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I was also glad that this is the chapter we ended on! The cathedrals were so magnificent to look at. I am happy that the text provides such beautiful images of these cathedrals, and gives us some background as to how they were built, and even the settings they provided in their communities at the time. I’ve also been very curious about stained glass inside of churches, so it was interesting to read about how stain glass is made and constructed. Such detailed work is put into these churches, and it pays off because that feeling inside a church with a large nave and beautiful stained glass is indescribable. 

Blog Post 16

                The term Gothic is applied to art that was produced in Western Europe for the twelfth century through the sixteenth century in France and Europe. When I think of Gothic art, I think of stone sculptures and dark paintings. I was surprised that this chapter didn’t have many paintings or murals. It was basically all sculptures and buildings. The person who invented Gothic art is Abbot Suger. Suger made buildings unique by putting Gothic architecture in them. There were main elements in the making of Gothic architecture. Each building that was built in this period had: rib vaults, piers, flying buttresses, pointed arches, the skeleton and stained-glass windows. The rib vaults make less pressure around the building and makes more space to add windows. Piers are the support of the buildings. Compound piers were a mandatory object in Gothic architecture. I had no idea that Gothic architecture buildings used stained-glass windows. Abbot Suger thought that these buildings needed more light, so the stained-glass windows came into this period. The main colors in the Gothic art stained-glass windows were blue and red. It amazes me how stained-glass windows are made. It starts out as translucent colored glass. The translucent glass is formed together by colored glass. Once the glass makes a picture, it is framed by an iron armature.

                Most of Gothic architecture is inspired by the Romanesque period. Abbot Suger turned more of his attention to churches after Saint-Denis. One of the biggest achievements of Gothic architecture was the construction of a cathedral. By building this cathedral, the economy grew significantly. It gave jobs for many people. These jobs include masons, carpenters, sculptors, stonecutters, and other craftsman jobs. It helped the community come together or activities and religious opportunities.

                The main town of Gothic art would be Chartres. Chartres grew as a city when a cathedral was built. The cathedral was called the Chartres Cathedral. Chartres had vertical towers that elevated its appearance. When building this cathedral, the builders wanted it to be seen since it is at an elevated site. Throughout the cathedral, there is stained-glass lancet windows. This feature was in all Gothic cathedral entrance walls. I liked learning about the exterior sculptures of the Chartres cathedral. I think this cathedral is the most detailed and unique building that I have seen. It had three doors which were unique to any other building this chapter. The kings and queens were above the three outside doors. I liked how there were sculptures of saints around the three doors. The saints are very detailed and look real. I thought it was a clever idea to put the saint’s sculptures right by the door. It would feel like they were looking over you while walking into the cathedral. The ceiling was 120 feet high making it look more grand inside. I wish these cathedrals were still around, so we could see them today. I really liked reading this chapter. I was surprised how beautiful and well-designed this cathedral was. I was glad this was the chapter we ended on.

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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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Yes, the imagery created from the Bible and put on the tapestries, paintings and sculptures is amazing. I was just writing in my own post, that these works of art are what really tell a story. People have less interest in reading, and more interest towards visually interesting things. So by looking at these works of art and deciphering them, they are probably even more fascinated by the story that’s told. We’re even like this now, that we would rather watch movies than read the books they’re based off of. 

Chapter 12 Romanesque Art

In Western Europe there came to be many styles of art coming together to make up what is called Romanesque art. As pilgrims traveled to Santiago de Compostela, Spain they left behind a pilgrimage road system; leaving behind churches, lodging, and monasteries. Architecture of these churches made possible for the growing number of pilgrims coming through the area. These churches had much focus on aesthetics which was likely guided from wealthy patrons or even the local religious Order. These churches showcased a belfry rising high above the roof and I think many churches we are familiar with today follow in that tradition. I was rather surprised to see such elaborate gold altarpieces used in this time.

I love how in the Romanesque churches they were able to create imagery from the Bible by incorporating tapestries, paintings, and sculptures. The relief sculptures at the main entrances are quite magnificent. The Last Judgment relief adorning the main entrance of Sainte-Foy, Conques amazes me with its intricacies and I can imagine a pilgrim gazing upon it being frightened of the section with Satan and the monster. Within this church one could see the reliquary statue of Sainte-Foyl, Conques which the head was possibly molded around the saint’s skull. This makes sense since we have learned in other chapters how funerary mask were made that way. Gislebertus work at Autun reminded me of Salvador Dali briefly because in his Last Judgement where it’s showing souls being weighed there are a couple characters with extremely long limbs like how Dali does in his paintings where a limp is extremely long and supported by a crutch.

Romanesque art also brought us illuminated manuscripts with large and creative first letters of the text. I had noticed many books over the years following suite with enlargement of the first letter on a page, but this makes a beautiful statement. In mural paintings, tapestries, and manuscripts I love the bold uses of color. For murals they used fresco secco that may have been dampened to get the plaster to absorb the paint better. The Norman invasion of England was told through a tapestry measuring over 230 feet long. Many dedicated individuals had to of helped in the completion of such a delicate embroidery process. I really enjoyed the story telling in the Romanesque art this week.

Pictured above Last Judgement by Gislebertus at Atun retrieved from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/renaud-camus/14595107682

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Art History- Romanescue; Chapter 12

Roman architecture had such a big influence on Europe! Which I’m glad it did, because it’s beautiful. It really says something about the people of that time, who were so dedicated to making seemingly perfectionist architecture, which has lasted through all these years and continues to inspire to this day. The term Romanesque means “Roman-like”. According to the text on page 184, France is where a lot of this Romanesque art has been created and has survived. 

WOW THE ARCHITECTURE! The details of the Sainte-Foy in France are breath taking. It looks like something European, or more specifically German or Dutch (on pages 186 - 189 in the text) So beautiful! (The scene of the Last Judgement in the Sainte-Foy: WOW! Again, wow.) I would absolutely love to visit this place in person. It’s weird to me how peaceful these churches seem. Is it because of their architecture? Is it the duty of the landscapers and upkeep to maintain a kind of peace and over all look to these churches? Or is it God’s nature that just brings some kind of feeling in these buildings? Examining the architecture of churches in this art history book makes me wonder these things. Can you imagine the view off of the belfry on top of the Sainte-Foy? (p. 186)

Gold is used once again to represent royalty or someone of higher power/standard (page 187 in the text) Reliquary statue of a saint. Just thought I would note that really quick!. Another note really quick, there’s even more gold used on page 192 in the text, with the Stavelot Triptych. 

Something interesting I thought of while reading about the Stavelot Reliquary Triptych is that Constantine became a really big deal. Back when we first read about Constantine in chapter 10, it did not sound like this big ordeal. It seemed fairly simply, that he had a vision and became a Christian. But it seems that religion took it further and focused on it a lot more than it seemingly needed to. This is something similar to what I said about the Venus of Willendorf. Maybe the sculptor who carved it hadn't really put too much effort into it? Maybe things like these take on a snowball effect and become bigger over the years? And maybe the artwork creates a bigger story?

We know that art always tells a story, especially when it’s a colorful manuscript, like the New Testament initial L and Saint Matthew, figure 12.13 on page 193 in the text. Even the Initial T from the sacramentary of Saint-Saveur de Figeac on page 194 or the Mary and Christ with Two Angels on page 195 have a story to tell. Can I also just make notice that the same coloring seems to be used on these three pieces of art I just mentioned? Blue, red, orange, and green stand out to me the most. The paintings were usually fresco secco, according to the text. (By the way, I just figured out how to italicize my writing and I’m pretty excited about it.)

Speaking of storytelling, tapestry also has a story to tell. I had bought my mom a long, beautiful tapestry of a bright color blue for her birthday. It has the Tree of Life on it, but it’s a bit abstract, with little creatures and flora on it. It’s very bohemian, and I could stare at it for hours. Well, not hours. But just long enough to examine every single detail it holds. The tapestry on pages 196 and 197 has a story to tell as well, whether it’s from how it was created (embroidered with colored wool) or by the designs actually placed on it (The detail of battle scene showing Bishop Odo with a mace or even the detail of Viking longboats on the Bayeux Tapestry.) I’m looking forward to reading about Gothic art in the next chapter!

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I also really liked the Great Mosque of Cordoba. What really caught my eye about it was the red and white stripes on the arches. At first it makes me think of carnival colors, like that of the colors you would see on a tent, but looking at it longer, it has the look of something that belongs in Cordoba. It’s a shame that the Christians ruined a lot of it by adding a cathedral inside of it. About the Lion Symbol of St. John, it caught my attention as well. According to the text, the colors and lacing detail completely bring together unity. About the Odo of Metz, ABSOLUTELY! It would definitely be amazing to view in person. As a photographer, I would love to take pictures of it. 

Week 14-- CH 11

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Art History Week 14; Chapter 11, Middle Ages

There was a strong new influence from the Middle East that came into Europe; Islam. I actually have a close friend who is Muslim, or believes Islam, and I've learned a lot about it. I already knew that Muhammad didn't allow figurative representation of Allah or his prophets because they believed it was idolatry. I did not know though instead really what they did for art, but according to the text, Islamic religious painting consists of abstract geometric and floral patterns. Also, sculpture was considered the work of Satan, so there’s none of that either. 

Something that interested me in the text was that it said Muslims controlled large areas of the Middle East, and then aggressively campaigned conversion, and stretched throughout some places of the world. Christians on the other hand, weren't so aggressive to spread Christianity, they did it rather peacefully as far as I know. By spreading it peacefully, it spread more than Islam did...Hmm, different approaches I guess? I’m excited to see if maybe this translates through their artwork. 

Okay, so far it seems that when The Great Mosque Cordoba, was built, Christians turned it into a church and badly damaged it when they put a cathedral inside of it. That kind of says something, huh? The ornamentation and detail that’s left though is still very beautiful. It looks and feels like Spain to me, just by design. (Pages 172 - 173.)

Germanic hordes brought Christianity into Ireland, and shortly after, Scotland converted to Christianity.The style of their artwork in Ireland became known as Insular and Hiberno-Saxon. For the next three pages, I recognize some of the same colors being used in their artwork. Red and gold. The Sutton Hoo purse on page 64 has gold and dark red garnets. The Lion Symbol of Saint John from the Book of Durrow (page 175) has the colors red, green, and yellow (gold). And the Tunc Crucifixerant on page 177 has more red and yellow (gold) of course, but it also contains blue and green.The color of the manuscripts are already a gold tan color, but if you look closely at the pictures, you can see yellow paint being used in the artwork. For the Lion Symbol of Saint John, these colors were interlaced to created a strict unity of form and color. 

On page 179, the Odo of Metz reminds me of a building I’ve seen in a video game or movie. The forecourt, the dome, the rotunda and even the spiral stairs in the towers are all beautiful features of this building. It makes me question why we don’t build such beautiful architecture anymore? Or maybe other countries have, just not America. We could be more modern here. I possibly might not have heard of any beautiful buildings being built in America though, because then again, I do just live in Iowa.

I liked reading about the monasteries and the first Christian monks. We have a few monasteries out here. I believe Sisters of the Presentation is one (does it count if they are nuns?), there’s another in Sinsinawa (which I love going to, it’s so beautiful and peaceful there), and then there is also one on Monastery road out on the highway somewhere. If you take a specific road out by NICC in Peosta, then you can find it. That one is my absolute favorite, I’ve been there so many times to show friends and family. I went into their gift shop where they have handcrafted little trinkets, and I bought my self a little glass cross that I have hanging in my car. It is the most peaceful building of all of the ones that I have been to, because it still has part of the church that used to be there somewhere in the 1800′s (or maybe older). When you go in there, it’s completely silent. Not only that, but if you’re lucky, you can enter the church at a time where the monks are chanting/singing, and it’s amazing how their voices and the organ echo off the stone walls and vaulted ceiling. They work hard to study the Word and to pray, just like the monks in the textbook (page 180-181). Figure 11.14, the plans of the monastery of St. Gall Switzerland is absolutely amazing. I can imagine how beautiful it must be inside. Something about that lifestyle just makes me happy, I don’t know what it is. Also, it’s my dream to go to Switzerland one day. 

It’s a shame that the Restored abbey church of St. Michael’s in Hildesheim was destroyed. It’s another magnificent building. The bronze doors on the building featuring the Old and New Testament are so detailed! 

This chapter was full of amazing, beautiful art work and architecture. Just the idea of how monks live gets me really excited. It actually reminded me of another monastery that’s not around here, the Buddhist Paro Taktsang Monastery in Paro, Bhutan. Can I just say, BUCKET LIST!!! Okay I need to calm down. Just a side note here, the picture I have linked is one that I took of the monastery here in Iowa on Monastery road. 

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I researched China 1-500 A.D, and the Chinese, or the “Han people”, as they called themselves, also began creating Buddhist artwork. I find it interesting that between China and Japan, they shared similarities in their artwork. After all, the influence both comes from Asia. We can see how cultures nearby each other get influenced, Near East to Egypt to Greek and Rome for example. Western culture especially gets influenced greatly. For the Chinese though, they began incorporating Buddha into their artwork, similarly to Japan. 

Early Christian and Byzantine Art

Early Christian art found on marble sarcophagus shows important stories from the New and Old Testament of the Bible done in relief. Christians did believe in body resurrection, so their funerary art wasn’t for cremation purpose. I can see where through time the use of a headstone became much more prominent to mark the location but since they buried the deceased instead of cremation.

Once Constantine issued the Edict of Milan in A.D 313 people were allowed to construct places of worship and basilicas were built for those places of worship. Differing from Roman and Greek temples, the basilicas were constructed with enough space for crowds of people to come together and worship. I think this has led to the strong belief in fellowship that many churches nowadays have. It is interesting how prior to the basilicas other religions didn’t craft for this in mind.

Justinian church well known for elaborate mosaic throughout it is San Vitale in Ravenna. The apse and two side walls show Justinian and his empress at court. They adapted Roman methods of embedding tesserae but added in gold tesserae. They pressed squares of gold leaf between glass to create a more lighting; the gold being reflective to create different highlights. Also, since Christ is the “light of the world” use of gold reflects this light symbolically. The Byzantine style appears to disregard natural perspectives in this mosaic and I hadn’t noticed by just looking at it at a glance. I’m sure they must have had different imagery they wanted to emulate rather than following the laws of natural perspectives.

During this timeframe came about the ancestor of our modern-day books: the codex. Other societies previously studied used rotulus which was cumbersome to carry around and maneuver which is where the codex comes in. They used small imagery with text on parchment and vellum then bound them together. This makes sense why Christ and imagery from the Christian religion are so well known. They made it easy to create literature to spread to the masses of individuals.

Additional research: Non-Western Art

Japanese art that has survived from ancient times include pottery, sculpture, lacquerware, ceramics, and paintings with calligraphy. The earliest Japanese people created funerary art, giant tombs called “kofun” were built during the Kofun person which lasted for three centuries. Large clay sculptures of men, women, animals, homes, and boats were placed around the tombs for powerful rulers. “Buddhism was introduced in the 500’s which gave influence on techniques, styles, and subjects of sculpture. Temple sculptures of the Buddha and other gods were often made of gilt bronze because of its value and awe-inspiring appearance.”(scholastic.com)

While the Chinese originated the lacquer process in art the Japanese took a more sophisticated approach. Using gold leaf cut into different sizes and shapes made for elaborate designs in the lacquering of items such as bowls, furniture, or saddles. Due to the long process of lacquering I would imagine only those of the upper class had fine lacquerware in their homes or palaces.

References:

“Japanese Art and Architecture” Scholastic retrieved on 4-5-18 http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3753883

“Japanese Art” Art History retrieved on 4-5-18 http://www.arthistory.net/japanese-art/

“Japan 1-500 AD” The Met https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/05/eaj.html

Picture retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christ_Pantocrator_Deesis_mosaic_Hagia_Sophia.jpg 

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Art history Chapter 10; Early Christian and Byzantine Art

For my research on a concurrent nonwestern art movement, I chose China. It is listed from 1-500 A.D. I have always been fascinated by China and their artwork. Whether it be their architecture, or the simplicity of their art, I have always been intrigued. In fact, just thinking about it makes me excited! For all of my posts, I have been interested in the cultures of the people, like the Ancient Egyptians, or the Ancient Greeks and Romans. But man, I would love to read more about the art history of Ancient China. Here’s what I learned though from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the Han Dynasty, (206 B.C - 220 A.D) China established a lasting model of imperial order among their nations that is still around to this day. These people even refer to themselves as the “Han people.”

 I did some research on the Han people. They are in fact the most populous ethnic group in all of China. During the time of 206 B.C - 220 A.D, the Han people were forced south because of pressure from political turmoil, and during this time and for 300 years, the Chinese remained divided between the north and south, all the while picking up things such as Buddhism, painting and calligraphy. Within my research I found that Mahayana Buddhism is definitely a popular religion still to this day with the Han people. It is common within Ancient Chinese artwork to see statues of religion, or of Buddha. They used art materials such as gilt bronze and earthware to craft their art. The Han people were closely mixed with archaeology, biology and mythology, which can also be seen within their artwork. Their mythology can be seen in their art work of dragons (which I absolutely love). During this time they also began utilizing paper, which became a big deal during the third century A.D.

Okay, I am really excited about chapter 10. If you read the Bible, you can see that timelines add up, that being, when Early Christianity began influencing art and apostle Paul started teaching the Romans about Jesus Christ. While Christianity was spreading, it also had to stay an underground movement for three hundred years, because Christians were being persecuted. This was until Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, granting tolerance of all religions, which included Christianity. Somewhere in the Bible it is stated, “There is nothing new under the sun.” And that statement is the truest statement that I’ve ever heard. Even now, in today’s society are we always fighting for tolerance and equality of some sort. The fight is never ending, and this world will always seem unfair. But at that time, Constantine allowed for the tolerance of religion, which is interesting to me. 

The Early Christian sarcophagus (Page 155 in the text) is very interesting to look at. We can see the detail and depth it takes, much like the art work we have seen beforehand in this art history book. It is also made out of marble, which was a common material used by the ancient Greeks and Romans. But the Christian influence on it is heavy, displaying people from the Bible and symbolism. (A Shepard representing Christ for example, and the dove, being the Holy Spirit.)

As I was reading about the Basilicas, or the beginning of the Christian churches, I was thinking to myself, “Okay, here is where we see evidence of Christians wanting to come together to worship and join in fellowship.” And the sentence right after confirmed that for me. Constantine was an active supporter of the churches being built. The churches were heavily influenced on architectural design, especially the Roman basilicas. These buildings were able to hold large amounts of people for Christian worship, and this just goes to show how fast Christianity was spreading during that time. The mosaics, frescoes, and marble columns were used to exalt God, and to teach and inspire worshipers. I love artwork in churches, we can see evidence with this as well that beautiful artwork stayed in churches ever since Christian influence overtook western art. 

Christian mosaic was also made by adapting a Roman method, which was embedding tessarae. I am mesmerized by the mosaics on pages 160-163 of the texts. I can imagine how beautiful they must look in real life! I hope to see them one day. These mosaics are full of stories and symbolism. (The mosaic on page 170 is also magnificent. Such detail!)

Similarly to Near East and Egypt, we can see gold being used to symbolize royalty, or something grand. In the Hagia Sophia, we can see the gold roof, and it’s amazing. Through this artwork, we can see the influence of art through each time period, everyone taking something from each other to make art that is more and more grand. It makes me think on how far we’ve come, even now. 

I can see the point that the Iconoclasts make. In fact, I can see it in my minds eye, people worshiping the art and it’s beauty rather than what it symbolizes. It makes me wonder just how much art we’ve lost that we could have had to this day. This was a very interesting chapter, it’s probably my favorite so far!

N.A (N.A.) China, 1-500 A.D Retrieved from: China, 1–500 A.D. | Chronology | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Rome really did do a fantastic job capturing detail and realism in their artwork. It’s almost as if Rome was a perfectionist community. By the artwork in Ancient Rome, we can see statues that are almost completely symmetrical, whereas with the Greeks or especially the Egyptians, measurements were not always correct. All of the art from Ancient Rome was really beautiful, even the color choices in the paintings. A person can tell their artwork was very carefully done. Not only that though, but the Romans are known for their architecture, because they spent so much time perfecting it. And it was definitely worth it, because their architecture is beautiful! I want to see whats left of it someday. The Colosseum is so massive, and what took place there was so violent. At first I couldn't imagine sitting and watching the fights that took place there, but then I remembered what we as a society show on television (similarly to what I wrote in my post). It would be amazing to see and think about in person. 

Ancient Rome

In reading about Ancient Roman art at the beginning of chapter nine, it sounded as if the people began to create art right from the beginning.  It was almost as if they were establishing their own culture and aesthetic before anything else.  Of course, certain aspects of the art style had changed with each king, but the overall look of it remained the same.  Architecture was a focal point of Rome’s art.  Glorifying the empire as a whole as well as accommodating a growing population was something of a challenge; however, the Romans had architectural techniques that killed two birds with one stone.  Arched roofs doubled as passageways in some cases and the domes atop of some buildings allowed more space inside.  By the end of the first century B.C., there was a common housing format that was used among most (wealthy) Roman citizens.  There were multiple bedrooms, slave accommodations, wine cellars, and storage space surrounding a foyer or entrance hall of sorts.  In the middle class, the housing was held above shops and other facilities.  Multiple families lived above the facilities in separate areas, but they shared some accommodations like kitchens.  Other public buildings, like the Basilica Ulipa were treated as public art in a sense.  The Basilica was a huge roofed building used for law.  The building has different areas for different purposes and it was also adorned with marble and bronze, which brought beauty to the building.   The Coliseum is one of the most recognized architectural pieces within Rome.  It may appear as a giant arena for games and other competitions.  But what most people don’t see are the passageways within the arena and the maze-like structures underneath the center playing field (referencing to figure 9.13 on p. 135 of textbook).  The unseen intricacy in Roman architecture is an art in itself and the Coliseum is a great example of that

Painting and sculpting are the two other forms of art most associated with Ancient Rome.  Most sculptures are derived from myths, religion, and other commemorative purposes.  The Ara Pacis is one of the most symbolic marble monuments found in Rome during Augustus’s reign.  This piece celebrates the Peace of Augustus after the emperor had made peace with the Gauls and returned back to Rome.  So, it is appropriate to say that this art piece celebrates and commemorates a political change in Rome.  Although it is common to say that Greek and Roman art at the time were very similar, this Roman works depicts Greek motifs, but the subjects are Roman.  Subjects of Roman art were usually using humanism.  Busts, sculptures, and paintings were created to depict a realistic picture of human kind.  The humanistic work done in Ancient Rome and Greece were accurate and very detailed.  If a person were to look close enough at a sculpture of a man, they would be able to see the curls in his hair, the wrinkles on his face and the veins in his arms and hands.  The part that catches my eye, though, is the clothing worn by the people within the art pieces.  The robes and togas drape over the bodies with each wrinkle and each fold in the material hanging just as it would in real life.  Depth played a large role in humanism, I believe and Rome did a fantastic job at capturing detail and realism.

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Art History: Chapter 9, Ancient Rome

The city of Rome was a melting pot, and the center of world power. Although Rome was so diverse, the Romans kept their culture, and even the Latin language. Even so, with art, the Romans were greatly influenced by the Greeks. This is interesting to me, because although Rome was such a big deal, the Romans were still humble enough to appreciate someone else;s artwork as being better, or good enough to copy or be influenced by anyway. Romans tended to stay more on the side of realistic things to create for their artwork though, like history. And as we remember, Greeks were more about their gods, or idealization. 

Something I find fascinating is that back then in Ancient Rome, or even with the ancient Greeks, is that no one had any solid evidence, so who ever came up with something, they believed it as the truth. For example, Romulus and Remus were said to have founded Rome, but then they said Aeneas did, according to Greek myth. So, all they did was combine the two, saying the Aeneas was the twin boys ancestor, and they left it at that! Nowadays we would always want definite proof and evidence of something, but in their culture, which was defined by their arts, remained more mythical. Honestly, in my opinion, I believe they wanted it that way. Just based on their art, these people seem like these refined, upright citizens. The kind you would see at a fancy dinner party. So, of course they would think of their lives full of mystical gods, and believe that Rome was founded by two twins and a she-wolf. They wanted to be known this way. 

The Roman architecture reflected their nature too. What a pretty room, on page 128, figure 9.3! An Atrium, with an open roof to collect rainwater. I can imagine it’s a beautiful sight. And by this time, upper class citizens had running water and sewage pipes! Definitely moving up from the days of Near East. For the lower class citizens, Insulae was constructed, and acted as an apartment building. I would love to see a Roman basilica someday! How beautiful! (p. 131, figure 9.7) I really like the Trajan Market place and the Baths of Caracalla too. The people of Rome seemed to be very sociable. The Colosseum, made of travertine, tufa, brick and marble. That must have been SO HEAVY! What a fantastic piece of architecture though. The citizens of Rome enjoyed watching violence, and at first it seemed cruel. But then I reflected on society today, and the things we enjoy watching on television, and I was quiet. 

The Pantheon, with it’s massive concrete rotunda. It has an oculus, open to the sky. What a sight! I have to say, by far I think Rome has the most interesting and beautiful architecture. It’s a very well done and beautiful painting, on page 139. Moving onto Greek influence, we can see that the Romans used marble, like the Ara Pacis on page 140 in the text, or Trajan’s Column (p. 141). The Ara Pacis had lots of meaning and significance to it, including Augustus with his head draped in the manner of Pontifex Maximus, denoting his role as a religious leader. 

Romans weren't just influenced by the Greeks, but by the Etruscans too! They used cinerary urns for cremation, and built sarcophagi for their dead. Again, with more marble. They also made portraits like the Etruscans as well. 

The Romans were very influenced by Greek artwork though, especially through their murals. They would cover their art in volcanic ash, which preserved the murals. Smart! The fresco paintings contain so much detail, especially the paintings on page 150, and 151 in the text. This is the first time we've really ever seen such a simple still life painting throughout the text, like the one in figure 9.38. It contained highlights and shading. 

The Romans were a lot like the Greeks, but they overdid themselves. They liked power, and they defined their culture by this. Although, they were diverse, taking from the best of other cultures, to add to their society. Not only did they use lots of marble like the Greeks (pages 140-148), but they also made Sarcophagi like the Etruscans and they cremated their dead. Their paintings and architecture with all of the added influence turned out beautifully, and it’s definitely a place I want to visit someday. I am excited for chapter 10, to see how Christianity is going to dominate Western art and culture! I think it will be interesting. 

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Something I found interesting about this chapter is that archaeologists and everyone who discovered the art of the Etruscans, were able to learn a lot more about this ancient culture even though lots of documents were lost. As stated in the text, there were a lot of intensive writings and things that the Etruscan apparently had written, but had been lost over time. Even still, through their artwork, and through the untouched graves and tombs, we were still able to learn about the Etruscan culture. If this were not the case, then their culture may have been forgotten forever.  As you wrote, the Etruscans honored their dead, which I think says a lot about their culture as well. They took the time and patience to honor their dead. Painting the walls, and creating intricate, and detailed tombs or Sarcophagi, this shows us more about the Etruscans. I personally liked the Sarcophagus on page 123, with the man and the women sitting together. All of the Etruscan art was very stylized, I liked it.  

Chapter 8 Blog

Etruscan civilization is located in today Italy. With its closeness of surrounding areas, there were a lot of ties to other civilizations art connections but operating as its own City-State possessed a lot of individuality as well. With the old tale of Romulus and Remus sparked the Capitoline Wolf statue. This statue depicts a wolf feeding milk to two men which is one of the leading symbols of Rome today.

Etruscan used resourceful materials to create a grid pattern for living to build houses from wood, mud, and tufa found local to that area which was volcanic rock. This allowed for a sturdy foundation and held structure from storms or wind. Another branching of architecture was their wattle-and-daub construction to reinforce branches with clay and mud. They used stones for the podium base while the roofs are tiled for a more regal look and a lasting structure.

One of the biggest differences between Etruscan and Greece is their judgement towards women. In Greece, women had no ability to do anything independently and were defiantly not talked about amongst in public. In Etruscan, woman had more power, stylish and were able to be more social in political affairs as well. With the Mater Matuta statue, the woman holding the child possesses a higher status based off the hair, this statue is also a symbol for mothers that died in childbirth.

Similar to Egypt, the Etruscan honored their dead with memorial tombs painted in yellows, blues, and black garments worn on the people. The art on the walls usually depicting some rituals, dances, and other fun activities that inspired fun times.

This chapter was very short compared to other chapter but showed a lot of similarities and independence as a civilization. Through the Etruscan civilization, their ties to Egypt, and Greece show minor similarities, and differences through expressions of art like the statue of Romulus and Remus to depict conflict, protection, and power. The influences of woman through statues, their ties with religion, childbirth, and their power was a strong influence for furthering the advances of woman’s power.

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Blog Post - Week 11 The Art of the Etruscans

Something I found interesting the first minute I was reading the text, was the similarities with the Etruscans and the Greeks. Greece was a lot of the inspiration for the art, architecture, and social customs in Etruria. Not only that, but we lost a lot of potentially important and well written history, that being, the writings of the Etruscans, which was written from right to left. Hopefully from their artwork, architecture, and buried tombs, we can still decipher just what the Etruscans had to say.

The first pieces of artwork that stand out to me are the Wounded Chimera, and the Capitoline Wolf (p. 118, and 119) Both animals are made out of bronze, and are very characteristic in my opinion. They have elements of looking realistic, but then they kind of look like, how should I put it...Like a cartoon, or maybe an illustration? I question if the artist meant it to be that way. The babies, Romulus and Remus, look very realistic underneath the wolf. Very neat depictions though, I must say. 

About the Etruscan women, I’m glad to hear that they had more freedom than the women in Ancient Greece. They were literate, and women in higher ranks wore elaborate jewelry. What a fancy mirror on page 20 (the Mirror from Volterra)! I can’t imagine having such a delicate piece of artwork to look in, and the text states that only the women used the mirrors. I feel that it defines the culture, once again. The Etruscans seem very civilized, like the Greeks. 

With the last examples of artwork of the Etruscans being tombs and whatnot, it seems the last half of the chapter is focused on that. I think it’s cute how they made the Sarcophagi. The Sarcophagus on page 123 is a very nice, simple piece of artwork, and it depicts culture of the Etruscans once again. 

The Etruscans chose stylistic effects over anatomical accuracy. This is something I had mentioned before. I think this says a lot about the Etruscan culture! The Greeks were so precise and perfectionist, whereas the Etruscans were delicate, and stylistic. I find that fascinating. It leaves me to wonder, were the Etruscans modest about their culture, and simply inspired by the Greeks? Or did they think they were better than the Greeks, having better ideas? As the text says, these people were literate, and they had writings that were very rich and extensive. Not only that, but they had their own language, religions and customs. Something about their artwork and history though, leads me to believe they were modest, and just simply inspired by the Greeks. 

Reading all of these chapters, just through artwork we can slowly see culture and civilization coming together. From the barbaric and simplistic past of basic survival, to a now pampered and defined society, we see that humans always had a instinctual need to create artwork, which I find fascinating. In the last part of this text, it is mentioned that even dentistry came to play, within the Entruscan culture. They made dentures to improve health and even be cosmetically pleasing. We've come a long way as a society, this chapter, once again, like the other chapters, has made me reflect on this.

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My favorite sculpture was also of the bronze Boxer! As you said, you can see his story without one word being said. Not only do you see the physical, tough presence of this man, but you can see the Greek culture through their desire for entertainment, even through violence (much like we as a society today). This man only had wrappings on his hands, and that’s kind of what drew me to the piece. It’s just a very good example of the culture of the Greeks. I really like the color too, although maybe it happened to look like that over time. 

Week 8

WOW!  What an interesting chapter.  I find the Greek culture and art fascinating.  Much like the Greeks today, at least the ones in my family, the Greeks thought of themselves as the most civilized culture in the world, viewing themselves superior to all others.  The Greek culture was the first where I read that they employed the politics of requiring men to participate in its government while women were not allowed.  Thomas Jefferson used the Greek democracy as an inspiration to write the Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution.  A new way of teaching was developed as question and answer known as the Socratic dialogue.  When you read about these things our way of life today (minus the electronics) still mimicks the Greek culture.  

The Greeks have taken their works of art to a whole new level, literally and figuratively.  They were the first civilization to use grave markers instead of trying to preserve the deceased for their new life.  Their grave markers were beautiful pieces of pottery with painted renderings on them.  They used red figure painting to depict people in a more naturalistic color and form.  They were more sparing in the amount of things they put on a sculpture.  What I love about the Greek artwork is the natural flow of the sculptures, the softer lines and that they have far more interesting detail right down to the folds in their drapes.  They were not ashamed to show the body nude.  The sculptures are beautifully detailed with muscle tone, curly hair, genetalia and even veins! The Parthenon has sculptures along the top of the columns, the Erechtheum uses  caryatids to support the platform above it.  Until I read this chapter I had never seen the Winged Nike sculpture or the Sleeping Eros statue but I absolutely admire them with their detail (pg 1113).  My favorite sculpture of al was the bronze Boxer.  It tells his story without even writing a word.  It’s copper inlay’s where he has been injured and his face looking beaten and almost defeated although I see his as a victor, but you can feel the strong emotion of the statue just by looking at it for a few seconds.  I can’t imagine what it would look like in person. 

The podcast gave us cause to think about beauty.  The Greek word for beauty is kallos.I think the podcast was saying that the Greek culture introduced beauty as being physically attractive.  They were detailed in what they found attractive as pertaining to physical features and how well proportioned their bodies were.  Is this where our obsession with the perfect body started?  As some people say, beauty is only skin deep but with the Greek civilization beauty started with what was on the outside.  

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Week 8, Chapter 7, Art History

About the pod cast, I was very intrigued by what David Konstan had to say. My own opinion is that, during the time of the Greeks, these people formed a very civilized culture. Maybe not humbly civilized, but they developed a culture in which they spent great time perfecting their art, and finding what it means to make a beautiful piece. What intrigues me though is the human desire to see beauty. Again, it goes back to one of my first blog posts, where humans have quality traits of God since we are made in His image. We crave to see beauty, to create it. It does feel nice to be attracted to something or someone. Even to create something that looks beautiful fulfills that need to make, and to make something worthy. So that’s what the Greeks focused on, and further developed. He had spoke about “Survival of the prettiest”, and I completely agree with what he says. Even now as a society we live this way, with celebrities and what not. Why else would the Kardashians and Jenners be so famous? Along with their drama, they are pretty to look at. Along with all the other celebrities we keep our eyes on. It’s no different then a time with the ancient Greeks, where they produced a work of art that actually presented “Kallos”, or “Beauty”.

Based on the chapters, I had just said that I believe the Greeks art defined and further developed/displayed their culture, and on page 84 in the text, it states, “the Greeks saw themselves as the most civilized culture in the world.” I knew it! I love that just based on a few things I was able to make that observation. Something I find interesting about this entire book and take on artwork, is mankind’s desire to know or believe in gods/God. The Greek, along with their civilized/organized culture, put their gods in categories, all the way from the name to the Roman Counterpart. These gods resembled the culture of the Greeks themselves (p. 86). Again, going with their culture, it seems the Greeks stuck by the colors of brown, black, tan, and gold (p. 88, 89, 90, 92, 95 and more.) Even though we know they had access to all sorts of different colors, which they did use in their paintings, on their sculptures and pottery, they stuck to these colors, and grey/white, which was from the material they had (Marble and bronze for example, like the Polykleitos Doryphoros, c. 440 B.C on page 96 in the text.) The Greeks using marble showed their culture and civilization nature once again. The Parthenon, for another example, was made of Pentilic marble. I’m shocked by this, because as we known, marble is so heavy! But again, with time and patience, the refined culture Greeks were dedicated to a superior, artistic lifestyle. There are other examples though in the text of this marble being painted with very bold colors, such as figure 7.26 in the text on page 104, and even gold and ivory plating being used on the marble figures, such as figure 7.27 on page 105. The Greek theater was another show of their culture, even being built on knowing the facts of how sound travels. I’m amazed at how accurate their sculptures of the human body are. Whether it be the Lysippos, Apoxyomenos on page 111, to the Boxer on page 114, or even Lacoon and His Two Sons on page 115. It makes me think back on past chapters, where I reflect on the fact that the statues of humans were not as accurate until the art work from Ancient Greece was created. Over all, the artwork in ancient Greece was a huge example, definitely a major part of learning the history of the Ancient Greeks. They were a very tough society, where the Olympics took place and many other large, and probably violent games too. They must have thought so highly of themselves too, to have made their own gods based on themselves! Being a refined, developed civilization as the Greeks were, their art and architecture reflected it. They were a culture that wanted to display “Kallos” or, “beauty” in their art work, because they wanted to be represented that way. 

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Art History, Week 7; The Aegean

Reading about The Aegan peaked my interest. On the first page, I was excited to learn about their Cyclade island lifestyle, with the traders, fishermen and sailors. I love that kind of lifestyle, it’s so cozy to me. They even had time to make art, like the Female Cycladic idol on page 71. A lot of  their human figures were made from marble! I found that neat because marble is probably hard to work with. Something I noticed about their art is that it has very nice coloring, such as the Ruins of the palace at Knossos on page 72, and the Toreador Fresco on page 73. I really hope I get to travel someday and see art like this in person. I’m sure the pictures don’t do them justice, but in person they must look even more amazing. Going along with the lifestyle, the Minoans loved the sea and depicted it in their art. I’m serious, that makes me actually happy. I can imagine their culture and lifestyle now, even just by reading the text, and I love it too. Ship Fresco (p. 75) also has beautiful colors in it, and in the painting you can see boats and things that have to do with their lifestyle. Something I’m curious about is the usage of certain colors, like blue for example. It seems in everything they painted and depicted, they used the color blue. (Goddess from the citadel for example on page 78 has cyan and teal) Is that because they lived by the water? It’s probably from their lifestyle. I’m sure it has to also do with the materials they had. Never the less, it’s beautiful, cyan tends to run as my favorite color. Just an observation I made, in ancient Egypt, their tombs were indestructible and built for the utmost protection, whereas on page 80, we can see that their tombs were not so in the Aegan, because their tomb had been raided, I also noticed how all of these cultures that we have read about so far focus on bulls and lions (Like the Minoan and Mycenaean cups from Vapheio, near Sparta on page 82). I can assume that bulls were a focal point because they provided food, they were always around, and they were massive. They are strong and fierce. I also know that bulls were considered as gods a lot of the time, or inspired gods. Nevertheless, the usage of gold during the Mycenaen era was done very well, and seems to have uphold itself over the years. This entire chapter seemed to be less complicated than ancient Egypt, the Aegean seemed more simple. Maybe being by the water does something to people, not cooking in the hot sun like the Egyptians.

As for the articles, I could see their points. We are definitely in a time period where everything is becoming equalized. In the 50′s and in Victorian times, sex and other things were considered taboo, such as India’s religions. But nowadays that’s changed, but it’s left a big time gap where we could have had lots of history from Indian art work. I found the idea interesting to combine old art with new. That seems to be the way to draw people in nowadays, and to give art a big comeback. I don’t know if it’s just because I don’t live in a big city or what, but art doesn't seem to be a big thing right now. But as the author also said, it could be a good way to bring about the lost-and-found art in the near future. 

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I agree with you, there is so much more then what meets the eye in this art. All of these different cultures and time periods were trying to convey something, and rather than just being a sexual thing, the Indian art perceived it as spiritual. This time has changed, and sex has become something different than it was in say, even just the 50′s. Were in a time where maybe we’ll be able to understand that type of art better, because maybe as a culture we’re becoming more similar to that culture. Especially with the hipsters, I can definitely see hipsters being interested in that type of art and culture. 

Blog 7

Chapter 6 talks about 3 civilizations. These are the Cycladic, the Minoan and the Mycenaeans. The Cycladics had no writing system so their works of art were sculptures of humans made of marble. They were thought to have religious purpose because many were found in graves. The Minoan civilization constructed a palace called Knossos. It served as a commercial and religious center. Their language has not been deciphered so little is known of this civilization. One work of art that is seen multiple times is the Snake of Goddess. It is a large breasted woman holding snakes. It is thought to represent agriculture and fertility. In the 1960’s, a city was uncovered with many artistic artifacts. The city had been taken over by a volcano and since it’s discovery, researchers have been able to restore some of the art found. The Mycenaean civilization was built on a hilltop and the palace of the King was called the Megaron. The towns people lived in small stone and mud brick houses. Tholos were also built, and they were round tombs. Who was buried in them is unknown. Bronze daggers and the Mask of Agamemnon were found in these graves and suggests these were the graves of the wealthy. The discovery of these 3 civilizations have brought some understanding of Western history.

According to the essays, the second half of the 19th century became popular for Art in Japan. Along with that, came issues that I was unaware of. I always knew that religion and beliefs always bring critics no matter what the age period. I guess I hadn’t thought about it when it came to art. Indian and Hindu art were too sexual for people to appreciate. Also, much of their art were sculptures and paintings were what everyone preferred at the time. What this era didn’t realize is that they were just looking at them in an entirely wrong view. They seen sexual, where the Indians perceived it as spiritual. Our society has changed since then, and sex is accepted more now than before. This makes me think that whenever I view art I need to take into consideration the age and culture behind it. There is so much more then just what meets the eye. Problems are still in the horizon because many colleges do not offer Indian Art history now and that means there will less research done. Contemporary art is also favored among the rest and this means that non-western art is not studied like it was before. No interest means lack of financing to study the art and in time this era of art will not be recognizable to our young generations. Some artists today try to keep the older art new by a way of hybrid art. This is taking art from our Africa, Indian or Hindu cultures and mixing them with contemporary to create a new piece. I think that it’s up to our generation and the younger generations to come to study art to remember where it started so that we can keep it alive and keep funding to research it alive. I had no idea that research of past art could be coming to a halt. These essays really bring that into perspective.

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Wow I also wrote on my blog post that I was fascinated by the use of color too! Even in the colors of the statues or the coffins, as you said, with the use of Lapis Lazuli and malachite, the colors were so vibrant and used every well. It’s interesting that you say you are a believer in the afterlife. I believe that there’s heaven or some kind of dimension where we belong with God. But what the Egyptians believe fascinates me, and even the way they treated their dead. They treated their dead with the utmost care, as you said, preparing them for the afterlife. The very complicated precision of their process can definitely be called a work of art in my opinion. 

Chapter 5 Ancient Egypt

In the very of this course we were asked to start this blog with a post about our idea of art and the representation of it. I chose to post a picture of a historic building here in Dubuque, IA where I live.  I stated that I love the architecture in my city and that I consider the architecture to be works of art.  In Chapter 5 I was pleasantly surprised to find information and pictures of the architecture of Ancient Egypt.  I am fascinated by their ability to build these massive monuments such as the Pyramids at Giza which were built for the three Old Kingdom pharaohs of the 4th Dynasty; Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure (Pg 55, figure 5.5).  In these pyramids were chambers for burial and worshiping the pharaohs and on the outside of the pyramid was a large oversized statue to guard the temples.

Another point of interest for me in this chapter was how they honored the dead.  They would take great care to embalm, remove the organs, except for the heart, and wrap the body to mummify it for their afterlife.  I am a believer that there is an afterlife.  The Ancient Egyptians prepared their royalty for the journey into the afterlife with the implication that they would need precious jewels and gifts to offer to the Gods.  

Although I have never had a desire to travel to Egypt, this chapter with all of its beautiful pictures of the pyramids and temples certainly have given me a reason to want to go.  I would love to see these structures in person.  I believe only then can you appreciate the true impact of what they meant to the Ancient Egyptian civilization.

I am also fascinated by the use of color in the paintings of Ancient Egypt and how vibrant they were (pg 62-63).  I have a collection of stones and crystals and in my collection I have a Lapis Luzuli and a malachite stone.  To be able to hold them in my hand and admire the beauty of the stone and relate it to how they used the stones for color in their paintings helped me to imagine the true colors of them.

I am by no means a history buff, but I found this chapter very engaging and I was pleasantly surprised to read about the Ancient Egyptians and their artistic talents.  One blog could not even begin to describe the beauty of their culture and works of art.