1. Response: The impact of restoration on our experience of the past.
The purpose of building restoration is to present the modern-day viewer with a realistic representation of what the object-revised was once intended to look like during its contemporary construction and usage. The term, “building restoration” is very broad in that it can include anywhere from just a mere cleaning to reconstructing parts to even the reconstruction of the whole article in the effort to mirror its original form. I feel that in order to successfully relay the historical past, it is dependent on the presentation of history; whether it is in physical objects or explanatory writing in texts. In this case, the restoration of historical objects plays an important role in whether the modern-day viewer receives an accurate and thorough view of the historical past.
For example, when we visited Chartres cathedral, cleaning restoration of the apse was in progress. Our tour guide estimated that the entirety of the interior would be cleaned within five to six years if we would like to visit again then. In this situation, there is no replacement or reconstruction of parts (that I’m aware of, at least), it is just the effort to produce a pure portrayal of what the cathedral once originally looked like in the Middle Ages by wiping off all soot and grime. The contrasting whiteness of the apse to the grey-cast walls of the rest of the cathedral starkly showed the toll of years on the stonewalls. Though it was interesting to see how the interior was originally colored, I think that the grey, dirty walls gave the cathedral a kind of honorable presence, in my opinion.
In Sainte Chapelle, I was very impressed that the stained glass, dating from the thirteenth century, was seventy percent original. This gave me a different perspective to realize that I was viewing the original glass that thousands of others throughout the years have looked upon as well. Though I lamented the fact of not being able to see the apse of the church because of the scaffolding set up for restoration purposes, I appreciated that people still cared and were aware of the historical importance of this great church.
Within the houses of Monet and Leonardo da Vinci, it amazed me to realize that both Monet and da Vinci were at one time on the same premises and inside the rooms I was standing in now. I imagined them gazing outside the same window I was, and viewing the same view as I of the hopefully unchanged forestry. Nevertheless, I could not help to not be bothered by the thought, “Did they see the rooms exactly as I am now? Is the setup of furniture, etc. the same?” I’m really not sure why that bothered, so I accepted the conclusion that if the historical houses were still preserved for public viewing, any changes within the physical structures of the rooms were kept to a bare minimum.
The physical structure may still remain, but the object itself will never be the same the way it once originally was. Context is important, and the contemporary, now greatly historical context of everyday life and living is lost. We can only marvel at the juxtaposition of the old structures set against a modern-day backdrop. I feel that restoring buildings and paintings can both recapture the past and erase it. It is important to preserve these things in order to grasp an understanding and have an appreciation for the past. However, I do not agree with the complete reconstruction of things, for in that way, the original structure and intent of the object is lost.
Pompidou Center ticket stub, front
Pompidou Center ticket stub, back
1. Journal: Expectations about your expectations of French culture and the city of Paris.
Before I set afoot in Paris, I already harbored some stereotypical assumptions. Usually adverse to all stereotypes in general, my reasoning for having these was that I had never experienced France before and was uncomfortable with the complete unfamiliarity. By having pre-supposed assumptions, I would then be at least somewhat prepared for what I would face with in reality. Of course, this was not at all the case, as I would soon experience.
My main expectation was to be treated unfairly and in a rude manner by the French people. Realistically, no group of people anywhere in the world is going to be perfectly welcoming or totally adverse. Granted that in some instances along the trip so far I have witnessed faulty service in restaurants or in tourist-trap places. Nevertheless I feel that this is to be expected in any place and personally dealt with in understanding. In comparison to my other wonderful experiences and interactions with the French people, these have been miniscule.
The following is not meant to be true for individual people in London, the U.S. or France, but a generalization of cultures for contrasting purposes.
This past weekend a group of us took the Eurostar to London, England and experienced a very different type of culture in contrast to the French. When walking into a restaurant or shop in London, I was expecting to be greeted with a “hello” and other common courtesy words such as “please,” “thank you” and “goodbye.” This was not the case, as I immediately observed that most people in London and in the U.S. are actually less polite in this regard than the French. Being in France for the past two weeks has made me both appreciate and expect to take the both the initiative and response roles to say “bonjour,” “bononsoir” and the like.
I was also under the initial impression that the French would be impatient with foreigners. Though I would not completely blame them if they were impatient with us, I have observed that the mantra of “respect brings respect” really rings true for this culture. If you are sitting at a café with a large group and are loud, overbearing and impolite in immediate requests, you can only expect to have par-norm service. Thankfully I have experienced the other side of French service in cafes and restaurants more than once, where if you do make the conscious effort to be polite and aware of your own physical space in regards to others around you, most often than not, it will be a pleasant experience. When adhering to unsaid, cultural rules of conduct such as these, I found that I myself feel more in-tune with the culture and almost like a real Parisian.
2. Response: Letter-inspired
Letter 1: Madame du Pompadour to King Louis XV
I do beseech your royal highness, the King, to rid me of these following rumors. Just because I come from the mere commonality does not give those the right to treat me as such, now that I am a member of the royal court. Dare they not in your presence, dear King, but behind your back and mine, their words are as sharp as a double-edged sword to my ears. I tell you this as such because it not only affects my reputation, but yours as well. This is a precautionary stance against those who are against us. You know my truest being at heart and know that I, indeed, am no harm to you or to those high people of the court. Adversely, I aim to engage them in artful dialogue to further our interests. Thus, dear King, I urge you to reconsider and ban them from all proceedings of the court from here on after. They do nothing but to ruin my name and thus, demolish yours.
Concerning a lighter subject, I request to have a hand in the décor of the chapel in the latest Rococo style. From meetings with the artists in my salon, I feel that it only be fitting to have professional expertise and a lady’s taste to glorify the highest. Our thoughts of having your seat looking down above the choir will have the congregation set to place you as the representative of God on earth. Just as you recently appointed my brother to be director of your great buildings, so I ask to be director of the interior décor. The painters, sculptors and craftsmen of all trades under me are sure to become the most renowned and greatest of all France and Europe.
Madame du Pompadour
Letter 2: King Louis XV to Madame du Pompadour
Madame, those who mock and talk will bother you no longer. At your request I have sent my courier to relay them letters to arrive at my antechamber tomorrow morning for reasons yet unbeknownst to them and only to us. They will be in for a shocking surprise when they hear the consequence for a slip of the tongue. Not only would their words be venom within the court, but outside as well. The walls of Versailles are cold and thin. The rest of the court shall hear the verdict from my word only, not from pure rumor, and will come to firmly understand a lesson learned from this expulsion. You are to worry no longer and to move on to more lighthearted measures.
In response to your decorative requests, of course. The pairing of your talented brother and your talent for the interiors will only bring great recognition. I beseech you to listen to the sculptors and painters first, though. Not only will their names be redeemed first, but yours shall follow, do not worry. I entrust you to keep the running of your daily salons where you meet with such geniuses, and will never fail to contribute to whatever artistic glory they can bestow upon Versailles. For the construction of the chapel, it shall be a magnificent one. I plan to work with the architects myself, for it is here that I shall go to mass at least five times per day; once upon waking, before lunch, midday, before dinner and a short, sweet prayer before bedtime. I envision tall walls with a wide ceiling reaching up to the heavens; a painted ceiling, in fact, of the heavens themselves by one of your famed painters. A large choir at the apse and a seat for those most devout. It shall come to pass and it will be derived from divine inspiration.
Louix XV
Just as Lautreamont’s Maldoror aestheticizes the grotesque as its own work of art, certain acclaimed pieces of art such as the sculpture of the Nike of Samothrace can be considered to embody a unique, grotesque beauty.
The Nike of Samothrace, or, Winged Victory, represents the great Grecian sea battle victory dating from the Hellenistic period. It portrays the goddess, Nike, in the midst of descending form the heavens to the triumphant fleet. The original presentation of the statue had her right arm raised (now severed), cupped around her mouth to deliver a strong victory shout. This sculpture serves to glorify the horrors of war in the ultimate goal of victory.
Similarly, in Maldoror, extreme violence and brutality is almost sacred in the name of glory:
“All my life I have seen narrow-shouldered man, without exception, perform innumerable stupid actions, brutalize his fellows and poison minds by every conceivable means. The motivation of such behavior he calls, ‘Glory.’
(Maldoror 184).
The Nike renders a pose of violent motion seen through the figure’s draped garments, hung closely around the body. Yet, a graceful stance still persists, as can be seen by the figure’s delicate balance. This dichotomy of presentation forms to depict the goddess in the midst of a strong sea breeze upon the bow of a ship. Likewise, the scene where a man is hung along the gibbet notices how violence does not lay inert, but, rather, swiftly follows through until it completes its duty.
“When he sees on the horizon that head of black hair, cradled by the wind, he does not encourage his power of inertia but takes flight with incomparable swiftness”
(Maldoror 180).
Although the Nike represents the aftermath of war in glorified victory, it stands to commemorate the fight composed of violent action that can be seen through the lively drapery, twisted pose and dramatic seaside setting. This aftermath of chaotic war can be said to be a return to calm reason. Violence in general is usually a product of rash action, of which the Maldoror notes:
“How could he fail to understand it when human beings themselves have rejected
to this indescribable point
the empire of reason in order to allow to subsist in
place
of this
dethroned queen nothing but ferocious
vengeance”
(Maldoror 180-
81).
Here Lautreamont states that human beings disregard all reason to enact on rash,
“ferocious
vengeance.”
Though violence is at the heart of both Lautreamont’s literary Maldoror and the
Hellenistic sculpture of the Nike
of
Samothrace, the grotesque, whether blatant or implied
makes the works both successfully intriguing and
beautiful.
These works serve to
commemorate what we as humans are capable of doing, and how in art, the horrors
of
violence can be twisted in glorification.
Nike of Samothrace
Photo taken in the Louvre, Paris
3. Response: Analyze the Pompidou Center itself. Ask the same kind of questions of the buildling we asked of Ubu Roi.
The external architecture of the Pompidou Center represents the 1977 architecture of “factory style” with exposed pipes and wires. All of the functional structural elements of the building were color-coded when the Center was built; green pipes for plumbing, blue ducts for climate control, electrical wires in yellow and circulation safety elements were ensconced in red (Centre 1). Jarry’s play Ubu Roi was the beginning of the absurdist movement, satirizing the bourgeois tendency to abuse authority. The gist of the absurdist movement was to do away with the representation of “reality,” such as through art. Instead, absurdists demanded that things should be depicted in a more real light than reality and deal with essences rather than appearances. The absurdist movement came about in the 19th century and was most often transpired into art forms. The movement held that humans exist in a meaningless, irrational universe and that the persistent search for order will only bring them into direct conflict with the universe, against natural will.
The architecture of the Pompidou Center evokes these sentiments with the exposed infrastructure of the building. In the absurdist style, the architecture does not attempt to describe or explain something, it just is. I think that the architecture of the Pompidou Center is indeed art. One-of-a-kind, it is beautiful in an avant-garde way when contrasted against the other elegant and historic Parisian buildings. With its externally exposed steel skeleton and diagonal bracing, the interior space of the Pompidou is free from any internal circulation and servicing (Architecture 1).
I find it to be a successful piece of architecture because it immediately grabs your attention. You don’t even have to stand directly beside it to notice its unique features; from down the street the building rises exposed and colorful. I recorded in my journal/blog after visiting the Pompidou Center:
“It is a combined library, art museum, IRCAM and George's Restaurant with a stunning view of the city on the roof. I only saw the permanent collection and visiting exhibition, "The Promises of the past, 1950-2010, A discontinuous history of art in former eastern Europe."
The multi-functional usage as library, art museum, IRCAM and George’s Restaurant reinforces the unique value of the structure. I can see how people can view the Pompidou Center as being a “monstrosity” since it is not only unusual, but dichotomously out of place next to the other Parisian buildings. However, I feel that if you are visiting the Pompidou Center for its intended functions and/or as a traveler with an open mind (i.e. not the Liberty Fry), you embrace its physical peculiarity.
Works Cited
"ArchitectureWeek - Building - Systematic Centre Pompidou - 2003.1203." ArchitectureWeek - 2010.0922. Web. 30 Sept. 2010.
"Centre Pompidou (Beaubourg)." Centre Pompidou - Art Culture Musée Expositions Cinémas Conférences Débats Spectacles Concerts. Web. 30 Sept. 2010.
3. Journal: Using Walter Pater's "Mona Lisa" as your guide, analyze a work of art that moves you "symbolically."
One of my favorite works of art is within the Brancacci Chapel in Florence, Italy:
Masaccio’s Tribute Money. It was July 2007 and my first time outside of the United States. I can vividly recall walking down the main thoroughfare of Via San Gallo from our hotel in Florence. The avenue spilled out into the market square adjacent to the Florence Cathedral. Our last day in Florence, it was the latter half of the afternoon, and my family and I were weary from a long day of making the conventional tourist rounds. Nevertheless, I was intent on visiting the Brancacci Chapel.
Through the myriad of streets and across the Arno River
stood the Santa Maria del Carmine and the quaint
Brancacci Chapel. On the lower left
side of the chapel wall, there it was: the Renaissance masterpiece that
revolutionized the
art of representation.
To me, this fresco is not only notable for its innovation, but it is an example of
spiritual significance and human a
bility. Whether in person or a copied image, I feel a
sense of serenity and ethereal connection whenever I see this
work. From my vantage
point from one of the front pews, I escaped from the temporal surroundings of the drone
of the tour guide, shuffling of tourists, and the sounds of external traffic. The narrative
sequence of the tax-collecting
scene impresses upon me the importance of being
honorable in applying my religious beliefs to ethical obligations.
Through this balanced
composition, I am transported into an inwardly reflective and meditative state.
Furthermore, this work is a prime example of the diverse gift of human ability.
Since reading Masaccio’s biography
in Vasari’s Lives of the Artists, it is amazing to me
that a young man of twenty-five, inexperienced compared to the
maestros of the period,
could cause the artistic transition from the old medieval style to the new Renaissance
style of
representational depth and chiaroscuro. This example further inspires me to
recognize and cultivate not only my
innermost passions, but also new interests.
Whether illustrated through a fresco or any other medium, the power of art
remains as a means of expression and
elucidation of human thought and activities. In
essence, I find innermost joy in discovering connections within myself
to the rest of the
world, past or present, through art. Just as in seeing objects of art for the first time in
person, relays
an
entirely new perspective in regards to the object of art and oneself.
In accordance with Pater: To me, art – whether
ideally pleasing to the eye or completely
distorted – can reveal the undiscovered within oneself.
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