Art Encounter Blog #1

For my very first art Encounters blog, I have decided to select the Sculpture aspect of the Beginners Guide to the Humanities. I believe that throughout the readings we have come across and addressed numerous different examples of Sculptures, so I believe that it is only fitting to discuss this aspect in my very first Art Encounters Blog.


Through reading the assigned chapters and pages in the Beginners Guide, I have grown to better understand and relate to the idea of sculptures, and what it takes in order to thoroughly understand and embrace such pieces of art. You cannot look at the individual piece and see it as a solitary figure and judge it based on what you see. You need to be able to embrace the idea, the motivation and the process in which was taken to create such a symbol to society and history.


Not only should you take the opportunity to walk around and introduce yourself to the piece, but you should also take a better understanding of what went into the creation of this piece, what the sculptor's hands look like, what his building surface resembled, and what his motivation background may have been for the piece.


The sculptor of the piece is Gianlorenzo Bernini. The title of the piece is Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. It was created through the time period of 1646 though 1652. The location in which the sculpture was created in the same area as where he was completing the Bronze Baldachin over the altar in Saint Peter Basilica.


Finally, the sculpture that I decided to critique and elaborate upon, is the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.It was created by Gianlorenzo Bernini. The structure was created in 1646- 52. Saint Teresa was the Spanish Carmelite nun. She was well respected by the Catholic Church and was seen as one of the most charismatic saints. Ultimately, I think that this sculpture not only provided individuals back in that time period with the idea that there was some holiness and godly expression to the artistic output, but also a sense of profoundness and prophecy that accompanied it. 


In the end, the physical features and details of the sculpture are very flowing and with very detailed facial and cosmetic features. The shape is of two human bodies, one draped over the other almost in a god-like figure. I find it difficult to tell what the sculpture's color is but I would assume a marble texture. The lines of the piece are very smooth and contextual, giving the piece movement and the idea of space as the bodies are stretched length wise.

I think this sculpture is very beautiful and provides viewers from all backgrounds and age groups a feeling of ecstasy and godliness.

Concept Blog #1

As I have read over the instructions and the grading rubric, I think that this concept of posting your ideas to a blog might actually be kind of fun. I have never done this before, so if my blog looks different from everyone else's I apologize in advance.

Throughout time there have always been influential periods and events that shape the fabric of the world and society that we live in today. Through our readings, we have been exposed to ideas from the early Renaissance period, or as it is also known, the Baroque Ages (1600-1715). Throughout this time period, we were exposed to such individuals as William Shakespeare, Galileo, King James I, and Sir. Isaac Newton. We were also exposed to the ideas and accomplishments that they generated over their lives; poetry, inquisitions, theory of gravity. All of these individual accomplishments that many of these individuals we scrutinized for, are now building blocks to the society that we have forged ourselves around today. The life and society as we know it are simply further developments in a life of events and inventions that have already encompassed our development as a society over time.

As interesting as all of these events and historical accomplishments are, I personally have made a close connection and relation to one individual development that I believe has shaped societal norms and extremes in our society for the past thousands of years.

The building and construction of the Palace of Versailles has truly shaped the architectural world around us today. Many may say that Shakespeare, Galileo and Newton may have contributed more to society than simply the building of the monstrosity of a building. But if you take a closer look at the world and society we live in today, I believe that King Louis XIV greatly contributed to the idea that many people base their entire lives off today; bigger is always better. The building of the Palace of Versailles was one in which was based off the idea of expressing to the people of the world, just how majestic and powerful King Louis was at the time. His idea of wealth, power, and influence in the world was truly expressed by his building of the palace. “France was the envy and terror of Europe, its most powerful state and cultural center” (Rogers, P page 25), as deemed by the rest of the world.

In today’s society, this idea of greatness and superiority can still be witnessed by the massive construction projects of residential and business buildings in metropolitan areas, in addition to rural suburbs and residential communities around the world. The basis in which the majority of society bases their wealth and influence today, is through the car they drive, or the square footage that one house may have compared to another, less exclusive house in a poor location. King Louis XIV truly exemplified the meaning of lavish luxury, and sparing no expense. “The expense of the Palace was indeed a concern” (Rogers, P page 25), however, the building progress and the eventual finalization of the building was going to contribute to King Louis’ monarchy, and eventual legacy as a world ruler. Once again, this same justification can be seen in our world today.            

Not only has the world become status driven, but they have also lost the true understanding of what King Louis was trying to accomplish. His motivations as a King was to bring security and prosperity to his people by demonstrating that his people were safe, and were provided for. In today’s society however, people will see themselves go into bankruptcy before they stop spending money to provide themselves with a lifestyle they cannot afford. Ultimately, people today have found themselves trying to live a lavish lifestyle, without fully understanding the repercussions for their actions, and the misfortunes that could come from this.

In the end, society has greatly benefitted from the massive expansive building projects of King Louis XIV, and we to this day still witness the amazing structures and god-like buildings that are being created. These structures were not made in vane or stupidity, but through the belief that they have created one of the greatest structures in all of history. The Empire State Building, the Space Needle, the Great Wall of China, the Opera House in Sydney Australia; all of these individual buildings have a story and a possess a piece of history in them that the entire world has come to acknowledge and enjoy. We live in a society that may see and believe that bigger is always better, however the truth of the matter is, you can make something as small as a pen into something truly spectacular. All you need to do is have the right motivations, and a sense of self-gratitude, because ultimately when you think you have accomplished something that will live on forever, it just might.

Bibliography:

Rogers, Perry McAdow. The Human Spirit: Sources in the Western Humanities. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004. Print.

Yavapai Roughrider Website

www.goroughriders.com

The specific baseball website is as follows:
http://www.goroughriders.com/index.php/baseball