Frenchy Food

French dessert looks bomb.

Fanciest ham and cheese sandwich I've ever had.

Eggplant + caviar = ?

I can respect any culture that presents it's food this way.

Tried sardines for the first time, not too bad.

The Louvre

So we went to the Louvre the other day (July 3rd) and let's just say I totally geeked out. This museum is an amazing piece of architecture that housed many kings of France back in the day. And let me just say that you could completely tell. There were rooms I walked in that left me breathless by how magnificent it all looked. The attention to detail is one worth noting. We weren't able to cover everything, even if I went every day while being in Paris, I don't think I'd cover it all. But I did see some pretty interesting pieces and some pretty famous ones as well.

The first one is Giuseppe Arcimboldo who painted The Seasons. So Arcimboldo was born in Italy in 1526 to a family of painters. He studied Leonardo da Vinci's pieces and eventually landed the job as imperial court painter where he worked for kings and royal families for 25 years. He created these pieces to celebrate the reign of Emperor Maximilian II in 1563 because Max loved biological sciences of botany and such. My impression of these pieces is that it sparks my curiosity. I want to sit there and study the pieces more because the fusion between nature, humans, and art is really nice to look at. His attention to detail is incredible and the amount of different colors he uses in just a small area really makes the detail stand out.

The Seasons

 

The second piece I'm going to talk about is called The Young Martyr by Paul Delaroche who was a French painter. This piece was made in 1855 and it depicts a young woman that has just had her life taken from her. It is said that this woman shares a resemblance with Shakespeare's Ophelia because both woman drowned, the difference being this Christian martyr had her life taken from her while Ophelia took her own life. The way Delaroche painted this piece leads the viewer to an eery feeling because the girl still looks life like, as if she had just died. The figures in the back are said to be the girl's parents. I like this piece because it is visually pleasing, I like the colors used. But I also like the story being told here. I like the creepy aspect that says to me, "if only I had gotten here sooner, we might could have prevented this."

The Young Martyr

And finally is the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Not much is known about this piece other than the materials being the figure was carved from Parian marble and the base is dark blue Rhodian marble. The base is that of a ship, so it is suggested that she was commissioned because of a great naval victory. Her Hellenistic style is one of the finest in sculptures. She is the most famous monument of the Samothrace. I like Nike because the way her skirt looks as if it's moving. She looks majestic and powerful, yet elegant and peaceful at the same time.

Winged Victory of Samothrace

Formal Elements and Principles of Design, Photography Style

 Elements of Design:

Line

Value

Shape

Form

Space

Color

Texture

Principles of Design:

Balance

Contrast

Movement

Emphasis

Pattern

Proportion

Unity

Slow Your Roll

I just read at interesting article titled "The Art of Slowing Down in a Museum". In this article it talks about how in this day and age we are really quick to just walk by and glance at masterpieces just to check it off a mental list and say that we did it. We don't take the time to really consider what it is we're looking at.

And I'm guilty of this. I was able to go to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Jacksonville, FL about a month ago. We did speed through, I want to blame it on the fact that we only had 45 minutes before the museum closed. But I can't really say for sure that I would've taken thirty minutes to look at one painting in particular if I had the chance. I really enjoyed seeing the pieces by Robert Longo, and Sally Mann. And my roommate and I did have the chance to take selfies with some Picassos.

This article made me realize that if we just slow down and take our time looking at pieces that call our name, our time at the museum would be better spent. I think doing what was mentioned in the article about walking through a wing in thirty minutes and then spending thirty minutes in front of one piece that calls to you will allow for greater appreciation and a deeper connection with the pieces as well as the artist themselves. It's like having a conversation and getting to know someone on a different level and finding out their secrets. It's a nice connection that I plan on finding while I visit different museums in Paris. I think I'll try the methods used in this article first, but I might branch out and find my own way to connect with pieces. I want to have a conversation with the artist, I want to understand their reasoning and methods behind the pieces they created.

An Introduction

Hello, my name is Courtney Gatch. I attend Valdosta State University and I'm working towards a Bachelor of Arts degree with a minor in Entrepreneurship. I was born and raised on the outskirts of Savannah, Georgia. I have a doggy named Liberty Bella, she'll be 9 years old this July 4th.

My ALL time favorite super hero is Batman. I also really enjoy the Joker because he's not the typical villain, he doesn't really have a reason to do what he does, "I just do" (The Dark Knight, which is also my favorite movie). I like video games like Minecraft, Mario, and Portal. I'm also a big car fan as I grew up watching my dad race his car down the drag strip every Wednesday night. I love all things Dodge/Plymouth/Chrysler/Ram/Jeep etc. My favorite tv show is a mix between Lizzie McGuire, Boy Meets World, and Scooby Doo. I'm not big on horror movies, but I'll watch a good thriller with the right set of people.

I'm looking forward to this trip. I'd say I'm really looking forward to learning about a new culture, seeing how the French live and interact. I'm also excited to study the art. I've learned about most of these pieces in my previous art history classes, but to be there in the city where some of them were created and to get the same feeling and perspective that these artists had while creating their masterpieces is such a honor to me. I'm also looking forward to the food. I've mostly enjoyed the typical American cuisine my whole life, and I'm counting on French food to be a good bit different than what I'm used to.

However, there are some things I'm not looking forward to. The first would be the mode of transportation over there. I've never flown before (other than around the Savannah area), so I've never had to go through the whole luggage and security ordeal. I'm also not too excited about not seeing my family for 5 weeks, I've gone longer than that being that I go to school three and a half hours away from them. But I won't be able to hop in a car and drive to see them. It'll be different. I'm also worried about the language barrier, I've never studied French before. I've actually taken Spanish as my second language (didn't know at the time I'd be going abroad to Paris), but I'm nervous about the fact that I won't be able to understand anyone and they won't be able to understand me.

Overall I think this will be a life changing experience and I look forward to the trip!