It takes time.

This semester has been a learning one in all aspects. I have learned that time is a very valuable thing. Today, I had the opportunity to go to London again & it was so much fun! I went inside the National Gallery again, and inside the National Portrait Gallery (which I had not been inside yet). I really enjoyed the Portrait Gallery, and looking at how an artist can capture so much emotion and a story in each portrait through a single moment in time inside a frame. However, the thing I learned most is that it takes time to learn. I was thinking how I have never, until study abroad and being in Europe, had so much time to sit and be in the presence of great and historical art. I love walking through downtown Abilene and going to Art Walk, but there is nothing like seeing a painting so long ago in the sixteenth century, or works by the many master artists such as Caravaggio, Ruebens, Titian, and Michelangelo. 

Today I just sat in the presence of the piece by Raphael, "The Mond Crucifix". This is one of my new favorite pieces. The colors are brightly appealing, the composition is centered around Christ, and it is very interesting. Mary, Mary Magdalene, St. John the Baptist, and St. Jerome are all kneeling around Christ, each person's facial expressions are realistic and full of emotion. This is what I enjoyed most. The painting used to be an altarpiece in the Santa Domenica in Citta de Castello, which I find fitting. This painting caused me to think about how much Mary was hurting, and it shows how Christ was hurting. Angels surround him, and catch his blood in vases as he is hanging on the cross. He could have called them to help him escape this horrible death, but his love for us and will to obey his Father was greater. I am thankful that this message is proclaimed in so many of the art works in the National Gallery, and I hope like I experienced today, that others will spend time with the art and see the glory and splendor of the Lord. 

Musee D'Orsay!

On Tuesday in Paris, I walked around the Musee D'Orsay for a few hours- I could have spent all day long inside the museum! I have thoroughly enjoyed learning about the impressionist movements, and this artistic style is my favorite to look at. I think it is beautiful, creative, and I love the colors that are used. The portrait images and paintings that were found in the Musee D'Orsay were great because many of them were in Paris. Monet painted his piece,  Saint-Lazare Train Station in Paris along with many of the other works. 

Being in the magnificent city of Paris, and since it was my first time to go, made me feel like I knew the artists that I have been studying this semester a little bit better on a personal level. Walking where they had walked, seeing the graves that some were buried in, seeing the same sun that they saw years ago set in the evening time, and the way the shade in the daytime hits the beautiful classical architecture, made me realize where they received some of their inspiration to paint the things they did. I also really enjoyed walking by the amazing gothic cathedral of Notre Dame and then later seeing all the paintings in the Musee D'Orsay with different lighting.  Even looking at the works by Degas of the ballerinas and the paintings of Renoir, made me feel the Parisian culture. More than even just seeing the art, it was neat to feel the culture of the French people and the way the Parisians live on a daily basis, since so many of the artists that I love studied and lived in Paris. I enjoyed learning about the historical content of Paris and just being able to visit the city for a few days. 

life and art collide

Although, in my opinion, this class has been difficult because of all work in the portfolio, I have enjoyed learning about art and exploring more about the question of "What is art?" This past weekend I went to the National Gallery in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was exciting to see art works by artists who I didn't know anything about until after reading about them for my portfolio and actually understanding why they created the particular piece and their motivation from the movement they were involved in. 

One artist that I recently learned about was Paul Gauguin. His painting, The Vision after the Sermon or JAcob Wrestling with the Angel is in the gallery in Scotland. This piece was in the Impressionist section of the gallery, even though he is known more for being involved in the Post-Impressionist movement. His interesting outlook on art, the different color schemes he is known for using, and the composition of his art differed greatly from the other pieces of art by Monet and Georges Seurat that were found in the same room. 

Looking at these pieces, in the small room upstairs in the Scotland Gallery, it occurred to me that even today, people have different colors in which they use to paint by living their lives. Everyone has different beliefs, different viewpoints (like the compositions) and this is visible in the canvas of our lifestyles. This may sound silly or even absurd, but these paintings are just little glimpses into the life of these artists. Whether it is something they believe, something they saw that moved them, or something they wanted to convey to someone else, I think it is moving that we are all artists. Though I myself do not paint, I still have feelings and wants to convey. I just communicate them in a different way. I do appreciate the people who paint, and have changed the world because of their artistic talents. I really enjoyed the museum in Edinburgh. 

Stockholm & Revisiting the Tate.

After a wonderful Spring Break week in Stockholm, Sweden I had the wonderful opportunity to go back to London for the day! Jessalyn, Zach and I decided that we would love to go back to the Tate to look around a little more. I felt that last time we went to London that I was rushed, and did not get to spend enough time here. As I was exploring the huge museum, many emotions were racing through my head. I was trying to decide whether I liked the art or not; it is so different from the Ashmolean and from the National Gallery. I felt that these modern pieces went straight to my heart in many cases. 

While in Stockholm, we saw lots of graffiti art, one of which as particularly interesting. It was a black colored stencil of a man eating green peas, and underneath had the statement, "Imagine Peace". This reminded me a lot of Bansky's graffiti work, which is extremely political and makes bold statements that are almost always offensive. The Tate Modern contained many pieces that I had not seen the first time which spoke about war, peace, race, sexuality and many other controversial issues. I do not agree with many of the pieces in the Tate, but I do think it is important to be aware of the things going on in our world. There was one wing of the museum in which slavery spoken about through the art. The pieces were painted in black on a white wall and basically portrayed all African Americans in stereotypes which were not true and were radically offensive, in my opinion. I'm sure that many people who are a part of that culture also, find it highly subjective and offensive. It upset me that this was considered "art". Although I do understand that it is an artists way of expressing his or her opinions about a certain subject, it none the less was disturbing . I liked some of the pieces, but this time walking away from the Tate, I felt angered thinking about the subjects that artists like Bansky and others say about society. 

In the Garden

This past week in Dublin, Ireland over St. Patrick's Day, I had the opportunity to look inside the National Gallery in Dublin. There were many beautiful paintings by Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso and other amazing artists, but one portrait that caught my eye was by Michelangelo Merisi, better known as Caravaggio. The painting was of Judas betraying Jesus and the guards taking him under arrest in the garden. 

The painting tells a narrative through each person's facial expressions, eyes, and body language. The view was straight on, but in the center was a Roman soldier's back with armor on his body. It was painted in a way that the audience feels like they are a bystander of the arrest of Jesus. The moon was the only thing lighting the painting, except for one man in the background who was holding a lamp. The moonlight's shimmering glow was shiny on the soldier's armor. Caravaggio's use of light and darkness in the composition is beautifully put together. The highlighting of people's faces, the clothing, the setting of the garden in the darkness all create an extremely dramatic effect on this painting filled with story. 

This painting provoked thought about what it would be like to be standing in the garden when Jesus was arrested. How he so willing let them take him away, even though he had done no wrong. Also, I thought about what made Judas want to betray Jesus. 30 pieces of silver would not be enough for me personally to betray someone that I loved- but I know that there are other ways that I turn my back on friends and on Jesus.  I really enjoyed walking through the National Portrait Gallery in Dublin and seeing Caravaggio's artwork. 

Vienna Travel Break

During the end of the nineteenth century, artists started to use metallic paints. This movement was known as Art Nouveau. In Germany and Austria this movement was better known as Jugendstil. In Vienna, Austria, one artist that is particularly known for this type of artwork is Gustav Klimt. This past week when we were in Vienna we saw replicas of his artwork everywhere we went. He is famous for the painting The Kiss, which shows great emotion with a mixture of realism and modernism. I was upset that I did not get to see this painting in person, but it is still one of my favorites. 

The facial expressions and feet of the woman and man who embrace are very real to me. Their emotions are seen vividly as their eyes are tightly shut and the hands wrap around each other's faces. The mixture between the two and three dimensional work is intrinsically seen in this piece. This could quite possibly be a symbolic underlying statement of the temper and frustration that Klimt felt with the political situation in Austria at the time. The colors in the picture trickle down like a metallic mosaic, in different intricate gold geometric shapes. Ironically, the bright abyss of colors could represent the words that he felt that could only be expressed through an embrace of a lover's kiss. I really enjoy this painting and the style that Klimt uses in all his paintings. 

A Day in Oxford

This past week in the Ashmolean Museum, I encountered a painting by William Turner, an artist who had a deep passion for light, nature, and was particularly known for his landscape paintings. This painting was one of a Street in Oxford that we frequently walk down besides Christ Church College. It is a different style than that of most of Turner's paintings. It contains immense detail with a picturesque blue sky, and shadows from beautiful tall buildings on either side of the street. The painting differs from many of his other works because it tells a story of the daily lifestyles of each person who inhabits the city.  Professors and Fellows walk down the street, possibly having deep philosophical conversations about the lectures they are going to give that day. Others walk along the sidewalk with sacks full of groceries.

One man, climbing up a ladder is doing a repair on the side of the wall of a building. This piece helped me to realize to a greater extent how much history lies inside the city of Oxford. Amazing people who have reformed ways that the country of Britain and event he world think have lived and studied here. Turner traveled to many places- his art shows the different ideas that he received as a traveler. Through his impressionist style, Turner painted the sublime natures of this world through shadows of light with his own Romantic emotions and interpretations.