Amerigo Vespucci, Italian Explorer and Cartographer

Amerigo Vespucci, Italian Explorer and Cartographer Amerigo Vespucci (March 9, 1454–February 22, 1512) was an Italian explorer and cartographer. In the early 16th century, he showed that the New World was not part of Asia but was, in fact, its own distinct area. The Americas take their name from the Latin form of Amerigo. Fast Facts: Amerigo Vespucci Known For: Vespuccis expeditions led him to the realization that the New World was distinct from Asia; the Americas were named after him.Born: March 9, 1454 in Florence, ItalyParents: Ser Nastagio Vespucci and Lisabetta MiniDied: February 22, 1512 in Seville, SpainSpouse: Maria Cerezo Early Life Amerigo Vespucci was born on March 9, 1454, to a prominent family in Florence, Italy. As a young man, he read widely and collected books and maps. He eventually began working for local bankers and was sent to Spain in 1492 to look after his employers business interests. While he was in Spain, Vespucci had the chance to meet Christopher Columbus, who had just returned from his voyage to America; the meeting increased Vespuccis interest in taking a journey across the Atlantic. He soon began working on ships, and he went on his first expedition in 1497. The Spanish ships passed through the West Indies, reached South America, and returned to Spain the following year. In 1499, Vespucci went on his second voyage, this time as an official navigator. The expedition reached the mouth of the Amazon River and explored the coast of South America. Vespucci was able to calculate how far west he had traveled by observing the conjunction of Mars and the Moon. The New World On his third voyage in 1501, Vespucci sailed under the Portuguese flag. After leaving Lisbon, it took Vespucci 64 days to cross the Atlantic Ocean due to light winds. His ships followed the South American coast to within 400 miles of the southern tip, Tierra del Fuego. Along the way, the Portuguese sailors in charge of the voyage asked Vespucci to take over as commander. While he was on this expedition, Vespucci wrote two letters to a friend in Europe. He described his travels and was the first to identify the New World of North and South America as a separate landmass from Asia. (Christopher Columbus mistakenly believed he had reached Asia.) In one letter, dated March (or April) 1503, Vespucci described the diversity of life on the new continent: We knew that land to be a continent, and not an island, from its long beaches extending without trending round, the infinite number of inhabitants, the numerous tribes and peoples, the numerous kinds of wild animals unknown in our country, and many others never seen before by us, touching which it would take long to make reference. In his writings, Vespucci also described the culture of the indigenous people, focusing on their diet, religion, and- what made these letters very popular- their sexual, marriage, and childbirth practices. The letters were published in many languages and were distributed across Europe (they sold much better than Columbuss own diaries). Vespuccis descriptions of the natives were vivid and frank: They are people gentle and tractable, and all of both sexes go naked, not covering any part of their bodies, just as they came from their mothers’ wombs, and so they go until their deaths...They are of a free and good-looking expression of countenance, which they themselves destroy by boring the nostrils and lips, the nose and ears...They stop up these perforations with blue stones, bits of marble, of crystal, or very fine alabaster, also with very white bones and other things. Vespucci also described the richness of the land, and hinted that the region could be easily exploited for its valuable raw materials, including gold and pearls: The land is very fertile, abounding in many hills and valleys, and in large rivers, and is irrigated by very refreshing springs. It is covered with extensive and dense forests...No kind of metal has been found except gold, in which the country abounds, though we have brought none back in this our first navigation. The natives, however, assured us that there was an immense quantity of gold underground, and nothing was to be had from them for a price. Pearls abound, as I wrote to you. Scholars are not certain whether or not Vespucci participated in a fourth voyage to the Americas in 1503. If he did, there is little record of it, and we can assume the expedition was not very successful. Nevertheless, Vespucci did assist in the planning of other voyages to the New World. European colonization of this region accelerated in the years after Vespuccis voyages, resulting in settlements in Mexico, the West Indies, and South America. The Italian explorers work played an important role in helping colonizers navigate the territory. Death Vespucci was named pilot-major of Spain in 1508. He was proud of this accomplishment, writing that I was more skillful than all the shipmates of the whole world. Vespucci contracted malaria and died in Spain in 1512 at the age of 57. Legacy The German clergyman-scholar Martin Waldseemà ¼ller liked to make up names. He even created his own last name by combining the words for wood, lake, and mill. Waldseemà ¼ller was working on a contemporary world map in 1507, based on the Greek geography of Ptolemy, and he had read of Vespuccis travels and knew that the New World was indeed two continents. In honor of Vespuccis discovery of this portion of the world, Waldseemà ¼ller printed a wood block map (called Carta Mariana) with the name America spread across the southern continent of the New World. Waldseemà ¼ller sold 1,000 copies of the map across Europe. Within a few years, Waldseemà ¼ller had changed his mind about the name for the New World- but it was too late. The name America had stuck. Gerardus Mercators world map of 1538 was the first to include North America and South America. Vespuccis legacy lives on through the continents named in his honor. Sources Fernndez-Armesto Felipe. Amerigo: the Man Who Gave His Name to America. Random House, 2008.Vespucci, Amerigo. â€Å"The Letters of Amerigo Vespucci.† Early Americas Digital Archive (EADA).

Minimalism or Minimal Art Mid-1960s to the Present

Minimalism or Minimal Art Mid-1960s to the Present Minimalism or Minimal Art is a form of  abstraction. It focuses on the most essential and elemental aspects of an object. The art critic Barbara Rose explained in her groundbreaking article ABC Art, Art in America (October-November 1965), that this empty, repetitious, uninflected aesthetic could be found in the visual arts, dance, and music. (Merce Cunningham and   John Cage  would be examples in dance and music.) Minimal art aims to reduce its content to rigorous clarity. It may try to rid itself of evocative effect, but it does not always succeed. Agnes Martins faint graphite lines drawn on pale flat surfaces seem to radiate with human delicacy and humility. In a small room with low light, they can be exceptionally moving. How Long Minimalism Has Been a Movement Minimalism reached its peak during the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, but many of its practitioners are still alive and well today. Dia Beacon, a museum of mainly Minimalist pieces, exhibits a permanent collection of the best-known artists in the movement. For example, Michael Heizers North, East, South, West (1967/2002) is permanently installed on the premises. Some artists, such as Richard Tuttle and Richard Serra, are now considered Post-Minimalists. What Are the Key Characteristics of Minimalism? Clarity and simplicity of form.No narrative.No anecdotal content or references.Emphasis on pure shapes.Often monochromatic surfaces. Best Known Minimalists: Agnes MartinDonald JuddMichael HeizerRobert MorrisRobert SerraRichard TuttleTony SmithAnn TruitRonald BladenDan FlavinSol LeWittRobert MangoldDorothea Rockburne Suggested Reading Battcock, Gregory (ed.). Minimal Art: A Critical Anthology.New York: Dutton, 1968.