NICC 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. 

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

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

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 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 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.

The chapter on the Etruscans was very interesting for me. I have had no prior knowledge of this civilization and was fascinated from the beginning. The time period is relatively contemporary although very little writing has survived. Although we don’t need to mention the discussion in this blog I think this chapter shows why we need to do everything we can to preserve art. Etruscan literature has all but vanished and it made me think what would have happened if all of the literature of the ancient greeks had disappeared? Between this class and my philosophy course I think that so much could be different without the preservation of texts and art. Much of Etruscan art was influenced by the Greek culture in architecture, pottery and sculpture but had their own twist on these. Reconstruction is another way to try to preserve the history of this time period. The temple of Apollo at Veii is an example of this. The materials and construction style weren’t ones that survived due to the wattle-and-daub method of construction but reconstructing some of these styles allow us to see what would have been made during this time period.

I also found it fascinating how so much of Etruscan art paralleled that of the Greeks but at the same time they had their own views on things that to me seemed more contemporary. Woman in Etruscan art were shown to be much more on an equal level with males. They were shown participating in what would be male only public life in Greece and were literate. I think it also shows how my naivete around this time period because I would have assumed the Greek standpoint on women’s roles was the norm then.Looking at it now though I think that we have seen a great deal of emphasis on fertility and that would make sense that women were often depicted as being more powerful than men. The mirror depicted on page 120 shows a goddess breastfeeding Herakles in the presence of other gods. This to me shows one of the reasons that this civilization thought much more highly of women. Without women the civilization goes nowhere.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 5

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

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

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

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

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