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Posts tagged ‘France’

Feb 4

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ArtSmart Roundtable – Images of Mary Magdalene

The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together some of the best art history-focused travel blogs with a post on a common theme.  For February we are discussing the iconography of a few historical, religious or mythical figures to help you “read” some of the images you may encounter on the road.  I’ve always thought that understanding the context and source material for imagery really deepens your appreciation for art.  You can find links below to all the group’s articles this month.

Flanders Book of Hours Illuminated Manuscript - St Lawrence

The martyr St. Lawrence was “grilled” to death and is usually seen with a metal cooking rack. Book of Hours, 1510, Flanders, Syracuse University Special Collections.

I love seeing Saints in European art because it is so easy to tell who everyone is.  There is a characteristic object or dress to each figure that helps you decipher his or her identity.  I’ve always been partial to John the Baptist with his wild man appearance and camel hair attire.  But what about the saints with less straight-forward stories?  Theological and historical confusion has long shrouded St. Mary Magdalene; consequently, she has a complex visual iconography.

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Nov 15

Matthias Grunewald - Christ, Isenheim altarpiece
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The Isenheim Altarpiece – Art for the Ill

I enjoyed last week’s virtual visit to the incredible Ghent Altarpiece but it got me thinking about other major church pieces I would like to see in person.  While this may not be the most intuitive work of art to bring up, I have always been impressed by the suffering, twisted and tortured Cruxification of the Isenheim Altarpiece now in the Alsatian city of Colmer, France.

Matthias Grunewald, Isenheim altarpiece in situ, Colmar, France

Isenheim altarpiece in situ at the Musee d’Unterlinden, Colmar, France

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Aug 8

rose window Notre Dame
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A Seven Hour Lay-over in Paris

When I first downloaded my photos from Turkey, I was incredibly confused by the first dozen pictures.  And then I remembered, we’d spent the afternoon in Paris!  Our flights to Turkey included a 7 hour lay-over in Paris.  I tried with my best French to ask if we could be switched to an earlier flight to Istanbul but no luck.  So with seven hours in Charles de Gaulle and a need to keep jet lag at bay, what did we do?  Power up on airport cappuccinos and head into Paris!

view of Notre Dame from a restaurant

The view from my seat at lunch

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Apr 23

The Shakespeare Travel Tour

In honor of William Shakespeare birthday (thought to be on April 23, 1564), I wanted to take a look at some of this plays. While some were set in England to be historically accurate, many of the plays are set in exotic cities through Europe and the Mediterannean to capture the imagination of the audience.  Here are just a few of my favorite locales.

HAMLET – Kronborg Castle, Elsinore, Denmark

Will you find the ghost of the King walking the ramparts of Kronborg Castle? (Photo: Kronborg Castle, Agency for Palaces & Cultural Properties, Denmark)

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Dec 19

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French Cathedral Light Shows

Reim Cathedral Light Show (Photo: Reims Cathedral)

As if the Gothic cathedrals of France were not beautiful enough already, several have been illuminated this year in dramatic and vivid colors.  These shows will continue for the last few weeks of Dec 2011 if you are fortunate to be in France.

Angel from Reim Cathedral facade colorized and illuminated in a light show (Photo: Reims Cathedral)

The Reims Cathedral celebrated its 800th anniversary this year.  It’s light show elegantly chronicles this history illustrating the cathedral as if an illuminated manuscript, a geometric architectural plan, under construction and finally completed with painted facade statues.  The cathedral is also illuminated as if one huge stained glass window and then spends several minutes flashing between a range of Monet-esque abstracted palettes.  The Reims cathedral light show continues until Dec 31st.  A fairly good video of the 25min show is available in two parts online:

The Amiens Cathedral is also illuminated through December in a similar fashion.  There is no flashy show but you do have the chance to visualize the originally painted facade of the cathedral.  Like Reims, the image projection and matching is incredible, although you can see some of the shadows in the close-up image below.

Amien cathedral light show detail of kings

Amiens Cathedral light show - detail of kings (Photo: Amiens Cathedral)

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