Siskind Vsis-kind\, Aaron (b. Dec. 4, 1903, New York, N.Y., U.S.—d. Feb. 8, 1991, Providence, R.I.) U.S. photographer, teacher, and editor. He began to photograph in 1932 while teaching English in a public school. While documenting the Great Depression, he attended as closely to pure design as to his subjects. In the 1940s he began to photograph patterns and textures of subjects such as coiled ropes, footprints in sand, and weathered pavement and billboards. Though not immediately accepted by photographers, his abstract work was admired by painters Willem de Koon¬ ing and Franz Kline, with whom he later exhibited. He was most influen¬ tial as a professor of photography and as coeditor of the magazine Choice.
SIstdn or Seistan \se-'stan\ Extensive border region, eastern Iran and southwestern Afghanistan. Most of its sparse population and about two- fifths of its area lie in Iran. It comprises a large marshland depression with a true desert climate. It is the reputed homeland of the legendary Kayanian dynasty of Persia and played an important part in Persian his¬ tory, especially under the Safavid dynasty (1502-1736). In the 19th cen¬ tury it was the centre of a dispute between Persia and Afghanistan that led to the establishment of their modern frontier.
Sistine Chapel \'sis-,ten\ Papal chapel in the Vatican Palace, Rome, constructed 1473-81 by Giovanni dei Dolci for Pope Sixtus IV (for whom it is named). It is the site of the principal papal ceremonies. Its exterior is drab and unadorned, but its interior walls and ceiling are decorated with frescoes by Florentine Renaissance masters, including Perugino, Pinturic- chio, Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, and Luca Signorelli. Portions of the walls were once covered with tapestries designed by Raphael (1515- 19). The most important works are the frescoes by Michelangelo on the ceiling and the western wall behind the altar, considered among the great¬ est achievements of Western painting. The ceiling frescoes, depicting Old Testament scenes, were commissioned by Pope Julius II and painted 1508— 12; the Last Judgment fresco on the western wall was painted 1536-41 for Pope Paul III. A controversial 10-year cleaning and restoration of the ceiling was completed in 1989, and of the western wall in 1994.
Sisyphus Vsi-s3-f9s\ In Greek mythology, the king of Corinth who was punished in Hades by having to roll a huge stone up a hill over and over again. He was the son of Aeolus and the father of Glaucus. When Death came to fetch him, Sisyphus had him chained up so that no one died until Ares came to free Death. Before being taken to the underworld, Sisy¬ phus asked his wife to leave his body unburied. When he reached Hades he was permitted to go back to earth to punish his wife, and he lived to a ripe old age before dying a second time.
His trickery resulted in his punish¬ ment in Hades.
Sita Yse-,ta\ In Hindu mythology, the consort of Rama. She sprang from a furrow when King Janaka was plowing his field, and Rama won her as his bride by bending Shiva’s bow. Her abduction by the demon king Ravana and subsequent rescue are described in the Ramayana. She kept herself chaste during her long imprisonment, and on her return she proved her purity by undergoing an
Sita, Mughal painting, c. 1600; in the collection of Bharat Kala Bhavan, Varanasi, India
PRAMOD CHANDRA
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1760 I sitar ► Sjaelland
ordeal by fire. A symbol of the sufferings and strengths of women, she is one of the most revered figures in the Hindu pantheon.
sitar \si-'tar, 'si-,tar\ Long-necked stringed instrument of northern India, the dominant instrument in Hindustani music. It is used in ensembles and as a solo instrument with the tamboura (drone-lute) and tabla. The sitar developed from the Middle Eastern tanbur. It has a deep pear-shaped gourd body, metal strings, front and side tuning pegs, a wide neck, and movable frets. It normally has four or five melody strings, which are plucked with a plectrum worn on the forefinger; several drone strings; and numerous sympathetic strings (strings caused to vibrate by the other strings’ vibrations). A gourd resonator is attached to the top of the neck.
sitcom See situation comedy
Sitka National Historical Park Park, southeastern Alaska, U.S. Located on Baranof Island in the Gulf of Alaska, it was established in 1910 as a national monument; a national park since 1972, it covers 107 ac (43 ha). It contains the ruins of the Indian fortress in which the Tlingit Indians made their last stand against Russian settlers in 1804. It also has a collection of old Haida Indian totem poles and the oldest intact Russian- American building in the U.S.
Sittang Vsi-,tai]\ River River, east-central Myanmar (Burma). It rises on the edge of the Shan Plateau and flows south 260 mi (420 km) to empty into the Gulf of Martaban of the Andaman Sea. Though navigable for only a short distance, it is used to float timber (particularly teak) south for export. It was the scene of severe fighting during World War II.
Sitting Bull (b. c. 1831, near Grand River, Dakota Territory, U.S.—d. Dec. 15, 1890, on the Grand River in South Dakota) Teton Sioux chief under whom the Sioux peoples united in their struggle for survival. Fre¬ quent skirmishes between the U.S. Army and Sitting Bull’s warriors occurred in 1863-68, at the end of which the Sioux agreed to accept a reservation in southwestern Dakota Territory. When gold was discovered in the Black Hills in the mid-1870s, further outbreaks occurred. At the Battle of the Rosebud, troops under Gen. George Crook were forced to retreat; and at the Battle of Little Bighorn, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and his men were killed. In 1877 Sitting Bull led his followers into Canada, but, with the buffalo reduced to near extinction, starvation even¬ tually drove the Sioux to surrender. From 1883 Sitting Bull lived on Indian Agency lands, at one point (1885) traveling with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. During the Ghost Dance movement, Sitting Bull was arrested. He was killed when his warriors tried to rescue him.
situation comedy or sitcom Radio or television comedy series that involves a continuing cast of characters in a succession of episodes. Often the characters are markedly different types thrown together by circum¬ stance and occupying a shared environment such as an apartment build¬ ing or workplace. Typically half an hour in length and either taped in front of a studio audience or employing canned applause, they are marked by verbal sparring and rapidly resolved conflicts.
Sitwell family British family of writers. Edith Sitwell (1887-1964) attracted attention when she joined her brothers in a revolt against Geor¬ gian poetry. Her early work, which emphasizes the value of sound, includes Clowns’ Houses (1918) and Fagade (1923), set to music by William Wal¬ ton. Beginning with Gold Coast Customs (1929), her style became less artificial and experimental, and during World War II she emerged as a poet of some emotional depth. Her later poetry is informed by religious sym¬ bolism, as in Gardeners and Astronomers ( 1953) and The Outcasts (1962). She was famous for her formidable personality, Elizabethan dress, and eccentric opinions. Her brother Osbert (1892-1969) became famous, with his siblings, as a tilter at establishment windmills in literature and the arts. His best-known books are his memoirs, including Left Hand! Right Hand! (1944) and Noble Essences (1950), which create with conscious nostalgia the portrait of a vanished aristocratic age. Their brother Sacheverell (1897- 1988) is best known for his books on art, architecture, and travel. His Southern Baroque Art (1924) was the forerunner of much academic research. His poetry, including The People’s Palace (1918) and The Rio Grande, was written mostly in traditional metres and reveals in its man¬ nered style his interest in the arts and music.