Museum Visit

I went to the De Young Museum for the museum visit. It was a really nice day and I enjoyed walking through the gardens to get to the museum. Even before we entered the museum, there were so many beautiful things to see and take pictures of that I would have been happy never entering! In the front this vase really caught my eye, especially the miraculous detail.

The vase, "The Dore Vase, done in 1877-1822, was done by Paul Gustave Dore. It depicts an allegory of the wine vintage.

While I was outside admiring the sculptues, I also noticed an enclosed pond with a crane in it! I had to take a picture...
Very pretty. When we finally entered the museum, we didn't have a tourguide, so we had to find our own way around. The first exhibit we went into was the Andy Warhol exhibit. I really enjoyed it, even though it wasn't part of the time period we learned about in class. Neither was the Yves Saint Laurent exhibit, but I enjoyed this quote from it.
One painting that I enjoyed that was from somethign we learned, was this painting called Mother and Child by John Henry Twachtman. It is an impressionist painting, oil on canvas, done in America about 1893.

I also thought this table was really cool.






Overall I enjoyed the trip, but maybe next time I will pay for a tourguide so I know what exactly I am looking at and am given more information about the art than just the title and media (:

Last blog for the reading

So many things about this piece are so great. Compared with a bar scene today, a lot of things are strikingly differently. The first difference I noticed was the bowl of tangerines on the bar top. Today they have "bar nuts," but they aren't even that common. The presentation of the tangerines is a lot more high class than I would expect for a bar. It's also shocking that a female is working, because in the United States females were banned from working in bars until relatively recently. I also liked the tiny feet of the trapeze artist in the upper lefthand corner! My favorite part about this piece though is the correlation between the gaze of the bartender and her and a guest's reflection in the mirror. She appears to be interacting intimately with the guest, but the expression on her face suggests something different. She appears indifferent and a little adrift as she gazes at the viewer, hinting that she really feels alone.

Chapter 29, Blog 6

In this painting, Cornelia exemplifies the "good mother," which reminds me so much of my mother. As her three children are her jewels, so am I, my sister, and my brother for my mom. She seems so calm, graceful, and confident while introducing her children, it appears that she loves them a lot.

Chapter 22, Blog 5

For my blog, I have chosen Diego Velazquez's Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor). This painting appears to be a kodak moment, with the maids of honor surrounding the young princess in the middle. It could have been taken at a wedding in todays time, the exception being the style of dress. The girl knealing by the princess seems to be helping her in someway, possibly preparing her for an event. The girl to her right looks like she is posing for the camera. It truly looks like a snapshot moments before the ceremony. The girl on the right playfully puts her foot on the dog, and the dog's expression here is great. He seems to be a little annoyed, but relaxed at the same time. The lighting is phenomenal; very realistic. I really enjoy this painting, which is serving as a great subsitite for a camera in such a special time.

Assignment 3/4

From the reading, I have chosen to relate Antonio del Pollaiuolo's "Battle of the Nudes" to our world today. I believe Pollaiuolo's piece reveals his intentions of depicting the entire male figure under tension and stress. One way this engraving reminds me of todays world is just that fact that there are men fighting each other. Though it is not known what the Nudes are fighting over, it was and remains to be a symbol of male agression. They all seem to have different weapons, ranging from swords, to daggers, to hatchets/axes, to a bow and arrow. To me this symbolizes the differences in pride of men, and what they have to bring to battle with them. If not pride, possibly their defense mechanism when place in a competitive situation. Males are very competitive, and it seems to be a biological trait as these men especially have the bodies and stature to cause extreme harm. Today men that look similar to these figures train and fight one another in Mixed Martial Arts, or UFC competitions- except they use their fighting/defense skills without the use of weapons. However, the theme of male dominance is relevant in both times.

Blog 3, Assignment 2

From the reading, the Facade of the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi in Florence reminds me of the White House. The reason for this is that from the outside they are relatively simple buildings, though enormous inside. The level of extravagance of the rooms and courtyard of the palace reflect the intracacy of the rooms and architecture of the white house. Also, both of the places house wealthy families of power.

Just for fun!

I was on the de Young museum website looking at the exhibition for Yves Saint Laurent (which I get to go to tomorrow!), and this picture looked familiar- it reminded me of The Man in the Red Turban by Jan van Eyck!See why? (:

Assignment 1- Relating the Text

From the reading, I can most closely relate to the tapestry of the Unicorn is Found at the Fountain. Though we as Americans do not gather around when we think we have spot a unicorn, we are fascinated with rare spectacles in public places. When something is new or different, everyone wants to be the first one in line to see what is going on. For example, at this year's presidential inauguration, millions of us witnessed history being made as we tuned in on our televisions or attended this event. I can compare Obama to the Unicorn, in that many of us see him as an "antidote" to the poison mess we as a country are currently in. Hopefully, it will not be so closely related to the Unicorn and be a mythical occurrence, one that we as a people can only dream about.

3 Pieces of Art

Though I may not know much about this particular section of the Sistine Chapel, The Hand of God giving life to Adam, by Michaelangelo, I know what it has meant to me since the first time I saw it. My friend showed me the picture in high school because she had wanted to get a tattoo of the place where the fingers were touching. It has a very religious connection for me, as the human is able to touch God from earth. I love the emotion I get from viewing this particular piece, though can't describe exactly what the feeling I get is, though it is extremely overwhelming.















"The Jewel In the Lotus," or "The Mantra of Compassion." The first image I have chosen is a picture of the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum. The first time I saw this years ago was on the arm of one of my favorite lead singers Brandon Boyd from the band Incubus. I have always loved their music, and respected their valus and morals. When I saw the tattoo, its meaning interested me, so I began to explore its meaning. When I did, I came across much more than I bargained for. It was the beginning of my exploration into Buddhist teaching. While this mantra has an expansive, all encompassing meaning, the journey I set upon when first viewing it is what has meant so much to me all these years.


The first Salvador Dali painting I saw was "Melting Clocks" hanging in my brother's room about a decade ago. Ever since then I have tried to view as many of his paintings as possible. I could not find the specific painting that is my favorite, but this image comes in close. When I look at his art, I become lost for long periods of time. No other art has that effect on me, and that is why he is my favorite artist. This painting, as weird as it is , seems to have an infinite number of possibilities.