Global Flow of Visual Culture

Perhaps some of the easiest visual culture that can be compared in modern times is media coverage in China. In 1989, after months of peaceful protesting by civilians in Beijing, the Chinese government ordered the protesters moved out of Tiananmen Square. Hundreds, and perhaps thousands of protesters were killed by the Chinese army. During this time, China imposed a media blackout, including foreign news stations. Word was eventually leaked out, and several hours later news stations around the world began reporting what was happening, although the details were murky, and pictures were blurry and scarce. It took weeks for full details to leak, and the full story of why the violence escalated and number of casualties may never be fully disclosed.

20 years later, riots once again rocked parts of China. However, with the advent of the internet, social media sites, and cell phones, eyewitness accounts were available almost immediately. Any attempt at a media blackout by the government was circumvented by people's ability to access the internet, and post their footage. The following footage is of riot police confronting protestors. This footage was taken with a camera phone, and posted to the internet.

In the modern world of immediate global communication it will probably be impossible to attempt to cover up any kind of large scale incident anymore. This leads to new issues though, as more people than ever have the ability to manipulate footage, and therefore global opinions. This could easily be used to spread misinformation, which in turn could have dire consequences.

It will be fascinating to see how this instant media plays out and affects our "global village".

Celebrity Privacy

Fame has truly become a two-edged sword in the 21st Century. For most of the last century the only time you heard about celebrities private lives was if something truly sensational happened, otherwise they got to live highly private lives out of the public spotlight. In our era of global communication however, there is no hiding from the spotlight, and the glare of the bright lights will be on you 24 hours a day. This is the cost of fame, and while some embrace it, others find it difficult to deal with. On top of this, there are those who try to take advantage of any potentially offensive action by a celebrity.

Two recent examples that come to mind are from relatively young celebrities. In one case I think the criticism was entirely valid, and the other incident appears to be more of a case of someone trying to profit off of a celebrity's fame and fortune. In 2010 Kristen Stewart made a comment to British Elle magazine, comparing the constant attention of paparazzi to "being raped". This was clearly an ignorant statement, and one that many found highly offensive. After all rape victims have no choice, Kristen Stewart made the decision to pursue a career that lead to her private life being on display. Stewart later apologized for the comments.




In February of 2009 a picture surfaced of Miley Cyrus posing for a photograph with several friends. She appears to be making her eyes slant upwards, a gesture usually associated with imitating an Asian person. This caused an uproar among some Asian communities, and a 4 billion dollar class action lawsuit was brought against Cyrus for 'discrimination'. In this case I think you would have to make a much more compelling argument than a picture of a 16-year old girl posing for a private photo with a group of friends, one of whom appears to be Asian, as a basis for being offended. Cyrus of course apologized if she offended anyone, and a judge later dismissed the law suit.



So while the price of fame means a loss of privacy, if you are choosing to profit from this fame, then I don't think you have a forum for complaining about your lack of privacy. However, I think that there should be more respect for people's private lives. I don't think that will happen anytime soon without drastic changes in our society.

Responding To Rumors

A challenge facing all companies, and even individuals, in the world of instant worldwide communication is how to respond to rumors or slander. Where one person sending out an email to a small circle of friends can become a firestorm of misunderstanding and false information, it is important to know what the appropriate response should be to try and quell rumors. In the example listed in our Mass Communication text book, a Marine Sergeant sent out an email to ten of his friends, asking them to join him in a boycott of Starbucks because he had heard they "did not support the war in Iraq". This e-mail quickly spread, and it became a big enough issue that Starbucks was compelled to make a public statement on the matter. In this case I think it was an appropriate response, and if they had not taken these steps Starbucks could have unfairly lost customers.

Of course as evidence that bad news travels fast, the original author of the Starbucks rumor later sent out a new email apologizing for the misinformation, but that did not get nearly the amount of circulation that the false rumor did.

This kind of rumor has been going on for years, and often times it can actually be tied back to competing companies. In the early 1980's a rumor began circulating that the company Proctor and Gamble were being managed by avowed Satan worshippers, and the President of P&G even went on the Donahue show and confirmed that this was true. Of course this outraged many people in the United States as many of them were appalled at the idea that they could be contributing to the Church of Satan by buying Proctor and Gamble products. As proof, people were quick to point out the 666, the sign of the devil, in the P&G logo.

 
While one would think that something so absurd would be laughed off, instead the rumor gained traction. In the 1990's the talk show changed from Donahue to the Sally show, but the basic rumor stayed the same, that the board members of Proctor and Gamble were members of the Church of Satan, and every time you bought their products, you were contributing directly to them. Interestingly enough Proctor and Gamble later sued Amway, a company that made competing products, for defamation, and a jury rewarded P&G 19.7 million dollars for damages, due to recorded evidence given that Amway was helping to at least perpetuate the rumors.

While Proctor and Gamble never made a direct statement to the public regarding the rumors, I think in this case that was also the prudent course. The time period it first occurred in did not have the immediate global communication we have now, and it would have probably done more harm than good to possibly legitimize these accusations by feeling the need to defend yourself against them.

The Importance of Brands

I had to think about this for a while, as I have tried to make an active move away from being 'brand loyal' for quite some time now. As I thought about it however, I recalled one brand that does stand out in particular for me. Tor is a book publisher, that specialized in science-fiction and fantasy novels. While I would not say that I am brand loyal in that I never read anything other than Tor books, if something catches my eye and I discover it was published by Tor then I am more than willing to take a chance on purchasing the book without waiting to find reviews on the book to see if it's actually worth reading or not. 
Over the last 20 years, I would guess my satisfaction level with purchasing a variety of books simply because they carried the Tor logo to easily be around 90%, so I would consider myself to be content with that facet of brand loyalty.

If I'm feeling overwhelmed by choices...

this logo will definitely influence my purchasing decision.

This contrasts with my attitude towards pretty much any other 'brand' name, such as clothes, shoes, electronics, etc. My parents were very much brand loyalists, and there was not a single electronic item in our house that was not a Sony. After getting some real world experience I quickly found out that while Sony is an almost overwhelming brand name, they are usually not overwhelmingly superior products, and are often times much more expensive that competing brands, simply because they know people will pay the 'loyalty' tax. In fairness Sony products are usually good quality, and there's nothing wrong with them, but the 'bang for the buck' factor is what could be viewed as a shortcoming.

Pottermore

The Internet is in a constant state of flux, as everyone is out to try to do their best to commercialize the medium, and make it profitable. One of the more interesting attempts that will be unveiled in the near future is a collaborative effort by J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series of books, and Sony. Rowling is creating a new website called Pottermore (http://www.pottermore.com). It is expected to be open to the public by the end of the year, as right now it is still in a beta phase. Essentially Pottermore is taking every chapter of every Harry Potter book, and letting you explore the chapter through illustrations and more in-depth details by Rowling. Along with the extra details, as you progress through the story chapters, you also unlock different collectibles that you can store in your online 'trunk'. You eventually earn a wand, and learn spells. The purpose of the collectibles is to use in mini-games that you play on the website with other members of the community. You can interact with other members of Pottermore like any other kind of social site, as you have friends lists, message boards, and games you can play with others. You can share pictures and drawings, and talk about all things Harry Potter.

While the page is still in beta, and therefore not open to the public, here are a couple of basic screenshots from my beta account that give an idea of the layout of the page, and the kind of extra details you can find about the books. (Click for larger versions).

 Of course you will also eventually be able to use the site to buy Harry Potter merchandise and for a while will be the exclusive place you will be able to legally get the e-book versions of the Harry Potter books. In all, it is an ambitious endeavor to bring a traditional medium to the internet, and make it something more than just reprinting the pages of the book on a webpage. While it will be sometime before we see what the end result will be, it provides a glimpse to the kinds of things that can be accomplished on the internet in bringing new life to old mediums.

Earthquake in Slow Motion

Ken Auletta references to an "earthquake in slow motion" has to do with the changing television landscape. For decades the choice people had on television was NBC, CBS, or ABC. In bigger cities you might also have access to a few local broadcast channels, but any show or even of importance would be televised on one of the Big 3 networks. This model had been largely unchanged until the Fox network decided to take aggressive steps to get on equal footing with the Big 3. Founded in 1986, Fox began a gradual climb into television relevance. After several years of building a steady base of affiliate networks, Fox made its presence felt for good by acquiring rights to broadcast NFL games in 1993. With the firm foothold in 18-49 demographics, the network continued to climb in popularity, and by 2007 became the most viewed of the new Big 4 networks.

The earthquake continued for the original Big 3 networks with the rise of cable companies that were able to produce cheaper shows, and also get paid for the broadcast rights, which was the opposite financial model that the Big 3 networks were using. While the Big 3 pay for rights to broadcast a show, and hope to recoup their investments by selling advertising spots, cable channels get paid by cable carriers, thus ensuring a steady source of income. This allows cable channels to take more risks for programming content, which attracts more diverse viewers. While the Big 4 still routinely draw more viewers due to their wider availability, it takes many more viewers for one of their shows to be considered a 'hit'. This of course leads to the networks not taking chances on new content, opting instead to stick with familiar shows that routinely draw viewers, such as crime procedurals, sitcoms, and reality shows. While this approach may work for the short term, I would imagine that unless there is a major shift in their financial model, the Big 4 will cease to exist in their current format.

As an example of the programming that the Big 4 networks find themselves obliged to carry in an effort to keep their numbers up, here's their Fall 2011 promotional lineup.

 
Contrast this with HBO's promotional reel (from 6 years ago, as I couldn't find a more current one that was sharable within the blog).


 

Which channel would you rather watch?

The Adventures of Tintin

At the website www.darkhorizons.com I found the feature on The Adventures of Tintin to be a good example of an internet website building buzz for an upcoming movie. In the article, one of the writers for the website actually was able to meet with the producers of the movie, Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg. He writes a positive article about his experiences and expectations for the film.

Tintin is based on a 1930's French comic series, so the name already has a built in fanbase, as Tintin is still a hugely popular comic book that sells over 2 million copies a year. This can also have potential negative effects however, as fans of the original comic want to see the movie treat the source material with respect, and not go off in its own "Americanized" version of the comic. The writer of the article, being a fan of the original comic, writes from this perspective, as someone who was worried about the direct the movie would take, along with the motion capture medium chosen. He comes away largely satisfied with what he has seen. The comments on the article express relief from other of the comic's fans that someone who understands the trepidation at a beloved book being made into a movie appears to be getting the proper treatment.

In another interesting note along the 'nothing is ever new' line, Steven Spielberg discovered the comic series after he read reviews comparing his own film Raiders of the Lost Ark (filmed 50 years after the first Tintin strip) movie to the comic. Here is the trailer for the movie, and while I had heard of the movie, I wasn't really sure what it was about. After reading the article and seeing the trailer, I am now certain I will see the movie within the first few days of release.


 

Paparazzi

    The video I have chosen to analyze is Lady Gaga's Paparazzi. I believe this song falls into the broad category of Pop music. I guess time flies, because while I consider this to be a modern video it's already 2 years old. The lyrics are interesting, and the video is quite a spectacle. The lyrics taken on their won could be considered just another catchy song about romance, but when taken in with the video, it really can be considered a commentary on the music industry in its current state.

Not sure what it means

But this photo of us

It don't have a price

Ready for those flashing lights

...

I'm your biggest fan

I'll follow you until you love me


 
The lyrics here could be taken to chasing fame, as she is ready to stop being a member of the crowd, and become the object of people's attention. She's going to be persistent in her attempt to achieve fame, much like paparazzi hound celebrities 24 hours a day.

This message seems to become more clear with the video, which starts with her attempted murder, with the boyfriend representing the music industry. It has used her, and feeling that it got all it needed out of her, they're ready to dispose of her and move on to the next object of affection. However, she retaliates against this and murders her boyfriend, which once again gives her musical freedom.


 

This reflects some of Lady Gaga's real life experiences with record labels, as her first label deal with Interscope, which primarily wanted her writing songs for other artists, also wanted her to tone down her music and image. Instead she signed with Geffen records, and this then launched her career to new heights.

Of course, artists rebelling against perceived suppression by record labels is not new. The axiom that there is nothing new is shown to be true here, the Madonna video Express Yourself visits many of these same themes, with music being suppressed for the masses, while the owners of the music enjoy their own sophisticated music that they refuse to share.

Journalistic Mainstreaming

Journalistic mainstreaming is the concentrated effort by newspapers to include quotes from minority groups in articles that are not specifically about minority issues. While the initiative to broaden people's communities by including voices that might normally go unheard should be something that is considered laudable, you have to question the motivations for the mainstreaming. Some publications, such as the Los Angeles Times started making quotas for their paper, which include that each front page must have at least one minority quote, and that all stories that are not breaking news must also include a minority quote.

Why are the publications doing this? If it's for broadening our community, and making points of views known that might otherwise be overlooked, then that is commendable. However, if it's done just for the sake of political correctness, or worse, an attempt to tap into a market for the sake of drawing in new advertising dollars, then I believe a line has been crossed. Some newspapers policy of requiring a certain amount of minority quotes to be considered for advancement seems to be a classic case of political correctness that is missing the spirit of the issue at hand.

If journalism is about reporting news in an interesting way, then the burden falls upon the journalist. Including quotes from minorities for the sake of having them does not do anything to enhance the story or educate the reader. If we truly want journalism that encompasses minority points of view, shouldn't the concentration instead be on creating newsrooms that more accurately reflect our community? If the majority of journalists are middle class Caucasian men, then the stories that are published will naturally reflect that. Shoehorning in minority quotes will not suddenly make the articles all-encompassing of all viewpoints, that can only be accomplished by creating more diversity in the actual newsrooms that are employed by newspaper publishers.

Surprisingly there are few Youtube clips to be found that deal with journalistic mainstreaming, so I will settle for a Ricky Gervais clip.

The Arnie Effect

The use of muscular men and impossibly thin models to sell products will always be controversial. While those images can be used to influence people, it also means that we as consumers need to be media literate. So while we are bombarded with images of what we should look like, at least to the companies that want to sell us a product, we need to be aware of that very fact, that the images of these beautiful people are there for the sole purpose of making us feel like we need something more, and just maybe it's the product these particular models happen to be selling.

While these images could contribute to eating disorders or steroid abuse, again, I think the main responsibility with that lies with the individual. While everyone wants to look perfect like they do in movies are magazines, by increasing our media literacy, we will realize that these people look that perfect with a lot of help, whether it's steroid abuse or Photoshop, no one looks that good without a lot of help.

Using normal sized models is something I don't have an issue with, although that may also be another sneaky advertising ploy. Instead of automatically rejecting a product because the models they are using are impossibly good looking, instead seeing someone who looks normal may fool me into thinking that I would enjoy whatever product they're using, because they're normal just like me. However, in the grand scheme of things, I find using normal models to be less of an issue than thin models.

In theory I don't have an issue with the use of magazines using Photoshop, after all they're trying to sell a product, and if they feel they need to change the image they're using to do that, that's up to their discretion. Again, I believe the onus falls on us, as consumers, to vote with our dollars and increase our media literacy. If magazines realize they're not selling products due to altered images, then those practices will change.

This clip is from the movie Bigger, Stronger, Faster which is a documentary about steroids, created by a former steroid user who got tired of trying to keep up with all his magazine heroes. I found this particular segment to be pretty telling as far as what advertisers imply, and that it's on us if we fail to realize that X product doesn't magically make us look like the models that are representing the product.

A Dance With Dragons

The last full-length non-educational book that I read was A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin. I certainly enjoyed it, as it was the 5th book of a series that I have been reading for about ten years now. It was a long wait, as the 4th book came out in 2006, so it felt good to get a chance to immerse myself in the author's world again. I chose the series a long time ago because the title of the first book A Game of Thrones grabbed my attention, and it was also published by Tor a company that I have come to trust as a company that purveys quality stories. The first book in the series is A Game of Thrones and while 10 years ago it was definitely a book that appealed to a niche crowd, the fantasy genre has become mainstream. At the time I was reading Dance in July, all five books of the series were in the Top 20 of the New York Times bestseller list.

This popularity was due to a large bump in awareness of the books due to HBO creating a series based on the books. I greatly enjoyed the HBO series, and admit I was surprised by enjoying it. I have grown used to studios buying the rights to a book and then completely changing the story. Game of Thrones however stayed true to the major plot points, and did a great job of capturing the spirit of the books. While I still enjoy the books more due to the sheer amount of detail that could never be portrayed in an hour long show, the series was definitely well done. Critics also agreed, as the show was nominated for multiple Emmy awards, and won a Best-Supporting actor award for Peter Dinklage.

57 Channels and Nothing On

While we have increased the number of television channels that we have to watch by fifty times what we had to watch twenty years ago, you would assume that we would have plenty of choices to choose from and control over what we get to watch. However that does not seem to be the case, as most of these television channels are owned by just a few mass media companies, and the few people at the top of those few companies decides what we are supposed to want to watch at any given time. One example that still gets me worked up if I think too much about it is the saga of MTV. When I was growing up, MTV was still Music Television, and it was music videos 24 hours a day. When I would get home from school and on the weekends, I'd either be actively watching waiting for my favorite videos, or at least have it on in the background. As I got older though, MTV begin introducing shows that would interrupt my music video pleasure. As I got older, the shows became more and more frequent, until soon there was nary a music video to be found. Then MTV ran an ad campaign claiming that the music videos were on MTV2, so switch over there if you wanted to still see videos. I happily did. However, MTV soon didn't have enough hours in the day for shows like Real World, Road Rules, and Teen idiot of the week, so they started putting the shows on MTV2. At that point I was done with MTV, and started watching VH1, since they still showed music videos. Soon however, Viacom (the owner of the MTV networks) decided to buy VH1, and it too became a festering cesspool of Super Sweet 16 and Celebrity Rehab shows. Now the last outpost is Vh1 Classic, but they show the same five videos over and over, and they are now also beginning to run 'reality' programming, since there just isn't enough room on all the MTV's anymore.

I guess that's more of a rant than a statement, but it boils down to the fact that despite having a dozen 'music video' stations now, they're all owned by the same company, and since the CEO of said company things reality television is what America wants, then he's going to put it on every channel he can. So instead of having more choice, I find that I have as much choice if it was still only MTV, and none of the other channels existed.

Also not sure exactly where Blue's Traveler fits in, but the video from 1994 gave a good indication of where television was heading, and the Hook still makes me come back...

 

Mean World Syndrome

    I think that George Gerbner was correct in his analysis of violence, and how it is portrayed through the media. While the news media and entertainment media would seem to indicate that we are living in an age of unprecedented violence, Gerbner believed that the level of violence portrayed by the media is actually quite a contrast to the world that most of us live in. While we would not want to deny that there are acts of heinous violence that are committed, the amount of imminent calamity that we all seem to face is on the exaggerated side. Why would there be this discrepancy? One possibility is that living in fear makes us easier to control, a simpler explanation however may be the simple concept that violence (or sex) sells. People don't want to watch 'normal' lives to escape, they want to be aroused, and the threat of violence is one way to do that.

    This clip from comedian Eddie Izzard seems to support that thought, as he compares British film to American movies. Again, I seem to find the clips that have adult language in them, so viewer beware.

    Spiral of silence seems to be more of a phenomenon that occurs due to not wanting to have a minority opinion. The reality may very well be that the opinion we have is not unpopular, or cast us as a social outcast, but since we don't want to risk that outsider status, instead we hold on to that silence. Unfortunately that can lead to a stagnant society, as new ideas that may be excellent do not gain any traction, since no one wants to be the one to 'rock the boat'. The idea of remaining comfortably anonymous reminds me of the short story Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut. Harrison Bergeron.

Comments on the Seven Truths of Mass Communication

The first truth that the media is an essential aspect of our lives I would have to agree with. Unless you are willing to literally live in a cave, isolated from civilization, there is no way to get through a day without being exposed to the media. Whether we tune it out consciously it a choice that we can make, but that would have to be an actual choice, as soon as you leave your dwelling you will be exposed to billboards, car maker logos, radio broadcasts, news, etc. before you even begin your day at work or school. That is before you even take into account any aspect of using media for entertainment by reading a book, magazine, watching television, or going to a movie.
I would also agree with the sixth truth, or principle, that activism and analysis are not always the same thing. One thing that always bothered me growing up was how I was being told that reading certain books, or playing certain games would immunize me to violence. I believe there is a clear distinction between fantasy violence presented in something such as a video game, and taking the huge psychological leap to being able to physically perform violence. I have played video games, or "murder simulators" as the activists call them, and despite all their studies that prove that I should be a high-strung time bomb ready to lay waste to my workplace or school, I tend to think I'm a pretty normal person. The times I have been confronted with violence, I have done what I consider to be the sane thing to do and gotten out of Dodge. This video clip from the show Penn & Teller: Bulls..t is from a piece they did on whether video games do blur the lines of reality for children on fantasy versus real violence. There is adult language in the clip, but if you skip ahead to the 2:25 mark for the conclusion you'll skip...some of it.

Study of Praying Hands

    I greatly admired the drawing of Study of Praying Hands that was presented in our reading this week. It was drawn by Albrecht Durer in c. 1508 and is currently housed in the Albertina Museum located in Vienna, Austria. While researching the piece, I was amazed to find that this was not even a final drawing. It was instead just a template for Durer's work on a triptych altarpiece that was commissioned for a Dominican church. This piece was referred to as Heller's Altarpiece was housed in the church before being moved to a private residence. It was destroyed in a fire but a copy had been made that is still preserved today in the Historisches Museum, in Frankfurt, Germany. You can see the apostle kneeling in the lower right hand corner of the main frame has the 'praying hands' that are modeled in Durer's original drawing.

    The drawing, while simply a model, is rightly housed as an individual work of art. Durer, who is credited with bringing the Italian Renaissance north into Germany, shows the influence of the Renaissance thinking in the detail that is recreated in his work. The hands, showing being pressed together lightly in prayer, show incredible detail with the veins and tendons. The hands do not appear to someone young, but someone older. The detail in this drawing is so precise that many physicians feel that the model may have actually suffered from diabetes, based on the angle that the right little finger is bent at. Durer does an amazing job of showing the humanist aspect with the clear attention to detail, but also the religious aspects of the Renaissance, conveying the faith and devotion that the person praying must have had.

    Durer's work was also important in the Reformation era, as he became a follower of the teachings of Martin Luther. From that point forward almost all of Durer's works had religious overtones. He even wrote an inscription under the painting The Four Holy Men that read "All worldly rulers in these dangerous times should give good heed that that receive not human misguidance for the Word of God, for God will have nothing added to His Word or taken away from it." This of course was a strong statement denouncing many of the acts of the Catholic Church that Martin Luther was campaigning against. Naturally Durer's works reflected his strong faith, and proved to be an inspiration for many as his works were widely produced and distributed. Martin Luther said of Durer's death "It is natural and right to weep for so excellent a man . . . still you should rather think him blessed, as one whom Christ has taken in the fullness of his wisdom and by a happy death from these most troublous times, and perhaps from times even more troublous which are to come, lest one who was worthy to look on nothing but excellence, should be forced to behold things most vile."

    While I cannot say that Study of Praying Hands inspires me in a religious way, I can certainly appreciate the detail in them, and there is no doubt that the devotion of the person praying is beautifully conveyed, which by itself can certainly provide inspiration for hoping and believing in something bigger than ourselves.

    

The Rise of Science

One of the primary traits of the Renaissance period was the recognition of the importance of critical thinking. While the "Dark Ages" consisted of what could be considered mindless chanting and storyboard pictures for simpletons, the Renaissance introduced a new wave of philosophers and scientists. What is interesting is that while the men of the Renaissance period were great critical thinkers, and based their beliefs on findings of long study and experiments, they did so in an attempt to reconcile the physical world with God. While the Church dominated the Dark Ages with their approach of religious dogma being the final authority over its subjects, the Renaissance men attempted to understand and explain the mysteries of the world, with the idea of having a more educated reason to worship and praise their God.

One of these men was Marsilio Ficino, who was a student of Neo-Platonism. Ficinio wrote several volumes on what he considered Platonic Theology. This theory was an attempt to reconcile the philosophies and science of Plato, with the beliefs of the Catholic Church. Far from trying to undermine the Church, Ficino was attempting to create rational explanations for many of the Church's beliefs. One of Ficinio's most important theories was the belief of Plato's transmigration of the soul, and how that could be linked to the Church's position on the resurrection of the soul. In this way Ficino attempted to marry the concepts of both the Church and of the Sciences. In his opinion, this would lead men to greater faith, as they became more aware of their soul and its connection to the world around them.

Others followed Ficino's example, and many more studies of the physical world were conducted. However, many of those early scientists came into conflict with the Church, as their findings disagreed with the Church's stance on many matters. One of the most famous of these is Galileo. His studies of astronomy led to a trial by the Inquisition, as his findings about the Earth and its relative position in the Universe, contradicted the official beliefs of the Church. Galileo, however, was not attempting to undermine the Church. He, like Ficino, while attempting to understand the physical world better, still had great belief in the Christian God, and remained a faithful Catholic until his death.

What I find interesting is that while these early scientists paved the way for modern science with their methodical experiments and well rounded education, they did so in the attempt to better understand nature, and by doing so having a closer relationship to God. While today science uses the same methods of study, the prevailing belief among many is that God does not exist. Instead of drawing correlations between Christian beliefs and science, today scientists seem to be more determined than ever to discount the idea of any kind of supreme being that designed the universe.

While the great Renaissance period thinkers did much to advance our understanding of the physical world around us, the work they did appears to have had unintended consequences. While they wanted to explain God and Humanity in more precise terms than was being done by the Church, they succeeded in creating an almost entire new religion, that of Science, which dominates much of the world that we live in today.

Stained Glass

Stained glass windows from the Gothic period were an important part of Christendom.  Thanks to innovations in construction that were introduced in the Gothic period, such as flying buttresses, large sections of church walls could be dedicated to house windows, since the walls were no longer the only means of load bearing.  The Church and the artists used to create the stained glass windows took this as an opportunity to create story windows, which depicted religious scenes.  French theologian Jean de Garson is credited with the saying that the windows could be used to show "simple people unfamiliar with the Scriptures what they should believe". 

One of the most famous displays of stained glass is in the Chartres cathedral.  It has 176 panels of stained glass, of which about 152 are believed to be originals.  These stained glass windows at Chartres not only depict religious scenes such as the Passions of the Christ and the Virgin Mary, but also have panels dedicated to the various guilds and merchants that contributed to the building of Charters.  They could be considered among the first classified ads, as they advertised the wealth and success of the patrons.

The image here is a photo of a stained glass window known as The Blue Virgin in Chartres.  It depicts the Virgin Mary, with Jesus sitting in her lap.  As the Chartres cathedral was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, it is not surprising to see her pictured as being almost dominant over Jesus, as he is almost childlike in her lap.  They are surrounded by angels, and a dove representing peace.  The eye is naturally drawn upwards, towards the Kingdom of Heaven that is at the top of the panel.  This is an excellent example of a stained glass window that may have inspired the poet George Herbert to write

A man who looks on glass,
On it may stay his eye,
Or if he pleaseth through it pass,
And then the heavens espy.

The next image is what is called a Rose window.  The circular pattern carried two symbolism's, the sun, which was used to represent Christ, and a rose, which was a representation of the Virgin Mary.  Here we can how the artists uses lead to not only strengthen the window, but also creates a geometric pattern which again suggests a rose.  This time our eye is drawn to the center of the window, which again has the Virgin Mary with Christ sitting in her lap.

While I have not seen the Chartres windows in person, I have observed other cathedrals with their stained glass windows.  Their very nature encourages you to reflect and meditate upon their meaning, as outside light is softly diffused through the tinted window.  They can certainly invoke a somber mode, which many may find conducive to worship.

Stained glass windows are still used to decorate churches today.  They are still a way to dedicate scenes to benefactors of the work, and are still used to remind us of significant biblical or religious events.  The following picture is a top-down view of The Last Supper, created in 1984 for the Durham Cathedral.  While the style has changed slightly to allow for less prominent use of lead as part of the window, the premise is the same, a religious scene depicted in a window that allows diffused natural light.

Whether we are religious in nature or not, all can still appreciate the care and skill required in the creation of the stained glass window art form.

Greek Theatre

Theatre of Dionysus

One of the biggest influences on our culture from ancient times would be the formalizing of artistic performances, which lead to the creation of Theatre. This was apparently first done by the Greeks, although their inspiration appears to have been from the traditional storytelling that was already a staple of many religions. Taking the storytelling role of a religious figure, such as a shaman, they adapted this to plays. While they oftentimes dealt with religious matters or custom, they were not limited in scope. These plays were like recited poetry, performed by choruses of up to fifty men. A man named Thespis either introduced the concept of a single "actor" interacting with the chorus, playing the main character, or he may have been the first actor. This is where the worth 'thespian' comes from, which is a term still used today to describe modern day actors. This role of one man interacting with the chorus slowly expanded, but it appears that the Greeks never had more than three individuals perform at any one time. Around 534 B.C. the performances were arranged into formal competitions.

Modern day Hollywood Bowl

These competitions in turn lead to full-fledged theatres being constructed just for the purpose of housing them, and allowing for as many spectators as possible. The Theatre of Dionysus, named after the original religious festival, could seat up to 17,000 people. It's design is still used today as many amphitheatres have the same basic layout, with tiered rows rising up from the stage area, to allow clear views for as many audience members as possible. The 'orchestra pit' as well, derives from the Greek theatres, as the word was derived from the name of the platform which was originally where the chorus would be that chanted and interacted with the actors on stage.


There were two main areas of performance. While the Greeks originally started the competitions to select the best Tragedies, the genre expanded to include Comedy. The original Tragedies were designed not just to have sad endings, but to teach moral lessons. They often showed the folly of arrogance by mortal man, especially when competing with the Gods. While Comedies did not have the same heavy handed feel, they also taught moral lessons, albeit in a not so depressing manner.



It would be hard to find another event that has transcended time and culture as much as the Greek Theatre has. While the profession of being an actor has sometimes waned in social status depending on the particular culture, more often than not actors were considered celebrities. In today's world most any person will have at some times in their lives entertained the thought of being an actor. While the form of 'Theatre' can be said to have evolved, as film, television, and other mediums have been invented, the basic premise of gathering to watch a form of story played out by actors is a fundamental aspect of the world population. All over the world there are cultures that have some form of performance art that can trace its roots to the Greek Theatre. Today, we still flock to see movies and plays. We still have festivals and ceremonies where the best of the genre's are awarded, and Tragedy and Comedy still rank amongst the most popular forms of theatre that exist today.


 
Informative Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_Ancient_Greece

http://www.crystalinks.com/greektheater.html


 

 

Greek Influence in Art

    Like many others, I had heard of some famous Greek works of art, especially sculptures. The Venus de Milo, The Discus Thrower, and Hermes, are all sculptures that I have seen either in movies or on television. While I understood that they were great works of art, I never took the time to appreciate the how and why.

    Greek art, particularly in regards to sculptures, actually has its roots in Egyptian art. The Greeks did not just start with their amazing sculptures, as in the Archaic period, they at first seemed intent on mimicking the Egyptian style of sculpture. This involved statues in very stiff poses, with little to no expression. In the images below the one on the left is from Egypt, while the one on the right is from Greece (New York Kouros). There are many similarities, down to the way both sculptures are making fists with their thumbs pointed outward. The form of the statues again is very stiff, and not any kind of natural pose.




    After Greece defeated the Persians and began its rise to a World Power, the education that the Greek's valued began to show in their artwork. Using advanced mathematics the Greeks were able to start to accurately portray human proportions on their statues. This began the Classical Age of Greek art. As new artists were able to build upon the geometry involved in getting the human proportions correct, they were then able to go even further and create natural poses, so that their sculptures then seemed to be moving and alive. This can be seen in the sculpture of The Dying Gaul. While you study the form you are drawn to the statues gaze, while it seems to both struggle to stand and examine the mortal wound it has suffered. You can see the strain being put on the arms as he attempts to lift himself up one last time, and the exhaustion that is on the nameless Gaul's face. The attention to detail can also be seen in the collar that the Gaul is wearing, as it is made to represent twisted gold wire that the Gaul's would wear into battle. While the overall posture is one of defeat, you can still sense the pride in the warrior, trying to stand up one last time and not quite ready to accept death as being imminent.

    In contrast the Venus De Milo, or Aphrodite, is a form of stunning beauty. While the arms have been missing, it is believed that she may have been holding a mirror in one hand and a shield in the other. The image even now projects near perfect beauty, and actually used to be the seal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

    We owe the Greek sculptures for making it possible to learn more about not only their triumphant moments, but also their everyday life, as many Greek sculptures attempted to capture 'snapshots' of normal life. This of course has influenced us in many ways, from the way new artists choose to express themselves, to even what we still consider to be ideal beauty.

    

Mummies

    Reading about the mummification process was very interesting. I'd known about some of the details, the removing of the brains, the bandage wrapping, etc. but I didn't realize that there were actually different tiers of mummification depending on your wealth/social status. Obviously the Pharaohs would receive the first class treatment of the careful removal of the organs, the coating of resin, and the painting of facial features.

Going down the social ladder you started getting less treatment, until, if you were a member of the lower class you pretty much got thrown in a tub of Natron, which was a naturally occurring chemical in Egypt, and allowed to 'dry out' for about 70 days, at which point your family would come to collect you for your burial. Reading more about the procedure at http://www.mummytombs.com/egypt/methods.htm showed that it actually took several centuries for the Egyptians to perfect the art of making a long-lasting Mummy. Some of the earliest mummies were nothing more than bodies wrapped in linen, then covered with plaster to give them shape. It wasn't until much later in the process that the extended time period, the moisture leaching, organ removal, and linen wrapping became almost an art form. Interestingly, it also appears that towards the end of the Egyptian dynasty, the quality of mummification also severely declined. Almost like there was an influx of 'mummy specialists' that gave little attention to the bodies, but instead focused on quanity.

    The idea of 'preservation' seems to still be prevalent in our society today. While most may have given up on the idea of keeping their current physical body for the next, or after, life, they still place great emphasis on preserving their bodies as long as possible. Instead of painting the face of their youth on a wooden mask, now we have all manner of cosmetic surgery available to try to retain a youthful appearance. While the richer or more powerful people have access to the more expensive procedures, even the poor among us do their best to keep up with a variety of products marketed to maintaining youth.

    This would seem to indicate that a form of culture that has continued on for thousands of years is that we as humans do not want to grow old, at least not past our physical primes. This is indicated by some of the most ancient of stories, where protagonists like Gilgamesh or even Adam and Eve were either in pursuit of eternal life, or once had it but then lost it due to divine retribution. While the morals of those stories seem to teach us that we should not spend our time chasing something that is impossible to have, but rather filling our time with fulfilling pursuits, that is a lesson that is not easily learned.

    A possible lesson we can learn from the ancient Pharaohs and the stories in this week's reading is that the old saying of "you can't take it with you when you go" is most certainly true. How we apply that to our lives is up to us as individuals, but it may help to but some of life's concerns in a better perspective.

Scars

Scars can define a person, tell you where you've been, what you've seen. They last a lifetime, always reminding you of where you've been, where you've come from.

She studied me with her innocent blue eyes, taking in my face as if looking at me for the first time. "Oh, what happened here?" She gently traces the scar that divides my left eyebrow into two distinct sections.

My eyes lose focus as I think back to that night. It comes upon me suddenly, something I hadn't thought or dreamed of for years. My fists slowly clench as the memory becomes more vivid, until I am reliving the moment again and again.

I was four or five years old, I vaguely recall that my parents had once again left me behind with relatives while they took a weekend trip somewhere. I know I was watching TV, but the exact program escapes me, that wasn't important. What comes rushing back is the sudden panic I felt, as I suddenly had to urinate with extreme urgency, the way only a little kid can. I rushed to the bathroom, ripping at my pants in a desperate attempt to avoid wetting them, after all I was grown up, not some baby to be wetting their pants! The urge to pee was becoming excruciating, which made me all the more clumsy trying to un-buckle some Popeye cartoon belt that was designed by some devil spawn for the sick purpose of making kids wet themselves.

Finally though I acheived victory with nary a drop staining my pants. While I was rescuing my pants from infamy however, my victory was short lived. While I did succeed in freeing myself from my pant prison, my trajectory was thrown off. Instead of a clear steady shot into the toilet, the propulsion sent a stream straight up, making a thousand tiny rainbows as the soft bathroom light reflected through each golden prism. While I stared in awe I did not notice the pool quickly forming around my socked feet. As I stepped forward in an effort to right the errant flow, the socks succeeded where my pants had failed, and I slipped, falling face foward and cracking my skull against the rim of the target toilet bowl.

I do not recall much after that, other than my Uncle yelling about piss everywhere, and my Aunt slapping a band-aid over my eye. I rememeber the painful peeling off of the band-aid later, as it seemed determined to remove every hair that formed my eyebrow. What the band-aid left behind was enough to show the bloodly split that now effectively gave me three eyebrows. It tooks months for my eyebrow to grow back and start to cover the scar, until finally I barely gave it a glance when I looked in the mirror.

She had brought that memory back however, and I was taken back to a different time, a different place.

"Did it hurt when it happened, does it still hurt?"

I put a finger to her lips in a shushing motion. "It doesn't matter anymore, some battles are best left in the past."