This sculpture was one that I was so looking forward to seeing. However this setting for this sculpture is one that is not ideal. It is part of a tomb for a former pope. This tomb is setting within a small church called San Pietro in Vincoli, meaning Peter in chains. St. Peters chains that he was freed from are located within this church as well.
However this sculpture is part of a tomb, and it is roped off to where you cannot get very close to the tomb. Also the lighting that the church has set up for this tomb is one that is not ideal. It creates a harsh light that just allows the sculpture to get lost within all the other marble. It was not the experience that I was hoping for. The church seemed to not like visitors coming into the church just to see the sculpture. I understand how frustrating it can be having tourist come into a church, and ruin a wonderful experience that someone might be having with their creator. However the tourist that are coming to experience this maculate sculpture want to have a spiritual experience. At least I do. Especially this sculpture is one that is very important to the christian, and jewish faiths. So I want to be able to go into a church and see a sculpture in its natural setting, and let it do what it was intended to do. This sculpture might have been created out of greed from a controversial Pope, however now it is used as a memory to what is taught in the old testament. It is one that is suppose to remind us christians that Moses stood in front of God, and when he came off the mountain he had a heavenly ora. Its suppose to remind us that the Israelites were traveling through the dessert for a very long time, and that these people God's people were resilient, and faithful. They had little bumps along the way, but they mad it to the promised land. This sculpture is suppose to encompass the idea of a manly leader that was not going to put up with any thing that was not God's plan for these people. This sculpture would do that, if it was in a little different setting. All in all I love this sculpture, just not the location, or the tomb that it is attached too.
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Details can make or break any situation, object, or building. Creating a very detailed schedule while you are on vacation can be troublesome. However, details when packing for a ten day trek through the woods can mean the difference in survival or not. The same goes for artwork; too many details and a piece can be over loaded, not enough detail, and a piece is bland and boring. However, this Sacrifice of Isaac piece that was done by Donatello, and ________ is one that has just enough detail. The detail is not over baring, and it is not too bland without the details.
Within this work there are many different Biblical details that you might not understand unless you have read the Bible story. These being that Moses is looking over his shoulder. This is the point in the story in which God provided a lamb, or ram to sacrifice instead of Isaac. This is most likely what Moses is looking at. Isaac is looking away towards the ground. Isaac is probably looking away out of fear, and not understanding what is happening. The next Biblical detail that has been added is the wood next to Isaac. This is important because this altar that Moses built was on top of a mountain. Usually the animal that is being sacrificed would carry the wood up the mountain, but in this case there was no animal. So Isaac carried the wood to the top of the mountain just like the animal that would have been sacrificed would have done. The details within the art work are spectacular. The first that I noticed was that one of Moses's sleeves is rolled up. It is super subtle, but kind of neat. The next detail I noticed was that the fabric in Moses's clothes is one that is wonderful and flowy. This cloth does not look like hard marble, but looks instead like soft fabric. The next detail is the one of Isaacs torso. While I was looking in the museum I thought it was one that somewhat resembled Donatello's David sculpture. However, referring back to that sculpture, there are a few similarities, but not a ton. This work is one that I enjoyed looking at in depth. ![]() You know that feeling that you get as a child on Christmas morning, and you just cannot wait any longer, and you just want to bust into your Christmas presents? This is the feeling I got at the Academia Gallery yesterday. This gallery houses Michelangelo’s David Sculpture, but it also has Michelangelo’s slave sculptures. Michelangelo is such a magnificent artist that his work is still debated about today! These slave sculptures split the art world in half! Some people say they are complete and some people think the are not. Regardless if they are or aren’t, if these sculptures do not move you, than you have not looked at them long enough! There are four slave sculptures, and a sculpture of Pieta and Jesus. The two that I found the most influential were the one of the slaves and the Pietra. The Pieta sculpture is one that Jesus is finished. Therefore, he has been buffed out, and has less, if not any chisel marks on him. However, the two Mary sculptures in the background are both not nearly as refined. It is just such a wonderful way to show the feeling that the two Mary’s might have been feeling, even though they knew that Jesus was there to save them! Also the sentiment for Jesus to be fully refunded, and close to glowing around the two women, is just a wonderful sight to see. Especially as a Christian! After the Academia Gallery, we walked through Brunesllesci's perfect Renaissance Piazza. After that, we went to the Bargello Gallery, and saw a few more of Michelangelo's sculptures. However Donatello's David sculptures, and Vecchio's David sculptures, where both within this Gallery as well. At the end of the day we got to experience the Santa Croce Basilica, and Museum. In all it was a wonderful day, except for it being a little rainy! Have you ever seen on TV about the Black Friday accidents that happen? Crowds so demanding, and impatience that is willing to literally plow over another human being to get to the item that is on sale. Sometimes in museums this is how it may feel. Especially if you are in the Vatican! With this being said, there are many other disadvantages to seeing art within a museum. Those being the tour groups take up a ton of space, and they think they own the place. Also, there are so many people that you cannot truly enjoy the artwork, especially if it is tough to make your way to the front to see the artwork up close. With all this being in mind, there are also many advantages to artwork being in one place. Simply the fact that it is convenient to have a lot of great works all in one place. It would be hard to find a lot of these works in one location where they were intended to be.
Although, sometimes I think that it is an injustice to move artwork out of its original location. Because location dictates what can be done with an artwork. Location controls how large a work can be, and it controls if there is a way to hang it on the wall or if it needs to be hung from the ceiling. There are so many factors that go into an artwork before the artist even starts to artwork. Also moving an artwork changes the meaning of it as well. For instance seeing Giotto's altar piece in the Uffitzi was so wonderful! However, if this altar piece would have still been in the church that it was created for, it would have been a totally different experience. You could see how the people appreciated the work instead of just how tour guides, and other patrons appreciated the work. Pompeii is a beautiful city even if it is only ruins. The city is one that would have been thriving back in the day. The marketplace was huge, there was two theaters, and an amphitheater. The amphitheater could hold 20,000 people at the time. Vacationing here back in the day would have had to have been a ton of fun!
Events that would happen here if one was vacationing would be: attending a play of sorts, enjoying the marketplace, taking part in public baths, and attending a gruesome execution at the amphitheater. However, if I was vacationing in Pompeii, I would do things a little differently. I would enjoy the marketplace, speaking to the older locals of the town, and learning as much as I could from them. Because why not learn something while you are vacationing! I would also take advantage of the gardens that are there in Pompeii, just enjoying the smell of the rosemary and lemons. I would also go outside of the city. The terrain around Pompeii is so mountainous that it would be a ton of fun to go hiking in the surrounding areas. Pompeii would have so much to offer any person who lived during this time. It is a beautiful city with many wonderful frescos. The architecture of the city is one that is immaculate. I am so glad that I got the opportunity to see the ruins of Pompeii. Today we travel through time; lots of times actually. We traveled through every historical timeline possible at the Vatican Museum. The museum is large, and so packed with artwork and people that it is hard to see everything. However, there were a few pieces that really spoke to me. Among those being the Laocoon group, a copy of Michelangelo's Pieta, and the Sistine Chapel. These pieces are ones that show movement, emotion, and power. The Laocoon group sculpture was one that I pushed my way to the front for. This sculpture is one of the Hellenistic movement. This movement is one that seems rather cheesy at times. However, with this three figure piece, you can see the figures working together to create a wonderful composition. The Sistine Chapel was an experience I had to take in twice; it was magnificent. On the way down to the Chapel, you pass many great art works of Dali, Matisse, and Van Gogh. So many wonderful artists, and than you finally make that last descent before you enter the chapel. Everyone within your group gets quiet, and boom! There is Michelangelo's magnificent Ceiling. Pictures do not do it justice. The colors that Michelangelo used were wonderful! He used a sea foam green in quite a few of the frescos to create the shading and highlights within the artworks. It is just wonderful to see, and so hard to describe the wonderful experience you have when you're in the chapel. This Chapel is completely packed with people. You have no personal space, and the guards are constantly reminding you to be quiet. However, when you are there, you are in a place where a group of like minded people gathered, to worship the one true God. All of the frescos were heavily researched prior to painting them. So Michelangelo, and so many other artists, dug deep into God's word to make sure every single detail within these frescos were perfect for the sake of the like minded people who gathered there. Seeing these frescos is spiritual experience. One that is very hard to explain, but so worth enduring a cattle drive of people twice to see. Below is Modern art that you see on your way to the Sistine Chapel. The oxford dictionary defines eternal as: 1. Lasting forever, 2. unchanging, and 3. used to emphasize expressions of admiration. "Eternal City," a city that lives forever, an unchanging city, a city of admiration and dedication? There is no better city to be called the Eternal City than Rome, Italy. Rome is a city that has lasted for centuries. The city is one that is still very classical and old in regards to the architecture. It is also a city that is dedicated to the Roman Catholic Church. Many cities try to take the name of the eternal city, but none can surpass Rome. Rome has existed for centuries with the myth of how the city was founded of Romulus and Remus. The city was founded in 753 B.C. by these two brothers. The story of Romulus and Remus is one the Romans hold dear. You can read about their story here below. The founding of Rome created a central hub of misfits at first. People who did not fit in well, or people who were initiative thinkers. With this in mind, I think this created a wonderful foundation for a powerhouse of a city to erupt. Having a group of people who think differently than the norm would create wonderful new out of the box ideas, which would take the entire world to the next level of thinking. With this foundation, Rome has ran with any wonderfully different idea. However, the culture has also created an environment for high expectations as well. Doing what might seem to be the impossible, and making it probable has happened many of times within this culture. This city is one that has always clung to the idea that you can learn from other cultures, or the past of their own. With this idea, the city of Rome is one that is rapidly unchanging. Rome use to be a empire that was known for aspiring new things. However, these new things were only new because someone excessively studied the people before them to make sure that this new thing would be different, yet better. You can see this evidenced all the time in Rome. Walking down the streets, there are many different domes that you will see, and so many arches. This is because the city is one that is constantly trying to improve, but holds tight to its history and heritage. Last but not least, this is a city that is dedicated to Christ Jesus. Rome is the place where the Vatican City is also located. This is the city where the Bishop of Rome, the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church resides. Beyond that, there is a church on every street corner it seems. The churches are beautiful, and taken very good care of. Beyond the churches, a lot of the artwork that exists today are Christian works, and this is most likely due to the fact that the churches have preserved the artwork. However, the art that is the most taken care of seems to be the Christian works. With that being said, these works have been of some importance to the Roman people.
Rome is the eternal city for a myriad of reasons. Rome has been in existence since 753 B.C. The city is one that holds on to its heritage, and learns from it. It is also one that relies on God. With this being said, the Romans have been critical thinkers, had high expectations, and have been very adaptable. Those attributes are why Rome has been so resilient, and can be called the eternal city. ![]() This culture is different in many ways. However, for myself, being from Southern Appalachia, it is quite different. The pace is much faster, the cars have little courtesy, and the crowds are huge. Even with all of the crazy hustle and bustle, THIS IS STILL ROME! A place where Paul the Apostle walked, a place where Constantine legalized Christianity, and is now home to The Vatican. This is Rome! The next thing that widely differs from Southern Appalachia, is the amount of history within the area. Southern Appalachia is extremely proud of its history. They preserve it, turn it into a state park, or rope it off so people can see if forever. However, the amount of things that could be considered historical is quite small compared to Rome. Here in Rome it seems that everything you touch is historical. There will just be piles of rocks laying in the middle of a court yard, and it is the foundation of an ancient structure. These structures, buildings, and roads are all ones that have tiny bits of history that go back hundreds and thousands of years. Something that I am unaccustomed to. Yet another thing that has been different from Southern Appalachia is the crowds. There are so many people here! However, these crowds do not mind to get in your personal space. My group and I stopped for Gelato at a tiny shop. However, that shop was completely full of people. When I say completely full, I mean every single person in the shop was being touched by another person, simply because there was not enough room for everyone to stand. Now I understand why in America we have fire codes, and only so many people are allowed within certain spaces. The last cultural difference is not so different at all from Southern Appalachia. That is it seems as if there is a church on every street corner. However, these churches are huge and very elaborate compared to all of our small Protestant churches. There are many Baroque style churches within Rome. These churches are completely filled with wonderful art on every inch of the structures. It is magnificent. With myself being a protestant Christian, studying these churches during the class, I thought that these churches would seem distracting. I now believe I was wrong. Walking through these churches is spiritual experience. Seeing the biblical iconography everywhere in such beautiful light is just amazing. Even though there are so many differences from Southern Appalachia, these are just the primary differences that seemed to catch my eye while in my first day of Rome. |
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April 2021
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