Art of the Reformation Era

During the reformation era, artists tended to paint based on the social and political views of their time. Since religion was a huge aspect of their social lives, artists tended to depict many of their own representations of scenes from the bible and everyday life from a religious view.  The methods they used ranged from oils paints on wood or panels, to woodcut engravings… Yet despite their canvas or method of choice, the artists of the era had created some of the most beautiful and famous masterpieces that society has had the pleasure of witnessing.

This painting is a prime example of an artist of the era representing a scene from the bible… In this case, the New Testament. It depicts when Christ was carrying his cross through the city. This artist wanted to depict not only Christ, but the enraged people of Jerusalem that he had to pass through on his way to be crucified.  This current picture uses an oil paint on panel technique₁. The material of the panel is undefined, but during those times it was common that panels were made of hard wood such as poplar or mahogany due to their non-warping qualities.  However, paint cannot be directly applied to the wood itself because it will not properly adhere to the wood. The panel is prepared by applying two coats of hot hide glue to saturate and penetrate the fibers of the wood. After the coats are dry, a piece of linen cloth (slightly larger than the panel itself) is soaked in the hot glue and applied to the panel. After it is dried, the panel is then covered with two more coats of the hot hide glue. After this is done, the panel is painted with 15 to 20 thin coats of gesso which is “a white, plaster-like preparation made of marble dust, water and the hide glue.”₂ After the gesso is completely dried, the panel is sanded to a marble like smoothness and is then ready to paint.

For this piece of artwork, the artist used a woodcutting technique to engrave his representation of the four horseman of the apocalypse as read in Revelations of the New Testament. This technique is done by hollowing out areas of a plank of wood using a chisel. This technique was used to transfer the design to paper or other surfaces. “The transfer of this design onto paper is achieved by inking the surface with typographic ink and applying pressure with a press.”₃ This was done so that the artwork could be used to design and decorate large areas or mass produced.

The artists of the reformation era have showed their interest in representing images from the bible in multiple formats. The use of oils on panel technique has proved to insure their paintings to survive through time, and the use of woodcutting engraving has given their artwork a chance to be shared and used in multiple areas. The artwork of the time truly has become some of the most beautiful masterpieces that societies have had an honor in witnessing.

Resources:

₁- http://history.hanover.edu/courses/art/346art.html

₂-http://www.gsinai.com/rw/icons/panel_technique.php

₃-http://www.worldprintmakers.com/english/pmtechni.htm#Woodcut

The Catholic Influence, from the Middle Ages to Now

The world and all its current cultures have, in many ways, been influenced by cultures of the past. One of the most influential aspects of life has been that of religion. When it comes to religion of the Middle Ages, one thinks of Catholicism. The religion during that time dominated all aspects of life, from birth to death. Although this religion was a form of Christianity, it was the only acceptable form of Christianity to be practiced during that time. Yet despite the domination of the Catholic Church over people during those times, the Catholic Church has influenced and continues to influence every culture from that time forth.

During these days, the Catholic Church is one of the largest in the world with an influence in many countries around the globe. However, despite much of the influence from the middle ages… This catholic church of present time is not nearly as dominating or aggressive as the church of old. The church may no longer have a dominating rule over people’s lives, but they do have a strong influence over how people act and live their lives. The influences may range from personal faith to fear of eternal damnation, each influence challenging an individual’s moral character and encouraging them to do well and live by the standards of the church.

Fortunately, the church is no longer seeking to purify the world in the same ways as the past… mainly speaking of the crusades. However, there may no longer be physical fighting for purity and bloodshed like the crusades, but there still exists the endless fighting for our souls through countless debates and protests of other religions who are guiding the souls of the world to eternal damnation. This view is not just that of the catholic religion but of other religions as well, which fuels the fires of all the endless debating and bible bashing to prove each other wrong.

The Catholic Church during the middle ages may have influenced much fighting among other religions from that time forward, but it has also influenced people to seek to live good lives. Similar to how the monks of old devoted their entire lives to living the laws of the church, so do people today devote much of their lives to it. The monks of the Middle Ages may have taken the devotion to the extreme, but people have shown during these days similar dedication (as much as modern society will permit).

The influence of religion has had an astounding impact on every culture and every society from the dawn of time. Yet the impact of the Catholic Church has had an influence which is by far more astounding than preceding religions.  The church went from having complete and utter control, to giving up that control but becoming one of the largest and most influential churches in the world. The church has touched billions of lives, crossed over many countries, and influenced countless societies since the middle ages and will probably continue to do so for years to come.

Resources:

1-      http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/middle-ages-religion.htm

2-      http://www.wholesomewords.org/missions/greatc.html

3-      http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/daily-life-monk-middle-ages.htm

Stained Glass of the Medieval Times

During the early middle ages, much of the culture seemed to be centered on religion and all its aspects. This included everything from their lifestyle to even their art. One such art that was developed and mastered during this time was the art of staining glass. “In Europe, the art of stained glass reached its height between 1150 and 1500, when magnificent windows were created for great cathedrals.”₁ This art had been dedicated towards religious beliefs just as all other culture had been.

The art of stained glass had been developed and mastered by a monk named Theophilus. “An artist and metalworker himself, Theophilus described in his text,On Diverse Arts, how he carefully studied glaziers and glass painters at work in order to provide detailed directions for creating windows of "inestimable beauty."”₂ For stained glass to be made for great cathedrals and religious purposes, it seems as though a monk was in the perfect position to develop the art.

The glass itself was made by melting down sand and wood ash (the ash gave the glass a more “foggy” look) and then cooled into different shapes. For the colored pieces of glass, different kinds of powdered metals were added to it while it was still molten. Once the pieces of glass were made, they were arranged into images on a piece of board that had the image drawn on. Once they were placed together, if the artist needed to add details such as shadows or shading, they would do so by painting them on. Afterwards, they would solder the pieces together with H shaped pieces of lead. Then all edges would be lined with clay to make them waterproof. Then the entire panel was stabilized by an iron frame.  (Entire process described at http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/glas/hd_glas.htm)

During the construction of some great cathedrals, the men who created them believed “…that the presence of beautiful objects would lift mens’ souls closer to God.”₃ This belief was true among many people during that time. With the sun shining within their cathedrals during a sermon, lighting up the pictures of their saints, and filling the great halls with such a warming light… How could they not feel this way about them? Their beauty is astounding, as this art not only captures beautiful images created by the artists but it encompasses those images in the warmth and light from the sun (or even the moon). This art is unique in that way, where it creates different feelings in the viewer depending on the current lighting at the time.

As much of the culture during those times, stained glass also had a main focus on religious purposes. From lighting small churches to great cathedrals, the artists all had a similar goal with their artwork; to lift mens’ souls closer to God through their art, that it may encompass them in “heavenly” light as their worship. These idea and views on the art have led to the creations of some of the most beautiful pieces of art that man has had the pleasure of witnessing.

Resources:

₁- http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/glas/hd_glas.htm

₂- http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/glas/hd_glas.htm

₃- http://www.thestorefinder.com/glass/library/history.html

Roman Government, Reinstated for the Modern United States

The government of Ancient Rome has influenced many countries following its time. The country that seems to stand above all the rest, as an almost replica of Rome (during its time of republic government), would be the United States. Although Rome has had a dictatorship during its time, the main influence it has had with the United States is its mix of republic and democracy views.

During the beginning of the Roman republic, there were two political parties…The Patricians and plebians. The patricians were wealthy, and of noble blood. The plebians were the commoners of the time. During the later years of the republic, there were other, smaller, political parties as well. Just as Rome had two major political parties (and other small parties), so does the United States. They have the Democrats and the Republicans as their political parties; of course other parties had been formed in the United States since then, such as the Constitution party, the Libertarian party, and the green party.

 
"The Ancient Romans did not want one man to make all of the laws, they decided to balance the power of the government between three branches, there was first the executive branch, then the legislative branch, and finally the judicial branch."₁ This view and set up of government is surprisingly similar, if not exactly similar, to that of the United States today. The United States also has an executive branch, a legislative branch, and a judicial branch in its government. The Roman republic also had a senate, in which they had controlled money, foreign policy, and laws… They basically controlled day to day life₂. The United States also has a senate consisting of men or women who are elected to represent their states. They also control many of the same policies that the Roman senate controlled. The main difference between the two senates is that the Roman senators were not elected but chosen by the magistrates. This form of government was supposed to be a better government and avoid a tyrannical rule… But as history has shown, the Roman republic fell and became an empire.₃ Will the United States follow the same pattern?

 
The similarities between the Roman republic and the United States government are astounding. From political to parties to the senate, the two governments seem close to exact replicas to each other. The Ancient Roman's influence had spread beyond their time, making way into the minds of men and women who were born thousands of years later. One can only speculate, if the Romans had gone from a kingdom under rule of a king, to a republic where men were heard, to a tyrannical empire… Where is the United States going? The United States fought to leave a kingdom and created a republic where all men are equal… Is an empirical rule next? History has always had a tendency to repeat itself… If the United States government is similar to Ancient Rome, who's to say that the same events will not repeat?


 
Resources:

₁ - http://www.unrv.com/government.php

₂ - http://www.uah.edu/student_life/organizations/SAL/texts/misc/romancon.html

₃ - http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/507739/Roman-Empire

Ancient Greece and its Artistic Influence

As with any culture, ancient to modern, there is art that has influenced or currently influences its society. In some cases... a cultures art is so influential, it lasts throughout time and influences many other cultures present and or future. A prime example of this would be the art of ancient Greece... and its influence on American culture as well as Roman culture.

After the revolutionary war, "The young nation, free from Britannic protection, was persuaded to be the new Athens, that is to say, a foyer for democracy"₁.  This lead to the creation of many banks, capital buildings, and amphitheaters after the design of Greek architecture.  

           

This picture of the Washington D.C Capital building is a prime example of Ancient Greek influenced architecture. Notice the fluted columns and moldings (as labeled on the diagram) on this building being that of Greek origin. This design has been replicated in many state capital buildings as well as major banks. Another example of American architecture that has been influenced by ancient Greece would be the amphitheater.

                                           

Here, we can see an ancient Greek amphitheater has been the influence to many of our sports stadiums. The term "amphitheater" derives from the ancient Greek amphi-, meaning "around", or "on both sides" and théātron, meaning "place for viewing"₂. They were used back then for similar purposes, including hosting sports or events.

Ancient Roman culture had been highly influenced by ancient Greece as well. The influence can go as far as deity, but for the moment we will focus on art and architecture.

                                                        

Here we see an ancient Greek statue of Zeus(top), and an ancient statue of his Roman counterpart Jupiter(bottom). We can see how there are very distinct similarities between the two, including the curly beards, the robes worn, and the body physic represented. The similarities between the cultures arts does not stop there. "The high number of Roman copies of Greek art also speaks of the esteem Roman artists had for Greek art, and perhaps of its rarer and higher quality. Many of the art forms and methods used by the Romans—such as high and low relief, free-standing sculpture, bronze casting, vase art, mosaic, cameo, coin art, fine jewelry and metalwork, funerary sculpture, perspective drawing,caricature, genre and portrait painting, landscape painting, architectural sculpture, and trompe l’oeil painting—all were developed or refined by Ancient Greek artists."₃

                                                       

Here we see just how influential Ancient Greece was on Ancient Rome. These are two separate pieces of pottery, each depicting a story on their surfaces. Can you tell which is Roman and which is Greek? Without a profound knowledge in the stories on their surfaces or the slightly different styles of art, it is difficult to tell the difference between the Greek (top) and the Roman (bottom) pottery.

Ancient Greek's art and architecture has had a profound influence on cultures far beyond its time. Their sense of aesthetics has attracted the eye of many... causing a once powerful society to become immortal and last through the centuries, despite its fall and destruction.

Resources:

₁ -"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_the_United_States"

₂- "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphitheater"

₃- "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_art"

From Ancient Times to Modern Times

In our society today, there are many different religions and sects. Despite the many different views they all have, many cannot ignore the similarities they have. In fact, these similarities have all been present and viewed since the ancient times... From the creation viewed by the Mayans and the Bible; the flood viewed by the Bible, Mesopotamian culture, and also the Mayans; and finally the views of death and the afterlife as represented by the Bible, the Mesopotamians, and the Egyptians.

The story of the creation of the world has been represent among many different ancient cultures. If we compare the creation viewed by the Mayans and represented by the Bible, we will find the differences are few. The main differences that are apparent is the  names of the Deities who started the creation and how man was created (however even this is similar).

Now, when the views of the world's creation are compared in the modern times... there are an immense amount of similarities among them. Yet despite these similarities, societies still argue the differences... Yet has anyone ever thought to suggest all the different stories are a result of one ancient story that has been passed down from ancient times and translated so many times to eventually lead to different versions?

Society's confusion on ancient stories does not end at the creation, unfortunately. The confusion and arguments continue into the story of the Flood... Whether it be Noah's Ark as represented by the Bible, The Epic of Gilgamesh as represented by the Mesopotamians, or the flood in general represented in the Mayan's story of creation.  Three different ancient recordings from three ancient cultures, all stating one very defined similarity (despite the differences).... There was a great flood.

        

Many of today's views agree with the Biblical flood(in a religious sense), however there are still other views and stories being shared in many different cultures... many representing a flood. From ancient times to modern times, this story of this great event has been passed down in many different forms and variations.

Finally, many cultures from every time have had some sort of form of an afterlife.  The Egyptians believed in this as to mummify their bodies as to preserve them for their departure into the afterlife. Their belief was this (short hand version); if they were good in this life, Osiris, the God of the underworld, would grant them eternal happiness.

The same general, short hand version, belief can be said about the biblical view of the afterlife... After this life God  will judge them, if they did good in this life they will be granted an eternal happiness. The Mesopotamian view of the afterlife is a little more difficult to interpret as it is represented in a poem.  However sad the poem may seem about a mother singing about the agony of her son's death... The last excerpt of the poem is the son singing back... So the Mesopotamians also believed in some sort of an afterlife.  The same can be said among views in the present time. Many societies, cultures, and religions believe in some sort of afterlife or another.

From cross examining the views, from ancient times to present; of the world's creation, the great flood, and the afterlife, we can see that most views have deep similarities among them. One could even suggest all these stories and views have one, very ancient, origin. 

Introduction!

My name is Gary McGuire. I am 23 years old and currently a student majoring in Space Physics. I have been going to community college for about 3 years now, and starting at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Fall. After my bachelor's degree, I hope to pursue a Ph.D in Theoretical Physics. I hope to one day teach university level physics and do private research on the side.

I was married to my beautiful, loving wife Heather on November 7, 2009. I'm lucky to have her in my life, for she supports me in my educational goals and even helps me stay motivated when my studies seem unbearable due to the nature of my major.

As far as what I do for fun? Well... during the semester I try to go rock climbing 2-3 days a week to help manage my stress and keep me calm, as it is therapeutic for me. I also play the occasional video game if time permits (which in my case is rare). When we can afford it, my wife and I bowl. She's been doing it for years and years, and she's been teaching me... I still stink.... But hey, at least it's something that my wife and I enjoy doing together!

Well, that just about sums it up for me... a typical, nerdy, physics geek!