Mrs. Vue

Picasso's 'Dream', or How to Ruin a $139 Million Painting

2006-10-22T16:36:00.000-07:00

The Dream, by Pablo Picasso

Article By: Elena Gorgan, Entertainment News Editor

To many, the name Steve Wynn does not ring any bells but to art connoisseurs and casino millionaires, he is one of the most respected (and money-making) businessmen in the industry.

Unfortunately, from now one, he will also go down in history as the only man ever to put a hole in the center of a Picasso painting... his very own, by the way.Mr. Wynn, a respectable art collector, had just concluded a deal with another art lover for 'Le Reve' ('The Dream'), that was to get him $139 million. After the transaction was finalized, Wynn was showing the painting to some of his friends, in his Las Vegas office.As he lifted his hand to show them something, Wynn, who suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, a disease that damages peripheral vision, lost his balance and leaned with his elbow in the 1932 painting. The director and screenwriter Nore Ephron was present when the incident took place and she later wrote on her blog: 'At that moment, his elbow crashed backward right through the canvas. There was a terrible noise. Smack in the middle... was a black hole the size of a silver dollar. “Oh, s**t”, he said. “Look what I've done. Thank goodness it was me”'. Because the painting could no longer go to its new owner, Wynn released him from the agreement and vouched to repair and keep the painting himself, he said in a press statement.

QUESTIONS:
1) After reading this article, do YOU still think the painting is worth 139 million dollars now? Why or why not?
2) Pretend the painting was not ruied yet and you could afford the painting for 139 million dollars. Would you buy it or not?

Mona Lisa

2006-10-22T16:25:00.000-07:00

Mona Lisa
Leonardo da Vinci, circa 1503–1507
oil on poplar, 77 × 53 cm , 30 × 21 inches
Paris, Musée du Louvre

Mona Lisa, or La Gioconda (La Joconde), is a 16th-century oil painting on poplar wood by Leonardo da Vinci, and is arguably the most famous painting in the world. Few works of art have been subject to as much scrutiny, study, mythologizing and parody. It is owned by the French government and hangs in the Musée du Louvre in Paris.

The painting, a half-length portrait, depicts a woman whose gaze meets the viewer's with an expression often described as enigmatic.

QUESTIONS:

1) Why do you think this painting is so loved and well-known by people all over the world? What makes it so special?

2) How does the figure in the painting make you feel?

The RACE IS ON!

2006-10-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

Mark Green (left) and Jim Doyle (right)

The race for governor is getting pretty tight as election day nears. What are the polls saying and who do you think people should vote for WI state governor and WHY?

Sites to read regarding the 2006 WI Governor Election:
http://uspolitics.einnews.com/news/wisconsin-governor-campaign-2006
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/index.php?ntid=103042
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=511449

Poem by Robert Frost

2006-10-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

After reading this poem, what do you think the poem is about? What does the poet mean by "nothing gold can stay"?

Your next task is to write and post a poem of your own on your blog and see what others have to say about it. You can choose whatever style of poetry writing for this blog assignment.

Math Questions of the Week

2006-10-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

Please do not post your answer in the comment section. You may comment on the 2 questions and help each other. Answers are due in class on a separate sheet of paper (please show your work).

1) C is the center of the circle and F is a point on the circle such that BCDF is a 2cm by 3cm rectangle. What is the area of the shaded region? (in cm2).

Hints:
1) What is the radius of the circle? How would you find it?
2) The pythagorean theorem may help you. c2 = a2 + b2

1) Find the value of X, Y, and Z

Hints:
1) How could you solve for the value of x?
2) How can you solve for the value of the hypoteneuse of a right angle triangle?
3) Find the value of y and z, with the value of x you calculated.