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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 liked reading your blog post! I loved reading about the stained glass windows. They were my favorite part of this chapter. I have always been amazed by stained glass windows so I liked learning more about them. The details that were put into these cathedrals were so unique. I couldn’t believe somebody could make these cathedrals. I wish I could go and see these cathedrals today. This was the perfect chapter to end our class on. I hope you enjoyed taking this class! I sure did!

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I also loved seeing the stained glass windows. I have always admired their beauty in all the churches I have been to. There are so many different designs and colors within the windows. I thought this chapter had the best artwork so far. The cathedrals and stained glass windows were just so gorgeous. I could honestly look at pictures of them all day!

Chapter 13

Chapter 13 was full of beautiful artwork in my opinion. Gothic art was mostly produced in Western Europe from the 12th to the 16th century. The elements of gothic architecture were very neat to learn about. There was rib vaults, piers, flying buttresses, pointed arches, and everything all looked incredible. The Gothic cathedrals were unique in my opinion. The architecture just looked different compared to other cathedrals, but they were definitely gorgeous! Another piece of artwork from this chapter that I loved was the stained glass windows. In the many churches that I have been to, I always admire the stained glass windows. There are so many beautiful features about these windows. One, they let in bits of light through the different fragments of light. Two, they symbolize some sort of masterpiece. I really just love seeing the different shades of color and design stained glass windows are. It’s pretty crazy how they are created. They are literally pieces of art. I remember when I was younger in art class, we literally made stained glass pieces of art. It was so similar to stained glass windows. I like the picture on page 202 of the two men working. It’s so cool that you can incorporate artwork in a window. They truly make churches look awesome. The picture on page 213 also looks amazing. It must take such precision and time in order to make it fit together so perfectly.

The age of the cathedrals section was cool to learn about. The construction of a new cathedral was largest economic enterprise in the Gothic are according to the book. It allowed for so many jobs for lots of people. For example, carpenters, sculptors, stonecutters, and other craftsmen were all rewarded with job opportunities in order to built them. Then, when they were finished being built, the cathedrals attracted thousands of tourists to see. Cathedrals also were a place of worship, and a sense of pride for the people who lived near them and helped create these majestic masterpieces. Reims cathedral on page 214 is amazing. It looks so big, beautiful, and is truly an amazing work of art. That cathedral would definitely give me a sense of pride if I had anything to do with it. I’m sure the community in which it is in loves to visit it, and cherish how gorgeous it is. The architecture of it on the inside and outside looks unreal.

All of the artwork throughout this chapter was amazing. Gothic art had many unique designs of different artwork. From stained glass windows, cathedrals, sculptures, and everything else, it was all incredible. The artists and architects of this time period were definitely great at their jobs. In my opinion, this chapter had the most beautiful artwork so far. I really enjoyed reading and learning about Gothic art. Overall, the many different pieces of art was awesome, and learning about their culture was awesome as well.

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Chapter 12 - Romanesque

In the eleventh and twelfth centuries the Romanesque style was prevalent in the Western European region. Romanesque meaning roman-like. During this time the scholars identified the regions by their predominant styles since there was no real administration to speak of. During the Romanesque period churches had to be larger and more structurally sound because there were so many people coming into and leaving the area. There was a more nomadic feel to this period. The tradesmen who worked on the churches would often go back and forth meaning a lot of the churches shared the same structures and artistic flair.

Architecture of the churches was very similar to the Early Middle Ages structures but in the Romanesque period churches were built with stone barrel arches instead of the wooden ceilings which made them less prone to fire and more desirable for the acoustics of the chanting in the churches. Looking at the plan of Sainte-Foy in Conques, c 1050-1120 (pg. 187, fig. 12.3), the layout of the church is similar to how our Catholic churches are still laid out today. The churches of today still employ the nave, choir and the ambulatory. They may be moved around a little since the 11th and 12th centuries but they still have the same components. I’m not sure it was specifically mentioned but I think the stained glass windows depicting the stages of the cross were tapestries in the past but the same basic idea to allow the pilgrims to “read” the Bible.

One of my favorite pieces of artwork from the Romanesque period is the Gislebertus, Last Judgement, tympanum of the west portal in the Cathedral of Saint-Lazare in Autun, Burgundy. The image on pg. 190, fig. 12.10 shows the tympanum in it’s entirety and as impressive as it is, it’s hard to see the beautiful sculptural detail put into it by Gislebertus, who incidentally was the only known artist to sign his name on a tympanum. However, if you look at the picture on pg. 191 fig. 12.11 you can see a piece of the artwork. I understand what it represents with the weighing of the souls, the angel weighing the good and the devil weighing the bad of course. But I am more amazed at the detail of the softness on the angels side and the darkness displayed on the side of the devil. I think this is a powerful, awesome piece. I will say though, it makes me laugh when I look at it. There is something about the dark side of the tympanum that has a cartoonish feel to it.

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I really enjoyed seeing the architecture of the churches as well. I also thought that they looked similar to churches that I’ve seen in previous chapters. The many different pieces of artwork in this chapter was gorgeous. The murals, and the architecture of churches was awesome I thought. Very neat chapter!

Ch. 12

Romanesque art was very interesting to learn about. “The term Romanesque refers to a broad range of styles, embracing the regional variants that flourished in Western Europe in the eleventh and twelfth centuries.” I liked all the economic and political developments throughout this time period. Thru feudalism and the manorial system military and political equilibrium was achieved. I never really thought about economic growth throughout this class, but I find it fascinating to learn about it in different cultures. I also really loved seeing the cool architecture in this chapter. Romanesque architects constructed big, beautiful churches. They made such big churches because of the influx of pilgrims. The picture of the church on page 186 was gorgeous. I feel as if the older style churches look incredibly unique. Inside of the church looks gorgeous as well. The statues, the pillars, everything, it all looks so amazing. It’s truly amazing how well built these churches are. The fact that they are still standing today shows how well the architects really knew what they were doing. Not only are they built so structural sound, but they also look very unique. The inside and outside look gorgeous. The new developments in decorating the cathedrals was cool to see. Its sculptural decoration was carved by Gislebertus. These decorations representing how religious and holy their culture was. The sculptures were carved to perfection and described their culture perfectly. I think the artwork that I thought was very neat was the manuscripts. The illuminated manuscripts produced in the monasteries were the greatest achievements of Romanesque art. The patterns and design on them look incredible. The contrast within the manuscript makes certain parts pop out, and others fade perfectly. Similar to the manuscripts, the mural paintings looked gorgeous. The contrast within the paintings were done perfectly. The artists who created these were amazing artists. They painted these paintings on churches and chapels walls. Just like all the artwork in this culture, they are decorative and provide a teaching aspect about life. I really like how artist expressed their cultures thru sculptures, paintings, and manuscripts. The architecture of the churches within this culture was also very valuable. The decorations within them showed how they loved religion and looked up the rulers. This was a very interesting chapter. I thought it was cool to see the different artwork in the culture because it served as multiple purposes. The art was beautiful, which is why it was used for decorating churches and chapels, and also served as a teaching from artist. Romanesque art was awesome I thought, the different pieces of artwork showed how diverse their culture was.

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Blog Post 14

The Early Middle Ages covers the time from the 7th to the end of the 10th century. German tribes overran Western Europe. By this, the art development changed. A powerful new influence from the Middle East entered this time period- Islam. Islamic religious paintings contained abstract geometric and floral patterns. The Islamic rulers were starting to build structures. They were building mosques where they were needed. I really liked learning about The Great Mosque. They used double arches that represented original architect. I really like how the mosque had striped arches in it. I couldn’t believe how detailed the dome of this mosque was. It was very unique from anything thing I have saw.

Northern European Art was not influenced by Islamic art. It became a new focus of political and artistic activity. Northern European Art was influenced more by the Germanic tribes. The most interesting part of this chapter was reading about the Anglo-Saxon Metalwork. It reminded me of a certain artist. I work at a boutique and we have a bunch of different jewelry. We have one person from Rochester, Minnesota that brings us homemade jewelry. She makes her jewelry out of stainless steel and copper. She makes very unique geometric designs on her jewelry. Another one of my favorite art in this chapter was The Carolingian Period. The Book of Kells was interesting to learn about. I liked the inserted picture of the Book of Kells. It was very different than the other art mentioned in this chapter. I thought it was interesting that all of the designs were different. There were geometric and abstract designs throughout this. Even though I can’t read any of the words written in the picture, it seems like these words would be spiritual. I liked how the first letter on the page is designed to really stand out.

I believe that this chapter had many religious aspects to it. There was the mosque where Islam’s worship. The Palace Chapel was a place was offices, workshops and other buildings. There was also a personal chapel and a place of worship. The chapel feels like it would be for the middle to upper class people. Since is was built by a ruler, I figure he would only let certain people in. Manuscripts are also a religious part of this chapter. The Four Evangelists was one of the religious books mentioned. It had the saint’s symbol on the cover. The monastery also has some religious aspects. The monastery included a school where artists could communicate with the kids in the school. It is also described as a religious and administrative center. In the monasteries, they teach literature, science, philosophy and also some religious texts. Overall I think this chapter has many religious aspect in it. This chapter was actually more interesting than I thought it would be. I liked learning about the mosque and The Book of Kells. I found this art more unique and more detailed than most throughout this book. I believe that the abstract and geometric aspects showed how the artists differed from past chapters.

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I also thought this chapter was very interesting. The different uses of artwork presented in the chapter was cool to see. I thought the design on the purse was incredible, and I also really like the Palace Chapel. I thought the restored abbey church was very neat. The architecture and design of the building was amazing. Very neat chapter in my opinion.

Ch. 11

Chapter 11 was very interesting to read about. The early middle ages from seventh to the tenth century was fascinating. Art and education development was very popular in the early middle ages, and I think those are things that are important for many cultures. The artwork in the book is beautiful. I really liked seeing the arches on page 172. The arches of the great mosque in Cordoba, Spain made the church look incredibly unique. It was very mesmerizing to see them. I have noticed that a lot of the artwork presented in the book comes from Cordoba, Spain, so I assume that was a very religious town in Spain. The northern European artwork was also fascinating. It mentions that there were invasions, so there was no monumental, painting, or sculptures produced. However, the invaders brought new art. For example, they brought a cover of a purse that truly looked amazing. It is made of gold, cloisonné enamel, and dark red garnets. It also has signs of Christianity on it. It combines Christian interlace designs and Germanic crafts with some cool Scythian animal style. I really liked this piece of artwork because it’s literally art, but you can use it in your everyday life. Another piece of art that I really enjoyed looking at was the Palace Chapel. The chapel has so many seats in it, which shows how big religion was to people. I really like how it goes up very high and has different patterns along it. The windows at the very top let in light, which I also find to be unique. I think the reason I like this chapel so much is because I grew up in a very catholic community. We have a couple chapels that I use on occasion, and it is cool to see the different, but yet so similar designs of them. Seeing all the candles, gold, and different designs is awesome. I personally think it’s amazing to see how many cultures do all this work for our Lord and savior. The Ottonian period section was cool to learn about. The architectural work within this time period was very neat. The church in St. Michael’s, Hildesheim was incredible. Unfortunately, it was destroyed during world war 2. The building was incredible. I really liked the green and red roofing, it connected everything so well. The architecture itself was incredible as well. They was cylinder roof tops, and also pyramid looking roof tops. Everything about the building was unique in style. The color, the shapes and sizes, everything was tied together great. The people who came up the with design of this building must have had very creative minds. I would love to tour some of these insanely gorgeous buildings from other cultures. I think that would be awesome. Overall, I thought this chapter was pretty fun. The architecture and different uses of art throughout the chapter was neat.

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Blog Post 13

I think this chapter was my least favorite. It was very cool to learn about how Christianity became a religion. The roots of Christianity were in Judaism since Jesus was a Jew. Christianity was founded on written texts and a code of ethics. I was kind of surprised that Christian rituals didn’t include animal or blood sacrifices. I feel like this time period would have had blood sacrifices. I like how Christianity used its own beliefs and didn’t take any from the Romans and Greeks.

The art in this time period was based on religion. I think my favorite art of this chapter would have to be the marble sarcophagus. It showed various parts of religion and the people that were significant. The sarcophagus has New and Old Testament scenes etched on it. I feel like this piece shows the true meaning of Christianity. It lets us understand the main people who helped create the Bible. Christians used to worship in private homes before basilicas were built. The basilicas were modeled by Roman basilicas. The basilica had an alter where the Mass was performed. A basilica also had an image of Jesus on the Cross faced toward the congregation. Most of these buildings were made out of brick but the inside was decorated with mosaics, frescoes, and marble columns.

I believe churches today still have the same feel as a basilica. We have a certain place of Mass and also mosaics and images of Jesus around the church. I believe the mosaics that are San Vitale’s are much like stain glass windows in churches today. They are colorful with designs in them that mimics the stain glass windows. The building of Hagia Sophia was very interesting. It has a central dome with four arches. The four arches are supported by four huge piers. Before I read about the Hagia Sophia, I figured it was a worshipping spot for higher up people in this time period. Hagia Sophia was actually a personal church for the emperor and his court. One of the last things that was made in this time period was the Codex. The Codex was a book that came into use for transmitting miniature imagery with written texts.

I really liked researching other nonwestern art movements. The art movement I chose to research was Korea (1-500 A.D.). I wanted to research a place that I did not know much about. I found out that in 313 A.D. was the destruction of the Han Chinese military. Throughout this period of time, the Korean peninsula will be united into a single nation. The website explained that Korea was being attacked by Japan during this period. The Korean government used ideas from China to help promote their country. It helps the Korean government be more successful. I think that the Korean period of art is mostly pottery, stoneware and ceramics. I also believe there will be a sprinkle of paintings and sculptures. I think by researching Korea, I will get to understand the country a little more. It will give me more insight on Korean history and its art movement.

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I can relate that this chapter was not really that exciting but there were a lot of key points. I didn’t even think of Korea as my research topic. I am not too much of a fan with learning about Asian culture but their design of pottery and their Empires power influencing the continual incline of their culture. I think everything derives form somewhere, it is remarkable to see how early Christianity is similar and different to today’s version of Christianity.

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I also really liked reading and seeing the churches throughout the book. It is truly amazing that churches are built so perfectly, and they are used for worshipping our Lord. All of the sculptures of Jesus, Mary, and all his followers are incredible. I also think most churches are very similar to the basilica in the book. I really enjoyed reading about chapter 10 as well.

Ch. 10

Chapter 10 was very interesting to me because there was so much information about early Christianity. I went to a catholic school from grades 1st-12th, so I really enjoy seeing art and reading things about Christianity. It was really neat to read about and reflect on everything I learned about Jesus as well. I think reading this reminded me who and what Jesus did for us. It was also cool to think back to when I was younger learning about how Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem, and the reason why he died. The followers of Jesus established Christianity, and I am very thankful to have such an incredible leader. Christianity was such a big part of Rome in the past, and it is still a huge part of millions of people today, including my every day life. It’s crazy to think how something so long ago has such an impact on people today.

The artwork that I really liked was the one on page 155. Jonah and the whale was such a remarkable story I learned when I was younger, and being able to see a piece of artwork that resembles that story is very cool to see. Also, seeing John the Baptist in the sculpture also reminded me of learning about that when I was younger. The whole sculpture on page 155 makes me think of all the incredible things I have previously learned about Christianity. I also liked seeing all the churches in the reading. I find churches to be beautiful, which they should be because that’s where we all get together to celebrate our religion. All of the pillars in the church, the interior paintings in the church, and sculptures in the church are all so incredible. For example, the basilica in Dyersville is amazing. There are so many sculptures, paintings, and beautiful pillars that I truly admire. The basilica is very similar to the pictures in the book. I think it is really awesome to have such big, gorgeous churches for our Lord and savior.

The website that had all the pictures and information about the artwork was very cool. I chose to read and learn about the Ancient Greece art from 1-500 A.D. The sculptures the website displayed from Ancient Greece were amazing. The one that I really liked was the panther. It looks so real, and is truly done to look just like a panther. The spots on it make it look like a legit panther, and I think it looks very cool. Roman lifestyle really dominated Ancient Greece. Such as the architectural achievements, and influences on artwork. I really enjoyed learning and reflecting on early Christianity and Byzantine art. Also, seeing all the incredible sculptures on the website was very neat. It was cool learning and comparing all of the artwork and cultures.

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Blog Post 12

I loved learning about Ancient Rome art. I liked how this chapter compared Rome and Greece a little. Greece had more of a classical form of art while Rome had its local styles. Roman art was based on history rather than myth. Roman art was made for explaining the history of art, while Greece like to tell stories with their art. Rome was the center of a great empire. I liked how Rome had their own culture. They had different laws, religion and Latin language.

My favorite part of this chapter was learning about the different architectural types. The first architectural types that the book talks about is domestic architecture. The Romans were interested in material comfort which became sophisticated domestic architecture. This domestic architecture was influenced by Etruscan and Greek antecedents. The Romans wanted their architecture to have its own characteristics. One of the key features of Roman architecture was atrium. An atrium is a large hall entered through a corridor from the street. The houses in domestic architecture had plain exteriors and no windows. The upper-class houses had running water and sewage pipes. I was surprised to see that these houses had running water and sewage pipes. I believe that the upper class was able to buy running water and sewage pipes, but the rest of the people weren’t. Romans built villas to escape from the city.

My favorite architectural type is public buildings. Two of the main public buildings are the forum and basilica. A forum is a regular building in Roman towns. A forum is a square or rectangle open space bounded on three sides. I believe that a forum is like a park or picnic area that we see today. We go to parks or picnic areas to socialize and meet new people. A basilica was a huge roof building at the end of a forum. This building is like a community center. They would have meetings and types of parties in the basilica. The one thing I was surprised on was the public baths. They would go there to socialize, bath, and to swim. The public baths are what we call a swimming pool today. We go to the pool to talk with friends, and swim. A public bath was a huge part of Rome.

Many sculptures from Roman art is people in history or telling history. The Romans used distinct colors to symbolize different things. I figured that the distinct colors in these sculptures represented power in Rome. Red was used to show emperors and cult statues. They sculpt the white people to show power. They sculpt the black people to show how they are submissive to the Roman emperors. The painting and mosaics of Roman art were the most significant. I believe the Romans valued their paintings and mosaics more than their architecture. I think the painting and mosaics showed the most cultural significance. They show many techniques that were not showed in past chapters. One thing I didn’t know in this chapter was that the Romans invented Christianity. I believe this chapter has had my favorite architecture, paintings and mosaics so far.

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I also really enjoyed learning about architectural portion of Ancient Rome. I loved reading and learning about the public baths. It’s pretty amazing that they built such a big building for sports or hanging out. I never really thought that was such a big part of life. The buildings was definitely my favorite part. I really liked reading your post, nice job!

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.

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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.

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I also found it very interesting that the Etruscan art was so similar to those of Greece. They were both big into large scale sculptures, which I think are incredible pieces of art. I also had no previous knowledge of this culture, but I am very glad I learned about it. It’s truly amazing how cultures are so different and so similar in many ways.

Chapter 8

I really enjoyed reading this chapter about the art of the Etruscans. All of the different pieces of art created in this culture is amazing. Architecture has always interested me, and architecture is a big thing in Etruria. The buildings and temples were built with such precision and looked gorgeous. The steps, the podium, and everything else within in the temples are so cool. The architecture of Etruria lasted long into the fifth century and evolved into a society. I really like how they reconstructed temples and incorporated artwork within it. How they updated and reconstructed the side walls, the roofing, and the podium is pure beauty. I also really enjoyed seeing the pottery and sculptures. They were sculpted to such perfection, and they looked so surreal. They symbolize a thriving industry in bronze and were inspired by Greece large scaled sculptures. I really enjoy seeing the large scale sculptures. All the preparation it takes to create such a majestic sculpture is insane. Gathering the material and creating the artwork is something many people take for granted I think.

I really liked how they valued women in their society as well. The fact that women were more public and held higher positions in jobs is awesome to think about. Most women in the past took care of the home, kids, and did household chores, but the Etruscan women were real political figures. I find that shocking, but I also think it’s a good thing. The sculpture of the woman breast feeding her child is astonishing. I like it because it’s such a natural and beautiful thing in life. It literally helps a human being grow, which I find amazing. It also makes the woman look powerful or dominant or even fearless. She is sitting with such confidence and looks so divine.

The tomb paintings were incredible. I like how symbolize respect for those who have passed away. We can learn so much from these tomb paintings such as why they were even there and what they mean to those who died. It’s almost like they represented the person who died life. The servants, men, women were like the people in their life. And the leopards were protect the tomb from any evil. It’s truly incredible how much we can learn from these tomb paintings, and it’s also amazing to view such beauty.

Chapter 8 was such a small and compact chapter. but yet it was so full of information. I have never really learned or even heard of Etruscans, but it was very fun to learn about their art and culture. The one thing that I really enjoyed was learning about how women were praised such highly in society. They were represented within the statutes of how powerful they really were. Not only was the Etruscan art beautiful, but the culture itself was also beautiful. I think having women be involved in society is great. This chapter was one of my favorite chapters yet.

blognicholeaclemen-blog

The start of the podcast says beauty derives from Athens, and they even refer to religion as God defined the world as good. Beauty can be a standard in which everything is compared to. As humans, our eyes are attracted to things that are beautiful and that is what we compare things to. The podcast refers to celebrities as being compared to Greek standards of beauty. Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of beauty and love. She was sculpted to be the standard of beauty. The podcast also compares how our current ideals of beauty do not differ much from what the Greeks thought.

The book talks a lot about statues and monuments pertaining to advances in objective beauty. The sculptures were mathematically calculated to insure the human body was as close to accurate and the ideal of beauty this is similar to the Egyptians drawing human using the hand to calculate the other dimensions of the body.

With the Parthenon and the Acropolis and other famous landmarks are famous because of the detail the Greeks established to create the buildings. Beauty is the ability to catch the human eye and stand out. The pillars have three styles, showing the progressing of the Greek era and the more detail they created as well. I travel to Athens in 2015 and it was beautiful. Everything seemed to be stone, marble, or of ivory which made the area seem rich in a way. The feel of being there and seeing the Parthenon, the old style building that also inspired newer buildings like the library replicating the pillars from Athena’s temples. The statues and painted vases in the museums were so detailed and eye catching.

Another form of art was plays of all male casts in the Greek theater. Acting and costumes, and makeup were all forms of unconventional art that sparked to new forms of art like story telling and plays and the dramatic arts.

My favorite statue was of Winged Nike (Victory) which is a headless female statue with spread wings to appear flying and was a symbol of victory to the people of Greece.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder as the old saying goes, but our current standards and ideals of beauty are sparked from the same beliefs as the ancient Greeks. Reading through the Chapter made me feel like I was back on the trip with the tour guides talking about the statues and the historic pieces in the museums. So much is though to come from Greece like Democracy, astronomy, and the famous mythology, but it never dawned on me that we also still see their belief of beauty. As human’s we all take some extent to our beauty. Woman with long hair and makeup and curves is standard of beauty but all people are created to be beautiful in many different ways. It is not all about looks anymore or so they say. A person’s character is also taken into consideration when determining true beauty.

nathanbildstein-blog

I really liked the top picture you posted, it is really a beautiful piece of art. I like how you stated that our beliefs of beauty are similar to ancient Greeks. I think that is a rather true statement because most people think of beauty as a physical attractiveness. I also believe every person is beautiful in their own way. Not only is it about their physical appearance, but also it’s about their personality. Great post!

Chapter 7

The art of ancient Greece is purely beauty. I thought this chapter showed a lot of beautiful artwork from Greece. The pottery and sculptures were amazing. The sculptures were developed with such elegance. The detail is incredible on them, they truly resemble people. The artist of ancient Greece continued to grow and create awesome sculptures as time went on. The early classical style was nice, but the picture in the book lacked detail in my opinion. However, as artists evolved and continued to grow into the classical style, the artwork also continued to become more and more beautiful. The one sculpture that stood out to me was “Laocoon and his two sons.” This piece shows how well developed artists were with all the incredible features within in it. I think that piece of art is gorgeous. I also liked the picture in the book of the Altar of Zeus. To me, this sculpture shows the true power of Zeus as a ruler.

I thought the podcast was very interesting. It got me thinking about beauty referring to sexuality, nature, class, and many other things. I like how they described the word beauty. Such as: “Living an honest, peaceful, and joyful life.” “Nature’s amazing systems working together harmoniously.” The one about nature’s system working together I agree with the most. When I asked myself what beauty really is, I immediately thought of God’s green earth. I imagined all the different places on earth. All the beaches, jungles, bodies of water, and open fields. To me, that’s what beauty really is, the world in which we are surrounded by. I thought it was interesting when they said how people view beauty differently. Some people think short people are beautiful, others are attracted to tall people. There are so many different examples of beauty. The Greeks themselves represented beauty in so many amazing ways. The main thing that they showed beauty is within the statues, and they truly are beautiful in my opinion. I think most people would agree that the sculptures are gorgeous, so the Greeks did a great job at demonstrating beauty in their culture. As I said above, the details, and precision of the statues seem to be perfect, which makes them so amazing. Throughout the podcast, I feel as if they kept bringing up physical attractiveness. The visual impression of women and men must have been something to work at in Ancient Greece. Greeks really emphasized attractiveness is what I kept thinking about when listening to it.

Overall, I really liked chapter 7. The thing I enjoyed a lot is seeing all the incredible pieces of artwork. I think the ancient Greek statues are the most beautiful ones I have come across so far in the class. I also liked seeing how Greek beauty evolved, and the sculptures kept getting better. The podcast was fun to listen to. The 2 men talking in it bring up some great points to think on about Greeks and how they viewed beauty. Not only the sculptures, but also people in Greece. I thought it was cool to learn about how other cultures view beauty in their culture.

marissareichardposts-blog

Blog #7

During this class I have learned a lot. I’m not typically an art person and I didn’t know a lot about it until I took this class. Doing these blog posts makes me look at different topics more closely. I’m not the kind person who likes to do worksheets or small quizzes, I prefer this kind of work. Doing essays makes me put my thoughts on paper and I like that. These essays make me look at different topics from all kinds of angles. Writing makes you put all your thoughts on a paper so it good to express different thoughts.

The two articles that I read were very interesting. I had no idea that this was a problem. I just thought they had these historic pieces I didn’t know that it was so hard to get them. When I go to a museum I go to see the “old” things. Museum to me means that it has history in it. I didn’t know that the African and Asian art pieces were not as common to see. I have only gone to one art museum and that was in Saint Louis, Missouri and it was full of modern art not historical art. Knowing what I know now I will defiantly think more about where the art came from and how it got to the museum. If it is a historical piece the probably had to buy it somehow to put into the museum. People don’t just give things up you have to fight to get what you want. It is unfortunate that these art pieces are not around. Everyone deserves to see the beauty and culture that these pieces show. I don’t think I’ve ever even seen a historical piece of art in person. I’ve seen only modern art.

I think as someone who is just getting into art I could try and expose my friends to it. I could make the effort to go see more art and learn even more about art. There is always room to learn and expand my mind. I could expose my friends to what I’ve learned this semester so far.

My favorite part of this chapter was learning about The Palace at Knosses. It was amazing it had so many rooms and compartments. There was a thorn room, different halls, porches, and other rooms. It was amazing for the time and very large. It had 16 rooms in total. Another interesting fact from the Aegean time is that we don’t know a lot about their religion. People have tried to uncover this but haven’t been successful.

This chapter talked about pottery which was new. I’ve taken a pottery class before. It is honestly so relaxing. I really enjoyed working with my hands to create something. You can make so much with clay. I made a bowls mostly because I wasn’t very good. I did learn a lot about myself when I was doing pottery. I had to be patient in order to create something that actually resembled a bowl.

nathanbildstein-blog

I definitely agree that others can benefit from looking into art history. I also want to expose my friends to art history and let them learn about it. I’ve learned so much valuable and neat information this semester from art history. I like how you said that everybody deserves to see the beauty and culture of these incredible pieces of art. I believe everybody should at least just research some of these things we have learned to expand their knowledge and maybe find a new interest.

Chapter 6

Chapter 6 was something I’ve never really learned about before. I didn’t know much about The Aegean Sea before reading the chapter. The one thing that I really liked reading was the Cycladic Civilization. It’s pretty amazing how good they were at fishing, sailing, and hunting for how early it was. According to the book, Cycladic culture had no writing system, and its earliest surviving artistic legacy dates from the Bronze age. The artwork made of marble was the most amazing thing to me. I thought the sculptures of human figures were beautiful, and they were objects of worship as well. One thing about the human figures they made that I found interesting is the fact there are more female figures than males. I just really wonder why that would be. Were women worshipped more or what is the reasoning behind that? Another thing I liked about this chapter is the pottery section. The pictures in the book look beautiful. The different shades of color, and the floral design look gorgeous. Chapter 6 was very neat to learn about.

These essays make me think that art history is not as appreciated as it should be. The art in Africa is basically gone, and there isn’t a whole lot of art history there that people want to learn about. I feel as if a lot of people want to see new, more exotic artwork. The issue that caught my attention was about how art history could possibly be lost due to people not wanted to learn about it. “Unless some of those few scholars stay on the case, we risk losing the art and history in art history” (Cotter). I was totally unaware of this. However, I feel as if there are many people out in the world that will keep studying art and reach out to others to share what they learned. I never really learned about the history of art, but honestly I find it very interesting to learn about all the different cultures and seeing all the beautiful artwork they created. This makes me sort of take art for granted. There are so many gorgeous pieces of art all around us. Museums are also a great way to teach people about how we have grown from our past ancestors. For the future, I hope these museums and pieces of artwork stick around for generations to view and see how amazing they are. Not only to look at how nice they look, but also to learn about them. There is so many incredible facts to learn and also to discover. I think my role for art history is to keep it alive and spread the word about it. Simply just telling people about it, and just keep on appreciating art today. I think if people talk about it, they will appreciate it more. Understanding all the things we learn from art history has really changed my views on it, which is why everybody should look into art history. There are so many unique things to see and learn about.

blognicholeaclemen-blog

Chapter 5

Egypt is most famous for pyramids, Pharaohs and the Nile. Early Egypt was divided into upper and lower Egypt until later united. One of the first advancement introduced under the reign of the Hyksos introduced the horse drawn chariots into Egypt allowing faster travels. Pharaohs were the key communication between the people and the Gods like Ra, and occasionally would need to marry relatives if it was recommended for political purposes. Some of the art most famous from historic Egypt are the pyramids and the great Sphinx of Giza to honor their deceased Pharaohs along with the Pharaoh’s belongs to take to the afterlife.

Egyptian’s believed in preserving their bodies after death. This process is known as mummification which they considered to be an artform to eternalize the body for the afterlife before the used of coffins to store the body. Things have changed and advanced drastically to our current form of honoring our late loved ones.

The most interesting things I found of this chapter that was new to me was the Egyptians perspectives on representing human appearances from their statues. On page 57 in the book explaining the interpretation of how the Egyptians would draw or size the sculpture known as the Canon of Proportion. I find their sizing so interesting how they sized all the body regions compared to the clenched fist. The stance of the figure was unique due to the way the body faced the front with the shoulders then faced the side with the face and the abdomen down.

Another very well know art from early Egypt is the hieroglyphics and paintings. I remember watching a movie called the prince of Egypt when I was a kid and the guy in the movie would do such remarkable painting portraying a story using people, birds, flowers and using such a large array of colors and it can also be resembled as hieroglyphics which is was also their form of writing and transcribing.

The beauty and the remarkable detail incorporated into King Tutt’s tomb is outstanding. The use gold to display his face and the detail of his coffinette really showed the power he had over Egypt. Egyptians loved their Pharaohs because they were the connection to the Gods and the bountiful harvest and the floods from the Nile. The civilians did all the brunt work to create the pyramids and the art to honor their kings.

Early Egypt really helped with continuing advances in the world of art and communication by improving the bond of religion and creating the role of the Pharaoh to communicate with the gods and using his role like a priest or father. The new colors added to the visuals in painting and the detail to the tomb help expand the pigments of the art. The Early dynasty is the most well known because of the pyramids the advances later in ages of Egyptians helped with the irrigation systems of the floods of the Nile and the more to advanced detail of King Tut’s tomb. This unit was very intriguing and reminded me a lot of history class and geology of the area.

nathanbildstein-blog

I also admired the beauty and the remarkable detail in the king’s tomb. Not only in the tomb, but in everything in chapter 5. The temples, pyramids, tombs, sculptures, etc, they were all so elegant. I also liked the paintings. There was many different meanings behind them. They weren’t just a beautiful piece of art, but I agree with you that they were also a form of writing and transcribing. I like how you said it reminded you of history class and the geology of the area, I felt the same way.

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