I've Looked at Clouds that Way - AHB

"To say I love you, right out loud"

I've had an interested and unexpected conversion experience this semester; I, Andrew Hans Berglund, have become a Joni Mitchell fan. No, I'm really serious.

In hindsight this shouldn't come as a complete surprise. Female vocalists have always been a huge attraction for me, so much that I remember really wanting to go to Lilith Fair when it was still touring (Sarah McLachlan had become something of a demi-goddess in my adolescent world).

So, how does this fit within a blog about religion and art. OH! I'm so glad that you asked.

For me music has always held a unique place within the realm of art. I'm something of a musician (when I use my imagination), and that is part of it; however, the really amazing talent of art is that it can define time and periods of life. When I look back on travels that I've taken and other meaningful moments or experiences there is invariably a song or album that relates to it - I call them mini-soundtracks. Other forms of art become experiences in themselves, and music does this as well, but songs also become a sort of bond between many different experiences. That is why I love well-done slideshows and films that really tap into this ability. The whole feeling unified.

After that intro of sorts, I wanna to talk about how Joni's music has become one of my mini-soundtracks for this trip. I now have a lot of different versions of songs from all periods of her long and successful career. It is really powerful to hear the same song take on a different meaning even though the words have changed. Let me see if I can explain that a bit.

The song "Both Sides, Now" has been performed an incredible amount of times in the last thirty or so years with a slew of different artists (Pete Seeger is the best) and each of these recordings has a different feel. The song really plays with the complexities of love and life, and Joni's whole meaning can be interpreted completely differently each time. In her early recordings, when she is about 25 years old, the song carries the incomplete yet overconfident knowledge of youth. Joni is singing about the illusions of life when she has barely even lived long enough to truly know them, but at the same time there is a sagacity that seems really universal.

Fast-forward to her 2000 recording featured in the film Love Actually (the scene where Emma Thompson cries in the bedroom) and the song takes on a different meaning. Here Joni is stripped of her youthful influence, a fact that is also expressed in the major change to her voice. At the age of almost 60, she really can talk about the expectations, failures, and successes of love.

I love both version, and I wouldn't want to choose between just one. What I think is really cool is that the artist can go through the same kind of process and transformation that the listener does. One song can have so many different meanings and expressions.




Both Sides Now - Joni Mitchell
Rows and flows of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere
Ive looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on everyone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way
Ive looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
Its cloud illusions I recall
I really don't know clouds at all

Moons and Junes and ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way you feel
As every fairy tale comes real
Ive looked at love that way

But now its just another show
You leave em laughing when you go
And if you care, don't let them know
Don't give yourself away

Ive looked at love from both sides now
From give and take, and still somehow
Its loves illusions I recall
I really don't know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say I love you right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
Ive looked at life that way

But now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads, they say Ive changed
Well somethings lost, but somethings gained
In living every day

Ive looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
Its life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all
Ive looked at life from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
Its life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all

Amanda: Jan Saudek

I really enjoyed our visit to the Jan Saudek gallery, and learned a lot about photography and pushing the limits of art from his work. The biggest theme throughout all of his work is a strong presence of a dream/fantasy world which I really enjoyed exploring. His overall style and technique greatly aided to his ultimate artistic message and I found his work to be incredibly unique and thought provoking. I have rarely seen photographers use hand coloring, and overlapping negatives in such a flawless way that really incorporated their theme along with it. This style made it hard to decipher exactly where the lines of ‘real’ and ‘fake’ begin and end and made me wonder how the images were created.
I had seen a lot of his images online but I particularly found it interesting the great impact of seeing his work as a whole had on me. I truly felt as though the images were each depicting part of Saudek, varying in subject matter and communicating different things. Some works were very serious, while others made me laugh out loud at first glimpse. The role of family, sexuality, unconscious thought, and fantasy in each individual were all explored in his photographs. These are all huge aspects of life which he took on, and my favorite thing about his work is that he did it all without taking himself too seriously. A great example of this is his direct answer to critics who called him a pervert, with panel piece entitled “pornography.”
Throughout the gallery it is clear that Saudek wants to break the idea of conventional beauty, and defy many social norms. Many of his images were striking, and it is clear that his choice in models is intentional in providing a variety of ages, body types, etc. in order to make his work relatable to all and to strengthen his message. This is particularly powerful considering the circumstances he was facing with the soviet occupation of Prague when many of his work was created. He was defying the bounds set by society and the government in attempts to explore and provoke these universally experienced topics that he photographed. Overall, I really like Saudek’s work and got a lot of inspiration from viewing his collection.

Visiting the Louvre/French & Italian Sculpture - AHB

The Louvre is likely the most incredible building that I have ever seen. Having been there now, I find it comical that the pyramids have become the symbol of the museum when they are little more than the front door (granted, it does make for a beautiful entrance).

Inside the Louvre there is more art than I could have imagined, and a disorienting number of hallways, staircases, rooms, and floors. There was a crazy amount of people crammed in front of the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and the Winged Victory. It is rare to see such large groups of people who are genuinely excited about viewing art. The other major thing that I noticed was the stylistic differences between different artistic schools. The distinctive characteristics of each geographic region really come to the fore when you can see them side-by-side. The Louvre really facilitates this by organizing rooms according to not only the artistic medium but also by geography.

The first area of difference that I want to evaluate is within the Louvre's collection of sculpture. The museum houses an incredible amount of classical antiquities and works (i.e. Venus de Milo) but there is also a lot of more modern sculpture from both France and Italy. The differences between these two places are really fascinating and useful for comparative purposes.

Italy: The Louvre has a great collection of Italian sculpture, included several pieces by Michelangelo. By now I've come to understand and appreciate his work a great deal. He is known for his understanding of human anatomy and his ability to translate that understanding into his art. Many of his pieces display a great deal of movement, which places his subject in the kind of contorted position that allows the viewer to appreciate the complexity and power of the human body.

On the other hand there is a beautiful work called, Eros and Psyche, sculpted by Antonio Canova. This piece is a great foil for Michelango's works because it captures a completely different side of beauty and form. Canova's two subjects are beautiful in their purity and in the smoothness of their form. The bodies seem like they are molded out of air, and they have this delicacy that is very effecting. I really fell in love with the story of Eros and Psyche this semester, and it was a profound experience to different artists captured the array of feelings that proceed from the myth.

French: To me the French sculpture took on a more regal and refined look. I did not even know that the French had such a long tradition of sculpture, but their collective work is outstanding. As a whole I think their work takes and refines aspects of Canova's insight. Again my favorite pieces were all Greek and Roman mythology. One sculpture I liked a lot was called "The Runner at Marathon" and showed the Greek bringing news of the great victory. There were several other "Eros and Psyche" motifs, the best being a moving scene of Psyche waking up to find that Eros has left.

Overall the Louvre was far and a way the greatest museum I have ever visited - there are no words to describe the feeling that beautiful art can inspire in the human mind.

amy: sistine chapel

I think I am almost embarrassed at how typical my response is to the Sistine Chapel. I understand that everyone who goes to the Sistine Chapel adores it. I understand this, but for some reason I felt that perhaps I would be different.

It blew me away. I do not know if I will ever have such an experience as I did with the Sistine Chapel. Some do not like how many tourists are around or how long it takes to get to it. For me, all of that disappeared when I entered into the Chapel. I could have sat there forever being reminded of how marvelous and surreal the gift of life truly is for men and women.
As I study, and experience, I do not believe that artwork ever becomes the axis mundi. That being said, I am not entirely sure where I think art fits into the scheme of life, at least for the Christian. I do not think there should be a war between art and religion, but perhaps a better perspective? Art is not what brings us to God. By experiencing the Sistine Chapel, I may have felt wonder at its incredible depiction of the Bible, but ultimately that would not lead me to God. I believe that it is God who brings us to Himself. Art should never try and lower the person of Christ to being its limited self. Art can never express all of Jesus or God.

On the other hand, I feel that art is a crucial component to life. Why is it so crucial? Some have argued that it is because the symbols in religion, ie art, become the axis mundi. I think that is false and puts art on the same plane as God. Instead, I believe that art was created to be the most natural way for man to celebrate God. If God did not want man to create He would not have given men such talent as in the case of Michelangelo. This is where art and religion meet. The Bible says that whatever one does, he should do it to the glory of God. Michelangelo understood this and created an image that expressed his faith in worship to God which will lives on in the hearts of those who see it.

Vatican/Michelangelo - AHB

Michelangelo's last judgment works as a pretty ridiculous altar piece. I can't imagine paying attention to a priest when he is standing in front of that thing. One thing that really strikes me about the painting is the sharp contrasts. This makes sense considering the subject matter, but there is layer upon layer of images and symbols that are profound and moving.

I love that Christ is placed in the center; he is the focal point in a vortex of action. His placid face is a complete counterpoint from the chaos in the rest of the scene. There is no trace of regret about what must be done, he knows the plan and is perfectly ready to follow it through. Many of the other faces are looking to him with terror-stricken expressions, but he looks completely in control, showing Jesus' divinity as well as any painting in history.

I think it is really amazing that Michelangelo combined Christian symbolism with Greek mythology. The whole scene is the bottom right corner is fascinating. Charon is driving the condemned into the arms of their eternal tormentors, who seem beside themselves with joy over their prey - the last hurrah. I also like the scenes of people being dragged down to hell. The famous image of the man who is being pulled down by the legs speaks volumes. His face bears the consequential weight of his decisions on the earth, and he know understands that he is facing down an eternity of suffering. I would be covering both of my eyes.

Vatican/Raphael - AHB

I supremely enjoyed the visit to the Vatican museums and the Sistine chapel. It is a staggering experience to stand under or beside these paintings that mean so much to Western society. The only disappointment was having to move so fast.
The work of art I want to talk about is Rapheal's "School of Athens".

Greek philosophy has a big part of my education. The first time I really wanted to learn (there were several years where I had little intention of going to college) was after reading "the Apology of Socrates". I feel like if all I learned from college was 1/10 of Plato's dialogues I would be content.

When we were flying through the Raphael rooms I had no idea where we were or what was going on. I easily could have overlooked the School of Athens completely, but there it stood stopping me dead in my tracks. This is one of the most beautiful works of art I have ever seen, and the composition is so alive and exciting. I love how Raphael captures these individuals in the midst of their work, almost like a snapshot of their entire lives. Plato and Aristotle provide order to the whole, just as their debate can define so much of human life. Their gestures speak a great deal; Plato points to the sky while Aristotle points out, showing their respective attitudes toward the goal of philosophical inquiry. There's a lot of material online about this piece and the different symbols within it.

Visual art has always been kind of a tricky point for me. I see music and understand it's message much more clearly, but our trip to Rome and Greece has really helped me develop my appreciation of painting and sculpting. When a story is able to constructed in a single image it is a pretty amazing thing.

The First Elegy - AHB

I'm going outside of the box on this one. My subject is a poem entitled, "The First Elegy", by Rainer Maria Rilke, on of Prague's most well know poets. The poem touches on the sacred, and I think it is an interesting piece to place alongside the Decalogue and Wings of Desire. Check it out here.

First thing to notice is the term elegy, which means, "a poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead". Rilke's verse drips with the mysterious aspect of the sacred. The lines seem both familiar and unknowable. One of my favorite lines is, "Ah, who can we turn to, then? Neither angels nor men, and the animals already know by instinct we're not comfortably at home in our translated world." What is fascinating about this line, and the entire piece, is that Rilke communicates a sense of the sacred along with a profound feeling of loneliness. It is as if the presence of a higher order or being fills the human being with uncomfortable feelings that he would not have possessed otherwise; a feeling echoed in this line, "beauty's nothing but the start of terror we can hardly bear, and we adore it because of the serene scorn it could kill us with". To me this is something more than just the mysterium tremendum. That phrase speaks of fear, such as the creature feeling, but not the same kind of inward death that Rilke's poem walks through. Perhaps the elegy is not even for someone else, maybe it is being written by the one who is watching his own death occur.

The only feeling more awful than this death is love.

"It's strange not to wish your wishes anymore"