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Jan 1, 1000
"Al-Dayr Nabataean Monument"
Petra was an ancient Arabic desert architectural structure that is the capital city of the Nabataean Kingdom. This enormous rock facade was a memorial entombment believed to have been constructed for the Nabatean king, Obodas I. The carvings have an almost natural and seamless appearance next to the rest of the surrounding rock formations Works Cited “Al-Dayr Nabataean Monument.” Petra, Jordan, Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Dayr, Accessed 18 March 2022. -
Jan 1, 1344
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saints Vitus
An incredible display of ancient architecture and the drive to preserve such a monument. This architecture is proof of the power and veneration of religion. The Cathedral of Saint Vitus is a Gothic-style church architecture located in Prague. Its construction phases and maintenance have spanned over 3000 years. Works Cited https://www.barcelo.com/guia-turismo/en/czech-republic/praga/things-to-do/st-vitus-cathedral/, Access 28 Feb 2022. -
Jan 1, 1500
A Yoruba Shrine Head from Nigeria, Africa - Terracotta
These ancient terra cotta head sculptures are created in the venerated Ifa site in Nigeria and date back to the 12th century. The vertical lines in the face are thought to represent tribal scarification markings of the Nigerian ancestry. Works Cited Shrine Head, Yoruba, Nigeria. 14-15th Century Minneapolis Institute of Art. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-africa/african-art-introduction/overviews-of-the-art-of-africa/a/historical-overview-to-the-1500s, Accessed 2 March 2022 -
"Taj Mahal" commissioned by Shah Jahan
In Agra, India is located one of the Seven Architectural Wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal. Emperor Shah Jahān had this structure built to memorialize his wife Mumtaz Mahal. The structure speaks to the triptych (3 front entries/windows) temples I mentioned earlier in the semester which is thought to be tied to a triad of spiritual and cosmic references. This triad is duplicated in the domes. Works Cited DuTemple, Lesley A. The Taj Mahal. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Co, 2003. Print. -
"Crucifix," DR Congo, Angola - Bronze
This Congolese bronze crucifix is one of several types of castings created to align with Portuguese Christianity. Works Cited Crucifix. 16th-17th century, Democratic Republic of the Congo, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/318324, Accessed 3 March 2022. -
"Cappella Sansevero," marble
This Baroque Italian chapel, museum, and mausoleum is famously known to house Giuseppe Sanmartino's sculpture, "Veiled Christ." This sculpture almost appears humanly impossible due to the extremely high detail of the nets. This sculpture is carved from one piece of marble, making it even more of an artistic wonder. Works Cited Queirolo, Francesco. “Cappella Sansevero.” Museo Sansever.
https://www.museosansevero.it/en/disillusion/, Accessed 18 March 2022. -
The Violin Concerto in E Major" by Johann Sebastian Bach
Works Cited Bach, Johann Sebastian. The Violin Concerto in E Major. 1737, BWV 1042. IMSLP Petrucci Music Library. https://imslp.org/wiki/Violin_Concerto_in_E_major,_BWV_1042_(Bach,_Johann_Sebastian)
Accessed 2 March 2022. -
"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth
The famous 1804 poem by William Wordsworth was inspired by his sister's stroll by a lake near Grasmere, England which contained numerous patches of the daffodil flower he mentions in the poem. Works Cited Wordsworth, William. "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud." William Wordsworth: The Poems, Vol.1
Ed John O. Hayden. New York: Penguin, 1977. 619-20. Print. -
“The Great Wave off Kanagawa” by Katsushika Hokusai, Woodblock Print
This woodblock print by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai was one in a series of prints called "36 Views of Mount Fuji." He was aged 70 when he began this series of prints. This print is not large at all, it is only about the size of a piece of ledger print paper (10"x14"). Quite modern-looking for its age. Works Cited Hokusai, Katsushika. “The Great Wave off Kanagawa.” 1831, Gallery 231, Arty Institute of Chicago. https://www.artic.edu/galleries/25293/gallery-231, Accessed 3 March 2022 -
"The Stone Breakers" by Gustave Courbet
This painting was created to celebrate the intensive labor of common workers and depicted the characters from such an angle as to not show their faces. Unfortunately, this incredible work was destroyed during a vehicle transport along with many other paintings during WWII. Notice the front lighting/rear shadows resembling a flash. Works Cited Courbet, Gustave. The Stone Breakers. Oil on Canvas. 1849. The Paris Salon.
https://www.artic.edu/artworks/111628/nighthawks, Accessed 28 Feb, 2022. -
"Woman Walking In a Garden" by Vincent Van Gogh
Inspired by the memory of Van Goh's sister walking in the botanical gardens of Holland. Works Cited Van Gogh, Vincent. Woman Walking In a Garden. Oil on canvas. 1887.
https://www.fineartphotographyvideoart.com/2020/05/Vincent-Van-gogh-1887.html, Accessed 2 March 2022. -
"The Planets" by Gustav Holst
This is a personal comment: I chose this selection because it is one of the most incredible collections of recorded symphony compositions I have ever hear heard. The range and mood that Mr. Holst embeds into the theme of each planet is uncanny and genius. Please give it listen at your spare leisure. you will not be disappointed. Works Cited Holst, Gustav. The Planets. 1916. YouTube, Uploaded by Salem Ronkartz. 27 Apr, 2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Isic2Z2e2xs. -
"Nighthawks" by Edward Hopper
"Nighthawks" is a fictional scene, not an actual diner applied to a canvas inspired by the late-night diners in Greenwich, NY. Almost a paradoxical scene, the painting is rendered in a near minimalist and deserted mood compared to the reality of NYC's busy and littered streets. Works Cited Hopper, Edward. Nighthawks. Oil on Canvas. 1942, Art Institute of Chicago. https://www.artic.edu/artworks/111628/nighthawks, Accessed 28 Feb, 2022. -
"Dream Deferred" by Langston Hughes
Langston Hughe's famous literary work from the play "A Raisin in the Sun. This poem is a metaphor describing the sweetness of a big dream explored in childhood or early-mid adulthood that must be put on hold due to the difficulties, realities, and deficiencies of everyday life. Works Cited Hughes, Langston. "Dream Deferred (Harlem)." 101 Great American Poems (italicized). Ed. Andrew Carroll, et. al. Mineola, New York: Dover, 1998. 75. Print.