideal.
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.)
Othello: the Moor of Venice Playwright: Shakespeare, William 1603 1600s Malevolence and horrible tragedy is unrelieved.  Evil is potent.

A great man can be gullible and controlled by an evil character.&nbsp; Or, an evil character can have potency in the world, because of the weakness of a good man.<br>
Owl and the Sparrow Director: Gauger, Stephane 2007 1991-2010 A child shows sweetness and strength and determination.

Searching for family, for soulmates.
Pieta Sculptor: Buonarotti, Michelangelo 1500 1500s United States Resignation in the face of tragedy.

Recognition and acceptance of a great personal loss.
Pirelli Calendar Diver Photographer: Ommer, Uwe 1984 Women can be strong, dynamic and unconsciously beautiful.
Psyche Author: Young, Phyllis Brett 1959 Optimistic, Hopeful, even under terrible circumstances.

We are beings of self-made soul<br>
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.
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".
Real Adventure, The Author: Webster, Henry Kitchell 1915 Life is wonderful as long as you realize that life has to be earned the hard way.

Creating your *self* is the only way to live.
Real Chiesa di San Lorenzo (Royal Church of St. Lawrence) Architect: Guarini, Guarino 1680 1600s United States 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.
Rembrandt Director: Korda Alexander 1936 pre-1910 Life is hard as an independent spirit, and wealth will elude you, but you will be happy, after a fashion.
Repose Painter: Alexander, John White 1895 1900s New York United States Life is extravagant and lush and sensual.

Feminine Sensuality is a main theme, though one can argue that a related (equal theme or sub-theme) is: The Lushness of the Material World. The dramatic draped womanly figure pressing against a divan, whose figure is clearly oulined, shares the visual dominance of the painting along with the magnificent sweeps of her dress and the giant pillows, the massive backrest, and even the strong elements of the floor material and the golden back wall. All together a remarkable composition.
Riace Bronze A Myron? c.460 BCE 500 BCE - 1 CE Reggio Calabria Italy Man is strong and indomitable

Intelligence, Pride, Strength = Man
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.
Robie House Architect: Wright, Frank Lloyd 1910 1900 - 1950 United States The world is open and has sweeping, unending possibilities.

The essence of a house as shelter, and providing a sense of strength and privacy. That is, a structure that exudes strength through its massive cantilever and massive brick and stone forms, along with its big overhangs sheltering the windows to create a sense of privacy and enclosure, in its urban situation.
Romeo + Juliet Director: Luhrmann, Baz 1996 1991-2010 Tragedy is central to life.

Romantic Love is doomed and we don't control our own lives.
Rose Window - La Sainte-Chapelle (aka The Holy Chapel Designer: Unknown 1248 The world is open and bright and colorful and gay.
Ruggles of Red Gap Director: McCarey, Leo 1935 1931-1950 Happiness and fulfillment is in yourself.

Personal declaration of independence from servitude
Sainte-Chapelle Architect: Anonymous 1248 The world is brilliant, light, colorful, orderly.

The world is brilliant, light, colorful, orderly.
Senso-ju Temple at Asakusa Hiroshige 1840s c 1800s Pure, simple, quiet tranquility.
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.
Spider Web Narcissi Table Lamp Designer: Tiffany, Louis Comfort circa 1902 1900 - 1950 Richness of form, sumptuous shapes.
Sports March Singing Group: Soviet Army Chorus and Band unknown mid-20th century 1900s Russia Happiness triumphs.

The power of joy to motivate action.