#grandmanner

[thatonekid-gotakunerd-blog]

Alright y’all, this is a little random and out of the blue, but this is a personal blog with no aesthetic anyways, so here we go. 

I was looking at some British and American 1700s art for my American History Class. And, me being who I am, I got super hyper fixated on one random inconsequential detail that really didn't matter the overall assignment, and I don't want my teacher to think I'm crazy, so all y’all on Tumblr can deal with this instead. 

We're learning about "Grand Manner" art. It's a style of art from the time period that took a lot of the realistic styles/methods/concepts from the Italian Renaissance and said, "hey, what if we did that, but more idyllic and symbolic?" And at first, I was like, okay, all art kinda does that, like it all has something it's trying to say. 

But these paintings, I swear. So the most prominent thing they do is say fuck you to the sun and make the light highlight whatever they think is important. It's not garish and glaring, though. Sometimes it could even be natural. 

Sir Arthegal, the Knight of Justice, with Talus, the Iron Man (from Spenser’s ‘Faerie Queene’) 

See what I mean? It could be natural, it just probably isn't, and it's definitely drawing your eye exactly where the artist wants it. This is a UK example, but the Americans did it, too. 

https://americanart.si.edu/artist/charles-willson-peale-3720 (The Artist in his Museum)

And I really like this piece. I like the way my eye went first to the guy's dark clothes against the relative beiges and to his semi-highlighted face, then to the brightly light floor by his feet with the artifacts on it, and finally through curtain he`s holding to the museum beyond, with its light subtly illuminating the visitors. I think it`s really cool and looks more realistic than the first one. 

And then I saw these paintings: 

King Lear Weeping over the Dead Body of Cordelia 

The Death of Major Peirson, 6 January 1781 

Not only did these men defy the sun to paint their paintings, they defied the very winds. 

The first one is far more obvious. The soldier`s plume and the king`s hair are blowing towards each other. That is some fake news. But it, coupled with the shaping of the background, serves to make the whole picture circle around the slain Cordelia. 

The second one took me longer to spot, but the flags and smoke shouldn`t be going that way. 

Why? You say. They`re both slanted the same way. 

Yes, I say. And it`s wrong. I drew a diagram because I wasn`t sure how to word this.

Sorry for all the blank space, and I really hope that`s visible, but it shows that right-directional (from the painting viewer`s perspective) wind would be required to make the smoke billow like it does, but left-directional wind would be required to slant the flags. 

So yeah. That`s the story of how some dudes decided to screw the laws of physics for the aesthetic and I decided to screw my homework to tell Tumblr about it. 

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk. 

[katieconquerscopenhagen]

Field trip time. I’ve taken more study trips here than I have my whole life. I even got to see the worlds largest container ship from the top of an early modern fortress(top right).

The next day the queen officially named the ship.

This trip was by far the most informational trip I have been on yet. My history of Copenhagen professor took us to the old Naval Houses, first constructed by Christian IV in the mid 1600s. After that we walked to the old fortress, one of the most well-preserved in Europe.

The conclusion of the tour was by far the best. We got an inside look at a part of Amalienborg Palace. The four symmetrical Baroque mansions, in the largest photo, were not constructed as royal houses at all. They were originally built by a wealthy nobleman. It was only after the first Christiansborg Palace burned down that the royal family moved into the four mansions. Although the move was meant to be temporary, the royal family has remained in the octagonal square since.

The mansion that we saw has been largely untouched since its last and first inhabitant, the notoriously mentally insane King Christian VII. In present day the queen uses the mansion for state dinners and for guests.

Our tour guide was absolutely amazing. He greeted us at the door, as if we were part of the royal family. We were immediately drawn to his suave attire and accent. He spoke as if he were carrying on conversation at the most fabulous party you have ever been to. Add his eloquent speech to his Louis Vuitton suede slippers and perfectly ironed shirt, and he had our undivided attention the entire tour...except for when the changing of the guards occurred right before our very eyes(a once in a lifetime experience).

Words cannot do anything that I saw in the palace justice. We were unable to bring our phones or cameras in as well. I think that the royal family wants the palace's interior to remain a mystery to most. All the more reason to feel that much more privileged after you emerge from the marble entrance/exit.

As if the gilded ceilings, massive number of paintings, and a collection of porcelain that would make any grandmother's cabinet seem insignificant, were not enough, at the end of the tour we got to march out during the changing of the guards. We actually couldn't go out the front door because the tour guide said we would be shot with a capital S(I think he was half kidding...) Thus we snuck out the back door of the palace, like I imagine the Prince has done a couple of times, and got a sneak peak at some of the guards. Interestingly enough half of them came in, with their cigarettes already lit. They were in full guard attire, with poofy black hats that British guards wear, and smoking in the palace courtyard. Now that was a site I will never forget.

I thought my last post would be it until after my travels. But this study tour I took on Wednesday was so interesting I had to share some of it. If I hadn't restrained myself, and I didn't have so much packing to do, I probably would have committed some serious word vomit about the history of the palace and fortress we visited. Thank god for my restraint.

#amalienborg #royalty #grandmanner #architecture