History Of Art: Analysis

NOTE: The translated French version of my analysis is a little bit longer, I'll try to update this version when I have the time or post the full French version when I'm finished. Again, comments and feedback are much appreciated! 


Tintin In The land of the Soviets is seen by many people to being a bit crude and primitive by Herge's standards. Some dismiss it entirely as being anti-communist propaganda for kids, not comparable to Herge's later work in the Series. While the comic does mark early days for Herge, I think it can still be sat next to the other Tintin album's without standing out, because it's still undeniably Tintin. For example a lot of Herge's drawing techniques are still apparent, like his famous 'ligne claire' style. 'Ligne claire' (or clear line in English) is a drawing technique applied by Herge and later several other artists of his time like french artist Ted Benoit and Joost Swarte, who invented the name 'ligne claire' in 1977 when he was visiting a Tintin exposition in Rotterdam (this was known as the 'ligne claire' movement). Ligne claire characteristic's are often marked by the use of clear, strong lines of uniform importance that never change or falter in quality throughout the comic. This is largely done because Herge was a perfectionist, often putting extreme care and effort into every one of his panels. Because Tintin In The Land Of The Soviets isn't in colour, the thick black lines are immediately apparent and nothing is done 'sketchy' at all. For example look at this extract from page 29:

English stereotypes aside, the black and white colour palette really suits Herge's style, but another distinct 'ligne claire' trademark, the use of vivid, vibrant colours is of course absent from this work. Notice how the thickness of the black lines are always the same, whether you're looking at the clothing, the backgrounds ect.... And another noticeable trait of the 'ligne clair' style is the lack of lighting or shadows on ANYTHING. So because it's black and white we don't even know what time of day it is. You could also say that the comic lacks atmosphere because of this, and just why Herge never used shadows or lighting effects in his work in unknown to me. It wasn't because Herge was lacking in the drawing department, as another aspect of his style is the detailed, realistic backgrounds set against the cartoon-y looking characters. Everything looks like it could be set in the real world but the characters designs are exaggerated enough to give it that much needed comic book feel. Now notice anything else that stays the same in Herge's style? The panels on each page are all drawn with the same simple black stroke, and nothing steps out of the allotted zone which gives the comic a one dimensional 'flat' feel. So while Tintin In The Land Of The Soviets style is a bit more loose and rough when compared to the other Tintin comic books, it's still recognisably Tintin in it's design, structure and sense of humour, if a bit crude at times. Remember, this was supposed to be anti-communist propaganda!

My Report: 2nd Trimester (25th Nov 2011 - 29th Feb 2012)

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French: 10,54/20

Teacher: Mme Thomas

Comments: The results are still 'correct'. The texts keep getting more and more complex and their analysis is getting more and more literary. Don't be discouraged and continue your efforts.   

Class average: 10,58/20

Highest Score In Class: 14,20/20

Lowest Score In Class: 7,36/20

Personal Opinion: I continue to do just fine in French. Again most of my points come from the comprehension and analysis part of Tests. Anything that is grammar based normally fails miserably, and even then there are times when the text becomes a bit difficult to get the jist of, especially when it's written in French from the seventeenth century! 

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History-Geography: 12,70/20

Teacher: Mme Morvan

Comments: The results have gone down but remain correct. You must continue your efforts.

Class Average: 10,24/20

Highest Score In Class: 13,30/20

Lowest Score In Class: 5,30/20

Personal Opinion: Despite only getting an average score, I'm still 0,50 away from being the best in the Class! History remains a frustration because I'm perfect in the questions part of the Test but mediocre in the argumentative paragraph part. An example: questions based on documents 9/10, argumentative paragraph 5/10 ('The idea's are there, but need to be properly developed'). The reason why I keep failing the argumentative paragraphs is because a) I don't have enough time to complete it, b) It's either lacking idea's or too full of them and c) one mistake can set you back quite a bit, and the Teachers notation has become even more strict. So yeah, I still have to find that perfect balance, but I keep on trying. The Teacher does comment that I need to 'continue my efforts' and that's what I'm doing. Anyway in-Class the two subjects remain interesting and engaging.   

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English: 18,72/20

Teacher: Mme Rouxel

Comments: Very good work in all language activity's. Please continue! 

Class Average: 14,58/20

Highest Score In Class: 18,72/20 (me)

Lowest Score In Class: 11,50/20

Personal Opinion: English keeps things interesting, if we're not watching an extract from a film we're looking at Star Wars or creating fictional characters. It's definitely more pop-culture orientated, and it's fun because of it. As for the imperfect score, I did accidentally miss a question in the Les Epreuves Communes Test. A mistake that I accidentally made two months ago has cost me 1,28. God I hate this scoring system, you slip up ONCE and it looks like you came out worse than last time.  

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German: 14,71/20

Teacher: Mme Guillermic 

Comments: Very good work overall. Timothy is very discreet in Class and could win a few points in oral expression Tests.

Class Average: 12,01/20

Highest Score In Class: 17,04/20

Lowest Score In Class: 9,04/20

Personal Opinion: Still good in German for the most part. I do have a few wrong pronunciations in this subject though, so I did lose points for that. I was also penalized for not being more talkative in Class, but you won't see that again in my next report I can assure you. 

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Maths: 12,80/20

Teacher: Mme Le Merlus

Comments: The results are still correct but have gone down a bit. Timothy must be more careful in written Tests to stop certain mistakes from appearing in the application of exercises.    

Class Average: 12,99/20

Highest Score In Class: 17,73/20

Lowest Score In Class: 8,93/20

Personal Opinion: I've had really good Tests this Trimestre, but really dodgy ones as well (I'm looking at you Epreuves Communes). In the end I've had slightly more 'good' results than 'bad' results. So quality-wise I'm all over the place, but the score would have been higher if I had just finished that Epreuves Communes Test in time! Those nine points have cost me dearly. 

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S.V.T: 13,52/20

Teacher: Mme Gandon-Desbois

Comments: Tim has met the expected efforts. You must preserve this score, bravo!!!  

Class Average: 11,70/20

Highest Score In Class: 15,92/20

Lowest Score In Class: 6,88/20

Personal Opinion: Well to be fair I only had two Tests this Trimester and both of them were pretty easy. I did mess up on a surprise Test though, so that's why you're not seeing a higher result. Again you can't really plan for these things, the very nature of a surprise Test is that it's a surprise! 

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Science: 16/20

Teacher: M. Begoc

Comments: Very good overall. Continue likewise.  

Class Average: 12,99/20

Highest Score In Class: 16,80/20

Lowest Score In Class: 8,20/20

Personal Opinion: Still my most consistent subject, Science is always in the 15-17/20 area. The Test's are well thought out, and really gives you those extra points just because you bothered revising for two hours the night before.  

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Technology: 13,81/20

Teacher: M. Bastide

Comments: Overall correct thanks to serious work in Class. Written Tests seem a bit more delicate.

Class Average: 14,72/20

Highest Score In Class: 17,13/20

Lowest Score In Class: 11,92/20 

Personal Opinion: I think that the way things are structured in technology now does not suit me one bit. Basically, the work seems harder and the Tests keep getting more and more confusing as they go along (I was truly stumped by the 'Name five exterior elements linked to a toaster', I mean who would put THAT question in a Test??).

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Art: 16,50/20

Teacher: M. Riallin

Comments: Excellent trimester result, the work is one of quality. Felicitations! 

Class Average: 14,04/20 

Highest Score In Class: 16,50/20 (me)

Lowest Score In Class: 10,50/20

Personal Opinion: Art is one of my best subjects because I never seem to be lacking in the idea's department. I've always got that idea that no-one else seems to have and corresponds well with the task at hand. 

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Music: 13,20/20

Teacher: Mme Jouet

Comments: Very satisfactory trimester but in decline. Positive attitude in Class, good work.

Class Average: 12,15/20

Highest Score In Class: 17,50/20 

Lowest Score In Class: 10/20

Personal Opinion: No written Tests this trimester so I didn't rack up another 19,5/20 to put on wall (written Tests just require a sh*t ton of revision and you're guaranteed 20/20). One Test felt unfair though, because I genuinely did the best I could in the time limit and still was met with a less-than-fantastic score. 

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Sport: 10/20

Teacher: M. Radenac

Comments: The technical skills in basketball and badminton are average. The work is satisfactory in lessons. Timothy must continue his efforts in the 3rd Trimester. 

Class Average: 13,79/20

Highest Score In Class: 17,50/20

Lowest Score In Class: 10/20

Personal Opinion: I'm crap at Sport. END. OF. STORY.

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Professional discovery (or D.V.P): 16,17/20
Teacher: M. Bastide
Comments: Very good trimester. A student that is curious and serious in his work. Timothy knows when to take initiative, felicitations.
Class Average: 15,06/20 
Highest Score In Class: 17,33/20
Lowest Score In Class: 10/20
Personal Opinion: As a subject, this doesn't really interest me, but as a quick/sure fire way to grab points that helps boost your overall score it serves it's purpose. 
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Overall School Life Score (attitude in Class ect…): 20/20 (still the perfect student)

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Overall School opinion on this Trimester: Thanks to work that is both serious and applicable, Timothy maintains a satisfactory level this trimester. He must continue his efforts, mainly in French and participate more to gain an advantage. The school board gives it's encouragements. 


The school board emits a favourable opinion for passage into seconde generale and technologique (Lycee) if the results stay the same in the 3rd trimester. 
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Overall Personal opinion on this Trimester: Still consistent quality-wise, although I could have been better if I just didn't make a few crucial mistakes at crucial circumstances. Still, life is defined by your mistakes and triumphs, and I remain positive if a little bitter. The only thing I can do is try to do better next time, as always.
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Overall Score: 14,45/20 
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The Fades Series One: My Thoughts

Here's my rough, Episode-by-Episode thoughts on the BBC horror Series 'The Fades' (Blu-Ray version):


The first instalment to the Series did grate with me a bit. The opening sequence and premise of the show has been done to death countless times, and I constantly had a feeling of Deja Vu up until the end. The Episode opens with an unsuspecting victim being pounced on by a Fade (think zombies mixed with ghosts), and the camera cuts to a shot of her screaming face *CUE CHEESY OPENING TITLES*. This trope has been done to death on Doctor Who and in countless other horror classics so right from the start I was pretty much groaning. It picked up after that though, as we were introduced to the two main characters of the Series: Mac and Paul. They come off as being immediately likeable characters, partly because any teenager can relate to them on some level and also because the actors playing these two characters are top notch. Mac (Daniel Kaluuya) is a blast, his inherent geeky-ness comes off as being really charming and spouts one liners off the top of his head like it's nothing. Paul (Iain de Caestecker) is a shy 17-year-old who has trouble blending into society and talking to girls. Oh and did I mention he pees in his pants at night? Like I said, instantly relatable to people that are my age! Anyway we quickly discover that Paul is 'special', because he keeps experiencing dreams that depict the world covered in ash (supposedly it's the end of all things) and he is destined to become a member of the Angelic's, a team of supernatural ghost-busters (who also have powers of their own) and are tasked with keeping the Fades (ghosts that have it in for everybody) in check. Like I said, a lot of these tropes have been done to death in the past, the most notable iterations of 'The Chosen One' genre being Buffy The Vampire Slayer or more recently Harry Potter. But aside from the less-than-original plot, the show does it so well that by the end you've almost forgotten about these similarities entirely. And it's all held together by some great acting and genuinely lovable characters. So while the first Episode is a bit mediocre at times it's still made watchable by the great cast and the writing pen of Jack Thorne. The first Episode is good enough to warrant a viewing of the second Episode, and that's exactly what the first Ep should do: make me WANT to watch more. 7/10.  

For what the Fades is, you can't deny that it's pretty ballsy. This isn't a show that holds all of the cards close to it's chest and it shows in Episode two. After Episode One nearly all of the Angelic's are killed and the only thing stopping the Fades from taking over the world is a kid that can see the future and a partially blind man called Neil. With those odds, it's surprising that they stood a chance in the first place! The Second Ep continues from where the first one left off, but has a slightly slower pace than before. This is largely to the Episode's benefit because the show focuses more on the awkward teenage comedy this time around, which was the best part of the first Ep and continues to be entertaining here. The gore factor starts to kick in as well as the Fades start to capture and eat school kids. The teenage leads continue to be enthralling, and the Episode expertly touches on some...erm...interesting topics. The big bad and the 'Chosen One/End of the World' still feels a bit generic but is done in a slightly more interesting way this time around as the writers decide to give Paul a few more powers to fiddle with. Oh, and Mac is still the best thing about this show. 8/10. 

Things really start to pick up in Episode 3. For one we get introduced to more members of the Angelic's, the big bad starts to get interesting AND the final twist comes as a complete surprise. The Fades are still lingering in the background for the most part, and as a result their threat is a bit more on the tame side. However the show continues to use this extra breathing space to develop the cast and set the groundwork for future events. The show is definitely going for a more 'slow build-up' approach and for the time being it seems to be working. Here's hoping that the pay-off in the last three episodes can live up to that, especially after that cracking reveal at the end...8,5/10. 

Having just watched Episode 4, I can't wait to get into Episode 5. The Fades is turning into something really special now, not to mention unique. At the end of the previous Episode, the big bad of the Fades had burst from his fleshy cocoon to be reborn back into human form. He's on the rampage and looking for his undead girlfriend, with Paul (now in spirit form after a car crash has put him in a coma) helping him! As to be expected, the death count is through the roof (nearly all of the Angelic's have been murdered...again) and the stakes are even higher as the rest of the un-dead are being reborn into fleshy form as well, not to mention their now all immortal (LOP OFF HIS HEAD GODAMMIT)! This is by and large my favourite Episode of the Series so far, I mean it just keeps getting better and better. Skin's star Joe Dempsie is now playing John, the head of the Fades and he plays the part with absolute panache. His tale on the rooftop is truly heartbreaking, and for once I'm starting to sympathise with the bad guy here. The show has basically just flipped everything on it's head half way through and is now racing at 100mph towards the finishing line. The acting is the best it's ever been, the stakes are high, the newly invigorated bad guy is fantastic and Paul has got one tough job on his hands....9,5/10.

Episode 5 is setting things up nicely for the Finale. The gore is once again through the roof, and the horror element is starting to come into it's own. As the Fades are slowly kidnapping, killing and feasting on the population of Paul's home town, the community has declared a state of emergency with everyone regrouping at the nearby school. They're making more and more of themselves and are slowly taking over everyone, so the school is the perfect breeding ground for them now. Paul seems to think that he can save the Fades and force them back into 'Ascension' (essentially send them to heaven) but will his plan work? It's really gripping stuff now, John's plan has taken a much darker slant as he's essentially turning everyone you know into ravenous, immortal undead but hey, all in a days work I guess. Unlike other Episodes, it's generally scary/chilling at points not to mention superbly grim. Characters are still being picked off left, right and centre and it's clear that not everybody is safe, especially Paul's girlfriend. The cast continue to be believable and well thought out, and are continuing to be developed in interesting ways. Mac has taken a bit of a back seat though, which is a shame. But then again his Episode recap's do grate after a while and make absolutely no sense in the context of the show when you think about it so...a blessing in disguise perhaps? I suppose you can have TOO much of a good thing. So, will the world end like Sarah and Paul have predicted? I certainly hope not, cause then there would be no more Fades! 9/10. 

Episode 6, the Finale was pretty darned good. I do wish the story could have been a tad more wrapped up by the end though, seen as the BBC have just announced that they're cancelling season 2. The finale had some brilliant stunt and special effects work (for a BBC 3 budget anyway) and the final confrontation between Paul and John was satisfying. I also liked how they demonstrated that no side in the conflict was the 'right' side or the side of good if you will. Neil's unexpected bout of murder was unessesary, in a good way. Oh, and WHY THE F*CK DIDN'T PAUL KILL NEIL? HE KILLED YOUR GIRLFRIEND, GODAMMIT! If I had any other gripes with the Episode it would be the editing near the end, I mean those Fades were trying to break into that container for AN ETERNITY. I know the show is trying to build up suspense but come on! Anyway back to my gratuitous praise for this Series, which has really turned out to be a diamond in the rough. And a true diamond in the rough at that, the more you watch it, the shinier it will become. It's something that I applaud the show makers for, not to mention their magnificent casting of the main leads. The Series does, like most Series, end on a cliffhanger though, which I'm fine with as long as the BBC recommissions it for a 2nd Series.....Oh yeah, they haven't. Woops. Still the first Season is good enough (and complete enough) to warrant the purchase of the Blu-Ray boxset, even if it's light on extras. 8,5/10.