A Tranquil Countryside

We recently visited northern England and the Lake District. There were so many beautiful scenes, it was hard to try to capture everything that we saw.

One of the places we visited was Fountains Abbey. It is such amazing architecture in the most incredible surroundings. There was a certain spirit about the abbey and the grounds, I felt so peaceful and happy while I was there. Being able to witness such an important and beautiful place was such an amazing experience. The landscape around the building is some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. The colors also make a huge impact on the beauty of the scene. I have never seen such bright green grass and full green trees and we were lucky enough to go on the perfect blue-skied day, which made for some of the most breathtaking scenes.

Another one of my favorite places was the Lake District. I have always loved mountains and lakes and being able to see some landscape closer to that rather than pure countryside was refreshing for me. Being in such a place was so enjoyable and allowed me to just sit and, take it in, and think. The large rolling hills surrounding the water are full or beautiful trees and altogether create a beautiful picturesque landscape that made me feel more at home than I have in quite a while.

Going up north, we were able to drive through and be a part of some of the most gorgeous English countryside. Though the scenery is fairly simple, there are so many small things that can be appreciated in these landscapes. Even the smallest stone wall or body of water makes such a difference and can make the landscape that much more beautiful. I love being able to look at a picture and find something new each time. In the simplicity of the landscape, it feels like a more relaxed and more beautiful time in history, like stepping into a Jane Austen book. England definitely has some of the best landscape and I feel so lucky to have seen the some of the sites it has to offer.

As You Like It

     After seeing the production of “As You Like It,” and comparing it with reading the play, it becomes more apparent that Shakespeare’s writing can often be open to interpretation.  Although there are many scenes that may be construed differently, one of the most evident is that which takes place between Orlando and Rosalind in Act 4, Scene 1. At this point, Orlando is being taught to woo Rosalind and they are now “being married” by Celia. In the production, Rosalind and Orlando share a kiss that makes it clear to Orlando that she is in fact the Rosalind that he loves and not the man that she appears to be. This scene seems to display the potential to be interpreted numerous ways. In this production, Orlando recognizes the truth immediately, while in other productions he seems to remain oblivious to the situation.

            This particular production was performed by a great cast at the Globe Theatre in London. The manner in which this play was performed seemed fairly accurate to how it would have been in Shakespeare’s time. Throughout the play, it was apparent what actor was playing which character because of the characteristics described specific to each one in the play. Although it was written with humor, the live production made the element of comedy much more obvious. Through excellent use of the stage and space, the actors were engaging and were able to make the play more enjoyable. They also included the audience by directing certain lines to specific audience members. The delivery of their lines was flawless in both clarity and expression as well. Overall, the performance proved to be totally satisfying in every way. They performed an authentic Shakespearean play while still adding their own elements of uniqueness and interpretation to it as well.

            The Orlando and Rosalind “marriage” scene stood out in the play as the most unique to their particular production. They chose to perform it in a way that was totally through their own interpretation.  By using elements such as added parts, stage movement, voice, and specific address it became clear to the audience that Orlando had, in fact, discovered the truth about Rosalind.  This is significant because in the written version of the play, Shakespeare gives no indication that the truth is ever revealed. Whether he intended it to be or not is unknown and has now become a personal choice by the actors.

            In this performance, after Orlando and Rosalind are “married” they share a kiss. It is this kiss that seems to reveal the truth to Orlando. His face clearly became one of realization and surprise, and the audience could tell that he was piecing everything together.  Without the actors’ decision to portray this realization, a different impression would have been set on the audience.  The voice, facial expressions, and the way Orlando outwardly addresses, the audience is allowed to feel more involved in the characters’ emotions. This never happens in the written version and is a perfect example of how these particular actors chose to emphasize the direction they chose to take in this scene.

            This engaging production of “As You Like It,” demonstrates the different elements certain productions can bring to Shakespeare’s written words. This particular interpretation really brought out the comedic elements and showed the different interpretations various productions and players bring to the table.

Dover & Canterbury

     Last Wednesday, we took our first day trip as a group. It was such a good day! We started the day off by going to Dover. Pulling up to the castle, we could see the coast and the white cliffs with the castle up on top of the hill, it was such an amazing view! Going up to the castle was such a crazy experience. I've heard about castles and seen them in movies my whole life, but actually being at one was so surreal. Just knowing how much history is there and how long it's been around was hard to wrap my head around. It was such a neat experience to be able to walk around the grounds and through the different parts of the castle. It really was amazing! After the castle, we went down to the coast and could see the white cliffs and the coast of France. Being able to say "I'm in London and I can see France" was the best feeling, life was good!

     After Dover, we made our way to Canterbury to see the cathedral. We were able to go on about an hour and a half tour through the cathedral and it was incredible! The art and architecture there is AMAZING! Aside from being so entranced by the architecture, I also loved being able to hear about the history and various stories of the cathedral and everything that has happened there. I love art and I love history, so our trip to Dover and Canterbury was the perfect day out for me!

Corot to Monet

Our first week here, we were able to go to the National Gallery. The gallery has so much to offer and I really did learn a lot about different techniques and various things that artists have to offer. “Open air painting” comes from the term “plein air,” which refers to the practice of painting outdoors in a way that depicts optimal and naturalistic atmosphere and light. This tactic was first seen around the late 1700s and was widespread through the 1800s, into the era of Impressionism. In the Corot to Monet exhibit, there was a continuous change as the paintings progressed. With the discovery and acceptance of open air painting and not having the necessity of a studio and formal training, the subject matter of paintings began to change world-wide. With paintings illustrating motifs of water, billowy clouds, trees, open fields, water and earth tones with few or no depictions of people or urban life. Pure landscapes were viewed as the most beautiful places of sanctuary.

As time went on, the main focus of open air progressed to landscapes that slowly began to involve depictions of people as well as some urban scenes. With these changes taking place, the definition of beauty did not just lie in portraying sheer countryside, but in finding and capturing beauty in many other places and different kinds of landscapes. Some artists, including Monet began finding the beauty in the simple surroundings in the places where they spent the most time. Hometowns and everyday life in certain countries and varying landscapes were now      being illustrated through the open air expressions of artists around the world.

Medieval vs. Renaissance

My first week in London, I was able to visit the National Gallery and see some of the collections on display. There was some amazing art and I can't wait to go back and see more!

Going through the National Gallery and seeing the various exhibits, there are definitely some noticeable differences between Medieval and Renaissance art. As far as differences in content go, there are a few that are quite obvious.  Every painting from 1200-1400 has a central focus of very spiritual and religious things. There are countless paintings of the virgin and her child and the main content revolving around religion. The three Renaissance pictures provided demonstrate that the focus changes from religious to content of a more secular nature.  School of Athens is a painting showing various people, philosophers, and knowledge of the world with a strong feeling of secularism and praise for certain people.

The variations in aesthetics are also fairly obvious. Paintings from the medieval era are brighter and more vibrant. The technique is also less realistic and has more of an abstract feel to it. In The Virgin and the Child diptych , the scale is far different from art produced at a later date. The virgin is larger than the child, yet the child does not much resemble a baby. In this case, scale may be the way to demonstrate age or importance. Paintings from the Renaissance definitely have more of a real-life feeling. The people are all sized realistically and in accordance with their surroundings.  The human anatomy is far more realistic in the Renaissance era. As demonstrated by the few paintings, the content and aesthetics of art are things that are definitely altered through the ages.