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Jawlensky, Aleksey von

(Encyclopedia)Jawlensky, Aleksey von əlyĭksyāˈ vôn youlĕnˈskē [key], 1864–1941, Russian painter. He went to Munich in 1896 and met Kandinsky, with whom he was associated in avant-garde groups. A hint of f...

samadhi

(Encyclopedia)samadhi səmäˈdē [key], a state of deep absorption in the object of meditation, and the goal of many kinds of yoga. In Buddhism the term refers to any state of one-pointed concentration. In Hinduis...

Clarke, James Freeman

(Encyclopedia)Clarke, James Freeman, 1810–88, American Unitarian clergyman and author, b. Hanover, N.H. While in charge of the Unitarian church in Louisville, Ky. (1833–40), he was for three years editor of the...

Pereira, I. Rice

(Encyclopedia)Pereira, I. Rice (Irene Rice Pereira) pərāˈrə [key], 1907–71, American painter, b. Chelsea, Mass. In 1935, Pereira helped found the Federal Art Project design laboratory and taught there for sev...

Masson, André

(Encyclopedia)Masson, André äNdrāˈ mäsôNˈ [key], 1896–1987, French painter and graphic artist. An exponent of surrealism until 1928, Masson developed “automatic writing”—spontaneous linear expression...

Watkins, Vernon

(Encyclopedia)Watkins, Vernon, 1906–67, British poet, b. Maesteg, Wales, educated at Cambridge. Like his close friend Dylan Thomas, Watkins was profoundly influenced by his Welsh background. His poetry combines s...

Benet, Juan

(Encyclopedia)Benet, Juan bənetˈ [key], 1927–93, Spanish novelist and essayist. He earned a degree in civil engineering and worked as a highway engineer before publishing (1961) his first work, Nunca llegarás ...

dialectic

(Encyclopedia)dialectic dīəlĕkˈtĭk [key] [Gr.,= art of conversation], in philosophy, term originally applied to the method of philosophizing by means of question and answer employed by certain ancient philosop...

Zen Buddhism

(Encyclopedia)Zen Buddhism, Buddhist sect of China and Japan. The name of the sect (Chin. Ch'an, Jap. Zen) derives from the Sanskrit dhyana [meditation]. In China the school early became known for making its centra...

Good Friday

(Encyclopedia)Good Friday, anniversary of Jesus' death on the cross. According to the Gospels, Jesus was put to death on the Friday before Easter Day. Since the early church Good Friday has been observed by fasting...

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