The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together posts from some of the best art history-focused travel blogs on a common theme.  For January (and just in time for your 2013 travel planning), we are discussing “The Best Museum You’ve Never Heard Of”.  This is a great topic and I can’t wait to read about all the great finds from the rest of the roundtable!  You can find links below to all the group’s articles.

Boston has some incredible art museums – The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art and the (currently condensed) Harvard Art Museums .  While I definitely recommend these places, some of my favorite paintings in Boston are actually public art in the central library!  The Copley Square Library was constructed in 1895 and was decorated in a Renaissance revival and Beaux Art style.  Inside are three incredible and overwhelmingly beautiful mural cycles including one by my favorite portrait painter.  The Galleries are free, open to the public 6 days a week and worth a trip for any serious art lover.

The John Singer Sargent Gallery, or The Triumph of Religion

John Singer Sargent – “Triumph of Religion”, Boston Public Library (Photo: Bill Kipp & BPL)

John Singer Sargent intended the Triumph of Religion murals (installed 1895-1919) to be his most memorial piece, rather than the aristocratic portraits he is known for today.  The paintings fill a third floor room which appropriately branches into the Prints Department  and former Rare Books room.  The iconography is complex and mystical, highlighting the role of faith to elevate and free humanity but focusing on metaphysical rather than dogmatic “Religion”.  Unfortunately, after public misinterpretation and criticism of some of the paintings, Sargent refused to complete the final “Sermon on the Mount” panel which was both the thematic and artistic height of the series.

John Singer Sargent – “Israelites Oppressed” from The Triumph of Religion, Boston Public Library (Photo: Wikipaintings) with accurate reproduction of Egyptian and Assyrian drawing styles., phenomenal color and emotional drama.

The pure scale of the images, erupting with rich golds, red and three dimensional elements, is incredibly impressive.  The figures and symbols will be familiar to anyone who has “read” Christian art before but are treated in a modern way.  While some figures are very realistically painted and allude to Sargent’s incredible skill with portraiture, the overall mural series is strongly influenced by the Italian Renaissance.

John Singer Sargent, “Hell” from The Triumph of Religion, Boston Public Library (Photo: Bill Kipp & BPL). It’s amazing to think that this same artist created the provocative but quite still Madame X.

I particularly like the hauntingly natural and emotional figures in the four panels of Old Testament prophets.

John Singer Sargent, “Micah, Haggai, Malacchi, and Zechariah” from The Triumph of Religion, Boston Public Library (Photo: Bill Kipp & BPL)

John Singer Sargent, “Zephaniah, Joel, Obadiah, and Hosea” from The Triumph of Religion, Boston Public Library (Photo: Bill Kipp & BPL)

The Edwin Austin Abbey Room, or The Quest and Achievement of the Holy Grail

The enveloping dark wood paneling and massive per-Raphelite paintings of the Abbey Room make you almost forget that you are on the second floor of a library and not in a medieval manor.  In the 1890′s, Edwin Austin  Abbey created these 15 narrative panels describing the Arthurian Holy Grail legend.  A successful illustrator, Abbey’s life-sized images are filled with the appropriate heroic drama and done in a Pre-Raphaelite style.  Besides the wood paneling and decorative ceiling beams, red and grey marble has been used in the fireplaces and in columns around the doors.  The architectural trimmings and ceiling beams are inlaid with delicate gold medieval motifs.  With the low light in the room giving the space a mysterious aura, this grand space is only one large roundtable away from bringing the murals to life.

Massive red marble fireplace and mural panels of Edwin Austin Abbey’s The Quest and Achievement of the Holy Grail in the Abbey Room, Boston Public Library (Photo: Wally Gobetz)

Panel 3, “Galahad joins the Roundtable (or the fable of the Seat Perilous)” by Edwin Austin Abbey (Photo: mmwm)

The Puvis de Chavannes Gallery, or The Muses of Inspiration Hail the Spirit the Harbinger of Light

The soft delicate murals by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes adorn the Library’s second floor loggia as well as the landings and walls of the marble Grand Staircase.  The soft pastel shades of pink, orange, blue, and green depict a celestial, romantic and enlightened world of muses and Gods.  Historical figures (such as Virgil) and spirits represent the liberal arts and sciences.  These are such peaceful and calming murals; it’s a shame many visitors pass by all to0 quickly.

Puvis de Chavannes, “Muses Welcoming the Genius of Enlightenment” at the Boston Public Library (Photo: Gruenemann, John W. Schulze)

Chavannes panels along the Grand Staircase, Boston Public Library (Photo: Sheryl Lanzel & BPL)

Free art and architecture tours of the Copley Library are given daily; check the schedule for times.

For the rest of the January ArtSmart Roundtable, see:

• Jeff Titelius of Eurotravelogue: The Stibbert Museum in Florence, Italy
• Lesley Peterson of Culture Tripper: Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto
• Kelly of Travellious: University Art Galleries
• Jenna of This is My Happiness: Palazzo Strozzi: The Coolest Museum You’ve Never Heard Of
• Leslie of Career Girl Travels – The Museum of London

And don’t forget to check out our group on Facebook for art & travel news!

The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art-focused travel blogs who all post on a common theme.  This month we are discussing great paintings!  Below are links to the rest of the group’s posts this month.  I’m curious to see what everyone picked!

John Everett Millais, “Ophelia”, 1851-1852, Tate Gallery, London

I was lucky enough to have some treasure from the Tate Gallery in London come to me as part of the National Gallery of Art’s exhibit – “Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Art and Design, 1848–1900″.  The Pre-Raphaelite movement began in the later half of the 19th century in England.  They rejected the academic execution of art and sought to return to a more emotional, detailed, and colorful style.  Compositionally they drew from 14th century Italian art, hence the association with art “pre-Raphael”.  For me, the centerpiece of this recent exhibition was John Everett Millais’s Ophelia, a naturalistic and hauntingly beautiful piece.

Close up of John Everett Millais, “Ophelia”

You may already recognize the painting Ophelia.  Clearly people like it; it actually sells the most postcards at the Tate Gallery.  It depicts the drowning of Hamlet’s love Ophelia who has had a mental break-down following the murder of her father by Hamlet.  The event is only alluded to in Shakespeare’s play but here it has been enacted in a lush British stream bank.  Shown floating just under the surface of the water, Ophelia does not appear to be actively trying to drown herself, nor does she appear capable of saving herself, thus creating a psychologically tense and dramatic image.

John Everett Millais created the environment first with painstaking natural observation and then added in Ophelia.  (Image poorly imagined for effect.)

Ophelia was an incredibly difficult painting to create.  Working outdoors, Millais first completed the stream banks and forest.  He labored 11 hours a day, 6 days a week, for 5 months to finish the landscape.  While most artists at the time considered the outdoor setting of a painting to be tertiary to the figures, Pre-Raphaelite are known for their intense study and rendering of nature. The recreated image above shows how well composed and interesting the landscape alone would have been as a finished painting.  I must admit, I never appreciated the landscape until I saw this painting in person.  The detail and realism was incredible.  While you can see the lushness of the river banks in reproductions of this image, in front of the painting the individual grasses, flowers and vegetation really pop.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti, “Watercolor sketch of Elizabeth Siddal”, 1854, Delaware Art Museum

After completing the riverscape, Millais then brought the piece back to London.  He used model Elizabeth Siddal (age 19) for Ophelia.  Siddal later became of the muse and wife of Pre-Raphaelite master Dante Gabriel Rossetti.  Dressed in a finely embroidered gown, Miss Siddal spent hours in a bath tub simulating Ophelia’s watery pose.  Oil lamps were used to heat the tub but were not sufficient during the cold winter weather and she eventually became very ill.  Although known for her fragile health, Siddal’s father eventually forced Millais to pay for her doctor’s bills.  Much like Ophelia, Elizabeth had a tragic life.  Following a tumultuous marriage to Rossetti (stoked by jealousy) and the death of their infant, Siddal died of an apparent drug overdose at age 32.

“Ophelia” is filled with symbolic plants (such as the forget-me-not and pink roses) and flowers explicitly mentioned in Hamlet (violets and daisies).

Forlorn lovers and abandoned wives were popular subjects for Pre-Raphaelite artists.  While contemporaries pulled from historical and legendary stories for their subject matter, the Pre-Raphaelite were the first to extensively use Shakespearean texts.  Millasis paid careful attention and included flowers specially mentioned in the play.  For example, in her disturbed state, Ophelia gives her brother a daisy and pansies before wandering off stage for the last time.  These can now be seen scattered around her along with other flowers symbolizing youth, beauty, love and death.

Detail of Ophelia’s face

The beautiful and tragic imagery of Ophelia was as powerful for its first viewers as it is for us today.  I found a wonderful review of the painting in the humor magazine Punch from its first public exhibition in 1852.  Like me, the author had a hard time initially appreciating the landscape when confronted with such a sad character as Ophelia.  Perhaps uncharacteristically, he couldn’t think of anything snarky or critical to write about the piece and appears to have been truly moved.  I think this sums up well why we can’t stop looking at this incredible work of art:

[One could write about] those water mosses, and the over making-out of the rose-leaves, and the abominable finish of those river-side weeds matted with gossamer, which the field botanist may identify leaf by leaf. I tell you, I am aware of none of these. I see only that face of poor drowning Ophelia. My eye goes to that, and rests on that, and sees nothing else, till-buffoon as I am, mocker, joker, scurril-knave, street jester by trade and nature  – the tears blind me, and I am fain to turn from the face of the mad girl to the natural loveliness that makes her dying beautiful.    — ”Our Critic’ Among the Pictures,’ Punch, 2 May 1852, pp.216-217.

Ophelia is on exhibit in Moscow until Sept 2013 and then returns to the Tate Gallery in London.

For the rest of the June ArtSmart Roundtable, see:

• Erin of A Sense of Place – The Tres Riches Heures Miniatures
• Murissa of The Wanderful Traveler – “Leonor Fini: Painting Female Super-Heroines Before Their Time” - Leonor Fini, La Chambre Noire 1939
• Jeff of Eurotravelogue – Vermeer’s “The Art of Painting”
• Lesley of CultureTripper – Deciphering Dali’s The Hallucinogenic Toreador
• Kelly of Travellious – Andrew Wyeth’s Wind from the Sea
• Jenna of This is My Happiness – Tips to Understanding Renaissance Paintings

And don’t forget to “like” our group on Facebook for art & travel news!

The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art-focused travel blogs to post on a common theme.  This month we are discussing great sculpture!  You can find links below for the group’s posts this month.  The summer heat has got me thinking about Sicily and so I’m going to introduce you to a phenomenal, ancient piece that I happened to stumbled across on a secluded island (really!).

Foundation of an ancient house on Mozia, Sicily.

On the Western tip of Sicily, between Marsala and Trapani, is the small island of Mozia protected by a natural lagoon.  It is a totally unassuming place, only accessible by a little water taxi, but has quite a past.  The Phoenician city of Mozia (or Motya) was founded in the 8th century BC taking advantage of the island’s natural defenses.  The city was a profitable trading community for centuries but later, regional conflict between the Greeks and Carthaginians spilled over and ultimately led to its destruction in 397BC.  The citizens must have known the end was imminent because they buried their greatest treasure – a white marble statue – in advance of the invasion.  In the 20th century, he was discovered, excavated and nicknamed, “The God of Mozia”.

Early Phoenician funerary markers from the Mozia Archaeological Museum, Sicily

The architectural ruins on Mozia are nice and include a massive outer wall, paved main streets, domestic spaces and the foundations of a large temple. The museum on the island displays a collection of small Phoenician and Greek items which in general are early and relatively primitive in design.  There are some interesting masks believed to be related to a funerary or human sacrifice ritual (but more on that later!)  In this unassuming old museum, I never expected to see a sculpture of such incredible skill and style – a sculpture that in many ways defies art historical conventions.

The God of Mozia, circa X BC on display at the Mozia Archaeological Museum, Mozia, Sicily

The God of Mozia would have been about 6ft tall with his now lost feet.  The young man stands in an exaggerated and provocative contrapposto stance.  He wears a thin, diaphanous tunic which is held tight against his chest with an elaborate belt.  His hand digs into the flesh of his hip with shocking realism.

Close up of the hand squeezing the hip of “The God of Mozia”.  (Sadly my camera in 2007 while in Sicily didn’t do so well with indoor art close-ups.)

The execution of the sculpture has all the sophistication of the Classical Greek style but with a unique twist.  Males tend to either be nude or robed in more sturdy tunics while women had more ephemeral robes.  The God of Mozia has a very atypical, animated pose.  Figural extremes were usually reserved for Bacchus and his wild followers.  Even then, these expressive pieces do not appear until the height of the Classical Greek period where The God of Mozia is much older.

As well as the body of the figure is executed, the exaggerated almond eyes and the tight bundles of hair around The God of Mozia‘s face is reminiscent of archaic Greek pieces such as the Kouros Boy.  The cap of his head is rough and likely would have been adorned with an extemporaneous crown.  The practice of mounting separate head-pieces or other adornment on marble statues was in practice in the pre-Classical period of Greek sculpture.  You can see two example below.  Incorporating elements of archaic and classical Greek sculpture, The God of Mozia is a true cross-over piece.

(above) The Kritios boy of 480 BC and (below) Athena of the Gigantomachy from the pediment of the Archaios Naos Temple, Athens circa 525/515 BC would have been adored with attachable headpieces and jewelry. (Photos: here & here)

How are we to interpret this figure and more importantly who is he suppose to be?  Since Phoenician sculptors were not nearly this talented, it is believed that the figure was either commission by Mozia of Greek sculptors or was stolen from the Greeks and brought to the island.  I tend to think the statue was commissioned thus explaining the unique mix of masculinity and femininity, and classical and ancient styles which seems more disjointed than the work executed by the Greeks.  Given the deliberateness and care with which it was buried and the lack of any other art of this caliber on Mozia, I think this was in fact a cult deity figure.  This figure is also commonly believed to be a charioteer given the style of belt he is wearing.  I also really like the theory put forth by the Getty that he is a ritual dancer.

Upper back of The God of Mozia (photo: Peter Elman, flickr)

Amazingly, the God of Mozia has left his island and is on tour right now!  He and other treasures of Sicily are on display at the Getty Villa in Los Angeles until Aug 19th, 2013 as part of the 2013 Year of Italian culture.  You have about 2 months left to see him in the US before the young man slips back to his quiet, forgotten island just of the coast of Sicily!

For the rest of the July ArtSmart Roundtable, see:

• Erin of A Sense of Place – Arch of Constantine or Ancient Roman Upcycling
• Murissa of The Wanderful Traveler – Venice Decoded: Top 3 Lion Statues
• Kelly of Travellious – London’s Sculpture in the City
• Jenna of This is My Happiness – Sculpture in the Bargello Museum in Florence

And don’t forget to “like” our group on Facebook for art & travel news!

Concept drawing of the Temple of Artemis (Photo: dkiel)

The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art-focused travel blogs to post on a common theme.  This month we are discussing great architecture!  You can find links below for the rest of the group’s posts this month.  Today I’m bringing you one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World and the greatest Greek temple ever built: The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus!

Temple of Artemis today in modern Selcuk, Turkey.

Oh wait – that doesn’t look very impressive….

Sadly, like many of the other Wonders of the Ancient World (for example, here in Bodrum, Turkey), the Temple of Artemis, also known as the Artemision, was destroyed long ago.  Only archaeological ruins, pieces of architecture and contemporary accounts remain to help us reconstruct this amazing sight.  But I think you’ll see that the size, beauty and history of this ancient structure befits its title as Wonder of the Ancient World – at least much more so than the pelican nest there today does.

Pelican family that lives on the one standing column from the Temple of Artemis.

The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (red) was about 150% the size of the Parthenon in Athens (black).

Let’s put the size of the Temple into context.  Think of the impressive Parthenon in Athens.  The Parthenon is approximately 70 x 30 meters.  At 115 x 55 meters, the Temple of Artemis was about 50% longer and wider.  It’s Ionic column were also 25% taller than those in the Parthenon.  The Temple would have been massive in the ancient Greek world!

Floor plans of the Temple of Artemis (above) and the Parthenon of Athens (below). Plans for comparison only – not drawn to scale.

Roman writers note that there were two rows of outer columns before entering the inter sanctuary; whereas the Parthenon only had one level of column.  The columns were spaced along the front face so as to create a slightly wider center aisle into the goddess’s sanctuary.

While a temple to Artemis had existed on the site since the 8th century BC, construction on the major temple beginning in 546 BC.  This makes the Artemision about 100 years older than Temple to Athena in Athens.  After it was destroyed in 356 BC, a third, even larger temple was erected which survived until pillaged by Goths in the 3nd century AD.

Artemis cult statue on display at the Ephesus Museum.

Much like the Parthenon, the central sanctuary, or cella, contained a statue for worship.  The cult of Artemis celebrated in Ephesus was a particularly old tradition with Anatolian roots that focused on fertility.  The statue (which probably deserves its own ArtSmart post) has a column-like lower half, was elaborately decorated and several rows of “pods” along the goddess’s chest.  Art historians have speculated these are either breasts or bulls testicles; in either case, they reference the goddess’s power over reproduction and new life.

A concept drawing from the discovery of the Temple ruins showing the carved column barrels. (From: W. R. Lethaby; “The Temple of Diana at Ephesus” February 15, 1872, The Times, London)

Roman contemporaries describe a temple with extensive decorations.  The pediment friezes have been lost but both archaic and classical Greek carvings have been found suggesting a long period of construction, reconstruction or at least the incorporation of former decorative elements into the newst iteration of the Temple.  The massive Ionic columns were carved along the bottom as you can see in the recreation above.  One impressive column barrel depicting Hermes, a winged personification of death and possibly Eurydice (shown below) and many of the carvings recovered during excavations in the late 19^th century were taken to the British Museum.

While the story depicted is not perfectly clear, this carved marble column drum appears to show an enigmatic procession to the Underworld. (Photo: British Museum)

A winged figure of Death leads a tragic heroine to the Underworld (Photo: British Museum)

An archaic style male figure from the Temple decorations. (Photo: British Museum)

The Temple of Artemis had a legendary end.  In 356 BC, a young man named Herostratus set fire to the temple in an attempt to gain fame.  Because of its wooden roof, the temple was almost completely destroyed.  The people of Ephesus sentences him to death and vowed to punish anyone who repeated his name.  Of course, the story of the Great Temple’s destruction and its arsonist were recorded by contemporary historians, in essence giving Herostratus his wish.

My favorite part is the Roman twist on this story.  The Temple of Artemis is said to have burned down the same night Alexander the Great was born.  Plutarch (45 -120 AD) wrote that Artemis, the Goddess of Childbirth, was too preoccupied with Alexander’s delivery to save her burning temple.  I like to imagine contemporary listeners shrugging and thinking a temple for a Greek conqueror was probably a fair trade.

Plinth segment from the temple depicted an Amazon dragging a warrior. While the Amazons were closely associated with the first Temple of Artemis of Ephesus, this is clearly a later work in the classical Greek style. (Photo: British Museum)

Today the Temple of Artemis is a quiet stop just outside the city of Selcuk in Turkey on your way to the ruins of ancient Ephesus.  The outline of the massive temple is mostly visible and completely encompasses a little pond.  One column has been erected to give the site some perspective.  It may take a little imagination and you may have to sit on the remaining stone blocks to picture it, but here stood one of the Wonders of the Ancient World.

For the rest of the August ArtSmart Roundtable, see:

• Erin of A Sense of Place – The Best Hidden Museum in Paris Is All Architecture
• Lesley of CultureTripper – Brussels’ Fabulous Atomium
• Jeff of EuroTravelogue – Norway’s Historic Stave Churches
• Jenna of This is My Happiness – Art Nouveau Architecture in Prague
• Murissa of The Wanderful Traveler – The Evolution of the Hotel (Top 5)

And don’t forget to “like” our group on Facebook for art & travel news!

The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art-focused travel blogs to post on a common theme.  This month we are returning to a classic topic – artists!   You can find links below for the rest of the group’s posts.  I’m sticking closer to home this month and focusing on one of the greatest American artists of the 20th century.  With vibrant colors and dramatic figures, Jacob Lawrence brought to life the spirit of Harlem, the blue-collar worker and our American history.

Jacob Lawrence – “The Builders, The Family”

Jacob Lawrence (1917 – 2000) was born in Atlantic City, NJ and moved with his family to New York City in his early teens.  School nurtured his artist talent but it was life amid the Harlem Renaissance, a period of intense African-American creativity and cultural revival centered in Northern Manhattan, that really inspired him.  Through a series of critically acclaimed solo exhibits, Lawrence gained fame in the 1930s and ’40s for his depictions of African-American history and struggles.  At 53, he took at position as an art professor at the University of Washington.  (It was actually in Seattle that I first encountered Lawrence’s work.)  He had a long, prolific artistic career and demonstrated a deep commitment to teaching and mentorship.

Jacob Lawrence “Contemplation, from the Toussaint L’Ouverture series” 1993 (Phillips Collection, Washington, DC)

To me, Jacob Lawrence has a thoroughly modern style.  He painted primarily in tempera which gives a matte boldness to his pieces.  His palette is very colorful and delineated, usually consisting of huge contrasting areas of color.  His style reminds me of the cubists in that the figures occupy both a tilted, flat world with the occasional, incongruous element of perspective.  While far from naturalistic, his paintings convey a great deal of emotion and narrative and call the viewer to reflect on issues of social justice.  I think Jacob Lawrence’s style is very captivating and I cannot avoid being drawn in by the expressive, daring palette.

Jacob Lawrence – “Study for Munich Olympic Games” (Seattle Art Museum)

Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series “Panel 3: From every southern town migrants left by the hundreds to travel north.” (Phillips Collection, Washington DC)

Jacob Lawrence is most know for the 60 piece collection now known as “The Migration Series.”  These panels document the mass immigration of African-Americans from the South to Northern urban centers such as Chicago and New York in the 1920 and ’30s.  Seeking better employment opportunities and struggling to make a new life for themselves, Lawrence’s paintings highlight a significant but often forgotten period of American cultural history.

Jacob Lawrence’s “Harriet and the Promised Land”

In 1968, Lawrence published the children’s book “Harriet and the Promised Land”.  The book combines a powerful narrative poem with a series of painting completed from to 1939-1940.  The book is gorgeous and perhaps one of the easiest ways to add a little art to your collection or your coffee table!

Jacob Lawrence “Carpenters” 1977. (University of Maryland, College Park)

Works by Jacob Lawrence can be seen at most major American art museums.  The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Phillips Collection in DC which exhibits the Migration Series.

For the rest of the October ArtSmart Roundtable, see:

• Jeff of Eurotravelogue - Aert van der Neer: Dutch Painter of the Moonlight
• Erin of A Sense of Place – Albrecht Durer’s Works on Paper
• Jenna of This Is My Happiness – Romero Britto & Art Around the World

And don’t forget to “like” our group on Facebook for art & travel news!

The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art-focused travel blogs to post on a common theme.  This month we are discussing Color!  Color has enchanted artists and art lovers for centuries and we’ve picked some exciting topics; you can find links below for the rest of the group’s posts.  I love bright colors, contrasting color, subtle transitions of color, and rich tones, but this month I want to talk about one particularly unique color which is intrinsically tied in my mind to entire collection of objects.  I have always been fascinated by Ancient Egyptian blue Faience.

The iconic Blue Hippopotamus at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the most well-known blue faience pieces.  It was created in approximately 1981–1885 BCE in Middle Egypt.

While the technology to make faience was known to the Mesopotamians, Greeks and Romans, it was the ancient Egyptians that produced massive quantities of blue decorative items as grave goods which are now displayed in most museums.  These Egyptian blue objects range from a deep cerulean to robins egg color to a green-blue hue.  There is a depth and luminosity to this color that comes directly from how the objects were made.

18.5cm blue glazed composition ushabti of Psamtek, son of Sebarekhyt, ca. 600-300 BCE (Photo: British Museum)

But what is blue faience?

Faience is actually a glass.  When heated to 4500 Fahrenheit, quartz sand, lime and sodium carbonate (aka “soda”) melt and fuse to form a glass.  Smelting and kiln technology could support these temperatures.  Modern archaeologists have reconstructed these furnaces to understand the process and have found the technology to be very sophisticated.  Raw glass ingots were made in tremendous furnaces, chipped and then melted inside a form resulting in these objects.  Color could be mixed in when forming the ingot or applied as a powder inside the mold to appear mostly on the object’s surface surface.  The colored faience could also be melted around a composition, or ceramic, object.

Ancient Egyptian wall-painting depicting pottery scenes from from Tomb #2, Beni Hasan, c. 1900 BCE. (Photo: Rockefeller Archaeological Museum)

The pigments to produce a blue color would have been readily available.  Since bronze is predominantly copper mixed with smaller amounts of tin, lead, nickel, or iron, a common by-product of bronze manufacturing is colorful blue or green copper salts (like CuCO₃).  Given their potential presence in kiln or furnaces already, this may have unintentionally produced the first color faience.

Copper salts were used to give this ushapti it’s blue-green color. (Photo: Medusa Art Auction House)

Cobalt oxides (CoO, CO₂O₃) or cobalt tin salts were available in the environment and create a lovely cerulean blue color.  (While unknown to the Egyptians, cobalt aluminum salts create a darker color which today is known as Prussian Blue.)

Egyptian Lotiform Cup, ca. 945–715 BCE (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

As far as the other ingredients in faience, sodium carbonate, also known as soda or natron, was gathered from dry lake beds in Egypt.  It was an integral part of the mummification process because of hygroscopic, or water absorbing, properties.

Assortment of Egyptian Ushabti, including some beautiful blue faience ones from the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.

Egyptian funerary practices created a huge market for faience objects.  Small mummy-like figurines call ushapti were produced to represent servants that would serve the deceased in the afterlife.  Amulets and miniature Gods and Goddesses were included in the mummy’s wrapping for protection.  The quality of these objects seems to suggest a massive commercial operation with more expensive and fine-crafted pieces for the rich and simple ones for the poor.

Small and less formed ancient Egyptian blue faience amulets. (Photo: Medusa Art Auction House)

I remain fascinated by these charming and gloriously blue objects.  I only have a tiny art collection today, but some day I hope to have my very own Ancient Egyptian blue faience ushabti.  (Service in the afterlife not required.)

Lovely 6 cm tall Goddess Bastet Amulet, ca. 664-332 BCE (Photo: Medusa Art Auction House)

If you’re interested in color and artistic materials, I would recommend Bright Earth: Art and the Invention of Color by Philip Ball.  I’m a bit of an artist’s materials nerd myself and think this is a great introduction.

For the rest of the November ArtSmart Roundtable, see:

• Erin of A Sense of Place – What Went into Medieval Pigments and Where’d They Come From?
• Murissa of the Wanderful Traveler – A Personal Account: Six Degrees of Separation and J.M.W. Turner’s Use of Colour
• Lesley of the CultureTripper – Canadian color field painter William Perehudoff at Berry Campbell Gallery, New York
• Jenna of This Is My Happiness – coming soon…
• Ashley of No Onions, Extra Pickles – coming soon…

And don’t forget to “like” our group on Facebook for art & travel news!

The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art-focused travel blogs to post on a common theme.  This month we are focusing on Artistic Periods or Movements.  Check our the other periods we’ve picked by looking at the all the ArtSmart posts below. This month we welcome a new writer to the ArtSmart team – Alexandra of ArtTrav! Alexandra is based in Florence, Italy and is an art historian turned blogger.  We are super excited to have her in the group!

I definitely have my favorite and not so favorite periods of art (I’m looking at you French Rococo).   I like drama without being intense.  I like skilled painting but a step back from photographic realism.  I definitely like good use of light and dark space on a canvas.  And so I love the Spanish Baroque.

Francisco Ribalta – “Christ Embracing St Bernard”, 1625-27, Museo del Prado, Madrid

It’s not quite clear to me if the Spanish Baroque painters were fully aware of what was being made in Italy at the start of the 17th century, but they appear to have been influenced by it.  Active from 1595 – 1610, Caravaggio was a major transitional figure in art moving from exaggerated Mannerism to a highly naturalistic style, illuminated with powerful light and shadow.  This dramatic use of light to intensify an image, also known as tenebrism, clearly influenced Spanish artists of the era.

For comparison here is Caravaggio’s “St Francis in Meditation” 1606, Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica, Rome

Francisco de Zurbaran – “St Francis” 1660, Alte Pinakothek, Munich

Take a look at the images above of St. Francis meditating with a scull by Caravaggio (top) and Zurbaran (bottom).  Both use a somber brown palette and lighting extremes while at the same time conveying emotion in the face and pose of the figure.  While Caravaggio’s work is expertly and hyper-realistically painted, it gives the impression of staged performance, perhaps like a human still-life.  I find Zurbaran’s Francis to be far more natural with his somber expression even if I can’t see every wrinkle on his face.  The loosening of the brushwork in his robe actually helps dissolve his body in a less defined shape which point our gaze right up to his eye.

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo – “The Holy Family with a Bird”, 1650, Museo del Prado, Madrid

The iconic members of the Spanish Baroque are Francisco Ribalta, Jusepe de Ribera (who lived in Naples), Francisco de Zurbaran, Bartolomé Murillo, and of course Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velazquez.  Working in the 17th century, these artists filled the Spanish court and religious building with powerful but softly natural divine portraits, noble portraits and even mythological images. Departing from Caravaggio’s extreme lighting and highly realistic painting style, the Spanish Baroque embraced softness in their brushwork and treatment of their figures while painting with a dark, Earthy palette.

Jusepe de Ribera – “The Holy Family with St Catherine” 1648, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

Francisco de Zurbaran – “St Casilda” 1630, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

While the other painters of the movement helped transition to the depiction of everyday characters, it was Velazquez who perfected this subject.  Painting nobles, jesters, street philosophers and the inbred Hapsburg royal family, Velazquez excelled at making poignant, natural portraits with an economy of brushwork.  He went on to specifically inspire Manet, and in general the French Impressionist.  However, that is another Art Movement for another day…

Diego Velazquez – “The Dwarf Sebastian de Morra”, 1645, Museo del Prado, Madrid

Diego Velázquez – “Apollo in the Forge of Vulcan”, 1630, Museo del Prado, Madrid

By far, the best collection of Spanish Baroque paintings is at the Museo del Prado in Madrid.  With any luck I’ll be making that art pilgrimage soon!

For the rest of the December ArtSmart Roundtable, see:

• *NEW* Alexandra of ArtTrav – A brief history of art for visitors to Tuscany
• Erin of A Sense of Place – The Bauhaus School
• Murissa of the Wanderful Traveler - 7 Winter Scenes Across Canada by the Group of Seven
• Jenna of This Is My Happiness – Arts & Crafts Movement in the U.S.
• Ashley of No Onions, Extra Pickles – My Futurist Milan

And don’t forget to “like” our group on Facebook for art & travel news!

Happy 2014!  Ready for another exciting year of the ArtSmart Roundtable? Of course!  This group brings together some of the best art-focused travel blogs to post on a common theme each month.  To wish you all a happy New Year, this month we’re focusing on Art to see in 2014!  Check out all of the ArtSmart posts below.

While I’m sure my colleagues are taking a very optimistic interpretation of this month’s topic, it actually got me thinking, “What do I need to see now before it is gone?”  This last year brought us the destruction of UNESCO World Heritage sites in Mali, rising tides encroaching on Pacific Islands, further decay at Pompeii and threats to the archaeological sites in Egypt due to on-going political turmoil. There is a distinct possibility that our human actions (whether environmental or political) will destroy magnificent works of art and history critical to our cultural heritage.  I can think of one complicated and threatened city that deserves a visit before it changes irrevocably.  If you haven’t been, now is the time to see Venice.  Hopefully you will see how beautiful and timeless the city is and can become an advocate for its preservation.

View along the Grand Canal in Venice

Why Venice?

Canaletto, “Return of the Bucentoro to the Molo on Ascension Day”, 1732, Royal Collection, Windsor

A fantastic city in its conception, this medieval settlement has constructed on a few marshy islands in a shallow lagoon.  Residents drove logs into the ground to support the ever growing architecture creating an improbable but secure community offshore.  Prosperous trade and shrewd political moves orchestrated by the mighty (but elected) Doge made Venice a supreme Europe power during the Renaissance.  This period gave rise to fantastic residences, elegant public buildings and glorious churches.  This age also produced greats artists like Giorgione, Veronese, Titian, Tintoretto, and the Bellini Family.

Titian (and Bellini), “Feast of the Gods”, 1529, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

With the opening of the American and Asian ocean trade route, Venice’s economy stagnated and the city lost much of its power and influence.  Years of decadence and frivolity followed and through the 18th century Venice declined into essentially a party stop for Grand Tour visitors.   Today the once magnificent homes are too expensive for most Italians to maintain and so the resident population has declined dramatically.

A masquerade party in Venice. Follower of Pietro Longhi, “Casino (Il ridotto)”, 18th century, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

While a shadow of its former self, the network of small canals and bridges and the magnificent architecture is still too beautiful to miss.  Venice has an evocative mystery and allure unlike any other city in Europe that must be experienced.  However, physical Venice is under serious threat and now may be the best time to soak in the spirit of the city before it is lost.

Threatened by Climate Change

As a low lying community, Venice has always been impacted by exceptionally high tides.  From Autumn to Spring, the city experiences seasonal high tides, known as acqua alta, or “high water”.  The city can sustain tides up to 90cm over sea level, but flooding is rapid and extensive above this amount.  Half of the city is flooded by 140cm tides and about 80% of the city is submerged by 190cm tides.  While these floods have historical precedence dating from the 12th century, they have grown more common and to higher levels in the last decade due to climate change.  The increasing sea levels means even more water spills into Venice, thus flooding shops and destroying buildings.

San Marco Square in Venice flooded by the high tide (Photo: Wikipedia)

The Italian government understands the danger to Venice from increasing tides and is working on a highly technical solution.  The “MOSE” project will install massive barriers at the three inlets to the Venice lagoon.  These dykes can be deployed or dropped depending on the tide and are intended to maintain a steady sea level at all time of the day and year.  The project was first conceptualized in the 1960′s, proposed in 2003 and is now under construction.  Critics assert that the barriers will not be enough or will cause significant environmental damage by themselves.  It remains to be seen if the project can prevent future damage to the city.

Ground floor flooding damages the centuries old residences in Venice. (Photo: Gwenael Piaser)

Commercial Sponsorship, or How the “Cure” Could Kill the Patient

Art collections, wonderful buildings and archaeological sites are almost a natural resource in Italy.  Visitors flock to Italy every year to see the Uffizi, Vatican and Pompeii among other places.  In 2011, tourism directly accounted for 3.5% of the Italian economy, or 51 billion Euros.  But following the recession of the last decade, how can Italy (or any country) afford to pay for massive but necessary restorations to historical and cultural sites like Venice?

Repairs to San Simeone Piccolo Church in Venice sponsored by Calvin Klein Jeans.

One answer could be sponsorship.  Corporations have committed to several projects in Italy already.  For example, Fendi has stepped in to repair the iconic Trevi Fountain in Rome after the Italian government said they couldn’t afford the project.  The Diesel clothing brand is paying $6.7 million to fix the Rialto Bridge, a critical and lovely part of Venice.  While these companies may be motivated by charitable intentions and a desire to preserve Italy, they will certainly want something in return and may be seeking out connection to iconic art as a branding opportunity.  These partnerships will likely bring advertisement on a massive scale to Venice.

Murano glass chandelier, 17th century painting and slot machines at the historic Casino Di Venezia

In many ways it is easier to find sponsorship for massive churches and public spaces, but it the residence in Venice that badly need repairs.  Soaring costs have driven many residents from Venice with their historic homes going in many cases to rich foreigners.  Absent landlords or owners shirking the upkeep on their 17th century homes has meant many of the once beautiful residences all falling into disrepair without any legal recourse to enforce upkeep.  Some building, including palaces that once were actually casinos, have been resurrected by developers as casinos, rental properties or other commercial spaces.  This is a tenuous road to restoration of the city because it prioritizes profit and is driven by market need rather than an artistic or historical obligation.

With advancing commercial development, fans of Venice must continue to ponder the authenticity of the city.  It would be very easy for Venice to become a caricature of itself – a hollow, gaudy shell of its former historic glory or a kind of fabricated cultural “Disneyland”.  Citizen preservation societies (notably Save Venice) continue to champion for authenticity and preservation.  Caretakers of the city in a way, past and future visitors can advocate for historically sensitive and tasteful, rather than overtly commercial, restoration.

How to Visit Venice Now

The majority of visitors to Venice are day-trippers from the mainland or from a cruise ship.  To really appreciate the beautiful and quiet enchantment of Venice, you should spend a few nights in the city.  I found the early morning and sunset hours to be so lovely.  I could walk the streets, canals and small piazzas almost alone regardless of how busy things had been that day.  The shoulder seasons month of April and October are wonderful months to visit.  The weather is pleasant and day-time crowds are not so bad.

Watching the supply ships go by along the side-canal viewed from my room.

Definitely stay in Venice a few nights and rent an apartment.  The privacy and isolation makes it feel like you are living in the city rather than just visiting.  I stayed in a hotel that owned a second building of rooms a few blocks away.  I had my own key to the building which gave my stay a sense of belonging to the city.

View from a gondola at one of the many unique canals and bridges in Venice

You can see St. Mark’s Church and the Doge’s Palace in one day but you would be missing out on the most enchanting sight of all – Venice itself.  There are so many streets to explore and treasures to find, the city really deserves a few days to soak in its incredibly unique character.  The fragility of Venice reminds us of the importance of travel and visit amazing cities while we still can.

For the rest of the January ArtSmart Roundtable, see:

• Erin of A Sense of Place – 5 2014 Shows Not to Be Missed in Boston
• Murissa of the Wanderful Traveler – Top 5 Museum Visits in 2014: From Vancouver to Venice
• Lesley of the CultureTripper – Reopening of the Mauritshuis, The Hague (coming soon!)
• Jenna of This Is My Happiness – Art Exhibitions to Catch in 2014
• Ashley of No Onions, Extra Pickles – 2014 Art Worth Traveling for in the USA
• Alexandra of ArtTrav – What art to see in Florence in 2014

And don’t forget to “like” our group on Facebook for art & travel news!

The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art-focused travel blogs to post on a common theme.  This month we are focusing on Art Experiences.  Check out all the inspiring and fantastic stories below!

Norman horsemen riding into Battle from the Bayeux Tapestry

I’ve joked before about my “art pilgrimages” but I truly think some works need to be seen in person.  There are details that can not be conveyed in photographs, and sometimes the scope and effect of the piece can only be appreciated in front of the artwork.  I’ve experienced this sense of presence most intensely with the 12th century Bayeux Tapestry. Essentially a 230 foot long storyboard of exquisite embroidery, this object retells the the Battle of Hastings with drama, charm, and emotion.  Without even realizing it, I spent 4 hours with the Bayeux Tapestry and loved it!

Bayeux and the History of the Tapestry

Bayeux Cathedral – The Tapestry may have been created for the consecration of this church in 1077 CE.

The Battle of Hastings in 1066 was the decisive conflict between William the Conqueror who had invaded Britain from Normandy and Harold the current King of England.  As you can tell from his later moniker, William won the battle.  As the story goes, Bishop Odo, who had helped William, commissioned an elaborate embroidery to commemorate the victory for his home cathedral in Bayeux, Normandy.  While legend has it that William’s wife Queen Matilda produced the piece, recent scholarship has suggested that the decoration was actually done in conquered England.

The Bayeux Tapestry as it is displayed today.

Today the Tapestry is hung in a dedicated gallery one long “U” allowing visitors to walk along the story.  The light is very low to preserve the brilliant red, blue and green dyes.  The low, yellow light on the tapestry reminded me of viewing it by candlelight.  While there are excellent interpretive exhibits in the museum about the construction, time period, and interpretation of the Tapestry, visitors are given unlimited time with the piece which is essential for appreciating its wonderful detail and hidden meanings.

Basics of the Story

While prisoner in Normandy, Harold (shown with his signature mustache) joins William on a raid to Brittany.  On the way back, Harold rescues two soldiers from drowning in the tidal flats around Mont Saint Michel.

The story begins with Harold asking the aging King Edward of England if he can rescue some of his captured family members in Normandy.  After some merrymaking, Harold sets off and is promptly captured by Count Guy who realizes that the heir to the English throne should be forwarded to William, Duke of Normandy.  After some royal bonding and heroism from Harold, he is forced to swear an allegiance to William before being allowed to return to England.

Norman squires loading suits of amour bound for England.

Now back in England, we see Edward chastising Harold for this oath but he then promptly dies.  Harold becomes King followed by a sighting of Halley’s comet which is taken to be a very bad omen. News of Harold’s ascension comes to Normandy.  Believing that Harold promised him the crown, William begins preparations to invade and claim England.

Harold’s Saxon forces on the defensive.  Bodies litter the lower border.

A massive Norman force crosses the English Channel and makes camp in England.  The Norman cavalry attacks but is at first thwarted by Harold’s forces on the high ground.  The battle continues until finally Harold is killed dramatically by being shot in the eye.  The battle is just wrapping up where the damaged tapestry ends, so we don’t know exactly how the piece described the aftermath and subsequent coronation of William of Normandy.

Harold is killed with an arrow to the eye and then is cut down by a knight on horseback.

Viewing the Tapestry

The tapestry consists of a main register with a top and bottom border.  The main events are told in little scenes which are only sparsely narrated with character names and short phrases.  The borders are filled with tertiary events from the main scene, mythological beasts, or symbolic references.  The Tapestry is meant to be “read” from left to right.

Lower border detail of a peasant collecting swords from the dead soldiers at the Battle of Hastings.

The colored wool yarn is still brilliant and vivid.  I almost couldn’t believe this piece of linen was 950 years old!  A very dense cross-stitch was used to fill in the figures, animals, and settings which are all also elegantly outlined in a contrasting color.  While there are thin spots and the occasional stain or hole, the condition of the Tapestry is really excellent.

Fantastic griffin detail from the upper border.

The Tapestry reads almost like a modern film!  There are flashbacks – we see King Edward speaking with family on his deathbed after his funeral scene.  Foreshadowing the later invasion, ghost ships can be seen in the lower border of the Halley’s comet scene.  The Tapestry also cuts back and forth between Normandy and England advancing the plot, building tension, and preparing the viewer for the climatic showdown.

William watches as Harold reluctantly takes an oath.

For me, the beauty of the Tapestry is how well it tells the dramatic story of the Norman invasion in single image scenes.  From these almost cartoonish  pictures, we get character development, intrigue, and a compelling human story. The historical justification for the Norman invasion (or at least William’s rationale for it) was Harold’s supposed pledge of loyalty to the Duke of Normandy.  But in the pledge scene on the tapestry, I can’t help but think there was coercion.  William sits regally with his sword drawn menacingly.  Harold (still a prisoner) appears uncomfortable touching the relics, perhaps squirming, and only reaches a few fingers toward the box on the left. While the text read, “Here Harold has come to Bayeux where Harold took the oath to Duke William”,  the image shows a far more complex and suspenseful moment.

It is pretty easy to understand Harold’s emotional state upon returning to England and appearing before an angry King Edward.

I also love the scene of Harold returning to England.  Shoulders slumped and head bent extremely down, he appears to be pleading with Edward.  The King looks like he is lecturing and chastising Harold rather than welcoming him back.  Harold was in Normandy for at least a year and may have disobeyed all the advice Edward gave him for avoiding trouble in this hostile region.  I imagine the old King knows that Harold has been tricked into giving away the Kingdom and is furious about the fate of this people.

Interpreting the Tapestry

This image of a hunter about to kill a chained wild beast appears under the scene of William’s messengers racing to retrieve Harold from Guy. An allusion to Harold’s situation, he is defenseless in Normandy and is prey to these foreign powers.

Some of the subtle details suggest that the Bayeux Tapestry is subversively pro-England and shows how Harold was tricked by William.  The Normans based their entire claim to England on Harold’s oath to William.  If this piece of art was created in France, we would expect the oath to be an exuberant moment and a chance to glorify William.  However, we’ve already seen how the image of the oath doesn’t follow the Norman storyline and how Edward appears upset by Harold’s unwitting mistake in France.  Small border images reiterate Harold’s weakness and vulnerability while in William’s court.

The climatic moment in the fable of the Fox and Crow in which the bird drops the food.

There are repeated references to the fable of the Fox and Crow.  The crow has a tasty bit of food and the fox uses flattery to get the crow to sing, thus making him drop the food to the fox.  In the context of the main story, the tapestry’s designer is showing that William tricked Harold into trusting him through some minor local victories and is then able to extract an illegal oath.  With an understanding of the basic storyline, these little clues pop out throughout the Bayeux Tapestry.

Visiting the Tapestry

The Bayeux Tapestry Museum is located in downtown Bayeux.  Visitors receive an audio tour that explains the main events in each scene.  The guide can be (and should be) paused to allow enough time to look at each image.  I lingered with and returned to just about every scene.  I loved the craftsmanship, the powerful narrative, and the little surprises that one finds throughout the piece.  I also discovered that you can re-enter the Museum during the same day.  So if like me, you realize after 3 hours of just looking at the Bayeux Tapestry that you missed lunch, you can go eat and then come back for more!

The Bayeux Tapestry is an immersive masterpiece.  On the most basic level, you have to be impressed that such a fragile thing has survived so long.  But as you dive into the story, there is a great deal of complexity to the images.  The compelling characters and plot draw you in until you are there in the 11th century watching the bloody battle develop and unfold.  The Bayeux Tapestry goes far beyond art and is historical storytelling at its best.

For the rest of the May ArtSmart Roundtable, see:

• Lesley of CultureTripper – Georgia O’Keeffe’s home & studio in Abiquiu, New Mexico
• Alexandra of ArtTrav – Archaeology in the Garden
• Pal & Lydian of Art Weekenders – Naoshima – Japan’s Contemporary Art Island
• Ashley of No Onion Extra Pickles – Making the Most Out of Your Art Museum Experience
• Jenna of This is My Happiness – A Childhood of Wonder: Experiencing art with Kids
• Jeff of EuroTravelogue – coming soon!
• Murissa of Wander Traveler – coming soon!

And don’t forget to “like” our group on Facebook for art & travel news!

The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art-focused travel blogs to post on a common theme.  This month we picked an abstract topic – Light.  Check out all the creative stories below!

I timed my last international trip perfectly.  My entire 12 hour lay-over in Amsterdam would be devoted to seeing the newly renovated Rijksmuseum.  It was definitely worth powering through the jet-lag to visit this incredible collection in its elegant new galleries!

Johannes Vermeer, “Woman Reading a Letter”, 1664, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

While looking at the Dutch masterpieces in the main gallery including Vermeer’s Woman Reading a Letter, Mr. Tourist asked innocently, “So why are Vermeer’s paintings so famous?“

Without even hesitating I answered, “It’s how he painted light.“

Johannes Vermeer, “The Geographer”, 1668, Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt

The painter Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) was active during the Golden Age of Dutch art.  While a contemporary of Aelbert Cuyp, Frans Hals, and Rembrandt, Vermeer’s style and aesthetic was very unique.  In general, his paintings are small and depict intimate domestic scenes focusing on a single figure.  The majority of Vermeer’s 35 paintings appear to have been set in the exact same room and for good reason.  This room has a big window that not only illuminates but creates the critical atmosphere of each painting.

Detail from “Woman Reading a Letter”

Vermeer’s work shows an masterful understanding of how to depict light on objects.  Most days in Vermeer’s room the light is indirect and so figures and objects are depicted in a soft focus as the light rolls over them.  Sharp details are only obvious in fairly direct light, but painters at the time often ignored this effect in pursuit of realism.  Vermeer also creates delicate shadows in this indirect light.  In “Woman Reading a Letter” for example, the diffuse light from the window creates soft shadows in the woman’s face, hands and clothing.  Vermeer also understood that lighting changes our perception of objects and colors.  The blues, yellows, and flesh tones subtly change hue in the light.

Johannes Vermeer, “Girl with a Lute”, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

Not all of Vermeer’s paintings are done in mid-day light either.  In “Girl with a Lute”, the late afternoon light pulls shadows across the woman’s face and then from the curtains onto the walls.  The scene is intimate, serene and incredibly naturalistic in the accurate portrayal of light.

Johannes Vermeer, “Officer and Laughing Girl”, c. 1657, Frick Collection, New York City

Vermeer also used light to structure the compositions.  In “Officer and Laughing Girl” above, the shadowed back of the gentleman dominates the lower diagonal of the piece.  This presence contrasts greatly with the illuminated face of the eager young woman.

While at the Rijksmuseum, we walked back and forth between Vermeer and other interior scenes from the same period.  Vermeer’s images seem soft and ephemeral next to the sharper contemporary works.  I should note that these other pieces are gorgeous too, each loaded with detail while still balanced.  The other artists were just focused on depicting everyday life and were not as diligent about capturing the effect of light on materials.

Pieter de Hooch, “A Woman with a Child in a Pantry”, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

In Pieter de Hooch, “A Woman with a Child in a Pantry”, there are open windows and shadows in the pantry, but where is the light on the figures coming from?  This image does not explore how light effects the appearance of the woman and her kitchen.  The light is a means of presenting this scene but is definitely not the focus of the piece.  Dutch art collectors at the time like landscapes and interior scenes that looked like their own homes and so images like Pieter de Hooch’s were very popular.

Johannes Vermeer, “Woman Holding a Balance”, 1664, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

Many great artists have made there career on the depiction of light.  Caravaggio (1571 – 1610) and his followers used extreme light and dark to create drama.  In many ways, I much rather prefer Vermeer’s subtle use of light.  Still, quiet moments may be the most most difficult to capture and convey to viewers.  Standing in the presence of a Vermeer, I find myself slowing down and absorbing the richness of the space.  Suddenly the mundane chore of weighing jewelry becomes very interesting – as long as you view it in the correct light.

For the rest of the June ArtSmart Roundtable, see:

• Ashley of No Onion Extra Pickles – A Celebration of Light: Ghent in 2015
• Murissa of Wandertraveler – Learning to See the Light in Vicenza Italy
• Pal & Lydian of Art Weekenders – Vija Celmins Photorealistic Double Reality
• Jenna of This is My Happiness – The Light of Venice

And don’t forget to “like” our group on Facebook for art & travel news!

The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art-focused travel blogs to post on a common theme.  This month we are looking at architecture.  Check out all the stories below!

Florence Cathedral Duomo (Photo: Flickr, Bruce Stokes)

If you know Florence, Italy, then you know Filippo Brunelleschi.  He was the architect who designed and constructed the soaring dome of the Florence Cathedral.  While still impressive today, this engineering feat was revolutionary in the 15th century.  But what many people don’t realize is that Brunelleschi completed several other equally influential buildings in Florence.  Brunelleschi’s chapels and churches set the standard for Renaissance architecture by re-introducing and expanding on Roman architectural concepts.  The harmonious and proportioned designs of Brunelleschi’s buildings makes them a must-see, even in a city overflowing with fantastic art.

The Pazzi Chapel

Brunelleschi designed several chapels in Florence, but my favorite is The Pazzi Chapel attached to the Santa Croce Church.  In this small rectangular space, Brunelleschi created a well-balanced, elegant, and very appealing interior.  The decorative pilasters, molding, and ceiling adornment clearly demonstrate Brunellschi’s understanding of classical Roman design and was huge architectural leap forward.

Exterior of the Pazzi Chapel, (Photo: Flickr, MCAD Library)

Brunelleschi divides the Chapel into three stacked levels.  On top, there is a beautiful ribbed dome.  This sits on intermediate level consisting of four arches with decorated pendantives which support the dome and skillfully transition the round dome to the rectangular third, or ground level.

Interior of the Pazzi Chapel (Photo: Flickr, Richard Mortel)

Beautiful blue-grey Corinthian pilasters (or fake, purely decorative columns) are used to divide up each ground floor wall into vertical rectangular units.  The chapel itself is 4 units deep by 6 units wide.  Barrel vaults one “wall unit” in depth are used to connect the rectangular room to the square base of the domed roof.  You can see the barrel vaults in these pictures because they are decorated with square frames and circular leaf elements.

Pazzi chapel altar (Photo: Flickr, Darren and Brad)

The two central rectangle units on each wall have been combined to accommodate the entrance in the front wall and a small altar on the back wall respectively.  For a uniform design, the central pilaster on the side walls has also been removed (see the first photo above) creating smaller arches that mimic the one over the door and altar space.

Entrance to the Pazzi Chapel (Photo: Mary Ann Sullivan, Univ. of Bluffton)

I absolutely love that the window frame molding as been repeated in all vertical wall units.  This creates visual balance between all the walls and shows creativity in using a functional window molding as a decorative element.

Pazzi Chapel tile details (Photo: Flickr, Graeme Churchard)

Additional adornment is kept to a minimum.  Like earlier commissions, Brunelleschi probably intended for the circles on the walls and pendantives supporting the dome to be undecorated.  As you can see, these spaces were decorated with ceramics reliefs by Andrea della Robbia depicting the 12 apostles along the walls and the four Evangelists above.  There are also small Seraphim and lamb tiles just below the arch level.

I actually think this is perfect amount of color of the space.  The apostle plaques respect Brunelleschi’s overall aesthetic of the blue-grey architectural elements set against a white background.

12-ribbed dome and Evangelist pendatives of the Pazzi Chapel, Florence(Photo: Flickr, Holly Hayes)

If you’re looking for more Brunelleschian chapels, be sure to visit the Old Sacristy (Sagrestia Vecchia) in the Church of San Lorenzo.  While the design is not as uniform and harmonious as the Pazzi Chapel, you can consider this an intermediate example and then appreciate his architectural progression and development.  I find the Old Sacristy to be a little visually “cluttered” with sculptural plaques of saints – but then again, Donatello executed these stucco reliefs, so its really not that bad.

Old Sacristy of San Lorenzo (Photo: Web Gallery of Art)

The Basilica of Maria del Santo Spirito

Brunelleschi actually designed two churches in Florence which were both completed after his death; Santo Spirito remains truer to Brulleschi’s vision for the church.  The building is organized in a Latin Cross lay-out with a long nave and shorter transcept.  The interior quickly defines the fundamental sub-unit of the church: two Corinthian columns connected with a semicircular arch.  Using this unit, the side chapels are 1 x 1, the central aisles are 2 units wide, and the church itself is 8 units wide and 14 units long.

Santo Spirito floor plan. The repeating unit is marked in red. (Drawing: StudyBlue notes)

The consistency of this single unit throughout the church is visually very beautiful.  You can really see the rhythm of the columns and mathematical rigor in the church design.  Santo Spirito is a wonderful example of Renaissance architecture.

Santo Spirito side aisles (Photo: Wikimedia)

Like in the Pazzi Chapel, blue-grey molding stands out against the white and stone interior.

Interior of Santo Spirito (Photo: Web Gallery of Art)

Brunelleschi’s other church,  San Lorenzo was altered to make it more of a “T”-shaped lay-out.  The overall effect is muted because you don’t get the same sight lights as Santo Spirito, but you can still see the use of repeating architectural elements along the naive of the church.  I really like the use of plain columns and fluted pilasters along the side chapels.  The mix of these vertical elements contrasts nicely and is just as visually appealing as the single repeated column element in Santo Spirito.

Interior of San Lorenzo Church (Photo: Web Gallery of Art)

Brunelleschi’s Legacy

What biographical information we have about Brunelleschi paints him as a shrewd, confident, and self-reliant man.  This boldness supports his legacy foremost as an engineer and builder that shocked the world.  However for me, Brunelleshi is an artist.  He created some of the most beautiful and serene religious spaces I have ever experienced.  His refinement and re-interpretation of classical architectural motifs became the template for all Renaissance builders.  When summing up his many achievements and contributions to Florence, we must always remember the harmony and order of his churches and chapels, as well as the effortless height of his dome.

Detail of the serene interior of the Pazzi Chapel (Photo: Flickr, Darren and Brad)

For the rest of the July ArtSmart Roundtable, see:

• Alexandra of ArtTrav – Putting on a good face: Renaissance facades in Florence
• Jenna of This is My Happiness - Digging Deeper: Historic Architecture in California
• Pal & Lydian of Art Weekenders – Gaudi’s Barcelona

And don’t forget to “like” our group on Facebook for art & travel news!

The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art-focused travel blogs to post on a common theme.  This month we are treating you to An Art Day in some of our favorite city.  Check out all the stories below!

Viewing “Family of Saltimbanques” in the Picasso Gallery at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

I am so lucky to live in Washington DC!  We have interesting architecture, great music and performing arts organizations, very active international Embassies, beautiful public art and monuments, and an incredible collection of museums and galleries.  Since the National Gallery of Art and Smithsonian Museums are administered by the US federal government, admission is always free.  While this is a dream come true for DC’s students, it is great symbolic gesture for visitors to the city – the visual arts should be enjoyed freely and shared with all.  With all the special exhibits to see, I practically get an “art day” every month and so I absolutely recommend an art trip to DC!

The National Gallery of Art

The National Gallery of Art located along the National Mall is largely the product of industrialist banker Andrew W. Mellon.  His collection and vision was the basis of a new American museum of Old World Master paintings.  Through an Act of Congress in 1937, construction began on the new Museum, but it was Andrew Mellon’s example of generosity that led other wealthy American collectors to donate their incredible works to the new museum.  The East Wing filled with Modern Art was designed by I. M. Pei and was completed in 1978.

“Ginevra de’ Benci” (Photo) in the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in North America and a definite “must-see” at the National Gallery of Art in DC.

The National Gallery has undergone stages of renovation over the last 10 years to update the galleries.  Lighting, wall paper and trim has been thoughtfully selected to best present the works.  For example, the Rembrandts in the Dutch galleries are hung in wood paneled rooms resembling a home where they might have been originally viewed.

Elegant wallpaper in one of the Baroque Galleries, National Gallery of Art

The National Gallery does rotate its collection some so paintings may be moved from one visit to the next, but you will always be able to find its most famous pieces on display.  Every time I stop by the NGA, I have to visit Leonardo da Vinci’s Ginevra de’ Benci.  I have yet to find a brush stroke on her glowing face which demonstrates Da Vinci’s amazing skill with layering skin tone pigments in glazes.  I also always stop to see Jan Van Eyck’s The Annunciation which is a jewel box of intricate detail and color.  This piece had been badly damaged and the art conservators at the NGA are so good you really can’t tell even under the closest scrutiny.

Jan Van Eyck – The Annunciation (Photo)

The early Italian rooms have some beautiful pieces by Giotto and Duccio.  I’ve always like the “The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew” from the Maesta altarpiece in Sienna.  The intense gold background reminiscent of icon paining is off-set by a delicately painted, almost-naturalistic ocean filled with several species of fish.  Even in this little panel, I see the coming of Renaissance Art.

Duccio di Buoninsegna – “The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew” (Photo)

Paul Cézanne – “Still Life with Apples and Peaches” (Photo)

The NGA continues to receive amazing gifts which further enhance the collection.  In 2013, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon bequest Vincent van Gogh’s “Green Wheat Fields, Auvers, 1890″ and other paintings which are still arriving.  With its thick impasto and swirling foliage; this has quickly become one of my favorite paintings at the NGA!

Vincent van Gogh – “Green Wheat Fields, Auvers” (Photo)

If you are pressed for time or exahusted by museum, check out the NGA’s self-guided tour list.  These helpful guides point out the highlights of the collection and take about an hour to complete.

John Singer Sargent – “Nonchaloir (Repose)” (Photo)

Freer and Sackler Galleries of Asian Art – Peacock Room

Maybe one of the hidden gems in Washington DC is the Peakcock Room at the Freer and Sackler Galleries of Asian Art.  This room was designed and decorated by James McNeill Whistler for wealthy Londoner Frederick R. Leyland in 1877.  The space was created to show off the owner’s impressive collection of Eastern porcelain along with Whistler’s painting “La Princesse du Pays de la Porcelaine” as the room’s centerpiece.

Peacock Room 1908 (Photo: Freer Sackler, Neil Greentree, Flickr)

Whistler spent 8 months completing the room and fell into a bitter disagreement with Leyland over his payment.  After offering only 1000 pounds for the work (which Whistler claimed was only enough to cover the window screens), Whistler painted a biting mural of two peacocks fighting over silver coins on the back wall of the room.  Once he completed the Peacock Room, Whistler never saw it again.  While Leyland may have been upset about the rampant costs associated with finishing the room, he never changed anything and space remains as Whistler intended.

The Peacock Room, 1908 (Freer Sackler, Neil Greentree, Flickr)

American Charles Lang Freer admired Whistler’s work and loved the Peacock Room.  He purchased it in 1904 after Leyland‘s death and had it dismantled and shipped to his home in Detroit.  After Freer’s passing in 1919, the room was re-installed at the newly created Freer Gallery of Art which houses his collection of Asian art that had been donated to the US.  Today curators at the Freer have selected pieces of pottery similar to Leyland‘s collection so that the Peacock Room can be viewed as originally designed.

Detail of the pottery on display in the Peacock Room

The Peacock Room is a fantastic piece of design.  The completeness of the artistic vision creates an encompassing and unique space.  For an extra treat, the shutters are opened for the afternoon on the third Thursday of the month so you can see the room in breath-taking natural sunlight.

And Much More Art!

Of course with the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and all the amazing monuments, there is so much art to see in DC!  You may need to have a few art days when you visit!

For the rest of the August ArtSmart Roundtable, see:

• Erin of A Sense of Place – An Art Day in Cambridge, MA: Modernist Architecture at Harvard and MIT
• Ashley of No Onions Extra Pickles – An Art Day in Doha, Qatar
• Murissa of Wander Traveler – An Art Day in Paris: My Own Accidental Walking Tour
• Alexandra of ArtTrav – An art day in Maremma at Daniel Spoerri’s garden
• Jenna of This is My Happiness – An Art Day in Napa Valley
• Pal & Lydian of Art Weekenders – An Art Day at the Kröller-Müller Museum

And don’t forget to “like” our group on Facebook for art & travel news!

The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art-focused travel blogs to post on a common theme.  This month we are finding Art that Inspires from our travels.  Check out all the stories below!

Contemplating a Pollock at (Photo: Pete Aylward, Flickr)

Art by itself is empty; it requires an audience to react, contemplate and interpret it for themselves.  It is the skill of the artist that turns pigments on a board and chipped away marble into something that can elicit emotion or opinion from viewers.  Every art connoisseur is different, so it is very common for us each to like different styles or pieces.  I certainly have my favorites and not-so-favorites.  This month the ArtSmart Roundtable is looking at “Inspiring Art” so I thought I’d take a look at not just art that is beautiful or emotional, but art that simply astounds me.

Ancient Egyptian Tombs

Reproduction of King Tut’s tomb as it was discovered (Photo: The Art Newspaper)

On 26 November 1922, a team of British archaeologist first breached the door and peered into the tomb of King Tutankhamun.  When the expedition’s financier Lord Carnarvon asked, “Can you see anything?”, Egyptologist Howard Carter uttered perhaps the most perfect response, “Yes, wonderful things.”  I can only imagine what he saw by candlelight peaking through a hole in the wall!  Even emptied out and displayed in a museum, the contents of an ancient Egyptian pharaonic tomb is one of the most incredible thing I have ever seen.

Chair from Tutankhamun’s tomb (Photo: Yveke, flickr)

A few years ago, a selection of artifacts from King Tutankhamun’s tomb were brought to the US.  I made a special trip to Philadelphia to see the exhibit and even then went through the exhibit twice.  The sheer number and diversity of pieces in the tomb was incredible: a chariot, statues, beds, boats, chairs, baskets, and countless models of servants and other goods. Plus, each item for the Pharaoh was made of the finest gems and gold and executed with the greatest of craftsmanship so each piece is simply gorgeous.

Alabaster perfume jar from the tomb of Tutankhamun (Photo: Frank Rytell, flickr)

I also love the design coherence of ancient Egyptian art.  Whether furniture, wall paintings, jewelry or the sarcophagus itself, there is a strong style in each piece that connects and compliments each other without being repetitive or formulaic.  The result is a collection of goods that is way more than the sum of its parts – which is incredible considering how much gold was used!

Gothic Architecture

Main aisle of the Rouen Cathedral.

If the purpose of architecture is to create a space that conveys an emotion, then I have seen a lot of really incredible architecture.  While I love the order and weight of Romanesque buildings and the harmony of the Renaissance style, Gothic architecture is  my favorite for tranquil, holy spaces.

Crossing point from Amiens Cathedral, France

Thin ribbing, delicate arches and high ceiling express an airiness and peace that transcends the stone materials.  While an engineering marvel, all the support structures are outside which focuses the interior on its soaring, heavenly design.

Small wall fresco of an angel illuminated by a window, Bayeaux Cathedral, France

Gothic churches are not just something to look at but rather something to experience.  I love watching how the shifting daylight can change the appearance of the interior throughout the day.  Even over the course of an hour long mass, shadows change and stained glass reflections will slide over the walls or floors.  Of course the acoustics are incredible too.  Everything from footsteps to musical performances take on a new resonance when there are Gothic walls to bounce across.  Any visit to a Gothic cathedral should include some time sitting and enjoying the immersive art experience.

Miniature Paintings

Detail of jewels from the “Ghent Altarpiece” by Jan van Eyck. Notice the scale bar of 1 cm and all the detail and shading in each small pearl.

Maybe its because I can’t paint well, but I am astounded by miniature paintings.  While I like modern art of the last two centuries which put brushwork front and center, there is something magical about a painter that can make his or her brushstrokes disappear.  This requires incredible skill, patience and even single hair brushes, but the effect is a pure image with little trace of human involvement.

Sandro Botticelli’s “Calumny of Apelles”, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy

One painting that was very shocking to see in person was Sandro Botticelli’s “Calumny of Apelles”.  In this complex allegorical scene, Ptolemy is judging Appelles in the presence of  personifications of Calumny, Malice, Fraud, Envy, Remorse and Truth.  Done in tempera which is a very difficult medium to work with already, this very detailed painting with elaborate architectural panels is only 24 inches by 36 inches.  By comparison, Botticelli’s other allegorical images are huge: “Pallas and the Centaur” is 81 x 57 inches, “The Birth of Venus” is 67 x 110 and “Primavera” is an astounding 80 x 124 inches.  To me, “Calumny of Apelles” looked like a shrunken Botticelli painting but with all the visual integrity and captivating color of his larger works.

Grand Tour Micromosaic Plaque, made in Italy, approximately 1850-1875, sold for $18,000 in October 2011 (Photo: Skinner Inc.)

Especially popular as Grand Tour souvenirs, Italian micromosaics feature flowers, animals or, most impressively, detailed depictions of monuments and landscapes.  The smallest pieces were made into broaches or other jewelry. The “bigger” ones were made into snuff box lids or were freestanding pieces.  I saw one micromosaic at auction a few years ago that was absolutely incredible.  For something only 8 inches by 10 inches, there was depth and light in the scene and really no perceivable gaps where the blocks met.  It was just a marvelous piece of craftsmanship and definitely looked like a painting at first glance!

Chinese Terracotta Warriors

Pit 1in Xi’an, China contains 38 columns or about 6000 Terracotta Warriors (Photo: in Chengdu, flickr)

There are some works of art that I find impressive even though I haven’t seen them in person yet.  Someday I hope to visit the Terracotta Warriors of Xi’an, China.  First discovered in 1974, excavations have yielded 3 massive pits filled with 8000 pottery soldiers, horses and chariots.  Each figure is about six feet tall, 600+ lbs and had a highly detailed costume differentiating unique classes of soldiers, archers and generals.  The scale of the project but also the individuality of each figure is just amazing to me.

Each terracotta warrior is unique.(Photo: Erwyn van der Meer, flickr)

The statues were created in approximately the third century BCE.  This massive military unit was buried with Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first ruler to unify the kingdoms of China.  It is believed that the figures were made in an assembly line manner with workers dedicated to constructing legs, torsos, arms or faces.  Amazingly modern face recognition software has confirmed that each of the 8,000 warriors is unique.  (For more on that and their construction, see this great public television documentary.)

Freshly unearthed warriors still have their original paint (Photo: in Chengdu, flickr)

The soldiers were originally painted, but as soon as they are unearthed the sensitive lacquer layers immediately begin to degrade leaving behind the bare terracotta statues we are so familiar with now.  The execution of 8,000+ life-like and unique brightly painted soldiers with their horses in an incredible accomplishment and an awesome work of art.

That Surprise Moment Standing in Front of a Painting

I could not believe the vitality and detail in the face of Canon Peale from Jan van Eyck’s “Madonna of Canon George van der Paele with Saints Donation and George”

There are also times when something I didn’t expect to be moving actually blew me away.  Some works of art have a presence that you can only appreciate in person.  Jan van Eyck’s The Madonna and Child with Canon van der Paele at the Groeningemuseum in Bruges was one of those pieces.  From the naturalistic details in the faces to the luminous colors, I just kept getting pulled back to the piece. (More on that here.)  Byzantine style art in situ also seems to have that effect on me too, whether in Greece or Cana, Israel.

So what works of art have inspired awe for you?

For the rest of the September ArtSmart Roundtable, see:

• Alexandra of ArtTrav – How to find art that inspires when you think you’ve seen it all
• Murissa of Wander Traveler – Travel in Art: Artists That Inspired My Destinations
• Jenna of This is My Happiness – Art That Inspires: The Story Behind the David
• Erin of A Sense of Place – coming soon!
• Ashley of No Onions Extra Pickles – coming soon!
• Pal & Lydian of Art Weekenders – coming soon!

And don’t forget to “like” our group on Facebook for art & travel news!

The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art-focused travel blogs to post on a common theme.  This month we are discussing Color.  Check out all the stories below!

As the old saying goes – “Clothes make the man.”  Nowhere is this more true than in Ancient Rome.  They had a purple dye so rare and so valuable that wearing it was reserved for the elite.  Eventually only the Emperor was allowed to wear full garments of this color, known as Tyrian purple.  So where did this precious color come from?  A sea snail native to Lebanon.

Emperor Justinian I wears a purple robe while his chief advisers have a broad stripe of purple in their garments. The Byzantines inherited the connection between purple and power.  This mosaic is from Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna (Photo)

Tyrian purple has with its own mythical origin story.  Supposedly Hercules’ dog was feasting on sea snails and returned to his master with a purple stained mouth.  This tale not only stressed the importance of the dye (by attributing its discovery more or less to the great Hercules) but has a grain of truth since it connects the color with the sea snail.

17th century German engraving of the spiny sea snail Murex brabdaris. (Photo)

The dye comes from the digestive gland of two shellfish native to Lebanon, hence why the color was named after the city of Tyre.  Each Thais haemastroma or Murex brandaris creature contains just one drop of the precious liquid.  It look approximately 250,000 shellfish to produce one fluid ounce of the dye [1].  It’s easy to imagine just how valuable this color was in ancient Rome.

A 1st century BCE Roman fresco depicting a procession of Roman elite clad in purple striped robes. (Photo)

In Republican Rome, wealthy men with more than 400,000 sesterces were inducted into a special class known as the equites.  One of the perks of being an equite was permission to wear a narrow Tyrian purple stripe in your robes.  Considering that the average Roman legionary was paid 900 sesterces per year, the equites could definitely afford this luxurious dye.

Women had a little more leeway to wear purple, as long as they could afford it. The cult initiate from the Villa of Mysteries fresco in Pompeii wears a purple robe throughout the ceremony. (Photo)

By Imperial Rome, only the Emperor was allowed to wear purple.  Even wearing imitation shades of purple made with cheaper materials resulted in punishment.  By now purple was synonymous with power and so only the Emperor had access to any shade of it.  This association of royalty and purple continued well into the Byzantine Empire.

“Vanitas”-style table top mosaic from Pompeii, c. 1st century CE.  Death has leveled the regal purple robe on the left with the crude beggar’s cloak on the right. National Archaeological Museum, Naples (Photo: Barbara McManus)

Tyrian purple was sought out not only for its brightness and hue but because the dye was color-fast and resisted fading.  The exact color could vary from scarlet to a blue-violet color depending on how it was prepared and fixed on the yarn. Around 78 C.E. Pliny wrote of it, “that precious color which gleam with the hue of a dark rose. ….  It brightens every garment and shares with gold the glory of the triumph.  For these reasons we must pardon the mad desire for purple.”[2]

6,6′-dibromoindigo which gives Tyrian purple its color. Half of this compound exists in the shellfish. Two molecules then react in the present of light an oxygen to give the final purple product. (Diagram)

Interestingly the fluid from the shellfish is initially clear but then oxidizes and reacts 2:1 with itself in the presence of air and sunlight.  As the reaction progresses, the material passes through the chromatic scale becoming yellow, green, blue and then finally purple.  The purple comes from the final compound, 6,6′-dibromoindigo, which has a long string of conjugated (i.e. alternating) double bonds.  The color transition we observe as the compound reacts comes from these double bonds falling into line to make a longer and longer chain.  The energy associated with this arrangement of bonds absorbs the wavelength of yellow light and reflects the complimentary purple wavelength of light which is what we observe.  Of course chemists didn’t realize what was actually happening until the great synthetic dye boom of the 19th century – a full 3500 years after the Phoenicians observed this color and began dying cloth.

The concept of purple and purple stripes to indicate power was picked up wholly by early Christian art as seen here in the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes from Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna featuring Jesus and the Apostles. (Photo)

Given the regal history of purple, you may want to add a little more of this color into your wardrobe.

References:

[1] Philip Ball, Bright Earth: Art and the Invention of Color.

[2] Pliny, Natural History, 9: 36.

For the rest of the October ArtSmart Roundtable, see:

• Pal & Lydian of Art Weekenders – The Dalínian Triangle: Salvador Dalí’s Universe in Catalonia
• Murissa of Wander Traveler – Top 5 Autumn Landscapes – coming soon!
• Jenna of This is My Happiness – Color & Art Exhibitions 2014-2015
• Alexandra of ArtTrav -
• Erin of A Sense of Place -
• Ashley of No Onions Extra Pickles -

And don’t forget to “like” our group on Facebook for art & travel news!

The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art-focused travel blogs to post on a common theme.  This month we are discussing Hidden Gems.  Check out all the stories below.  At the risk of being too literal, I’m bringing you a story of a “hidden gem” museum filled with gems!

Imperial Crown, Orb, and Scepter of Austria created between 1602-1615. (Photo: Michiel2005, flickr)

You don’t have to be an art or history focused traveler to appreciate real jewels.  There is something about gold and gemstones that just draws people in as we gaze at the glittering wealth, power, and beauty of these objects.  The most impressive collection of priceless jewelry that I’ve ever seen belonged to a real royal dynasty.  The House of Habsburg oversaw a massive and prosperous empire for roughly 800 years.  Sometimes lost in a city of fantastic art and architecture, you must visit the spectacular family jewels housed in the Imperial Treasury of Vienna.

“Portrait of Emperor Franz I of Austria” (cropped) by Friedrich von Amerling, 1832 showing the Emperor with the royal coronation regalia, crown and scepter. (Photo: Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien)

Already a dominant medieval house, the Habsburg Family began solidifying regional power and were ruling the Duchy of Austria by the 13th century.  Through careful marriages, they pulled in Burgundy and some German states.  Fredrick III, a calculating politician and ruler, was elected the Holy Roman Empire in 1440 which added the Kingdoms of Germany and Italy to the Habsburg holdings.  This title dates back to the Emperor Constantine and was the most powerful ruler of continental Europe.  Although only a quasi-hereditary position, the Habsburgs retailed control of the Holy Roman Empire (with one exception) and all their other municipalities until the 18th century.  Even after that, the Austrian Empire controlled much of Europe until World War I.

Royal coronation robes on display at the Imperial Treasury Vienna (Photo: Michiel2005, flickr)

I am absolutely fascinated by the Habsburg family.  A clan in which each generation was seemingly raised to rule, the House produced some very successful monarchs and interesting individuals.  Rather than engage in large-scale warfare, they expanded their empire and consolidated power through skillful and often incestuous marriages.  The effect of this royal inbreeding is very obvious in the later generations, especially in the Spanish Habsburg line.  Another element of holding on to their power was keeping up the extravagant material standards befitting their political importance.  The secular and religious objects of the Austrian Empire are now housed in the Imperial Treasure of Vienna, or the Kaiserliche Schatzkammer Wien.  Given these priceless pieces, the Austrian Empire was incredible.

Royal Treasures

The most captivating piece in the collection has got to be the Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire created in the early 11th century.  This piece is constructed of eight hinged panels which give it somewhat of a circular shape.  The cross piece going from the front to the back gives the crown gravitas as well as structural support.

Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire, 11th century (Photo: Wikimedia)

The crown is a rich orange-yellow color because it is made of 22 carat gold.  It is adorned with pearls, emeralds, sapphires, amethysts, and other precious gems.  The stones are just polished rather than cut which I think gives the crown a rough, ancient feeling and makes the crown even more valuable.  The gems are set into the crown with incredibly delicate gold bead work.

Four of the panels contain enameled scenes.  Below is the King David panel.  The banner in his hands reads “HONOR REGIS IVDICIVM DILIGIT” or “The renown king delights in doing justice” (Psalm 99:4).  King Solomon is also included in the crown which connects the Holy Roman Emperor to the great Biblical kings.

David panel from the Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire (Photo: Imperial Treasury Museum)

This ancient crown has made several appearances in the coronation paintings of later (and earlier) Holy Roman Emperors.  While Charlemagne ruled in the 8th century therefore before the crown was created, Albrecht Durer chose to depict him wearing this regalia in a 1512 portrait of this early Holy Roman Emperor.

“Emperor Charlemagne” by Albrecht Durer, 1512. Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg (Photo: Web Gallery of Art)

The Hapsberg Joseph I who ruled as Holy Roman Emperor from 1705 – 1711 is also depicted wearing the ancient crown.  While not reproduced perfectly, the Scepter, Orb and Crown on the table may be the Imperial Regalia of Austria shown at the beginning of this article.  Since the Holy Roman Emperor possessed many other kingdoms, each with their own set of regalia, there have always been numerous crowns in the Imperial Treasury.

“Joseph I Holy Roman Emperor”, unknown artist, Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna (Photo: Wikicommons)

Medieval society gave rise to chivalric orders which were functionally a public honor given to a loyal knight or lord as well as a social club and advisory team for the ruler.  The Habsburgs created and oversaw several orders.  Induction usually included a massive jeweled broach or a broad necklace to be worn at formal state events and a smaller piece for daily wear at court.

Since cousins and nephews of the ruling line were almost always inducted in a Order or two, the Treasury has beautiful examples of these jewels. For example, the Royal Star of the Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen below is about 4 inches tall and made of diamonds and emeralds.

The Royal Star of the Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen, approximately 1800-1850 (Photo: Andras Fulop, flickr)

Of course the Treasury also contains exquisite gifts given by contemporary powers to the Austrian rulers.  It was a long standing tradition for the Pope to bless a gold rose on the middle Sunday of Lent and give it as a public honor to a deserving person or group.  In 1819, Pope Pius VII chose to honor Carolina Augusta, the fourth wife of Emperor Franz I of Austria, with this rose.  However, one doesn’t just give a simple rose to the Habsbergs, even if it is gold.  Instead he sent an incredible golden arrangement of 13 roses, symbolizing Christ and the 12 apostles, in an ornate gold vase.  Executed with immense detail, all the surfaces of the petals, leaves and stems just glow under the museum lights.  I thought this was one of the most beautiful items in the treasury.

“Golden Rose” made by Giuseppe Spagna and Pietro Paolo Spagna, 1819

Religious Treasures

It was the Holy Roman Emperor after all, so there is an extensive collection of religious objects and bejeweled reliquaries befitting the Saintly objects they hold.  One early religious pieces is the Imperial Cross (or Das Reichskreuz).  Likely constructed in 1030, the wooden cross is covered in gold and polished gems.  The cross was made to hold several relics of Jesus’ crucifixion which have been removed and are displayed next to the cross today.  These relics include the Holy Lance which was first mentioned in the 10th century but has been fitted with a Roman nail in the tip which is contemporary to the life of Christ.  The other relic was wood from the True Cross which itself was encased in a 13th century holder.  Amazingly, this jeweled object was also the Emperor’s “travel cross” and accompanied him on voyages for daily mass.

Holy relics (from left to right): the Holy Lance, Austrian Imperial Cross, c. 1025 and Piece of the True Cross (Photo: Delkarm, flickr)

Another beautiful reliquary supposedly contains the crucifixion nail from Jesus’ right hand.  The almond-shaped holder held by two golden angels was created in the mid-17th century and made of gold, silver, enameling, emeralds, sapphires, topaz, amethyst, and other precious gems.  Legend says that Constantine found this nail and incorporated it into his helmet for the famous Battle of the Milvian Bridge.  It was then inherited by the Catholic Church.  One of the dark waxy objects tied to the nail inside the glass case is actually the seal of Pope Innocent II (1130-1143) which provides at least some provenance to the relic.

The “Kreuznagel – Reliquiar”, a mid-17th century reliquary for a crucifixion nail (Photo: Matthew Dailey, flickr)

The objects also tell us about the deep religious convictions of the House of Habsburg.  Empresses Eleanor Gonzaga of Mantua (1630-1686), wife of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III was a cultured Italian who promoted the arts in Vienna but was also a deeply devoted Catholic.  She had a broach made from a fragment of the True Cross owned by the Habsburgs.  When some of her private rooms caught fire in the Hofburg Palace, she escaped but it was feared that the broach was destroyed.  Amazingly she found it completely unharmed amid the charred debris.

A sternkreuzordensmonstranz or Monstrance of the Order of the Starry Cross, 1668, (Photo: Imperial Treasury Museum)

In honor of this miracle, she founded the “Order of the Starry Cross” as a devotional group exclusively for the highest ranking royal women.  These Archduchesses, Countesses, Princesses, and Empresses committed themselves to living a virtuous life, completing acts of charity, and to deep prayer and devotion to the Cross.  Eleanor Gonzaga had the monstrance (or relic holder) shown above constructed in 1668 to hold her miraculous wood pieces.  This nearly 2 foot tall piece is made of diamonds, garnets, green peridot, silver, gold foil, and other gems and served as the focal point for her daily prayer.  It’s a stunningly beautiful piece and amazing to think of this as a personal devotional item.

Visiting the the Schatzkammer

The Imperial Treasury is part of the Hofburg Palace complex in central Vienna.  Nearby one can visit the historical royal rooms of the Palace, the Habsburg family tombs, and the famous Spanish Riding School.  The Imperial Treasury is operated by the Vienna Art Museum, or Kunsthistorisches Museum, which is also nearby (and excellent).  For opening times and tickets, see the Treasury’s website.  This gorgeous and fascinating museum can be overlooked in a cit with amazing art and architecture, but it’s definitely a hidden gem… of gems.

Entrance to the Imperial Treasury from the courtyard of the Hofburg Palace.

For the rest of the November ArtSmart Roundtable, see:

• Ashley of No Onions, Extra Pickles – Discovering Contemporary Art in Roswell, New Mexico
• Pal & Lydian of Art Weekenders - A Hidden Treasure of Tolerance in Amsterdam’s Red Light District: Our Lord in The Attic
• Murissa of WanderTraveller - The Life of St Nicholas in Stained Glass at The Cluny, Paris
• Jenna of This is My Happiness - Away from the Crowds: 6 Lesser-Known Museums

And don’t forget to “like” our group on Facebook for art & travel news!

The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art-focused travel blogs to post on a common theme.  This month we are discussing Art and Nature.  Check out all the stories below!

One of my favorite William Morris designs, “Strawberry Thief,” 1883 (Photo: Victoria & Albert Museum)

Nature has inspired some of the most amazing art – from the representational, majestic landscapes of the Hudson River School to the stylized, curling flowers of the Art Nouveau.  A painted landscape was one way to bring the environment back into our homes.  The Arts & Crafts movement went one step further and sought to bring the beauty of nature inside and incorporate it into our furnishings and decorations.  No one did more to turn parlors into romantic gardens like the British designer William Morris.

The dining room of the Geffrye Museum, London features Morris wallpaper and chairs upholstered in Morris’ “Strawberry Thief” fabric. (Photo: Geffrye Museum, London)

The Western world was radically transformed in the 19th century.  In addition to the new booming urban centers, industrialization changed how people earned a living and introduced new, affordable factory-made products into the home.  As a backlash to this cheapening of labor and goods, some artists and critics expressed a desire to return to a more noble time when skilled crafts were celebrated which give rise to the Art & Craft movement.  While the advocates of this movement were later connected with political socialism, Art & Crafts was largely a design concept that sought out natural and pure motifs along with superior care and execution.

William Morris, “Leicester Wallpaper” (Photo: Victoria & Albert Museum)

The UK’s William Morris (1834 – 1896) emerged as one of the great Art & Crafts visionaries.  He was both a colleague and friend of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood which included Dante Gabriel Rossetti.  These artists rejected Renaissance formalism choosing to work with deep shadows offset with fine details for a magical, brooding effect.  Their subject matter and design motifs pulled from medieval and Shakespearean sources. These historical influences can be seen in Morris’ work as well, but he focused purely on the graphic design elements of this period without including the emotional and mythological themes that the Pre-Raphaelites embraced.

“Poppy Wreath” (1880) demonstrates how Morris designed his textiles by creating these detailed pen and watercolor block print mock-ups of a single repeating motif. (Photo: Victoria & Albert Museum)

As an interior designer, Morris focused on decorative arts.  He designed wallpaper, textiles, furniture, interior architectural elements, and stained glass windows.  To create these gorgeous patterns, Morris drew out a block design which would be repeated during production.  Wood block printing was used for the wallpapers and for some textiles.  Morris had to use modern, mechanized weaving for most of his fabrics but, true to his artisan philosophy, he only used natural dyes even though many synthetic colors were available in Victorian England.  This organic color scheme enhances the naturalism of Morris’ flowers, vines, and leaves.  Ultimately, Morris & Co. created over 600 fabric and wallpaper designs which are still popular today for their utilitarianism, harmonious graphic design, and profound ascetic appeal.

The Boucicaut Master, “Book of Hours: Miniature of the Annunciation”, Paris (photo) versus William Morris, “Tulip Wallpaper” from the Victoria & Albert Museum (photo)

I definitely see the influence of medieval art in Morris’ work.  There is a similar simplicity in the forms of flowers and greenery as I’ve tried to highlight above.  Manuscript painters of the Middle Ages often added accent lines of darken pigment to create depth and three-dimensionality.  Condensing this effect, Morris utilized bold outlines and deliberate accents.  His designs are also colorful and use contrasting colors like pink on a black background, or red on green.

William Morris’ “Wandle” textile (photo) versus a velvet from Renaissance Genoa (photo), both from the Victoria & Albert Museum

The Victoria & Albert Museums also points out an interesting similarity between a 16th century textile from Genoa in their collection and the “Wandle” pattern by Morris.  At the time this Renaissance velvet was acquired by the museum, Morris was helping select pieces for the institution to purchase.  The winding vine and rhythmic pattern of huge blooms has clearly influenced Morris’ fabric design.

William Morris, “Honeysuckle fabric” (Photo: Victoria & Albert Museum)

Perhaps William Morris captured a little more romance from the Pre-Raphaelites than I had originally given him credit for.  His designs have a lushness and vibrancy that truly change a room.  The vegetation is natural and dense but idealized which means that you get all the loveliness of a flowering garden without any of the bugs.

I love the beautiful contract of Morris’ twisting flower wallpaper and this simple Arts & Crafts cabinet. (Photo: Gridley + Graves, OldHouseOnline)

For the rest of the December ArtSmart Roundtable, see:

• Murissa of Wanderful Traveler – Reading Totem Poles & Their History in British Columbia
• Jenna of This is My Happiness – The Pazzi Chapel Restoration
• Pal & Lydian of Art Weekenders – coming soon!
• Ashley of No Onions, Extra Pickles – coming soon!

And don’t forget to “like” our group on Facebook for art & travel news!

The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art-focused travel blogs to post on a common theme.  This month we are discussing the 2015 Art Outlook.  Check out all the stories below!

If you’re like me, then you spend January contemplating where to go in the New Year.  Do you plan several small trips close to home, or is this the year of the big, adventure getaway?  While you think about that, let me try to tempt you with a few art pilgrimages options to see one of the greatest painters of Western Art – Vincent Van Gogh.  In honor of the 125th anniversary of his death this year, several superb museums in the Netherlands, Belgium, and France will be hosting events and exhibits celebrating his unique and visionary art.

(Left) Vincent Van Gogh – “Self-Portrait”, September 1889 (Musee D’Orsay, Paris); (Right) John Peter Russell – “Vincent van Gogh” 1886, believe to be the most realistic portrait of Van Gogh (Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam)

After contemplating becoming a teacher or a preacher, Vincent Van Gogh (1853 – 1890) finally decided at age 27 to become an artist.  In just ten years of active work, he created an extensive and exquisite catalog of paintings that continues to inspire viewers today.

Applying thick coats of paint and using short fluids brush strokes, even Van Gogh’s still life and landscape paintings appear to dance and swirl.  Obsessed with color, his paintings are bold, bright, and elegantly composed, balancing complimentary hues in a single canvas.  For as valuable as his pieces are today. Van Gogh was a commercial failure during his lifetime.

Van Gogh 2015 participating sites (Source)

While almost every international art museum has a piece by Van Gogh, there is something magical about seeing his paintings in their original environment.  Van Gogh 2015 seeks to tell the story of Vincent Van Gogh in the towns and areas where he lived and worked.  From the bleak winter fields of the Netherlands and Belgium, to the blinding fertility and color of Southern France, you can still find these places today.  Van Gogh’s genius was to see these landscapes and interpret them with emotion and vigor unmatched by any artist before or since.

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

Japanese art newly arrived in Europe influenced Vincent van Gogh’s “Almond Blossom,” 1890 (Van Gogh Museum)

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is the ultimate stop for anyone who wants to learn more about Vincent.  They have an extensive collection of his pieces but more importantly, they do an excellent job interweaving the art with biographical details, Van Gogh’s artistic influences, and analysis of his pieces.

I visited an abbreviated version of the museum in the Spring of 2013 while it was undergoing renovations and was really impressed.  I particularly like the galleries dedicated Van Gogh’s exploration of Japanese woodblock design elements.  Their innovative approach to teaching about art can also be experienced with the very cool interactive exhibits on their website.

A haunting painting, “Wheatfield with Crows” was Van Gogh’s last painting before committing suicide. (Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam)

The Van Gogh Museum will also be showing Munch : Van Gogh opening 25 Sept 2015 which is the first major exhibit comparing these two artists.  Given their innovative visual styles and psychological paintings, this should be an excellent addition to the Van Gogh 2015 celebration.

Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, Netherlands

Vincent Van Gogh – “Gebed voor de maaltijd (Prayer before meals)” 1882, pencil & watercolor, Kröller-Müller Museum.

The Kröller-Müller Museum has on display over 50 paintings and drawings by Van Gogh as well as works by his contemporaries to provide context and explore those artists which influenced him.  During the summer months (June to September), the museum will be hosting a food festival, a “Paint like Van Gogh” event, and music and theater performances inspired by Vincent.

Brabant Area, Netherlands

Vincent Van Gogh painted “Winter (The Vicarage Garden under Snow)” in Nuenen in 1885. (Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, CA).  You might be able to find these trees and fence there today.

Vincent grew up and later returned to live with his family in the Brabant province, specifically in the villages of Zundert, Tilburg, and Nuenen.  Today this area has several museums dedicated to the life of Vincent Van Gogh.  Here are some highlights from the 2015 festivities:

• The Van Gogh Village, Vincentre and Outdoor Museum, Nuenen will be sponsoring an outdoor painting festival May 17-18 so you can try to capture the same fields, objects, and buildings that van Gogh painted!
• The Vincent Van Gogh Huis in Zundert will be hosting an monthly artist-in-residence who will live and paint in Vincent’s childhood home.
• The Het Noordbrabants Museum will use their collection and interaction displays to explain Van Gogh’s artistic development.

Beaux-Arts Mons, Belgium

Vincent van Gogh’s famous image of peasant life “De Aardappeleters (The Potato Eaters)” (Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam).

Much of Van Gogh’s early work explored the peasant life he observed while living (1878-1880) in the Borinage area of Southern Belgium.  As part of their tenure as a 2015 European Capitol of Culture, the Fine Art Museum in Mons will be exhibiting pieces inspired by the region.  Additionally, two homes in nearby Cuesmes and Wasmes once occupied by van Gogh have also restored and opened to the public.

Southern France

“Harvest at La Crau (The Blue Cart)” painted in Arles, June 1888. (Van Gogh Museum)

While the van Gogh museums in Southern France are small, it’s worth visiting Arles and Saint-Rémy-de-Provence just for the ambiance.  Van Gogh only lived in year in each village but they inspired some of his most memorable paintings.  He envisioned the landscape in vivid complementary colors and often revisited the same scene painting multiple versions A true art pilgrimage would include walking through the olive tree groves, wheatfields, and churchyards that so moved Van Gogh.

More to explore…

To get all the details, check the Van Gogh Europe website or look for events in the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.

I hope you can make it to one or more of these exhibits and events.  You’ll no doubt find a greater appreciation for this dynamic artist. Plus, you never know who you might run into…

Le Tambourin is the cafe at the Van Gogh Museum. They tweeted this photo of a seemingly very familiar looking museum visitor…

For the rest of the January ArtSmart Roundtable, check out:

• Murissa of Wanderful Traveler – 2015 Outlook in Travel & Art
• Pal & Lydian of Art Weekenders – 2015 Must-See Art Exhibitions in The Netherlands
• Jenna of This is My Happiness – The Year Ahead: Art Exhibitions in 2015
• Alexandra of ArtTrav – Art exhibitions to see in Florence in 2015

And don’t forget to “like” our group on Facebook for art & travel news!

The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art-focused travel blogs to post on a common theme.  Something must be in the air this month because we’re discussing LOVE in art.  Check out all the stories below!

The Tomb of Maria Theresa & Francis I, Kaisergruft, Vienna. Despite his infidelity, Empress Maria Theresia of Austro-Hungary was deeply devoted to her husband Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor. She designed their dual tomb with portrait busts that would forever gaze at each other. (Photo: Gregg, flickr)

Romantic pursuit, courtship, and love in general whether between Gods and Goddesses, royals, or peasants, is a common theme in art history.  Universally appealing and understood, it crosses cultures and time periods.  While it’s interesting to infer attitudes from the images used, we have to extrapolate from these ideal pictures to see what “love” was like for everyday people.  Studying mortuary monuments are one little glimpse into these romantic relationships.  Some memorials are so personal and meaningful, we can’t help but feel the love these couples shared.

Adorable Etruscan Couples

A happy couple atop the “Sarcophagus of the Spouses”, Etruscan 520 BC, National Etruscan Museum, Rome, originally discovered in the necropolis of Cerveteri. (Photo: Wikicommons)

The Etruscans of ancient Italy often entombed their cremated dead in sarcophagi that featured a recumbent figure of the deceased on the lid.  These casual, charming depictions show the individual as if reclining for their own funeral banquet and in many cases smiling.  Now while the ancient Greeks downplayed the role of women in society and the Romans considered marriage mainly a social contract, Etruscan funerary art shows us a very different attitude about romantic relationships.

“Sarcophagus of the Spouses”, terracotta, 520-510 BC (Photo: Louvre)

It is common to find “couple tombs” in which the husband and wife are shown reclining together atop their shared sarcophagi.  Entwined for eternity, the man is shown with his arm around the woman pouring an offering of oil into her hands.  The Louvre in Paris and the National Etruscan Museum, Rome each have marvelous 6th century BC terracotta examples of this so called “Sarcophagus of the Spouses“.  Given that single male and female Etruscan tombs can also be found, I have to think that these couple tombs were specially chosen by their occupants or by surviving family who knew their relationship very well.

300 years later, these examples from the Museum of Fine Art in Boston show us that Etruscan Spouse Sarcophagus design has progressed significantly but that the sentiment is still the same. (left) Parents and (right) their son and his wife. (Photo: MFA Conservation)

The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has two later Etruscan spouse tombs (4-3th century BC) that, in addition to being more artistically sophisticated, show an even greater intimacy between these immortal couples.  Decoration along the sides of the tomb shown on the left above suggests that the husband died before the wife and he is now greeting her in the afterlife.  Atop the tomb, they are clasped tight but tender eternal embrace – even if their feet are sticking out from under the covers.  The tomb on the right belongs to this couple’s son who appears to have been just as lucky in love.  While the design appears to be very influenced by classical Greek art, the Etruscan concepts of male and female equality and of romantic love are very evident.

Widow First, Queen Second

Central canopy and statue from the Prince Albert Memorial, London. (Photo: JH Images.co.uk, flickr)

No era in history has ever been as overshadowed by the love and loss of a single relationship as England in the second half of the 19th century.  The premature death of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha at 42 years of age sent his wife Queen Victoria into a permanent state of mourning.  While she proved to be a powerful and decisive leader on her own, her 64 year reign was filled with constant visual reminders of her beloved Albert.

Prince Albert statue from his memorial in Kensington Park (Photo: WJPrior, flickr)

While there are numerous memorials to Prince Albert including those in Liverpool, Grimsby, and Manchester, the greatest monument Victoria commissioned in honor of her husband is the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens, London completed in 1871.  The outer parameter of the monument is marked by four large allegorical statue groupings each representing a continent.  The inner parameter around the canopy is decorated with four allegorical groupings presenting the industrial arts.  An ornate Gothic canopy shades a golden statue of Albert which rests on a large freize of poets and artists in the company of the Muses.

Asia grouping from the Prince Albert Memorial (Photo: Mark Ehr, flickr)

You could also argue that a better monument to his memory is actually the Royal Albert Hall which she also opened in 1871 and still hosts concerts and other performances just across the street from his beautiful neo-Gothic shrine.  Either way, Victoria made sure that her Albert was properly remembered.

The Prince Albert Memorial across the street from the Royal Albert Hall. (Photo: wikicommons)

Upon her death and per her instructions, Victoris’s body was dressed in white and adorned with her wedding veil.  She was interred beside Albert at Frogmore Estate beside Windsor Castle.  Victoria’s long life as a widow dressed in black was finally over and she returned as a bride to her Albert.

The Most Beautiful Monument to Love

The Taj Mahal in Agra, India. The massive tomb complex was completed in 1648.  It took another 5 years to complete the gardens. (Photo: Wikicommons)

One of the most beautiful structures in the world is also fitting a funerary monument inspired by love.  In 1631, Mumtaz Mahal, the third wife of the Shah died in childbirth.  Accord to legend, his hair turned completely white overnight from his grief.  In order to properly entomb his beloved wife, Shah Jahan, Maghal Emperor, commissioned the Taj Mahal which took 16 years to complete.

Close up on some of the outer details of the Taj Mahal showing the architectural elements. (Photo: Steve Evans, flickr)

As an hybrid of Persian Islamic architectural and Hindu decorative elements, the Taj Mahal represents the best of Mughal art.  The brilliant white marble stand out against the nearby red fort and red gate.  Fine inset floral patterns of semi-precious stone and carved plants enhance the luxury of the interior without distracting from the purity of the building design.

A carved flower detila from the interior of the Taj Mahal. (Photo: Maja, flickr)

The interior and exterior of the Taj Mahal is decroated with colorful flower inlays which use semi-precious stone. (Photo: Didi, flickr)

Inlaid stone and carved flowers from the interior of the Taj Mahal. (Photo: Wikicommons)

When you visit, it’s important to know that the elaborate tombs in the center of the structure are actually cenotaphs, or false tombs.  The bodies of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan lay quietly together in a rather unadorned crypt that is not open to visitors.

The actual tombs in the crypt of the Taj Mahal. (Photo: Wikicommons)

For the rest of the February ArtSmart Roundtable, check out:

• Alexandra of ArtTrav – Love and Sex in Italian Renaissance Art
• Murissa of Wanderful Traveler – Marrying the Sea, Venice’s Love of the Adriatic in Art

The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art-focused travel blogs to post on a common theme.  This month we are discussing Water!  Take a look at all the great stories at the bottom of the page.

The Zytglogge clock tower and a sculptural fountain in the historic center of Bern, Switzerland

So you already know that Bern is a beautiful city.  The well-preserved, historic center definitely earns this capital its UNESCO World Heritage designation.  But what I didn’t describe in detail last time were the incredible fountains.  These 16th century works of art add to the charm and atmosphere of the old town and are an integral part of the experience.

Fountains have always been a part of village life.

Medieval urban centers have always centered around fountains.  This public plumbing was essential for daily life and was visited by residents very frequently.  As a central gathering point, these fountains were places for news, gossip, business, and, very importantly, water.  Embellishing the fountains was a matter of civic pride and beautified the city.

The Knight Fountain just beside City Hall.

The eleven great fountain statues of Bern date to approximately 1542 – 1546.  This was a period of urban renewal and growth for the city.  Town leaders commissioned these statues which include allegorical figures, beloved warriors, and Biblical characters.  The figures were originally brightly painted and have been maintained in this state for centuries.  Located at the intersection of major streets or in squares, it is hard to miss these gorgeous fountains.

The Warrior Bear fountain is a tribute to the founding family of Bern (the House of Zähringen).

Mercenary, or Marksman Fountain comes with a hunting bear at the man’s feet.

The Samson Fountain recounts a scene from the Book of Judges in which Samson kills a lion.

The Justice Fountain – Note the portrait heads of a Pope, Sultan, Emperor, and Mayor at her feet.

The Anna Seiler Fountain was constructed to honor a 14th century noblewoman who provide for the construction of the first hospital in Bern in her Will.

The Ogre (or Child-Eater) Fountain is a strange sight just beside the tram station.  While there are several theories about the identity of this character, the net effect is to warn children to behave!

Messenger Fountain (Photo)

Moses Fountain (Photo)

Piper Fountain (Photo)

Of course not all the fountains have statues, but many of them are decorated.

Obelisk fountain on Kramgrasse

Capped by these impressive statues, the water spouts are simple by comparison but have their own entertaining flourishes.

Spout detail from the Ogre Fountain

Even the pedestals and lower sections of the statues are entertaining.  Details vary from the whimsical to the comical.

Bear with grapes detail from the Warrior Bear Fountain

Marching bears detail from the Ogre Fountain

The decorated fountains of old Bern were so unique.  I was captivated by their elegant Northern Renaissance design, playful subjects, and magnificent presence.  These statues must have been so important to the citizens of Bern and a great source of pride.  It’s one thing to draw your daily water from a city fountain; it’s something quite different and far more special to get this water from a fantastic work of art.

The decorative fountains really make Bern special.

For the rest of the August ArtSmart Roundtable, check out:

• Lizzie of Wanderarti – 7 of the Best Contemporary Art Galleries in Venice
• Murissa of Wanderful Traverler – Art As Seen From the Water
• Pal & Lydian of Art Weekenders – The Dutch and Water: A Complex Relationship

And don’t forget to like our ArtSmart Travel group on Facebook for art & travel news!

The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art-focused travel blogs to post on a common theme.  This month we are discussing Fashion!  Take a look at all the great stories at the bottom of the page.

A Monument to Peter the Great in Taganrog, Russia (Photo)

Peter the Great (1672 – 1725) is a legitimate candidate for the the Most Interesting Man in the World.  Physically impressive at 6 foot 8 inches tall, he disregarded his royal status and sought out hands-on experience with the military, international trade, and sailing technology.  Realizing this country needed an Atlantic shipping port, he planned and constructed St. Petersburg from absolutely nothing.  Peter I’s reign was a revolutionary time for Russia; he brought the nation from medieval neglect to the Age of Enlightenment.  Emblematic of the massive political and technological changes he made, Peter’s reforms included forcing Russians to completely update their wardrobe – which was not nearly as easy as it sounds.

Andrey Petrovich Ryabushkin – ”Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich at the session of the Boyar Duma” 1893, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. Though he lived from 1862-1904, Ryabushkin faithfully reproduced 17th century Russia in his genre painting.  For example, Tsar Mikhail shown here reigned from 1613-1645. (Image)

Russia of the 17th century had changed little over the last 600 years.  The Tsar was supported by a ruling class of nobles (or boyars) who gained their wealth largely at the expense of a massive, enslaved serf population.  This feudal system worked in concert with the powerful Orthodox church headed by the Patriarch.  Whether they were ready for them or not, Europe’s rapid advances in technology and trade finally brought outsiders to Russia in the 17th century.  At the time of Peter’s birth in 1672, there was a community of merchants and ambassadors from Germany, the Netherlands and the British Isles in Moscow.  Drawing the suspicion of local, these foreigners lived separately in their own neighborhood.

Swiss-born Franz Lefort came to Russia as a mercenary in the 1670’s. He eventually became one of Peter’s most trusted advisers. Here he is shown in a Russian costume (but with French wig and shoes) during Peter’s trip to the Netherlands. “Portrait of François Lefort” by Michiel van Musscher, 1698 (Image)

Peter’s mother Natalya, the future second wife of Tsar Alexis I, had been sent to Moscow by her family and was raised by a progressive, Western leaning boyar and his Scottish wife.  As a result of her education, Natalya ensured that Peter was taught mathematics, languages, history, and military strategy by imported European teachers.  Peter spent most of his youth pursing his interest in warfare technology, sailing, and shipbuilding, rather than actively co-ruling with his half-brother.

Pieter van der Werff “Portrait of Peter the Great”, 1690s, The Hermitage, St. Petersburg. Clearly painted before his study abroad, a young Peter is shown in Russian clothing. (Image)

Shortly after becoming sole Tsar in 1696, Peter took a surprising 18 month trip to the Netherlands and England.  He sought out and absorbed everything he could about Enlightenment science and technology.  Protected by a pseudonym, he even worked building ships for the Dutch East India company.  Forgoing the lavish royal accommodations prepared for him, Peter chose to live in a simple wooden house which can be visited today in Zaandam.

Peter playing cards with perhaps some friend from the shipyard. Unknown Dutch Artist, “Peter the Great in Holland”, 1690s, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. (Image)

After Peter’s impressive “internship” abroad, he brought back new tools, technologies, and ideas to rapidly bring Russia up to speed with the rest of the Western world.  More astutely though, Peter realized that Russia needed more than just technology, it needed a complete paradigm shift in its political and social structure if this modernization was going to be successful.

Satirical print in which a barber is going after the beard of an “Old Believer” during Peter’s reign. (Image)

The day Peter returned to Moscow in September 1698, a dozen or so top boyars, who had been running the country in Peter’s absence, came to meet him.  He thanked them, they talked, and then he immediately made them shave off their long beards.  The men stood in shock as each one was shaved.  Later that winter, Peter surprised guests at a banquet by announcing that all men had to be shaved right then and there.   Peter shocked guests at another event but cutting off the billowing sleeves of several boyars’ robes, joking that now they wouldn’t be dragging their clothes through their food.

Proof that you’d paid the Russian beard tax. (British Museum)

In January of 1700, Peter decreed that all boyars, government officials, and landowners could no longer wear Russian robes and had to wear Hungarian style caftans.  This was followed up by another decree in 1701 stating that men had to wear French or German styled clothing (i.e. waistcoat, breeches, gaiters, boots & hat) and that women had to wear petticoats, skirts, and bonnets.  If you were in traditional clothes (except for peasants), then you had to pay a tax to enter Moscow.  Men who wanted to keep their beards had to pay a significant tax and had to wear a metal proving they’d paid or else roving government barbers could shave them on the street.  Peter’s fashion reforms were swift, extreme, and met with a great deal of resistance.

Russian boyars in the 16th–17th centuries (Image)

Russian clothing at the time consisted of long robes, coats, and boots.  There was almost an Oriental look to this fashion that hearkened to the steppes of Asia and Russia’s distant past.  Because these items restricted movement, Peter though this fashion was entirely impractical.  Beards were also totally out of fashion in Europe and were equated with ignorance; Peter saw that Russians with their silly long beards were the butt of jokes in the Netherlands.  However, for Orthodox Russian, the beard was a symbol of piety and religious commitment.  Loosing their beards was a horror that many Russian men had trouble accepting.  They found back and were very willing to pay Peter’s beard taxes.  Unsurprisingly, non-religious Peter didn’t care and continued to force Western style clothing and manners on the nobles eventually even eliminating the beard tax option for everyone except the ordained.

A coat from the Official Dress Collection of Peter the Great, 1720s, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia (Image)

Ultimately the battle wasn’t just about clothing.  Fashion was a surrogate for the political and social structure of corrupt nobles and religious leaders.  Peter gave government positions to men who earned them through intelligence and merit, rather than to wealthy or important boyar families.  Clothing was an easy way to tell who was willing to evaluate new ideas.  Peter also fought against and disbanded the rebellious Streltsy, a order of Russian knights determined to maintain the feudal structure.  He also made the massively wealthy Orthodox Church pay for schools, hospitals, and supplies for the serfs.  Citing their Christian mission, he argued that the Church should be taking care of both the spiritual and physical well-being of their followers, rather than just profiting.

J.-M. Nattier , “Portrait of Peter the Great”, 1717 (Image)

Peter died at age 52.  During his reign, Russia built a Navy from scratch, became proactively engaged in international trade, won major battles against Sweden, reformed its political system, and opened itself to Enlightenment science and technology.  All of these sweeping changes can be attributed to one great man who brought his country from backward isolation to the modern world.  Peter both figuratively and literally, as we’ve seen from his fashion mandates, changed the look of Russia.

If you’re interested in Peter I or Catherine II (both of which are known as “the Great”), I definitely recommend Robert Massie’s biographies of these leaders!  Don’t let the length stop you, these are amazing books about two incredible people.

For the rest of the September ArtSmart Roundtable, check out:

• Lizzie of Wanderarti –Dismaland: The Fashionable Way to ‘Do’ An Art Show
• Murissa of Wanderful Traverler – The Fabulous Fashions of Milena Canonero
• Pal & Lydian of Art Weekenders –Fashion in The Netherlands – Exhibitions Fall/Winter 2015
• Alexandra of ArtTrav – The best and worst of Renaissance Fashion
• Jenna of This My Happiness – Why do Italians Always Look Good?

And don’t forget to like our ArtSmart Travel group on Facebook for art & travel news!