Greetings! When we landed in London from Ireland, I went straight to my mom and friends hotel. I was so excited to see them! We all were quite exhausted from our travels, but regardless we hit the ground running and didn't stop until they left. We left the hotel and headed to drop my bag from the weekend off at my flat. I also wanted to show mom, Dianne and Kathy my flat and how clean it was. They were very impressed by the clean state they found it. I made a quick change and headed to get lunch around the corner. We ate at a little sandwich place then went to the tube and headed to the London Eye. This was the number one thing my mom wanted to see when was here. I made sure to do it first. It wasn't a very pretty day, but the view from the eye was still great. The que (line) wasn't very long either, which was a change from the first time when I went with Amber. We got our tickets and headed to get in another que for the actually Eye. Since the Eye is ran by British Airways, they call each trip in the Eye a flight. It was very interesting trying to get on the eye. The tricky thing is that the Eye never stops moving. Its rotates the entire time, which means you get on and off while its moving. Obviously, its not going that fast, but you definitely have to mind the gap. We got in safely and saw some great views of the city. The best view in my opinion is of Parliament (Big Ben). Its by far my favorite building in London. Its just incredible at a distance and close up. We finished our flight and decided to walk around some more. I walked them towards Big Ben to get a better/ closer view of the magnificent building. We walked past it, Churchill and Abraham Lincoln's monuments, and Westminster Abbey. Since its all right there together, I figured I show it to them. After a small walking tour, we headed back to the tube to go back to their hotel. An entire day of travel with no sleep really took it out of them, which I completely understand. (Just a tip if anyone does travel overseas, no matter how tired you are, make yourself stay up that first day. It will help with the adjusting). We got off at their tube stop and I got a loaf of Paul's bread and the rest of them got some coffee to keep their eyes open. We walked back to their hotel and waited for their room to get cleaned. Once they finally finished cleaning it, I helped them take their stuff down and hung out a little bit before I headed back to the flat to get ready for dinner. I needed a shower to get that travel feeling off me. When they got hungry, they made their way to my flat and the four of us and Ellie went to eat at Bella Italia. Its just right around the corner from my flat and has really good food. We also have coupons because the girls and I signed up for their fan club. My dad may be on the other side of the world, but he's still rubbing off on me. We had a great dinner. Everyone seemed to enjoy what they got, and we headed back to our resting places. It'd been a long day and everyone needed some sleep. A big day/week was ahead of them.
Monday, March 30
I woke up and headed to class at around 10:30, but mom, Dianne, and Kathy had other plans. They found their way to Madame Tussuad's Wax Museum. After their experience there, they went to Kensignton Palace in Kensington Gardens. It is a really cool museum I went to when Amber was here, but recommended it to Mom and them. It was built in the 17th century and has been a royal residence ever since. Princess Diana lived there after her and Prince Charles divorce. The museum in it now is more of a social history museum. It has a lot of Princess Diana's dresses in it as well as the life a debutant would live and other events in history that are along the same lines. I was in class while they did these things but met up with them after and headed to shop and eat! Two of my favorite things! If you're in England, you can't leave until you do one thing. Eat fish and chips in a pub. Naturally, that's where I took them. It was this nice pub on High Street Kensington. The food was great, but I haven't found a pub yet that I didn't enjoy the food or beer for that matter. We enjoyed our dinner and then hit the shops for a while. We went to TK Maxx, a Clarks store, and H & M. I successfully found something in every store. Not that that's unusual though. I definitely haven't shopped as much as I thought I would, which is a good thing, but definitely made an exception when my mom arrived. We shopped until they closed down the stores and happened to find an ice cream shop on the way back to their hotel. We stopped and enjoyed some ice cream before going back to their hotel to settle in for the night. It was another long day for everyone. They settled in and I headed back to my flat.
Tuesday, March 31st
Tuesday's are always my busiest days. I have class practically all day long. Mom, Dianne and Kathy were on their own again. I think they made it a couple places that day China town, Piccadilly to pick up our play tickets, the Natural Science Museum and more I'm sure. I met up with them for dinner at Garfunkel's, and then I was off to one more class for the day. I met them back at the hotel for a quick trip to Starbucks. It was nice to be able to sit, relax and spend time with family and friends. I didn't care about doing anything because I finally had a piece of home with me. We sat and chatted for a while and then I headed back to my flat for the night.
Wednesday, April 1st
This day began with a trip to the Victoria and Albert Museum with my school group. Mom, Dianne, Kathy, and I headed to the museum and waited for our tour guide to show up for our tour. It was a great museum with lots of art from different countries. The museum actually has its orgins in 1851 at the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park. After the exhibition, they built the museum in 1852, but was not known as the V and A Museum until 1899. The tour guide took us through the museum and showed us the highlights. Once we left the museum, the four of us plus my friend Kendall went to Harrods. Its so huge in there we only saw about 1/8 of it and then headed to eat lunch in a pub around the corner. Actually around any corner there is a pub, but we found a nice one and enjoyed some great food. Kendall left us for a nap and the rest of us got on the tube to go to Oxford street for some more shopping. It is by far the craziest street in London and it stresses me out to go there, but not going to lie, there is some good shopping. Anything you could possibly want is there. We went there and browsed around some of the stores and then left to go back and change for the play that night! Once we changed and freshened up a bit, we went to Piccadilly to eat dinner and see the play.
Let me just say how amazing Mamma Mia was! I had seen it once in New York with Monique and her family and the movie, but seeing it again was amazing! We all LOVED it. It was a perfect end to a great day. We headed straight back to their hotel and hung out for a while before I went to my flat for the night.
Thursday, April 2nd
This was my nephew Ryley's 4th birthday! Mom and I missed out on the festivities, but I'm sure he had a great day regardless. He had plenty of toys to keep him occupied. I began this morning with sleeping in and getting up to do homework because mom, Dianne and Kathy had an all day tour of the city. They went to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower of London, lunch at a pub, Tea at Harrods, and maybe more that I'm forgetting! They had a full day ahead of them. I had class at 230 and got out early which was lovely. I went back to my flat to wait on them to get back for dinner. Once they were ready to go, they met at my flat to go to Bella Italia once again because it was so good. We ate dinner and then went to the pub for a quick drink because you can't visit London without trying the beer. Dianne tried the Fruli's strawberry beer, Kathy had the sweet cider, and mom and I a Peroni. (half pints for them, full for me). They really enjoyed it, but went straight back to the hotel after only one because, thanks to Lynnsey, we had a 530am train to Paris in the morning. I crashed at their place for the night to make sure we all got up to catch our early train. We made it to the train station in plenty of time and hopped on the Eurostar to take us to Paris! We got there in no time and found a taxi to take us to our hotel. It was quite a bit away, but he found it. We arrived but couldn't check in until 3 so we dropped off our luggage and headed out to explore.
Following the advice of the lady at the desk of our hotel, we headed to Sacre Coeur (The basilica of the sacred heart). It was a little walk up a big hill to get there, but we made it. It was very beautiful. We walked around the inside and stood and enjoyed the view of the city. It was a foggy morning though, which somewhat hindered the view. It was still impressive. We left and walked through this area with a ton of local painters and artist selling their work. It was neat to get to see different people's interpretation of Paris. There were also a lot of people walking around offering to sketch your picture. Mom wanted my picture sketched so we stood there while this lovely lady sketch my picture in pastels. It ended up looking really cool. Its especially nice to have because at the bottom of the picture she put the date and Paris. Its something to always have to remind me of a great trip. We left Sacra Coeur and headed to Notre Dame.
The building was beautiful. It was massive, and the detail was incredible. We walked through the Gothic Cathedral in awe. We couldn't take pictures of course, but it was absolutely beautiful. It was similar to Westminster Abbey because they both used flying buttresses in the architecture. The use of the carved gargoyles and stain glass made the Cathedral different than the other ones I had seen. The construction of Notre Dame took 200 years! That definitely explains how there is so much detail in the Cathedral. We left the Cathedral and our next stop was the Eiffel Tower!
We rode the Metro to go see the Tower. It was definitely a short visit because once we got there and saw how long the line was, we decided we were too exhausted from our 5 am train ride. Regardless, it was amazing to see for the first time! I couldn't believe how huge it was! We took some pictures and looked around, but then headed for a late lunch and then the hotel. We were able to move our stuff from the luggage storage area to room. Needless to say, I passed out for a couple hours. Mom claims she didn't sleep, but I'm pretty sure she got some shut eye in as well. It was a full day of traveling and walking around so it was nice to relax for a while. Once everyone regained some energy, we sat in our room and watched the Eiffel Tower sparkle on the hour. It was awesome to see, especially from our room! The rest of the night was very chill, and we called it a night for an another full day on Saturday.
Saturday, April 4th
We woke up early to hit up a store called Long Champ and then headed to Versailles. It took me a while to find out the store on the map, but we finally found it and browsed around. Once we realized that we weren't going to buy anything, we headed to the train station, and we had quite an eventful time boarding. We had already purchased our tickets and headed down to the right station. As we are putting our tickets through, we see a train approaching. I thought it may be the one we needed, but didn't have time to check the boards, instead, I asked if anyone spoke English. A nice man shouted yes and I asked if this was the train to Versailles, and he said yes! I jumped on and turned around for mom, Dianne, and Kathy to get on. As I did this, the beeping noise starts to sound which means the doors were shutting. The problem being not everyone was on the train! I stood in the door way and held the doors open as they jumped on! While this was going on, the nice man that knew English was shouting hurry hurry hurry! It was successful because we all got on, but not without our hearts beating a lot faster. It was about an hour train to get to Versailles. Once we got there, we followed the crowd to the Palace, and I can't stress enough how LARGE the crowd was. We stood in line for at least an hour to get our tickets to get into the place. As I was off trying to figure out things with the tickets, mom, Dianne, and Kathy met a couple ladies from Michigan celebrating their 40th bdays. They offered them some good advice for things to do in Paris. They decided to just do the Gardens and went to a different line before I got back to meet them. Mom, Dianne, and Kathy seemed to enjoyed their company to pass the time in line. We finally got our tickets and entered the Palace. It was extravagant. Louis XIV knew how to decorate in an over the top manner. Not only was it incredibly beautiful, but it was HUGE! We only saw 1/4 of the palace, and it took us about 2 and half hours to get through it. The ticket we bought included an audio guide tour, which was so helpful. When we walked through the Hall of Mirrors or Hall of Battles, it would give brief descriptions and history of the rooms. We were all in awe as we walked around. We finished up in the palace, turned in our audio guides, and headed back to the train station to try to board uneventfully. After our lunch at McDonald's, we boarded our train and headed back to Paris. We stopped at the hotel for a quick freshening up and headed back to the Eiffel Tower and to our River Boat Cruise.
When we got to the Eiffel Tower, it once again was crowded. We decided to wait and take our River Boat cruise first. The port for it was right beside the Tower and was convenient to go to first. We walked down to the port and hopped on a boat for a tour of Paris from the River Seine. It was a lot of fun. We had an audio guide of what we saw as well. We saw the Musee d' Orsay and Notre Dame. Seeing these places from the river, gave me a completely different perception of those places. It was nice to just relaxingly float down the river and see the sights of Paris. We docked about an hour later and grabbed a bit to eat before the Tower. We found a place a couple blocks away and sat down to enjoy some good food. Kathy and I enjoyed an omelet while mom and Dianne enjoyed a grilled cheese with ham. We all thoroughly enjoyed the meal, but this was the first experience we had where the service wasn't that great. The waiter definitely didn't give the Americans the best service, but everyone else in the restaurant was very well treated. It wasn't a big deal though because we still enjoyed our meal and then headed to the Eiffel Tower! We got there and there was a shorter line. It was still about a 45 minute wait to get our tickets and then even more lines once we went up. When we finally got up to the very top floor, it was breath taking! It was dark by the time we got to the top and the lights of the city were awesome. We were up so high that Dianne would only stay in the enclosed part, but mom, Kathy, and me went to the part that is only caged it. The part Dianne stayed had windows go u could see out, but underneath the window was a guide that showed u what you were looking at. We even stayed at the top to see the it sparkle on the hour! It was really fun to see it. After it sparkled, we waited in some more lines to head back down. It had been quite an exciting and tiring day. It was past 12 when we got back to the hotel room and crashed. It was great sleep! The next day was going to be our last and we needed to be well rested for another full day!
Sunday, April 5th
We slept in a little later than Saturday morning and got our bags packed. Once we were ready, we walked down to enjoy our breakfast. We figured out our plan and headed to the Arc de Triomphe then the Champs Elysees. We got out of the tube right in front of the Arc. I wasn't exactly sure what it was when I was looking at it but looked it up once I got home. The Arc was a monument to honor those who fought for France, especially during the Napoleonic Wars. We took some pictures then strolled down the Champs Elysees. It was a great day in Paris. The best day we had all weekend. It wasn't cloudy and there was plenty of sunshine. A nice way to spend our last day. We windowed shopped all the way down the the Champs. We got to go into the original Louis Vuitton store. Dianne was memorized while being in there. LV is her favorite, and all of us couldn't get over how much stuff there was in the store. We also couldn't get over how much stuff everyone was buying! Right and left people were getting stuff off the shelf and taking it to the cash register. We got our fill for Louis and headed the rest of the way down the Champs and onto the Louvre.
The road from the Champs leads straight to the Louvre. We decided to walk since it was such a beautiful day. We walked through the lawn of the Louvre, which was a lot of fountains and cafes. There were a ton of people there! Not surprising though because the first Sunday of every month offers free entry into the museums. I knew the crowds would be bad, but there were people everywhere! We made it to the back of the LONG line to get into the museum and waited for about 40 minutes to get in. The crowd inside was just as insane as outside and we decided to only see the Mona Lisa. It wasn't a day that you could spend just walking around and see everything. It was a day where you had to know what was where and bee line to that particular spot. I wasn't sure of anything else I wanted to see, and after the Mona Lisa, we left. The ladies that mom, Dianne, and Kathy met yesterday recommended this great ice cream in a small area near Notre Dame. The ice cream place was Berthillon. If anyone goes to Paris, get this ice cream! Its in a little area called Saint Louis en l'ile. We took the tube there and grabbed lunch near the ice ceam place. We ate at this amazing restaurant! It was the best lunch I'd eaten in forever! Salmon and rice with this amazing sauce on top. Everybody enjoyed their meal a lot. Next was dessert! There was once again a line, but totally worth the wait. I got raspberry and then salted caramel peanut butter. A weird combination I know, but the lady serving recommended it. The two flavors were great separate, but not mixed. The consistency of the ice cream kept the ice cream from mixing though, which was good. It was either the consistency, or I just ate it entirely too fast to allow it to mix. We walked around some stores as we ate our ice cream. There were a lot of cute boutiques. It was the first actually shopping we got to do in Paris. We spent a lot of time in this area and then tried to go see another cathedral that ended up being closed. After this, we went back to the hotel and headed to the train station.
It was a great weekend! Actually, it was a great week having mom, Dianne, and Kathy there! They enjoyed themselves as well. I definitely wore them out though. We walked and walked and walked. We rested up in the hotel for a bit then took our luggage to the train station and boarded our train back to London.
Mom, Dianne, and Kathy caught their flight the next morning and headed back to the states! If anyone sees them after reading this blog, make sure to ask them about losing their rooms. Its a story that just can't be explained in a blog. They would love to share the story with anyone so be sure to ask!!
More to come later.....
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Politics and Culure in 20th Century Europe- Blog #10
Three Days of Rain starring James McAvoy, Nigel Harmon, and Lyndsey Marshal was a production I went to see last week that has actually become one of my favorites thus far. It’s hard to compare it to the other shows because this was a play and the other shows were musicals, but I absolutely loved it. It may have something to do with how good-looking James McAvoy is, but regardless of that, the entire two hours I spent watching the play I was entranced. The entire play consists of only those three actors, and the set is in the same apartment throughout the entire play. Initially, you would think that would be boring, but that would be the last word I would use to describe this play. The story line is kind of complicated to explain because even though there are only three actors in the play, they each play two different roles.
In the first half, the actors are two siblings, Walker and Nan, and a family friend, Pip, who are brought together in 1995 in a run down loft in lower Manhattan to divide up the legacy of their late fathers, Ned and Theo, who were partners in an architect firm. There are a lot of problems within these families because Walker and Nan’s mother, Lina, is mentally unstable and their father, Ned, had a very bad stammer that caused him to be a withdrawn person, especially towards his children. Even though Nan turned out well, Walker on the other hand has inherited his mother’s mental stability and his fathers stammer. A combination of all these things made life on Nan difficult. She was constantly taking care of both her mother and brother. Throughout the first half, Walker reveals to his sister their father’s journal that they thought would finally be a passageway into the life their father lived. Unfortunately, Walker misinterprets his father’s journal as still being a withdrawn person; however, in the second half, you realize how much the journal does reveal about his life.
The second half of the play the male actors switch to the roles of their father, Walker/Ned and Pip/Theo, and Lyndsey becomes her mother, Lina. Ned is an obviously more shy person than Theo and Lina initially is dating Theo. Ned and Theo are at the being of their partnership and struggling to get started with a project that Ned’s parents are going to commission. This half of the play reveals to the audience how the relationship between Theo and Lina dissolves and Ned and Lina forms. The audience also realizes the role the journal plays and which of the two partners actually designed the house Ned’s parents commissioned.
The most important part of this play for me was the journal that Walker finds. Ned was a very reserved type of person, but in the second half, he reveals why he is this way. When Lina finds his journal, she reads his first entry and teases him about it because it only says “three days of rain.” Ned replies that it’s sufficient because he can’t afford to waste words. He wasn’t a quiet person because he did not have much to say, but rather he chooses his words carefully because his stammer was so bad he made his point with few words. When Walker read these entries, he did not realize that those four words meant the time his father meet his mother feel in love, and he was truly happy. Ned and Lina reveals this information in the play because the first time they meet is in the pouring down rain, and they spend the next three days inside out of the rain. Ned was revealing that because of those three days of rain he finally felt happiness and fulfillment.
I found this aspect of the play very profound because as Walker looked at those four words and felt nothing, his father can look at those words and find happiness. This play revealed to me the importance of words and how wisely we should choose them. Sometimes a few words can mean more than many.
In the first half, the actors are two siblings, Walker and Nan, and a family friend, Pip, who are brought together in 1995 in a run down loft in lower Manhattan to divide up the legacy of their late fathers, Ned and Theo, who were partners in an architect firm. There are a lot of problems within these families because Walker and Nan’s mother, Lina, is mentally unstable and their father, Ned, had a very bad stammer that caused him to be a withdrawn person, especially towards his children. Even though Nan turned out well, Walker on the other hand has inherited his mother’s mental stability and his fathers stammer. A combination of all these things made life on Nan difficult. She was constantly taking care of both her mother and brother. Throughout the first half, Walker reveals to his sister their father’s journal that they thought would finally be a passageway into the life their father lived. Unfortunately, Walker misinterprets his father’s journal as still being a withdrawn person; however, in the second half, you realize how much the journal does reveal about his life.
The second half of the play the male actors switch to the roles of their father, Walker/Ned and Pip/Theo, and Lyndsey becomes her mother, Lina. Ned is an obviously more shy person than Theo and Lina initially is dating Theo. Ned and Theo are at the being of their partnership and struggling to get started with a project that Ned’s parents are going to commission. This half of the play reveals to the audience how the relationship between Theo and Lina dissolves and Ned and Lina forms. The audience also realizes the role the journal plays and which of the two partners actually designed the house Ned’s parents commissioned.
The most important part of this play for me was the journal that Walker finds. Ned was a very reserved type of person, but in the second half, he reveals why he is this way. When Lina finds his journal, she reads his first entry and teases him about it because it only says “three days of rain.” Ned replies that it’s sufficient because he can’t afford to waste words. He wasn’t a quiet person because he did not have much to say, but rather he chooses his words carefully because his stammer was so bad he made his point with few words. When Walker read these entries, he did not realize that those four words meant the time his father meet his mother feel in love, and he was truly happy. Ned and Lina reveals this information in the play because the first time they meet is in the pouring down rain, and they spend the next three days inside out of the rain. Ned was revealing that because of those three days of rain he finally felt happiness and fulfillment.
I found this aspect of the play very profound because as Walker looked at those four words and felt nothing, his father can look at those words and find happiness. This play revealed to me the importance of words and how wisely we should choose them. Sometimes a few words can mean more than many.
Politics and Culure in 20th Century Europe- Blog #9
As Easter Break rolled around, I found myself looking for stuff to do in and around London. I weighed my options and decided to take a day trip to Brighton. Once I arrived in Brighton, it was not exactly what I was expecting. Since I had been in Windsor the day before, I thought it would be similar to that area. Windsor was a typical British town. There were some tourist, but for the most part it just seemed very quaint and comfortable, but Brighton turned out to be quite different. It wasn’t a bad different though because both cities were unique in their own way. What struck me the most about Brighton was the number of tourists. I did not realize how populated the city was with tourists. When I began to explore the city, I found out one of the main reasons Brighton is the popular tourist attraction it is today.
Most people have heard of Mad King George III, but I never realized that his son, George IV, got a lot of attention as well for how eccentric he was. George IV became Prince Regent in 1811 because George III was not mentally stable to be king anymore, and George IV would become King George IV once his father passed away. During his regency years, he built a palace in Brighton that was known as the Pavilion. This palace was where George IV’s eccentricity came into play. The palace was not an ordinary palace because he decorated the whole Pavilion in an oriental theme. George IV decorated so elaborately because he loved to host parties and made the pavilion the place to be in the 1800’s. Before the Pavilion was built, George IV lived in a small cottage on that same plot of land, and that was what Brighton was solely made up of, little cottages. The town was a small fishing village that was quiet and peaceful. The Prince Regent definitely shook up things for the people of Brighton. He changed this small quiet town by building this palace and having large parties there quite often in his younger years.
After visiting Brighton, I realized the differences one person can make in a small town. The Pavilion being built in the early 1800's along with the railroad in 1841 had a lasting effect on Brighton because in 1961 the population of Brighton actually reached its highest peak at that time of 160, 000. The 20th Century Brighton town would not be the place it is today without the help of George IV. Many people can now enjoy the beauty that George IV saw in Brighton. With his joy of hosting parties, I’m certain he would have enjoyed the company of the tourists here in Brighton.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brighton
Most people have heard of Mad King George III, but I never realized that his son, George IV, got a lot of attention as well for how eccentric he was. George IV became Prince Regent in 1811 because George III was not mentally stable to be king anymore, and George IV would become King George IV once his father passed away. During his regency years, he built a palace in Brighton that was known as the Pavilion. This palace was where George IV’s eccentricity came into play. The palace was not an ordinary palace because he decorated the whole Pavilion in an oriental theme. George IV decorated so elaborately because he loved to host parties and made the pavilion the place to be in the 1800’s. Before the Pavilion was built, George IV lived in a small cottage on that same plot of land, and that was what Brighton was solely made up of, little cottages. The town was a small fishing village that was quiet and peaceful. The Prince Regent definitely shook up things for the people of Brighton. He changed this small quiet town by building this palace and having large parties there quite often in his younger years.
After visiting Brighton, I realized the differences one person can make in a small town. The Pavilion being built in the early 1800's along with the railroad in 1841 had a lasting effect on Brighton because in 1961 the population of Brighton actually reached its highest peak at that time of 160, 000. The 20th Century Brighton town would not be the place it is today without the help of George IV. Many people can now enjoy the beauty that George IV saw in Brighton. With his joy of hosting parties, I’m certain he would have enjoyed the company of the tourists here in Brighton.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brighton
Politics and Culure in 20th Century Europe- Blog #8
In my art appreciation class, we went to see Le Corbusiers’ exhibit at the Barbican Art Gallery. I thought it was going to be a completely different exhibit than the other ones our class had been to because Le Corbusier was an architect; however, after spending some time in the exhibit, I realized that he his work was just as elaborate as the other artists exhibits we had been. The title of architect in my mind, essentially limited his range of creativity, but Le Corbusier did everything from architecture to furniture and even painting. His ideas were new to the 20th century and ultimately ended up influencing future architects as well as society. Le Corbusier had just as many critics as he did supporters, but regardless of which side you fall, he made an impact of 20th century Europe and possibly even the world.
Le Corbusier’s ideas were very much influenced by the places he surrounded himself with. His time in school, Switzerland, and Paris all gave him quite a unique spin on his designs. Traveling made a huge difference in his career because when he would go to these places, he would sketch what he saw. This was where being a multi talented artist would be very useful. In his early life, Le Corbusier was focused more on designing villas, which consisted of “an open floor plan consisting of concrete slabs supported by a minimal number of thin, reinforced concrete columns around the edges, with a stairway providing access to each level on one side of the floor plan.” This was a type of house he created for about ten years, but later on in his career, his ideas changed toward urbanism. There was a lot of need at this time for houses that could hold large numbers of individuals, and lot of these individuals would fall into lower poverty levels. These individuals were living under harsh conditions because of how overcrowded the city would be, and the city was constantly looking for someone to put together a plan to make the city better as a while. Le Corbusier wanted to “provide a new organizational solution that would raise the quality of live of the lower classes.” He thought people should be organized in buildings according to family size instead of based on class level. Le Corbusier would then design a city based on those ideas; however, city officials often rejected his plans. This architect looked past status and had ideas that were before his time even in 20th Century.
I think that Le Corbusier was a pivotal person in the 20th Century because of his ideas. He put what he believed out there regardless of it was going to be rejected. He was one of the few people who could ignore the label people were given based on their social class. It says a lot about him as a person as well as an artist. I think it even shows how people of different backgrounds and interests can make a difference. One doesn’t have to be a politician or priest to make a difference in culture or society. A person should take Le Corbusier’s example and find a way to use his or her talents to make an impact on the world. Even if the ideas they have are shot down as Le Corbusier’s were on numerous occasion, one day they will eventually make a difference.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Corbusier
Le Corbusier’s ideas were very much influenced by the places he surrounded himself with. His time in school, Switzerland, and Paris all gave him quite a unique spin on his designs. Traveling made a huge difference in his career because when he would go to these places, he would sketch what he saw. This was where being a multi talented artist would be very useful. In his early life, Le Corbusier was focused more on designing villas, which consisted of “an open floor plan consisting of concrete slabs supported by a minimal number of thin, reinforced concrete columns around the edges, with a stairway providing access to each level on one side of the floor plan.” This was a type of house he created for about ten years, but later on in his career, his ideas changed toward urbanism. There was a lot of need at this time for houses that could hold large numbers of individuals, and lot of these individuals would fall into lower poverty levels. These individuals were living under harsh conditions because of how overcrowded the city would be, and the city was constantly looking for someone to put together a plan to make the city better as a while. Le Corbusier wanted to “provide a new organizational solution that would raise the quality of live of the lower classes.” He thought people should be organized in buildings according to family size instead of based on class level. Le Corbusier would then design a city based on those ideas; however, city officials often rejected his plans. This architect looked past status and had ideas that were before his time even in 20th Century.
I think that Le Corbusier was a pivotal person in the 20th Century because of his ideas. He put what he believed out there regardless of it was going to be rejected. He was one of the few people who could ignore the label people were given based on their social class. It says a lot about him as a person as well as an artist. I think it even shows how people of different backgrounds and interests can make a difference. One doesn’t have to be a politician or priest to make a difference in culture or society. A person should take Le Corbusier’s example and find a way to use his or her talents to make an impact on the world. Even if the ideas they have are shot down as Le Corbusier’s were on numerous occasion, one day they will eventually make a difference.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Corbusier
Politics and Culure in 20th Century Europe- Blog #7
Pablo Picasso was an exceptional artist of the 20th Century from Spain. I came to this conclusion after my Art Appreciation class went to the Picasso exhibit at the Nation Gallery. The exhibit’s title was “Challenging the Past” and devoted each room in the exhibit to a different style of work he produced. Picasso was an artist of many styles and techniques and even introduced another style of painting into the art world. Not only was variety a part of Picasso’s work, but also the life he lived was through many years of world tragedies such as WWI and II. His whole life was not only influenced by the 20th century, but he also impacted the 20th Century Europe with his unique paintings and techniques.
The different styles of art that Picasso produced were divided into periods. The periods consisted of Blue, Rose, Cubism, and more. The cubism period was the one that impressed me the most because he and another artist by the name of Braque created this style of painting by observing objects by their shape and painting them in that form. It was amazing to me that a person can create a completely new form of painting and make it popular. Most people have a hard time making ordinary art popular, much less creating a whole new type of art and making it popular. There were eventually two types of cubism that were known as synthetic and analytic. The analytic form was the first kind of collage that made it into a fine art category.
The first impression I received when I observed a cubist painting of Picasso’s was that it seemed almost distorted because everything has such harsh lines due to the geometric shapes. I do not necessarily think that Picasso wanted his pictures to look rough or harsh, but instead by using the geometric shapes he was able to show two aspects of a person’s appearance. For instance, the painting looks like a straight on perception as well as a profile view. It’s a very unusual concept that Picasso perfected.
The unique and original style of Picasso is very true to the person he was. He was a man who enjoyed many women as well as a pacifist to three wars (WWI and II and Spanish Civil War). He was a man that lived without much thought of what others wanted or thought. This was probably the main reason he is the famous painter he is today. He did not want to do work that other people liked, but instead, he did the work that he believed in.
Regardless of his moral decisions he made, Picasso was a painter that was highly talented. He created works of art that varied so drastically that one would have a hard time believing the same artist produced both works. His style and technique left an impression on the idea of art in the 20th Century and presently.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Picasso
The different styles of art that Picasso produced were divided into periods. The periods consisted of Blue, Rose, Cubism, and more. The cubism period was the one that impressed me the most because he and another artist by the name of Braque created this style of painting by observing objects by their shape and painting them in that form. It was amazing to me that a person can create a completely new form of painting and make it popular. Most people have a hard time making ordinary art popular, much less creating a whole new type of art and making it popular. There were eventually two types of cubism that were known as synthetic and analytic. The analytic form was the first kind of collage that made it into a fine art category.
The first impression I received when I observed a cubist painting of Picasso’s was that it seemed almost distorted because everything has such harsh lines due to the geometric shapes. I do not necessarily think that Picasso wanted his pictures to look rough or harsh, but instead by using the geometric shapes he was able to show two aspects of a person’s appearance. For instance, the painting looks like a straight on perception as well as a profile view. It’s a very unusual concept that Picasso perfected.
The unique and original style of Picasso is very true to the person he was. He was a man who enjoyed many women as well as a pacifist to three wars (WWI and II and Spanish Civil War). He was a man that lived without much thought of what others wanted or thought. This was probably the main reason he is the famous painter he is today. He did not want to do work that other people liked, but instead, he did the work that he believed in.
Regardless of his moral decisions he made, Picasso was a painter that was highly talented. He created works of art that varied so drastically that one would have a hard time believing the same artist produced both works. His style and technique left an impression on the idea of art in the 20th Century and presently.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Picasso
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Politics and Culure in 20th Century Europe- Blog #6
My Winston Churchill class with Dr. Gall went on a field trip that explored damaged caused during the Blitz. A tour guide walked us around parts of central London that were bombed by the German during WWII. It was a great field trip that I was able to gain a lot of knowledge and apply it to my Churchill class, but I was also able to relate it back to my Politics and Culture in 20th Century Europe class.
The tour guide emphasized the impact that the bombing had on the citizens of London. She even referred to the war as the “people’s wa”r because the people were just as much effected by it as the soldiers were. Citizens lived in constant fear of a bombing raid. Most families even had bomb shelters put into their gardens. The simplest task of walking through the city was hindered because rubble from the buildings that were bombed were still lying on the road and sidewalks. It was an everyday challenge that everyone had to go through. The amazing thing was that the people of London’s spirits weren’t broken and a large reason being the Prime Minster, Winston S. Churchill. He encouraged the people of London to go about their daily lives and not let the German’s take that away from them. Churchill’s speeches would sound through the radio and motivate his people to be strong and not give in to the Nazis. Churchill saw what the German’s did to the French and knew his people could overcome the Nazis if they would fight this war together. The German bombs weren’t simply actions to try and physically destroy everything in London, but they were also trying to bring the British morale down. If the morale was down, the better chance Hitler had to win the Battle of Britain. Churchill was aware of this strategy Hitler was using and encouraged his people to keep going with their business as usual. Instead of the bombs disrupting everyday life for the civilians, the citizens walked through the rubble and didn’t let Hitler’s plan get the best of them. This was one of the main reasons that the Battle of Britain was won.
Not only was I taken back by the spirit of the Britain’s during the Blitz, but I was also taken back to see how history repeats itself. Although September 11, 2001 was a different situation, America was still under attack by an outside force that left civilians deceased or in danger. It was a similar situation because citizens of New York were told to go about their days business as usual. It had to be tough for them to do this because their city was attacked and people were killed, but just as the people in Britain came together as one, so did the citizens of New York and America came together as one unit to prove that an outside force can’t control the world they live in. The Battle of Britain and 9-11 were defining moments in both counties history.
The tour guide emphasized the impact that the bombing had on the citizens of London. She even referred to the war as the “people’s wa”r because the people were just as much effected by it as the soldiers were. Citizens lived in constant fear of a bombing raid. Most families even had bomb shelters put into their gardens. The simplest task of walking through the city was hindered because rubble from the buildings that were bombed were still lying on the road and sidewalks. It was an everyday challenge that everyone had to go through. The amazing thing was that the people of London’s spirits weren’t broken and a large reason being the Prime Minster, Winston S. Churchill. He encouraged the people of London to go about their daily lives and not let the German’s take that away from them. Churchill’s speeches would sound through the radio and motivate his people to be strong and not give in to the Nazis. Churchill saw what the German’s did to the French and knew his people could overcome the Nazis if they would fight this war together. The German bombs weren’t simply actions to try and physically destroy everything in London, but they were also trying to bring the British morale down. If the morale was down, the better chance Hitler had to win the Battle of Britain. Churchill was aware of this strategy Hitler was using and encouraged his people to keep going with their business as usual. Instead of the bombs disrupting everyday life for the civilians, the citizens walked through the rubble and didn’t let Hitler’s plan get the best of them. This was one of the main reasons that the Battle of Britain was won.
Not only was I taken back by the spirit of the Britain’s during the Blitz, but I was also taken back to see how history repeats itself. Although September 11, 2001 was a different situation, America was still under attack by an outside force that left civilians deceased or in danger. It was a similar situation because citizens of New York were told to go about their days business as usual. It had to be tough for them to do this because their city was attacked and people were killed, but just as the people in Britain came together as one, so did the citizens of New York and America came together as one unit to prove that an outside force can’t control the world they live in. The Battle of Britain and 9-11 were defining moments in both counties history.
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