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Art History Chapter 13; Gothic Art

About the first few pages of the text (pages 198-200), I am excited to see that the work on Saint Denis was written down. We haven’t seen a lot of that through this art history book. It’s interesting to me to read about how the church looks through another persons eyes, even if this person lived so many years ago. Saint Denis on the Manuscript page from the Life of Saint Denis was depicted bigger than the other characters on the piece of art. This emphasizes his importance. This reminded me of many of the other chapters in the text (the Egyptians and Greeks, if I can remember correctly) and also I noticed gold around the edges, which just goes with the theme of royalty/higher power.

Okay the stained glass windows on pages 202 in the text, 213, and 217 are AMAZING! So beautiful. They remind me of this church I went to once. It was about 10:00 am, and there were these beautiful stained glass windows lining a tall wood paneled wall. The sun came through them so delicately, it was magnificent. Reading about them is interesting to me, because stained class windows are so curious. Being in an empty church with tall ceilings and a sight of stained glass windows is almost whimsical, or I suppose spiritual would be the right world. According to the text, colored glass is formed by mixing metallic oxides with molten glass or fusing colored glass with clear glass. Next, the artist will cut the glass to whatever shapes he is trying to create. Once all of the pieces have been fitted on a piece of wood or paper, details are added in black enamel. To go with what I mentioned earlier, about a church room with stained glass feeling spiritual, the text mentions that Saint Denis reflects Suger’s intention to convey God’s presence through the display of the stained glass with it’s light and color. No wonder!

Towns in Northern France began competing to build cathedrals with the Gothic style. Cathedrals by definition, according to the text, are a seat of the bishop. Kathedra in Greek means ‘seat’ or ‘throne’. And cathedrals were built in more urban areas. This makes sense to me, because if I look out of my window here in Dubuque, I can see a church with a Gothic style steeple. I’ve taken pictures of it before, and it’s in fact my favorite church to photograph through all of my years of living here. The text says (page 204) that cathedrals being urbanized helped the local economy, because cathedral schools and universities were connected, and the thousands of pilgrims and visiting traffic provided great stimulation in the area.

On page 206, looking at the Perspective Diagram and cross section of the Chartres Cathedral (figure 13.12), I can imagine how patient the workers must have been while building these cathedrals. There are a lot of details put into this work, and it’s not just as simple as making columns, like the Greeks or Romans. This is tough work! The results are so beautiful though (page 207-213). The Tympanum, lintel, and archivolts of the central portal in the Chartres Cathedral made me reflect back on the Romanesque portals on pages 189 and 190 in the text! In fact, the Tympanum in figure 13.15 is extremely similar to the Last Jugement tympanum of west portal, in Sainte-foy, Conques (figure 12.8). They both have Jesus in the center with his right hand up, and lots of symbolism and important people around him.

I want to experience the overwhelming sensation that occurs when entering the Chartres Cathedral! The text says that’s what happens when you look at the nave. It looks so AMAZING! Figure 13.18.

I feel like I’m going to pass out looking at the West facade, Reims Cathedral in France. I’m actually really jealous too, because my mom and brother are going on a trip to France, and this is the kind of stuff they’ll be looking at! The high Gothic style is so rich and elegant looking. The cathedral designs were becoming progressively elongated according to the text (page 212). The arches at Reims are taller and thinner than the ones at Chartres. There are more sculptures in Reims, and they are more naturalistic. The nave on figure 13.14 (in Sainte-Chapelle, Paris), just wow. This High Gothic style is definitely more rich and elegant looking, just like I said! The Sainte-Chapelle was commissioned by King Louis IX.

The Gothic style spread from England to Germany (although in Italy it was short lived, as the Renaissance style was beginning to emerge). The Salisbury Cathedral in England is so gorgeous, just look at that huge tree in the courtyard! (Figure 13.26 on page 219) and those windows in the Vault, chapter house, figure 13.28, again, WOW. We know they did this on purpose to allow for a lot of light, since that is important to have in cathedrals (for Christianity and whatnot). The Cologne Cathedral (13.29 on page 220) is MASSIVE. And the nave (13.31 page 221) is so…awe inspiring? Is that the right word for it? Definitely on my bucket list now, is to travel around the world and see the different churches and cathedrals built. I want to do this so that I can feel that overwhelming awe like the text said, and I can experience the spiritual feelings that their builders intended.

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I really enjoyed the history of Saint-Denis as well. I thought the process that was used and the texts provided something more than just a change in architecture, but a change in the way the world was viewed. I also really enjoyed the stained glass and thought of the church that I went to as a kid. This was one of the most interesting chapters in the course for sure. I learned about some terms that I had heard of previously but didn’t know what they meant. Great blog this week.

Week 16

This week’s chapter was similar to the rest by telling me what I don’t know. I have heard so many of the terms before but had no understanding of what they meant. Gothic architecture and flying buttresses are the two that really stuck out to me. I think that many times I would be able to say that something was Gothic by sight but that didn’t mean I knew what it was. Abbot Suger was the man behind this transition in style. I found it very interesting that his immersion in biblical texts is what brought about the style, readings on mathematical ratios and that harmony that should exist between different parts of the building’s architecture. That thought in itself sounds beautiful. Today I think that would bring about a design that is more linear but quite the opposite happened in the rebuilding of Saint-Denis. Saint-Denis is impressive with the rib vaults and stained-glass windows. The flying buttress was something that I was aware of but now I know what it is. A wall is built with thin half arches that provides support and allows for more natural light. I had to read this a few times to understand what it meant. Stained glass helped to diffuse the natural light. The glass of this era tended to be red and blue. Stained glass is impressive to me because I have done some work in this medium before. It appears to be very simple, but the process was complicated and time consuming, at least for a beginner. The cathedrals built in France during the Gothic period were stunning. The Chartres cathedral would be a place that I would visit just to see in person. The overall building is impressive, but the detail is what sets this cathedral apart. The Royal Portal of the west façade is adorned with sculptures. I feel like I could stare at this for days and continue to see new things. The pure size of the cathedral would be overwhelming to see. There is something about the subtlety of the cathedral that also makes me be in awe. Comparing this to Sainte-Chapelle I think Chartres is less ostentatious. Sainte-Chapelle is done in the rayonnant style showing more stained glass, but it just appears to be overdone. Simplicity can be beauty and this chapel is not simple. English and German Gothic styles differ from what is seen in France from this period. Salisbury Cathedral is set apart from it’s surroundings by a close, a green space of lawn and trees. The fan vault in this Cathedral is architecturally impressive but not as spectacular of a sight. Cologne Cathedral in Germany is remarkable as well, but something is different from what was seen in France. The outside is impressive and huge, but it appears to lack the detail and flow seen in France. Gothic architecture is amazing to take in and would be more formidable in person. I think this chapter is one that sums up a period through its architecture alone. Grand scale and size are its biggest factors, but the details are what brings it all together.

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Chapter 12

While reading this chapter, all I could think was that I wish I knew more about religion, took a class, or was more involved with the religious classes when I was younger because it would have been much more helpful understanding who these different people and saints are as well as what they stood for and what they did. But moving forward, I did not know that movements, and campaigns had so much to do with are and how certain cultures came together which led to a civilization and then they added their own touch of their culture to their land that they walked and founded, which was their art and art style. I did learn that from the information that was talking about the pilgrimages that the Christians would take part in heading to other churches.

Sainte-Foy on page 186, looks immaculate. It almost reminds me of a movie and it makes me think how these places are actually real structures, full of statues like the Reliquary statue. I thought it was interesting that Saint Faith willingly suffered through death just because she did not want to worship the gods. That is a strong lady and it surprises me that when people talk about women who were strong and stood up for their rights, that they don’t come back to Saint Faith and start with her since she was so long ago but also she died for her personal belief and reason.

The detailing in the “Last Judgement” is very intricate and I want to know how long it took someone to complete it. It has so many details, all the way down to the snake that winds around the legs of the people on the bottom of hells side and around the devils. I wasn’t really sure what they meant by they did flat art. The art that is in the pictures Is very 3D as well as having depths and small details that you wouldn’t be able to notice unless you looked close up.

While reading, just like with the Egyptian and Roman art, the book goes into talking about the direction of the feet and how the hips are positioned. It was talking about how Saint Matthews feet were flat and vertical and then they said that it showed how he has no support. Art and the way artist position their figures shows so so much more that what you actually see. I really like that about art and I am just discovering it. It’s literally a picture that you can look deeper than what the big picture is and pick out different things like what it is made up of, dots or shapes, if the figure is showing movement on how its hips and body is positioned, and also if they are leaning to a certain side. I didn’t ever pay attention to more than what the actual picture was until now.

Murals are so pretty, I really enjoy the murals that have Spanish influence. They are full of colors and different scenes. It’s sad that they cannot be conserved very well because even something as natural as lighting can affect them and cause the color to fade.

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I also found the tie between religion and art to be fascinating in this chapter. I also made the connection to Egypt and how each culture. I found The Last Judgment and he intricate details to be amazing. I had never heard of Saint Faith and the story is amazing but the thought of relics and her statue was kind of weird to me.

Chapter 12

The Romanesque era was centered around Christianity. I think this period is an interesting change from last chapter. It is interesting how we see Islam falter and Christianity pick up. I really enjoyed reading about the reliquary statue of Sainte-Foy at Conques. Saint Faith was interesting as a person because she was martyred for refusing to worship pagan gods. I was intrigued by the reliquary statues that held the relics of saints, especially Saint Foy. The golden statue is thought to be built around the saint’s skull. There is something morbid about this that I just can’t comprehend. Making a pilgrimage to see a relic like this was commonplace but outside of some curiosity I can’t see myself making a trip of this nature. These pilgrimages were so prominent that the architecture of churches had to be modified to allow visitors and the clergy to do their daily tasks. The book mentioned combining two worlds, one of social laity, or ordinary people separate from the clergy, and the business of the clergy who followed a liturgical calendar. This calendar is based on the seven central events of the Salvation of Christ. Another change in the architecture of churches was replacing wooden roofs with stone barrel vaults. This stood out to me for the acoustical benefits. I could hear the Gregorian chant as soon as the book mentioned it. Another thing about this time that stuck out to me was that sculptures and wall-hangings were used to allow people to “read” the bible. Most of the population was illiterate at this time so the church used art to accommodate these people. It reminds me of Egypt and the hieroglyphics and the story they told to the people of Egypt. Rulers were gods and art were used to convey that message to the masses. The Romanesque time period covered a broad swath of Western Europe and the styles used over centuries. Another highlight of this time is the illuminated manuscripts made in monasteries. These manuscripts follow what we saw from Ireland in the Book of Kells but are based on the New Testament. The interwoven patters to me aren’t as beautiful as the Book of Kells but are definitely aesthetically appealing. The Initial L and St. Matthew have almost a childlike quality to them in my opinion. One of the few pieces that wasn’t centered around the Christian religion was the Bayeux. This may have been created for the Cathedral of Bayeaux in Normandy though. The tapestry is massive with over 626 humans and 731 animals embroidered onto bleached linen. Not much is known about the artist(s) who created this piece but it is believed to have been done by woman because they were more likely to do this kind of work. There is text on this piece but the images themselves are what are meant to depict it’s meaning. This reminded me of the wall-hangings that are found in other cathedrals during this time. In order to convey a message to people that couldn’t read images had to be used. I thought this chapter was interesting for a variety of reasons and although I’m not religious I think there is something special about the history of Christianity during this time period, http://www.usccb.org/about/divine-worship/liturgical-calendar/index.cfm

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Chapter 11 Early Middle Ages

The Early Middle Ages is a time period between the the seventh to the end of the 10th century. During that time the Roman Empire had declined and the Germanic tribes had taken over Western Europe. As I was reading it seemed like it was a little hard to keep up. First the Germanic tribes over-ran Western Europe, then the Islam influence became prominent, Spain was over run by the Visigoths and ruled until 711 A.D. In 711 A.D. the Moors from Northwest Africa had invaded and taken over. The Moors were then over run by the Arabs who in turn converted them to Islam. This lasted until sometime in the 13th century and the Christians reclaimed the land until the final unification of Spain in the 1400′s. Whew! I may have gone through a few history classes but I don’t remember hearing that Western Europe had undergone that many changes of the guard so to speak. As far as art goes It is clear to me that the Early Middle Ages employed more of the artistic style of writings and drawings. Not really sculptures. In fact in Islamic art sculptures were considered to be the work of Satan and they are very scarce. Along with the artistic style of drawings, writings and education was the architecture. As in the past the dwellings that were constructed were a prominent part of the artistic flair.

I do like architecture. This week in the reading there was a picture of the The Great Mosque on Cordoba, Spain (pg. 172, fig 11.2). Although it is a spectacular site and I’m sure in person it would be even more impressive, I am not a fan. I don’t really care for the double arches. I appreciate that materials were recycled and reused from Roman and Early Christian buildings. I know that the red and white bricks of the arches were alternated to draw attention to the arches but I think they look more like they belong at the entrance to a circus tent than in a beautifully constructed lavishing mosque. That said, they are still beautiful in their own right,

The one thing that stood out to me in this weeks reading was the page from the Gospel of Matthew (27:38) in the Book of Kells. Written on this page is “Tunc crucifixerant XPI cum eo duo latrones” or in English, “Then they crucified Christ and, with him, two thieves”. I think the page itself is beautiful and extremely ornate with a lot if intricate details such as the dragon’s head breathing fire down towards the box of the five heads on the left side of the page. The detail in the dragon’s head is beautiful. The colors seem to have been preserved very well. I like how the letter T is drawn as an animal yet it is clear enough to see that it is a “T” used to start off the word Tunc. I also liked the photo of the Four Evangelists on page 180. The colors are very soothing and seem to invite you into the picture. It invokes a feeling of a heavenly place. I just really like how beautiful it is.

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Both the Great Mosque of Cordoba and The Book of Kells were topics that stood out to me as well. I liked the photos displaying the book and if I remember correctly the book is on display but you aren’t allowed to take photos of it for preservation reasons. I do appreciate that even though you may not be a fan of the Great Mosque you can still see that it has it’s own beauty. I think this class has taught me a lot about just looking at something for what it is without comparing it. Often for me it is just knowing that this piece or building was made so long ago that awes me.

Week 14

Chapter 11 was a very short chapter for such a long period of time. There was a profound difference in this time period that began following the decline of the Roman Empire and ran through the thirteenth century. The influence of Islam on the art of this time changed everything that we had seen up to this point. Islam forbade idolatry and any representation of Allah or his prophets. This is significantly different from Egypt, Greece or Rome. Much of the art we had seen up to this time was focused on representing Gods or even representing rulers as Gods. Islam also considered sculpture to be the work of Satan and so much of the art we saw in Greece and Rome was sculpture. Just looking at the photos at the beginning of the chapter there is such a change. The architecture changes again to focus on the mosque. The Great Mosque in Cordoba, Spain is a good representation of all that we see changing in the art of this time. Geometric and floral pattern take over where we had seen so much representation of Gods in human form. The mihrab and domes are covered in a mosaic looking pattern that is mesmerizing. In Northern Europe the muslim invasion was stopped and thus had a much different change to it’s art at this time. The Sutton Hoo purse pictured on page 174 was a great example of the metalwork done at this time. Gold and red garnet adorn this symmetrical piece showcasing the talent of this period. Ireland during this time was isolated from the rest of Europe and manuscript illumination show was used by the people here. I have previously heard of the Book of Kells and that stuck out to me because there wasn’t much else in this chapter that I had any knowledge of. The optical illusion with the celtic knot interwoven borders on this type of art is interesting to me. This still seems to be a popular graphic look. One of my favorite bands Breaking Benjamin uses this woven look with 4 B’s to create their logo. I find it interesting that the styles of both Ireland at this time and Islamic art haven’t changed much and have become solidified into culture. The Carolingian Period showed a revival back to what we saw with the ancient Romans. Monasteries and the use of manuscripts as art were central to Charlemagne’s vision. Monks were a central part of culture during this time as they learned about science, philosophy and religion. This worked hand in hand with Charlemagne’s desire for power and control. Monasteries were central to this due to schools and their economic function. This period was short lived though as Charlemagne’s grandsons inability to rule was followed by the fall of the kingdom. The next era was the Ottonian period with more metalwork with religious themes. Bronze doors at St. Michaels were about the only examples from this time period but were highly detailed depicting scenes from the Bible. This period and lack of examples in the book summed up the chapter that there was a relatively insignificant amount of work that was produced during this time and the art created didn’t impress and profoundly change the world as we saw in Ancient Egypt, Rome, or Greece.

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Week 13 Early Christian and Byzantine Art

This week the text was very religious. I understand that religion had a great influence in the artistic world but for me this week was like going back in time to my religion class in school. When Jesus died during Tiberius’ reign and then was crucified outside of Jerusalem the Christian religion was established. Christianity had a great influence on Western art. It promised eternal life and forgiveness of sins if one was repentant. It was however, considered a cult but differed in two ways; they did not sacrifice animals or drink the blood of them although it was sybolically done by eating the bread (body of Christ) and drinking the wine (the blood of Christ), and Chriatians refused to worship the emporer as the ruler of the state. Other then the beautigul sarcophagus partially pictured on page 155, the chapter was repetitive and uninteresting. The sarcophagus showed that early Christian art carried through the Roman imagery. Although the Old and New Testament were depicted on the sarcophagus the imagery such as the drapery and relief schulptures. the sculpture was a depiction of old and new or pre-christian and Christian.

I said in the beginning of this class that I prefer the art of the architecture versus art sculptures, paintings, writings, etc. and I think this chapter was the beginning of the architectural movement. I say that because I initially read the wrong chapter and it was more about the place of worship, the floor plan and the way they were built. There is beauty in St. Paul Outside the Walls if you look at the picturethere is a resemblence to the Roman and Greek temples but the intricate mosaics are far more detailed and colorful then previous times. This is a place I would love to see. Just looking at the floor plans of the structures, pg 159, I am in awe of the detail and planning it must have taken to build these beautiful structures. How did they do it? The foudation of these buildings is still carried out today in our religious churches and cathedrals. The santuary, gallery, the nave, are all parts that are still carried through today.

I chose ancient Aboriginal X-Ray art to research. To be honest I chose this one because I am an X-Ray tech and of course bones and the insides of things interest and fascinate me. I find the Aboriginal art beautiful but I am not sure I fully understand their reasonong for depicting humans and animals in the X-Ray form. I know that they used these paintings as a connection between the natural and supernatural world. In my research I could not find an explaination for the way in which the paintings were done but it was mentioned that it may have possibly been a religious symbolism. The paintings are on the inside of cave walls that they used to camp in during the wet season and some of them are very large up to 8 feet long. Today the Aborigine tribe still practices this way of painting. I looked up the Injaluk website that was mentioned in the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History link and it went to a site that was about the Aborigines and their way of life but also had a newsletter for Injaluk, a place where you could purchase the Aboriginal art and a link where you could get information on teh rock art tours. I felt it was very commercial. Even though this art style is still employed today I feel that the authenticity of it is lost due to the commercialism of it.

jdanielsus-blog

I really enjoyed your research on Aboriginal X-Ray art. The connection that is to be made between the natural and supernatural world is interesting. I think there is somewhat of a god aspect to the creators of this art, knowing what it is that is inside the animals that are depicted. I also have found that architecture is quickly becoming my favorite part of this class. I have had this disconnect with the timeline of history that somehow an art history class is filling in the gaps. Seeing St. Paul Outside the Walls being built when it was is nothing short of amazing to me.

Week 13

Early Christianity was an interesting time period that really shaped the future for centuries to come. There were many significant shifts in the way people thought and believed due to Jesus Christ and this new religion. It did resonate that the book used the term cult referring to Christianity as one of many cults to develop during this time period. There has been a flow of history that has spanned many centuries and areas that we have read about this semester. One of the main differences that came about during this time was that Christians refused to worship the emperor of the state. Romans, Greeks and the Egyptians worshipped and some even saw their ruler as a god. I found it interesting that a split in the church also saw a split in the style of the time. The flow of history can first be seen in sarcophagi and also in architecture. Looking at the sarcophagus on page 155 the style seems similar to what we saw in the previous chapters but now has new symbolism coming from Christianity. Architecture is also based on what we saw in Rome but there are new details that arise during this time period. Centrally planned churches, basilica, mausoleums are all progressing. St. Paul outside the walls to me looks like it could have been any church built up until a few hundred years ago. Knowing it was almost two thousand years ago makes it more remarkable. I’m starting to see more each chapter that my preconceived notions are somewhat wrong. I think that in my mind I see architecture from this time period as ruins but these structures were built to last. Some have been restored but the style living on intrigues me. During this same time frame but in Sudan was the Meorite period. Influenced by Egypt but making art their own with African influence makes the art of this period different from anything mentioned in the book this far. There was said to be a comedy to the art which I think is vastly different from other cultures up to this point. Not as much is known about the people and culture as we know of say the Romans. Abstract art, bas relief sculpture and somber expressionism are all seen in Meroitic art. Art had a wide range of influences that were overlooked early. More discoveries have allowed us to see a wider range of what was made during the time period. Earthenware jars have been found that seem to be influenced by Egypt but with Greek writing suggest that previously unknown trade occurred with the Greeks. I am very glad that I chose this topic because there is so much to see from a culture that I have no previous knowledge of. I can see the connection to Egypt in many pictures of relief that I found but can see enough of a difference to know that this isn’t just an offshoot of the culture. Nubian art during this time is unique and with my previous fascination with Egypt I don’t understand how I have never come across this before.

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/05/afs.html http://www.ancientsudan.org/dailylife_02_clothing.htm https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/22/arts/22iht-melik22.html

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Chapter 9

Learning about Ancient Rome in chapter 9 was very interesting to me. One thing that I found pretty cool is how Roman’s discovered more about their families. They created portraits to preserve their families image and also contributed to the history of the family. I think that would be cool to see portraits from the past that my family had made for me to learn more, and it would also be fun to create more portraits for my future family. I really liked the architecture in the Roman culture. They carried out building programs to expand due to their growing population and just to simply make the state more glorified. It’s truly amazing how the Romans understood what materials to use and what design to make buildings. They were built beautifully I thought, which makes the Roman legacy so great. There were so many different kinds of architecture built throughout Rome. The churches, the colosseum, the Roman public bath, and everything they built was awesome. My favorite one out of the ones I listed above in the Roman public bath on page 133 in the text book. I liked it because it looked incredibly gorgeous. It was used as some what of a multipurpose building, which I think is truly amazing. It was a cultural center that was used for socializing, bathing, and swimming. There was also facilities for playing ball, running, and wrestling. I personally think I would use that Roman public bath every day. I like to play basketball, I enjoy swimming, and I also feel like my friends would like to go to hang out as well. I never would have thought that a culture from back in the past would build something like that. Another building I liked was the colosseum. It must have taken years to build such a big and beautiful piece of art. I also like how it was used for so many different public events. I thought the sculptures were beautiful also. They resembled the power of Rome. The Augustus of Prima Porta was portrayed as the natural emperor himself. The meaning behind it is awesome, but the statue itself is built so amazing. The paintings and mosaic of Roman art was gorgeous too. I thought that artwork was astounding, they all looked so real. The different highlights and shades create a different and very unique style. It’s a very complex form of painting, which shows how difficult and beautiful the artwork truly is. There is so many different forms of art in Roman culture. The buildings, the sculptures, and the paintings were amazing. I liked reading about this chapter a lot. The main thing that I liked was how well I connected with this chapter. The public bath was so cool, and also the portraits of families was very neat. Ancient Rome was awesome to learn about, and I look forward to keep learning more about it.

jdanielsus-blog

There was nothing about Ancient Rome in this chapter that I wasn't impressed by. The architecture really stood out to me as well. I liked how you focused more on the Colosseum and the way that they used public buildings for events. I was impressed by the sheer size of some of the buildings they created. It's kind of hard to believe that all Thai took place so long ago. Great post!

Week 12

Moving on to Ancient Rome this week continued the naivete that I have about the art of these different times and how influential each was on the next. Roman art tended to be more historical than that of Ancient Greece even though many things were copied and adopted by the Romans. This flow of history is intriguing because I think that I have known dates and the history of Ancient Rome and Greece and some basic historical fact but even looking at the crossover of the two with a sprinkle of Etruscan influence actually gave me a better sense of the history of this time and geographical area than any history class has. I think that is a cool benefit that even if I can’t distinguish the art from one another I still have gained something from a art history class that I may not have understood otherwise. A large part of the chapter focused on the architecture of the ancient Romans and deservedly so. Arches, domes, and vaults were all developed by the Romans. This just puts into perspective how much influence the Romans had on this field. It is such a huge development that took into account the potential of concrete that was developed in the Ancient Near East. Moving on to domestic architecture of the time it baffles me that they had building codes, like that tenements could be no more than 5 stories high. Also having shops and store fronts on the ground floor with living quarters above reminds me of downtown Dubuque. I know that this layout had to have been developed somewhere but reading about it as something done in ancient Rome is somewhat mind-boggling. The villa is also something that stood out to me. I don’t have a weekend getaway outside of the city but some ancient Romans did. I find this pretty laughable. The scale of many of the developments of the ancient romans also put things into more perspective. Everyone has heard of the colosseum but the Markets of Trajan really stood out to me for the size and scope of the project. I would assume that would take years today and yet it was done 2,000 years ago. Colored marble was also very interesting to me as well. I work with white and rarely black marble but red, green and yellow marble sparked an interest for me. I found it interesting that the color choice would depend on the project, like red being reserved for rulers and white for skin tone or possibly black. The geology of the marble is interesting as well as where these different stones originate from, along with the etymology of the color purple. I also really liked Still Life from Herculaneum. I think it just showed something timeless about art, whether it be today or 2000 years ago a painting of fruit and a vase could be a go to for a painting. There was so much to cover in this chapter that I don’t think I could possibly hit on everything that is significant to this time period. The Romans built on so much of the work we have studied and took it to a much different place and seeing that timeline is fascinating.

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Chapter 8

I really like that the main source of information about this civilization is from the tombs, in relation to how there was a lot of information found by the tombs in the Egyptian culture. The certain things that they took from other civilizations was interesting to me because it was something as little as the position that the sculptures were in and what they were doing. I understood that style was something that traveled from civilization to civilization, but I did not know that they paid attention to the position that they were putting their sculptures into until I started focusing on Ancient Greece because they started becoming less 2D like with the Egyptians. My first reaction when seeing their sculptures was style picked up from the Greeks but the temple reminded me of an Asian/ Chinese style.

It makes me a little curious about their acceptance of death. How they would identify the urns if they were male and female but also they made the urns into something that you were supposed to like the look of. Although it is a little odd to me, it is very creative. The thought of that being the resting place of a loved one from cremation does make is a little less depressing. I used to think that it was rude for people at funerals to laugh and I never understood why people did that, joke about life and laugh at the past, when it was such a sad time. When I got a little older my mother explained to me that it was the way that most people like to cope, instead of crying, they like thinking of the happy times and it helps their minds feel at peace during such a sad time and im starting to think that this was maybe their way of making light of a dark situation.

Looking at the sarcophagus’, I think they believed the afterlife to be a very relaxed after party. With the sculptures being relaxed, looking like they were making a toast, it was not an afterlife of seriousness. I like that idea because it is like the person is still there sending themselves off, celebrating with the people around them letting them know, they lived a good life and now it is time for them to go . It surprises me that the tombs they found were still in decent shape, it ties in with the articles, that since they were left in the elements of nature, they took care of themselves and did not have the elements from humans like fake light and unnatural temperature changes due to the amount of people around them.

With this civilizztion, you can most definitely see the Greek influence over anything. From the way they made the expressions and the hair of the sculptures, to the positions they would display them in on the tombs as well as the paintings. I am a fan of this civilization because of how I interpret their thinking of life and afterlife, and how they lay their people to rest.

jdanielsus-blog

I really like the idea of the afterlife being the after party. The funerary items were definitely intriguing to me as well. I also loved the connection to Egypt and their thoughts and art. I had no prior knowledge of this civilization and found their thoughts that we know through art to be very modern.

Week 11

The chapter on the Etruscans was very interesting for me. I have had no prior knowledge of this civilization and was fascinated from the beginning. The time period is relatively contemporary although very little writing has survived. Although we don’t need to mention the discussion in this blog I think this chapter shows why we need to do everything we can to preserve art. Etruscan literature has all but vanished and it made me think what would have happened if all of the literature of the ancient greeks had disappeared? Between this class and my philosophy course I think that so much could be different without the preservation of texts and art. Much of Etruscan art was influenced by the Greek culture in architecture, pottery and sculpture but had their own twist on these. Reconstruction is another way to try to preserve the history of this time period. The temple of Apollo at Veii is an example of this. The materials and construction style weren’t ones that survived due to the wattle-and-daub method of construction but reconstructing some of these styles allow us to see what would have been made during this time period.

I also found it fascinating how so much of Etruscan art paralleled that of the Greeks but at the same time they had their own views on things that to me seemed more contemporary. Woman in Etruscan art were shown to be much more on an equal level with males. They were shown participating in what would be male only public life in Greece and were literate. I think it also shows how my naivete around this time period because I would have assumed the Greek standpoint on women’s roles was the norm then.Looking at it now though I think that we have seen a great deal of emphasis on fertility and that would make sense that women were often depicted as being more powerful than men. The mirror depicted on page 120 shows a goddess breastfeeding Herakles in the presence of other gods. This to me shows one of the reasons that this civilization thought much more highly of women. Without women the civilization goes nowhere.

Funerary art is thought to be more heavily influenced by the Egyptians than by the Greeks. Objects were buried with the deceased that suggests an afterlife.The Etruscans often cremated their dead which differed greatly from Egyptian practice. Cinerary urns and sarcophagi housed the cremated remains of the dead. I liked the different styles of urns that were shown in this chapter. I think it is cool to see that some were shaped like houses or huts and some were a terra cotta urn with a bronze base and a sculpture on top. It made me wonder on who got what kind of urn and if there was a significance between each. Did people attach different religious thoughts to the urns like we may today? Or did the Etruscans all believe the same thing but the style of urn changed as the civilization moved forward? This chapter really made me think a lot about a culture I had no previous knowledge of.

deeplyponderingarthistory-blog

Week 8- Chapter 7

This week’s reading has made me consider how much that the Ancient Greeks have influenced future civilizations and how much intellectual ability, effort, and time they had to be able to create the art they did.

One way that the Greeks have influenced future cultures is the style of government. Unlike previous civilizations who looked up to kings and pharaohs, the Greek had a more democratic style of government, which has been progressively tweaked and passed on to other civilizations. The Greeks had governments in independent city-states, rather than just one central government that was followed.

The Greeks have also given future civilizations was their literature and drama. Even in my high school english courses, we have discussed the Greek and how much they have given to the language arts. Great works of literature such as The Odyssey, have changed the way some areas of literature arts are viewed.

Another aspect of Greek culture that other civilization have taken was the idea of grave markers. The Greeks didn’t try to follow the complicated tradition of preserving the bodies of those who had died. Instead, they decided to give the dead a tombstone, or grave marker. Today, that practice is also followed. No doubt the Greeks have given so much to help advance other civilizations.

One of the great achievements of the Greeks was, of course, their being able to build statues and architectural buildings. One of the well-known creations of the Greeks is the Parthenon. Reading about the plan for the Parthenon was extraordinary. The great attention to detail, through the 9 years of making it was truly astonishing.

Temples, theaters, and myths are also commonly remembered from the Greek culture. As I was reading this chapter, the Greek Theater was quite the achievement for it’s time. There was a round space in the middle of the theater, and the seating arrangement was built around that area. They used this area for religious ceremonies to the God, Dionysus. Here at that location, the Greeks could also watch dancing and theatrical plays, which shows the amount of emphasis they had for the arts at that time.

Podcast “The Ancient Origins of Modern Beauty”

The podcast brought our that present-day, people have differing views on beauty and some may be able to describe beauty in just a couple word, but the Ancient Greeks had much more complex view of beauty that has influenced contemporary standards of beauty. I found the difference between kalós and kallos interesting. Although from the surface, these words look virtually the same, they have different meaning relating to beauty. Kalós refers to something being good. On the other hand, kallos gives the impression of something having a great amount of beauty or physical attractiveness. Symmetry and proportion was viewed as beautiful to the Greeks back then. They had sculptures that were made where the head would be in some sort of exact proportion to the rest of the body, really illustrating the detail and effort that was put into making sculptures that demonstrated beauty. What we have seen through different the Ancient Greeks art and sculptures have given us, as a society, a better understanding of beauty back then, and modern-day as well.

https://www.wnyc.org/story/ancient-origins-modern-beauty/ (Podcast)

http://historylink101.com/2/greece3/theater.htm

jdanielsus-blog

I really found the podcast and the Greeks definition of beauty to. Stand out to me as well. It also amazed me that the golden ratio was so prominent in the art and the mathematics behind it. Over the past few weeks we have seen the development of humans and this time period just exploded with a wealth of knowledge and art that has lasted to modern day society. I loved reading this blog.

Week 8

There is so much to write about when it comes to this chapter and the podcast. I loved the explanation of the root words to beauty and it’s effect. “A fine piece of work” was a statement that stuck out to me. Looking at it this way seems to be more about the act and the work involved and not the outcome. Continuing on to the understanding of beauty and how adult males are rarely described as being beautiful. I found it curious how standards of beauty today are found in the styles found in the classical style of Ancient Greece. I also love how the author in the podcast said that we can ascribe our views of beauty both healthy and unhealthy can be traced back to thoughts derived from Ancient Greece as well. The Golden Ratio and the proportions there are intriguing. Looking into this ratio more it seems like complicated algebra but the podcast thought this was also cultural and even though now we can write it as a mathematical formula there may be a biological or evolutionary reason behind it. I have heard about this proportion before and how symmetry is something that is often seen in what we describe as beautiful. It’s interesting because I think that although there is cultural awareness to define standards there are things that tend to be seen as beautiful in more of a human kinship to aesthetic. This may be due to how much different cultures have built on the work of previous ones to come to what we know today.

This part of the chapter is what stuck out to me the most. I of course have seen, in photos, many of the classic sculptures and architecture found in Ancient Greece. The parthenon and the Acropolis are two pieces that are very well known. What I hadn’t known before when it comes to this time period is that early on the art was influenced by Egypt and the East. The similarities between Kouros and Menkaure are definitely visible while the craft evolved with Kouros. The Hellenistic art is also a style that I have seen in a multitude of places even though I’m not familiar with it. Statues of Eros seemed to be reproduced in any fashion of a cherub baby.

I really like the timing of this chapter as well. I am taking Intro to Philosophy and working into Socrates and Plato and that time period. I find it interesting how much changes during this time period from the Ancient Egyptians. Greeks simply erected grave markers to symbolize the deceased unlike the pyramids for the gods.Even time and how it was viewed changed. The reign of pharaohs was replaced by a four year period called the Olympiad. Looking at the history of art we can see the history of our society and how we came to think about so much. The greek influence still pervades so much of our everyday life. Art and the way that we think about art was really developed by the thinkers of this time and I think that both the healthy and unhealthy views of beauty being impacted by the greeks really sums this time period up.

https://www.cut-the-knot.org/do_you_know/GoldenRatio.shtml

madisondurant20-blog

Week 7 - The Aegean

Eastern Art Through Western Eyes & Non-Western Art History Bypasses the Ancient

Most people think of art being a very positive and happy thing. Well, some people don’t see the negative side of it and this article expressed some in it. There can be nudity, sexual content, and bisexual images in art. Mark Twain was very applauded what he saw. Sculptures are seen to be remembered about that certain someone or religion, not sculpted in a sexual way. The dramatic impact it has on someone’s life that views art in a positive way can affect them very rapidly.

The different cultures, religions, and languages depends on the art and we have now seen that through the Eastern part. Everyone takes art to a different extent and sometimes they forget about who sees it. It seems to be that India and China do not have respectful art in there museums. The museums where we go to the most are the ones we value and look upon.

People who pursue careers in art, almost go for the money sake and not for what people are seeing through their eyes. I’m very ashamed that people would do this kind of stuff to art history. Art can be so fascinating if you put time and effort into it. These essays have made me think about the discipline differently in art history today because of the use of knowledge they had to even put such broad, unneeded art in a museum. I’m ashamed of why some people would do this or even think to act like a child.

The issue that Cotter raised that I was previously unaware of was that the art disappeared very negatively. The way people bashed art in different cultures is to be ashamed upon. Everyone’s beliefs have their own opinions on them. The negative effect was very judgemental.

This will impact how I view art or museums in the future by researching the views on them before actually going to them. I don’t want to find out it was absolutely destructive. People drive far to see such great fascinating art and if they drive to something they couldn’t even believe they saw, that’s got to be heartbreaking. Hearing about this makes it very upsetting in many different aspects. Lack of support tells me it’s a lot of laziness. Art history continues to grow as we speak today.

My role or responsibility that relates to the study of art history is to make the best out of it and learn from what other people did. I want to know the importance of art and what’s around me. Such as, what good art is in the world and how did it get created. My role is to analyze the framework that involves art, respect the person that took their time and willingness to create it, and to appreciate what we have in art history today.

The reading over the Aegean was quite interesting because it talked about pottery. The figure 6.6 on page 74 expressed the snake goddess. This technique was compulsive by the earthenware and glass paste, which produced colors after it was firing. I also wondered how much art is worth today. The Aegean expressed the importance of such beautiful artwork. The Cycladic, Minoan, Theran, and Mycenaean all had such masterpiece.

jdanielsus-blog

I think your thoughts on responsibility are a great reaction to the articles. It is our responsibility to see the museums that are responsible and not destructive. I do also agree that even though art is considered subjective that beliefs and opinions shouldn’t hold us back from studying and showing art from a certain culture. I would say that a lot of art is considered or once was considered to be risqué but certain cultures have been left out of our history due to the way we see it. That has to change to preserve and understand other cultures through art.

Week 7

These two essays really made me think about how much we are missing out on because our western view doesn’t value certain other cultures. The first essay, Eastern Art through Western Eyes, made me think immediately to the fact that I have 5 Buddha figurines on my desk. The article stated that this representation is one of the few exceptions to the exclusions of art that we find today. I would have to say that I was unaware of how little Indian Art is represented. I have seen plenty of pictures of different deities and would recognize it instantly but even last semester when I went to the Dubuque Museum of Art for a project I saw many pieces other than the ones I was there to see but do not remember anything represented from this culture. The second essay by Cotter made me realize how little African art is represented unless it is contemporary. I think this will make me think twice before going to art museums. It may be the wrong approach but I think that I would be more likely to see an exhibit that is said to be underrepresented than I would seeing something that has plenty of representation. This goes directly into what I feel is my responsibility in viewing art. I see viewing art as being the consumer and I don’t buy certain products or go to certain stores because I see that as fueling unfair social practice and think it would be the same. I would be more likely to donate to a museum that is more inclusive. I think also the fact that some programs no longer even offer classes on Indian Art as an indicator of what we think we value while the second article said we are losing so much due to the foundational work not being done yet. It kind of makes me a little angry that there seems to be all the funding and education for western art and contemporary when we have seen how much we know about cultures through the art they produced.

The chapter on the Aegean was fascinating because there was so much going on. I was intrigued by the Cycladic idols because I think this is the first we have seen of marble statues. I find it fascinating because I work with marble and granite and to see art produced 5000 years ago with it is interesting because it is hard enough to work with having modern tools.

Thera was my next favorite thing to read about and it tied to the articles this week. An architect starting recovering artifacts in the 1960’s and found frescoes adorning the entire town. It was deemed worthwhile to find and preserve as this art that was buried under volcanic ash because it fits the western art narrative but then the funding and education isn’t there for non-western art. Extreme lengths are taken to find and preserve pieces from a culture that was buried between 1700 and 1500 B.C. What we value is shown by the work we put in to preserve and understand art from differing cultures.

allisonmartinek-blog

Week 6 post

I found it interesting to learn about the first women ruler of Egypt, Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut choose statue to display more of the masculine features instead of the feminine features; yet why chose this? She never denied her gender as a female but chose to have her legacy engraved with the characteristics of a man’s statue. Perhaps, she did not have a say in the manner of how her statue was portrayed. Yet, I believe, that Hatshepsut purposely chose to embody the masculine features portrayed in the previous generations of rulers. Hatshepsut most likely wanted to perverter her legacy with the same amount of respect as the previous male rulers. It is possible that Hatshepsut did not want her reign to be defined by gender, but rather on her abilities to be a leader.

In the same notion of statues, I found it odd of how the cultural norms depicted statues from the Old Kingdom era. My way of thinking differed from the style conducted by the Egyptian sculptors. The Egyptian sculptors put more detail and individualize character into the lower ranked sculptures. For example, the statue of the Seated Scribe shows more detail and individualized characteristics such as the being in the position to write, the enlarged body type, and natural, human flaws. The sculptures of royal figures contained less detail and no individualized character traits. Each royal figure shares the same position of the body and the same body type. While I understand the purpose of this was to depict these rules as gods, I think the sculptors should have given more details and individualized characteristics to the statues of higher rank than to the statues of lower rank. I believe that a statue showcasing more personal details classifies as a statue with more importance. Perhaps the statues of royal figures could be portrayed in an idealized style (god-like) instead of naturalistic form like the Seated Scribe. Yet the using a block form of sculpting (carving out the figure from a massive stone with no gaps between the figure and the remaining stone) also symbolizes god-like status. I also wondered if the ability for a human to appear with god-like qualities was the only defining trait a ruler needed to be successful, regardless of their ability to govern a kingdom or not. It was not until the Amarna Period that royal figures start being portrayed with naturalistic features. An example of this would the Nefertiti and their Daughters art piece.

A new art style arose during the Egyptian time period. Paintings expanded their color range beyond simple earth tone colors. New and synthetic colors such as blues, greens, and golden yellows became a staple in Egyptian art. Adding new and never seen before colors increase the value of the artwork not only financially but culturally. Also how the bodies were position in Egyptian art became a defining trait. It was common practice to have the legs, feet, and head in profile, but have the torso and eyes in frontal view.

Adams, L. S. (2011). A history of western art (5th ed.), New York, NY: McGraw-Hill

jdanielsus-blog

I really appreciate the different perspective you had on this blog. Questioning why a queen would choose, or not choose if that was the case, to have masculine features instead of feminine features was a great way to start this blog. After reading a few blogs mine seemed to be a cookie cutter version because Egypt is broadly covered throughout school and I think you did a great job not doing that.

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