Subversion involves the use of version control software. According to Margaret Rouse, any alteration made to a file or directory contents is traceable over time. Using the SVN software, the different stages of change are recordable and can be undone. Any changes made to folders translate to modification of the subversion repository contents. Any type of file can be manipulated i.e. photos, videos, all office suite documents, WebPages and can extend to websites. Repositories located as online data banks in HTTP and HTML format are modifiable. For instance, in a website that allows users to modify content, it is easier to track any changes made over a period. Complex use of the software is when adjustments are made by more than one user until the resultant piece has no connection whatsoever with the original document. The recent subversion software’s can even allow you to access each change made independently and decide which to emit. The technique finds use in open sources coding platforms where the programmers may allow access to a repository and restrict changes.
Subversion also takes the form of alteration of meaning of a particular piece of art from the original meaning. People may think that an art has one meaning but over time, other intended meanings may be uncovered.
The Mona Lisa photo by Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the photos that have undergone remarkable subversion in terms of meaning over the years. For years, common believe has been that the original image has subtle meanings all hidden in the numbers drawn in the Mona Lisa eyes. Da Vinci must have constructed his initials LV on the left eye (Nick Pisa). Many people have been keen in the search for other deeper meaning on the face of the Mona Lisa.
Taking a step into history where many artists have not ventured yet, the Mona Lisa speaks much about the Italian culture and art of painting. From the earliest analysis, the portrait depicted honor, respect and status in the Ancient Italian society. Many artists believe that the Mona Lisa is a sketch of Lisa Gherardini, wife of a wealthy Florentine merchant. The smile might have been a calculated move by Da Vinci to make the portrait likeable. Nevertheless, the use of warm colors from below the chest to the visible neck and face is as significant as is the winding road tending into the wild with lighter colors. The dark veil that covers her hair asserts a high ranking in society and class distinction. A analysts speculate that a notable event may have occurred in her life that prompted the painting for commemoration. While some speculate that it may have been the buying of a new house, other think that the death of her daughter followed by the birth of a son. Some schools of thought interpret the veil as a sign of mourning.
The Death of the virgin painted by Caravaggio had massive imagery and symbolism at the time of drawing. Although the painting was an art designed for the parish, it rather depicted the Virgin Mary as promiscuous. At that time, the painting received much criticism especially from the catholic community for portraying the Virgin Mary as a common person without the sacred aura around her. The parish employed the services of Carlo Saraceni, a close associate of Caravaggio to paint another to fit the church setting and illustrate the virgin as a sacred being. The lifeless body painted by Caravaggio with loose hair and spread legs indicates that everyone is bound to die, and that is the path of mortals. The lack of emphasis on the faces of the disciples is a clear indication of the silent sorrowful mood-engulfing atmosphere of the picture. The dull colors with fewer details are an indication of the somber mourning around the dead body.
The contemporary views of the paintings have deepened and revealed innate features concealed to the normal eye. The lack of sacredness was the initial reason for rejection and still is. Nevertheless, on scrutiny, Caravaggio’s art portrayed more than others could interpret especially because religious dogma ruled every mind. The drawing of a copper pot evident in the background of the painting has much significance as any other observable feature. In ancient times, a copper pot prepared the dead for burial indicating that one’s existence on the earth had ceased. Although rejected for the same objective, the painting with a copper pot depicted that the virgin, being a human being, died a natural death like everyone else. The same issue earned Caravaggio dismissal since it is the belief among the catholic faithful that the virgin ascended to heaven without dying.
The other side of the unfolding story is the dead body used in the painting. It is the belief of most modern painters that Caravaggio must have used the body of his lover and prostitute Lena. She had drowned in the river, and he may have used her body on give a natural luminosity to the painting.
Works Cited
- Margaret Rouse. Whatis.com. Subversion. 2014. Web. 13 September 2014 <www.searchenterpriselinux.techtarget.com/definition/subversion>
- Jonathan Jones. The guardian .com. Art and design; The secret of Mona Lisa’s smile in Leonardo’s painting. October 2014. Web. 13 September 2014.
- Max Fisher. The Atlantic. Gangnam style, dissected: The subversive Message within south Korea’s Music Video Sensation. August 2012. Web. 13 September.
- Raph Shirley. The Mona Lisa. October 2010. Web. 13 October 2014
www.raphshirley.com/blog/2010/10/04/the-mona-lisa/
