Student Discussions

Student Discussions:

Classical Civilization - Egypt:

The first post I viewed was Ali's. She spoke a lot about how we can interpret and witness history through the Egyptian paintings and artifacts we have discovered. What I find all the more remarkable is the fact that these things are even still around for us to see them! Truly a testament to the Egyptian people. And it really makes me wonder, will anything from our era withstand a similar test of time.

The second post I viewed was Ariana's. What really stuck out to me about her post was how she connected modern day "stereotypes" of Egyptian culture with the truth. Although we often consider Ancient Egyptian royalty to sit on lavish golden thrones, the fact is... they didn't. Their furniture (although beautiful) is quite plain when compared to our perceptions.

Classical Civilization- Greece:

Chanel made an interesting point about the lifestyles and furniture of the Grecian people. Similarly to the space saving lifestyles that are becoming more and more popular in today society, the people of Ancient Greece had similar values in their furniture and lifestyles. Often using surfaces as both beds and tables. As well as ensuring that their tables were in fact portable.

In Dana's post, I easily related to her interest with the impluviums used to collect rain water. Now obviously, rain falls... everywhere... however, the people of Ancient Greece saw value in having rain collection capabilities within their home. Why not just have a collection area outside? Why go through the effort? Very curious and interest aspect of Ancient Grecian life in my opinion. 

Classical Civilization - Rome:

Something that I really pulled away from Emily's blog was the word "risk". Roman society was all about risk, from their conquest to their structures; everything they did was constantly pushing the boundaries of what is achievable. Truly setting a standard for what it means to be a powerful society.

The second blog I viewed was Hannah's. The very first thing that she wrote was about the woman gladiators of the time. Now this was something that I had never considered before. Most of what I have learned about Roman era woman portray them as soft, delicate examples of "beauty". However the image of the Women gladiators clearly shows women influence reaching far further than the walls of their home.

Early Christian:

The hard hitting point that i pulled out of Jessica's post is the shear power that faith can have over a person. After Constantine's legalization of Christianity, places of worship began to flourish. Massive structures were built for no other reason other than to come and worship a god that cannot be seen nor heard. All through faith were these structures created. I just find that to be remarkably powerful.

Justine made a great point about Christian furniture. more often, the most ornate pieces were not meant for someone to sit on or use directly; rather, the most intricate and thoughtful pieces were purposed for displaying or storing.   

Byzantine:

Pompeii:

I first viewed Dana's post. I was really drawn to the "current applications" section where modern artists have taken styles and textures from Pompeii and incorporated them into modern uses. Most impressed however by the bookshelf and its impression of mosaic tiling using positive and negative space.

The second post I viewed was from Kristina. I think that her real world experiences with the area really brought the place to life. It was neat to hear how she was able to directly connect the old styles with what she saw in the new.

Romanesque:

Justine had a very well put together post about the Romanesque period.  She incorporated many of the same facts as I did, touching on the primary differences and changes from the churches of the previous era. One thing that I felt was very important that she mentioned was that common homes were most often made of mud, dirt, and twigs; compared to the strong, beautiful churches that were being created.This shows a great importance in religion during this time.

I was fascinated by the folding chair in Katies blog; the Throne of Dagobert. It is astounding to me that such intricate detail would be put into the mechanics of a chair during this time. Rather than putting effort into the ornateness or the detail of the chair, it is instead made interesting by its unique x frame folding design.

Islamic:

Kristina P has a very well organized blog that is very easily navigated. My favorite image that she has from the Islamic period would be the picture of all of the people praying while facing mecca. A very great depiction of the purpose of Islamic design; primarily religious design intended to assist with worship.

In Kristinas Islamic blog, her images of the modern day uses of the Islamic patterns I think gives a great representation of the styles and colors that are most often used. Blues, Oranges, Whites; light tones, a very bright contrast to the darker heavier tones that you may find in the churches of Romanesque or Gothic churches.

Gothic:

Lindsay's blog was very unique because she has first hand experience, seeing the real beauty of Gothic style structures. I envy her experiences and was really interested about what she had to say about her time abroad

Something that I did not do in my Gothic post was touch on the black plague. Megan however mentioned that nearly 75 million people died during this time period. A truly staggering number only intensified when contrasted with the beauty that is found in the Gothic style of architecture from this time period.

The Americas:

The first blog that I viewed was from Yo. The thing that I found most striking about his entry was the photo of the wooden sculptures that have been found dating back to the Olmec civilization. It is so amazing to me that something so easily destroyed has been preserved so well that it can be seen today, not only with definite shapes and forms, but with expressions as well.

The second blog that I viewed was done by Natalie. Although everything in her blog was very well done, the one thing that stuck out to me the most was the simple fact about Teotihuacan's lack of walls of barricades. Generally we considered heavily guarded civilizations to be powerful and strong; however true power lies with the civilizations that have no one else contesting them. And I just think that that is pretty cool.

Italian Renaissance:

The first post I viewed was from Megan, she really delved deep into the inner workings of a palazzo, the purpose of the different rooms and how the building as a whole was used.

Sam wrote a fair amount about the origins of the Italian renaissance, the Medici Family, as well as the influence that Brunelleschi had over the whole period from the loggia of the orphanage of the Foudling hospital, to the discovery of linear perspective.

Spanish Renaissance:

French Renaissance:

English Renaissance:

American Period:

Victorian Period: