STAB 2017

The Creation of Adam, by Michelangelo If you believe that there is or might be a God (or gods), does Michelangelo's representation of God on the Sistine Chapel ceiling resemble the picture of God in your head? Why or why not? Sam : I can't really imagine what God looks like, I imagine him as a spirit. So Michelangelo's picture does not work for me. I imagine God as a spirit who is nice but stern. Mac : Yes, because God in this painting seems very old and wise, knowing everything. Michelangelo captured it perfectly with the light grey beard and light grey hair. Percy : No, not really. I always thought God's eyes would be kinder. In this painting his eyes don't look mean, but they don't look very kind and helpful either. Andrew : No. I don't think God would look like anything. I think of God as a spirit. God wouldn't be a boy or girl, either; I think God would be like a wise and mysterious cloud. Liam : I believe that god is a force, not a person, like a g...

What emotions do you feel when you look at Michelangelo's  Pieta . How does Michelangelo communicate these emotions? Kelsey : Grief . The look on Mary's face is so realistic. I'm in awe that he could sculpt such realistic emotions in stone. Catalina : The sculpture feels dramatic , especially the way he made Jesus's head hang. All the curves in Mary's dress also make it feel dramatic. Gabriel : Mary looks at peace . Her son may have died, but she knows his legacy will live on. Henry : Sadness. Mary's head is hung and her eyes are closed , so it looks like she is crying. And Jesus looks very weak , which also makes this sculpture sad. Alexa : Comfort. Mary's hand holds Jesus up, as if to rock him to sleep . Fletcher : Sadness. Mary's expression conveys not just sadness, but helplessness and despair . The second way Michelangelo communicates sadness is through Jesus's limp body. I'm not sure why, but looking at it makes me sad. Andrew : Michelang...

Thanks to Lydia for sharing her wonderful photographs from the field trip! I continue to enjoy reading your reflections about the Cathedral and National Gallery: Davis : While visiting the Cathedral,  I realized that I was seeing something that most people would never see in their whole lifetime. I felt very, very lucky! [[I love the way that Davis expressed his sense of gratitude: he reminded me that w e were very fortunate to have the chance to visit two such special places]] Joey : The cathedral was my favorite part of the trip because of the " easy to miss " details, the " hard to miss " details, and the beautiful glowing stained glass windows. If I were making a cathedral I wouldn’t create something that had tons of exquisite details that nobody could see. The patience and time required to build one of the cathedrals is hard as is, but to have a majority of your work completely overlooked, unappreciated, or not even seen, I find strange but cool.  As for th...

Annabelle : I wish I could have spent more time in the art museum just to look at the art.  I was fascinated by how vibrant the colors were.  I just wanted to stare at them.  For some of the paintings, every time I would look at them something new would appear.   I would like to go there and just look at the paintings and not have to write down anything. I love art, and I think that the Renaissance art that I got to see was amazing. I loved some of the paintings that had wildlife or nature in the background. Jack D. : One of my favorite parts was when we saw the Space Window. It looked very m ajestic and at the same time showed the b ravery of our fellow Americans (Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, and Neil Armstrong) who brought back the stone from the Moon. When our tour was over and we were heading down to the basement, Joey and I walked ahead accidentally and started to get a little creeped out because we knew that the crypt was somewhere around there, and there wa...

Eloise : When we walked into the Cathedral, Bella Grace, Annabelle, and I immediately started taking pictures. There wasn’t anything that we didn’t want to remember ... The cathedral was so huge that I couldn’t believe anyone had built it, or that there was another cathedral that was bigger.  The beauty of the architecture is what I will remember most. The flying buttresses felt as though they were added just for show, and not to keep something from falling. The stone work is incredible, and the rose window made me appreciate all the work that the people did. Alexa : I was expecting the cathedral to be this super bright, different-colored room with about a million chairs in it. It was not as extravagant as I thought it would be. The Gothic cathedrals seem like they should be extremely fancy, but this cathedral didn’t seem that way. But, I kind of liked it, because I tend to prefer things that are more simple, plain and cozy, which is why I prefer the Romanesque cathedrals over Goth...

Yesterday, the students continued to analyze and teach each other about some of the beautiful Renaissance paintings that we'll see next week at the National Gallery of Art . Here are some of the comments and questions about  The Adoration of the Shepherds , by Giorgione . Sam ,  Diego  and  Lilly M. : The Adoration of the Shepherds has several features of Renaissance paintings. The people and scenery are very realistic , and there are many  hidden details in the background (for example, the running water). There are many bright colors , such as the blue, orange and green.  There are several animals incorporated into this painting, like the cows in the cave. Bjorn ,  Kalani ,  Lydia  and  Wynter : The outdoor landscape is an important part of this painting. Each person looks individual and unique , unlike in medieval paintings where many people look very similar. The colors are bright and vivid . Joseph and Mary are the same size as ...

Today we continued our study of Renaissance art by examining four of the paintings that we will see at the National Gallery of Art, including  St. George and the Dragon  (by Raphael) . Eli , Carter L.  and  Eloise  did a great job pointing out the Renaissance characteristics of  St. George and the Dragon , including: The use of linear perspective to create a sense of three dimensional depth and space The intricate details of St. George's armor The graceful movement of St. George, his horse, and the dragon The outdoor setting and Raphael's interest in nature The vivid colors , such as the princess's red dress and the sparkling grey armor Liv ,  Grace  and  Grant : Why is the horse looking at us, instead of looking at the dragon?  fdfdfd

Today the students looked at two paintings of St. Francis . The first painting is by an anonymous medieval artist, and the second one is by a Renaissance artist named Bellini .  In both paintings, St. Francis is having a dramatic encounter with an angel, but the scenes are portrayed quite differently. We are using these paintings to talk more about the differences between medieval and Renaissance art (and in Washington next week, we'll get to see the Bellini painting in-person!).  Here are some of today's a wesomely a rticulated a rtistic insights: Davis  and  Gabriel : The medieval angel looks like Jesus, and his wings are shaped like a cross. Dearing  and  Jack D. : The medieval painter actually shows the angel. In the Renaissance painting, Bellini uses the light (coming in from the clouds) to represent the angel. Davis  and  Gabriel : The Renaissance painting is much more subtle. For example, Bellini’s stigmata marks are more subtle. Maybe th...

Today the students examined two paintings of Mary and Jesus: Cimabue's  Madonna Enthroned  (an example of a medieval painting) Raphael's  Alba Madonna  (an example of a Renaissance painting) We are using these two paintings as our introduction to the Renaissance. Tomorrow, we'll discuss similarities and differences between the two paintings, and we will start to discuss the way that  art  can reveal the changing ideas of people during different periods of history. ----------- Several perceptive students pointed out that both sets of figures have halos -- although the halos in Raphael's work are so soft and subtle that they often escape notice! Here are a few of the excellent observations and questions: Madonna Enthroned, by Cimabue Carter V., John, Isabel, Wynter, Eli,  and  Carter L. : Jesus and Mary are sitting on a beautifully carved golden throne. In the Bible story, weren't Mary and Joseph poor? And isn't Mary supposed to be humble? Lydia, Zo...

For me, one of the most fascinating characteristics of Gothic cathedrals is the way they were used to teach medieval people about Christianity.  In particular, the stained glass windows were an ingenious  way to communicate with illiterate people about the stories and lessons in the Bible. Can you think of a modern day building that incorporates an architectural detail that teaches people? ---------------- A big thanks to Biruk for today's Musical Monday selection:  Down by Marian Hill . The auto tuning drew mixed reviews, but almost all of Biruk's classmates enjoyed the catchy beat. Here's a sampling of the feedback: Joey : You can't really say that you "like" or "dislike" auto tuning. There are so many different kinds of auto tuning, and there's such a wide variety of music that uses it nowadays. Lydia :  I really like the beat and Marian Hill's silky voice ( "silky" is a fantastic description of Ms. Hill's vocal style )....