Holy Holy Holy.

   My parents and I went to England and Scotland back in 2008 for two weeks.  This is Dunfermline Abbey in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. As I was thinking of different things to write about for the blog I couldn't think of anything interesting that was connected to the last four chapters of the book that we have gone over.  Then I went through my pictures on the computer and came across these.  When I look at these photos, I think of the many churches we looked at during our time of Romanesque Art (meaning manner or style of the Romans) last week.  In the first picture here we have the main entrance. Though not as grand as the one seen the other day, this does give it a very strong entrance to the Abbey and gives that portal effect.  It does have a different type of archivolt but still has the same idea. What I like about this is the different columns and how they have the different capital styles.  You can see both the Corinthian style and the Ionic style.   

Looking at the above image you get to see the massive columns, in the side aisle of the Abbey.  You can get a better look at them on the bottom photo and get to see the chevron pillars.  One thing I wish I did differently with the above photo is to have more of the ceiling in the photo to see the ribbed groin vaulting. 

Then when you come down to this bottom photo you can see the very obvious transverse arches.  What I love about this is the people in it.  Having them in the image gives you an idea of the massiveness of the room. 
  The last few photos are just to give you a look at the outside of the building. 

   The back-story of this Abbey is that this is where the great King Robert the Bruce of Scotland is buried.   You might have seen Brave Heart the movie with Mel Gibson?  They portray William Wallace as the lead character in that movie, but as all movies go about historical figures, they have misinterpreted.  Robert the Bruce really did most everything in the movie, not William Wallace.  As the Scottish national hero, his name is carved at the top of the turret.  The sides which are seen say "Bruce" and "King". The other two sides say "Robert" and "The".  So, the whole saying is "King Robert the Bruce".

Breath of the Mountain

   So I guess you can see that I like using pieces that I'm familiar with and that I have a connection to.  This piece hangs in my family's dinning room.  We have hosted international students from around the world that come and study at the University of Delaware. As a host family we have the responsibility to help an international student learn English and to show them the history and culture of the American people in this area. Many of the students like to give us a gift from their country.   This is from a Chinese student my parents had back in 1983.   This is actually a woven silk piece. The bottom photo is of the writing that is on the right of the picture.  It translates to "On top of Yellow Mountain".


    As you can guess this is not a piece from the time that we talked about in class. This would be sold to tourists over in China.  The reason I picked this is that it reminds me of the brevity breath we finished talking about in class last Tuesday.  I love this piece because  of that brevity and the life of nature that it has in it.  With the way the mist goes through the mountain and the closeness with the sky, it just makes you feel like you could touch the heavens if you were there. When looking at this you can also get this sence of a deep feeling that lies beyond the mountain. Which I think is captured brilliantly in this.

It's all Greek.

     My older sister went to the University of Delaware for Art History. During her time there, she was able to take Art History I in Greece. All the pictures are from her trip. The top picture is of the top of a Corinthian Column from the Basilica of St. Titus. Pictured on the right, in Gortyn, Greece, are the remains of the basilica. It is believed that Titus was sent by Paul to go and minister to the people in Gortyn and that he preached in this building.   Archeologists have found, from the ruins, that the structures from Gortyn were comprised of different time periods such as Minoan, Hellenistic, and Roman buildings. 
  This other temple, on the left, is The Temple of Hephaestus. It was built around the same time as the Parthenon. In fact, on a side note, the Parthenon should be in the same kind of condition as this one, if it wasn't used as a Mosque, Church and an ammunition dump. This is one of the last complete surviving temples left.  It was still being used as a temple until at some point in the early christian era it was used as a church. Then in 1834 Otto I designated it to be used at a museum. In 1934 it was decommissioned as a museum and returned to it's status as a monument.  If you look close you will see that there are Doric Columns on the temple. 
   I find Greek architecture so interesting.  Especially the Corinthian columns. The intricacy of the carving they did is so fascinating and mesmerizing.  I have always, also, been interested in Greek history and art as well as their mythology.  It was thrilling getting to see the sculptures that were in the pediment of the Parthenon when I went to the British Museum in London.

Gods on papyrus

  So this piece!  This is a description of two Gods that is drawn on a peace of papyrus.  My great uncle, my mother's uncle, was a missionary in Egypt.  He brought this piece back and donated it to the church he then pastored. 

 

   With this hanging in the church for so many years, then taken down and finally being lost, and then my great uncle passing away we never heard the background on this piece. So when I decided to write about it I had to uncover it's mysteries!  I took the clues that are in it. With the headdress I figured that was Horus, second to the right. Then noticing the Ankh that the female is holding I figured that was a Goddess and found out that is Hathor. So with the help of Google I was able to find this and know what the story is about.  The man next to the Gods is King Hourmoheb who was the man that became Pharaoh after King Tut.  King Hourmoheb is portrayed here twice presenting liquids to the Gods.

  

   You also notice with Horus being the patron national god that he is wearing the crown that unites the Kingdoms.   There are three cartouches in the background signifying royalty.  Which also shows in the stances.   

I picked this piece because, besides the obvious sentimental value, Egypt has always fascinated me with the mummification process, the connections in the Bible, and of course their art.  What I love about their art is that they create everywhere and it's not just something simple.  Everything is very intricate and has a specific meaning.

I know how to work this

This is me letting you know that I know how to work the blog!  

I hope you enjoy my Cool Sckool Blog!