Blog #3

Architecture has never been a subject that has intrigued me to a great extent, neither have sculptures. I found that I had a slightly difficult time reading this chapter, but it got easier as I kept reading and I can almost say that I enjoyed it! What a feat! There are actually some amazing structures out there that definitely deserve their recognition. Anyway, there was picture that really stood out to me, "Gates of Paradise" by Lorenzo Ghiberti, which is pictured above on the left. Now, looking at this picture, does this remind anyone else of something? When I first looked at it, I jumped right into thinking the "Gates of Hell" which was somewhat ironic I realize because it is named the exact opposite. However, there is a doorway figure called the "Gates of Hell" by Auguste Rodin that to me resembles "Gates of Paradise." This is pictured on the right.

I first saw "Gates of Hell" at Stanford for the Rodin collection and I was immediately intrigued. It is one of the most dark and moving peices of that has ever really had an affect on me. Now that I have seen "Gates of Paradise", rather, now that I know that there is a counter subject to Rodin's interpretation, I have many more questions. Did Rodin know about Ghiberti's gates and decide to show the opposite of "Paradise"? Did Rodin use Ghiberti's as inspiration or was he trying to complete some sort of cycle? In Ghiberti's you get a sense of paradise through the lavish gold that bring the pictures to life whereas Rodin uses only one shade of black to his figures. It is a great contrast to look at each and notice the differences and the similarities.

The "Gates of Hell" also greatly remind me of the story Dante's Inferno written by Dante Alighieri. Rodin's masterpiece is unbelieveably dark and sinister. If you see the pictures up close, many will have you churning. Some are very disturbing and realistic as well as very interpretational. Both pieces (the "Gates") are portrayed as doorways which that by itself causes stirring amoungst the masses.

The topic of these two figures I'm sure could go on and on. I'd be interested in researching it further, if I have the chance to do so.

Blog #2

The prompt for this week's blog is to connect something that we read to our everyday lives. I was able to make small personal connections within the chapter that I thought were interesting. When I was in the seventh grade, I actually did a report on Jan van Eyck, so I was somewhat excited to see him in this chapter. It helped that I already knew something about him and the era so that the material was not as foreign to me. It also helped that in my history class we were just talking about the 15th century in Europe therefore some of the names were familiar and backgrounds were as well.

I was not sure if we were supposed to make a connection to our everyday lives personally or more as a general everyday life so I did a brief synopsis on both. In a personal sense, I can relate to the struggle for women to be heard and recognized in their chosen society. In the 15th century it was the battle for women to join the artistic world. There are some aspects in my life where I am sometimes stereotyped for being a woman and find that occasionally I am not being heard. It is entirely frustrating and I can not imagine what those women in the past had to suffer through to accomplish what they did. Where as in a general sense, the religious aspects come to play. The 15th century art revolved around Christ and the church extensively even though the Catholic church at that point in time was under much scrutiny. In today's society, our art is not necessarily based upon our religious values, but life is. Unlike the 15th century, there are so many different religions that are practiced everyday and they are not shunned as they once were. Overall, the world has made dramatic changes but kept some distinct similarities, like the specific way to express oneself via "art." :)

Blog #1

Hello! My name is Kaitlin Rogers and I chose the following three pictures to represent me. I still agree with the saying that a picture says a thousand words so I decided to stick with the visuals!






I kind of like to see myself as a person of many colors and I must admit now that I have never really been a true
connoisseur of abstract art. Abstract art can either be completely
non-representational or based purely on opinion. Those were two extremes that I had a hard time accepting together. However, even with that said, I found this picture and others like it by the same author that I really liked right from the get go. It is a wonderful mix of colors and for me it seems like a vague overview of my personality. I go through stages of brightness, or happiness, and stages of depression which are the darker colors. The colors are not in any kind of specific design or pattern which is directly related to my emotions. All my emotions sometimes linger as well, which is shown in the wisps that the colors create as they fade out slowly into the background. I can see the remnants of a bird in the picture which reminded me of a phoenix, therefore allowing me to interpret this picture as a sort of renaissance. A rebirth of any kind is a positive thought and I try to be as positive as possible even through the most difficult of times. I am not saying that I always succeed, but I definitely try.






















Along with my love of nature, described below, comes my love of riding. I have been riding dirt bikes for a few years now and it was one of the best decisions I've made. The photograph is not a complex one in the sense that it does not have a whole lot going on, however, I am not complex person either and I have a great connection with the rider in the picture. This also symbolizes my love for adventure. I love going on random or planned adventures as it is one of the main things that I live for. I love to travel and be spontaneous and riding helps to guide me at times in my goal to achieve those adventures.

I attempt to be an open minded person and I suppose I am somewhat of a daredevil (also seen in my skydiving profile picture :) ). I know that this photograph is probably not meant to be interpreted as expressionism, but this sport has a very emotional impact on me personally therefore creating the illusion of expressionism in my eyes.





















The content of this picture which I found via the Internet describes me in the most simple way possible which I really admire. I love to read, especially those books that are intertwined with fantasy. Fantasy to me, at times, is much better than reality and it provides a great escape for me whenever I need or want it. The castle in this figure symbolizes my attachment to fantasy and all that it stands for. Along with that fantasy connection, I have an active imagination and needless to say I am more of a dreamer rather than a doer. My head is constantly in the clouds daydreaming about one thing or another even though half the time my daydreams are not plausible for reality in any way, shape, or form.

Nature also plays a large part in my life. I grew up in the outdoors and therefore nature is my greatest friend. I love to camp, hike, anything that just includes being outdoors. However, even though the world is grand with many fantastic sites, forests are nearly hands down my favorite place to be. They provide peacefulness and serenity, shade and comfort. I love the trees and the way they smell and move with the wind. Overall, this painting shows the part of me that tends to dominate the majority of the time and I am really grateful that I found something that could express it visually.