I think the lightest, smallest things can feel so perfect every now and then. Little moments you take for yourself to observe something you think is lovely. I have the tendency to take photos for a 'cloudy day' of these little moments - so that I can keep reminding myself that there are beautiful things out there.
Late night tea and cake with a dear friend...
... Some alone time reading and drinking coffee.
Exploring a new city...
... Returning to your own and remembering why you love it.
Going on a walk around the lanes and discovering new treasures...
... Lying in the sun in your garden and admiring the beauty there.
Reading a book and finding one person who really shares what you feel...
... Listening to a song with thousands of other people who share what you feel.
Cooking like a child and mucking about in the kitchen at home...
... Having an extraordinary dinner out with a loving group of friends.
Waking up to find your cat climbing in to bed for a snooze...
... Spending an exhausting day rushing about playing with the sweetest relatives.
Spending a late night at a beach bonfire singing with kind friends...
... Having an early morning breakfast excursion with a thoughtful friend.
I'm supposed to be sleeping before I have a full on day in London with my family tomorrow (ah isn't the holiday season just the best?) but am struggling to sleep. Those late nights working or staying up with friends at university have messed up my body clock big time. So I thought why not be productive and write up another blog? I always type one up and remember how much I miss it. I should really try and find a better balance with work. Ah well.
I mentioned in one of my summer blogs that since I'm living in a house this year I'd have the opportunity to cook for myself every day. Cooking is one of my favourite things to do - so creative and relaxing at the same time! This semester I started off slowly and have worked up to some fun stuff. I've already got so many plans for next semester's cooking it's ridiculous.
One of my fellow foodies and best friends, Gen, is my person to go on food excursions and discuss my latest cooking efforts with. We recently started talking about going out on some 'tummy indulgence' - hence the title of this blog. We've even named our food babies! She's crazy talented - makes pumpkin pie from scratch (no pre-made mixture for her!), has an ice-cream maker etc. Well she jokes that because she's Asian she has to take pictures of all her food - funnily enough this habit has caught on and now I'm photographing stuff I've made. I thought I'd post some pictures from this semester and get in a foodie frenzy. Ahhh yum yum yum!
Salmon. I love how 'sophisticated' this meal looks when it's so easy to put together. It impressed my mum at least! It's basically my dish for throwing together whatever vegetables I have and sprinkling a little pesto and parmesan on top.
Bread. I have always wanted to learn how to make bread. I don't know why it always seemed like such a wholesome idea? Well this term I decided I'd take up that challenge and I haven't been able to stop making bread since. I'm still shocked every time it rises in the oven! There is also nothing more rewarding or yummy than eating your own, freshly baked, warm bread - plus the kitchen smells amazing afterwards! I've only started with basic plain bread but my housemate wants to try honey and apple bread - doesn't that just sound immense?
Butternut Squash Mash. A number of my friends are vegetarians so I'm conscious of cooking for them and how delicious the food is when they cook for me. I think with vegetarian food there's much more of an effort to work with flavour so it always tastes so much better than if you were making vegetables to go with meat. My friends have got me on to experimenting with different veggie dishes and this is one of my favourites - butternut squash mashed with feta, nuts and coriander. You can eat it as a mash or make veggie burgers out of it.
Prawn and Coconut Laksa. Laksa is a spicy noodle soup that derives from Singapore - people have played about with it a bit so you get lots of different types. Again, the title makes it sound so complex and exotic but it's pretty easy to make. It's simply noodles, prawns, vegetable stock, coconut milk, coriander, spring onions and ginger. This dish has become my new comfort food - especially in helping survive freezing Scottish weather.
Oreo Truffles. I only started making these this year and now they've become my sort of 'thing'. It's always fun to make large batches and send them out to my friends. I did this a couple of weeks ago when everyone had deadlines and it was a lifesaver! They're so quick and easy to make it's insane. They're also so addictive that I have to hide them from myself.
My First Christmas Dinner. This year I made my first christmas dinner for some of my housemates. It tragically felt like a big step on the growing up scale! I've watched my parents make christmas dinner and helped with the easier parts for so many years that it felt odd to be in charge of it. Still it turned out pretty well - nothing disastrous happened and everyone lived so I'd count that as a success?
Banana and Chocolate Bread Pudding. This picture was taken before I baked it - it looks rather slimy and gross otherwise! Bread and Butter Pudding was something my mum always tried to make me eat as a child - I don't know why I always had horrible images of it in my head as something that adults ate? Well I thought I'd give it a whirl and see what happened. It turns out it's become one of my new cooking obsessions. My friend accurately described it as being like 'eating a giant toastie'. The recipe I use has soya milk so now I can make it for my mum (she can't eat dairy) to apologise for ever doubting her taste!
Star Wars Treats. I had the opportunity to do some very creative baking for Greenpeace this semester. I just joined the St Andrews Greenpeace Society this year and have been having such a good time. It feels so good to be active and part of a team where you feel like there's real meaning to what you are doing. Greenpeace currently has an ongoing campaign against Volkswagen for their funding of the activities of groups lobbying against emission laws. The campaign was Star Wars themed which meant that I got to get creative in the kitchen. It took me a day to produce everything for the campaign and it was ridiculously fun. I ended up making: chocolate and raspberry Deathstar cupcakes, red velvet Princess Leia cupcakes, oreo truffle Ewoks and lemon biscuit Yodas.
Hmmm so this blog hasn't been the cheeriest thing recently? Well, maybe sad poetry does it for some people? Bah, it could have been worse.
Anyway, I thought I'd turn that around with some lovely music. I've just had a couple of songs in my head recently that I think are fantastic. Do they go together? Not really. Are they similar? Not really. Ah well. They've been my soundtrack in the last few weeks of work before coming home for the holidays! I find myself creating a ridiculous amount of facebook posts with music people should listen to so I thought I'd cut that down and post a bunch on here instead.
1. Pumped up Kicks (Acoustic) - Foster the People
I've really come to like the acoustic version of this song over the original. Not that the original isn't great in itself and people should listen to that too. Just what I noticed when listening to this is that the upbeat style of the original song masked the incredible lyrics. It's quite sinister really (did I say this blog was supposed to be more uplifting? Whoops!) but tells an interesting story. Also in losing the heavy layering of instruments etc. the beauty of the tune on the guitar and the warm quiver of Mark Foster's voice really come to light.
2. Holocene - Bon Iver
What was that about making this blog cheerier?!? Well, to be fair, I don't find this song sad. I find it beautiful but I can see why people may read it as sad. The subject isn't particularly happy and there is the usual melancholy in Justin Vernon's voice but... I find it so light and dreamy. Justin Vernon does have the most otherworldly voice - it's especially striking considering that when you look at the guy he really looks like some rough lumberjack who should be out in the forest shooting deer or something?
3. The Fear - Ben Howard
The song title may not suggest it but I swear this is happier! I've had this discussion with so many people - a beautiful voice or a powerful voice? For me it's always a powerful voice. I will always prefer a voice where I can feel the artist's energy and expression. Ben Howard is my new 'powerful voice' - he's up there with Florence Welch, Marcus Foster, Newton Faulkner, Adele, Gotye etc. I just love his roughness and that broken quality that goes so well with the guitar.
4. Every You, Every Me - Placebo
I know a lot of people think Placebo aren't happy but I think the energy and power in their reflections breaks away from this. Lyrically and musically there's a rawness and a franticness to them that I really love. You really feel like you're in the ramblings of someone's head - there's no hesitation or guise. Lyrically, especially in this song, there is such honesty about the narrator's character flaws and their violently passionate relationship with their partner. Anger and passion is a powerful combination and I think that's how I'd describe Placebo.
5. Midnight City - M83
This is my new motivation/dance song. M83 never fail to provide good electronic music to walk down the street to. Like most of these artists, in their later work I think M83 developed a greater subtlety and energy in their new tracks. Also the saxophone at the end makes me nostalgic and wishing that I had the time to pick mine up again - in the instrument world it is the definition of 'cool'.
6. No Light, No Light - Florence + The Machine
I know Florence got a lot of slack for this video, which is a shame because I think it's the best song from the new album, so I'll ignore the video for now. My favourite track on the last album was 'Cosmic Love' and I think this is a development of that style. The song begins so beautifully and then swoops in to the dramatic Florence everyone loves. She has a powerful voice but I think the start of this song demonstrates how beautiful and soaring it can be. Lyrically, it's a really interesting focus on the lightness and darkness of a relationship.
7. For You - Tracy Chapman
I can finish on a happy note! Not that I don't think the other songs are great and they make me happy - they just don't seem very happy. Ah! so be it. Tracy Chapman is a goddess. This song is simply her singing the loveliest lyrics known to man twice round. Just her voice and an acoustic guitar. Tracy Chapman's simplicity and her beautiful deep voice make her timeless. People know her for 'Fast Car' (which hands down is utterly divine) but I think her other songs should be explored as well - she's by no means a one song artist.
And he would never know the cracks in her smile,
as he looked upon her with the eyes of a child,
And he would never know the strain in her eyes,
as he never understood her sighs,
And he would never know the hole in her heart,
despite being the one who put it there at the start.
I wrote that a couple of months ago. It's not particularly complicated or sophisticated writing, but I still quite like it. It came back to me a few days ago and out of all the things I've written it's one of my favourites.
I actually wrote this blog just over a month ago in the summer holidays (sigh) and then lost internet for a long time, so I never got round to editing or publishing it. It just concerns me being my usual self and reading too far in to things. Anyway, I still think this is an interesting video and has a lot to say for itself.
I'm not a particularly big Lady Gaga fan but I do really like this song and I think the music video is intriguing. After first watching the video it plagued my mind for a couple of days - I showed it to a number of people and tried to understand it.
What does the video mean? Why is Lady Gaga being experimented on? Why does she start making out with her male self?
Like much of Lady Gaga's work, I think the message of this video is whatever you interpret it to be. Everyone I've talked to has focused on a different aspect of the video - we see what is significant to us. I thought I'd write a little bit about what I drew from this video.
For me the video seems to be a commentary on relationships. When I first viewed it I was going through a rough time so it spoke to me.
When you're in the transition to becoming an 'adult' (yikes!) you discover a lot about yourself. I think one of the key ways to find out about yourself is through relationships. You share your life with someone and tend to have to reflect upon it at the same time. You are also forging a new identity as 'Blah blah's partner' and that often involves change.
This video focuses on the tie between relationships and identity. How much should you change for someone else? How important is your sense of self?
There are two particular ideas I found in the music video that I would like to focus on. Firstly, the way a relationship can change you. Secondly, your relationship with yourself.
So, to start with - the way a relationship can change you.
Lady Gaga spends a fair amount of the video as a mermaid. I'm not entirely sure why she's a mermaid - probably just something cool she could pull off? When completely in her mermaid form Lady Gaga is either being romantic with or experimented on by her lover. In later scenes, after her transformation, there are allusions to her having been a mermaid. For example, in one scene she's naked in the form of a woman but is wearing shoes similar to the shape of a mermaid's tail. Similarly, in the marriage scene Lady Gaga has blue make up on her cheekbones - mirroring where her gills were in the mermaid scenes.
Change from a relationship can be a positive and negative thing - I think this video supports this view. Change can be positive in that, hopefully, the person you are with makes you want to strive to be a better person. They should bring out the best in you. Change can be negative in that you can lose a sense of personal identity as you become part of a pair. In trying to meet what your partner wants you can lose too much of yourself.
In this video there are aggressive scenes where Gaga's lover is experimenting on her and her pain is evident - the negative part of changing in a relationship. Parts of the video that I find more sinister are when she appears sedated and does not resist her transformation - something I'm sure we've seen in friends in relationships.
However, the more positive aspects of the video that I noted were her mermaid's tail shoes and blue makeup resembling gills that I mentioned earlier. These are symbols of her maintaining her identity in her relationship. Despite her lover's violent efforts she stays true to herself. I think this idea is particularly prominent in the marriage scene - she is simply in white (a strong contrast to her usual elaborateness) but she maintains her quirkiness with her blue makeup and her expressions are so endearing.
I think change thanks to a relationship is a fine balancing act. If that person helps you to flourish then change is a wonderful thing. Just don't struggle to the extent where you're striving to meet unnatural expectations. Positive change in a relationship requires the blossoming of something that is already there.
The second aspect of the video that triggered the most thought for me were the scenes where Lady Gaga is playing a piano in a field and sitting on top of it is her dressed as a man. It gets particularly peculiar when she starts getting rather intimate with her male counterpart. This is the part of the video that has had the most 'shock-factor' in the media and a part that I interpreted as having an important message. I think this section of the video is about your relationship with yourself - an important relationship that we often forget about because it's more abstract. The message from this scene is that you have to remember to love yourself - maybe in Lady Gaga's case a little too much?! Despite whatever may be happening in the rest of your life you should always remember to care for yourself. We can get so caught up in ensuring that others are okay or trying to meet people's expectations that we forget to have some sensible self-interest. I know that I am my greatest critic and it is important for me to respect myself. The person you should always be answering to is yourself - people have a lot more power than they give themselves credit for and can often look to others instead of looking within.
I also thought it was rather interesting that for a particularly elaborate woman Lady Gaga has such a subtle and almost bare appearance when she's in this scene. I interpreted this as symbolising that you can't hide anything from yourself - everything is laid out. The good in this is that you can be comfortable and aware in your own the skin. The bad is that you do have to live with your behaviour - reinforcing my idea that the person you should always answer to is yourself. Make yourself proud.
So this is now the more art focused geeky blog about the beautiful things I saw in Italy. It's been interesting to let some time pass after being in Italy and reflect on the trip again. Conclusions: I still love Italy. I would still go back there in a heartbeat. AHA is still one of the best things that ever happened to me.
I am so so sorry to anyone who ever gets caught up in a conversation with me about the trip - I will get very emphatic, have a slightly crazed glint in my eye and not shut up for a good hour or so.
Now onwards with the geeky blog!
I have tried to cut this down to a limited number of art works... but just bear with me on that front.
I'm sorry about the quality of some of the pictures - I used some of my own but had to nab a lot off the internet - we weren't allowed to photograph everything.
'Assumption of the Virgin' - Titian (The Frari - Venice)
This was the first artwork on the trip that really had me in awe. What's incredible about this altarpiece is that it works so well with the rest of the church - something people should go to The Frari to experience. Still, here's my crummy attempt at trying to explain why it works so well. If you stand in front of the main doors of the church (where there is a big open space) and look down towards the altar it's a powerful experience. Just before the altar a large amount of space is taken up by choir stalls and there is an arch as you enter them - when standing at the back of the church you can see that the arch lines up perfectly with the altarpiece. The framing of the altarpiece draws you to it and Titian's warm, bold colours are so strong even from far away. What I really like about the Frari is that at the back of the church you have a very open space and as you get closer to the altar the space gets more intimate. I developed a nice theory with my tutor that the church layout represents life - you have all this space at the beginning to experiment and possibly make mistakes but a close experience with God in the afterlife is at the end of all of this.
My tutorial group started at the back of the church and gradually moved to sit in front of the altar - this is where Titian's work was at its most powerful for me. If I had to suggest what is most impressive about this work I would say how accessible it is. The colours are so warm and have a sort of gentle glow that really encompasses you - I was lucky to be there in the early morning when the light was just coming through the altar windows in a gentle haze. I also find the figure of Mary particularly interesting - her gaze upwards gives a sense of awe but her open arms show her faith. I could go on and on about this altarpiece but I'll leave it there for now. Titian is just... ahhhh... such a genius!
The Basilica of Sant'Antonio (Padua)
To be fortunate enough to have stood in Sant'Antonio is something I will treasure for a long time. Architecturally outside and inside it is beautiful. However, I'm not going to focus on the architecture. I think what makes this church so special is the atmosphere inside of it - you can't take a picture of that and I know my explanation will never capture how moving it is to be in that church. St Anthony is the saint specifically prayed to when one feels lost. The tomb of St Anthony is in the church and therefore it is a site of pilgrimage for lost souls - it is custom for people to lay their hand on St Anthony's tomb and pray. On certain parts of the tomb photographs or objects related to the lost being prayed for are displayed. It's an overwhelming experience to look at the photographs and pleas for help.
Before the trip I had some hard experiences and upon entering the church I thought that I would lay my hand on St Anthony's tomb and ask for guidance. However, the second I got in there, before I'd even seen the tomb, I knew that I didn't need to anymore. The hopeful yet reverent atmosphere of the church took me in entirely and I felt a wave of calm pass over me. I went to the tomb and looked at the photographs of truly lost people - I laid my hand on St Anthony's tomb and thanked God for my life. We all go through trials and sometimes it seems like you're not getting anywhere but really upon reflection it could be so much harder. I've had a blessed life - it doesn't go smoothly all the time - but there is so much to be thankful for. It's experiences like being in Sant'Antonio that remind you of this.
The Scrovegni Chapel - Giotto (Padua)
To be in the Scrovegni Chapel is a real privilege. The chapel is decorated entirely in frescoes which are extremely delicate - there's a scientific explanation about why the painted image starts to fade on the plaster but I won't get in to the nerdy details. Groups of limited numbers are allowed in to the chapel at a time and we all had to be dehumidified before entering it - that's how delicate the work has become. Giotto's frescoes illustrate the lives of Joachim and Anne (the virgin Mary's parents), the life of the virgin Mary, the life of Jesus and the last judgement. Whilst on a grand scale the chapel is absolutely beautiful, I was really touched by the minor details - something you need to be in the chapel to observe. Whilst Giotto's work accurately depicts passages from the bible, he adds minor details that are observations from life - certainly not laid down in the bible. For example, there is a depiction of Joachim and Anne embracing - as they kiss Anne is stroking his beard - it's a very simple gesture Giotto has added to the scene but it brings such tenderness to it. Another example of Giotto's skill is his scene of Judas betraying Jesus with a kiss. Giotto depicts Jesus staring calmly but directly in to Judas' eyes as he betrays him - there is such power and knowledge in him from a minor detail added by Giotto. Giotto is a master of understanding and portraying human mannerisms.
'Holy Trinity' - Massaccio (The Santa Maria Novella - Florence)
I haven't used a picture of the entire work for a reason. Whilst as a whole it is spectacular and there are so many aspects of it that I could talk about - I have decided to focus on one. Mary is commonly the aspect everyone focuses on - and that's for a good reason. I could try and be out of the box and focus on another part of the work but her presence is completely unavoidable. This depiction of Mary reduced a member of my tutorial group to tears and has an intensity I was amazed that art could be capable of. This is such a unique depiction of Mary - in most portrayals she is a motherly or lamenting figure. The anger and accusatory gaze of Massaccio's Mary is so powerful that when the work was first seen people thought she was real. Her gaze and hand gesture suggests to the viewer - 'You did this. The sins of mankind are responsible for the death of my son'. Her gaunt face, heavy eyes and the arm holding her clothing close to her chest emphasise her vulnerability and utter despair at the death of her son. It is often said that the worst thing a mother can experience is the death of her child - Massaccio's Mary is the ultimate depiction of a grieving mother.
'Annunciation' - Pontormo (Santa Felicita - Florence) The centre of this picture should be entirely ignored - Pontormo's work is Gabriel on the left and Mary on the right. In terms of colour, delicacy and light I think this is one of the most beautiful works of art I have ever seen. I bought about five different postcards which focus on varying aspects of this work because I think it is so lovely. Whilst most people focus on Gabriel, I think both figures are equally beautiful. My tutor said 'That Gabriel is love. He doesn't need any explanation.' I think she's entirely right. The awe and contentment on Gabriel's face as he basks in Mary's beauty is incredibly romantic. The softness of her gaze passes over him and encompasses every aspect of his being - it's present in the tilt of his head, the swirl of his clothing, the gentle strokes of his wings etc. Ahhh I could ramble on about what a divine figure he is for a long time but I think I'll leave it here. I think Pontormo's depiction of Mary is one of the loveliest in the world. Sadly you can't see the detail in this picture but her face has a softness and innocence, yet there's a certainty in her gaze. She's a gentle character but has an element of strength. The light falls so elegantly across her face and clothing. Again, it's not visible in this picture but the soft light brings forward different hues of pale blues and mauves to frame her elegant face. In terms of colour, expression and light I think Pontormo is an absolute god!
'The Deposition' - Michelangelo (Museo dell'Opera - Florence)
I was lucky enough to see Michelangelo's David in Florence and he is just incredible. However, this was the work by Michelangelo that struck me. This was the only sculpture Michelangelo created for his own personal pleasure and not for commission. What's really remarkable is that he created this in his seventies - imagine how dedicated to his work he must have been? And imagine how agile he was at that age to still be physically pushing himself to sculpt? There's a tragic story behind this work - whilst making it Michelangelo discovered a flaw in the marble (I think it was a vein in the arm or leg of Christ?) Michelangelo had worked on the sculpture for roughly ten years so his fury was understandable when he discovered the flaw - as a reaction he started hacking away at the sculpture and you can see some of the damage today.
What I love about Michelangelo's work is that whilst his figures often have an overwhelming physicality, there's also an emotional level to them. When I stood before this work the thing that had me in awe was Mary's tenderness upon holding her dead son. Christ's body has such a sense of heaviness - the exaggerated muscularity contrasts with the limpness of his limbs and roll of his head. By contrast Mary is just gently resting her head against this hulk-like figure, with her eyes closed - being a comfort even in death. The gesture between Mary and her son in this work just had me in awe. It's almost like Christ is just exhausted and she's lulling him to sleep. It made me think of all the times I've come home from a hard day and my parents let me lean against their shoulder. Michelangelo captured the love between parent and child perfectly.
This is the only piece of art I've cried in front of. Our tutor had the incredible idea of taking each member of the tutorial group separately to stand in front of her. Magdalene is life size - so it felt like you were standing in front of a real person. It was extremely powerful to be the only person standing in the room with her and look her in the eye.
This is Donatello's depiction of Mary Magdalene in the desert after the death of Christ. Donatello's Magdalene is an embodiment of strength and frailty. The effects of her penitence are evident in her gaunt face and withered body. However, her praying hands, the traces of gold that cover her body and her piercing blue eyes show her faith and strength. I think she moved me to tears because her sense of grief was so powerful to me. Her dishevelled appearance made me think of the state of my great aunt after my uncle died. The disintegration and personal neglect you can undergo once you've lost the most important person in your life is harrowing. I think the contrast between Donatello's Magdalene and my great aunt is that Magdalene still had the hope and strength that my aunt lost towards the end of her life. I became very caught up in the suffering of Magdalene and my tutor simply reminded me 'There was hope'. I think the hope Magdalene embodies is something I had overlooked and it is as important as her suffering. Despite her dishevelled appearance she has a simple strength and looking at her in that way gave me a new perspective.
'The Sistine Chapel' - Michelangelo (Vatican City)
This photograph and all other photographs I have seen of the Sistine Chapel do not do it justice. I went to the chapel with the idea in my head that it was quite dark and that the colours in it are quite muted. Whilst the lower half of the chapel is quite dark, when you look up at the ceiling it is so light and has bright colours. Standing and just gazing up at the Sistine Chapel ceiling really is a remarkable experience. I understand that when things are overly discussed and revered you can become sceptical about them or even disappointed upon finally seeing them. When people discuss how entrancing it is too look at the Sistine Chapel they are not exaggerating. Michelangelo's use of colour and ability to project figures forward makes you feel like there is this entire world above you. There is such a vibrance to the ceiling that I honestly felt I could just float upwards and enter it myself.
'Apollo and Daphne' - Bernini (Villa Borghese - Rome)
I love love love Bernini and was lucky to see a lot of his work at the Villa Borghese. It was hard deciding which of his sculptures to write about - there are so many and they are all incredible. However, at the end of the day, my favourite Bernini sculpture is always Apollo and Daphne. Again, this picture just cannot do this work justice - you really need to walk around it to appreciate all of the different angles of it. Upon seeing it I kept thinking 'I can't believe this was once a block of marble. Surely it entered the world in this state?' The sculpture has such extraordinary grace. The incredible detail, such as the leaves sprouting from Daphne's fingers, the flow of Daphne's hair and the swirl of Apollo's clothing just seems so beyond man made. When you look at this work it just looks like they're gliding through the air together. This work has the unbelievable combination of delicacy and dynamism.
A cool experience, that happened entirely by accident, was that by drifting off in the Villa Borghese I ended up amongst the sculptures by myself when it was time for everyone to leave. I will always remember the magical experience of just standing before Benini's work entirely alone.
'Madonna del Pellegrino' - Caravaggio (Sant'Agostino - Rome)
This year at university I learnt about Caravaggio and fell in love with his work. There were a number of works I learnt about specifically, including this one, but I always placed this work to one side and focused on what I thought to be his more dramatic and interesting works (e.g. The Calling of St Matthew, The Martyrdom of St Peter etc.) However, after standing before this work, it has become my favourite work by Caravaggio. I was discussing the painting with my tutor and she told me that she felt the work is about Mary's strength - and then it just clicked. This work has a hugely emotional element to it that I had been entirely ignorant of until I actually stood in front of it. When I finally realised the emotional importance of the work I just turned to my tutor and said 'My god, it's a version of the pieta isn't it?' The pieta is a depiction of Mary holding the dead body of her son. What makes Caravaggio's work so powerful is that in this picture Christ is still an infant. At the crucifixion it has been estimated that Christ was about 33 years old but what I think this picture represents is that in Mary's eyes he was still a child - her child. This portrayal alludes to her sacrifice and her strength - she endured the loss of her son - the worst thing that can happen to a mother.
I saw so many beautiful pieces of art on the trip. I keep going through this blog and my AHA notebook and thinking 'Oh I loved that! Why didn't I write about that?!' Still, I have decided to not bore everyone to death and try to keep it limited - that didn't really work out in the end but oh well!
When we were at the Biennale in Venice I came across an interesting film where people were talking about the impact of art etc. There was a man who said 'Art is the best way to define life'. I think that's true. We often get frustrated that we can't quite vocally convey an experience accurately - art is a form of expression that says what words can't. I think this blog is evidence of this idea. All of the works I have written about touched me and I will treasure the memory of my visceral reactions when I stood before them. These works communicated so much to me that here I am trying to communicate their message to you.
