Repository of my thoughts and images of art, literature, travel, and life.
My students are always fascinated when I point out that Juan Luna’s Spoliarium isn’t his only work, nor academic painting his only style. Two examples currently hang in the Vargas Museum, right inside campus. One is a study of The Trial of Galileo and the other is Picnic in Normandy. If these two painting could talk, … Continue reading Day 7, A conversation between two paintings
Teaching controversial art proved to be a difficult endeavor. Part of why this in the syllabus is so that I can teach visual literacy and open-mindedness to my students. Sadly, I don't think I achieve this goal all the time. This is supposed to be the last lesson of the semester, but I pulled it … Continue reading Teaching controversial art
We now leave the Renaissance for a bit and focus on the next couple of centuries--17th to 18th centuries. There was an enormous upheaval and ideological divide during the Baroque Period. Which one should they follow, the absolute authority of the church and the divine rights of kings or the Protestant reform and the belief … Continue reading Ideological Divides and a Calm After the Storm
August was full of disruptions, rains, floods, and even illnesses. But hopefully, we leave all that now. As August ends, we also end our lessons in Renaissance. This time, we will explore the High Renaissance into Mannerism. The influence of the state and private individuals heighten, affecting the style and mood of the times. High … Continue reading Further into the Renaissance and Mannerism
I stumbled into this interesting piece as I was looking for new movies to watch. Since The Artist was such a success, I decided to look for more Academy Award winning films. Watching Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase is a revelation. Youtube people are calling this a 7-minute Art History lesson, specifically, I think this is a 7-minute … Continue reading Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase
Portia Placino 