Virgin and Child

 

There are many pieces of art showing the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus. This one is my favorite from what I have recently seen. This statue is silver-gilt and happens to have been donated to the abbey church of Saint-Denis by Queen Jeanne d' Évreux, the same queen who put her Book of Hours in her will.

It looks so much more realistic than many of the other similar figures. For one thing, Mary has a natural pose, shifting her weight to her left side while carrying Jesus in her left arm, called a Gothic S-curve, how most women carry their babies. Mary also looks so calm and peaceful, even though in her right hand she is carrying a fleur-de-lis to show that she is royalty. I love the flowing detail of her dress; it makes it look so real. 

In this statue, baby Jesus looks much more like an infant; in many other paintings and sculptures of Mary and Jesus, baby Jesus almost always looks like a small, grown man. I like how Jesus is reaching for his mother and is active, as a real baby would be; I enjoy the interaction between mother and son. In his left hand, Jesus is holding an apple to refer to his role as the New Adam who is sacrificed on the cross to forgive our sin, starting with Eve's and Adam's eating of the forbidden fruit.

On the base that Mary is standing on, there are little statues of prophets and 14 scenes from Christ's infancy and passion to remind us of his suffering to come.

An amazing piece. I wouldn't mind having one of these in my home!  :)

Pelican Figurehead

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I like this piece because it is of a pelican. LOL I like pelicans...they are from Florida, JUST LIKE ME!!!  =)  I think they are really neat birds too!

This Pelican figurehead, which is carved of wood and is painted in several colors, was found in Key Marco, Florida in 1895, along with other wooden carvings.The head, neck, and breast were found still attached, and the spread-out wings were found close by. Archaeologists believe that the figures found may have been attached to ceremonial furniture or posts.

I am surprised that what is there is still in that one piece; it is made of wood and was found in a swamp.

This kind of makes me want to go to Key Marco sometime; I once lived in Key Largo and I've gone all the way down to Key West (the lowest Key), but I've never actually been around the area and I am not even sure where the exact location is.

These figures that were found in this area are representations of animals that actually live(d) in this area. The pelican would make perfect sense. Even if I had never been to southern Florida, I could probably guess that with pelicans around, there were probably beaches and palm trees and tropical weather.

David the Psalmist

This is a really beautiful piece! I love all the colors included in it and how the entire painting is covered. I like how David is playing the harp, and he is the one  who wrote most of the Psalms in the Bible (which were meant to be sung). Maybe he is writing a psalm in this piece. Also, how the music calms the animals. : ) One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 121; I wonder if he wrote that one.

What puzzles me though is why the two imaginary figures, Melody, to the right of David, and Echo, peeking from behind the column, would be in a Christian painting. Also, how does the boy to the right in the foreground represent Mount Bethlehem? Anyone have any ideas?

Greece!!! The Beauty of the Acropolis

I love Greece! <3 Maybe that's just because I am Greek, lol. I love learning about it's history, the mythology, their gods and goddesses, and of course, the art! There are a lot of Greek pieces I admire, but what strikes me the most is the beauty of the Acropolis.

This temple was constructed for the goddess Athena, daughter of Zeus and Hera, and goddess of love, wisdom, courage, warfare, strength, justice, and skill. In about 490 BC, work on the temple began. Only 10 years passed when the Persians attacked and the temple remained unfinished. Of course damage was done, so the Greek architects had to rebuild; they were ordered to design a larger temple using the existing foundation and stone elements.

The Parthenon was built so proportionally; the columns swell and tilt with a curve upward stlightly from the bottom up so that if you look up from the bottom, it looks perfectly straight. Also, the corner columns and their next-door neigbor columns at all four corners were built closer together for stability.

And of course there are statues of gods and goddesses inside the temple, though many with missing pieces.

Knowing the history of any piece of art makes it more appreciating, and of course beauty helps too. I think the Parthenon is the epitome of a work of art: Meaning, hard work, and a passionate history. I would love to go to Greece and see this some day, along with many other works of art. I was there once when I was very young, much too young to remember any part of the trip, but I'm sure my Thia Nikki and Thio Stabros would have no problem with me paying a visit. =)  OPA!!!

!Hola!

Hi, I'm Tiffany. I'm in this Art History class that is required for my elementary education major. This is my first blog.