Ars, Musica, et Vita

ONLY A FEW DAYS LEFT!!!!!! I'm pumped to start looking at Hellenistic Art and Architecture with you all in class. 

What is it like to study art history? Scholars constantly look at the smallest details of each statue, question them, and constantly ask themselves "why?" and "how?"

For example: Why are the lips parted? Why are the eyes facing down? How does this statue express emotion? How did the politics and social situations of the time motivate the creation of this statue or temple? Why did they use bronze or marble? Why is a statue nude and what is the effect of that nudity? How did the original location of the statue affect its dimensions and structure? Those are the very issues we will be tackling as well.

You can start thinking about these questions on your own over the next couple days with any medium of art. In particular, music provides plenty of examples: Why is Walk the Moon's song "Shut up and Dance with Me!" so popular? What is it about the tempo, the instruments involved, the refrain, and the tone that contribute to its catchy tune? What is the difference between Holst's masterpieces "Mars" and "Jupiter" and how does Holst achieve the emotional effects of both intensity in one and joy in the other? What instruments, rhythms, and tones are used and what are their purposes? COOL STUFF. 

To give you a quick teaser, I've attached a picture of my FAVORITE sculpture group from Hellenistic Art. This piece, the "Pasquino Group" represents a fleeting moment (2 lines) from the Iliad in which Menelaus holds Patroclus' collapsed body on the battlefield. I love the emotional intensity in this statue group and how it effectively embodies a powerful and overwhelming moment of grief and despair. 

I cannot wait to get started!!!! 

--Magistra Ghosheh