Snow Day!

Nashville loves its snow. That’s why whenever they even get a hint of a mixed flurry, all schools shut down. Recently, we had a catastrophe in the eyes of most Nashville citizens, a whole…. inch…. of snow. Well of course this means that there’s no possible way for me to get out of the house and out into civilization. So what did I do with my day off of school? I read my art history textbook for five hours! Two chapters and 16 pages of notes later, I was finished with 300 years of art history. Through my five-hour trudge through the difficult realm of the history of art, I became enlightened by the works of Van Eyck and Weyden while my friends were ruining their brain cells by playing in the snow. Through all of this enlightenment, my favorite piece of art was the Les Trés Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (The Very Sumptuous Hours of the Duke of Berry).

A book of hours is a book used for reciting prayers. It usually consisted of things such as an illustrated calendar, penitential Psalms, and devotional prayers. The most famous part about this book of hours is its calendar that represents the 12 months with alternating scenes of nobility and peasantry and seasonal tasks. January shows the Duke at a dinner festival, almost appearing Godlike because of the fire that illuminates as a halo around his head. October depicts the labors of a sower, harrower, and washerwoman. Instead of being unhappy about their work though, they seem happy to be doing such work for the Duke. This book of hours shows an increased interest in naturalism as well as narrowing the gap between the integration of religious and secular themes.

My main attraction to this piece of art is how much work was put into something for one person. These incredibly detailed pictures were put together all for the personal use of the Duke. It’s also interesting that this book of hours portrays the donor in such a high light. I guess the Duke needed his self-confidence boosted? Nevertheless, I love the concept of this exquisite book that is used for one’s own personal and private prayers and I wish that I could see what the pictures that go with the other 10 months look like.

Dave Matthews

Anyone that knows me well is very aware of my obsession with Dave Matthews. I can probably name every album and every song on the spot without any help. It’s a sickness, I know. Last time I counted I was able to play 43 Dave Matthews songs on guitar. Nevertheless, the point is… I recently found out that Dave is also a talented artist as well. I was browsing around at guitar center last week and found a signature Dave Matthews Taylor 914ce that I played for probably nearly an hour. The neck had an intricate design done by Dave in honor of Leroi Moore, who was the saxophonist for the band before he passed in 2008. Through further investigation, I found more piece of art done by Dave Matthews.

My favorite is definitely the cover art for DMB’s most recent CD, Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King. The work depicts a large festival going on in downtown New Orleans. It is very Mardi Gras-ish with the people on top of the float wearing masks and many people in the crowd wearing beads. This Mardi Gras theme is also continued with the use of much purple and green throughout the drawing. My favorite part about the piece is the gigantic face of Leroi Moore plastered right in the center with “The Groogrux King” (a nickname given to him by the band) pieced around it. If you’re a DMB nerd like myself and have caught yourself watching concerts on DVD in your bed at night, you can see the personality of Leroi coming out through this drawn face. Intense and always having a good time was the way that he spent his time on stage.

I was very surprised when I found out this unknown talent of Dave Matthews, unknown to me at least. I’ve always just thought of him as a man that puts down all his thoughts on paper and then puts on the best concerts you will ever see. It’s cool to see a second way in which he lets his emotions out. In a way, it makes me want to become an artist as well. I think I’ll pass though. I can’t urge on this obsession any further than it has already gotten. I think I’ll just stick to learning all of his songs on guitar.

The Floor Scrapers

I recently visited the Frist Center for the Visual Arts to hear an art lecture on impressionism, which actually ended up being an hour-long talk about how fashion influenced the paintings of those times. Not very interesting to me… but… informative. The best thing that came out of the night was getting to actually see the impressionist paintings that the Frist had to display. With nearly a 100 paintings by Monet, Manet, Renoir, Pissarro, Morisot, etc… the one that caught my eye the most was an exquisite piece of work by Gustave Caillebotte entitled “The Floor Scraper.”

Caillebotte was inspired by laborers working on his home to begin working on this piece of art that portrays three men scraping up the wood off of a hard wood floor. The accurate portrayal of the men’s muscles and torsos along with the depiction of the working class during this time period show that Gustave was a realist. His primary focus in his artwork was to show things as they would really be seen in the real world. What attracted me to this painting while walking through the exhibit was not the accurate depiction of the people though, but how Gustave is able to paint the scraps of wood that have already been torn up. It is almost as if you can see each individual scrap among the hundreds that are piled upon each other. The pristine detail in this painting truly makes it a masterpiece.

It amazes me how people are able to paint things that look so realistic. As I walked through the hallways of paintings that night, I had to look closely at some of them to make sure they were not actually photographs. The fine detail that is put in to these pieces of art makes them appear as if you are staring at real life. Some of the paintings are so overtly large that it makes me wonder just how long the artist spent on it to get it finished. I know that I would have nowhere near a sufficient amount of patience to be an artist. Nevertheless, I recommend everyone go down to the First Center to partake in the joy that I found while looking through all of these paintings. No one will be disappointed with what they see.

Day After Day

Music is art right? I would say so. Music has the ability to paint a picture in the mind of the listener similar to that of an artwork and even bring out the same emotions that a beautiful piece of art by Manet might be able to (recently I was so taken by Manet's art that I was yelled at by a crazy Russian woman for getting too close to one of his paintings). Anyways... the following is a song that I just spent the last two hours working on instead of doing homework like a good student would do. My dad was telling me earlier about how Nancy Pelosi likes to fly around in a 200 person private jet instead of flying like us normal people do. Whether that is actually true or it is just my dad's extreme conservative mindset at play, it definitely got me thinking. I thought I'd write a song about American wealth/greed/selfishness/etc.... So... here it is.

Day After Day

How can we live in so much vain?
Stumble over these losses, treasures taken away
Living only for material things
Taking all that we can, leave the rest to wait and pray

Cause the land of the blessed has become the land of myself
Tied up in our possessions, looking only for the help
Of false love that lies within and tears at the health
Of you, me, she, he, and everyone else
Oh you tell me you care and you tell me you’ll help
But we only wait for the love of somebody else
Don’t sell yourself for gold cause it all will just pass
Be happy from what you gain and don’t ever look back
Cause what we take from the earth in the end will just fade
But what we give back to others will live on day after day

So how will this world move on?
When one by one selfish love grows strong
And now that we’ve come this far
Even the best of the best are just holdin’ on
Its not this world, its this way that we live
But it seems the more that we try the worse that it gets
So we wait
For real love to be reborn

Take all that you have and embed it in glass
Find false comfort in hiding and let the guilt run right past
But we can all see its there, so what will you say
That you’re saving up your grace to share another day
Well what reward does that give you? Lonely is all that you’ll be
It’ll kick in like a bullet no matter how hard you don’t want to believe
Well maybe if we could switch lives for a day
Then we’d really find out what we want our lives to say
Well I’ll be sorry if I’m wrong, but we all want the same
For our love to shine bright and live on day after day

Chorus

Well for the love of God, lets find His love
Send out to the world what we took from above
Tell them were sorry for the wait, loves train was on delay
But now that she has made it, she’ll live on day after day
Repeat x1

End on Chorus

College!

I recently visited Rhodes College (a prospective college of mine) in order to get some closure on this hell they call the college search process. When I first stepped on the campus last summer, I immediately fell in love with the beautiful architecture the buildings display. Ironically, this type of architecture is the same that we are studying in my Art History class right now. Gothic. From stained glass windows to rib vaults with pointed arches, Rhodes wholeheartedly embodies the Gothic design. The best example of this can be found in the dining hall. Clerestory windows line the ceilings, letting light illuminate the room in ways similar to Amiens Cathedral and pointed arches hang over the front entrance, providing students with a beautiful sight before they head off to lunch.

The architecture stays consistent from building to building. The dormitories use the same exact stones that the library uses (which is quite an accomplishment considering these were built 100 years apart from each other and apparently the stones are still taken from the same quarry) and the science building uses the same stones as the humanities building. In a way, Rhodes could be called a Gothic enthusiast's paradise. Walking around the campus makes you feel like you are walking through a great cathedral in Europe. I definitely can see myself spending the next four years of my life there. That granted, there are about nine other schools that I can see myself spending the next four years of my life at. This is the hell that they call the college search process.

Tiger's Fate

Recently in my Art History class, my ever-so-talented, fantastically brilliant teacher (David Lovell), tasked us with the daunting assignment of creating our own tympanums. With my creative engine rumbling, I scribbled out a piece of art portraying the final judgment of Tiger Woods and his many mistresses. Tiger Woods sits at the center of the tympanum, flanked by his mistresses to the right and his family to the left. To stick to the religious theme of Romanesque tympanums, the mistresses are being pulled to hell, his family is ready to enter heaven, and Tiger Woods is torn between the two. Inappropriate? Probably yes, but still funny (I think). People could probably care less about a piece of art my incredibly inartistic fingers put together though. So let’s talk about the piece of work I loosely stole inspiration from.

The west tympanum of Saint- Lazare (better known as the Last Judgment) was constructed by Gislebertus. Commissioned by Étienne de Badge, his desire was for Gislebertus was to create a tympanum that portrayed the dramatic last judgment of Christ. Christ sits at the center of this wonderful work of art, flanked to the right by the many non-Christians of the world with the morally decent people to the left. As one might expect, the non-Christians are being dragged to the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth and the Christians to left are about to be walking on streets of gold. In the lintel at the bottom of the tympanum, Gislebertus places people that begin to get less and less happy as you look from left to right. One person near the right edge of the lintel is being pulled to hell by the menacing arms of a demon while another near the top right edge of the tympanum is being dragged through the air by an evil “hell bird”(?). These are two aspects that I stole for my own tympanum. Another interesting intricacy in Gislebertus’ tympanum is the image of angels and demons using scales to weigh the souls of humans. This might be the most well known aspect of this tympanum.

Most people tend think that this tympanum was used to garner up fear in the stomachs of people as they saw it on their way to service. I’m hoping that this is the same effect my tympanum has on its viewers. I was going for the “don’t have affairs with hundreds of woman and think you won’t get caught” illusion. Probably not the most meaningful lesson for high school students, but hey, it works for me.

Ben's Golden Age

It was third grade, sitting through one of Mrs. Riddle’s long addition and subtraction lectures that I first talked to my ever-so-lovely girlfriend of three weeks, Noel Bautista. Never had I been so in love. As I sit here scrimmaging through my Art History textbook, my mind is sent back to the golden days of Ben Carnes’ dating life by the name of una iglesia de Espana- San Juan Bautista. Almost comparable in beauty to my third-grade girlfriend, San Juan Bautista takes inspiration from the Basilican planned-churches that came into popularity in the second century. Erected by King Recceswinth in 661, the church combines this Basilican plan with the use of multiple square apses. It also takes inspiration from the Islamic Great Mosque of Córdoba by incorporating horseshoe arches into its design.

Upon first glance, my immediate thought was that the church looked like something that could be found on an old abandoned farm in the rolling hills of Tennessee. The stonework and overall design of the church seem like familiar qualities of buildings that I have seen on weekend hikes with my friends. The church itself does not remind me of a church at all though (even churches that are commonly known to have been from this time period). Its small scale and rugged stonework make it unique among Early Medieval churches.

After a closer look at the church, the Spanish influence is incredibly evident in its ceilings. The ceilings remind of those of the buildings of Pepperdine University (a possible college choice of mine), whose buildings are influenced by Spanish architecture. Ironically, both the church and Pepperdine University obviously hold to their Christian roots. All in all, I find the overall architecture of San Juan Bautista breathtakingly beautiful. I have always had an interest in old and rugged buildings (which I guess explains my crush on my 6th grade teacher Mrs. Harwell). Hopefully my dating life will return back to its incredibly active, always got a girl at my side lifestyle. Until then, I’m stuck looking at pictures of pretty churches.

Carnton Plantation

When most people think of art, their minds immediately jump to famous paintings or sculptures that have caught their eye at some point in time. Many people forget that buildings are a form of art as well. They must be planned out precisely and then executed perfectly, just like any painting or sculpture. One of the most beautiful (in my opinion) houses in the picturesque town of Franklin, Tennessee is the historic Carnton Plantation. To my luck, I get to live directly next to this astounding house that is filled with history from the civil war. Seeing the red and white brick house as I approach my own house everyday is a sight that will live with me for many years.

Carnton Plantation was initially constructed in 1815 by Randal McGavock, who designed the building to reflect the Federal style of many American buildings in this time period. No offense to anyone who is drawn towards this style of house, but I tend to find it slightly boring. The houses are so well proportioned and balanced that it makes the house almost look plain. This is not to say that these houses are ugly by any stretch of the imagination, but when one compares the Federal style to the Greek Revival style of the Carnton Plantation we know today, it is easy to see the new beauty the renovation adds to the house. It was in 1843 when the son of Randal, John McGavock, decided to renovate the house in this new style. He did this by adding a two-story Greek Revival portico to the front of the house and a two-story porch to the rear house. This is the way the house stands today. The columns on the rear porch are very similar to the Doric columns of Ancient Greece while the arch above the front door on the front portico is similar to that of the Ancient Romans. The combination of these two eras of art along with the overall American design of the building gives Carnton Plantation a vast range of inspirations and a unique position in the overall realm of architecture.

Carnton Plantation gains its famous history from the Civil War in which it acted as a hospital for wounded soldiers. Because of its well-known history as a hospital, Carnton is known for being one of the most haunted houses in the South. Ever since I moved into my recent house I have wanted to take one the haunted night tours of the house, but I have never gained up the courage to attend one of these outings. Nevertheless, I highly recommend anyone that is ever visiting Franklin, Tennessee to visit this historic plantation. It will not be a disappointment.

Colored Pencil on Bristol (Clare Coyle Taylor)

November 10, 2006, drawn by Clare Coyle Taylor, is an abstract drawing that is a little overwhelming when first looked at it. It is filled with geometric shapes such as triangles, squares, and rectangles, all of which add to the overall confusion the art portrays. Colors like orange, blue, green, purple, yellow, and red fill the shapes in order to give the art a vibrant and energetic feel. Throughout most of the drawing, the brighter colors tend to appear along the edges of the bristol while the darker colors tend to congregate in the middle. Some of the colors even break outside of the square artwork, making it look as if a child had scribbled away around the edges of the drawing. Throughout all this mess though, the drawing maintains an elaborate beauty from top to bottom. Even though the shapes and colors are placed randomly, it still seems as if they have been thoughtfully placed in their positions.

When first looking at the drawing, it is very hard to determine what the art is trying to portray. What possibly could come out of such a confusing mess? In abstract art, what the art portrays will be different for everyone. The bewilderment that abstract art incurs upon the viewers makes it so that each and every person will be able to take something different away the art. As I look at this drawing, I see someone that is confused yet happy at the same time. The bright colors portray Coyle's joyous mood, but their random placement among the geometric shapes show her confusion as she looks at her life.

The Fisherman's House

The Fisherman’s House, by Claude Monet, is a relatively small oil on canvas painting, measuring at only 60 cm by 78 cm. Although this size may seem disappointing to an onlooker, the size of the painting only adds to the already simple nature of the artwork. Situated near the rocky cliffs of Varengeville in northern France, Monet takes the observer to the edge of a tranquil sea. With the serene, calm waters the painting depicts, one might be reminded of the completely still, early morning waters of a lake, where not one crest of a wave can be found.

The painting itself can be divided into two halves: the lower left half and the top right half, both depicting opposite ends of nature’s spectrum. Starting from the lower left corner, the painting makes its way to the middle, losing itself in hills and weeds along the way. Many different types of lines help accomplish this. Small and medium length straight lines give the impression of weeds and bushes while long, rolling, and curving lines give the impression of hills and drop-offs. Pigments of green, white, yellow, brown, black, and blue mix together to form a landscape that is bewildering and complex, yet beautiful at the same time. A rolling line starting near the top left corner and extending to the bottom right helps portray the effect of the end of the cliff, right before it drops down into the water. Also helping separate the two halves of the artwork is a brown cottage with a red tinted roof near the left edge of the painting and what appears to be the grey and black hue of a rocky cliff near the right edge of the painting. The cottage is the only geometric design in the painting with a square base, triangular roof, and two rectangular chimneys.

The top right half of the painting depicts the still waters of the sea that lie below the cliff. The water maintains a murky blue throughout, but as it gets closer to the cliff, it begins to accumulate a green undertone that represents the shallow waters at that point. Moving farther away from the cliff the water becomes bluer, making home to what appears to be three white ships. Looking at the top portion of the painting, the viewer can see the morning fog that rises above the waters. Circular strokes in a darker hue of gray add thickness to the already dense fog. Monet paints the water in a way so that it appears as if it goes on forever, not stopping at the edge of the fog. All in all, Monet takes the viewer to a place of peace and tranquility. With no civilization in sight, it is a place to escape from the real world and enter into a land where time seems to stand still.

Daniel in the Lion's Den

In Daniel in the Lion’s Den, Sir Peter Paul Rubens translates one of the world’s most cherished Bible stories from words on a white piece of paper to oil on a blank canvas. The painting is able to demonstrate exactly what words are not able to portray. At times, it can be hard for an author to portray the true meaning of his work just through the use of words. The sentence “The boy was happy that his parents had bought him a new bicycle,” is able to describe the factual proof that the boy is happy. But if this sentence were to be transcribed into a painting, the onlookers would be able to see exactly how happy the boy is and maybe even take part in the joy themselves. Sir Peter Paul Rubens makes it so that the spectator is able to understand just how Daniel and the lions feel about the situation they have been put in.

When first looking at this piece of art, the eyes are immediately drawn to Daniel himself, who is set apart from the lions by the light that transcends through the opening in the ceiling of the cave. Daniel is afraid and hopeless, looking through the opening and praying with his hands clasped that God will save him from the ravage lions. Daniel sits on a red cloak, which can symbolize the strong emotions that are raging through his body in this moment. Bones and skulls of the lions’ previous escapades are scattered throughout the scene, adding to the hopelessness the painting portrays for Daniel.

As the story goes, God closes the mouths of the lions in order to save Daniel from getting devoured. In this painting, it seems as if Rubens has chosen the timing of the scene as halfway between the beginning and the end of the process of closing the lions’ mouths. Two lions next to Daniel have their mouths wide open, growling as if they are ready to eat a supper long deserved. Two lions have their mouths shut, one looking angry that he has to miss out on the feast and the other looking sad that the other lions get his share of the meat. Two lions have fallen asleep, acting as if nothing has gone wrong. Rubens focus in this painting was not to simply show us how this event is played out in the Bible, but to give the observer a taste of the emotions that such an event would incur.