Gero Crucifix

I think I like this crucifix more than the other crucifixes we have studied in the class. It makes Christ look like he's in pain and I feel like it gives off a more realistic vibe than a happy vibe. In reality, I was being nailed to a wooden cross and left there to die, I would not or even try not to stand up stiff with my held held high. I would be in tears, screaming my head off, and start sliding down the cross. I like to be realistic about life and the choices I make. This piece shows realistic emotions.
This is one of the few pieces of carved wood that survived from the middle ages. In 970, Archbishop Gero of Cologne commissioned this piece for his cathedral. The Christ figure is life size and he is made of gilded oak that was painted. This piece of work was made to be sympathsized upon and it worked on me!

Beaver Effigy Platform Pipe

When I first looked at this I thought it was really cute and since some cultures worshipped birds, then they  must have worshipped beavers too, for some odd reason. The eyes creeped me out a little bit but it makes the beaver, I think. After we learned about this in class, I would have never guessed that it would be a pipe. The pipes that people normally see now are the old fashioned tabacco pipes that they used when our grandfathers were our age, or the pipes for pot for the potheads.
The people that made these were known as Hopewell in North and Central America. They would carve their own pipes that would represent forest animals. I would pick a bear personally. A polar bear preferrably. They would use freshwater pearls and bone for the animal's teeth. I don't know about you guys but I would not put my mouth on something with freshwater bone. Ew! The bowl would be behind the animal, in this case a beaver, that could be filled with dried leaves or tabacco. So when you smoked it, the animal would be looking at you so you could be "face to face whose shining pearly eyes suggests an association with the spiritual world. It would creep me out if I was smoking out of this and saw the beaver staring a me with those pearly eyes for some spiritual reason. Not to go against someone's religion but why would you want to connect to the spiritual world? I just saw Paranormal Activity 3 and that was enough spirit for me! The whole spirits and ghosts stuff is not my cup of tea at all. But overall I thought this was pretty neat.
Here are some other pipes they carved.

Kandariya Mahadeva Temple, Khajuraho

I am normally not a building person but this thing wowed me. The thing that wowed me was the shape of it and the stone work is. I always said that I want some sort of stone work to my house if I ever build it. This temple kinda leaves me speechless. I read about it in the book and here's a little bit of information that I found that I would like to share.
This is the Kandariya Mahadeva temple that was dedicated to Shiva at Khajuraho located in Central India. The whole thing sits on a stone terrace that is supposed to set off a sacred space from the mundane world. On the right side, there are steps that leads to three halls, which are known as mandapas, (spaces specifically for rituals). This  temple was built out of stone blocks. You will notice that there are no vaults or arch techniques. Could you imagine how small the space is on the inside?
In the textbook on page 316, there is a picture of sculptures that were on the exterior of this temple. It explains in the book that they are unsure of their significance but it is definitely different to me.

Herakles Driving a Bull to Sacrifice

OK so I love the Greek and Roman history. I am not sure what I love about it but I know that a lot of it fascinates me. I am also a Disney freak (don't judge me :P) and when I first saw this, the first thing that came to my mind was the Disney movie Hercules. The reason why was cause one it's Herakles (go figure) and two, I remember seeing the artist painting Hercules in the same pose on the pot. Now I can't get the song out of my head. If you haven't seen the movie, I loved it and I recommend it :).  

This painting is on page 120 and it shows two different versions. I liked the Andokides Painter, which is the one that I posted, better than the Lysippides Painter. The Lysippides basically is a silhouetted figure with the reddish color in the background. The Andokides is the reverse. The figure is the reddish color and the background is the silhouette. Part of the reason why I like the Andokides is because I like things to be in color instead of just black and the other reason is I can make out the details better than what I could with the Lysippides. I feel like if something has a lot of color to it, it catches my eye. This piece also looks more original to me. What do you think?

First Blog

Hello everyone! Here's my first blog :) I thought this picture was too cute not to share.