<ul><li>Retro-futurism can be summarized as the future seen from the past, though sometimes it also incorporates the notion of past seen from the future. </li><li> Sometimes, retro-futurism becomes a sort of “faux nostalgia” — a nostalgia for a future that never happened. </li><li>It is a way to envision how different world designs could look like. </li><li> It works as a retrospection for our society but also often leads to new creative ideas.</li></ul>

What is Retro-futurism? 

<ol><li>Cyberpunk</li><li>Atompunk </li><li>Alternate Histories</li><li>Steampunk</li></ol>

Types of Retro-futurism

Atompunk adds interesting elements to the retro-futuristic version of the 1950s. The industries are shown running on clean nuclear power, and the city life is faster than ever with bullet trains. Most popular depiction of atom punk is found in Fantastic Four comics, James Bond films, and cartoon shows such as Dexter’s Laboratory.

Atompunk

Cyberpunk depicts a dark and dystopian retro-future with all the advanced technologies we can ever imagine. The world is controlled by evil organizations and is filled with pain, misery, and chaos. This genre is heavily explored in video games, comics, and popular movies like Blade Runner, Tron, etc.

Cyberpunk

The 19th century marks an era that drastically transformed the human lifestyle. Steam engines ran and new industries emerged. Steampunk refers to a future that is based in 19th-century settings with grand steam-powered machines (such as steam aircraft, steam cannons, etc) at play.

Steampunk

Alternate history explores changed versions of real historical events and reveals the connected consequences. For example, "What if Einstein is erased from history?", "How would our lives have been without the internet?"﻿﻿Books like Stephen King’s 11/22/63 and Kim Stanley Robinson’s Years of Rice are based on this intriguing idea.

Alternate History 

It it said that the concept was first discussed in a late 1960s book "Retro futurism" by T.R. Hinchliffe. However, there isn't enough evidence to back this up. In the year 1983, an ad about Bloomingdale’s jewelry got published in the New York Times which said “silverized steel and sleek grey linked for a retro-futuristic look”. This was one of the earliest use of the term. Retro-futurism has been an active theme for artistic creation and products. For example, Back to the Future II, or the launch of the first iPhone in 2007, many fictional and real events depict retro-futurism.

The origin and cultural influence of retro-futurism

As an avid fan of retro-futuristic art I think it helps us to discover the limitless possibilities of what our society could be like which we could draw inspiration from. It also furthers the understanding of world we live in and helps us critic and praise it. 

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Retro-futurism and why it matters: a foray into alternative futures seen from the past

The Kazakhs are a semi-nomadic tribe who have been travelling through the mountains and valleys of Kazakhstan since the 15th century. Along with taming wild horses, one of their most famous ancient traditions is hunting with eagles. It is seen as the highest form of art and dedication. The annual Golden Eagle Festival sees wolf-skin clad Kazakhs take to the mountains on horseback and golden eagles soar into the skies in celebration of this unique heritage.

Kazakhs – Kazakhstan

The Huli are one of the most famous tribes on Papua New Guinea, an island in Oceania that is home to hundreds of unique traditional tribes. The Huli are proud and fearless warriors who are known for their ornate headdresses and unique way of painting their faces and bodies with bright yellow Ambua (a sacred clay) and red ochre.

Huli – Papua New Guinea

Galloping across the wild prairies of Argentina , Paraguay , Uruguay , Southeastern Bolivia , Southern Chile , and Southern Brazil are the gaúchos. These bombacha wearing free spirits are the cowboys of South America . They are bound to their horses and devoted to chasing the call of the wild (and wild cattle). They are famously brave, notoriously unruly, and renowned in legends and folklore. Gaúchos have existed for thousands of years and are one of the most romanticised cultures in the world.

Gaúchos – South America

India is a land of mystery, magic, and incredible culture. The Rabari, who are believed to have migrated from Iran more than a millennium ago, have roamed Western India for almost 1,000 years.Their intricate embroidery, magnificent brass jewellery, and tattoos are legendary. For hundreds of years, the women have adorned their bodies with magical symbols that are considered both decorative and religious. The men often wear white with elaborate jewellery and turbans.

Rabari – India

The ancient “Forbidden Kingdom” of Mustang, which was a lost kingdom of Tibet, is a remote and isolated region of the dramatic Himalayas in Nepal . It is a place shrouded in mystery and mysticism and home to the Loba people (or Lowa). They practice an early form of Buddhism and are known for their flamboyant religious festivals. The Tiji Festival is a three-day festival consisting of rituals known as the “chasing of the demons”. Many of the Loba still believe the world is flat.

Loba – Nepal

The most addictive and beautiful thing about travelling is being able to learn about and experience a new culture.

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5 fascinating cultures around the world - Travelstart Kenya's Travel Blog

Artist: Sandro Botticelli (original name: Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi)Completed in: 1482Primavera means spring in Italian. This painting is also known as the 'Allegory of Spring'. It is one of the prime examples of Renaissance art. There are various interpretations of this painting. Some say it is a mythical allegory while some say it is about the change of season into spring. This painting is popular because of the use of colour and the different explanations attached to it. Primavera is believed to be the most controversial painting in the world.

2. Primavera

Artist: Leonardo Da VinciCreated in: 1503Located in: Louvre, ParisThis painting is one of the most famous and recognized paintings in history. There have been many discussions on the enigmatic smiles of the Mona Lisa, on whether she is really smiling or not.The major feature of this painting is that even when you change the angle of the view, the eyes of the Mona Lisa seems to always follow you. The painting is done in oil on wood and is presently under the ownership of the Government of France.

1. Mona Lisa 

Artist: Giotto di BondoneCompleted in: 1306Located in: The Scrovegni ChapelThis painting depicts the moment of betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot who identifies Jesus to the Roman soldiers by kissing him. Many critics believe that Giotto is a genius and no artist has been able to surpass his work. His mastery is evident in the way he captured the expression of Jesus and Judas at that scene of betrayal.

6. The Kiss of Judas

Artist: Michelangelo BuonarrotCompleted in: 1541 Located in: Sistine Chapel in Vatican CityThe painting is about the second coming of Jesus, the day when God shall judge all humanity. Jesus is painted in the center surrounded by saints. The top portion of the painting shows the resurrection of the dead to heaven and the bottom portion shows the descent of sinners into hell. The use of colors and excellent brushwork make this painting of the most revered painting in the world

7. The Last Judgment

Artist: RaphaelCompleted in: 1511This painting stands one among the four main frescos on the walls of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. The four frescos symbolize Philosophy, Poetry, Theology, and Law. This painting symbolizes philosophy and is a representation of the finest period of Greek Philosophy as one can find Aristotle and Plato in the centre of the painting. This painting has perfectly captured the classical spirit of the Renaissance.

5. The School of Athens

Artist: Michelangelo BuonarrotiCreated in: 1512 The creation of Adam is the painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Even though this is one of the most replicated paintings of all time, it is only second in popularity to Mona Lisa. The painting has become a symbol of humanity as the image depicts the hand of both God and Adam on the verge of touching.

3. The Creation of Adam

The period from the 14th century to the 17th century in Europe is popularly called Renaissance, and it marked a rebirth or revival of classical learning and wisdom. The wave of renaissance touched upon many areas of European civilization, particularly the areas of art, religion, literature, and politics. Renaissance marked an increased awareness of nature, a revival in learning which was all present in the medieval period but became prominent in the 15th and 16th century. Renaissance art was all about the representation of an individual view of a man.

Renaissance 

Artist: Leonardo Da VinciCompleted in: 1498The image shows Jesus with his disciples for his last supper. The painting is noted for its clever use of colour, light, and anatomy. The painting is also a subject of many discussions and conjectures. Many have proposed that the disciple sitting to the right of Jesus is Mary Magdalene and many have also wondered the significance or meaning of the V shape between Jesus and the person on the right.

4. The Last Supper

Artist: Sandro BotticelliCompleted in: 1485 The painting shows Goddess Venus arriving on the island of Cyprus. She is depicted as a pure and mature woman standing on a seashell. Botticelli had given much attention to every detail of Venus. This painting was done in a period where nudity was a subject in paintings and thus makes this one an important painting of the Renaissance.

10. The Birth of Venus

Artist: Raffaello SanzioCompleted in: 1512 Located in: Emäldegalerie Alte Meister in DresdenThe painting shows Mother Mary holding baby Jesus in her hands with Saint Barbara and Saint Sixtus on both her sides and two cherubs beneath her. This is one of the most famous works of Raphael and an important painting of the Renaissance.

8. Sistine Madonna

Artist: Tiziano VecellioCompleted in: 1518 Located in: Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei FrariThis painting was done by the artist in his early years and he has used vivid colors in this painting. Assumption of the Virgin is a painting about the rise of Mother Mary into heaven. Mother Mary is painted in a red dress who is raised to heaven to where God is gazing down in Mary while apostles bid her farewell from the ground.

9. Assumption of the Virgin

The period from 14th century to 17th century, called Renaissance, marked a rebirth or revival of classical learning and wisdom. The wave of Renaissance touched upon many areas, particularly art, religion, literature, and politics. Article by PARBLO Best Digital Art Blog, graphic tablets, affordable art drawing monitors

10 Most Famous Paintings of The Renaissance

<ul><li>1346: The first battle of the war between Edward III of England & Philip VI of France took place at Crécy. The French lost.</li><li>1355: <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edward-the-Black-Prince">Edward the Black Prince</a>, eldest son of Edward III, defeated the French once again at <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Poitiers-French-history-1356">Poitiers</a>, taking king John II of France prisoner. France agrees to pay the English & give them territories if Edward renounced his claim. Treaties were never respected. </li><li>1415: Henry V of England destroys the French at Agincourt. The French were ruled by a mad king and the country was in a civil war between the Armagnacs, and the Burgundians. </li><li>1428: The French push back when <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Joan-of-Arc">Joan of Arc</a> relieved the siege of Orléans. She was captured by the Burgundians & died as a heretic. </li><li>1475: Official end of the war. No peace treaty was ever signed. Calais was retained by the English until 1553, and English kings continued to claim the title king of France until 1801.</li></ul>

Hundred Year's War Key Events

Hundred Years’ War, intermittent struggle between England and France in the 14th–15th century over a series of disputes, including the question of the legitimate succession to the French crown. By convention it is said to have lasted from 1337 to 1453, but there had been periodic fighting since the 12th century.

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Hundred years war

<ul><li>Fire did much more than just keep us warm, protect us from predators and give us a new tool for hunting. Fire actually refashioned our biology. </li><li>The decisive development as a result of fire was cooking. Anything that allows an organism to get energy more efficiently is going to have huge effects on the evolutionary trajectory of that organism. </li></ul>

We Are A Creature Of Fire 

By the 18th Century, our increasingly populous societies were beginning to run up against the limits of agriculture.Then we found coal that we could dig up and burn in almost unlimited quantities which contains the solar energy captured over millions of years by fossilised forests. Oil and natural gas proved even more valuable.  Not only were fossil fuels abundant. They also provided ever greater sources of power, liberating us from our dependence on animals for farming and transportation.Since the Industrial Revolution we have grown taller and healthier, our life expectancy has increased vastly, and in the developed world we are on average 30 to 40 times better off.

Industrial Revolution 

The nutrients in food are exposed when heated. This makes it is easier for our digestive enzymes to do their work effectively, extracting more calories more quickly than if we ate our food raw. The extra energy it gave us allowed us to evolve the small colons and relatively large energy-hungry brains that distinguish us from other primates.And, as our brains began to grow larger and smarter it created a positive feedback loop and we figured out more ways to to access the calories in our food.

The Power Of Cooking 

Around 12000 years ago, global temperatures rose rapidly and then stabilised. Within 2000 years people all over the world started domesticating crops. Cultivating crops had been pretty much impossible during the Ice Age but the new warmer climate, coupled with a big rise in carbon dioxide levels, was very hospitable to plant life.More food meant more people - who could then expand into new territory, and develop new technologies that produced even more food.

Agriculture And Climate Change 

The average human being in a developed country uses more like 100 times the amount than a resting human being does to sustain their metabolism, if you add in the energy needed to get around, build and heat our homes, grow our food and all the other things our species gets up to.Unlike virtually every other creature on Earth, human beings do much more with energy than just power our own metabolism.

Energy Is The Key

We live in a fossil fuel society. But while they proved to be extremely valuable, the catastrophic climate change they are creating now threatens to derail that society. Two centuries ago we reached the limits of what agriculture could do, now global warming is imposing a limit on what fossil fuels can safely do. It has created the greatest challenge human society has ever faced - moving back to relying on the daily influx of energy from the Sun to meet the huge energy needs of eight billion people and counting.

Climate Change 

The surplus energy agriculture created meant we could sustain much larger populations. Everyone didn't need to farm anymore and people could specialise in other fields or arts. Civilizations now started developing. Hunter gatherer communities tend to share resources fairly equally. In farming communities, by contrast, deep inequalities can develop.People in civilizations worked double the amount than a person in a hunter gatherer society and only kings and nobles enjoyed a leisurely life.

Rise of Civilizations 

How demand for energy has been central to the development of humanity.

Retro-futurism and why it matters: a foray into alternative futures seen from the past

5 fascinating cultures around the world - Travelstart Kenya's Travel Blog

10 Most Famous Paintings of The Renaissance

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Retro-futurism and why it matters: a foray into alternative futures seen from the past

5 fascinating cultures around the world - Travelstart Kenya's Travel Blog

10 Most Famous Paintings of The Renaissance

It's time to Read like a Pro.

Hundred years war

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It's time to
Read like a Pro.