twerk, palazzi, artificer, self-contained, artificial heart:, Gesamtkunstwerk

According to legend, Venice was founded on this day in 421 AD at the stroke of noon with the dedication of its first church, San Giacomo. Its crumbling palazzi and secret waterways have since inspired countless writers – but how much do you know about the city in literature?



It’s inevitable. Your parents will want to know what twerking means. Here’s how Op-Ed contributor Teddy Wayne advises you handle that discussion.


artificial heart: first self-contained model was received by Robert Tools; he lived with it for 151 days (2001)


Mr. Gehry conceived of this bold ensemble of buildings as a self-contained composition — an urban Gesamtkunstwerk — not as a collection of independent structures. Postpone the towers and expose the stadium, and it becomes a piece of urban blight — a black hole at a crucial crossroads of the city’s physical history. If this is what we’re ultimately left with, it will only confirm our darkest suspicions about the cynical calculations underlying New York real estate deals.

What Will Be Left of Gehry’s Vision for Brooklyn?

Gesamtkunstwerk - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gesamtkunstwerk ("total," "integrated," or "complete artwork") is a German term
attributed to the German opera composer Richard Wagner which refers to an operatic
performance encompassing music, theater, and the visual arts. ..





 artificer

artificer (ahr-TIF-uh-suhr)

noun:
1. An inventor.
2. A craftsperson.
3. A mechanic in the armed forces.

Etymology
From Latin artificium (craftsmanship, art), from art + facere (to make).

Usage
"The artificer turns a little sadly to his king: 'One day, I hope mankind will find a peaceful use for my invention,' he says." — Tom Lubbock; Flights of Fantasy; The Independent (London, UK); Sep 18, 2006.


self-contained
adj.

1. Constituting a complete and independent unit in and of itself: A self-contained dictionary defines every word contained within it.
2. 1. Not dependent on others; self-sufficient: a self-contained settlement in the Arctic.
   2. Keeping to oneself; reserved.

selfcontainment self'-con·tain'ment n.

Gesamtkunstwerk

Term first used by RICHARD WAGNER in Das Kunstwerk der Zukunft (1849) to describe his concept of a work of art for the stage, based on the ideal of ancient Greek tragedy, to which all the individual arts would contribute under the direction of a single creative mind in order to express one overriding idea. However, the term is applied retrospectively to projects in which several art forms are combined to achieve a unified effect, for example Roman fora, Gothic cathedrals and some Baroque churches and palazzi.

palazzoLine breaks: pa|lazzo

Pronunciation: /pəˈlatsəʊ/ 

Definition of palazzo in English:

noun (plural palazzos or palazzi pəˈlatsi)

A palatial building, especially in Italy.

EXAMPLE SENTENCES

Origin

twerk

New words: August 2013

Pronunciation: /twəːk/

verb

[no object] informal

• dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movements and a low, squatting stance:just wait till they catch their daughters twerking to this song twerk it girl, work it girl

Origin:

1990s: probably an alteration of work