Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Episode 89: Winter Wonderlands

Happy Holidays everyone! For our holiday episode this year we all got together to talk about our favorite Winter Wonderland scenes and the artists who created them! This was a lot of fun to record, we hope you enjoy. (Listen all the way to the end to hear our impromptu rendition of Jingle Bells.)

We will be taking a break from recording and posting for the rest of December, but we will be back with a new episode on January 8th! If you are just lost without us, try catching up on missed episodes or listen to your favorites again!

Jo's Favorite:
Camille Pissarro, Road to Versailles at Louveciennes (The Snow Effect), 1872


Zach's Favorite:

Limbourg Brothers, Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, 1412-1416

Julia's Favorite:

Hendrick Avercamp, Winter Landscape with Skaters,1608
2.54 ft X 4.32 ft or 77.3cm X131.9cm
 
Alisha's Favorite:

Claude Monet, Snow Scene at Argenteuil, 1874-75
Carrie's Favorite:

Ivan Shishkin, In the Wild North, 1891
Lauren's Favorite:

Caspar David Friedrich, Winter Landscape with Church, 1811
We'll be back January 8th with a new episode! Happy Holidays!

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Episode 88: Greek and Roman Gods!




On this episode of Arts and Facts Jo and Alisha discuss the similarities and differences between Greek and Roman gods, and how they inspired art.

Aphrodite (Greek): the Goddess of love and beauty

Aphrodite (Venus de Milo) Between 130-100 BC Alexandros of Antioch

The arms of this sculpture were lost in its discovery and it is now permanently housed in the Louvre museum. It was very rare that a woman should be portrayed unclothed near that time period but it seems fitting in that she is Aphrodite and should be both sensual and alluring yet classical and innocent. Both aspects are achieved in this piece.


Venus (Roman): goddess of both physical and intellectual love

Venus (Birth of Venus) 1486 Sandro Botticelli
This painting of Venus was commissioned by the Medici family who were great patrons of the arts during which this was painted. Many different interpretations can be made of this piece, some say it is a sort of wedding painting, plato argued that there is a great link between physical and spiritual beauty within this piece. Here Venus is portrayed as an Italian Renaissance ideal: red-haired, pale-skinned, voluptuous. Botticelli has picked out highlights in her hair with gold leaf and has emphasized the femininity of her body (long neck, curviness). very classical looking, standing in contrapposto

Hermes (Greek): Messenger of Zeus and god of travelers, flocks, houses and communities. He is often portrayed carrying his heralds staff called a Kerykeion that ends  with two entwined snakes called a caduceus.

Hermes (lekythos) 480–470 b.c
Here Hermes is wearing his iconic winged shoes and Kerykeion.


Mercury (Roman): Similar to Hermes, also carries a Kerykeion. 
Mercury (the flying mercury) Giovanni da Bologna (1529-1608)
                         
Giovanni da Bologna's famed Flying Mercury captures the Greek messenger of the gods speeding through the skies.  Mercury is depicted wearing a winged petasus on his head and winged sandals which give him speed in flight

Zeus (Greek): god of the skies, often shown holding one of his lightning bolts.  Brother of Zeus and Hades.

Zeus (George Washington), Horatio Greenough, 1840

Here, George Washington is symbolically portrayed as Zeus. He is holding the hilt of a sword out to the viewer representing him giving the power back to the American people.

 Jupiter (Roman): Pretty much Zeus with a Roman name

                       

Jupiter (triumphator)


Athena (Greek): The goddess of wisdom, courage, civilization, justice, law, inspiration, just warfare, math, strength, strategy, arts and crafts and skill.




Minerva (Roman):  The goddess of music, poetry, commerce, crafts, weaving, magic, medicine, wisdom. She is often portrayed with the symbol which is an owl.

 22minervaStatue of Athena. Vatican Museum, Rome.

Hades (Greek): The god of the underworld, where souls went after they died. He is the brother of Zeus and Poseidon, all three the children of Jupiter.




Pluto (Roman): The roman god of the underworld.


Poseidon (Greek): The God of the Sea and horses. He is often shown carrying a trident. He is the brother of Zeus and Hades.

 Sousse neptune.jpg

Neptune (Roman): The Roman god of the sea. He was the brother of Jupiter and Pluto, comparable to Zeus and Hades.










Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Episode 87: Dale Chihuly



We’re coming at you today with a post on Dale Chihuly, glassblower extraordinaire!

Born in 1941, Dale earned a Fulbright scholarship, studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, and taught glassblowing for years. He’s a prolific artist and has pieces all over the world, receiving numerous accolades for his contribution to the artistic community.
These are some of the pieces we talked about in our podcast this week:


This was an early work by Dale, and features an interesting combination of weaving and glass. I’m thankful that Dale didn’t stop here but did more glassblowing, because compared to his later artwork, this one is nowhere near as amazing.





This is the ceiling to the Bellagio Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s almost like a rainbow has been bolted into the ceiling!

 
 

 Two Opalescent Putti In Tree With Lovely Fairy-Wrens, 1999
 




This one is called “Blue and Purple Boat” and is at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Arizona. Looking at those colors one might think the image has been Photoshopped, but that’s one of the beautiful things about glassblowing- you can get gorgeous saturated colors.





Those kids need to start running for their lives! The “Palm House Blue Peacock Tower” looks kind of intimidating, but it again showcases those lovely blues.




We love the color blue, don’t we? These “Blue Herons” were at the New York Botanical Gardens in 2005. The shapes that can be created with glass are incredible- It’s hard to believe that these abstract shapes suggesting birds began life as a blob of molten glass!






Lastly, here’s the “Olympic Tower” in Salt Lake City, Utah. A permanent addition to Abravanel Hall, it’s a beautiful addition to the many sights and sounds of Salt Lake (and it’s not blue!).

Check out images of "Chihuly Over Venice" at http://rolfgross.dreamhosters.com/ChihulyWeb/Installations.html 

Dale Chihuly's official website is http://www.chihuly.com/
 

Next week Jo and Alisha will be talking about Greek vs. Roman gods.