"Great Work The term Great Work (magnum opus) is a term used in Hermeticism and in certain occult traditions and religions such as Thelema. The Great Work signifies the spiritual path towards self-transcendence in its entirety. This is the process of bringing unconscious complexes into the conscious awareness, in order to integrate them back into oneself. Accomplishing the Great Work, symbolized as the creation of the Philosopher's Stone, represents the culmination of the spiritual path, the attainment of enlightenment, or the rescue of the human soul from the unconscious forces which bind it. Eliphas Levi (1810–1875), one of the first"
"as being listed in a list of great books, or through a reader's personal opinion. Although the term is often associated with the Western canon, it can be applied to works of literature, music and art, etc. from all traditions, such as the Chinese classics or the Vedas. A related word is masterpiece or ""chef d'œuvre"", which in modern use refers to a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or to a work of outstanding creativity, skill, or workmanship. Historically, the word refers to a work"
"of a wide range of individuals, including Einstein, Elvis, Monet, Mozart, da Vinci, Abraham Lincoln, Watson and Crick, basketball great Bill Russell, Louis Armstrong, Bill Gates, Alfred Hitchcock, Woody Guthrie, and Norma Jeane/Marilyn Monroe. Greatness Historically, in Europe, rulers were sometimes given the attribute ""the Great"", as in Alexander the Great, Frederick the Great, and Catherine the Great. Starting with the Roman consul and general Pompey, the Latin equivalent was also used, as in Pompeius Magnus, Albertus Magnus, and Carolus Magnus. The English language uses the Latin term , (literally ""great work"") to describe certain works of art and literature."
"and the finest materials available. They excelled in public buildings and proved they were better at them than the Greeks. Magnificence (history of ideas) The word magnificence comes from the Latin “magnum facere”, which means to do something great. The Latin word draws on the Greek “megaloprépeia”. This noun conveys the meaning of doing something great which is fitting or seemly to the circumstance. Magnificence is a philosophical, aesthetic and socio-economic notion deeply rooted in Western culture since classical antiquity. It regards the greatness of actions, courage, excellence, honour, generosity, and splendour of lifestyles of noble purposes. Plato offered the"
"prominence, by being a representative selection, etc. The Complete Works The Complete Works is a collection of all the works of one artist, writer, musician, group, etc. Sometimes the Latin language equivalent, Opera Omnia, is used, as for the works of Galen. For example, ""Complete Works of Shakespeare"" is an edition containing all the plays and poems of William Shakespeare. Sometimes the complete works may be titled by a single word, ""Works"". A ""Complete Works"" edition usually is accompanied with notes, introduction, biographical sketch, and other additional information. A contrasting term is ""selected works"", which is a collection of works"
"Magnificence (history of ideas) The word magnificence comes from the Latin “magnum facere”, which means to do something great. The Latin word draws on the Greek “megaloprépeia”. This noun conveys the meaning of doing something great which is fitting or seemly to the circumstance. Magnificence is a philosophical, aesthetic and socio-economic notion deeply rooted in Western culture since classical antiquity. It regards the greatness of actions, courage, excellence, honour, generosity, and splendour of lifestyles of noble purposes. Plato offered the first philosophical interpretation of the concept of magnificence. He separated ""megalopsychía"" (magnanimity) from ""megaloprépeia"" (magnificence), which had been synonymous in"
"Magnum opus (alchemy) The Great Work (Latin: Magnum opus) is an alchemical term for the process of working with the prima materia to create the philosopher's stone. It has been used to describe personal and spiritual transmutation in the Hermetic tradition, attached to laboratory processes and chemical color changes, used as a model for the individuation process, and as a device in art and literature. The magnum opus has been carried forward in New Age and neo-Hermetic movements which sometimes attached new symbolism and significance to the processes. It originally had four stages: The origin of these four phases can"
"word ""Opus"" is used to describe the best work of an artist with the term ""magnum opus"". Etymologically, the words ""opus"" (singular) and ""opera"" (plural) are related to the Latin words ""opera"" (singular) and ""operae"" (plural), the ancestor of the Italian words ""opera"" (singular) and ""opere"" (plural). In English usage, besides the word ""opus"", the word ""opera"" occasionally was used to identify a musical work. In contemporary usage, however, the word ""opera"" specifically denotes the dramatic musical genre of opera or ballet, which were developed in Italy. In the arts, an opus number usually denotes a work of musical composition,"
"The Complete Works The Complete Works is a collection of all the works of one artist, writer, musician, group, etc. Sometimes the Latin language equivalent, Opera Omnia, is used, as for the works of Galen. For example, ""Complete Works of Shakespeare"" is an edition containing all the plays and poems of William Shakespeare. Sometimes the complete works may be titled by a single word, ""Works"". A ""Complete Works"" edition usually is accompanied with notes, introduction, biographical sketch, and other additional information. A contrasting term is ""selected works"", which is a collection of works selected according to some criterion, e.g., by"
"role that magnificence acquired with Aristotle exerted a profound influence on rhetoric, the arts, architecture and art criticism. Cicero introduced the ethic of magnificence to ancient Roman and Italian civilization. In his youthful work on rhetoric, ""De inventione"", he writes that magnificence is ""the consideration and management of important and sublime matters with a certain wide seeing and splendid determination of mind"" (II, Liv, 163). Thus Cicero fused the Greek and Roman traditions, transforming the Greek view of magnificence into a Roman concept. The Latin word ""magnificentia"" comes from the expression ""magnum facere"", which literally means ""to do something great""."
"Virtuoso A virtuoso (from Italian ""virtuoso"" or , ""virtuous"", Late Latin ""virtuosus"", Latin ""virtus"", ""virtue"", ""excellence"", ""skill"", or ""manliness"") is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in a particular art or field such as fine arts, music, singing, playing a musical instrument, or composition. This word also refers to a person who has cultivated appreciation of artistic excellence, either as a connoisseur or collector. The plural form of ""virtuoso"" is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine forms are virtuosa and virtuose. According to ""Music in the Western civilization"" by Piero Weiss and Richard Taruskin: ...a virtuoso"
"Greatness Historically, in Europe, rulers were sometimes given the attribute ""the Great"", as in Alexander the Great, Frederick the Great, and Catherine the Great. Starting with the Roman consul and general Pompey, the Latin equivalent was also used, as in Pompeius Magnus, Albertus Magnus, and Carolus Magnus. The English language uses the Latin term , (literally ""great work"") to describe certain works of art and literature. Since the publication of Francis Galton's ""Hereditary Genius"" in 1869, and especially with the accelerated development of intelligence tests in the early 1900s, there has been a vast amount of social scientific research published"
"Sublime (philosophy) In aesthetics, the sublime (from the Latin ""sublīmis"") is the quality of greatness, whether physical, moral, intellectual, metaphysical, aesthetic, spiritual, or artistic. The term especially refers to a greatness beyond all possibility of calculation, measurement, or imitation. The first known study of the ""sublime"" is ascribed to Longinus: Peri Hupsous/Hypsous or ""On the Sublime"". This is thought to have been written in the 1st century AD though its origin and authorship are uncertain. For Longinus, the sublime is an adjective that describes great, elevated, or lofty thought or language, particularly in the context of rhetoric. As such, the"
"regarded as mere manual labour. The word ""art"" derives from the Latin ""ars"" (stem ""art-""), which, although literally defined, means ""skill method"" or ""technique"", and conveys a connotation of beauty. During the Middle Ages the word ""artist"" already existed in some countries such as Italy, but the meaning was something resembling ""craftsman"", while the word ""artesan"" was still unknown. An artist was someone able to do a work better than others, so the skilled excellency was underlined, rather than the activity field. In this period some ""artisanal"" products (such as textiles) were much more precious and expensive than paintings or"
"Work of art A work of art, artwork, art piece, piece of art or art object is an aesthetic physical item or artistic creation. Apart from ""work of art"", which may be used of any work regarded as art in its widest sense, including works from literature and music, these terms apply principally to tangible, portable forms of visual art: Used more broadly, the term is less commonly applied to: This article is concerned with the terms and concept as used in and applied to the visual arts, although other fields such as aural-music and written word-literature have similar issues"
"Opifex Opifex is a Latin word meaning artisan or manufacturer and referring to a worker who created something. The word is derived from the Latin words ""opus"" (""work"" or ""thing"") and ""facio"" (""to make""); the plural form is opifices. The word is also used as the name of the genus ""Opifex"" in the mosquito subfamily and in the binomial name of the species ""Phidippus opifex"" The word is used in the Latin for St Joseph the Worker, ""Sanctus Josephus Opifex"", celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church on May 1st. Additionally, the German alchemist Cornelius Agrippa used the word in the"
"usage came the more general concept of 'classic'. The Chinese classics occupy a similar position in Chinese culture, and various other cultures have their own classics. Books, films and music particularly may become ""a classic"" but a painting would more likely be called a masterpiece. A classic is often something old that is still popular. The first known use of ""classic"" in this sense — a work so excellent that it is on the level of the ""classics"" (Greek and Latin authors) — is by the 18th-century scholar Rev. John Bowle. He applied the term to ""Don Quixote"", of which"
"Apotheosis Apotheosis (from Greek ἀποθέωσις from ἀποθεοῦν, ""apotheoun"" ""to deify""; in Latin ""deificatio"" ""making divine""; also called divinization and deification) is the glorification of a subject to divine level. The term has meanings in theology, where it refers to a belief, and in art, where it refers to a genre. In theology, ""apotheosis"" refers to the idea that an individual has been raised to godlike stature. In art, the term refers to the treatment of any subject (a figure, group, locale, motif, convention or melody) in a particularly grand or exalted manner. Before the Hellenistic period, imperial cults were known"
"Gesamtkunstwerk A Gesamtkunstwerk (, translated as ""total work of art"", ""ideal work of art"", ""universal artwork"", ""synthesis of the arts"", ""comprehensive artwork"", ""all-embracing art form"" or ""total artwork"") is a work of art that makes use of all or many art forms or strives to do so. The term is a German word which has come to be accepted in English as a term in aesthetics. The term was first used by the German writer and philosopher K. F. E. Trahndorff in an essay in 1827. The German opera composer Richard Wagner used the term in two 1849 essays, and"
"Third Book of his ""Occult Philosophy"" to refer to God. Andrew Marvell uses the phrase ""opifex horti"" in his neo-Latin poem ""Hortus"" (l. 49) to refer to the gardener. Opifex Opifex is a Latin word meaning artisan or manufacturer and referring to a worker who created something. The word is derived from the Latin words ""opus"" (""work"" or ""thing"") and ""facio"" (""to make""); the plural form is opifices. The word is also used as the name of the genus ""Opifex"" in the mosquito subfamily and in the binomial name of the species ""Phidippus opifex"" The word is used in the"
"In Cicero's formulation, it refers to the greatness of the task, the intention to realize it, and the determination to carry it through. Cicero’s seminal interpretation of magnificence influenced Thomas Aquinas in his ""Summa Theologiæ"" over a thousand years later. Magnificence took on very Roman characteristics. In ancient Rome, it is a public phenomenon connected to the institutions, political power and the Roman state. The magnificence of the buildings, roads, public buildings and festivals was under the control of the aediles. Furthermore, magnificence has nothing to do with luxury. Instead, it reflects a system of republican values and virtues embraced"
"The term refers to the canonicity of works of literature written in Latin in the late Roman Republic and the early to middle Roman Empire: ""that is to say, that of belonging to an exclusive group of authors (or works) that were considered to be emblematic of a certain genre."" The term ""classicus"" (masculine plural ""classici"") was devised by the Romans themselves to translate Greek ἐγκριθέντες (enkrithentes), ""select"", referring to authors who wrote in Greek that were considered model. Before then, ""classis"", in addition to being a naval fleet, was a social class in one of the diachronic divisions of"
"Ex opere operato Ex opere operato is a Latin phrase meaning ""from the work worked"" referring to sacraments deriving their power from Christ's work (""ex opere operato Christi"") rather than the role of humans. The phrase is commonly misunderstood to mean that sacraments work automatically and independently of the faith of the recipient. However, in order to receive sacraments fruitfully, it is believed necessary for the recipient to have faith. In modern usage, the phrase often refers to the idea that sacraments are efficacious in and of themselves rather than depending on the attitude either of the minister or the"
"work). It connotes a work that has been ""well prepared, pure and perfect, polished, sacred"". According to Biderman, the perfection contextually being referred to in the etymological origins of the word is its tonal qualities, rather than semantic. Sound and oral transmission were highly valued quality in ancient India, and its sages refined the alphabet, the structure of words and its exacting grammar into a ""collection of sounds, a kind of sublime musical mold"", states Biderman, as an integral language they called Sanskrit. From late Vedic period onwards, state Annette Wilke and Oliver Moebus, resonating sound and its musical foundations"
"similarly associated. The ""Rebis"" image appeared in the work ""Azoth of the Philosophers"" by Basil Valentine in 1613. Rebis The Rebis (from the Latin ""res bina"", meaning dual or double matter) is the end product of the alchemical ""magnum opus"" or great work. After one has gone through the stages of putrefaction and purification, separating opposing qualities, those qualities are united once more in what is sometimes described as the divine hermaphrodite, a reconciliation of spirit and matter, a being of both male and female qualities as indicated by the male and female head within a single body. The sun"
"Perfection Perfection is a state, variously, of completeness, flawlessness, or supreme excellence. The term is used to designate a range of diverse, if often kindred, concepts. These have historically been addressed in a number of discrete disciplines, notably mathematics, physics, chemistry, ethics, aesthetics, ontology, and theology. The form of the word long fluctuated in various languages. The English language had the alternates, ""perfection"" and the Biblical ""perfectness."" The word ""perfection"" derives from the Latin """"perfectio"""", and ""perfect"" — from """"perfectus"""". These expressions in turn come from """"perficio"""" — ""to finish"", ""to bring to an end."" """"Perfectio""(n)"" thus literally means ""a"
"a work of art as any artifact upon which a qualified person or persons acting on behalf of the social institution commonly referred to as ""the art world"" has conferred ""the status of candidate for appreciation"". Larry Shiner has described fine art as ""not an essence or a fate but something we have made. Art as we have generally understood it is a European invention barely two hundred years old."" Art may be characterized in terms of mimesis (its representation of reality), narrative (storytelling), expression, communication of emotion, or other qualities. During the Romantic period, art came to be seen"
"Rebis The Rebis (from the Latin ""res bina"", meaning dual or double matter) is the end product of the alchemical ""magnum opus"" or great work. After one has gone through the stages of putrefaction and purification, separating opposing qualities, those qualities are united once more in what is sometimes described as the divine hermaphrodite, a reconciliation of spirit and matter, a being of both male and female qualities as indicated by the male and female head within a single body. The sun and moon correspond to the male and female halves, just as the Red King and White Queen are"
"in the context of the fine arts, the term can also refer to a 'master' or 'ace' who excels technically within any particular field or area of human knowledge—anyone especially or dazzlingly skilled at what they do. For instance, Ken Jennings' initial success on Jeopardy was described as a ""virtuoso performance."" The meaning of virtuoso has its roots in the Italian usage of the 16th and 17th centuries, signifying an honorific term reserved for a person distinguished in any intellectual or artistic field. The term evolved with time, simultaneously broadening and narrowing in scope as interpretations went in and out"
"vision and philosophy for urban development. Gesamtkunstwerk A Gesamtkunstwerk (, translated as ""total work of art"", ""ideal work of art"", ""universal artwork"", ""synthesis of the arts"", ""comprehensive artwork"", ""all-embracing art form"" or ""total artwork"") is a work of art that makes use of all or many art forms or strives to do so. The term is a German word which has come to be accepted in English as a term in aesthetics. The term was first used by the German writer and philosopher K. F. E. Trahndorff in an essay in 1827. The German opera composer Richard Wagner used the"
"rather than of quantity. Magis Magis (pronounced ""màh-gis"") is a Latin word that means ""more"" or ""greater"". It is related to ""ad majorem Dei gloriam"", a Latin phrase meaning ""for the greater glory of God"", the motto of the Society of Jesus. Magis refers to the philosophy of doing more for Christ, and therefore doing more for others. It is an expression of an aspiration and inspiration. It relates to forming the ideal society centered on Jesus Christ. Modern use of the word is often traced to St. Ignatius's Spiritual Exercises or retreat, where he would have the exercitant ask:"
"This agent...is precisely that which the adepts of the middle ages denominated the first matter of the Great Work. The Gnostics represented it as the fiery body of the Holy Spirit; it was the object of adoration in the secret rites of the Sabbath and the Temple, under the hieroglyphic figure of Baphomet or the Androgyne of Mendes. He further defined it as such: The Great Work is, before all things, the creation of man by himself, that is to say, the full and entire conquest of his faculties and his future; it is especially the perfect emancipation of his"
"impress without causing fear or indignation. The grand style of magnificence also entered terminological discourse of ancient Greek art criticism. Indeed, the Greeks drew on rhetorical terminology to describe and evaluate sculpture, painting and architecture. Magnificence is applied to works of art which express grandeur and other lofty features. According to Pliny the Elder, the grand style of magnificence can be appreciated in works such as the statue of Zeus by Phidias and Zeuxis’s painting of Zeus enthroned. In his monumental ""De architectura"", Vitruvius analyzed both the artistic-aesthetic and the philosophical-ethical aspects of the concept and enshrined magnificence in classical"