#( i literally see the scene in the chapel that Adam is at and its so funny to me )

[wcrldcfvtlvs]

Something that's playing in my mind is the events that lead up to Adam Carmichael's down fall is that Adam attacks Victoria without her realizing it and it's a comical moment because she can't think of anything to saying other than something really vulgar that catches the entire room off guard. Basically it goes like this:

Adam: * lands on a hit on Victoria *

Victoria: * visibly offended that she was hit * oh you DADDY FUCKER

Rosalie: * too stunned to speak just stares at Victoria and Adam *

Tyler: * visibly proud and does a little fist pump in the air before setting a guard on fire *

Adam: EXCUSE ME?

Everyone else in the room stops fighting and just stares with slight mummers of " I didn't know she could raise her voice like that "

[honestmagpie]

X-ray Raz is VERY cute and we don't appreciate that enough.

"Our Lady of Restraint" and the fact that Hollis' mental sanctuary is in the hospital chapel suggests she might be religious, which I think is a neat little addition.

Actually, aside: I think it's very telling that your controls DON'T invert when Raz is on a levitation ball. By all accounts they should, which tells me that Raz is SUCH an experienced circus performer that he doesn't even have to think about reversing his movement on top of a ball. He just does it automatically because he has so much practice.

The Lady Lucktopus exterior has a great deal of seagull crap in specific high-risk spots which I think is a very funny and niche detail to add that does a good job of adding depth to the scene.

Also I wish I could more closely examine the low-poly distance models for this scene, it's really neat. And the Skybox here is really quite pretty.

I think the Croupier is using the same soundbite as the one from Grim Fandango, which is a very clever little reference.

GOD Hollis' Hot Streak looks good.

The exterior of Hollis' Hot Streak has tentacles and cards wrapping around the world, and even the buildings are wavy like tentacls. Just a real cool note.

There's an X-ray that features a skull with three eye sockets, to indicate a psychic's 'third eye' which is entertaining.

Hollis' high-rollers lounge features a heart motif rather than a sunrise (which I think is what it was before). This because she hasn't been following her heart, and you have to help her realign her thoughts with her heart.

MAN I love the things this game does with gravity and perspective.

"Oh, phew, it's just the morgue."

I suspect Hollis has an 'addictive personality' even though she understands the math behind gambling. All this happened too easily, I bet she'd be into Gacha games and blind boxes, but she wouldn't indulge in them because they're 'a waste of money'. She'd be down for a penny-ante poker game with friends.

I think the maternity ward music has "Rock a bye baby" in its music.

In the Pharmacy at least, we can see that the pharmacy is erupting out of Hollis' mental blockages. I suspect she's very frequently stuck in the same way of thinking, which could be why she struggles to solve the financial issues-- but also why she's known for her steadfast attitude. Hollis never changes, and Hollis has a very straightforward and direct moral compass. All three of her minigames relate to her heart, I suspect she's very head-driven, and might not have ever really been driven by her heart. While Raz definitely tinkered with her problem-solving abilities and muddled things, I think he also helped her handle being more in-tune with her emotions, which might be why she softens up on Raz just a bit in the game.

I wish there was a New Game + Where I could play with all the powers and upgrades I've earned previously unlocked.

The medical nurses are incredibly funny still.

Says the heart: "My doctor told me to stay off this leg. but he's also my boss, and he told me if I miss another race, I'll be fired." I think that indicates Hollis' disregard for her own feelings nicely. The one time she let her feelings override her logic, she made a mistake that ended her medical career. "Who am I to complain? I'm not special." Also the heart is literally a 'broken heart'. Worth noting, the other runners in the cardio race all see Raz as a joker, except the heart who sees Raz as a coach.

I like Adam and Lizzie. They're neat.

The Lady Lucktopus' cards are actually pretty neat, I bet they could be adapted into a real playing card set.

There are some interesting implications to the interns' astral projections turning into thought nodes.

Back to the heart thing, it's interesting that you attack the heart in the Lady Lucktopus' head. Perhaps showing Hollis the difference between "Letting yourself have your feelings" and "Letting your heart rule your head".

Wtf Hollis' hands reach past her knees when she's standing. Psychonauts proportions are so whack, I love them.

Raz being ashamed of himself is still so cute. He's just a littol creatchur.

Poor Sasha has been stuck in the fuckin air vents for HOURS. (Also his codename is Shoehorn because he used to be a cobbler lmao)

I love that milla dresses like she's trying to dress like a secret agent for a halloween party.

Raz is Eggbeater because he messes with so many brains. :)

Norma honey plz fix the bridge of your glasses you will get SO many headaches like that.

The Lady Lucktopus' hallway carpet is actually fantastic and I would like that as an area rug.

I had to learn from the Internet that you could blast the psi drones. Like what is even the point of having them then lmao.

Adam is so cool, actually.

Lizzie has straight-up cryokinesis, does she know how powerful she is??

Sasha's utter disdain for necromancy amuses me greatly.

Hollis being completely correct at her first guess is hilarious.

Poor Sasha never gets answers for why he was stuck in an air vent for HOURS. (Assumed based on the daylight out the window).

"Oh, Sasha. I just don't know who to trust anymore." From Milla. 👀

Sasha is SUCH a dad, bless his heart.

Huh, the lever in his lab with the button prompt no longer has the button prompt. No more "Press Triangle to Razputin" lmao.

He has a recycle bin next to his desk, but no garbage can. Also, a flower in a boot?? A reminder of his parents, perhaps?? Right next to a gold brain trophy that he probably earned by being such a smart cookie. Everyone talks about the lamp in his office, but nobody comments on the SEVEN potted plants he keeps near his desk. :)

Whitlatch just asked for "A background check on that whole circus family" before they even show up. She's just racist against grulovians. >c

Hey if the Psychonauts wants to cut their damn budget they could start with the WHOLE WATER FEATURE in the boss' office, james bond villain-lookin ass...

Truman's... pants. Truman's pants have a brain pattern. Bruh's whole-ass wearing Psychonauts brand pajamas. I know we knew this because mf is wearing a bathrobe, but STILL.

"I have no-one else I can trust." Bitch he's TEN. Would everyone please stop trusting a ten-year-old. I know he saves the world with the regularity of a pokemon trainer but he is STILL TEN.

Raz: "I'll complete this mission with utmost secrecy." [summons the worlds most famous psychonaut in the middle of the HQ lunchroom, yelling about a mole in the psychonauts]

Helmut and Bob's stumps at Whispering Rock are next to each other. :')

The visual of he cabin around Ford seeming to have exploded from Ford as the source sure is something serious.

Cruller has at least one arm tattoo.

I was wrong about the twist villain not saying anything to betray himself. "Do you know who I am?" "I'm telling my dad!"

If you watch him, Raz is VISIBLY more focused when he's standing still balancing on his levitation ball.

"This is just another brain in torment. It needs a Psychonaut to fix it." I like that fake Truman doesn't realize that Psychonauts aren't meant to "Fix" people.

That'll be it for tonight, probably more liveblogging later unless someone hates me for these already lmao.

Replaying Psychonauts 2 for the funzies.

In Loboto's Labyrinth, the last time you visit the trap (right before you relearn levitation from Milla) the exit blocked by a painting has a chandelier hanging above it that looks suspiciously like SOMEONE'S intricate headdress.

[missdutch21md]

Music of the Night | 3

A/N: Hello Lovelies!! Here is part 3!!! Some background and general angst?? Not sure how you guys will like it honestly;; Anyways as rough as this chapter can be,  I hope you still enjoy this look in Taehyung’s mind.. bc. holy cow, i went there. I was listening to sappy music and got into writing and this was born!! Sorry for being late with this chapter, I know I promised it last night but after Be got released I literally couldn’t function. My apologies and please forgive me and accept this chapter as a token of my love. 💖💖

Summary: The time is 1856. Location: Paris, France at the Opera Populaire. Taehyung is living his life when who should stumble into his life than the most beautiful singer he has ever heard? She was the missing instrument to his orchestra. She would complete the score for his… Music of the Night.

Pairing:  Opera Ghost! Taehyung x Singer! Ballet Dancer! MC

Genre: Angst 🥺

Rating: Mature 🔞

Length: 1.2k

Characters: rich! Seokjin, rich! Yoongi, dance instructor! hoseok, officer! Jimin, stagehand! Jungkook, chorus girl! BlackPink

⚠️Warnings⚠️: mentions of religion, stalking, abuse, (would you guys consider PotO as disabled--idk how to write this really in a pc way), body image issues, self deprecation, fear of abandonment, slight yandere themes 

Please keep in mind this is a work of FICTION this in no way reflects on any BTS members or Taehyung as a person. This is simply a story for the imagination.

Go b a c k | Turn p a g e | M.L i s t 

Taehyung found that while the Opera was busy bustling with excitement, he could not match their jovial feelings. He had gone about his usual morning routine of ensuring his pupil had awakened at a decent hour. He always blushed and told himself, he only did this to help her, it was surely not to catch sight of her in nothing but a thin shift. He would never. 

 The ensemble had gone through countless rehearsals already, and the quizzical man found himself losing interest, even with the way his little pupil huffed, and flushed from the vigor of her dancing. He was intrigued again when she scampered off to see the costumers, and was content to watch her from the holes in the walls as she worked diligently. She seemed to fit in everywhere she went. Easily sliding into conversation with poise and always being so well mannered.  

 He often thought of their deep conversations and smiled ruefully at his memories of just the night before when she was so tired and yet still adamant to meet him for her lessons.  

 Taehyung didn’t think himself a particularly cruel man, but still, he expected a certain amount of dedication from the young woman. She was meant to complete his music after all, though she wasn’t exactly privy to his intentions, yet.  

 He blinked when he realized that the young woman had scampered off without his noticing, the older women spoke of luncheon, and he hastily made his way to the mess hall, sure that he would find her there. And find her he did, flushed and beautiful as ever while her friends teased her.  

 “Finish quickly so you can come back to us!” the girl with long, dark tresses urged his pupil.  

 “Besides I think Hoseok misses you,” the younger girl laughed in a liting tone.  

 Taehyung had noticed that the male dancer had become somewhat of a mentor to her, taking her under his wing. It was clear on one occasion that his little pupil wasn’t completely immune to the older man’s charm and appeal. He watched as she shook her head but the light blush dusting her features deepened at their persistence. The girls continued their teasing for a bit longer and the blonde, (Taehyung never cared to learn their names. They were not his pupil, so why should he really care, was his logic. though he remembered she was the youngest girl of the group) even acted out a scene where she, as his pupil, would swoon in the brunette’s arms as though they were Hoseok’s waiting arms. At this, the dancer he was so keen on had turned so unapologetically red, one of the other girls began to speak. But Taehyung could stomach no more, with one final glance at the petite dancer, his pupil, and he was positive she would faint. His stomach tightened, and his mind was racing,  so he did the only thing he could think to do while tears stung the backs of his eyes and a few even rolled hotly down his cheeks.  

 He left.  

 He would not hear how Jennie playfully called him the true desire of his pupil. He probably never would guess in a million years, even if he had stayed. All he could hear was a loud ringing in his ears, and the voices of all those who had scorned him. Devil Child, Evil, Hell’s Spawn.  

 You name it, he was branded it at one time or another.  

 Taehyung anguished as he descended back into the belly of the Opera House, his past traumas endured kept coming in wave after wave. He could never be the desire of his beloved; of that he was certainly sure. How could he be? He didn’t even have the courage to stand before her. It took so much out of him to even speak to her. That had left him shaken for a week before he roused the courage to speak to her again. His face was another thing entirely, while the left side of his face looked like that of an angel, chiseled to form the finest, most shockingly beautiful face. The right side of his face was marred, he knew that at one look at his entire face, the dancer he so longed for would reject him. The revelation, though it was hardly a revelation at all, was constantly at the forefront of his mind. He was painstakingly aware of his ‘deformity’ as others would call it. He knew he could not compare to the charm of Jung Hoseok. Not only was the man his older, but he was also a force to be reckoned with. Minnie spoke of him constantly to Taehyung.   

 Down, down, down he descended back into the darkness. Back to his solace, once he arrived to his dwelling, he couldn’t stop the sobs that wracked his body. He mourned for the life he yearned for. He was a man with great mind, and superior skills than the average man but he was doomed to be forever alone. His thoughts took another turn at that word. Alone.  

 He growled out and lashed at a project he was working on. He through the pages of his manuscript over the floor. He tore off the beautiful fabrics that he dressed himself in. He knelt down and wept, collapsing in on himself, the pain he felt becoming too great knowing that one day, his little pupil would one day leave him too. His mother left him with her death, his only friend he had known, Minnie, had left too. 

 The little ballerina girl who had saved him all those years ago, how tragic was it that Minnie had to leave. He had mourned her, yes, certainly. She was his friend. He told her to not accept the advances of the drifting stage hands that seemed to rotate with every production. But she had said it was true love, how sorely mistaken she had been. She only cried to Taehyung one month ago. And here he was now, without his companion and without anyone to lean on. It was only inevitable that the beautiful singer he so doted on now would one day meet the same road to lead her out of his life. 

 Taehyung did not stir the rest of the day, until well into the night. After the music had died down, and it was hours after when Taehyung was sure that the Opera house was asleep. The evening was bleeding into the next morning as he silently made his way up to the chapel. He hadn’t bothered to dress properly after his fit of rage and hurt. His shift was barely covering his toned chest and hanging onto his shoulders and barely tucked into his trousers anymore.  

 In the chapel, he gasped at the sight that greeted him. His eyes snapped to catch the velvet ribbon he had bestowed upon his pupil, he had rid her of the ghastly and tattered maroon fabric, and the luxurious fabric sat tied into a beautiful bow around a parchment near the window where he would watch her from during their nights of tutelage. Was her natural talent enough to recognize where his voice was really coming from?  

 He opened the letter with shaky fingers and felt his heart shatter in an entirely different way. Her writing was shaky, still unpracticed and unsure, he thought back on the night before and how he was urging her to try writing. Possibly, she was nervous? In her scrawling script, he saw that she tried desperately to imitate his long and precise strokes. He hungrily devoured the words and poured over the details over and over for there were only a few words.  

 I apologize fore displeezing you, Master  

 X ______  

 Taehyung sighed as he held the paper close to his heart. He didn’t care that it was 4 AM. He had to go and see her. And so, he did.  She was sleeping, though not peacefully, he lamented. How he longed to press a tender kiss to her furrowed brow. He didn’t it was likely one of the other girls would wake, and he couldn’t have that. He settled for scrawling a note back to her and leaving it by her vanity to find once she woke with the velvet ribbon resting back in its rightful place.  

Go b a c k | Turn p a g e 

[digital-arts-etc]

This Woman Reimagined Michelangelo's "The Creation Of Adam"

With Black Women  * And It's Beautiful

Michelangelo who?

Posted on May 16, 2017 Michael Blackmon - BuzzFeed News Reporter

This is Harmonia Rosales, a 33-year-old artist living in Chicago.

"I was raised in a creative environment," she said. Rosales also noted that "artistic expression was floating in the air" in her household growing up. Her mother is an artist and her father, a musically inclined guy, played the congas. 

Rosales credited her parents for sparking her interest in the arts. "Kids imitate their parents and my parents were great models for me. I repeated visuals of my mother hunched over her art table churning out illustration after illustration starting with a blank canvas and a vision of a full one. I often would crawl under my mother's art table and track her movements, her brushstrokes, her ideas, her illustrations. She would let me experiment with all her expensive oils and brushes, never once telling me what to paint or how, but letting me find my own style."

One of Rosales' pieces, which she calls "The Creation of God" recently went viral.

The piece is based on Michelangelo 's "The Creation of Adam," famously displayed in the Sistine Chapel. "I wanted to take a significant painting, a widely recognized painting that subconsciously or consciously conditions us to see white male figures as powerful and authoritative and flip the script, establish a counter narrative," she told BuzzFeed News, elaborating on why she decided to make reimagine the well-known work of art with black women.

Says Rosales, "White figures are a staple in classic art featured in major museums. They are the 'masters' of the masterpieces. Why should that continue?

Replacing the white male figures — the most represented— with people I believe have been the least represented can begin to recondition our minds to accept new concepts of human value. ... If I can touch even a small group of people and empower them through the power of art, then I've succeeded in helping to change the way we see the world. ... And when you consider that all human life came out of Africa, the Garden of Eden and all, then it only makes sense to paint God as a black woman, sparking life in her own image." "In the essence of Picasso, my whole life," Rosales said when asked how long it took her to create her latest piece. "Every skill, life experience, and emotion has led me straight to this particular piece and every piece thereafter."

And the way in which her ideas form, and the way she's acted on them, is a very organic process.

"I have an idea, it might not be fully thought out, but first the idea. Then I let it marinate. Often I'll place a blank canvas by my bed so that I may wake up and sleep to it. And, while I sleep, it speaks to me," Rosales said. She also said that she doesn't sketch her creations, everything happens at once on the canvas by which they are brought to life. "My subjects morph and their expressions change as they speak to me and reveal themselves to me. Sometimes I will go over an area multiple times until they virtually come to life." Rosales' work definitely has a recurring theme: women of color. "I paint women darker than me because I want no one to mistake who I'm representing. I paint what I know, who I identify with," she told BuzzFeed News.

We have been underrepresented and misrepresented for so long that I feel I should paint to empower us. We need powerful images for our youth to see." Her daughter is another reason why Rosales is passionate about the work she does. "I want my daughter to grow up proud of her curls and coils, her brown skin, and for her to identify as a woman of color, a woman of value."

What I do with my art contributes to the way she and all other little girls like her will come to recognize themselves."

Rosales' "The Creation of God" will be part of an exhibited series in the near future.

She also plans to work with fellow artist Aldis Hodge on a series about persecution that will debut at the end of the year. "This particular series will relate to the masses," she said.

Critics Disgusted With Artist’s Painting of God As a Black Woman

By: Seth D. Mills  - May. 31, 2017

The painting (above photo) The Creation of God by artist Harmonia Rosales of Chicago has caused a lot of controversy throughout the last 3 weeks. Since it was first shared on Instagram, the painting has had at least 7,000 likes.

But some people on Twitter have called it a “disgrace”, while others stated that it was “cultural appropriation” and “disgusting”. In The Creation of God, Harmonia showed God as a black woman touching the hand of another black woman, much like The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo.

Harmonia said the painting was meant to show that “we have created God in our own image. So ‘God’ is whoever we want God to be, a representation of the ideal, of the divine, of wisdom and love and pure creativity.”

But not everyone agrees.

What do you think? Did she go too far?

http://www.wbls.com/news/d%C3%A9j%C3%A0-vu-afternoon/critics-disgusted-artist%E2%80%99s-painting-god-black-woman

Hannah Marie there are so many people in these comments that think they know what they are talking about but really don't. culturally appropriating something is taking something from another culture saying "it's mine i created it" profiting from and creating an entirely new meaning, while the (almost always) disadvantaged are left in the same position having their object devalued for the same things that are valued in said appropriated object. you can't culturally appropriate an image like this, it's literally impossible. if that was so then there are hundreds/thousands of images that have been by musicians, directors, artists, everyday people god damn photo-shopping themselves into images. why can't y'all just see the beauty and let it be ---------------------* James   "Cultural appropriation is the adoption or use of the elements of one culture by members of another culture.[1] Cultural appropriation is sometimes portrayed as harmful, framed as cultural misappropriation, and claimed to be a violation of the collective intellectual property rights of the originating culture.[2][3][4][5] Often unavoidable when multiple cultures come together, cultural appropriation can include using other cultures' traditions, fashion, symbols, language, and cultural songs without permission" Its the definition of cultural appropriation. News Flash: You cant just make up your own definitions of things. ---------------------* Hannah Marie James Nino didn't make up a definition, i never said i defined what it was, i was giving informed examples. what did i say exactly that was wrong? ---------------------* Bon N Why can't you see the gross double standards at play ---------------------* Hannah Marie Bon Nord but why do you think it's cultural appropriation? just because it's got black people in it? (genuine question) ---------------------* Aaron L Hannah Marie-Nova St Jean maybe because she literally said white people shouldn't dominate classic art and then literally stole someone's theme for a piece? ---------------------* Hannah Marie Aaron Lonnergan and you think they should dominate???? seems bizarre to me as there are millions of people in the world and one race should dominate? and if you see the work of Warhol and other pop art artists you'll see there is a heavy tradition of using other peoples images and making them ones own while still referencing the original work (like she clearly has done) but the difference is that she isn't making millions from the work. and this image has been so widely used in so many different re-imaginations, where people make fun of and transpose whatever image they want on to it doesn't make sense for this image to be so contested as cultural appropriation when people have literally put Ronald McDonald in the position of god and an overweight person, there's a Simpsons version too i just think it doesn't make sense. people interpret and re-imagine images all the time, the issue comes when someone claims the work as their own, purely original idea. that's when issues begin to arise ---------------------* Nicholas S That last sentence right there - buzz Feed makes it nearly impossible. Last year one of their big topics was how a white girl with dreadlocks was stealing from another culture. And it's just idiotic. ---------------------* Pepe C   Everything is cultural appropriation now so everybody might as well stop crying about it. Just like everybody is racist now these words have no meaning anymore. ---------------------* Igor R Yet another cultural appropriation, sure. Or is it a parody as a form of flattery? Celebration of the absent fathers, spending time in prison, while the girls are being raised by their mothers in the 'hoods? Brown skin and coils is nothing to be proud of, unless you think just an abundance of melanin is something to be proud of. But melanin is not the magic powder, not the midichlorians to make you into a Jedi. So far what I am seeing is one second-rate painter apeing the great and original artist of the past, with unintentionally funny results. ---------------------* Mathew B Isn't this just cultural appropriation? ---------------------* Daniel Z Apparently not, you know, Europe doesn't have culture apparently ---------------------* Danni T She gave credit to Michelangelo so no it is not. 😌 ---------------------* James N Danni Turner So if a bunch of white people in black face doing racist skits give credit to Bojangles then its not cultural appropriation or racist right? I mean they gave credit... ---------------------* Danni T It's racist for black face due to the derogatory comparison of said black person, but it isn't appropriating because it was made by Caucasians. So if anything, if a minority donned black face or made their face darker it would be appropriating idiocy from said Caucasian race lol. However, I would like to see you adorn black face in an all black neighborhood. It would be an exquisite scene to watch. ---------------------* Maximus Autizmus Fucking hilarious. A white girl can't braid her hair but blacks can "re-imagine" one of the most iconic European masterpieces? Double standard much ---------------------*

https://www.buzzfeed.com/michaelblackmon/god-is-a-black-woman?bftw&utm_term=.etzgENVRP#.ne0xA2KbZ

[philippmichelreichold]

The question "what is our place in the universe?" has challenged mankind's understanding and creativity since before the dawn of history. At first, mankind lived in an uneasy harmony with nature, and saw itself as a part of nature. In time, people saw the world as being divided into two parts: things people could control and things they could not. It seemed logical to some that if mankind could not control the forces of nature, perhaps there existed someone or something that could. Some of "our Pagan ancestors honored -- even deified -- natural forces in their religions"(Fitch, ix). Two separate cosmologies arose; one saw mankind as being able to master the universe through mankind's mental and physical prowess, the other saw mankind as needing to rely on the aid of an outside, supernatural agent; "religion came into being when man(sic) realized that . . . his(sic) control of the universe is limited."(Gonzales-Wipplier, pg 6) The flower of humanism may be said to have come to full bloom in classical Greece, where, "the statement by Protogoras, 'man is the measure of all things', could be said to embody the Greek artistic ideal."(King) These two cosmologies, humanism and religion, are represented in today's civilization in such institutions as socialism-communism and Roman Catholicism. Frderick Engels, one of communism's founders, summaries the differences between communism and Christianity thusly, "Christianity places this salvation in a life beyond, after death, in heaven. So communism places it in this world, through a transformation of society."(Engels, pg 168)  

Humanism, in the form of Socialism, became the driving force of the Mexican Revolution of the early twentieth century, as seen by the commissioning by the Mexican government of artists like Rivera to paint murals at the University of Agriculture at Chapingo and the National Palace at Mexico City. Religion, in the form of Roman Catholicism, was the driving force of Renaissance Italy, as seen by the commissioning by the Pope of artists like Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Though the societies of Revolutionary Mexico and Renaissance Italy had divergent cosmologies , they shared many social conditions, and found themselves faced with the same challenge: how to indoctrinate a largely illiterate populace. They found the same solution: the depiction of important themes in murals in public buildings. In Renaissance Italy, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was chosen as the location for art which presented Roman Catholicism's view of humanity's role in the universe. In Revolutionary Mexico, the walls of buildings such as the National Palace were chosen to display the goals and philosophy of socialism. Artists of the Mexican Revolution, such as Rivera looked to the Renaissance for inspiration and, "in the classical myths and forms of Renaissance art Rivera recognized a specific device and mode of procedure by which the ambitions of Mexico's new, post- revolutionary government could be achieved. Just as the Italian Renaissance artists had revived pride in their country's heritage from ancient Greece and Rome, so Rivera, with similar emphasis upon realism and humanism, would create murals that would evoke a pride in the heritage in a rich indigenous past."(Arquin, pp142-3)  

Comparisons may be made not only between individual works of individual artists, but between the social and cultural conditions that brought these artists into being. Also, the lives of two artists of different times and different cosmologies may possess similarities. Thus, the lives of artists separated by centuries may be more similar than those of contemporaries. "The life of a Rivera . . . comes closer to that of a Michelangelo or a Cellini than it does to. . . a Puvis or a Picasso."(Wolfe, pg 197), These similar circumstances may have a direct impact on the content of the artist's work. Both Michelangelo and Rivera were the sons of middle class parents. Michelangelo was the son of "a city magistrate"(Hale, pg 122); Rivera was the son of "the editor of a liberal news paper"(Arquin, pg 21). Both Michelangelo and Rivera owe their careers to having their talents recognized and developed at an early age. The work of both was made possible by powerful patrons. For Rivera, this patron was the state in the form of Mexican Government. For Michelangelo, the patron was the Roman Catholic in the personage of the Pope. An understanding of their social settings is essential to an understanding of the iconography of the artists. The iconography of Rivera contains images drawn from the historical setting of the Mexican Revolution- socialism and Mexico's Aztec heritage; that of Michelangelo contains the images drawn from Renaissance Italy and Catholicism, under the influence of its Greco-Roman heritage. The works of both Rivera and Michelangelo are representative of the views of mankind's role in the universe held by the artists, and the societies in which they lived. I will demonstrate how this is so by comparing murals of each of these artist's cosmologies, Rivera's Creation and Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam". I have mentioned the need in both Rivera's Mexico and Michelangelo's Italy to us art to educate a largely illiterate populace. The iconography and content of Rivera's mural, The Creation, located in the Mexico City, Escuela Nacional Preparatoria, Anfiteatro Bol¡var is an example of what Bertram Wolfe called Rivera's "Aztec approach to communism."(Wolfe, pg 149) In overall appearance, this mural at first resembles the work of a renaissance artist depicting a religious scene. However, there are distinct differences. Unlike a renaissance religious work, Rivera's Creation does not contain a divine image or a religious figure-- God is conspicuous by His absence. Rather than an image of God bestowing manna from heaven, we see an image of a man literally up to his arm pits in fruit. There is bounty, not by means of divine intervention, but rather as a result of the labors of enlightened men and women under the Revolution. Unlike the figures in a Renaissance painting, these figures have a more earthy than heavenly appearance in that they are not the stately, white-skinned saints of Michelangelo, but rather the dark-skinned peasants of the Mexican countryside. The background of earth tones reinforces the message that bounty, symbolized by the bananas, comes from the earth, through the labors of mankind. The figures on the sides do not represent saints or Christian virtues, but rather, The "Emanations of the Spirit of Woman" on the left, and the "Emanations of the Spirit of Man" on the right.(Helms,pg 238) It is important to note that these qualities arise from the nature of man and woman. They are not bestowed from on high. This point is emphasized by the lack of implied lines between themselves and any part of the painting-- they do not gaze at the central figure in adoration, but go on with the tasks at hand. . There can be seen an "elegiac quality of mood in his glorification of peasants and workers. . . ."( Myers, pg 219.)  

Like Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam, The Creation seems to celebrate the creation of a new world. Unlike The Creation of Adam, it lacks clearly religious symbols. In this work is a new creation, one wrought by the labors of mankind rather than of God, through implementation of socialist reforms and the education of the people. Sr. Rivera's work seems to say, "By the fruits of the Revolution will you know us; by our labors will we prosper." The Creation of Adam (1508-1512, fresco) is located on the Vault of the Sistine Chapel. It is a asymmetrically balance painting with two dominant figures, the one, of Adam, on the left, the other , of God, on the right. The youthful figure of Adam reclines passively and expectantly on the ground, waiting on God. He appears to be lit from above, as by a heavenly light. The ancient figure of God hovers powerfully in the air, pondering Adam. He is attended by a host of genii above, below and behind him, and "The group assumes the aspect of a gigantic cloud." (Mariani, Plate XII) All of this iconography establishes the Roman Catholic view of mankind in relationship to God and the universe. Man is below, , and subordinate to God, dependent on this supernatural being for his very existence. The choice of colors in the background emphasizes the Church's opinion on the state of humanity. There is contrast between the backgrounds behind the figure Adam and the figures God and his host in that the figure of Adam reclines on a green and blue earth with a white, early dawn-like sky, while the figures on the right seem suspended in space and enclosed in a cloak of red-violet and blue-violet. Adam's side of the painting is green and blue, the colors of earth, with a view of the sky. God and the genii of his attributes a cloaked in royal purple. Adam's left hand rests limply on the left knee and his gaze, fixed on God, seems to lack independent will. God's outstretched hand seems vibrant and powerful, and his gaze is full of wisdom and creative purpose. I would like to conclude with a final comparison of the implied lined of The Creation and The Creation of Adam, that illustrates the differences between these two divergent cosmologies. Rivera was an adherent of a modern form of Humanism, communism. In ancient times, this cosmology was represented by the tau, which is made by placing a vertical line under a horizontal line; the vertical line connecting at its top end with the horizontal at its mid point. In simplest terms, it resembles the letter "T". The tau symbolizes the cosmological formula of "reaching the heights from below. It may be thought to symbolize the words of Marks," freedom is never given from above, it is taken from below.(Laskin, pg 8) The tau may be seen in the implied lines of The Creation. The center line, rising through Emerging Man, reaches the horizontal line of the top of the alcove. Also, Emerging Man forms the shape of the tau with his outstretched arms. He does not reach up beseechingly to heaven, nor does his gaze extend the implied line above the horizontal by gazing heavenward. Rather, he gazes outward, to the audience, That Emergent Man is reaching the heights by his own efforts can be seen as he arises from the stack of the bananas.. The symbol of the other cosmology, religion, is the cross. The shape of the cross is also made by first drawing a vertical line. The vertical line is not topped by a horizontal line, but rather crossed at mid point or at a point somewhat higher. More simply put, it looks like this: + . The cross makes the cosmological statement "as above, so below", or in the words of the Our Father, ". . . Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven".(Matt. 6:10) An implied vertical line separates the two halves of The Creation of Adam, and an implied line connects the figure of Adam with that of God, thus forming the cross. Implied lines following the gaze of Adam to God and the gaze of God toward God show the connection between God and mankind. We thus see the two world views of humanism and religion, of the Mexican Revolution and the Italian Renaissance, demonstrated in the lines and art of two of their artistic propagandists, Diego Rivera and Michelangelo Bounarotti.  

Works Cited

Arquin, Florence. "Diego Rivera, The Shaping of an Artist, 1889-1921". Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1971.  

 Engels, Frederick. "On the History of Early Christianity", Feurer, Lewis S., Marx and Engels, Basic Writings in Politics and Philosophy. No Place: Anchor Books, 1959.  

Fitch, Ed. Magical Rites From the Crystal Well. St. Pali, Mn. Llewellyn Publication, 1992.  

Gonzales- Wippler. The Complete Book of Spells, Ceremonies and Magic. St. Pali, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1991.  

 Hale, John R. and the Editors of Time-Life books. Renaissance. New York: Times, Inc., 1965.  

Helms, Cynthia Newman, Editor. Diego Rivera A Retrospective. No Place: Founders Society, Detroit Institute of the Arts, 1986.  

King, Kathleen. "The Gordon Writing Rlie".No Place: No Publisher, 1997.  

Laskin, Harold. Harold J Laskin on the Communist Manifesto, Clinton, MA: Random House, 1967.  

Mariani, Valerio. Michelangelo the Painter. New York: Harry N. Adams, 1964.  

The Gospel of St. Matthew. The Holy Bible, KGV.  

Myers, Bernard S. Encyclopedia of World Art, volume XII.New York: McGraw Hill Book Company, 1966.  

Rivera, Diego, The Creation. Diego Rivera Web Museum, Online, Internet, March 7,1997.  

Wolfe, Bertram D. The Fablious Life of Rivera Diego. New York: Wolfe, Bertram D, Stein and Day, 1963.

[caveartfair]

The Bayeux Tapestry Chronicles the Epic Ancient Battle for England

Bayeux Tapestry, 1070-1080. © Bayeux Museum. Courtesy of Ville de Bayeux.

An incredible array of facts and figures precedes any artistic appreciation of the famous Bayeux Tapestry—an early medieval piece of embroidery chronicling William the Conqueror’s invasion of England in 1066. The tapestry, which dates back to the 11th century, is 230 feet long; it depicts 626 people (all but a handful of whom are men) and 762 animals; and has 58 inscriptions. A recent study by an Oxford academic has even added a count of 93 penises—5 human and 88 equine—to the list of notable statistics.

It’s a monumental artwork that both Napoleon and the Nazis wheeled out of its long-time home in a Normandy cathedral in the small town of Bayeux to serve as propaganda for their prospective invasions of the United Kingdom. This year, it made the news again, with French president Emmanuel Macron’s overtures of loaning the work to Britain, a proposition that would see the tapestry’s first journey across the English Channel in over 900 years. This physically huge object wields tremendous symbolic and political power—especially between the ever-rivalrous French and English—but it also holds a significant place in art history as the first great narrative epic in the European tradition.

At a time when the medieval-inspired fantasy Game of Thrones is the most popular show on television, the work seems freshly accessible and appealing. The Bayeux Tapestry has it all: war and peace; political strategy; flawed heroes and valiant enemies; and a sweep of everyday life, but also of the astrological and cosmic realms. In one scene, men point in awe as Halley’s Comet, construed as an omen, burns through the heavens in the upper border; in another, God’s hand can be seen penetrating the weft of the sky during the funeral of the Anglo-Saxon king Edward the Confessor.

Installation of the Bayeux Tapestry at Musée Tapisserie de Bayeux. © S. Maurice. Courtesy of Ville de Bayeux.

The grand tale concerns the succession of the English throne, which culminates in the legendary Norman conquest at the Battle of Hastings. Around 1064, the childless King Edward sent his brother-in-law, Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex, to Normandy. The reason for this mission is unclear from the tapestry, but historical accounts from the time argue that Edward had previously named his distant relative William, Duke of Normandy, as his heir, and charged Harold with cementing this pact.

An enthralling story of loyalty and deceit unfolds. While in Normandy, the two men develop a mutual respect; Harold even fights in William’s military campaigns. Later, Harold accepts arms from William, symbolically pledging his loyalty to the Duke and swearing an oath on sacred relics, interpreted by scholars as a gesture of support for William’s claim to the English throne. After Harold returns home, he accepts the crown for himself upon Edward’s death, breaking his oath to William and to God. The Duke promptly amasses his forces, invades England, and kills Harold at the Battle of Hastings. The rest is history.

It is not known who made the tapestry, or where, or exactly when. The most likely patron was William’s half-brother, the wealthy and extravagant Bishop Odo of Bayeux (who is pictured in the tapestry), though for centuries it was believed to be William’s queen, Matilda, who both commissioned and embroidered it. Historians generally agree that it was the work of artisans or noblewomen in the south of England or in Normandy; the fact that there is still argument around which one underscores how the tapestry exemplifies a critical moment of European cross-pollination.

Read as a pro-Norman piece of art, it is fair, frank, and impressively complex. The supposed usurper, Harold, is portrayed as a brave, tragic hero with conflicted loyalties and ambitions who simply makes the wrong choice. (The tapestry implies that on his deathbed, Edward conveys a second silent message to Harold; perhaps his dying wish is for Harold to take the throne.)

Bayeux Tapestry, 1070-1080. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Just as the embroiderers didn’t minimize Anglo-Saxon bravery, they also didn’t sugarcoat Norman cruelty. There’s plenty of pillaging and petty infighting: William’s troops can be seen burning an English home, from which a mother and child flee; the soldiers on the blessed, victorious Norman side also aren’t above hitting each other with spades. At every opportunity, the artists use their skills to emphasize the moral ambiguities of war. In the tapestry’s borders—which often show either decorative or allegorically potent images—those fallen in battle seem trapped in some sort of underworld, footnotes to whatever glory is being attained by the living. Their heads and limbs have been severed as the surviving men strip them and squabble over their armor.

Around the deeds of the designated great men—earls, dukes, and kings—life goes on, and it bustles. With novelistic detail, men are shown holding shields over their heads while fording a river, or, in gestures of touching vulnerably, pulling up their tunics to prevent them from getting wet as they wade towards their boats carrying their hounds and oars. During moments of respite, soldiers use their shields as makeshift dinner tables. One can see that their bodies ache as they carry their heavy armor, epitomized by one man who holds his head to his shoulder.

Even though it was created during the so-called “Dark Ages,” the Bayeux Tapestry is a forward-thinking, almost humanist epic that stands up to more “enlightened” Renaissance-era masterpieces. In fact, its nuanced, sympathetic battle scenes tend to outdo many Renaissance depictions of war. In the early 1500s, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo were commissioned to paint frescoes for the Palazzo Vecchio, depicting medieval Florentine victories at the Battles of Anghiari and Cascina, respectively. Their works were radical for their time, in that they depicted war without glory. (Unfortunately, Leonardo’s has since been destroyed, while Michelangelo’s is known only through his cartoons, as it was never completed.) The Bayeux Tapestry beat them both to it by 400 years—and has survived to tell the tale.

Bayeux Tapestry, 1070-1080. Courtesy of Ville de Bayeux.

The groundbreaking nature of the tapestry is also evidenced by many of the artistic techniques it employed, which would only become widespread centuries later. There are admirably early attempts at perspective: The ships in William’s vast fleet, for instance, appear foreshortened, so that vessels further away seem to recede in the background; horses’ inner legs are depicted in different colors to the ones closest to the viewer, creating a realistic shadow effect.

The embroiderers’ inventive use of line and space also conveys contrary motion. The sea is represented by scant, spread-out blue, yellow, and red threads, giving the viewer an impression of undulating waves in a vast ocean, spiriting the boats that are stitched on top of them. Sails billow fluidly one way while oars point another.

And then there is all the pointing. Figures’ literal gestures indicate to the viewer who is supposed to be speaking or where the action is, but also create compositional interest. Physical contact between characters creates convergences of lines at points of thematic punctuation within the narrative. Just as in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling, where God reaches his finger towards Adam’s in order to show an eternal bond, King Edward touches his finger to Harold’s, as a lord to his faithful servant. This configuration repeats again when Harold swears on the relics, and when Edward is on his deathbed.

Despite its unusual scale and advanced artistic techniques, the tapestry was hardly seen by anyone until it was rediscovered by 18th-century antiquaries. It couldn’t possibly have influenced general artistic development, yet it seems to have placed itself, unbidden, in a lineage of magnificent historical narrative works that includes Paolo Uccello’s The Battle of San Romano triptych (ca. 1435–60), Andrea Mantegna’s Triumphs of Caesar (1484–92), Peter Paul Rubens’s 24-painting Marie de’ Medici cycle (1622–25), and even Jacob Lawrence’s The Migration Series (1940–41).

Bayeux Tapestry, 1070-1080. Courtesy of Ville de Bayeux.

When the tapestry was brought to public attention in the 1700s, Bernard de Montfaucon, a Benedictine monk and early archaeological pioneer, was tasked with placing the work into an existing art historical timeline. He compared it to prestigious classical works like Trajan’s Column from the 1st century, in which a continuous frieze commemorating that emperor’s military victories snakes around the triumphal monument.

The truth is, the Bayeux Tapestry bears similarities to any work of huge storytelling ambition. Yet it is also unlike any other work of art. Not only is it the only piece of narrative embroidery to have survived from the early medieval era, French-English polymath Hilaire Belloc, writing in 1914, called the tapestry a “document unique in Europe. There is no other example, I think, of a record, contemporary or nearly contemporary, of an event so remote in the story of Christendom….It represents so faithfully and so thoroughly one of the half-dozen acts essential to the remaking of Europe.”

The tapestry, it is important to add, is not made from gold cloth—a standard material used for vestments and any other finery embroidered at that time—but coarse wool on linen. This textile fittingly reflects its humble and practical depiction of medieval events, and, crucially, contributed to it not being stolen or destroyed by radical Protestants over the years.

Great art isn’t only determined by its creative vision and technical execution, but also in the choice—conscious or fortunate—of a great subject. The Bayeux Tapestry depicts the exact moment of change that would affect the next thousand years of European history, thoughthe artists couldn’t possibly have known the event’s far-reaching implications. In our contemporaryage of Brexit, this vital document shows not only the bloody, contentious history between Britain and the continent, but also the resplendent art that can be produced by their conflict and convergence.

from Artsy News

[bloggmylyf]

It’s pretty cool when you find an Easter egg on a Blu ray or hidden within a movie, but it’s even more fascinating when you uncover mysterious messages buried in famous works of art. Some of the secrets on our list remained undiscovered for over half a millennia Including a hidden musical score, A mysterious object floating in the sky, And one famous composer’s tribute to a clandestine worldwide organization. Here is our list of the top seven secrets hidden in famous art works.

 7: The Secret of The Last Supper

Leonardo DaVinci was a man of many talents. He was an Inventor, Architect, Scientist, Sculptor and of course an Artist. But there’s one more talent, DaVinci is known for which may have been hidden in one of his most famous works The Last Supper and that talent was music. In 2003 Giovanni Maria Paula Discovered that if you draw lines of Musical staff across the painting, to correspond with the positions of the hands of the Apostles and loaves of bread, you uncover a melody that had remained secret for over 500 years. At first the music didn’t make any sense but after remembering that Leonardo wrote music right to left, Giovanni reversed the score. You see, Leonardo wasn’t the only one who could hide things in great art.

6: The Secret Diagram

Michelangelo’s the Creation of Adam is one of the most iconic images in human history, depicting the book of Genesis scene where God breathed life into Adam through his fingers obviously because a painting of the Lord Almighty going mouth to mouth with Adam may have been a little risque for the walls of the Sistine Chapel. But in 1990, an american physician, Dr. Frank Meshberger, noticed something familiar about the area surrounding god. What is that weird shape that the Lord seems to be crowd surfing out from? Meshberger noticed that the border of the area behind God corresponds precisely with a side profile cross section of the human brain. Here’s the pituitary gland, the frontal lobe, the vertebral artery, the spinal cord, the pons, the Sylvian fissure, and the brain stem and if you need further evidence, then consider the fact that at the age of 17, Michelangelo was a passionate anatomy student who dissected corpses from his local church graveyard to study and that alone will get you on some sort of watch list so maybe don’t judge that kid in your class who likes to play with roadkill because he could be the world’s next great artist.

5: Evidence of Ancient Aliens?

Take a look at this image of Dominical Gillan Diyos painting “The Madonna with Saint giovannino” and see what catches your eye immediately;

is it the attractive lady in the center perhaps it’s the baby with the low-slung slacks trying to give her a high five while the other angel baby checks out his Jillian Michaels physique, that kid is more ripped than I’ll ever be, or maybe the first thing you noticed was the strange object hovering in the sky and the dude below it wondering what the heck it is. There are a number of paintings which depict unidentified flying objects in the sky but geelen deals is one of the most startling due to its prominence in the reaction of the guy on the right. He’s looking at a disc-shaped object which seems to be shining brightly while stepped out in a strange array of Spears, what on earth was Gil and I Oh trying to show us or maybe Earth isn’t the proper word to use .

4: A Message for the Pope

this is Michelangelo’s “The Prophet Zechariah” and it was painted in the Sistine Chapel in 1512 during the reign of Pope Julius the second. Now to say Pope Julius wasn’t everybody’s favorite is a bit like saying people thought the new Ghostbusters 3 trailer looked a little crappy. Julius the second was known as “papa terrible” and you can translate that for yourself but Michelangelo wasn’t a fan either and it’s believed that he painted Zechariah in a way that closely resembles Pope Julius. Now that’s not particularly insulting is it, sounds like quite a nice gesture actually until you realize one of the two babies sat behind Zechariah is making a little gesture of its own. See the thumb poking out between the middle and index fingers, well the Pope didn’t and nor did the Vatican due to it being placed so high up in the chapel but if they had they would have seen a little baby making a gesture known as the fig which is an ancient way of saying and let me get this translation right,

*clearing throat* “F*** You.”

3: Mona Lisa’s Secret

So we already know that Leonardo DaVinci likes to hide musical scores in his work but what secrets could possibly remain hidden in the Mona Lisa, one of the world’s most famous pictures of someone being forced to smile on picture day. Many theories have been thrown around regarding the layout of the picture, such as the idea that Mona Lisa was pregnant due to the arrangement of her hands, that she may have been a prostitute due to her lack of facial hair and when the image was analyzed by a doctor he noticed the Mona Lisa may have been suffering from a tumor in her right eye, a tumor davinci clearly must have noticed so did he tell her? And that’s not the end of it because there’s even more to this picture than meets the eye literally, by magnifying her right eye you’ll see the letters “LV” appear probably a signature but the left eye shows “CE” so whose signature is that? On the bridges arch there’s the number “72” and beneath the painting itself the number “149” is hidden away. We are able to view to Vinci’s previous attempts at the painting through layer amplification technology which is how we know about the number “149” and also how we know there’s a whole other painting of a completely different woman underneath. So who is she and what do all those letters and numbers mean? Davinci, not the type of guy to put those things there for no reason so if we don’t know yet probably going to take us another 500 years to figure that one out.

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2: The Purial Portrait of a President

This is a portrait of former President Bill Clinton which hangs in the Smithsonian Natural portrait gallery and its artists Nelson shanks has admitted that hidden within the painting is a reference to one of the most shocking moments of Clinton’s presidency. See the dark shadow on the mantle of the oval office just over bill clinton’s right shoulder, this shadow came from a mannequin which shank snuck into the Oval Office whilst painting the backdrop when Bill Clinton wasn’t there, the mannequin was covered with a blue dress similar to the one worn by monica lewinsky when she most famously helped the president find his lost contact lens over and over and over. And Shanks claims that this shadow is a metaphor for the stained legacy of Clinton’s time in the Oval Office. Makes you wonder which other famous presidential portraits of secrets hidden within them. Does Theodore Roosevelt have a teddy bear in his pocket?>>   or is he just happy to see you?!

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1: The Mysterious Musical Maestro

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This is a painting of classical composer wolfgang Amadeus Mozart when he was just 6 years old The painting was created by Pietro Antonio lorenzoni in 1763 but did you know that the way Mozart is depicted hints at his membership of the world’s most secretive Society, the mysterious Freemasons. It is well known that Mozart became a Freemason later in life but does this painting indicate his involvement from a much earlier age? A hand hidden within the shirt or jacket pocket is believed to be an indication of one’s dedication to the Masonic cause and whilst many of his later works do allude to his devotion to Freemasonry, it would be quite shocking if he had been indoctrinated from the age of 6…!

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7 SECRET Messages Hidden in Famous Art | Da Vinci Code | Secret Society It's pretty cool when you find an Easter egg on a Blu ray or hidden within a movie, but it's even more fascinating when you uncover mysterious messages buried in famous works of art.

[thegetawaydiary]

Day 12 | 13.06.17

ROME, ITALY

- Last night I asked the hostel guy to turn down the air con in our room because it was too damn hot and he looked at me like I was crazy, believing that 27 degrees was already on the cold side. He turned it down though but definitely not enough and I woke up at 6 in the morning sweating, with the air con not coming back on until 7.30.

- I got up at 6.30 so I get could out and about nice and early before it got super hot and waited for the included breakfast, because I like to try and have a big one as I don’t usually buy something for lunch until about 2. The breakfast never came though, not even at quarter to 8 which was a pain in the arse but I headed out anyway. It was on my way out that I realised that my Vatican tour was in fact this afternoon and not tomorrow like I had thought.

- I walked to the colosseum which was amazing to see in real life, its pretty incredible that it was built thousands of years ago and gladiators actually fought there. I also had a look at the Palatine Hill and Roman Forum which was also incredible to see and to think that people had lived and worked there so long ago, my brain actually can’t comprehend it sometimes. I walked around the area a couple of times and then back to the hostel because my feet were killing me already. It was not a good idea to ware sandals that are so flat but it’s way too hot for sneakers. 

- I got back to the hostel around 10 and breakfast was still out, even though I thought it finished at 9-9.30. I had some cocopops and a croissant which was actually really fresh and it was so nice. I went online and found that my money had finally transferred over to my cash card thank god because I was starting to get a bit worried and was not looking forward to not eating all day. In future I will have to make sure to transfer the money I need well in advance.

- It was heaps too hot for pants and a card (32 degrees) but you have to cover your knees and shoulders when going to the Vatican, and wouldn’t be allowed in to the Sistine Chapel or St. Peter’s Basilica. After arriving at the Vatican and  ending my group just in time we went in and had to go through security. Everyone started sculling their bottles of waters because we thought we wouldn’t be allowed it but we were.

- I was really cool to finally be walking around the Vatican museums after thinking about it for so long, and it was  awesome to see the Raphael rooms in person, especially his work ‘School of Athens’ which I had seen so many times in classes at uni. It was kind of hard to appreciate the museums fully though because it was just so so hot, I was sweaty and my feet were on another level of pain, also my sandal broke. The tour was quite good overall, though I feel like we didn’t get a heap of information. The best part was definitely the Sistine Chapel and walking into St. Pater’s basilica, which wasn’t included in the tour. The Sistine chapel was beautiful and it was mind blowing finally seeing the Creation of Adam in real life. I could have just stared at the ceiling for hours but we only had 15 minutes. It was really special and I will always remember it. Once the tour ended I went into the Basilica which was also a highlight, and it was really amazing and something else I will always remember, especially with the Latin Mass happening, and hearing them sing. It was crazy how huge it was and how decorated it is, it really a work of art itself, covered in more art. The statues were incredible. 

- Afterwards I went to the souvenir shop and picked up some postcards, which really I should have bought an extra one to actually send because that would've been so cool to have a Vatican city stamped post card, but I like to just collect them. I continued into St. Peter’s square, feeling like I was in Angels & Demons trying to figure out which fountain was the one from the drowning scene. I wanted to get nice shots of the square but it was definitely the wrong time of day with the sun sitting directly behind it, making the photos too dark. I also got to see a couple of the Swiss Guard in their colourful uniforms, fill up my drink bottle straight from an old Vatican fountain, and found the little Vatican ‘Poste’ shop, which then made me wish again that I had bought an extra post card.

- It took an hour to get from the Vatican city back to the hostel on a bus, plus 20 minutes of waiting for the bus. I then decided to brave going to a restaurant for dinner by myself because by this time (8pm) I had only had a few boysenberries, a croissant and cocopops this morning. I was staaarving and really wanted some ravioli, like the proper Italian pasta. So I went to the restaurant right next to the hostel and was seated next to a mother and daughter which was kind of awkward but it was just awkward being by myself anyway.I got my ravioli and honestly it wasn’t that great, the pasta wasn’t quite cooked enough in some parts and it didn’t really have the nice flavour that I was expecting. The ravioli from Etrusco is better. I finished up, found an ice cream and came back to the hostel, so ready for bed. 

- I feel like I haven’t seen hardly any of Rome and I only have one full day left, and my feet hurt so bad that I don’t know if I will see much more which sucks but can’t be helped. I have to do some serious planning for tomorrow.

M

- The hostel lady just now wouldn’t turn the air con down for me, saying that 23 would be too cold for her. That air con would be for my room only, and in no way effect her so I don’t get that. I’ll just have to sweat in my sleep again. 

- the Italian police men and army men are so good looking, like wow.

- I think I am permanently going to smell of sunscreen. 

- Crossing the street is insane, you literally just have to start walking across and hope for the best.