Veronese: Magnificence in Renaissance Venice

Opening only four days ago, Veronese on a Saturday was busy but not heaving. A noticeably older crowd, who I seemed to tower over (I never tower over anyone as I'm only 5'5" (5'6" on a good day)) settled around favourite pieces. Being incredibly ignorant about Veronese and Italian Renaissance art generally, I felt a little out of my depth but the tiny booklet was interesting and the audio guide that my friend picked up, even better. The vast display if biblical scenes, women with heaving bosom and men in fur seemed at times a little repetitive but the colour of each piece was fabulous with blues and reds as bright as the day they were painted. The only real down side to this exhibition was that the huge canvases were closely spaced together, making it easy to tread on the feet of the people behind. The National Gallery seemed a little pushed for space with Strange Beauty running at the same time next door in the Sainsbury Wing. Overall, worth seeing and very informative for those wishing to be better educated in Italian Renaissance.

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Sensing Spaces: Architecture Reimagined at the Royal Academy

As the Royal Academy's latest exhibition enters its last few weeks, my mind keeps revisiting this colourful and ambitious architectural display.

The work of Sensing Spaces: Architecture Reimagined consists of modern and fantastical architecture, scaled down and working in harmony with the ornate and white washed rooms of the RA. Seven architectural practices were chosen from around the world to represent innovative structural design.

Micro-architecture, as it is often described, (structures displaying architectural motifs on a smaller scale than an original building) has existed since the Middle Ages. Woodwork, such as choir stalls in cathedrals and wooden ecclesiastical  chests often demonstrated designs which were used on the fabric of new churches.

Choir Stalls at Ulm Minster. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Ulm-Muenster-ChorGestuehl-061104.jpg

Metalwork such as censers, which contained incense and were swung during church services, also contained micro-architecture such as quatrefoils, ogee arches and triple lancets. All of these can be seen in medieval cathedral designs. Censers were often used as a method to transport architectural ideas, often acting as modern drawings do today.

Ramsey Censer, found in Huntingdonshire in the 19th century, dated 1325. On display at the V&A.

Two censers both on display at the V&A. First from Venice 1500, second from England 1350.

Censer similar to the Ramsey Censer illustrated in stained glass in Rotherfield, East Sussex. Proof that architectural designs were moving around the country through mediums like metalwork.

The Royal Academy, bizarrely, provides the perfect space for Architecture Reimagined. Although its ceilings are classic and ornate with gold angels and filigree coating every edge, this modern architecture provides a welcome contrast. Pezo von Ellrichshausen's installation is incredibly dominating but also interactive with spiral staircases filling the cylindrical pillars. Climbing to the top of this structure allows the RA to be viewed from a completely different perspective, the decoration of the ceiling can be seen up close and the features of the moulded angels and be fully appreciated. It is architecture within architecture, a play on function and space to distort size and perspective. I don't want to say much more about this exhibition but I urge you to visit it. A fantastic interactive exhibition for the whole family.

Pezo von Ellrichshausen's installation

From the top of Pezo von Ellrichshausen's installation

Diébédo Francis Kéré, Sensing Spaces installation

Diébédo Francis Kéré, Sensing Spaces installation

Eduardo Souto de Moura, Sensing Spaces installation

Grafton Architects, Sensing Spaces installation

Kengo Kuma, Sensing Spaces installation

International Women's Day

International Women’s Day has been celebrated with a series of articles and photographs of inspirational women throughout history. Cherie Blair in the Independent declared, rather depressingly, that women still have a long way to go to reach true equality. Photographs of Angelina Jolie, Lupita Nyong'o and David Cameron vowing ‘we cannot rest until someone is prosecuted for FGM’, have dominated the internet in the run up to today. Lets not forget the classic quotes from Coco Chanel – ‘A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous’ and Margaret Thatcher – ‘If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.’ 

Yet, despite all of this publicity no-one seems to have considered or challenged how far back inspirational women go. Everyone knows about the Virgin Mary, she was a famous and inspirational woman but rather overshadowed by her son. Helen of Troy from Greek Mythology and Brad Pitt’s CV was only famous because she was the most beautiful woman that ever existed (I guess there is nothing wrong with that) and Joan of Arc was fifteenth-century so not really as ancient as I’d like to venture.

As a student at the Courtauld studying Gothic Architecture for my MA, I can appreciate any notable woman who pops up in my research; they are the exception in a male-dominated medieval world. Of course, inspirational women in the Middle Ages did exist and Blanche of Castile is my favourite. Born in Spain in 1188, Blanche, aged 11, was forced into a marriage treaty with Louis VIII, son of King Philip II Augustus of France. Although Blanche was only French by marriage, she quickly considered France her country, particularly after the birth of her son, Louis IX. 

When her English uncle King John died, Blanche quickly saw the opportunity to increase French territory by seizing the English throne. Her husband, Louis, invaded England in 1216 but failed to secure any land. After Louis died following a crusade in 1226, Blanche became guardian of their son and regent of France. This caused uproar in rebellious parties and a revolt in France, supported by the English King Henry III. Blanche however, maintained her power as regent of France, riding into battle ahead of her troops, dressed in white, and eventually pacifying the English and French. Even after her son Louis was old enough to take the throne of France, Blanche did not abandon her responsibilities. When she heard that the poor were being mistreated by the cathedral chapter in Paris, she rode there herself to ensure that they were released from prison. The stability that she created in France was unquestionable. 

Although sometimes overlooked by male scholars, Blanche was an architectural patron of three Cistercian foundations: Royaumont, a male monastery; Maubuisson, a female convent and Le Lys another female institution. It is also very probably that Blanche patronised some of the stained glass in the choir at Chartres Cathedral, as it clearly displays Castilian and Capetian heraldry, including the fleur-de-lys.

Books in the Middle Ages were extremely expensive to produce and were therefore scarce. Blanche, however, along with her many other manuscript commissions asked for three Bibles Moralisées to be made. The most famous image of Blanche of Castile appears in the last leaf of this book, seated next to her son, she is depicted as powerful. Not only is she the same height as Louis IX, thus illustrating her as equal to the king, she is also gesturing actively in contrast to Louis. Louis passively listens to what his mother is saying. Cleverly, she is placed above the cleric, senior to the lay craftsman painting the manuscript on the right. Louis is placed above the craftsman suggesting that he is the worker, rather than the decision maker, in his relationship with his mother.

 

Image taken from: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7002/6434543387_96f46327d8_o.jpg

Research can be attributed to: Gajewski, A., 'The Patronage Question under Review: Blanche of Castile (1188-1252) and the Architecture of the Cistercian Abbeys at Roymaumont, Maubuisson, and Le Lys', in Reassessing the roles of women as 'makers' of medieval art and architecture, ed. Therese Martin (Boston, 2012) 197-244. & http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/68868/Blanche-Of-Castile

Brand Spanking New

I better go with the 'simple' layout design for my blog because I don't have a bloody clue what I'm doing.

I met an editor of one of the UK's top news magazines last night at a university networking event. In my three minute speed-dating-networking-chat-thing I told her I want to write about art and her first question (not surprisingly) was do I have a blog.

No, until now I have never had a blog. To be honest I was hoping this whole blog thing would just be a teenage fad that would pass over me, something I could ward off with enough garlic and academia, but unfortunately I have been infected with the urge to tell you something you might or might not find riveting. It terrifies me that anything I write will be saved on the Internet forever, every word, cast in virtual metal will cling to my person and I will have to drag it around in discomfort and possible regret for eternity.

I promised myself I would be positive about this experience (I'm sure I'll press 'publish' by mistake at any moment and I'll realise I'm not cut out for this) but here it goes!

Life as a graduate isn't easy. We are no longer special because we have a degree. We are a student number, a name, faceless to so many people. We have such amazing ideas, we are enthusiastic and fresh individuals. When we say we will do anything, we will literally do anything to get on the career ladder and yet the majority of the time we are not really appreciated. Graduates come two a penny, they arrive in swarms as soon as July graduation hits. How can we possibly make a mark on our society? Technology means that people on the other side of the world can read about what we had for breakfast, everyone is immersed in technology now. The Internet is the most powerful and infomative technology that the world has ever seen but it is also the biggest rubbish bin. Why is my blog any different from anyone else's? It isn't. I don't know if anyone will ever read it but if you are a graduate you will probably understand how I feel.

I am hoping that the mistakes I make on here, in my MA and my life as a graduate might help you out. Paths that I take and decisions that I make will be noted and you can judge if they were right or wrong, bad or good split-second decisions.