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.