Take Home Test: Emerging Christian Traditions

The Basilica Ulpia is a large rectangular building with a large interior consisting of a central nave flanked by double colonnaded aisles and two apses, or rounded extensions at the two ends of the building.  The upper nave wall had windows called clerestory windows. These allowed light to flood into the interior.  The building was used for Roman governmental purposes (a court of law) and also a public meeting place inside Trajan’s forum.  From most of the references I came across, the upper clerestory consisted of the Ionic order columns while the lower aisles were made with Corinthian order columns, the favorite order of columns in Rome.  Both of these orders of columns have been taken from Greek architectural traditions, referencing the ancient Greek temples.  Romans were notorious for copying and adopting Greek traditions because of the glory of cities like Athens and the political, mythological, and even philosophical similarities/adoptions (they greatly respected classical Rome).  The clerestory windows actually date all the way back to the ancient Egyptians, another society highly regarded for their success/progress.  Clerestory windows are seen at Khafre’s funerary complex in an adjacent valley temple and allow light to shine in and reflect of the polished alabaster floor. It should be noted that Romans did undergo a faze of Egyptomania (whether or not this is why clerestory windows have been used in the Basilica Ulpia is besides the point).  This just shows that the Romans did adopt architectural traditions from Egypt for various reasons, some political (they did take control of Egypt at one time). In all, the Basilica Ulpia is a fine example of architecture common in classical Rome.

 

Old St. Peter’s was constructed by Constantine, the first Christian emperor of Rome.  The church is a longitudinally planned building just like any other basilica.  This was basically the starting point for what would define a Christian basilica.  The narthex is a region across the width of the building and the space is for those not yet baptized.  There were five long sections created which can be seen from the frontal view of the building.  Each had doorways, one large serving as the entrance to the nave (area for the congregation) and two smaller doorways on either side also giving access to the church.  The columns lining the nave supported an entablature, an upper horizontal section common to classical buildings (usually consisting of the architrave, frieze, and cornice.) Double-sided aisles have also been created by another set of columns running parallel to the nave colonnade.  Many of these columns were Corinthian order and may have actually been spoila (from the Latin word spoil, which means they were reused) from the circus of Nero.  These columns parallel to the nave colonnade supported round arches, which supported windows above.  The roofs were supported by wooden rafters.  Constantine also deviated from the traditional basilica and formed a perpendicular hall in front of the “frontal” apse.  This provided extra space for clergy and other needs.  The entire longitudinal plan basically directs people along that axis through the narthex and through the nave until they reach the altar at the terminating apse (it have two apses). It is not stated in our class text, but other sources and images confirm that the church was also lit by clerestory windows high above the ground floor.  These windows let in a heavenly light that would have enhanced the spiritual experience for those attending.  It may have been obvious to some, but I’m sure the way the light flooded in illuminating the surrounding area would have been very amazing and awe inspiring, especially in a building that could hold at least 14,000 worshippers.  The scale of the church must (have) affected the people greatly and connected them to God.   

The two buildings are obviously connected by their shared architectural style.  It can be seen that Old St. Peter’s is almost directly based off of Roman basilicas like the Basilica Ulpia.  However, the architecture is only a surface connection between the two structures.  More important is the cultures involved and the shift in religious thinking that accompanies Roman basilicas and early churches like Old St. Peter’s.  The basilica comes from the Romans whose religion was considered to be pagan by the Christian Church.  The Church adopts this “pagan” architecture because the very people who convert to Christianity are Romans.  Constantine issued the Edict of Milan granting freedom of worship, but in reality he embraced Christianity as the proper state religion.  He built Old St. Peter’s in the Roman style basically because that’s how he knew to build things.  This should remind us of the basic idea that Christianity rose up out of a non-Christian society, so these characteristics being carried over should be expected, just as those non-believers had been carried over into new faith.  It should be noted that while judges spoke from the apses of the Basilica Ulpia, Christian clergy spoke from what we can assume were elevated altars situated in the apse of Old St. Peter’s.  This is just one example of what Constantine would have seen as obviously similar functional needs of both buildings (I’m sure many agreed that Christianity could redeem “pagan” styles as long as they were used for Christ.)  This is why the basilica is chosen for the new church spaces. Another huge fact to consider is that the church is built overtop of the circus of Nero, a Roman emperor known for his persecution of Christians.  The circus was the first site of state-sponsored executions of Christians such as Peter.  Constantine greatly dishonors Nero’s legacy by building on top of the circus of Nero and even taking pieces of the structure to build his church.  But he greatly honors St. Peter as a martyr, by building a church on the site of past state sponsored persecutions and over top of St. Peter’s burial site. St. Peter’s tomb is understood to be underneath the apse of the church.  This confirms even more how Roman society was shifting into a Christian tradition.  Also, Constantine added a perpendicular region in front of the “frontal” apse.  He may not have known it at the time, but this region would be extended until the overall shape of the building was a cross.  Soon, the word basilica would even become an ecclesiastical term, not just an architectural term.  This is exactly why I think the two examples, Basilica Ulpia and Old St. Peter’s, epitomize the connections and transition from a classical Rome to a Rome characterized by its emerging Christian traditions.

Psykter, ca.520-510 B.C.; Attributed to Oltos

This red-figure psykter is attributed to Oltos for the type of bearded trainer depicted, wearing a mantle with radiating folds, zigzag edges, and hair regularly incised with a wavy line.  The scene depicts these trainers with athletes practicing in a gymnasium.  The figures are skillfully adjusted to the curving of the psykter.  Psykters were used as wine coolers made to float in a krater filled with chilled water.  The psykter has a bulging form and the bottom of the pot is extended in order to keep it from tipping as it floated. (It was exclusively used in male drinking parties called symposia)

The Modern Egyptian

                                             http://prezi.com/is2i776j2pta/the-modern-egyptian/

"Peplos" Kore

   

    The “Peplos” Kore is a statue created before the Persian invasion.  I found this statue very interesting along with others like it because of the history surrounding them.  This statue is fairly static much like the Berlin Kore.  It does depict a somewhat more realistic or naturalistic representation of a person, but it is still archaic looking.  The style in which this statue was made is very connected to the interaction of cultures at this time. The person has patterned hair and a smile (the archaic smile) that are very much related to middle eastern styles. This region was not far from the Greek city states and was fairly integrated into "Greek" society through trade.  What is more interesting is that this artistic tradition would end with the Persian invasion of Athens, and a new completely naturalistic (although idealized) artistic tradition would begin.  Pericles began this renewal even though earlier leaders had vowed to never rebuild.  They decided to bury the defaced city monuments, like the “Peplos” Kore, as if they were real people.  You can see that the Persians ripped the arm from the statue, because they too viewed the statues and symbols for real people.  After this event, the archaic smile and patterned hair were no longer incorporated into Athenian styles.  Instead the new style celebrated the human and the capability of man, and was a response to Persian 'barbarism'.

Individual Blog Part 2

This artists name is Susanna Shap and she creates contemporary modern paintings.  She says that contemporary modern art can come in different styles and that the focus is either on color or design.  She focuses first on the composition, the heavy texture.  The color is the second thing she adds.  She enjoys modern and abstract art mostly for the freeing nature of the art and not having to worry about whether anyone else likes it.  She creates her textured abstract paintings with a palette knife using oils, acrylics, and anything else the paintings might need.  In response to textured art being just “globs of paint”, she says that she “feels there can never bee too much texture, even if in globs…so long as it is done right and does no come out looking amateur and sloppy.  She explains that there is a lot of control that goes into her pieces that has come with time, experience, and experimentation.  Since, each painting is one of a kind original and each palette knife stroke is done by hand, no piece is ever exactly the same.  This just goes to show that her creative process is fluid even though it can look very repetitive.  I think her paintings are very “wall worthy” for the house I don’t have yet. They all look “good”, the repetitive flow of texture and vibrant colors, even the sameness in tone of each single painting works to the advantage of each piece.  Do you like them?

http://www.modernhouseart.com

Downtown Presbyterian Church

The Downtown Presbyterian Church was a good example of converging cultures in architecture, something discussed in my visual communications class. The Church is designed after ancient Egypt artistic conventions, which were revisited during an Egyptian revival period. This Church mixes strong Egyptian influences with Christian ideas. Crosses are shaped in a way to fit with the Egyptian style. The logo printed on the bibles also has an ancient hieroglyphic-like feeling. However, the pillars with papyrus depictions and the geometric patterns used throughout the Church are very Egypt specific, with no Christian influence. Egyptomania spread throughout much of the art world at this time, but many still thought the use of these aesthetics in a Christian world was offensive because of their cultural implications (design elements can become attached to a entire people and their way of living)

Personally, I would never have guessed the two styles would have been mixed so deliberately. I would like to understand more of the images in the Church such as the large "God" hieroglyphic. I'm sure there is someone who could have explained the image to me, and I would still like to know how it is interpreted in that christian church.  The rest of the Egyptian elements, pillars and patterns were quite aesthetically pleasing.  The pillars were painted with vibrant colors and rose to the ceiling, dwarfing those standing nearby.  They created a rhythm that continued around the room with impressions of pillars on the walls.  The symmetry created with two groupings of three pillars towards the front guides your eyes towards a central point (the organ during worship or the speaker during a message). The ceiling was also intensely decorated with ornate crown molding like pieces that may have actually been more in style of European churches.  Ornate decoration was popular earlier in Europe and during the time of this church's construction. One of the characteristics I really liked was the openness of the Church. This along with sky blue ceilings really created an amazing lofty effect, which I'm sure was intentional and adds to the spiritual space.  Also, pillars were painted behind the actual pillars which added depth to this part of the church.  The area seemed to have normal lighting, but did have stained glass windows (commonly found in churches) with an Egyptian spin which cast a jewel-like glow.  The positioning of the church right inside a city (next to modern skyscrapers) just made me think that it would be "old" maybe even dark and dull, but I was very surprised with how bright and interesting the church ended up being. My group and I briefly discussed some of these elements. We agreed that the Church was unlike most churches we had seen before and that the experience was very worth while.

A Hunt for Hightech - Bart Hess

http://we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/2008/04/-found-little-info-about.php


     The article is actually an interview with artist Bart Hess about his project A Hunt for Hightech.  His images show mutant skins, breathing shoes, and living furs.  Bart Hess worked to find new materials forecasting trends in fashion and culture.  Hess explained that he did not try to mimic real animal kingdoms but "create a fantasy world of [his] own."   He imagined fantasy animals, ones that could be genetically manipulated.  His ideas led to part robotic, part organic animal-like creations.  Hess uses materials that are not commonly seen in the fashion world such as blended plastics, metallic's, silicon's and technical foils.  Prosthetic technology and genetic manipulation inspired Hess to create this fantasy animal kingdom, future human shapes, and new body forms.  He says that his work "is blindly discovering a low-tech prosthetic way for human enhancement.

     At first, Hess's art is sort of creepy. But after viewing more of his work on his blog, I was able to at least understand part of his process for coming up with wacky but interesting creations.  It seems that you are able to group the suit-like pieces into categories. I like the fact that each piece is not completely random but instead many are simple variations of one idea. (The best way to describe this is grouping the art into adjective categories; bubbly, rolly, foamy, and jagged)  His work isn't too crazy for me after seeing the similarities.  Also, his colors and texture are sort of fun, and mostly all the pieces are visually pleasing (as opposed to a lot of completely random ugly contemporary art).

          

Bart Hess hopes to impact trends in fashion, product, or architecture with his work. He has some far out ideas about where technology could take his creations.  He says "Why kill an animal and re-form the fur into a shape? Why not have the animal already shaped to your body, have it living and breathing around you, like the shoes."  Obviously today's technology and ethical environments do not allow these extreme fantasies to become reality.  And it is probably unlikely that live animals for clothes will catch on in the fashion world.

MORE IMAGES >>>http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/6081/bart-hess-at-the-dutch-invertuals-exhibition.html

Votive Figures

The votive figures are limestone statues.  They date to around 2900-2600 BCE. The figures are images of worshipers themselves and they would set them up in a shrine before an image of a god.  In this way a piece of them would always be in reverent prayer.  The worshipper would be “locked in eye-contact with the god, caught perpetually in the act of worship”. This gives us insight into Sumerian religious practices and artifacts that accompanied them.

The sculptures are very stylized.  They are basically cylindrical shapes of both men and women, and each is in a praying pose. The clothing even emphasizes the cylindrical shapes. The genders are distinguished with men in skirts and women in longer skirts. Their eyes are enlarged in order to symbolize devotion and prayer to a god, specifically the moon goddess.  Arched brows were inlaid with dark shell or stone at one time and helped to emphasize the eyes.  Today these figures seem very cartoon-like, but were obviously very important in ancient Sumerian culture.  They help us understand religious practices and stylistic approaches used in creating human-like images.

Collage Project

I chose elements from the past to show how art, architecture, and other things play a role in history.  History is ongoing which is why the world map depicts mostly present day events.  The “message” of the collage is to show a lot of good things in the world, but subtly show a messed up world that is in need of help.  The world is in sin and death, and lacks a Godly direction, which is why Christ offers a hand.

Color: The items from the past are black and white images (what we think of when we look back in time). There is gradually more color sprouting off of these images, until you get to the right portion, which is almost all color images from our present time.

 Light: A large white portion in the bottom right balances a large dark area in the bottom left. The white portion connects to the white “ocean” space in the upper left section. This portion balances the dark areas to its right. 

 Texture: I created actual texture with folded notebook paper and instead of cutting each image, I tore the image out from the magazine creating rough-textured edges.

 Volume: Many of the images including the island head and statue of Christ show much volume with dark rounded edges.  Also the torn out images against the background can also seem like they have darker rounded edges.

 Line: In one case there is a diagonal that is formed from bottom left (up the statue of liberty) to top right up the arm of Christ.  But there is also a strong white diagonal from left bottom to top right.  This creates a sort of X shape.  The dotted lines from paper planes direct you across the world map. The camera lens underneath Christ is also focusing on Christ.

 Space: The illusion of depth can be seen in the images in perspective such as the statue of liberty, Christ, cruise ship, and the island head.  The background is created with notebook paper and the foreground is the images themselves.  Actual depth is created with the folded notebook paper. 

 Scale: The island head is largest because it is the oldest and so somewhat the most historical image. The statue of liberty is large both because I am an American, and also because of its importance in creating an implied line and triangle with the folded notebook paper.  The size of the statue heads and furniture are small mostly because they are not important but still add a feeling of the past. 

 Symbolism:  There is a lot of symbolism.  The train is a symbol for my hometown of El Paso, which was founded because of a railroad crossing.  The letters E and P serve as an school/community abbreviation for my hometown.  The clock and skulls in the bottom left portion symbolize our brief lifetime on earth.  The world map is created using images of conflict, disaster, terrorism, and aggression.  The clock by Christ gives even more importance to time for Christians and the world.  Christ poses for ever-lasting LIFE magazine.

 You: I am interested in history.  I enjoy playing the piano (the image is an organ but same difference). I enjoy music and listening to music on my iPod, and I like maps. I also like to be aware of what is happening around the world.

 Friends and Family:  My friends and I spent our free time making movies on any camcorder we could find.  The old man positioned next to the Statue of Liberty reminds me of how my grandpa dresses.

 My town, community, school: The train is a symbol for my hometown of El Paso, which was founded because of a railroad crossing.  The letters E and P serve as an school/community abbreviation for my hometown.

 The world today:  Is messed up.            

The world is created using images of everything bad that goes on in the world.  The bottom and right side of the collage are many of the things in this world that are good; human progress, interest, entertainment, vacation.  I like these things, but a lot of messed up stuff still happens and sometimes seem to outweigh anything good.  This is why all arrows point to Jesus, because who cares about the rest of the crap!  Repent, Do Work, Praise God, Get Outta Here.

 Your Country:  

My country is depicted in the map and is also acknowledged in the Statue of Liberty and the train, which has American flags on it.

 Art:  

My initial and possibly most substantial draw to art is whether it is visually pleasing or not…..my collage may not be…and in my opinion isn’t...sorry ha.  Art can be used for many more than pleasing viewers though.  I think art is very efficient at communicating ideas and spreading knowledge that would be dull in written form.  Many of us are visual learners, so images are important for education or communicating meaning to an audience. 

 History: 

Understanding history helps me understand where I am positioned on the time line.  It orients me and in some cases teaches me how to live or how not to live, or what I am able to achieve, and what I am not yet able to achieve. 

Individual Blog Part 2

http://www.terraingallery.org/Jackson-Pollock-Ambition-DK.html

In response to I. and II. :  The author attempts to make a parallel between the contradictions found in Jackson Pollack’s own life; his rebellious behavior and his attempt to “like this world” through painting; and the contradictions in his “knowing technique”; the “way weight and lightness, thickness and airiness, impediment and release” present themselves in his work.  The author seeks to prove this idea through intertwining descriptions of Pollack’s art and descriptions of Polack’s experiences/legacy.  Before I comment on these things, I would like to say that the “splatter paint” technique was new and unheard of.  To be the first and successful is a difficult thing, and for Pollack it involved much creativity.  Even the idea that each painting captured his movements and possibly the mood he was experiencing at that exact moment is very fascinating.   But I would not go as far as this author does, and like many have, to give some sort of spiritual existence, a heavenly “unrestraint and accuracy” to Pollack’s paintings.  Rather, I propose that Pollack painted “a coat” of unrestraint and then painted a second with accuracy.

Jackson Pollack had an eye for aesthetically pleasing elements and employed design techniques accurately.  If he did paint without restraint then I imagine he filled in areas he didn’t like intentionally.  This is OK because he had an eye for what pleases the human eye, mainly because he had a human eye! He uses high contrast in almost all of his works.  The lines and drips are dramatically placed, overlapping, circling, and spinning; consistently drawing our eye to a new place.  To rest, the viewer must resort to viewing Pollack’s painting again as a single piece or texture. His work remains fresh because of the difficulty to respond to every element in one sitting, all of the colors, directions, and harmonized shapes.  This is why I like his work.  His paintings please my eye because my eye responds to specific spatial, directional, and color elements.  I don’t have to focus on one thing.  I don’t have to worry about a message (unless his title guides me). I can stick it on my wall and enjoy it as an aesthetic composition.

Individual Blog Part 1

Vincent van Gogh: Starry Night 1889

The painting displays important formal elements.  First of all, blue and gold colors compliment each other, enhancing aesthetic appearance.  The large dark tree is balanced by the bright moon and light region above the hills. The tree plays a large role in making its specific space more interesting.  The swirling sky and stars counterbalance the hills that seem to flow downward and to the left.  The white region above the town acts as a strong diagonal axis for the entire piece.  The difference in texture and composition between the town and sky sets the town apart, making it peaceful and unmoving. The brush strokes in the rest of the painting consist of short dashed lines that move with and contribute to the swirling sky’s texture.

Van Gogh painted Starry Night while he was in an asylum at Saint-Remy. During earlier years, he struggled to eat and survive as an artist.  His works, such as Starry Night, were not traditional and were not commissioned (it is believed he only sold one painting in his lifetime), so he spent the majority of his life in poverty.  This leads some to interpret Starry Night not as a peaceful moment, but as a chaotic one.  In this view, the sky is churning and waves are rushing in on a helpless town.  The church is no longer tall to overlook the town but is now interpreted as puncturing the sky.  The large tree is interpreted as a flame. 

In this specific case, I think the problem with linking Van Gogh’s history to this painting goes further than Prown’s discussion on the dangers of speculation, in that this separate interpretation's purpose is to satisfy our longing for a twist.  We want a surprise, a hidden meaning.  While it seems that Van Gogh may have been adding elements to change the whole meaning of the piece and to make his title laughable, it is also very easy to believe the complete opposite.  Van Gogh liked stars, and the night; and so do I.

Kandinsky, Farbstudie Quadrate (Color Study of Squares), 1913

This painting is one that has always caught my attention, mostly because of how simple it is.  It's hard to determine online which representation of Kandinsky's painting is accurate, so of course it would be nice to see it in person (which I have not).  The slightly different images online do however show the simple use of vibrant rings of colors set on top of an equally colorful background.  I happen to think that this painting benefits from the orderly grid of squares (sometimes abstract can get a little too crazy for me). 

Some images online present a smooth texture, others show rougher edges to the rings.  It seems to have had a smaller amount of paint applied since the painting is relatively flat.  You are able to see some of the brush strokes or at least imagine how Kandinsky formed his circles, which are quite distinct.  Besides the relatively orderly grid, the objects in the painting are painted loosely, almost as if a child had been trying to color between the lines in a coloring book (but failed :).  The shapes, squares and circles, are simple and do not vary significantly in size or construction.  As I said before, the positioning of these shapes is very uniform.  The background squares compose a grid of compositional lines, sectioning off each circle and directing the audience to view one circle and/or grid square at a time. 

I realize that  that Kandinsky was no amateur painter, but after viewing this painting it makes me wonder how much time he really spent creating this piece.  Regardless, his color choices brighten the entire painting even though some dark hues are used. The consistent contrast between neighboring rings is especially helpful in distinguishing the vibrant yellows, blues, and reds.  For the most part, this painting is fun, and simple, but to me it is still one of the most aesthetically pleasing paintings out there.  That concept of simplicity is what I like most.