Congressional Cemetery Stroll....All Ages Welcome!

It is Thursday already and I am finally posting about the Congressional Cemetery Walk on Monday. It has been a busy week and more blog posts are to come.

We had a full range of ages on the walk Monday.  The youngest was three and the oldest was 93.  Not only are all ages welcome, but everyone is welcome.  It is not necessary to be in the Capitol Hill Village organization or the neighborhood.  No signups are needed.  Just show up at the gatehouse at 9 am.  It is less than an hour's walk and there is a lot of flexibility for some to go faster or slower than others if they wish.

The picture above shows one of Congressional Cemetery's most unusual sights.  It was a donation for the Lummi Nation (Northwest) and is part of a special walkway memorializing the events on September 11.  I heard that it was originally meant for the Pentagon, but could not be placed there.  The plan is for it to be part of a bigger memorial on Kingman Island in the Anacostia River eventually.  I personally think it will fit in better there.  It seems a little out of place at Congressional Cemetery.  It was carved by Jewell Praying Wolf James and has a lot of symbolism.  The two poles are called healing poles and signify Liberty and Freedom.  The crossbar is for sovereignty.  It was carved from a single Western ceder tree.

It was a beautiful day and we all marveled at the glorious blue sky and the clear air....not so much humidity.  Fall is here.

American Art--Landscapes

I began a new art class through the Smithsonian Associates today.  It should be very interesting.  The first session was on landscapes....primarily the Hudson River Valley School.  I would like to have seen a broader approach, but the time frame is pretty tight.  The class lasts 1 hour and 45 minutes.  It seemed to me like she could have covered a lot more than she did.  Evidently, I was was not the only one disappointed.  I got a message this morning that her presentation was not up to Smithsonian Associate standards and another instructor will be in charge for the next three sessions.  There is also a tour at the American Art Gallery and it will also be the new instructor.  I just found it amazing that they acted so quickly.

I still did learn from the class.  The painting above is by Thomas Cole and is commonly known as "The Oxbow."  It is a a post-thunderstorm view of Mount Holyoke in Northampton Massachusetts.  It is classic because it shows the American landscape painters were interested in the wildness of the American landscape and also concerned with the impending settlement and loss of that wildness.  This painting, completed in 1836, shows both.  It is also interesting to juxtapose the damage to the tree at the left front with the damage by clear-cutting in the valley view.  The storminess on the left with the relative calm on the right also is interesting....not to mention, of course, the interesting configuration of the river flow.  The original is on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

We did also learn about Alfred Beirstadt, and his "monumental" work.  However, the instructor was wrong about how he funded his work.  She said he had patrons, but a guy sitting by me pointed out that he primarily held exhibitions and charged entrance.  He encouraged people to use magnifying glasses to look at the work and generated a lot of interest in landscapes and in the West.  The instructor conceded that was true.  I will be interested in how many are in the second class.  The first class had about 60.

There are three more classes, but we have to cover all of American Art....so I am not too optimistic that there will be more on landscapes, but I will continue to explore it on my own.  I love the California impressionists and also am a fan of Wayne Thiebaud's San Francisco views.  Thiebaud is known for cakes, but I love his landscapes.  Here's some Thiebaud "eye candy" but not cakes.

Wayne Thiebaud Ripley Street Ridge

This painting sold for over 1 million dollars in 2009!

I am not sure, but I think this image is reversed from the original.  More research needed for that.  I think I have seen it at the National Gallery of Art earlier this year.  Always more research needed!

Weekly "strolls" at Congressional Cemetery

I have been meeting up with a few friends for a stroll in Congressional Cemetery for a few weeks. It's a nice group, led by Vira and Bill Sistosik on Monday mornings.  Every week I see something new that I hadn't noticed before.  It really is an interesting cemetery. My plan is to write a post about markers in the cemetery each week that I go.  Some of the people buried in the cemetery are famous...some not so much.  The other interesting thing is that quite a few of the markers are for people who haven't died yet.  I am familiar with that happening in a couple when one dies before the other but, at this cemetery, there are examples where neither has died yet.  They just have reserved a spot--maybe in a special spot or by a special tree. I'll post more about that later.

This week I am featuring a marble cube set an an angle.  It is very artistic, at least I think so. It is for two men, who are both deceased. They were both involved in the arts.

Apologies that the pictures are not better.   Charles Fowler wrote and frequently spoke about the arts and was Director of Natural Cultural Resources Inc.   He was a champion of arts in education.


Kenneth Dresser was also very involved in the arts.  I learned that the reference to his creation of artistry that "enchanted millions" referred to his creation of the Electric Light Parade at Disneyland, the Water Pageant at Epcot and the Fantasy of Lights at Calaway Gardens in Georgia.  I have seen the Parade in Disneyland but not the other sights.

We walked all through the cemetery and it was a beautiful day.  I plan to go again next Monday.


























These men were obviously very connected to each other and left a marker that remembered their lives  together and their relationship.

Oh, yes, I will talk in the future about some of the more traditional headstones, but this one spoke to me because the headstone itself is very beautiful.

Byzantine Art

Above is a bust of the Emporer Constantine, who ruled the Roman Empire from 306-337 AD.  During his reign, the persecution of Christians was stopped by the Edict of Milan in 313.  He also convened the Council of Nicea in 325 and Christianity became the established religion of the Empire,declaring that God is the Father and Jesus is his only begotten son.   

Constantine also established an Eastern Capitol of the Empire in Byzantium, renaming it Constantinople. 

The Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom)  in Constantinople (now Istanbul) was built as a palace church later by the Emperor Justinian, who ruled from 527-565 AD.    

The structure is an amazing architectural achievement, and Justinian is said to have claimed that he "outdid" Solomon in building it.  The huge dome is supported by four triangular pendentives that transfer the support of the circular structure to four pillars.  


Two of the pendentives are shown at the back on either side of the main arch in the picture above.  Here is a simplified version:

It is tempting to go into the history, but I am sticking with the art, which is still pretty complicated.  Sophia Hagia became a Muslim Mosque and then a  museum, which it is now.  Below is a contemporary picture of the Hagia Sophia.  During that time, the dome fell in 558, when there was an earthquake, but it was rebuilt in 563.  

The interior of Hagia Sophia  is decorated with mosaics, including one depicting Mary holding the baby Jesus, with Justinian presenting him with a model of the Hagia Sophia and Constantine presenting him with a model of the city of Constantinople.

That mosaic also demonstrates the more stylized figure representation of Medieval art, when compared the the more natural figures of the classical Roman era and the Renaissance.  In most of these medieval figures, the person looks directly at the viewer, and the image is meant to link the viewer with the holy figures.  It is also interesting to note that Justinian and Constantine have halos; they were considered to be both rulers and saints.  Of course, Mary and the baby Jesus also have halos. In 431 AD, the idea of Mary as the Mother of God, or "Theotokos," was established by the Third Ecumenical Council.  This concept was based on the idea that, since Mary was the mother of Jesus, she was also the Mother of God. The result was that images of Mary holding the infant became a common artistic theme.  Paintings of God were not considered possible, though he would appear from time to time as a hand descending from heaven, such as the detail below from a mosaic in Ravenna.

Another interesting mosaic in the Hagia Sophia is the Virgin Theotokos, from 867 AD,  which is actually a post iconoclast work.

A little history is necessary now.  Works depicting religious figures, or icons, were made unlawful by the Iconoclast Council of Hiera in 754, based on biblical teachings that there should be no making and worshiping "graven images" or idols.   So, new images were prohibited and some of the existing images were destroyed.  This is known as the Iconoclast Era.  The second council of Nicaea reinstated the use of icons in 787, stating that holy images should be seen frequently so that those who see them are drawn to remember and pay tribute to the images.  The work above was executed in that spirit.  This is an opportunity to point out how many of the images of Mary and the baby Jesus depict them seated on a throne, whether in an earthly realm or in heaven.  The image above can be considered them in heaven, primarily because of the metallic gold background.

Another important art center was Ravenna, Italy.  Ravenna was Western Capitol of the Roman Empire from 402 to 476.  There are numerous mosaics there which are very well preserved.  Ravenna had been a port city and was important in transportation between Rome and Constantinople.  However, the port silted over and so it was no longer usable.  In present day jargon--no-one went there anymore, especially during the Iconclastic era and subsequent invasions of the Roman Empire.  The result is that the outstanding mosaics are preserved.   In Ravenna's Basilica of San Vitale, there is an important mosaic depicting the Emporer Justinian.  In it, he is shown with his military officials on one side and the ecclesiastical officials on the other, showing that he had both military and religious authority.



There is also a mosaic of Justinian's wife, Theodora, that shows her with men and women of her court.  I have actually seen these mosaics and they are stunning.

There is MUCH more, but I will close and post as this particular post is much too long.  If you ever get the chance to go to Ravenna, do it.  It is beautiful and many of the streets still feel very medieval.  I have not been to the Hagia Sophia, but definitely plan to go there.  These are important artistic links.

More From My Art History Class in Medieval Art--Early Christian Art

In the third century AD, Christians in Rome were persecuted and so had to be careful about displaying images relating to their religion.  They buried people in decorated sarcophagi in catacombs.  Since images that depicted Christian scenes and symbols would have been dangerous, they used images that would have been acceptable to non-Christians, but could be interpreted as Christian.  For example, the detail image above depicts Jonas being pulled back into a boat after escaping from the belly of the whale.  It would have been perfectly acceptable as traditional Roman art, which accepted the Old Testament, but early Christians might have used it to convey the idea of resurrection, or Christ rising from the dead.

It was a period of transition in art.  As our instructor described it, there was Christianizing of Roman Art and Romanizing of Christian Art.  Another image from about this time is bread and fish, suggesting the Sermon on the Mount. Those images could also be interpreted as a Roman symbol of bounty, which would have been perfectly acceptable in Roman culture. The fresco below is in the Catacombs of San Callisto, which were originally dug out at the end of the 2nd century.  We are free to interpret it as we want, but I gather most scholars think it is covertly an image to convey thoughts of Christ.

Another fresco depicts a group of men, who Christians might see as Jesus and the disciples at The Last Supper, but this type of scene would also have been a common Roman image of a scholar and his students.

The persecution of Christians ended with what is known as the Edict of Milan, issued by Emperor Constantine in 313 AD.  He was Roman Emperor and also a Christian,  According to the Edict, no one could be persecuted because of religion.   That meant that images of Jesus and other religious figures could be openly executed and displayed.  In 325 AD, the Nicene Creed was adopted and Jesus was deemed to be divine.  Paintings of him began to emerge with halos.

Constantine also moved the Eastern Capitol  of the Roman Empire to Byzantium in 330 AD, renaming it Constantinople.

Theological ideas were also in a transition,and Christianity became the official religion of the Romans under Emperor Theodosius in 380 AD.  Many Roman statues of gods were destroyed at that time because they were "pagan."  In 431 AD, the idea of Mary as the Mother of God, or "Theotokos," was established by the Third Ecumenical Council.  So, images of Mary holding Jesus, with both of them having halos,emerged.

As travel between the East and West developed, the Port of Ravenna became an important center.  Ravenna is known for its mosaics and the churches built there feature mosaics that tell stories from the Old and New Testaments.  One of the most well-known, and interesting, of these is "Christ in Majesty" in San Vitale (527-548 AD).

Jesus is on a "blue throne, with a halo and in a golden background rather than in a natural setting. (Apologies about the copyright notice--I am not doing this for money, so I think it is OK here) There are two angels and  and the two other figures are San Vitale, on the left, being handed a martyr's crown and Bishop Ecclesius, on the right, with a model of the church.  San Vitale was an early Christian martyr and Ecclesius is the founder of this church.  I have seen this mosaic in Ravenna and it is stunning...even when I didn't understand it.  It is high in the apse and has a golden glow because of the golden mosaic background.  I have always been intrigued by Ravenna and now I understand it a little more.  One of the reasons it survived is because it was a port that became "silted in" and wasn't used and so was kind of forgotten.

Shakespeare's Birthday

Today, we (which includes Louisa, Peter, Griffin, Sophia and assorted other young people) enjoyed an afternoon at the Shakespeare Library and Theater.  One of the very fun things was doing a reading from Shakespeare in the theater.  The picture above is from the t-shirt I got from my participation. I read some of Phoebe's lines from "As You Like It."

"Think not I love him, though I ask for him.
Tis but a peevish boy---yet he talks well--
But what I care for words?  Yet words do well
When he that speaks them pleases those that hear.
It is a pretty youth--not very pretty---
But sure he's proud--and yet his pride becomes him.
He'll make a proper man.  The best thing in him
Is his complexion; and faster than his tongue
Did make offense, his eye did heal it up.
He is not very tall--yet for his years he's tall.
His leg is but so-so---and yet 'tis well.
There was a pretty redness in his lip,
A little riper and more lusty red
Than that mixed in his cheek:  'twas just the difference
Betwixt the constant red and mingled damask.

Picture below is me reading that piece. I look very casual and was wearing a t-shirt that said, "Canst thou bring me to the party?"  I made to the party and enjoyed the fun.

 The young people were particularly encouraged to participate and they did.  Sophia especially enjoyed it.  They also had  music, appearances by "The Queen" and a lot of other activities. Great fun!  We stayed much longer than we had anticipated and will go back next year. Happy Birthday Shakespeare.  Griffin asked why we were going to a birthday party for someone who was dead.  Well, to honor him and his work!

Art of the Medieval World: Cathedrals and Beyond

 I began something new and exciting a week ago.  It is a Smithsonian Associates course on Art of the Medieval World.  It goes for six sessions, with an hour and a half presentation each time.  I am particularly excited about it because it is a part of a bigger commitment to a certificate program in World
Art History.  I will need to complete 10 courses, at least 4 core courses and 6 electives.  Art of the Medieval World is a core course.

The first session was an overview, covering Medieval Art across 1000 years (300-1300 AD).  The lecture is led by Dr. Judy Scott Feldman who is, needless to say, a very knowledgeable expert and a good public speaker.  She had us enraptured and taking notes.  I think about 50 are in the class.  Above I show the Chartres Cathedral, which was shown at the beginning of the program and which I saw almost exactly two years ago in France.

I cannot possibly explain all that was covered, but wanted to remember some high points.  For example, Chartres Cathedral has rose and lancet windows that are not only beautiful but let light in that is colored and ever-changing and creates an atmosphere that can be described as an image of heaven.  In Medieval times, the people were more concerned with divinity than with naturalistic portrayals....as in the classic style of the preceding period and the Renaissance, which followed.  As an example, images of Mary, mother of Jesus, are portrayed in a stylized way and looking directly at the viewer, whereas in Renaissance art she appears as a real person.  This has a lot to do with the purpose of the art. In Medieval times, it was an aid to reflection, meditation, and prayer was.

We also learned about the patterns in Celtic art, which is a Medieval Art form, and how the stylized patterns are meant to be contemplated.  Again, the viewer is directed toward a more inward thought process.

Well, I see my understanding is incomplete.  This week's lecture was on "Early Christian Art" and I hope to post about it soon.