Unit 5: Project 5: Build up one of your annotated images to a text of around 500 words

The Lamentation of Christ by Giotto is one of the scenes in the fresco cycle of the Life of Christ series in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy.

       When one looks at the painting, one is immediately drawn to the main event of the scene which is Mary, Mother of Jesus cradling the dead body of Jesus on her lap in the foreground left of the centre. They are surrounded by a group of mourners who are all looking at the two of them. Their gazes provide force lines that converged onto Jesus and Mary. The mourners are not just at their sides in the same plane, but also behind and in front of Mary with their backs facing us. This not only gives a sense of space around Jesus and Mary, but also beyond them and between the viewer and the picture plane. This makes the viewer feels that he is involved, that he is part of the picture, standing behind the mourner in green, looking at the scene.

       The mourners are painted in realistic style using techniques of modelling to denote plasticity. Giotto had painted the darkest areas with colours of highest saturation and added white to make the lighter areas brighter (Cennini-style) on the drapes of the mourner in peach in the centre and the body of Jesus. He also used cangiantismo, using red for the darker areas of the green robe on the standing figure in the far right. The people appear more real. One could see the folds of the drapes and the contours of their bodies.

       The mourners are also painted expressively and one would know that they have feelings of sadness and even despair from their gestures and facial expressions. One is bending over with his arms opened wide as though he could not believe what had happened; another is standing with her head tilt slightly and resting her cheek on her clasped hands. The figures are real and believable.

       The individuality of the mourners is accentuated from the use of complementary colours on the drapes of people who are next to each other: green of the sitting mourner in the middle with the red of the blanket under Jesus’ feet; orange and blue on the clothing of the two standing figures at the far right. The numerous people on the left are depicted using red and green to show the separate hoods in the crowd.

       This painting shows the scene when Jesus was taken down from the Cross and was received by Mary, Mother of Jesus and the mourners. It was a moment of extreme sadness.  The fresco was commissioned by a wealthy Italian named Enrico Scrovegni who intended to use the Scrovegni Chapel as atonement for the sins of his father and possibly also that of himself.

       The Scrovegni Chapel fresco of realistic and expressive figures marks the beginning of an art that is radically different from Gothic art of flat and non-expressive figures, going towards Early Renaissance.

Reflection

I enjoyed this exercise very much. I find writing an essay based on a work of art allows me to consolidate my thoughts about the painting, and this makes me feel there is a 'head and tail' to my analysis. The formal analysis allows me to appreciate the painting and see the story it is trying to show, while the contextual analysis allows me to find out what the story that the painting is trying to hide underneath it.

Unit 4: Project 4: Report on a visit to a Gothic church

Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris is an Early Gothic cathedral located in the Île de la Cité, an island within the Seine River in Paris. In 1160, when Bishop Maurice de Sully was elected Bishop of Paris, he had a vision to build a new cathedral on the site of the previous St-Etienne’s cathedral which was in disrepair. With the support of King Louis VII, construction began in 1163 and the cathedral was completed in 1351.

Structure and Engineering

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris has a floor space of 4800m². The width of the West Façade is 45 metres and the length of the cathedral is 128 metres. The two towers are 69 metres in height but the highest point is at the spire at 96 metres.

The cathedral was built using stones taken from the quarries along the Bievre and these were transported via the Seine River. A new 6-metre-wide street (Rue Neuve-Notre-Dame) was created to transport building materials such as timber, pieces of lead for the roof and other equipment to the building site.

The construction of a cathedral as large as Notre-Dame de Paris required many people with specialized skills: the master masons (architects), the master carpenters, the master glaziers, specialized workers and labourers (Figure 1).

Figure 1 Model (in one of the radial chapels) showing construction scene of the cathedral

 

Place of Worship

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris is a place of worship for the Catholic denomination. It holds daily mass and daily vespers, Eucharistic adoration and Sunday Mass (which is held on Saturday evening). There are also regular music performances of Gregorian chants, organ music and classical holy music. The cathedral can hold a congregation of 9000.

Exterior: West Façade

The entrance to the cathedral is at the West Façade (Figure 2). The width of the West Façade is 45 metres and the height from the ground to the upper gallery is 45 metres and to the top of the tower is 69 metres. There is a large square in front of the West Façade that allows one to appreciate its vastness from afar.

Figure 2 West Facade of Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris

At ground level, it is divided into three sections with a portal in each. The Portal of the Last Judgment is in the middle and had a slightly higher apex. The northern (or left) third contains the Portal of the Virgin and the southern third (or right) contains the Portal of Saint Anne. There are four buttresses, two at the ends of the wall and two between the portals. Each buttress has a niche that has a statue in it: St Stephen, St Denis, allegory for the Synagogue and the Church. Above the portals is a row of sculptures of 28 figures known as the Gallery of the Kings. These figures depict the 28 generations of the King of Judah. Above the Gallery of the Kings, is the Upper Gallery. In the middle third is the statue of Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus flanked by the statues of Adam and Eve. Just behind these statues in the large West Rose Window that is placed like a halo to the Virgin Mary. On each side of the West Rose Window are double pointed windows and above them rises the Northern Tower and the Southern Tower. The towers of Notre-Dame de Paris are unusual because they do not have spires or steeples. The construction of the towers was halted when the builders realized that West Façade is already ‘perfect’ without the towers. The interaction between the horizontal and the vertical lines provides harmony in the visual of the Façade. One could see that the West Façade appears to have 9 rectangles in a 3 x 3 arrangement with the missing rectangle on the upper middle filled by the sky. The axis of the façade centres on the West Rose Window accentuating the statue of Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus. Exterior: Flying Buttresses There are flying buttresses supporting the vault of the cathedral (Figure 3). The buttresses are perpendicular to the high walls of the clerestory along the nave and chancel at the north and south sides but radiates around the apse on the east side like spokes from the centre of a wheel. Figure 3 Flying Buttresses at the nave (left), chancel (middle) and apse (right)   The buttresses looked like little bridges that linked the high walls with the vertical buttresses at the low walls. The ones at the nave are shorter, while the ones at the chancel and apse are longer. One can imagine that the numerous flying buttresses around the cathedral appear to be like the rib cage of a big dinosaur, supporting the interior. Interior The nave is 12 metres in width and 68 metres in length and flanked by double aisles. The height of the vault of the nave is 33 metres compared to only 10 metres for the aisle vaults. The nave vaults are sexpartite while the aisle vaults are quadripartite. Above the aisle is the gallery and higher up above at the elevation at the nave is the clerestory with stained glass windows. The crossing is located almost in the centre of the building. The transepts are only 4 metres in length and do not project beyond the radial chapels. This makes the floor plan of the cathedral more quadrilateral in shape rather than the traditional cross. Figure 4 The vertical space above the crossing One could appreciate the great vertical vessel (Figure 4); the columns arising vertically flanked by windows of the gallery and stained glass windows of the clerestory, the line being continued by frames of ribbed stones, arching gracefully towards the centre into a pointed arch. The chancel consists of the choir and double ambulatories. The choir has a width of 12 metres and length of 36 metres. One could appreciate the difference in the designs of the capitals in the chancel (built 1163-1182) with that in the nave (built 1180-1200). The leaves of the capitals in the chancel are massive and concave and appear to sprout out of the capital; while the leaves of the capitals in the nave are smaller and more detailed. The long horizontal space formed by the nave, crossing and choir makes the cathedral look airy and spacious. There are radial chapels along the ambulatory as well as the aisles. Sculptures, Decorations and Commemoration The Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris is dedicated to Virgin Mary. There are as many as 37 representations of Virgin Mary in the cathedral in the form of sculptures, bas-reliefs and stained glass. The more famous ones are: Virgin Mary carrying Baby Jesus at West Façade The Pieta in the choir Virgin Mary at the Pillar near the altar Crowned Virgin at the Portal of the Virgin at West Façade Our Lady Medallion at West Rose Window   The Pieta white marble sculpture at the choir was a gift of King Louis XIII and sculpted by Nicolas Costou in 1723. The Pieta is flanked on the right by the statue of King Louis XIII (sculpted by Coysevox) kneeling down offering his crown and sceptre to Virgin Mary and on the left by his son King Louis XIV (sculpted by Guillaume Costou) in the same posture but without the crown and sceptre. However, one can only look at this choir centre piece through the grills along the apse. The northern and southern perimeter of the choir is surrounded by coloured bas-reliefs showing scenes from the life of Jesus Christ; the Christmas Gospel in the north and the post-resurrection period in the south. There are many sculptures that depict saints and previous archbishops to commemorate them. One of these is Saint Denis sculpted by Nicolas Costou (Figure 5). Other commemorations include tombs for martyred archbishops and a stained glass depicting Bishop Maurice de Sully. Figure 5 Statue of Saint Denis by Nicolas Coustou   The radial chapels have different functions. Some are dedicated to particular saints and visitors can choose their favorite saint and enter that particular chapel to pray.  Others have booths for confession and displays that provide information to visitors. One of the radial chapels has a wooden model of the cathedral (Figure 6) and models of figures working at the construction site. Some of the walls are hung with paintings depicting biblical scenes. Figure 6 Wooden model of the cathedral   There are three rose windows in the cathedral (Figure 7); the West Rose Window (9.7 metres in diameter) depicts the daily life of the people; the North Rose Window and the South Rose Window (both 13.1 metres in diameter) show the celebration of Mass. There are also stained glass decorations on the pointed windows at the level of the clerestory above the apse, choir and nave. Figure 7 Stained glass windows: West Rose Window (left), North Rose Window (top), East stained glass windows above the apse (right), South Rose   The treasury, located south of the chancel, houses the Relics of the Passion which includes a piece of the Cross, a nail of the Passion and the Holy Crown of Thorns. Restoration By the beginning of the 19th century, the cathedral had lost much of its original Gothic features and was in great disrepair. This is partly due to authority-sanctioned alterations (removal of stained glass windows and repaving of the floors) and partly due to looting and damage sustained during the French Revolution (destruction of statues of the Kings of Judah, saints and archbishops). In 1844, Lassus and Viollet-le-Luc undertook the task of restoring the cathedral to its former glory. Among the restorations and additions made are: The erection of the spire above the roof of the crossing The replacement of the statues in the Gallery of Kings at West Facade The relocation of some statues (Virgin of the Pillar was moved from the Portal of the Virgin to the southeast pillar of the crossing) The addition of gargoyles at the Galerie de Chimeres at the West Facade Wall painting and décor of chapels Restoration of stained glass window panels However not all these restorations were congruent with the Gothic appearance of the cathedral in the 12th and 13th century. Viollet-le-Luc took a lot of liberty that did not absolutely conform to the original designs of the cathedral. He even had the statue of Thomas, patron saint of architects modeled after him. Conflict between Visual Delight and Devotion There are several conflicts between visual delight and devotion in the Notre Dame de Paris. As one enters the cathedral through the portal at the West Façade into the narthex, one is unable to see directly into the nave because it is blocked by a concert stage that is used during musical performance (Figure 8). Therefore one cannot see the choir from the narthex and vice versa and is unable to appreciate the full length of the nave, crossing and choir. Figure 8 Stage blocking the nave from the narthex   Another is that the lower part of the West Rose window has been blocked by the great organ. The pipes are very tall and obscure the lower panels of the stained glass. Conclusion The visit to the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris is an excellent way to learn about Gothic architecture. One is able to better appreciate the actual size of the cathedral, the spatial beauty of the interior as well as the details of the elements of Gothic architecture by seeing it in three-dimension. Bibliography Anon (1921) Inside the Cathedral of Notre Dame [online] Available from: <http://www.oldandsold.com/articles08/paris-travel-7.shtml> [Accessed 17 March 2011] Ayers, A, (2004) The architecture of Paris [online] Stuttgart/London: Edition Axel Menges Available from: <http://books.google.com.my/books?id=0eJxj9Xos_UC&printsec=frontcove r#v=onepage&q&f=false> [Accessed 17 March 2011] Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris (n. d.) The West Facade [online] Available from: <http://www.cathedraledeparis.com/The-west-facade> [Accessed 7 March 2011] Cedron, R. (n.d.) Historic overview: Notre-Dame de Paris. Available from: <http://elore.com/Gothic/ History/Overview/paris.htm> [Accessed 6 March 2011] Coloni, M. (2003) Notre-Dame de Paris at the crossroads of cultures. Strasbourg: Editions du Signe Hamlin, A.D.F. (1916) A history of ornament ancient and medieval. [online] New York: The Century Co. Available from: <http://www.scribd.com/doc/32277090/A-history-of-ornament> [Accessed 18 March 2011]

Unit 3: Project 3: Study of Free-standing Sculptures

I took the opportunity during my visit to the Museum of Classical Archaeology in Cambridge to complete Project 3. I had a look around the museum before picking a few sculptures that demonstrated a wide range of people, poses and clothing. This is my first time making sketches in a museum and it was a wonderful experience to actually draw ancient figures.

Seated Roman Woman

This is a sculpture of a Roman woman seating in a chair. She appears to be sad with her hands clasped on her lap and her feet crossing. It is as though she is thinking or waiting for something. I was quite amazed at the details of her clothes. The folds of the drapery is well-formed and you can see the outline and shape of her breasts under her think dress. Even the recess of the sleeve under her right arm is carved in to represent realism.

Satyr playing a Footclapper

This is a sculpture of Satyr. He seemed quite happy, playing a musical instrument with his feet. His pose is very animated, with his right arm raised and left arm holding a staff and his neck bent forward and face looked downwards. The sculpture is very dynamic and he looks like he is dancing. The musculature of his body, arms and legs are well depicted and looked anatomically correct.

Baby Boy with Egyptian Goose

This is a sculpture of a baby boy with his pet, an Egyptian goose. He seems to be pressing his right palm on the body of the goose. The goose looks distressed. Is the baby playing with his pet gently or is he hurting it? The baby boy is sculpted with baby fat on his cheeks and thighs. His pose is also animated, holding his right palm forwards like he was distracted by something in front and above him and not paying attention to his goose. The goose appears to be trapped by the boy's palm and is twisting its neck trying to get up. I think someone should come and remove the goose from this naughty baby.

Sculpture from the Temple of Athena Aphaia on the Greek island of Aegina

This is a sculpture of a fighting Greek soldier. He is lying on his side, trying to support his body with right arm and legs. He could be trying to get up after he had fallen over during battle. He is wearing a Greek soldier helmet and a shield on his left forearm. This is a very complex pose and a viewer has to go around the sculpture to appreciate the whole body. Again the muscles of the figure is depicted anatomically correct and idealistic in nature.

Medici Venus (Roman copy)

When I drew this sculpture, it looked very familiar. This is one of the most famous Greek poses. Venus is nude and is trying to use her hands to cover herself. Her figure is sculpted curvaceously, trying to show her as a sensuous Goddess. This pose has been used in many paintings: Eve in Massacio's Expulsion of Eden (c.1427) and Venus in Botticelli's The Birth of Venus (c.1485).

Reflections

This project compels me to look at sculptures in a more detailed manner. There are many ideas and questions that arise when I spend more time looking and think about what I see, which otherwise would not appear if I were to look at them in a glance and go to the next sculpture without thinking in depth.

Unit 2: Project 2: Report about the architecture of a Classical Building

The British Museum in London is a museum of human history. Its collection spans over two million years of human existence. The building that houses the British Museum today is in the Bloomsbury area of London. It was designed by Sir Robert Smirke in 1823 using a neo-classical Greek Revival style. The building was completed in 1852.

       The main entrance to the British Museum is in the south wing along Great Russell Street. As one arrives at the gate, one sees a big wide building with a Classical façade.

South Entrance at Great Russell Street, British Museum

 

       From the gate, a big front garden leads to wide stairs to the portico. The classical looking portico consists of two rows of Ionic colonnade. The front row has 8 columns and the back row has 14 columns. The 14-metre high columns support an entablature with a pediment. Narrow windows are positioned on the wall corresponding to spaces between the columns.

Entablature, Echinus and Volute

Base and Plinth

 

       The pediment contained sculptures by Sir Richard Westmacott depicting the Progress of Civilization. It consisted of 15 allegorical figures denoting the progress of man. There are figures of the primitive man and modern man and animals representing the Arts, Sciences and Natural History. In the centre is a figure of Astronomy, a lady holding a rod, globe and an armillary sphere near her feet.

       The sculptures of the pediments were intended by Sir Richard Westmacott to reflect the Enlightenment view of the early history of religion and progressive history of civilization. However, they also represent the various scope of human culture and progress that were represented in the British Museum. However, some of these are already distributed to the British Library and the Natural History Museum.

Sculptures on the pediment "The Progress of Civilization" by Sir Richard Westmacott

Astronomy holding a rod and globe and an armillary sphere lies on her feet.

 

       The massive size of the façade is imposing when one stands on the ground looking up the tall columns (about 15 times higher than an average person). The size can be said to represent the large amount of artifacts and documents (13 million objects) inside the British Museum as well as the long history of human culture and history compared to an average person’s life span. 

A man standing at the corridor of the colonnade

 

     Advancing beyond the classical portico, one enters into the Front Hall. The Front Hall leads to the Great Court in the north and the South stairs in the west and the Greenville Room in the east. The Front Hall was restored in 2003 to the original 1846 scheme by L.W.Collman. The original decorations were partially destroyed by an air raid during the Second World War and was painted over.

The South stairs from the Front Hall

The ceiling decoration in the Front Hall according to the original scheme by L.W.Collman

 

       The Great Court was previously a quadrangle within the museum flanked on all 4 sides by buildings which contained the galleries and was turned into an indoor space. The construction was started in 1998 and completed in 2000. In addition, various changes were also made: the renovation of the Front Hall, the renovation of the Reading Room, the reconstruction of the south inner portico and also the construction of the auditorium and education centre in the basement.

Floor plan of the British Museum

      A continuous series of triangular glass panels, each unique in its shape, attached to a steel lattice structure was used to construct the roof. They appear to radiate from the centre Reading Room to the surrounding buildings. The refurbished Reading Room is accessed via staircases on a semi-elliptical structure that surrounds it.

The glass and steel roof of the Great Court

       The Great Court functions as a central space where people can enter and exit from all four buildings on each side into a common space. People can move in a more convenient manner by transversing through the Great Court. Each of the four entrances/exits has its own inner classical portico, a smaller one with only four columns and are attached to the wall.

The inner South portico in the Great Court

       Although the Great Court has standard amenities that are found in any modern museum such as a cafeteria with long tables and benches, ticket counters for audio guide and special exhibitions, a inquiry reception, gift shops and an education centre, within it are also displays of larger and important artifacts, on either sides of the inner porticos as well as at the corners of the court as a prelude to the rest of the wonderful objects contained within the buildings.

Artifacts in the Great Court

       The Great Court is a 21st century modern addition and represents the continuum of human culture and progress from past to present.

       I enjoyed myself very much during this visit. It is a new experience to look and study a building for its architecture, symbol and function.

Unit 1: Project 1: Write down what your aim is: why are you taking this course and what do you want to get out of it?

Art is a subjective matter. Anyone can look at art and have an opinion about it. They can like or dislike it, they may find it interesting or boring, but such an opinion is a superficial one based on one passing look. I believe that to understand art better and deeper, one must have knowledge on how to look at art in a more objective manner.

Art history is a subject that has accumulated ideas and opinions from people who have looked at art in the past and in the present. This knowledge is an essential ‘language’ needed to understand art.  

It has broken down the subjectivity of art into more manageable, classifiable and objective portions: lines, tones, textures, colours; themes and purposes; techniques; movements; history. Having a knowledge that is more objective enable one to view art in a more purposeful and standardized manner.

The development of art in the past follows the history of the world. It is a reflection of man and his creativity and their interaction with the society and the environment. Such an understanding not only can enable a person to understand more about the past but also about himself and his present society.

An art work is a physical view or object. However, understanding an art work must go beyond its physical boundaries. The knowledge of its artist, history, meaning and symbolism is also needed to have a deeper understanding.

I believe that knowledge in art history also enables one to communicate his ideas in a universal language. For example, when one talks about ‘sfumato’, it will be understood as an Italian painting technique whether one is in China or in North America. Thus, a subjective idea such as art can be communicated effectively with such knowledge.

An understanding of the history of art enables one to look at and critique art of the present and the future. This ability is useful to understand the present society, their motivation and their social evolution.

My aim in taking this course is to gain knowledge that would enable me to understand art in a more deeper and objective manner, to learn more about art in the past, to enjoy art in the present and to have the ability to communicate about art in the future.

Unit 1: Project 1: Write questions that can be asked about works of art

Questions that can be answered by looking at the work

Questions that have to be answered by other means

What is this work of art? (Painting? Sculpture? Building? Textile?) What is the work of art about? (Still life? Portrait? Figures? Animals? Landscape? Religious scene?) What type of paint is used? (Pencil? Charcoal? Oil? Acrylic? Gouache? Tempera?) What is this painting painted on? (Paper? Canvas? Wall?) What type of material is used? (Ceramic? Bronze? Plastic? Concrete?) Who is the artist? Is there a signature? What technique is used? What movement does this work of art belong to? Does this work of art depict real-life? Is this work of art accurate in a perspective sense? Or is this distorted? Are the objects proportionate to real life and to each other? Is there a geometric arrangement of the items/people in the work of art? Is the painting smooth or textured? Are there other materials used besides paint? (Wax? Paper? Plastic?) Is the tone of this work of art predominantly dark, light, grey or complementary? Are there outlines/ underpainting that guide the artist initially? How is the paint applied? (Brush? Palette knife? Stick? Splash?) Are the brush strokes visible? Are they large or small? Are the lines thick or thin? Are the outlines distinct or do they blur into the colours and tones? What is the shape of this work or art? (Square? Rectangle? Round? Diamond-shape?) Is this work of art balanced? Or does it appear crowded in one area? Are the colours accurate? Or is it different from real life?

When was this work of art completed? Where was this work of art painted? Are there meanings behind the objects depicted? Is this work of art commissioned by someone else? (Individuals? Government? Church?) Why was it commissioned? Is this work of art depicting an actual scene or is it just an imagination or a combination? Is this work of art part of a series or is it stand alone? What were the inspirations of this work of art? Are there sketches and studies done prior to the commencement of the work of art? Are there previous works of art by other artists that are similar? Where is this artist from? What are his beliefs? What happened to the artist during the execution of this work of art? Did the artist change his initial intention during the execution of the work of art? Is this work of art a highlight in the painter’s life? Where is this work of art now? Who owned this work of art previously? What has been written by art critics and art historians about this work of art? Are these descriptions and analysis accurate? Did this work of art inspired other artists? Is this work of art restored/repaired prior to this? Has this work of art been altered by other people? Who is the sitter of this portrait? Is it a real person? Is he/she related to the painter? Is the portrait done in the presence of the sitter or is it done from a photograph/ sketches/ memory? Is this landscape painted outdoors or is it painted from memory? Are there missing portions in this sculpture? Has this building been added by other people? What is the function of this building initially? Is this work publicly accessible or is it privately owned?