amy- Prague Castle

Though I know Garrett’s presentation is not what he originally planned, I am glad that we had a chance to tour Prague Castle. One is unable to get the true “genus lochi” of a place without exploring its interior. Interestingly enough, it seems that every castle has at least two or three places of worship. Even though there is a large cathedral in Prague Castle, the interior holds its own little chapel. Karlstejn had the same type of chapel, despite its own cathedral which once held the most gorgeous jewels and precious materials. I always think of the romanticism that comes with having a cathedral within the walls of a castle. My mind creates fantastical stories around beautiful pious princesses and chivalrous knights. My rational side is also fascinated with these places of worship. I think these mini-sanctuaries are some of my favorite features within the castle walls. To me, it stresses the importance of an individual relationship with God. This is the most important part of religion, at least for Christianity. I remember looking for a garden or some type of sanctuary at CNU and being unable to find a place where I could easily go there to have a moment of peace. I always wish to adopt the constructive aspects of history. To me, these sanctuaries are something that the architecture of today should adopt from the medieval time period.

amy- The Magic Flute

Mozart’s place in history astounds me. I am continually blown away by his genius and, even more, his audacity. He blatantly mocks the culture high society prides itself on. This being said, I was surprised at the skill Mozart put into his mockeries. “The Magic Flute” is just one example of Mozart’s hilarity and genius. Brookelynn, Elise, Justin and I went to “The Magic Flute” expecting one thing and left experiencing another. I suppose the title should have clued us in about Mozart’s intention. No doubt, the music is incredible. The storyline is fluff wrapped in ridiculousness. I am almost positive Mozart must have stepped on the toes of the most influential people in Europe during his day. Mozart took every epic storyline and turned it on its head in “The Magic Flute.” And he did it with flair. I enjoy knowing that Mozart still held some sort of connection to the church institution in Prague, though his life is not exactly an example of Christian piety. To me, it shows a certain level of hidden profundity not shown to his critics and fans. The monks at Strahov Monastery understood his love of music, which was ultimately Mozart. For me, this is the plea of the artist. The artist wishes to be understood by the church, but all too often the church is unwilling to hear his pleas. Mozart shows this clearly. Religion must always be willing to understand differences that do not conflict with its clear doctrines. Just because one cannot understand something does not make it wrong.

amy- Satisfy My Soul

After going to Tricia’s concert at the church in Old Town Square, I love to put myself in the place of the musicians. This is their time. I cannot imagine the joyous feeling they must have as they do what they love. The opera singer really struck me the most. The viewer could see her face light up with joy as she sang her carefully calculated notes to echo in harmony against the church ceiling. I think in some ways pursuing one’s true love in art can be more difficult than a normal job. This, I suppose, is the typical plight of the artist: hence “starving artist.” I think the reward of being completely united in one’s art as quite nearly a spiritual act must be one of the best feelings in the world. I think that art is inherently spiritual. It can be distorted and misused, but in its purest form it is spiritual. To me, the suffering associated with faith can be associated in the same way to the suffering an artist faces. It is not the strongest parallel, but both the faith-oriented people and artists give up all they have for what they love. There should not be this intense separation between the church and the artist. They can be compared to the fullest extent. Watching the musicians play their music, knowing they do it day in and day out, and hearing the symphonies they create gives me a sense of satisfaction.

amy- Plastic Holiday

An odd reality is what modern-day Christmastime offers. There is no simplicity in the season. No longer is it about family and a display of care, but it has become one of the largest celebrations for the secular and faith-oriented world. I find this to be an odd reality. As I go around and see the tacky art and decorations that are displayed around Prague, even if some are beautiful, I still wonder. I wonder how the meaning of Christmas could be so lost amidst the season. I wonder what Christmas means if it no longer means a celebration of Christ. It almost makes me laugh. My cynical side would say society is celebrating its own wealth and materialism. My softer side would say that society is celebrating the love we share among family and friends. I tend to lean on the cynical side, because I feel that we should keep this marvelous holiday in our hearts instead of trying to take advantage of it like some sort of greedy child. If we are not teaching our children the deeper meaning behind life, what are we teaching them? And yet, as much as it is becoming trendy to criticize Christmas, the very same people who acknowledge its triteness literally buy into the idea of materialism. We may acknowledge something without caring to change our own outlook. I feel it is especially hard within our society because it is so inoculated into our children. I just hope that one family at a time we can change the perspective on Christmas, so that the greater meaning will not be lost among the tinsel and drunken caroling.

amy- The Golem

I can safely say that The Golem by Meynrink is one of the best books I have ever read. Many times, books about self-discovery all look the same. The tests we take to “learn” about ourselves are ridiculous. We want to put label on ourselves. Throughout this semester we have heard a lot about the spiritual journey in Dr. Redick’s class. For me, there are many things that relate to my own spiritual journey. The literary art has always affected my own spiritual journey. When I read a book like The Golem, I am able to see it through the lens of spirituality and self-discovery. This is why the book holds more weight than others. When a writer is able to give the reader a picture of himself, but also an understanding of himself in the whole of life, he has achieved something great.
The Golem sometimes turned me upside down with its dream-like images, but I can appreciate this. Life often seems like a dream to me. I believe Meynrink does this on purpose. The protagonist is trying to find his way to sanity. Is this not what the spiritual journey about? Are we not trying to find a way to understand the world? Meynrink also combines the rational with the irrational. To me, this is the basis of life. Life is not composed of solely rationality or irrationality: it is a combination. Meynrink, as a good writer, explicates the mystic to the fullest extent so that his meaning cannot be misconstrued. He does not want the reader to be able to write off the supernatural that the protagonist experiences. The book was perfect for the mystic nature of Prague, and for the tumult of feelings that I was experiencing. I will always be able to look back on that book with the fondness of a friend who understands.

amy- La Boheme

Everyone knows that opera as a whole is somewhat funny. One might ask how exactly La Boheme fits into the spirituality. It is a storyline that goes through a rather ridiculous plot of artist bachelors in France and perhaps about how they go about their relationships. So we must say that this is no Shakespeare. That is just it. Not every storyline needs to be Shakespeare. All this does not have to be some deep meaning. I think that La Boheme is not about the words, but all about the feeling. Art is spiritually cathartic in this way. We do not always have to be thinking, analyzing and plucking the ideas from what is said. We cannot always rationally look at emotions. Even within religion, there is a purely emotional side that cannot be explained. Spirituality must always have a combination of mind and heart. Heart is typically wrapped up within the emotional side of life. La Boheme turns the monotony of everyday living into something dramatic and emotional. We’re painting? Let’s sing our emotions! We’re cold? Let’s sing the cold! It’s Christmastime, let’s dance and sing! I really enjoyed the simplicity of the whole opera. All of the emotions were portrayed in such a silly plotline, but I think this is what the playwright is going for. If the viewers get the head out of the way, then the only thing that concerns them is the emotions they feel. Now it is understood that one should not be all emotions all the time, but every now and then I think it is okay.

amy- National Gallery

One of the things I heard most about Prague before coming was the lack of religion. About ninety five percent of people in Prague are apparently agnostic or atheistic. I had heard different perspectives concerning the reasons for such a low percentage. Some said it was the tumultuous history of church in politics and the Catholic and Protestant conflict. I was always curious when this decline started. Back in the 17th and 18th centuries it seemed there were many Protestants trying to stand up for what they believed in. When we went to the National Gallery and saw the Czech display, I found it interesting that it seemed the decline was in the early 20th century. I tend to speculate that perhaps the hundred years of religious conflict frustrated the people of that age. Then to go on and see the political hardships that the country went through nonstop after World War II really puts things in perspective. If religious belief was already on the decline then I can only imagine that Communism would be enough to stifle any wavering decision-makers. After studying about Czech history, it seems far less surprising at the number of agnostics and atheists. In the displays, and from Doctor Kabat, it seems that the first people the Communist leaders went after were the church leaders. They felt that these leaders were just as dangerous to their regime as the anarchists, fascists, artists and other political dissidents. I find this to be a testament to how the teaching of faith is influential and radical. The National Museum’s display allowed me to have an interactively wider perspective on the history of the Czech nation and religion.

amy- Mucha Museum

Artists are much like philosophers: they think too much of life. No doubt, most people wish to have a life’s purpose, but I think this is especially expounded in the psyche of the artist or the philosopher. Philosophers tend to go for the jugular. A true philosopher will want to find the truth behind life and then throw himself in the direction of that truth. For an artist, it is more complex. There is always the dichotomy between recognition and anonymity. Even after that question is resolved, there is always the question of meaning. Have I made something meaningful? Is this art worth anything in the big scheme of things? This is something I saw as we visited the Mucha museum. Mucha definitely seemed to struggle with these questions at the beginning of his career as an artist. Though he was immediately thrust into fame, he never felt comfortable in the realm of commercial work. I think this is because, besides creating a beautiful picture, Mucha wanted his work to be far more than a beautiful picture. Returning to his roots and the problems within his homeland seemed to have given him more direction. The Slavic Epic was his obsession, his baby. This was his heart poured out onto canvas. This was his purpose and his direction. Learning about this side of Mucha really made me respect him even more as an artist and as a man of depth. I can appreciate his commercial work for the feelings they invoke within my own imagination, but I would like to experience his Slavic Epic just once. To see his ‘greatest work’ would be to see the heart of Mucha.

Amanda: Holy Music

The experience of a concert is unlike anything in the world. The relationship between the musicians and their audience is something completely outside of the many human interactions we have discussed this semester. The artists feed off of the energy of the crowd, while the crowd is provoked to dance and sing along the more and more the performance goes on.

A very distinct experience occurs here, where the musicians present their artistic creation on stage in front of their audience and then they are actually able to see the way that it physically affects them. Attending a concert allows for the unique chance to simultaneously listen, see, and participate in the creation of the music made by the artists.

Although music is still bound by human limitations in forming holy art, it does point both the musician and the audience to that which is Wholly Other. The interaction between them involves so many differet types and levels of artistic expression which all strive to progress the I and Thou relationship which Buber presents. The experience of a concert combines dance, the first, most sacred art which Van Der Leew describes, with music, poetry and performance. For these reasons, it would make sense that the event of a concert is something that has affected me so much and been so incredibly attractive to me as I have gotten older and explored different types of musical expression.

Amanda- Raphael's Madonna

This image was incredibly captivating and absolutely beautiful. Raphael’s portrayal of Mary is probably the most realistic, approachable one I have ever seen. Just looking at this work took me back to our trip in Italy and brought all those masterpieces we saw to the forefront of my memory. There is something really amazing about walking through a gallery flooded with paintings and being able to distinguish the characteristics that made the most well known ones stand out. Beyond the fact that Raphael’s work was clearly the focal point of the gallery in Dresden and the architecture and display set up of the other works all pointed to this painting, this image sticks out on it's own.

Seeing it after viewing all of the works in St. Agnes really added to my reaction to the work because this painting continued with the theme of revealing the humanity of Mary. Raphael's ability to capture the beauty, strength, and holiness of the nurturing, loving mother of Christ all in the same instant is quite rare and will stick with me for a long time.

Amanda- St. Agnes

I liked the art gallery in St. Agnes covenant much more than I thought I would.
First, the wood carvings caught my attention primarily due to the role reversal I saw portrayed in many of them. Contrary to many of the images we have seen these carvings displayed an active, lively baby Jesus who often had his hands outstretched to his mother, while her gaze was locked on him. There was an element of life and youth that came across in these works that were missing in many of the other pieces of art we’ve seen created in other time periods.

The most interesting thing to me in the whole gallery was the strong focus on the blood of Jesus on the cross. A large number of the paintings in the gallery showed Mary at the foot of the cross with the blood of Jesus smeared across her face. These images captured an element of Mary that was not seen in the hundreds of other crucifixion scenes we’ve encountered. The brutality of the mother’s face covered in her son’s blood allows us to understand the anguish and torment much more, and it gives us a much more personal story. The painters focused heavily on Mary’s facial expression, as well as that of Jesus, which provoked much more sorrow within me as well as forming a lasting impression on me. This is much more than any of the other images of similar themes did, and gave me much more insight into the historical account of Jesus' death. This shift in focus to the stark reality of a woman seeing her innocent son killed in front of her makes both the image but the story seem more tangible rather than redundant.

Dresden

Dresden was lovely today. The Christmas Market was fabulous, and I enjoyed the exhibits and the churches. Two pieces of art in particular really attracted me; I found them both most unusual for their “genre.”

The first “art experience” I really enjoyed was the first Protestant church we visited. From the outside of the building it looked like another usual old European church, but the inside caught me by complete surprise. I loved it. It was so grand yet so simple. For me, it was close to perfect. I felt like it captured some of the grandeur of God and his numinous qualities that is often expressed by the sheer size of the cathedrals. Unlike most other churches, however, this one didn’t have over-the-top décor and excess ornateness that I find distasteful. I think the simplicity of the interior probably added to my perception of its size, and I felt a bit of Otto’s “creature consciousness” that accompanies these large churches. The lighting was also wonderful, very soft and calming. And as I looked around the stucco-ed walls, the area underneath the balconies on either side of the building reminded me of the catacombs the early church met in. I felt very close to the origins of Christianity.

The other piece of art I liked more than I anticipated was Raphael’s Sistine Madonna. We have seen literally countless paintings of the Madonna and child on this trip, so I wasn’t expecting Raphael’s to be anything particularly special, besides the angels at the bottom. I was again caught by surprise. I loved his depiction of Mary and her baby; it is perhaps my favorite painting of Mary ever. What surprised me most was that they look so… normal. Let’s be honest, most paintings of the Madonna with child look a little strange. Baby Jesus’ body often looks way out of proportion or he looks like a small man. And Mary often has a strange forehead or whatnot. But Raphael, who painted in the middle of all these other paintings, portrayed them so “realistically.” And beyond that, I really like Mary’s expression. Her face showed a hint of fear and apprehension, which I thought was appropriate. She was a young mother who had the responsibility of raising God. And not only that, but she had to flee to Egypt when he was little and live amongst strangers. I would think Mary had a lot to “ponder in her heart.”

I find both of these works to be beautiful examples of sacred art. Not because they were religious, but because they presented truth and didn’t “depict beauty at the expense of holiness.”

eks

Art Wrap Up

Garrett Lambur
My exposure to art this semester was more than it has been at any other time in my life. We have been to more museums and art exhibits than in the past few years of my life combined. But what it made it particularly different from any other experience I have had with art in the past, I am finally at an age to truly appreciate the art, not to mention remember it. Kip gave us what I thought to be great advice for how to view art. Rather than quickly attempt to analyze the art itself, you let yourself just view it and listen to your emotions. Then you begin to analyze the piece of art but at the same time you analyze your emotions in reaction to the art. By viewing art in this manner I have been able to enjoy more forms of art than I would have not doing this. I am not trying to say that I like all pieces of art but I can look at them in an appreciative manner.

Even with all of this though I have to say that the pieces of art that I do truly enjoy on a personal level are few. I am very picky in terms of what I would not mind seeing on a regular basis or what speaks to me on a very personal level. Much of the Christianity based art that we have seen on this trip does not really speak to me. I can enjoy seeing it and appreciate it for what it is attempting to convey but I do not get true deep personal feelings of affection for that piece of art. Thus at some points during the trip it was hard for me to continually look at piece after piece of art with a Christianity theme. But one thing I recognized for myself on this trip is that a piece of artwork does not have to have a Christian theme in order to be religious. Neither does it have to be a classical form of artwork, such as a painting. I am very glad that we did see all of the artwork on this trip because within each piece of artwork on this trip is contained a lesson and piece of our development as a human race. I continue that I can no recognize art in many different forms from just paintings though that it the first image that comes to mind when speaking about art, as it is the most easily recognized. Art allows for humans to express themselves in ways that may not normally be accessible.

Venus

Garrett Lambur
One of the paintings that struck me quite a lot while we were on this trip was The Birth of Venus by Boticelli. When I first came into the room where it was being displayed there was a big tour group sitting around it while the guide was giving his/her speech through the wireless headsets (whoever came up with that by the way is genius and rich now). It took me aback at first; I was not really quite sure what I thought of it. I had seen pictures of it before but pictures can never do justice of the real painting right in front of you. With the actual painting there you can see brush strokes, the medium used and you feel more of an impact from it. The more I paid attention to it the more I became engrossed with the expression on Venus’s face. There was just something that I could not place about it in my head and even now I still can’t place it. She seems so innocent which fits the story of her having just been born out of the water but at the same time she does not seem innocent. There is almost an underlying feeling of I know my own importance and what is going on, I may be recently born but I am not totally innocent. But what adds to the expression is her striking plain beauty in the picture, she looks as if she is attempting to cover herself but does not do so completely. Perhaps she is trying to draw the eye towards her beauty, she is almost stating I’m beautiful and I know it. While to add to this, she is about to be covered up she doesn’t seem ashamed of herself being shown. All of this adds together to make the picture almost entrancing to the viewer and makes it hard to look away or move to another painting.

St. Agnis

Garrett Lambur
Hopefully I will answer the questions proposed to us by Kip today at the St. Agnis Convent. I felt a very subtle progression within the Art as I walked through the exhibit. The first parts of art from the early 1300’s used excessive amounts of gold leaf and there was very little background to any of the pictures. The characters themselves were not life like and were more symbolic of humans than realistic. In some the heads would be exaggerated, the baby Jesus would have the facial structure of an adult, and the faces would not seem to show human emotion. As time progressed in the art, around the turn of the century (into the 1400s) according to the time on the descriptions, the art began to use less gold leaf, though this may have been due to lack of gold not artistic flavor, the faces became more realistic, there were human emotions in the expressions, and backgrounds began to be used. But what seemed strange was that the colors seemed to become duller, but this have been attributed to the less use of gold leaf. As I later read, this next period became known as Gothic. These images did not have the extreme realism that those in later periods would have, but there was significant difference from the International period. Similar to the paintings, the difference in the sculptures was the craftsmanship. The more time wore on the quality of the art seemed to increase, there was more attention paid to minute details, even the difference in the gold working on the ornate crosses was better. It almost seemed as if humanity was growing in its ability to depict the art, but not only this but the emotions received from the art began to change.

As the art progressed so did the emotion that I felt when looking upon it. In the beginning with all the gold leaf working I felt as if the people were only attempting to put as much awe into the artwork. The depictions only seemed to depress me, they were all very somber and I was unable to feel any connection with the artwork in front of me, especially in any religious manner. Inaccurate facial expressions and no realism to the art yet still attempting to depict human figures just made for a bad combination to me. As I progressed into the art, my emotions began to change, I would not classify the art as happy but it was not depressing. On an emotional level I could connect more with the art in front of me, there was some realism to the art, there were actual backgrounds. Similarly the artwork itself began to display human emotions that could be read to deep levels. The expressions on the faces held images that were not simply upset or angry or happy or sad but held the undertones that surround all human expression. The artwork still held the sort of depressing undertones that showed the more painful experiences linked to Christianity and the underlying connections between feeling like a measly human being compared to God. I never been very good at describing my own emotions so to attempt to describe the change in the artwork is something that will not include in depth analysis of undertones, or use very good descriptive adjectives.

When Kip asked us to compare the artwork to that of the Grecco-Roman time period that we had seen before one thought kept coming back into my head. Humanity took a huge step backward when Rome and Greece fell. The artwork that I was seeing did not seem to come close to Grecco-Roman. Now the majority of this comparison was based entirely on gut feeling and with second thoughts as I write this I recognize that some of the artwork from the later period in the exhibit would have compared in terms of quality. But the emotions from both were much different, much of the Grecco-Roman artwork brought happier emotions to the viewer than did the work from the International or Gothic periods. What I remember from the images coming to mind, much of the Grecco-Roman was similarly more realistic though it may not have depicted realistic images. The quality seemed to be higher; you could read more into the human emotions. But what struck me the most was the difference between the colors of the Grecco-Roman to the somewhat drabness of the Gothic style. In personal preference, I much prefer the artwork, or whats left of it, of the Grecco-Roman style to that of the Gothic and International styles.

St. Agnes' Convent

I didn’t think I would enjoy our time at St. Agnes’ Convent. I was not a huge fan of the medieval art we saw in Italy, and thought I had seen enough for a lifetime. When I learned that all of this medieval art was Bohemian, however, I started to feel a bit more optimistic. Upon entering the convent, I was immediately struck with how simple and modern it felt. I liked it. And we hadn’t even gotten to the art…

The gallery inside St. Agnes’ Convent was wonderful. I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would, and could have spent another half hour walking through the exhibits. My favorite pieces of art were located in the first four rooms. These were the oldest pieces on display, and most were created in the mid 14th century. They felt markedly different from the medieval religious art we viewed in Italy. It all seemed so much simpler to me, more elemental and “raw,” as Dr. Redick put it. I loved the wooden sculptures of Mary and baby Jesus. I really liked that they were just wood, and not so ornate. Also, I loved the expression on Mary’s face, and the position of baby Jesus. In most of them, Mary was smiling and looked happy and amused. Baby Jesus was usually reaching his hand to almost tickle her chin, and it was a very sweet pose. I liked the paintings a lot as well. The colors seemed bolder to me, and there was less gold used. I thought they looked more realistic as well… more like real humans. They were simpler in layout too, and weren’t so cluttered with little objects floating around.

As the exhibit continued, I felt a definite change to a style more like what we saw in Italy. They even noted the style change in the descriptive panels, and called it “international” which makes sense. In these later pieces of art, there was much more gold used in the paintings, and they were overall more ornate and busy. Another big change was the addition of lots of symbolic objects. There was more symbolism going on in these later paintings, with random little objects dotting the paintings to signify different things. I also saw many more sculptures of the pieta, with sorrowful Marys instead of happy ones. The emotion displayed in the later section was much more of the suffering undergone by Christ and his followers (especially his mother Mary) while the emotion in the beginning rooms focused on joy and happiness.

I’m not really sure how to compare this art to the secular art we saw in Italy and Greece. The only secular art I can remember that would apply are the multitudes of white stone statues that adorned the temples and monuments, some of gods and many of people. I don’t remember any “secular” paintings. I guess all I can think of is that the countenance of the Virgin’s in the beginning rooms seemed closer to the countenance of some of the statues I saw in Italy of mothers with their children.

I’m really glad we went to this exhibit. It was great to see authentic Bohemian artwork, and be able to compare it to Italian. I also really liked the style of the museum, and thought the interior was really well designed. It was modern yet very tasteful; it added to and didn’t detract from the art on display. Good choice, Dr. Redick ☺.

eks

Amanda: Seeking out what is already there

In outlining the area between sacred and profane art Van Der Leew is clear about how art is meant to come into existence. “Art is meant to seek out what is already there, not to construct it.” I absolutely love this quote from Sacred and Profane Beauty and I find it’s meaning bleeding over to other aspects of my life as well.

I have always been fascinated with the great impact an environment has on an individual, and this trip has opened my eyes to so many new sights, peoples, languages, works of art, and parts of myself that were never a element of my world just three months ago. Much of the topics we’ve dealt with this semester have been highly spiritual and have greatly affected each one of us in more than we know. Just as the creation of art seeks to highlight something that was not yet visible, but already present, these travel experiences have worked the same way within me.

My reactions to the amazing landscapes, art, people, and cultures we have seen were all aspects of my personality and consistent with the core of who I am, but they needed to be provoked by travel in order to emerge. I am so excited to see all of the ways in which this trip will continue to shape my beliefs, thoughts and actions in the world. We’ve all had the privilege to be on this incredible trip and see things many people just dream about. It is up to us to take on and face the experiences we’ve had and the people who have surrounded us and form our own understanding of the world, where we fit in it, and how we want to live in it.

I’ll end this with one of my favorite quotes of all time:

“We shall not cease exploration and at the end of all our exploring we’ll be to arrive where we started, and know the place for the first time.”
-T.S. Elliot

Amanda: Creature Consciousness

In addition to the landscapes and locations of temples and churches we have visited, I found the actual architecture of these places of worship to really highlight Otto’s idea of mysterium tremendum. A majority of the large Cathedrals and Basilicas we saw throughout our trip in Italy in particular evoked the feelings characterized in The Idea of the Holy. Of course, these buildings were huge and absolutely beautiful, but there was something beyond their size and aesthetics that attracted me to them.

In my independent research on Santa Maria Della Salute in Venice I discovered that this particular church, as well as many others in Italy, has a large 8 pointed dome on the top to symbolize the womb of Mary. This immediately triggered a huge wave of creature consciousness within me, and made me think of how highly the Catholic Church holds the position of Mary as the mother of Jesus. Not only does the presence of a dome direct church goers attention towards the heavens, it reminds them of their human condition and the overwhelming power and presence of their Creator, God the father. This relationship between Creator and created is meant to trigger feelings of intense devotion, worship and thanksgiving, and it is all communicated before a word is ever spoken in the church.

Amanda: Holy Sounio

One of my favorite memories of this trip so far has been our day at the temple of Poseidon in Greece. Once we reached the top of the platform where the temple stood, the first thought that popped into my head was once again, that Greeks were very smart people. I could not have imagined a more perfect place in my mind to erect a temple to the god of the sea, and even as I stared out the window at the coast on the way there I saw no location even close to this particular one. It amazes me how much the location of a place of worship can allow for so much communication from the Holy.

Standing on the edge of the cliff made me feel the exact power, energy and fear of God Otto had described in his text. After this time of reflection we had by the temple, it was truly a religious experience when many of us swam out to the cave just under the temple and further entered into the elements. The symbolism behind the crashing waves, the cool sensation of the water and the feeling of weightlessness that swimming in the ocean provides perfectly displayed the passion of religion and faith. In this moment, “the deepest and most fundamental element in all strong and sincerely felt religious emotions” that Otto describes was truly and intensely felt.

Temple of Poseidon

The Greek’s principle Temple of Poseidon was located in the beautiful Sounjun region of southern Greece. The temple site was on a hill that jutted into the water, and the actual temple was located on top of the hill, surrounded on three sides by the Aegean Sea.

After we walked around the historic ruins for a while and enjoyed the amazing sea breeze, Dr. Redick asked us to reflect on the site and our experience. As I sat on a large, smooth rock and thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful breeze, the waves on the rocks below, and the blue sea, I realized that the location was perfect for a temple to a god of the sea.

I suppose in retrospect, it makes perfect sense to have a temple to the god of the water surrounded by the sea, but I didn’t make the connection at the beginning. I think the location would have been especially powerful when there was a storm raging. The location of the temple near the sea probably reminded the worshippers of Poseidon’s power and caused them to have more reverent fear. I can only imagine how incredible it would have been to be so tangibly confronted with the power of the god you came to worship and offer sacrifices to. The location was a constant reminder of the thing (ocean, sea, water) the people had no power over, but that their god was supposed to control.

It made me think about the location of our churches, and wish they could be in the middle of incredible landscapes that inspired worship of the true creator, omnipotent God.

eks

Michelangelo's David

I was familiar with Michelangelo’s statue of David before our Italy trip, and during the course of our first day in Florence saw about 1000 replicas of the infamous sculpture. We saw two life-size models, one located in the Piazza Michelangelo and another in the Piazza della Signoria, and countless souvenir versions that came in literally any size you could want.

The life-size replicas didn’t impress me, nor did any of the mini-versions catch my attention. Honestly, I wasn’t that excited about seeing Michelangelo’s David because the pictures I’d seen in history books or tourist magazines had never really interested me before. I was in for a treat, however.

Michelangelo’s David was STUNNING. Although I had seen pictures and replicas of it before, I was not prepared for the majesty of the actual statue. Neither pictures nor replicas do it justice. The grand scale of the statue, its placement in the museum, and the perfection of the body make it a stunning experience. You truly have to see the original.

It’s an incredible sculpture, and I think it’s very befitting of David that such a statue was made of him. It’s a perfect statue for him really, because the story of the piece can be an allegory for his life. There were many imperfections in the huge marble slab commissioned for the piece, and the original artist stopped the project quite early on, only beginning his feet and legs. The marble was neglected for 25 years after that, and then picked up again by Michelangelo, who spent 3 years sculpting the masterpiece.

David was a very sinful and flawed man, just like the marble used for the piece, and yet he had a penitent spirit and was called “a man after God’s own heart,” which is reflected in the beauty Michelangelo was able to create out of the imperfect marble. Even with his great imperfections, David sought God’s will and was obedient, and God was very pleased with his life. All in all, I find Michelangelo’s David to be a magnificent representation of the shepherd boy turned king.

eks

Amanda: Banksy is the shizz.

One of my favorite things to explore in new cities is the graffiti. Graffiti and stenciling have become new loves of mine, primarilty due to their unique ability to get across a message to any and everyone. People don’t have to go into an art gallery or museum to view these art works, they simply walk past them every day. Graffiti artists use the city as a living canvas, and because they work within the streets that everyone walks through they make you pay attention whether you want to or not.

The best example I can use to highlight an artist that has fully embodied this unique aspect that graffiti possesses is the renowned and controversial, Banksy. He uses his artistic talent to provoke thought and communicate political and societal concerns that he has. He channels his frustrations with the state of the world into beautiful, witty and often very funny artistic pieces and places them in a public place. He is well known all over the world for creating graffiti in the most unsuspected places, and deliberately uses specific locations throughout cities to further communicate his artistic statements. The city streets and people walking on them each day become an interactive part of his graffiti and are just important as the spray paint coming out of the can.

One of the most captivating things about Banksy is that his identity has been kept a secret even now after his artistic works have become famous and worth large sums of money. His work can be recognized from a mile away, and even though he does attach distinct tag marks to many of his pieces, the man behind the name Banksy is completely anonymous. This factor of the artwork adds to his overall message and point of creating graffiti. His purpose is to participate in society as a common voice of the people while questioning the structures and policies all around us. In a time where people are becoming more and more alienated from each other, Banksy employs humor, sarcasm and controversy in order to spark reaction, conversation and connectivity.


I’ll never forget the first time I spotted a real Banksy piece in downtown L.A. It was undeniably a work of his, without even having a tag attached to it because of his distinct style and message in all of his graffiti. It was the image of a cave man carrying a tray with McDonalds food on it, standing next to a phone booth. It is a common theme in many of Banksy’s graffiti pieces to pair contradictory images in order to challenge and provoke the viewers. Here this work was intentionally placed in a large shopping district of one of the biggest consumer driven cities in the world in order to challenge the motives and the mindset of the individuals passing by.

I’ll leave you with my favorite Banksy quote which really summarizes all of his artwork and attitude toward creating graffiti:

“Imagine a city where graffiti wasn’t illegal, a city where everybody could draw wherever they liked. Where every street was wash with a million colours and little phrases. Where standing at a bus stop was never boring. A city that felt like a living breathing thing which belonged to everybody, not just the estate agents and barons of big business. Imagine a city like that and stop leaning against the wall - its wet.”

Preach!

Oh, and here is a final Banksy work that I think you will all appreciate:


We are all slaves to tesco.
Tiiiiiiiight.

Russian Occupation Exhibit

One of the highlights of my time in Prague remains the temporary photography exhibit on 21 August 1968 I visited during our first week here. Amanda and I saw an advertisement for it one day and decided to go rather on a whim, having no idea what we were getting in to.

The occupation photos were incredible. Not only did they do a fantastic job documenting the period, but also the photos themselves were composed so well. I feel like I learned so much, and the photos were very moving. The ones that stick out in my mind are of a tank crashing into a building on the main street with people running to get out of the way. Another one of a man baring his chest in front of a tank. Another of a memorial to an unknown boy who was killed in the struggle. Who was he? There were photos of countless signs the people made, letting the Russians know how they felt, often with humor. I wondered what the point of the signs was, however. Did they make a difference to the Russians, or were they more to boost the moral of the people?

The photos did an amazing job of expressing the horror of the occupation, and I feel like they presented the truth of that time. I can never think of the Russian occupation the same, without feeling the terror of the people. It’s not longer just a history lesson for me. My understanding of that dreadful day and the ensuing period has been forever changed by that exhibition, and I think that’s a great sign of true art.

eks

Amanda: Sehnsucht

Our discussion on what exactly the term ‘beautiful’ means has continued and been expanded upon throughout the semester. We’ve dealt a lot with the spirituality of art and examined what exactly causes us to perceive something as beautiful. One of the most effective ways I came to understand a way to explain beauty and personal reaction to art was through ‘Sehnsucht,’ the German word for longing, which C.S. Lewis referenced in his writings on faith.

I looked into this further and found this excerpt from Lewis’ The Weight of Glory to perfectly summarize what I have been trying to verbalize myself for so long:

“I am trying to rip open the inconsolable secret in each one of you—the secret which hurts so much that you take your revenge on it by calling it names like Nostalgia and Romanticism and Adolescence; the secret also which pierces with such sweetness that when, in very intimate conversation, the mention of it becomes imminent, we grow awkward and affect to laugh at ourselves; the secret we cannot hide and cannot tell, though we desire to do both. We cannot tell it because it is a desire for something that has never actually appeared in our experience. We cannot hide it because our experience is constantly suggesting it, and we betray ourselves like lovers at the mention of a name. Our commonest expedient is to call it beauty and behave as if that had settled the matter.”

Lewis’ approach makes the most sense to me because he does not limit himself to language or knowledge; he exposes the truth that we can never fully understand.
To be moved by faith or by sacred art is to experience longing or desire for transcendental experience within oneself, thus it can not be restricted by words or symbols. This ache to reduce any separation between you and the beauty or between you and God is something I have often felt, but never even attempted to put words around.

Lewis’ writings not only helped me verbalize the feeling provoked by religious art within myself, but expand on my own spirituality. With this idea in mind I could then better understand and further explore Van Der Leew’s ideas of the Holy being mediated through beauty, and see religious art as a means to amend this ache in us. Sehnsucht is a word for the indescribable feeling to be united with something we can not comprehend and by creating and interacting with sacred art we are seeing small fragments and glimpses into the Holy within each one of us.

Amanda: Pinkas Synogouge

I really enjoyed touring all the museums in the Jewish quarter, and I found the Pinkas Synogouge to be the most moving. This museum which holds the art of children in the Terezin was in one word: incredible. The collection spans works of children of all ages and on topics such as returning home to Prague, celebrating Jewish holidays, and life in the bunker at Terezin. The fact that Terezin was used for propaganda and the children were somewhat sheltered from what was actually going on all around them until they were moved to Auschwitz completely broke my heart.

Friedl Dicker-Brandeis, the woman who led these art classes was such a courageous, inspiring individual. Her actions allowed the children to have an artistic outlet for the immense emotion they must have been feeling at the time. The art classes also helped get their mind off of their current situation as well as actually have a voice in what was happening to them. When she hid the suitcases full of the children’s drawings she probably hoped, but didn’t actually think that they would still be around today for thousands of people to see every year. At the time, art allowed these children to feel slight relief from their awful situation and today it allows us to remember and commemorate the lives of these innocent children who perished during Nazi terror.

Nakedness

Jan Saudek’s photography gallery was certainly one of a kind. I thought some of it was really incredible, but definitely enjoyed certain sections of it more than others. Something really strange happened as I walked through it, however. I realized that as I became more and more comfortable with seeing the naked figures, I actually preferred them to the clothed ones. Never thought I would have said that. Hah.

I still do not appreciate at all the nakedness when it’s used in erotic poses or immoral settings, but I began to really like the simplicity and purity of a body in its unadorned form. The body that God created and nothing more. I loved the photographs of a mother with her children, or of a father holding his baby close to his chest. I liked even some of the photographs that didn’t deal with the family, but presented the human body unaccompanied by cloth.

Later on in the exhibit, whenever he photographed a body with clothes on, they seemed distracting to me. It seemed like an unnecessary accessory… lots of material for what? And I think his photographs might have presented me with a little taste of the natural, simplistic glory that our bodies were created to possess. And I suppose that makes it art, for he not only represented life, but presented something new.

eks

Beautiful Motion

I absolutely loved chapter three in Van der Leeuw’s section on dance, referred to as beautiful motion. In this chapter, he talks about the enmity between dance and religion, caused primarily because of the connection between dance and theater and eroticism.

He says that Christianity has been “the outspoken enemy of the body and all sensual pleasures, which it never considers innocent.” And that “Christianity knows no innocent sensuality, nor the glory of the body.” Dance brings out the glory of the body, and is always putting it on display in some form or other, often serving for “the mutual attraction of the sexes.” A religion that exalts virginity about all else must hate “the enticements of the moving body” and “cannot stand for beautiful movement.”

This is not true Christianity, however. It is a Christianity that, as Van der leeuw puts it, has forgotten its Jewish heritage (David danced before the Lord with all his might!) and adopted the Greek idea of the evil of the body.

“True Christianity knows that body and soul were both equally created by God, equally attacked by corruption, and equally saved by Christ.” It’s as equally right to suggest that the movement of the body could express the holy as that words and speech could express it… both the body and the soul have been redeemed! It’s also as equally wrong, however, because nothing on earth could fully express that which is “wholly other” and corruption resides in every human expression. However we have been commanded by God to glorify him with all our powers, and we have been created in His image. So let us dance.

eks

Sistine Chapel

Garrett Lambur
Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel is one of the greatest things that I have ever set eyes upon in my lifetime. It is truly what can be called a masterpiece. I remember seeing it during my trip to Italy in Middle school but it did not have the same impact upon me then as it did when we visited it. I could have sat for hours just looking at it. There was so much going on and I could have never tired of looking at one part of it only to slowly move onto the next. The hand of man almost touching the hand of God is one of the greatest religious pieces of artwork I have ever seen. It seems in that single scene to capture the entire sense of Christianity. As a whole we almost always seem close to God but can never quite touch him. And within that sentiment is caught the frustrations of Christianity, being so close to touch God with so little effort being to actually touch him. There is just something magical about that one scene. It is enticing to me just thinking about it, I am not the strongest religious person but that scene brings out any belief that I have. Man is so close but still so far away. You find yourself willing him to reach out and touch God, to bask in the glory that surrounds God. Another aspect of it that drives the viewer crazy is the lackadaisical attitude that grips man as he just sits there, his face saying, “Well I’ll just sorta try, nothing more, I’m too good for this.” While on the other side Gods seems to be trying to reach down to touch man but can only go so far helped as he is by all the angels around him. As a person you just in awe staring at that one scene of the Sistine Chapel but then you begin to look around and you become even more amazed. That one scene could be on its own and be amazing but it is included in a huge ceiling painting that is utterly beautiful. There is so much to look when you look up at the Sistine chapel and I wish I could have spent more time than we did there, even though we did spend a lot of time looking at the Sistine chapel. I truly wish that I could have laid down with a group of people and just spent time discussing the different images that we saw before us, it would have given more meaning to an already wonderful piece of art.

Troja Palace

Garrett Lambur
The Troja Palace was a very interesting place to visit. I had no preconceived notion of what to expect other than a Palace of some sort but as I have learned on our travels through out Europe combined with my own, a palace can be any type of living space. The Troja Palace was quite amazing on the outside; I enjoyed the architecture and the color of the building. The gardens were not what I would truly want for my own back yard but I have a different desire than they would have in their time, enjoyment versus prestige. A part of me was disappointed that we did not get to see the gardens during the spring or summer, or even fall because I feel that nature can be one of the greatest pieces of art in the world. Similarly to this, I feel there can be no greater place to generate a connection with God then in nature. But back to the Troja Palace, the inside was different from what I expected. Most of the artwork did not strike any particular chord within me, the dogs were just pictures of dogs and some of the other works were just works. There were however good works too that I did enjoy and it is to be expected to not enjoy every piece of art in a museum or exhibit. One of my favorite works was the wall size one of the defenestration of Prague. There was something about the different men in the picture and the expressions on their faces that explained the event incredibly well. The man about to be thrown out the window had a great expression on his face of just “Nooooo!” while the other man being dragged toward the window expression was one of terror. Perhaps one of the reason’s I enjoyed the picture so much was because of the realism of it all. I am not stating that I enjoy realism over other works of art but there was something about the realism within this picture that struck a chord in me. As for the artwork on the ceiling, as impressive as it was, none of it appealed to me. It was strange however to see change from Christian subjects to Greek subjects, it came across to me as a strange conglomeration of the different subjects, even though they have been related to each other through history. I guess I was just expecting the painter to pick one subject and stick with this one through out the entire building, apparently I was wrong.

Jan Saudek

Garrett Lambur
To describe Jan Saudek’s work in one word: unusual. His artwork seems to push all boundaries to the point where there seem to be none that exist at all. He goes from a photo of a baby being held by a man to a picture of a path up a woman’s vagina (it was quite strange and surprised me). But for all the unusualness of his work I had a strange appreciation for some of the work. Some may not call it art but it was an expression of himself through the lens of the camera so to me that classifies it as art. Almost all of his artwork contains some sort of nudity and if it doesn’t then the next photograph of the same characters does. It is strange because people in the U.S. have different ideas surrounding nudity; mainly that it is a bad thing to be shown. But I admired Saudek’s use of nudity within his artwork, because there is no reason that we should be ashamed of nudity. All bodies have the same anatomy and there is nothing wrong with this nudity. Some claim that America’s different treatment of nudity can be traced back to its Puritan roots and I have to agree with this claim. It is strange to look at the US and Europe on their different treatment of Sex and Violence, they are almost exact opposites when looking at the rating scale of such acts in movies. Saudek’s photos were some of the first I had seen in a long time that pushed the boundaries even within Europe or my experiences within Europe. At first I was shocked when looking upon many of them but then I realized that the majority of them were things that were part of life though they were the things kept hidden. There are certain topics that people do not want to discuss for one reason or another but sometimes it can be better if you are able to discuss something (some things may be better left untouched for respect to people’s past experiences). Saudek to me is able to push the boundaries and break many of them down and in discussing a piece of his work, one would be able to go where perhaps they may not have been able to go before. For we must always travel into the Great Blue Yonder, always searching for something new either inwardly or outwardly.

Churches

Garrett Lambur
Churches are some of the most amazing expressions of religion in art. A church is not only a place of worship but it is an expression of art. Each is done in its own style and sometimes in multiple styles. On this trip we have seen many different forms of churches. A great majority of these have been in the gothic style though we have seen others on this trip. One of my favorite churches that I have seen on this church was St. Stephens in Vienna. The roof was covered in beautiful titles that created an image on the roof of the church. The inside was incredible; the ceiling was high reaching and the cathedral long. It was an ultimate form of art in appreciation of God. What can make all churches a even more impressive form of art is that each had a designer, or multiple designers that were willing to spend decades or in some cases ensuring it was built to their specific wants. Yes it is true that they were being paid for the production of the church but it takes incredible dedication if you realize that you may never see the completion of your works. I myself would be quite disappointed if I attempted to take on a project that I would never see the completion of. Yet these architects gladly took on the project of building such a work of art with it being very likely never to see the end of the artwork. Though some may call the churches gaudy and a waste of money that could have been spent else where, I feel they could be one of the best examples of artwork done in a religious manner. There was a book a read last year that was based entirely around the building of a church in the medieval period. It was fictional but the author had gone to extensive lengths to research how churches were built during this time period. The reading of that book combined with seeing many beautiful churches over here I have gained a new appreciation for the building of churches, the churches themselves, and the art of the churches.

Architecture

Garrett Lambur
The past week in Kabat’s class was spent listening to presentations upon different periods within art. During the presentations I was more attentive to the architecture details within each period with a desire to increase my ability to recognize the different styles. I have to say that after the presentations my ability to recognize a specific type of architecture went up. Though I still have trouble looking at a building and stating the period it is from because I begin to put different aspects of the building into different periods and form a sort of super period for that building. It’s neo-baroque-renaissance-classical. Yeah, doesn’t exactly make sense. But my appreciation of architecture has greatly changed. I used to look at a building based solely on whether I liked the style or not. I still do this to some degree but I know look to see what style it was built in, then based on this my appreciation changes because I have different levels of appreciation for the different styles of architecture. Similarly, they are no longer just buildings but have become to me in some sense works of art. No amount of learning about different styles of architecture will change my perspective that a building is a building, but it can change my appreciation of said building. I recognize more that each building had an architect that attempted to put a little of himself into that building. Art can be any expression of a human’s personal preference. This means though that that personal expression may not appeal to every human being around the world but just because someone does not like a piece of art that does not make it art. It is strange to me that learning about architecture would change my overall respect for different forms of art but perhaps all it took was looking at a different form of art to appreciate all art.

Rigolletto

Garrett Lambur
The Opera Rigelletto was an amazing experience for myself. I had never seen an opera before and upon arriving at the State Opera building we discovered that we were to be sitting not on the second balcony but rather in the third row center. I was incredibly happy upon first discovering this but my happiness rose to new levels the more of the Opera that we witnessed. It was wonderfully performed and had my attention completely. Other than straining one’s neck to read the subtitles at the top of the Opera it was a wonderful experience. One thing from the Opera struck my personally though, that of cursing another. I have never given much thought to cursing another because in the world I grew up in cursing was using the “curse” words. But cursing another in Rigolletto was wishing ill upon that person in a certain manner. I have had instances of wishing ill upon another because of one thing or another but after seeing what could possibly happen in Rigolletto I have had a new heart upon the subject. A curse that I have used before and will probably use again much to my dismay is the simple one of Go to hell. But who would ever truly wish this upon another human being; hell is a horrible place, though I’m not sure how much I believe of Dante’s recounting of hell but that is discussion for another time. Either way hell is for those who have done enough wrong to warrant going there and not going to heaven. It is not the place of a human being to decide what will send you to hell or not for we do not rule over heaven or hell. Though this may be a strange lesson to learn from Rigolletto I feel it is something that I will try to avoid in the future. I will be hypocritical for some time, since I know the phrase will be uttered from my mouth, but I hope to stop using it in a future attempt to get rid of it. I may not stop using curse words, though I know I probably should, but I will stop cursing people or rather wishing ill upon them. One should not wish ill upon any human being no matter what, for doing so can only breed hatred and out of that hatred little good will ever come. For hatred is what gives life to the dark side of the force and the dark side of the force is never a good thing, just as Anakin, he lost his two children to it.

Troja Palace

I was surprised to enter the Troja Palace and find that it was an art gallery. I was expecting our time there to consist of exploring the gardens but there were some interesting pieces in the palace.

The first pieces of artwork that really caught my attention me were the multiple walls of dog paintings. (Preceded by birds and eventually followed by horses.) I thought they were quite strange, and found it funny that we would never put up any of these paintings in our home. Then, for the first time, I was struck with the (obvious) idea that tastes in interior decorations drastically change. I know that sounds so silly since we’ve been studying different art styles from the centuries past and are constantly bombarded with examples of art from the past in Prague, but the thought occurred to me none-the-less. Practically, how do interior decorating styles change? What that we do now will be considered totally odd in 50 years?

I thought about it again when we continued to encounter ceilings of frescos about Biblical characters and symbols, coupled with historical and mythical creatures. Our modern day ceilings are generally only ever white, even in wealthy homes. When did that change? And more interestingly, when did naked bodies and exposed breasts stop being acceptable? I generally associate their demise with the piety of religion, but these bare-breasted women all represented Christian virtues and were painted long after Catholicism controlled the empire. Interesting.

eks

The Magic Flute

The Magic Flute was so bizarre. Everything about it was strange… the plot, the costumes, the lyrics, the messages. I honestly felt like it could have been one of those round-about stories, where everyone adds a different part taking the story in new, silly directions. I smile when I imagine what I would really say about it if it hadn't been written by Mozart.

The costumes especially made me laugh. I thought the bird-man Papageno was a little strange, but every story is allowed a strangely dressed character. Once they entered the kingdom of Sarastro, however, things got really quirky. The first people we encountered were the slaves, who looked like old Mayan clowns. Seriously. Next came the head slave dressed as a Medusa-inspired jester, followed by some spirits (?) dressed as Egyptian gods. The main enlightened men wore robes and colonial style wigs, and the head priests reminded me of the people from Superman’s homeland. Oh yes.

On a more serious note, the message of the opera was very interesting. Definitely many enlightenment themes, but I thought the trust required in the sovereign Sarastro was very Christian. I believe in a completely sovereign God, and often find peace in trusting that although something doesn’t seem right, there is a plan for it. This theme was very prevalent in The Magic Flute. Sarastro stole Pamina away from her mother, allowing them to both believe he is evil, while doing it all so that one day she might meet the man she was destined for. I thought it was really interesting that Tamino was led to believe Sarastro to be a horrible monster, which was far from the truth. It reminded me of what people can believe about God. Some people really question Him because of sufferings, not allowing the possibility that good will come of it. (Like Tamino hated him because he stole away Pamina, although without that act Tamino would never have met her…) Once Tamino realized his wisdom, he followed his instructions absolutely, and although it was difficult at times (ignoring Pamina’s cries) it was necessary for the reward at the end, which came from the god Isis of all things. Bizarre.

eks

Mahler

Garrett Lambur

I attended a performance of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra last night with my parents, aunt and uncle. They performed Mahler’s symphony no. 3 in D minor. All I have to say is Wow! They were unbelievable. I had not been to such a good performance in a long time. The conductor even fit the common mold of a somewhat possessed angry looking person. But he was a very good director. His style was hard to follow but he directed every little nuance within the performance, his motions conveying what he expected to hear. I had never heard Mahler before but was incredibly impressed with his work. What impressed me the most was that I felt as if a story was being played in front of me. There were no dancers or actors on the stage although there was one part of singing, it was short and was more music than language. Yet without any of these I could close my eyes and see a story being played out for each section. At one point it was a love story full of anguish and fighting, then it became a story of war, with all the destruction and death. I kept however coming back to the idea of a love story. This is perhaps because love is the strongest human emotion that I know of with more facets to attempt to understand than any other emotion. As with most symphonies there is most likely a story attached to it already but I would rather not know the original story and follow my own. I will not however divulge what my story was on this blog for reason’s of my own. Another part of the performance that emerged to me was that of the spirituality connected to it. There was a connection that one could feel listening to the music to something beyond them. I cannot say this is a connection to God or any other being but spiritually there was a connection to something more. The music instilled within me something more. The more and more than I listen to music, especially classical music, I begin to understand more and more why it is used during religious services. It can instill a feeling of a connection to something beyond yourself while you are listening to it. The scariest part being that you cannot always place what you are connected to as a person.

Mucha

Garrett Lambur
When we first went to the Mucha museum I had no idea what to expect. I had never heard of Mucha or his art before. In fact I had never heard of the Art Nouveau style before though upon learning what it was I realized I had seen examples before. Upon first seeing Mucha’s art I was not sure exactly how I viewed it. It struck me as very flowing and colorful but somewhat strange. The more I looked at it, the more it began to grow on me. By the time we left the museum I was in love with Mucha’s work. It seemed to me, as if you could almost understand the artist himself by the works in front of you. Each of them was very personal and struck me personally.

The colors he used all merged with one another to almost never leave the eye just focusing upon one section of the painting. As you stood before them it became harder and harder to look away as you kept noticing another new subtlety. There was flow to his paintings. Each part seems to flow to the next with very few harsh edges within the paper. The color of each part matches up with the color next to it and easily merges together to the eye. The colors themselves are light and airy. The majority of his paintings are of women and all of them are definitions of beauty. The emotions are soft but still readable. As I look upon the paintings a feeling of relaxation seems to come to me. I am not very good at describing art as I continually lack the ability to find the right word to describe the emotions the painting instills in me. However, every time I look at one of Mucha’s art I am struck by the same feelings, one of admiring beauty, a slowing down sensation as I let my eyes flow over the art and one of relaxation. Mucha to me was able to completely encompass the idea of beauty within his artwork.

A Night at the Opera

Garrett Lambur
Many people say they hate the Opera or that they do not like Opera. But my question to many of these people would be have you ever been to the Opera? I truly enjoy the Opera and had never been to one before this semester in Prague. I may have actually been in that group of people once before in my life but as always I was willing to try this new experience. The opera is a wonderful thing; it can combine dancing, singing and best of all music. I was impressed with the State Opera here in the Czech republic because it had subtitles for the opera in Czech and English. I had not expected to have subtitles for the experience and had gone in just expecting to enjoy the music, both singing and played. After seeing an Opera however I realized that even without the subtitles I would have understood the story unfolding before me. Again and again while experiencing the wonderful arts here in Prague I am impressed with the ability to convey a message in the performance, specifically without English. Sometimes I feel as if the performance might be diminished if they were singing in English because I would focus more upon the words they were saying than the art they were performing. The Opera is beautiful because it has communication without language. As our tour guide in Vienna told us, even when he understands the language he uses the subtitles to follow along, thus it can be hard to understand exactly what the singers are singing. Any of the stories if we were to just read them would not carry the same impact. I am incredibly amazed by the ability of the singers to convey the feelings within their voices so that without understanding the words you know the emotion. The music augments the singing because it can provide a back drop to help the emotion come out in full force, if the music is quiet then it can be easier for an emotion of pain or sorrow to be felt. If the music is loud, then an emotion such as anger or happiness will reveal itself better. I am amazed just thinking back on the Opera about the ability of it to communicate to the viewer without language.

amy: the joke

I hate the “Church of Baby Jesus.” I really, truly do. Perhaps I am just too serious, I do not know. I find the entire expression of the church to be a huge mockery. There is no doubt in my mind the infant Jesus as the focus fits the style of Rococo perfectly. I just cannot find myself to laugh at such a display. Once again, I feel annoyed at the artists who do not take their art seriously and at the ridiculous nature of a church that is ornately dripping in gold. Of course, this is merely my opinion and my viewpoint from my own individual faith. All of my being is completely relying upon Christ and His saving grace, so I cannot take that lightly. I cannot bridge the gap between the frivolous nature of Rococo and the arrival of the Christ coming to save me. In my mind, there is nothing humorous about it. There are not enough adjectives to describe what it means to me, but funny or ridiculous would never come to mind. Like I said before, maybe I’m just an old soul who is too uptight, but I find myself utterly insulted by the whole display. But that is the great thing about art: some people might just see it commentary on the nature of organized religion and laugh. There are many different viewpoints on art, and therein lies the wonderful interesting aspect of artistry. I am just serious about what I love.

amy: Jan Saudek

I find conceptual photography to be my favorite, so an early Jan Saudek suited my tastes perfectly. In his early work, he seems to try and capture the beauty in the family. In general, if an artist is able to capture the true magic of a family, he or she has captured one of the greatest mysteries on earth. Saudek produces pictures that depict the incredible nature of, quintessentially, love (between the mother and the father) producing a child. Love begat the child. What an incredible start of life! When I see Saudek’s photography concerning family, this is what comes to mind. To me, this is art at its best. The very beginning of life is spiritual. We can put our scientific labels on what is happening inside a woman, but when we examine what is truly understood about existence, we are lost. Unfortunately, I feel Saudek’s later works turned away from the truthfulness that is wrapped up in his early works, which examined innocence, love, family and beauty. The later works seem to have delved into the horrors of humanity and the disgusting physicality, objectification, and vulgarity of humanity. The terror of mankind can be depicted without making the observer feeling as though he also is violating his own conscience. Many of his later works made me feel ashamed of even supporting the type of artwork that works at putting these evils on display. This is a true shame for me, due to Saudek’s talent and insight in his field.

amy: In Florence

As aforementioned, the stand off between religion and art in each city during out foreign excursion is so evident that one can almost hear it being spoken in the streets. Mainly within Italy, the loudest cries could be heard in Michelangelo’s “hometown.” Florence could speak on innumerable topics ranging from politics to culture, yet its narrative is heard most lucidly within the realm of religion versus art. There is something strange on the streets of Florence. The city is completely torn. Some of the architecture is of the highest quality found in all the world, yet other spots in the city seem to adhere to Savonarola’s iconoclasm. These streets are silent and simple, not betraying what they are thinking. Even today, among the locals, one can see the desire to uphold the artistic tradition- there are quite a few art schools- yet the general atmosphere does not feel alive and ready for change. Florence has sorrow and joy mixed in its streets, a woe begotten young widow ready to start anew. The surrounding countryside of Tuscany seems to beckon to the Firenze inhabitants begging them to imitate its beauty and warmth. Leaving the downtown area of Florence allows one to find the ability to appreciate a vision of the ideal Florence back in the height of its glory, before the religious turmoil. I find it beautiful that artistry will allows live on despite attempts to stifle change and imagination. Ultimately, I do not think that anyone or anything can completely wipe out the ember glow of creativity.

amy: In Venice

Can anyone really be shocked, at least within modern day culture, about the conflict of religion and art? Art has almost taken on its own religion within the 21st century. Unfortunately, religion has taken on a pious reputation which is unable to accept innovation and new ideas. Due to religion’s unchanging values, the art world has seen the religious community as rejecting everything art, fashion and culture stands for: a continual revolution and overturning of the normal for the abnormal. As we travelled from city to city, I feel as if each city spoke a different story of this confused battle. In Venice, it seems the city was too busy to ponder over miniscule trifles like art versus religion. They seemed to naturally flow in and out of one another, more concerned as a whole with merchandise and trade rather than philosophy. No doubt, this conversation is still felt today with the extensive amount of tourist shops and businessmen ready to take advantage of the visitor as a wolf waiting for the sheep. I think it is this mentality that keeps and kept the religious conflict away. In Venice, it felt as though one is assumed to either be an artist or a seller. To try and enforce a certain degree of piety would be uncharacteristic to the majority of those living there. And yet…religious enforcement still has a say in some of the most beautiful buildings standing in Venice through its dress code, almost foreign in America. In a way, this is the silent protest in the small square that is still belongs to the church.

amy: Synagogues

After going to the Jewish synagogues within the Jewish quarter of Prague, I find both the religion and the art to be incredibly fascinating. I have always found the Jewish history and culture to be one of the most extensive, complex and unbelievable in the entire world. The synagogues put this in perspective. In class, we learned how the Talmud came to into being after the destruction of the Temple and how specific Judaist practices began. I had never thought deeply on the traditions of today’s Judaism versus the Law of the Old Testament. After hearing the specifics in class, the pieces seemed to fall into place. I am glad we were able to study these aspects before I went to the Jewish synagogues in Prague. The synagogues displayed the entirety of these traditions. There is so much that one could easily get overwhelmed by the precision and daily devotion that goes into Judaism. The synagogues are filled with remnant after remnant of the life led within the Jewish Quarter in Prague for many, many generations. Even the synagogues themselves seem to scream of the difference between Old Testament law and New Testament living. In the synagogues, one sees the benches on the perimeter with the ark typically at the front of the synagogue. The ark holds to Torah. Another feature of the synagogue which is interesting would be the women’s section in the balcony. All these things would be foreign to one who has only experienced the Christian tradition. I am glad we were able to cover some of Judaism in our Religion and Art course.

Staatoper

During our visit to Vienna this past weekend, we toured their Staatoper (State Opera House). I had heard great things about this opera house and was expecting its theater to rival if not surpass Prague’s State Opera House. The entrance into the building didn’t disappoint. It was beautiful on the inside, and the grand staircase was ornate. Once we entered the actual theatre, however, as the first stop on our tour, I was surprised. It wasn’t very large and did not have nearly the grandeur of Prague’s.

We continued the tour, and were taken to three impressive intermission rooms. Each of them was decorated in a different style, and was used by the theater guests during the intermission to visit one another and trade compliments. We learned that when the theater was first built, the aristocracy came foremost to show of their exquisite attire and to be seen at the social event. Most people didn’t even like the operas, and originally, the lights of the theatre were left on during the production and the doors remained opened. It was only later that one of the directors became exasperated with all of the noise and lack of attention, and changed the policy so that the doors remained closed and the lights off. This wasn’t a popular decision at the time, because the people were only interested in socializing, but in the end it was accepted and became the norm.

After learning this interesting history, I thought it shed light on the interior of the opera house. No, the actual theater wasn’t very impressive, but that wasn’t the main function of the building! The main purpose of this grand building was originally to be a place for the elite to socialize and display their ornate dresses, and therefore the abundance of intermission rooms and decorated hallways was accounted for. I suppose form really follows function in this case…

eks

Mucha

For my project on religion and art in Prague, I took the class to the Alfonse Mucha Gallery. Incredible. I absolutely loved the museum, and read every word on every single description beside each piece displayed. I went through the gallery more slowly than usual, and really enjoyed soaking in his work. I loved it all.

Doing background research on Mucha greatly added to my enjoyment of the visit. I do not think I would have spent nearly as much time in the gallery if I hadn’t researched him before, and would certainly not have appreciated it as much. What stuck out to me from my prior research was his dedication to his country and the Slav culture all throughout his life. Even when he was the “talk of the town” in Paris with his newly acquired fame, he never forgot his people or his nation. After he went to America, he didn’t want his country to think he had sold out to fame and fortune, so worked hard to raise money to return to Bohemia and work on his dream project: the Slav Epic. He was forever devoted to his homeland.

I thought it was really neat that he played a large part in the newly established country of Czechoslovakia, and designed some of their new currency and stamps. The Slavs should be very proud of him, and the fact that he designed one of the stained-glass windows in St. Vitus’ Cathedral is a great tribute to him. I like the fact that his newer, modern work has been placed in such a great, old basilica. It helps combine the old and the new.

I was also enchanted by the novelty of his work. He was one of the forefront artists in the Art Nouveau movement, and I have never seen work quite like his before. I loved the way he captures the softness of beauty and grace in his models, and couples it with multitudes of leaves and flowers.

And lastly, I was really interested in the later work he did after returning to his homeland. I had never even heard of the mythic “Slavia” and “Czechnia” figures that he portrayed, but found them entrancing. He used them to revive the nationalism in his nation, and remind his people of their past. The labels beside these later works talked about the way he combined the mythic with the real. In the forefront of these pieces, he would draw a girl in a traditional Slavic dress or an athletic boy participating in athletic games, and behind them the mythic “goddesses” overlooking their people. He used a lot of symbolism, particularly a flat leafed tree which is apparently the national tree of Bohemia. I found it interesting that these posters had so much to say, and contained so much more than just art. It reminded me of a quote I read about him that said “He declared that art existed only to communicate a spiritual message, and nothing more…”

Mucha was a very talented artist and obviously a deep thinker as well. He worked hard to combine his natural talent with a desire to help and shape the people in his homeland, and I think the results are excellent.

eks

Modern Art Museum

The Modern Art Museum in Prague is free on the first Wednesday of the month between 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm, and so this Wednesday we went. My main motivation for going was to see the work of Gustav Klimt, which I really like. I did indeed get to see “The Virgin” –beautiful-- but unfortunately that was his only piece in the museum. I continued to browse the floors since I was there, but I really didn’t like much of anything else.

Modern art confuses me. Some of the pieces showed technical skill and talent, and some were very symbolic, but some of them didn’t look very original to me, as if anyone could have done it. In particular, I remember a 3D piece that was a broom, dustpan and various cleaning utensils in a shadow box. REALLY? Sure, the person has an eye for layout and design, but why the heck is it in a museum? What makes it original or special?

There were other pieces that were just one color on a canvas. REALLY? Or a solid color with two parallel lines coming from either side of the canvas. WHY? Another set looked like bumpy pieces of plastic with lots of paint splattered on them. One was titled “Extasy” and the other “Ambition” or something. Now I could see how this type of art would be fun to create, and how it might be cool to display if a friend made it or something, but why is it in a museum?

I’ll freely admit that I don’t understand this type of art. I don’t get it. Maybe I’m missing something really big, but as I walked through the museum, I failed to see how this art could really compare to other styles, or how it could communicate the sacred. It didn’t seem to fit with what we’ve discussed in class. It certainly didn’t present anything to me, was this art even representing anything?

eks

Firenze Acoustics

My most beautiful experience in Florence came not from the Uffizi gallery, although Boticelli’s paintings were incredible. It came not from the Galleria della Academia, although David was stunning. It came not from the Cathedral Santa Maria nor San Lorenzo. The most beautiful experience I had in Florence came on the last night from a divine chance encounter on the Piazzella Michelangelo when a stranger handed us a brochure to a concert starting immediately at the church up the road. Amy and I decided to go, and after a few more minutes admiring the flickering lights of the city, we walked to the church.

The hour of accapella singing was beauty in itself! I closed my eyes the vast majority of the time and felt restored from four long days of traveling. I wanted to fall into the beauty with all that I was and be consumed by it. (It probably helped that I was physically exhausted from the day.) We stayed the whole time, and I was overcome. I wanted to cry. (The exhaustion probably helped with that too.)

At one point when I did open my eyes, I meditated on the image of Christ on the cross and thought the angels probably sang like this at his death. His birth too. I asked the Holy Spirit to wash over me and was full of thanksgiving to God for this chance encounter and invitation. After all we’ve been talking about art and beauty, I felt like I had a true encounter with beauty itself. And I smiled for I finally found a reason for these huge churches whose existence I often struggle with: the acoustics.

eks

Amanda: La Boheme vs. RENT

I’ve been wanting to see La Boheme fore quite awhile now and I’m really happy we got to see it on our trip here in Prague. As you probably know by now, I am pretty obsessed with the modern musical RENT, which is based on the story line presented in La Boheme so I was very interested to see the similarities and differences between the two works.

Although I obviously knew both plot lines were going to be somewhat similar I had no idea just how alike the two works are, and found myself constantly getting songs from RENT in my head during La Boheme. Many of the scenes in the opera are used in the musical, in particular the initial meeting of Rodolfo and Mimi with the lighting of the candle, the trip to the café with all of their friends, and the final scene of them together with Mimi in her weakened, dying state.

Even the characters names in the opera and musical are similar, Rodolfo in La Boheme is switched to Roger in RENT, Marcello is switched to Mark and both works share the same name for the leading female character, Mimi. The music in RENT also makes many references to the opera, with one of the songs is actually being titled “la vie boheme” and later on in the musical one of the characters directly references the song “musetta’s waltz” from La Boheme.

After viewing both works I must say that I like the direction the musical takes the love story much better than the opera, and I found the connection between the two characters in La Boheme to be a bit unconvincing. Their relationship is very rushed and insincere while RENT takes a lot of time to point out the struggle between the two characters and slowly build their love. The ending of the Opera and Musical are also a bit different, and I think that RENT’s version has more depth to it, incorporating and interweaving the stories of many more characters and their struggles with their lovers as well.

Another point I wanted to add about the opera is on the topic of the subtitles. Although I had never heard of and Opera having subtitles I thought it would be convenient to actually understand what was going on in English, rather than straining to pick out a few Italian words I know. The opposite of this happened, and I actually found them to be incredibly distracting and I think they took away from the power of the opera. English is certainly not a romance language and a lot of times throughout the opera I had to keep myself from laughing because although the singing was absolutely beautiful, having what they were saying actually displayed on the screen was ridiculous. I certainly understand why many writers of opera refuse to let their works be translated into different languages, and I appreciated the opera much more in the second act when I ignored the subtitle screen completely.

Final Post on Art - AHB

It is difficult to summarize my experiences in art, and the changes that have taken place as I've allowed art to affect me. I'm really grateful that we've been able to experience so many different forms of art (painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, music, dance, etc.) over the last couple months. It was also really helpful to have the combination-approach espoused by Kip and Henry. Both really emphasize important aspects of art, and I think their different approaches are mutually reinforcing.

No matter what developments occur within technology and science I hope that mankind always maintains that sense of mystery that allows for the creation of beautiful art. Depictions of Jesus aren't my favorite, but I think they speak to some of the same feelings that representations of Greek and Roman mythology bring forth. I don't totally understand how a piece of art becomes "presentative" rather than "representative", but a part of that definitely comes from the viewer and his or her feelings and thoughts. I've grown a lot in these areas as far as art is concerned, and it creates a wonderful positive cycle when enjoyment of art increases enjoyment of art. There is so much about life that we cannot fully understand through the intellect and reason, and I'm constantly learning that art can be an amazing second perspective (or first) that leads to understanding that can not always be put into words.

I'll take away from this semester the understanding that art and religion don't have to be connected in an obvious way in order to be related. For me it is still easier to use the idea of "spirituality" as a counterpoint to the mind/temporal/physical, and all of the pieces of art that I've talked about in this blog have impacted me spiritually on some kind of level.

Rodin Musuem - AHB

Rodin is an interesting artist and I would encourage everyone to read up a little on his biography. He is considered the foremost sculpture artist of the last 200 years, and most people are generally aware of at least one of his works (the kiss, and the thinker are the biggies).

I really love the interaction that takes place when viewing sculpture. The fact that you can walk around an entire piece and really digest it from top to bottom is unique in art. I also love the process - it is just fascinating. Rodin was really groundbreaking, and is really responsible for opening up new realms in sculpture and art. A lot of his stuff is somewhat abstract compared to more classical works (i.e. the stuff at the Louvre) but there is an easily recognizable streak of humanity in all of it. But his work really did shock people because it wasn't concerned with the typical models of history and art.

Rodin loved to use and display the female form in art. His sculptures are filled with Eros and a pure kind of sexuality that is powerful without being vulgar. There is almost an aspect of worship in the way that he forms the body, and I really like the combination/integration of the two figures in the Kiss.

Rodin has a work called the Gates of Hell that he labored at for his entire life. The Thinker was actually never meant to be an individual sculpture, it was always intended to maintain that central position at the top of the doors. Some suggest that the figure is actually Dante or some kind of poet looking into hell. I found this really fascinating because I always thought of the Thinker as an intellectual figure, but the true story makes him both more interesting and more human.

Musee de l'Orangerie - AHB

Monet's massive waterlilies should be required viewing for anyone that does not understand or appreciate Impressionist art. The experience might not change someone's mind, but I would be surprised if their is a better representation of the movement anywhere in the world. Plus it just makes sense to have an impressionist painting that is the size of an IMAX screen, I mean, it makes a hell of an impression.

There is a great deal more variety in Monet's series than I expected to find. My favorite is the sunset piece (pictured above), which I don't remember ever seeing before. It is amazing to sit before a beautiful piece of art and just let it wash over you. The emotional content of Monet's paintings is really strong for me, although I had a hard time placing a finger on the exact emotion that I was feeling. One things I did recognize was the peace of being home. There is a familiarity and comfort to the lilies and the weeping willow trees. But unlike a John Constable painting, Monet's depiction of home still carries this edge of mystery/suspense.

This semester has been a period of growth for me in both my understanding and appreciation (that's really a terrible word) of art. All these images speak profound things to me about the potentiality and purpose of mankind. I feel ridiculously now when I spend my time looking are watching images/art that have no kind of inner movement/soul.