Turkish guard police take special training, lasting 316 hours, for carrying out their job at best at Police Training Center Directorate of Guarding Training Academy of Turkiye on June 1, 2022. in Ankara, Turkiye. (Photo by Evrim Aydin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The long and intriguing story of the origine of the indigenous Maori people can be traced back to the 13th century, the mythical homeland Hawaiki, Eastern Polynesia. Due to centuries of isolation, the Maori established a distinct society with characteristic art, a separate language and unique mythology. Defining aspects of Maori traditional culture include art, dance, legends, tattoos and community. While the arrival of European colonists in the 18th centure had a profound impact on the Maori way of life, many aspects of traditional society have survived into the 21th century.

Karl Bang's paintings are unique because he combines totally different styles of painting within the same format. It is very difficult to design a balanced composition with realistic elements that are juxtaposed with flat colors and patterns. The faces of his subjects are painted realistically in the Western tradition with subtle gradations of color; while, his figures and costumes vignette into abstracted shapes, lines, flat colors and patterns that reflect Karl's background in China. It is as though there are different visual languages being spoken within his paintings.

Private Wallace Tratford arrives home on leave, Drouin, Victoria, ca. 1944. A.I.F. Private Wallace Tratford, son of 1st Constable James Tratford, Drouin's only policeman (responsible for area of 105 square miles; 3,000 people), arrives home on his first leave from New Guinea battlefronts since he was married.

Russian soldiers write home while serving on the Eastern Front during World War I, circa 1915. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Father Christmas hands out presents to children at the Aid And Adoption Society home at Leytonstone. (Photo by Gerry Cranham/Fox Photos/Getty Images). 7th December 1938

A photo from Madonna’s high school yearbook at her childhood home in Rochester, Michigan, circa 1973. (Photo by Rebel Images/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Pauline Torres carries belongings from her flooded Merced, Calif., home on Tuesday, January 10, 2023. (Photo by Noah Berger/AP Photo)