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

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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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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I was also familiar with some of the material in this chapter. This chapter had many amazing pieces of art throughout it. My favorite piece of art was the Mary and Christ with Two Angels mural. It showed lots of detail and imagination. All of these pieces of art were well thought out and unique. I liked how Romanesque art was not about historical aspects but more about the style of the art.

Week 15 -- Ch 12

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Blog Post 15

                Romanesque refers to a broad range of styles that I truly see in this chapter. I feel like this is the most diverse chapter so far. The Romanesque art is geared more towards style than history. Christianity is also included into this period of art. Pilgrimage Roads are a major part in transportation in the Romanesque period. The two most sacred pilgrimage sites were Jerusalem and Rome. The Pilgrims used these roads to transport across France to Pyrenees and then to Compostela. Throughout these pilgrimage roads, there were churches, hospices, and monasteries. These buildings drew in the pilgrims while on the journey.

                The architecture in this chapter is mostly about churches. The Sainte-Foy at Conques was one of the main churches in on Pilgrimage Roads. There was a gold reliquary statue This statue is supposedly replicated by the saint. All the churches in the Romanesque time were made to hold large crowds. The vaults in this church were beautiful. They had to be replaced with stone barrel vaults. I feel like the stone barrel vaults make the church more elegant and stylish. I couldn’t believe what these churches looked like in these days. They would have been full of sculptures, paintings and wall hangings. I would imagine having the churches double the size they are today. The Last Judgment would be a main focal point in churches. It has different saints, churchmen, and angels etched into it. This would be a piece of artwork that anybody who went to church would admire.

                Manuscripts are one of the greatest achievements in the Romanesque art period. These manuscripts were produced and put into monasteries. The Saint Matthew is a well-known manuscript. I really liked how this manuscript was designed. It shows the style of Romanesque art. It combines human, animal, and flowers. I believe that this art is more imaginative, and the artists have more freedom in their art. I believe that this period has more of an organic feel to it. Mural paintings were my favorite part of this chapter. The mural, Mary and Christ with Two Angels, was very pretty. I loved all the colors and designs in this mural. In the middle of the mural, Christ is sitting on a throne with Mary in his lap. I like how the angles are around them. It looks like they are watching over Christ and Mary. I believe that murals were in most churches in this period. Murals are one of my favorite pieces of art that has been reviewed in these chapters. There is just a uniqueness about them that I love. I wish we had more murals and sculptures in churches today. We want our churches and monasteries to be inviting and I think the murals would make them more like home. I enjoyed learning about Romanesque art. I think this art is the most thoughtful and stylistic so far. I really liked how descriptive this art is. You feel like each art tells a different story about the time in history.

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I never knew before reading this chapter that the Muslims controlled parts of the area. I really liked learning about The Great Mosque. I agree that this chapter was full of beautiful art work and architecture. I never knew that monasteries were a particular building for religious purposes. I always thought that monasteries were just a place of learning.

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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Blog Post 14

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

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

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

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I enjoyed reading about the different churches that were formed in this time period. I was actually surprised to hear that Christianity was accepted by many. I never knew that Christianity was based off of Judaism. I believe that our churches today are based off of the basilicas. I liked reading about the mosaics in this chapter. I feel like mosaics are like stain glass windows in churches today. Even though this chapter wasn't my favorite, it was interesting to read about our religion and how it became.

Week 13; Early Christian and Byzantine Empire

Early Christian and Byzantine art are exactly what it sounds like.  Christian religion – a religion that most Americans are familiar with – find its way into the artistic world.  An increase in popularity of Christian religion in the first century A.D. dominated Western art, and it would for centuries to follow.  

Rome served as a hub for Christian-themed art and architecture.  The emperor Constantine became a prominent figure in the popularity of Christianity in Rome, so this time is often referenced to as the “Constantinian period”.  When I think of this period, I imagine the births of marvelous churches and realistic oil paintings of Christ and His many followers.  I also imagine marble statues of strong, religious figures representing things that may have taken place within the Christian religion.  A popular technique in Christian art was to use the Christ figure in series of different expressions and poses to convey different elements of the religion.  

One thing I notice in studying Christian religion is that after it became legal to practice, it flourished like nothing the world has ever seen before.  It was accepted almost everywhere.  Most of Christian and Byzantine art is much like Greek and Roman art in the sense that it depicts religious stories such as tales about “Jonah and the Whale” as well as “John the Baptist”.  

The Justinian and Byzantine style emerged during the fifth century when the western part of the Roman Empire was overrun by Germanic tribes from northern Europe.  The Ostrogoths overtook the Italian city of Ravenna until it was recaptured by Byzantine emperor Justinian in A.D. 540.  Eastern Europe then rose to political and artistic prominence.  The art style during this time was very similar to that of Christian art.  There is a pattern in painting depictions of religious figures and tales in order to communicate the religion.  Also, churches and other architectural points were erected for religious reasons.  In Justinian and Byzantine art, mosaics were very popular.  In this practice, artists would arrange colored pebbles on the floor in order to create images.

The Justinian and Byzantine Empire was situated in most of the land surrounding the Mediterranean, so it is safe to say that this was a popular religion at the time of A.D. 550.  Similar to how the United States has portraits of each president the country has had, the Justinian and Byzantine Empire has had painted portraits of important members of the church such as Saint Peter.  

The Balkan Peninsula was the southernmost peninsula of Europe.  This area included most of Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, continental Greece, Bulgaria, European Turkey, and southeast Romania.  These “states” were all a part of the Ottoman Empire.  There were great differences between religion and races, which created an interesting combination of art styles.  The art styles that derived from the Ottoman Empire relate closely to Ancient Greece and the Byzantine Empire.  

“Balkan Peninsula.” The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed… Encyclopedia.com. (April 3, 2018). http://www.encyclopedia.com/reference/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/balkan-peninsula

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Blog Post 13

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

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

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

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

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I liked how the chapter compared Rome and Greece. The one thing I liked about Rome is that they made their art about history and not about myths like Greece did. I believe that most of the wealthier people were more advanced in Rome. They got running water and sewage pipes in their homes. They also had painting in their homes. I believe Roman art has to be my favorite art that we have learned about. I also liked how Rome used some influence from Greek art but also made their unique twist on art.

Ancient Rome

“The political supremacy of Athens lasted only about fifty years” but on the other hand, Rome survived for nearly five hundred years. After the death of Alexander the Great, Rome began to expand and grow larger in power into the Mediterranean Sea. There were many important differences between Rome and Ancient Greece. While Greek art often leaned more towards idealization and a classical ideal, Roman art was commemorative, narrative, and based on actual history vs. myths like the Greeks. Roman art was often copied by Greek art.

According to legend, Rome was founded from the twins, Romulus and Remus, who were taken care of by a wolf who raised them as her own, but there are two sides to every story. The Greeks say that Rome was created by the Trojan hero of Athens. Eventually these two stories came together into one. After some extra readings about the legends of Rome, I found some information that I found really interesting! Remember the two twin brothers previously mentioned? Legend has it that Romulus killed Remus and named the city after himself! Talk about a sibling rivalry! After further reading, I found out how similar Greek and Roman myths were. Romans believed in Greek Gods from Mount Olympus. Some of the names were changed from what the Greeks called these Gods such as a man named Zeus. Zeus became Jupiter in these legends. Aside from the name change, many of these myths are very similar. This is because Romans based a lot of their myths off the Greeks.

Roman architectural types were similar to the ones of the Greeks but also different in a number of ways. The Roman Domus or” home” was the atrium. This was a large hall that entered from the street. The roof usually sloped inward and had a rectangular opening. As time went on, more rooms surrounded this large room such as bedrooms, slave rooms, wine cellars, or random storage spaces. You may not think of Roman architecture when looking at buildings now a day but in reality, many official buildings in the U.S are very strongly influenced by it. One that you probably haven’t thought of is the White House. The arches and columns on the exterior were initially developed by the Greeks but often incorporated into Roman architecture. One of Rome’s most prolific contributions was the development of the modern-day arch. This allowed heavy weight to be stably held and taller structures. Look around, see how many buildings display this type of Roman architecture.

Roman paintings were often hung in homes of wealth people. Some of these paintings were frescos painted directly on the walls! Frescos were paintings done with watercolor on wet plaster. A lot of these paintings have since been destroyed. Sculptures of people also became quite popular during this time because they were created without their heads! Once a specific order would come in, the heads would then be added to the sculpture.

Overall, Roman art is a very broad topic. It spans over 1,000 years and can be dated back as far as 509 B.C.E. The famous Roman poet Horace once said “Greece, the captive, took her savage victor captive”. In similar words, this explains how much Greek art had an influence over Roman.

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Blog Post 12

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

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

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

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

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I also noticed right away that this chapter was comparing Greeks and the Etruscans. I thought is was very nice that they showed the similarities and differences from the Greeks and the Etruscans. The Etruscans showed a more unique side to art than the Greeks did. They used some of Greeks ideas but made it their own in another way. I believe that the Etruscans art was a showing of what they believed in. I really liked reading this chapter even though it was shorter than the others we have read.

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.

[artdahlk-blog]

Blog Post 11

                The Etruscan civilization was between c. 1000 and 100 B.C. The Etruscan discovered burials of iron, bronze, and ivory. This period is similar to Greece and Rome. They occupied the west-central part of the Italian peninsula. The Etruscan never formed a single nation like the Greeks did. The Etruscan established trade routes through the Aegean, the Near East, and North Africa. They were also responsible for extending Greek influence to northern Italy and Spain. Etruscan language is the same as we see today. They wrote right to left instead of left to right. The Etruscan incorporated the Greek alphabet into their own language and literature.

                Art from the Etruscan period come from buried tombs and necropoleis. Very few Etruscan buildings have survived because they only built buildings with wood, mud, and tufa. I never knew what tufa was until I read this chapter. I was surprised to learn that tufa was a soft volcanic rock. It was interesting to learn about the wattle-and-daub construction. I’m surprised that buildings could stand while made out of mud and clay. They used stone for the podiums. The Etruscan architecture was highly inspired by Greece.

                My favorite part of this chapter would have to be learning about the pottery and sculptures. Just like the architecture, Etruscan pottery and sculptures were influenced by Greece. They used bronze to make some of their sculptures. They used the lost-wax method to make most of their art just like the Greeks. I like how detailed these sculptures are. You can almost see what these people believed in and imagined when making these sculptures.

                The women in Etruscan art differs significantly from the Greeks. The Greeks believed that the men were superior to women. They also used art to show how the men are strong and more capable to things more than women are. The Etruscan women participated more in public life with their husbands. The Greek women would like the men do their job without thinking they are getting in the way. The Etruscan wives always participated in banquets with their husbands while the Greek banquets were in male only symposia. I liked how they showed the difference between Etruscan and Greek women. It shows how just in one different period of time, women are treated with more respect.

                Even though this chapter was short, it held a lot of useful information. One of the best parts of this chapter was showing similarities and differences between the Etruscan period and Greece period. It helped me understand each time period more. I thought it was cool that the Etruscans had their own culturally different group. They didn’t want to be like every other group. They took different aspects from Greeks and made them into unique things for the Etruscans. I believe this chapter showed how art has evolved over only one time period. We like to see how we made an impact on art. I believe that the Etruscans wanted people to look back at them and see how they made their own culture unique with different forms and ideas of art.

[artdahlk-blog]

I truly loved reading this chapter. It taught me how to enjoy different forms of art that wouldn't catch my eye before. I thought that the sculpture part of the chapter was very interesting. I also never knew that the lost-wax process was used to make so many sculptures. I enjoyed listening to the podcast this week. I never knew the Greeks were the biggest part of our viewing of beauty today. I believe the Greeks were so involved with making beauty a single definition rather than a personal view.

Week 8

Upon reading about Ancient Greece, I immediately was transfixed with the rich and detailed information this chapter had to offer. I love learning about the myths, philosophy, artwork, and overall culture written in this chapter. A few years ago, one of my history classes covered Grecian sculpture, and architecture quite extensively.  We also learned about temples, acropolises, and the Parthenon. This week’s chapter really helped me to extend my knowledge.

I had no idea the lost-wax process was used to create many of the sculptures. It explains they were able to achieve so much perfection when it came to creating their sculptures. The creation of their sculptures require a great amount of technique and artistry. Grecian sculptures developed greatly over the years, the statue of Karous shows us some great similarities between egyptian and Grecian art. The way the body is standing in a front facing position, with no bent limbs, connects the artwork to Egyptian styles. Later, the early classical style is developed. Like the Poseidon, Statues during this time period have more movement and are more detailed. Next, the Classical style brings sculptures which bring forth a great amount of culture and history. The Parthenon Metopes, shows a great battle between Greek tribesmen and the Centaurs. This piece is incredible. The draping of their clothing is absolutely gorgeous. I can’t imagine how difficult it would be to make hard stone look like flowy fabric. The Late Classical era shows us sculptures which are smoother and softer figures. As seen in previous eras, we see the gentle S shape in certain figures. The Aphrodite of Knidos, demonstrates the Praxitelean curve. Praxiteles was a famous artist during this period, and he created many human sculptures with the S shape. Finally, the Hellenistic Period, brings sculptures of much more dramatic figures. People of all ages are represented, and the scenes show people demonstrating a wide range of expressions. The Boxer, shows the brutal effects of the sport in which the man participated in. After years of fighting, he has a scarred body, cauliflower ear, and a painful expression on his face. Grecian sculpture has developed greatly over the years, it is fascinating to learn about how the different eras of art transitioned from one to the next.

The podcast, “The Ancient Origins of Modern Beauty,” explains how Grecian Art influences what we currently see as beautiful. Why do we find the sculptures the Greeks made more “attractive” in today’s eye than a sculpture made during the Neolithic period? The Greeks studied beauty, and what causes desire. They found symmetry and proportion have a great effect on what we find most attractive. While true beauty is defined differently by absolutely everyone, the Grecians created their art based on attraction and what was most pleasing to the eye. From a biological standpoint, most sculptures were created representing women at their most fertile time, or healthy young men. There are many different factors which contribute to what we find beautiful. The Greeks found it incredibly important to demonstrate beauty and attractiveness in their art. Today, much of our art is considered “beautiful” however, oftentimes, pieces also possess more conceptual meaning. Sometimes, artist create in order to send forth a message, rather than create something which fits the societal definition of beauty. While today’s art and culture has many things which are comparable to those of the Greeks, there are many things which greatly differ.

[artdahlk-blog]

Blog Post 8

                When I read the title to this chapter, I instantly was excited. I loved learning about Ancient Greece in high school. It was neat to learn more about Ancient Greece in this chapter. I believe that Greece art is one of the most interesting art in the world. I wish this chapter would have talked more about the literature and drama in Ancient Greece. I remember talking about The Odyssey in high school. It would have been nice if the chapter went more in depth on the literature. I liked the section about the Greek Gods and Their Roman Counterparts. I liked how they named the god, their function and attribute.

                The pottery section of Ancient Greece was the most interesting to me. The Geometric and Archaic style of pottery is my favorite. The Geometric style was unique with the couple rows of animals on the pottery vase. It also has different shapes around it that was interesting to see. The Archaic style of pottery was neat since it has a scene on it. I believe that the vases tell stories if they have a picture of some sort on them. I liked learning about the different kinds of sculptures in the chapter. The one thing I don’t understand is why the sculpture in Ancient Greece never had clothing. I never knew about the Lost-Wax Process. It was interesting to learn about how sculpture were made back in Ancient Greece. The architecture in this chapter was fun to read about. I liked how they gave the plans of the different architecture. One of my favorite parts about this chapter was the timeline in on the last page. It helped me remember what I learned throughout the chapter.

                The first thing the podcast says is “What is Beauty?”. I believe that beauty is different for everybody. The Greeks made beauty into their own way with the art. I believe people think that Greece art is more beautiful since the Greeks actually studied beauty. Different people have different visions on beauty with art. The Greeks tried to find beauty in every art they made. They used their art to attract people looking for beauty. I believe that everything and everybody is beautiful in some way. We can be attracted to something not beautiful to somebody else. I believe that Greeks used beauty to describe women, not men, as stated in the podcast. The Greeks would use people who are beautiful to be used for sculptures or paintings. The Greeks showed us the way society sees beauty today. As stated in the podcast, Greeks looked for symmetry and proportion while looking for beauty. The person with the best proportioned body would have the most beauty. We use the same sort of viewing of beauty that the Greeks did. We are more attractive to a person who has more symmetry and proportion. I believe we are determining different kinds of beauty in our world. We now see how other things that are not perfectly proportioned are still beautiful. This podcast has opened my eyes to different forms of beauty.

[artdahlk-blog]

I agree that these art forms are beautiful in this chapter. These paintings and figures are more detailed and advanced in color and design. Before reading these articles, I also did not know what was happening with Africa and India art. We need to determine what art means to us. If we believe that art is beautiful and unique, we will see beauty in all art forms. It is sad to see art forms being disguised in museums. Museums should show art from around the world.

Week 7

Reading about the Aegean era was neat for me because, I was familiar with the different names of the civilizations. However, before reading the chapter I couldn’t recollect much information on any of them. This chapter was a nice refresher, and I thought the art in featured was especially beautiful. While the Egyptian paintings and sculptures had some color and were gorgeous, I felt like the frescos in this chapter offered more color and were more appealing to the eye. As history moves on, I suppose it makes sense for new technologies to be discovered and developed, which explains why the art continues to become more advanced.

Like the rest of the Aegean wall paintings, the Minoan civilization painted many Frescos. Frescos are created by mixing pigment and liquid (such as water or juice) and then the mixture is applied to a damp limestone surface (commonly a wall). I thought it was cool of the Minoans represented the different genders by using a lighter tone for females, and darker tones for the males. In the Toreador Fresco, the humans in the paintings have very long limbs, skinny waists, and small heads. Both the bull, and people pictured have a very graceful look to them, the lines are softly curved yet they create a distinct picture. Overall, I like the contrast in the blues, oranges and whites used in the painting.

The Ship Fresco, created during the Thera period, uses similar colors to the Toreador Fresco. Unlike the Toreador Fresco, the colors are warmer. Both the blues and oranges are darker. Perhaps, it is a result of using different amounts of pigments or a darker surface to begin with. I love how detailed this Fresco is. There is so much going on. From people working in buildings, to rowing in ships, to the animals running in the background, the painting is filled with many intricate details. Though the true meaning of this Fresco is undecided, many theories have been drawn. Like the book says, I believe it is a representation of some sort of returning. I think the painting shows a large group of people coming back from a long journey at sea, happily greeted by the rest of the civilians who, since the others left, have been holding down the fort.

In regards to this week’s assigned articles, there was a great amount of information I was previously unaware of. I did not realize art in certain countries like Africa and India isn’t being studied or represented thoroughly. This problem took roots many years ago. Indian art especially, was viewed as ugly right around the 1800’s when art collecting was taking off in America. Now, we see less of Indian art in museums. When it comes to African art, there are much less historical pieces found in museums, and the African art which is presented is modern and contemporary. Art History as a whole, faces the lack of research when it comes to certain countries and areas. Moving forward, it is important for us to take this issue into hand and be aware the misrepresentation of certain countries. When visiting museums, it is important to view with an open, yet aware, mind. We need to notice if we feel a certain culture is under represented and speak up about it. This is the only way we can ensure more research and classes are offered, so change can be made.

[artdahlk-blog]

Blog Post Week 7

                I enjoyed reading about the Aegean. I had never heard of the Cycladic Civilization before reading this chapter. I liked reading the religion section. The shrines were a neat art to learn about. I was surprised to see that a snake was a religious symbol. I would have thought they would have been more of an evil animal. The art that was discovered at Thera were unique. I think the Ship Fresco was my favorite art discovered at Thera. It was very detailed with the boats and people. I liked how they added the city and harbors in the painting. This painting shows how Thera was back in history. Another one of my favorite pieces of art in this chapter was the Mask of Agamemnon. It was neat to see the gold that would have been found in Mycenaean graves. I liked how the face, in the gold, was a ruler in the Mycenaean period.

                I believe that each culture or artist is influenced by something different that they have experienced in life. I believe that most art is influenced by religious views, interests or opportunities. Many art forms are looked over or ignored if they are not what one particular person is interested in. I find it sad that there may not be a course in Indian art anymore. I think that some people want to learn about different art cultures, so they should keep the class open. Most people are interested in more “famous art” that they look over unique art. I believe that many people get offended with special kinds of art, so they don’t want to learn about new art. I think we should all have an open mind when looking at art. Even though we might not like a certain piece of art, it may be very significant to somebody else. I never knew that some categories of art are starting to decease. Many young people today are looking more towards the modern art. They don’t appreciate the history of art. By not appreciating art, many places around the world are going to lose interest in making art.

I never knew that most museums are only showing Western or American art. We should be able to see art from all around the world when we go to museums. I don’t think we should be taking good art out of museums if it wasn’t Western or American art. I think we will lose history of art if we keep rejecting any art besides Western and American art. I think we should make it a goal to visit museums who still have African or Indian art inside of them. We don’t want art to disappear from the world. We want to be able to learn about art from around the world and not just American or Western art. I believe that my role and responsibility is to keep learning about different art that has came throughout history. I should keep thinking about incorporating different forms of art into my life. If I can’t appreciate many types of art, I can’t expect other people to see art any differently.

[artdahlk-blog]

I was intrigued to learn about Ancient Egypt when I saw our Course Content for the week. I remember learning about Ancient Egypt in middle and high school. I enjoyed learning about the different forms of art that Ancient Egypt had. I was surprised at how artistic people in Egypt were. I was also surprised about the colors that Ancient Egypt art came in. They used their resources to make art more unique. I enjoyed reading this chapter about Ancient Egypt the most this semester.

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.