Caravaggio

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was one of the most revolutionary figures of European art. He trained in Milan and he was active in Rome, Naples, Malta and Sicily. He created realism with the use of light. In his paintings he used a focused light source from high up, without reflections, a room with a single window and black walls. In this way, the lit and shadowed areas are very light and very dark and give enormous three-dimensionality to the painting; also the light was important to enhance the dramatic impact and give the figures a quality of immediacy.

The incredulity of Saint Thomas: it's a painting of Saint Thomas by Caravaggio. It is housed in the Sanssouci Picture Gallery. It shows the episode that gave rise to the term "Doubting Thomas" which had been frequently represented in Christian art since at least the 5th century. According to St John's Gospel, Thomas the Apostle missed one of Jesus's appearances after His resurrection. He didn't believe in Jesus's resurrection because he wanted to see with his eyes and touch with his hands the wound. So Jesus invited him to touch the wound. In the painting, Thomas's face shows surprise. The work is in chiaroscuro and the absence of halo emphasizes the corporeality of the risen Christ. 

Princess Diana

• Person's Name, Time Period, and Place

 Diana, Princess of Wales, was an iconic figure of the late 20th century.

• Personal Backgrounds

She was born to an aristocratic family with links to the Royal Family. When her parents                      divorced, she grew up in the family home of Park House, before moving to Althorp in 1975. In 1981, she married Prince Charles, with whom she had two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.

• Personality Traits

She was beautiful and nice. When she went to school, she didn't shine as student, but did well in music and ballet.

• Significance

She epitomized feminine beauty and glamour. At the same time, she was admired for her groundbreaking charity work. She took part in various official engagements, such as the opening of hospitals. She was one of the first well-known celebrities to be photographed with a victim of AIDS.

• Obstacles

In 1990s she suffered various health problems such as bulimia and depression.

• Important Quote 

"If you find someone you love in your life, then hang on to that love".

The main signs in a relationship

• If the guy you're talking to stretches out his hand when he's speaking to you, he's inviting you in with a desire to get close to you.

• If he sits close to you in public, he's telling you he can't get enough of you.

• If he fidgets a lot when he's sitting with you, it can mean he's nervous or uncomfortable.

• When he maintains eye contact in a conversation, this is a sign that he's an active listener. He's really interested in what you have to say and wants to communicate that to you.

Vegetables gardens tested for Mars

Scientists from NASA hope that astronauts will grow their own food on the Red Planet. The journey to Mars could take two-and-a-half years and so they will need to take a lot of food with them. They will never be able to come back to Earth. This means they will need to grow their own fruit and vegetables on the planet. However there is a problem: Mars doesn't have soil that is good for growing things. For this reason, NASA has been testing "Martian gardens" to see what might grow on Mars. They used a soil made of crushed volcanic rock and so it's similar to the red dust on Mars. They grew lettuce in it. It tasted normal, but it had weaker roots and took longer to grow. 

Famous people

NAME: James McVey

TIME PERIOD: he's born on 30th April 1994

PLACE: he's from Bournemouth, Dorset, England

PERSONAL BACKGROUND: he's the lead guitarist and back up vocalist for the pop rock group The Vamps, who formed in 2012.

PERSONALITY TRAITS: he loves animals, he's pretty healthy, he's onest.

SIGNIFICANCE: he's working with HeForShe to help make a difference. This charity encourages people to take action against gender inequalities. He is encouraging people to speak up about their experience with inequalities.

OBSTACLES: over the years, he has faced acne struggles, he has also offered advice on how to tackle the problem and how to remain positive through it.

IMPORTANT QUOTE: "Gender equality is something that affects both men and women and I think it is important that we get as many guys talking about this as well as women".

The extraterrestrial highway

It’s situated in Nevada. Its old name was Route 375. There we can find the Alien Research Center and some mysterious ancient hieroglyphics. Route 375 begins at Crystal Springs. There you must drive carefully because you don’t want to run over an alien. Then, you must be careful because animals like elks, coyotes are free. The first junction is for Groom Lake that goes to Area 51, a secret Us Air Force base. It doesn’t exist,  but local people know better. The highway descends into Sand Spring Valley where there is a strange restaurant with Alien Burgers. Also on the Highway there is a strange building with a huge metal alien at the door where you can buy alien souvenirs. At the end, there is the Lunar Crater. Legend tell us an UFO crashed here, but experts say the crater resulted from an underground explosion.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a science fiction film released in December 2015. It's directed by J. J. Abrams. The main actors are John Boyega as Finn, Daisy Ridley as Rey and Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron. It is set in Abu Dhabi, Iceland, Ireland and England. It talks about Finn, Rey and Poe Dameron's search for Luke Skywalker and their fight alongside the Resistance, led by veterans of the Rebel Alliance, against Kylo Ren, the dark Lord, and the First Order, a successor group of the Galactic Empire. I see this film at the cinema in December. As soon as I saw it, I liked it so much for the action, the special effects and also for the actors, and for this the next few days I started to see the previous six films/episodes. I recommend this film for people who loves science fiction films.