linear perspective

The painting I found for this assignment is The Mysitic marriage of St. Catherine of Alexandria.
When I first looked at this painting I knew that it was a little off. At first i thought it was the stool in the front because of the way it was positioned. Looking farther back in the painting you can find what looks so off. If you follow the lines from the wall and bookshelf they all have the same vanishing point; all except for the fireplace. It stick out of the wall in a funny position and its vanishing point is away from the other one and its obvious why it looked so wrong. Overall the painter did a pretty good job of keeping everything else in linear perspective. I guess they cant all be perfect. Using linear perspective makes a huge difference in art when I was younger we were just taught it and I figured it was just something everyone knew. I never stopped to think that someone had to come up with this concept. To us it seems so easy and part of common knowlege but it is obvious that has not always been the case.

Even thought it was our first math class the class about arches has been my favorite. It is so amazing that using a simple way to build something could make it stand for so long. I cant imagine the buildings at home lasting as long as the buildings still left in Rome. I was interested to learn the secret of ancient Rome. When you look at the Coliseum there are arches all the way around it. Before coming here I thought that they did it because they liked the way I looked, I didn’t know it was to make it strong. These arches have withstood the test of time, they are much stronger and sturdier supports than other means of building such as columns.When columns are used the stress is put on one point. Over time the pressure takes its toll and the building starts to crumble. The reason arches work so well is because of the way they distribute the weight of the buildings. The keystone is essential to making the arch work, it is at the very top and takes the stress of the building and distributes it evenly down the arch, they share the work equally. The illustration below shows how this works.

Arches are the reason so many things around Rome are still standing. Romans did not invent the arch however; the idea was brought to them by the Etruscans. What the Romans did do was perfect the arch and incorporate it into the beauty of the structure. It started to become a central feature in Roman architecture, used in monuments, buildings and bridges. There are many different types of arches that can be used. The most simple of the arches is the barrel vault. During the gothic period the vaulted arches were popular, they helped support the heavy stone structures that were weakened by large windows.The vaulted is the best arch. A dome is the ultimate vaulted ceiling; the ring distributes all the weight.
Whenever someone comes to Rome I think they should pay attention to how many arches there really are in the old buildings. The aqueducts are a very good example also. Seeing how well the idea of the arch works makes me wonder why it is not done more at home. I think that more building should incorporate arches into their main support structure. Having a math class here has been more helpful than I thought it would be. It has helped me understand the reason behind the buildings. I have been very surprised how advanced their building style was. Math has given a better insight, not one everyone gets when they go to Rome so for that I have really appreciated the class.

Ciao Roma!

During this trip I realized how much we are constantly on the go at home and don’t take the time out to appreciate some things, but I also realized how lucky I am to have the family I do. Some people were surprised how family oriented everything is here but that is how my family is at home. If you don’t have family then you don’t have anything. Everyone in my family always takes time out to spend it with each other and we are very close. Being here has made me realize that not everyone has that and I shouldn’t take it for granted. One thing my family does tend to forget is that they need to take time for themselves and relax. I wish my parents would just take some time off of their busy schedules and get away for a little while. I hope that when my parents have everything they need paid for that they will do some traveling. I want them to experience what I have experienced. Coming to another country and living in another culture is a priceless experience.
Coming to Rome has really made me a more independent and confident person. I feel like I can do anything now. This has really made me realize that if I want something that I need to go for it and not worry. I was nervous to come here but I pushed myself and it was worth it. I have been wanting to go into the Air Force for a very long time and I am making a serious consideration of leaving next year instead of waiting until after school. I do plan on finishing my degree in the Air Force but I feel that my time to go in is now. After being here I am not afraid to go after what I want. I could go on and on about how many things have affected me in these two short months. This will definitely push me to travel to places I never thought I could go. Between talking about all the great times we have had here and planning on what we are doing when we get back I realized how much this experience has given me. Not only have gained a new sense of independence but I have made great friends; ones that are hard to find and impossible to forget.

Lacoon and his sons

A statue that has really stood out in my mind was the marble statue of Lacoon and his sons. After seeing so many sculptures they start to look similar and become a big blur. Only the great ones have really stood out in my mind when I look back and this is definitely one of them. There is so much emotion, and it is unlike any other statue. This statue is a must see and one of my very favorites. This statue can be found at the Vatican museum near the statue of Apollo.
I wanted to start from the beginning of this sculptures fame but the most I could find about the discovery of this statue was that it was discovered in 1506 and it was found around the Esquiline Hill. I did find one fictional story that I found interesting and thought I would share it, I summarized it in the paragraph below.
“One day in 1506, Signer Fredis was walking in his vineyard on the Esquiline Hill in Rome. He had men working the day before to find water but had no luck. While deciding if it was a lost cause he put a stick into the pit to see how deep the soil was. He pushed it into the ground up to the handle with ease; therefore he thought that there must be something hollow underneath. Wanting to discover it himself he got to work and started digging alone. When he made the hole big enough to fit through he grabbed a lantern and came to a vaulted room. After that he wandered through five rooms finding nothing until he came to the sixth. There he found the statue of Lacoon and his sons.”
From the writings Pliny the Elder there were three sculptors of the statue. (Pliny died in the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.) The three sculptors he mentioned from the Island of Rhodes were Hagesandros, Athandoros, and Polydoros. He said it was in the palace of Titus and was preferred to the others depictions in bronze and paint. After the discovery of the statue it was recognized from Pliny’s description. Pope Julius II bought the statue for the Vatican and placed it in the Belvedere Garden. There the statue was cleaned and further studied. Parts missing from the statues were attached in the position they thought was correct. The right arm of Lacoon that was missing was made extending upwards. Later they found that the position of the actual arm was bent instead of extended. They know this now because the arm was later found in 1957 in a builders yard in Rome.
The statue was most likely commissioned for the home of a wealthy Roman. The suggested dates of the statue range from 160 BC to 20 BC. Inscriptions were found that date Athendoros and Hagesandros to around 42 BC makes 42 to 20 BC the most likely dates for its creation. The story behind the statue is the story of the Trojan horse. Lacoon was a Trojan priest, the priest of Apollo, and warned the other people not to accept the large wooden horse from the Greeks. He even inserted a spear into the horses side to see if it was empty. To prevent the Greeks from being discovered Poseiden and Athena sent two serpents to kill Lacoon and his sons. The people took this as an omen to receive the horse so they would not be punished as well.
When you look at this statue you can see the agony and pain in the faces of the three figures. Lacoon is straining his body trying to get away with his head tilted upwards as the serpent bites his side.. The two boys look to him in fear, one has already been bitten by the serpent, both entwined in the serpents grip. So much emotion and fear found in one pose. They are all being overpowered in their helpless struggle.

Fountains of Bernini

My favorite fountain on our Bernini tour was the fountain in the Piazza Barberini. The name of the fountain is Fontana del Tritone or as we would call it the fountain of Triton. This fountain was made in 1642. On the top of the fountain is Triton, the minor god of the sea in ancient Roman and Greek legends. Triton shown as a merman sits on top of a giant oyster shell blowing into a conch shell where the water spills out. The water used to shoot out much higher than it does today but over time the shell has worn down making the arch of water smaller. Holding Triton up on the shells are four dolphins with their tails all twisting together. The rounded pool of water below is meant to represent the ocean. In between two of the dolphins is the crest of Pope Urban VII who commisioned this work, also found is the symbol of the Barberini family; the bees.The Pope wanted this fountain to be a reminder of the water brought to the people by the Acqua Felice aqueduct he commisioned. This was the last work commisioned by Pope Urban VII.

This fountain was made from travertine, a natural rock. His inspiration for this fountain came from passage of "Metamorphasis". This fountain was something that would have been in a garden but Bernini brought it into the public like no one had done before. I think my favorite part about this fountain are the dolphins. As soon as I heard "look at the dolphins on the bottom" I was confused, to me they look more like fish. I am not too sure why the dolphins look the way they do in this fountian but regarless they are still beautiful.