Memory Lane

I hate my 8th grade self. During spring break of my 8th grade, I went on a trip to France with my school, but I cannot for the life of me remember where we went. Yes, I recall the obvious ones: the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Arc de Triumphe, and Notre Dame. To add to my hatred of my 8th grade alter ego, I didn't even go in Notre Dame. I had seen it on a France trip a couple years earlier, so my friends and I took pictures of the outside and went shopping. As I scrolled through my pictures from the trip trying to recall the names of the unknown places, my disappointment grew. Here is about what I found: self-pics, guy from the Real World, Eiffel Tower,omg bff's, Arc de Triumphe, Louis Vuitton, more self-pics, more Eiffel Tower, let's take a picture of our feet, kissy face, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower at night, and so on. It seems that the drama of the trip and securing a boyfriend were more important than taking in the historic sites I was seeing. Luckily, there were some pictures that helped me identify one mystery location.

My elation as I stumbled upon pictures of Chartres Cathedral was unprecedented. Not only did I take a picture of the westwork, but I actually went inside to take pictures of the stained glass. Though my textbook offers much better quality pictures, I cannot help but be sentimental and post my own pictures.

Chartres is actually the French Gothic cathedral that bothers me. The two differing towers on the west facade do not sit well with my OCD-ness. What makes Chartres unique is the mixture of Early and High French Gothic elements. The west facade still has several Romanesque qualities. The decoration of the "Royal Portal" has a theme similar to the Romanesque Throne of Wisdom. However, Mary was given an unprecedented positio

n of prominence on the Chartres portal. The jamb statues of the Royal Portal display the Early Gothic emergence of naturalism.

Like other churches of the time, Chartres could not fend off fires. In 1194, a disastrous fire destroyed the majority of the cathedral--only the western facade and masonry of the crypt remained. A rebuilding

effort started immediately and took a short

27 years. The new plan of Chartres is High Gothic. Rectangular bays replaced the old square bays, and four part vaults took the place of the Early Gothic sexpartite vaults. The result of the changes was a huge, continuous hall.

The stained glass of Chartres limits the amount of light that is let in. Their purpose was to transform natural light into a mystical lux nova, rather than to illuminate the church. My pictures really are not very good, so I cannot decipher what is depicted in the stained glass.

Lastly, the new sculptures on the south transept of Chartres show the transformation from Early to HighGothic in sculpture. The individuals that are depicted have distinct personalities are not as rigid as their Early Gothic predecessors. Signs of Classical influence are seen in the use of contrappos

to in some of the figures.

What memories do I have of Chartres? I remember taking a picture with my friends and looking at brochures. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I am thankful that I no longer take a ridiculous amount of self-pics or pictures of my feet, and that at least I now appreciate the sights that I saw while in France, even if it took 4 years.

Proof.

The Wedding of the Century

The royal engagement of England's Prince William to Kate Middleton has been all over the news. It was recently announced that their wedding will take place on April 29, 2011--3 days after my half birthday--in Westminster Abbey. Their chosen venue is full of history in itself. Famous burials and royal coronations make it a popular tourist spot, but it was also where the funeral of Prince William's mother, Princess Diana, was held. If the ceremony is held in the adjoining chapel of Henry VII, they will wed under a canopy of fan vaults.

Constructed in the English Gothic Perpendicular style by Robert and William Vertue, the fan vaults that cover the ceiling of the chapel of Henry VII were made solely for ornamentation. They are a series of vaults with radiating ribs that develop their own unique pattern. At the center of each fan vault is a pendant that resembles a stalactite. The rib vault was a vital part of French Gothic architecture, but the English architects characteristically saw its use for decoration rather than for structural purposes. The goal was not to help take on weight, but it was to create a disguise for the structural aspects. The overall effect is a ceiling that resembles a lace-like material.

Though I am not positive that this is the exact spot of the "wedding of the century," the fan vaults do produce a beautiful venue. Growing up idealizing the Disney princesses, I cannot help but envy the future princess, Kate. She gets the prince and the happily ever after, and I'll sit at home with the small satisfaction of studying her wedding venue in art history.

OMG It's Harry Potter

In case you don't know, the latest movie of the Harry Potter series hits theaters next Friday. Last week, we were given an AP Art History project to create a tympanum. The goal was to create something similar to the arch over Romanesque church portals but with a modern theme. My partner Riley and I went against our teacher's suggestions and chose a Harry Potter theme. Rather go the obvious route of putting Harry in Christ's position, we went a little bit darker. Voldermort--the villain--is at the center of our arch. Like Christ, he is enthroned in a mandorla that is marked by a snake--his emblem. To his right (left of the picture) are his faithful followers, the Death Eaters. From left to right, Fenrir Greyback, Bellatrix LeStrange, Severus Snape, and Lucius Malfoy flank their "Dark Lord." As you can see, Riley drew Fenrir in a position that echoes the Etruscan sarcophagus figures.

To Voldermort's left are the people that fight against him, Harry, Dumbledore, Mad-Eyed Moody, and Arthur Weasley. By placing the "good" on Voldermort's right and the "bad" on his left models the saved and the damned of the Last Judgment tympanums.
The archivolts that surround the arch represent Voldermort's seven Horcruxes. These Horcruxes each possess a piece of his soul. The lintel that runs across the bottom has people that Voldermort has killed and other dark symbols on his right and other people that fought against him on his left. In the spare spaces, we attempted to draw snakes that are intertwining, much like they did with other animal forms during the Romanesque era.

The goal of or tympanum is to inspire fear, like the Last Judgment tympanums of the time. With Christ centered in his mandorla, he was often flanked by those saved to his right and those damned to his left. For the record, Riley and I both are definitely Team Potter, but we tried to do the not obvious Harry Potter choice to satisfy our teacher.

"Vita Contemplativa"

Flipping through my Art History textbook trying to find something blog-worthy, I stop on the page of the cloister in the abbey of Saint-Pierre, located in Moissac, France. The light shining in the courtyard illuminates the arches and columns of the courtyard. Subconsciously, the opening of Taylor Swift's song "Love Story" begins to play in my head. What would have been a great spot of her music video is actually the space where monks worked on their "vita contemplativa" or their spiritual life. Strolling through the timber-roofed columnar, monks were able to read their devotions, pray and meditate. The cloister enabled them to be secluded from the outside temptations and distractions of the real world.

The Moissac cloister, like others, was designed to be a taste of Paradise. The tranquil atmosphere allowed the monks the focus directly on God. The serenity was a result of the actual silence of the cloister and complimented the vow of silence taken by the monks.

Along with its peaceful air and Taylor Swift-ness, the Moissac cloister also holds the most extensive ensemble of early Romanesque sculpture. The sculpture is seen on the columns and their capitals. Their capitals are "historiated," meaning adorned with figures. The large reliefs on the piers represent the 12 apostles. The columns alternate between single and paired column shafts. Their capitals are decorated with abstract patterns. biblical scenes, and the lives of crazy monsters. The monsters, which were soon to become a popular trend, represented the chaos and deformity of a God-less world. These elaborate reliefs and capitals were added thanks to rich benefactors and donations of pilgrims.