Study Abroad in London

How have I changed? and what it art to me now?

Chris — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 16:31:54 +0000

I have always felt as though I could persevere though almost anything. Being through summer camps I was aware of the interpersonal relationships that would develop, but never had I thought that they would affect me this much. We had all been tossed into a sea of unfamiliarity, but I think that drew several of us together. We leaned on each other for support, guidance, and laughter.
I gained self-respect for not allowing the nuisances to become a bother at really important outings. I realize that the moment is all we have, and if some people want to ruin any of those moments their place is not in my moment. That it’s almost worse, for me, to sit by and allow these people to ruin what precious few moments we do have time after time. So I stood up for the moment, and how great it is. Like any self-respecting artist would have, maybe I’ll be one eventually.
I lost the dismal world view I had obtained from constant barrage of terrorist threats from the television set. Living without a television has been bliss. I haven’t even missed it, not that I live for television back home. There are so many interesting museums, pubs, and landmarks, a lifetime wouldn’t be long enough to learn all the history, and visit all of the sites.
I gained a huge appreciation for art’s beginnings. This trip made the experience much more important than just knowing. Having done, seen with my own two eyes, touched in some cases, and spoken with in others is ineffable. I had on an intellectual level, full of knowledge about each one of the artist’s lives, and why they did what when. That changed with the visit to the Tate Modern. So many of those artist’s lives I’d studied. We know so much about them that it got in the way of the experience from the classroom. There’s no way to discuss one’s experience, it just happens.
I gained the knowledge that I can leave the country. I can allow other cultures to exist without wanting to change them, but wanting to understand them.
I lost the narrow view that it’s the artist’s life that is more important than the art. The experience of interacting with the work itself is the most significant characteristic, to spend time with the work. When it’s the art that comes first and the artist’s life reacts accordingly.
Art was a personal expression of the unspeakable. It was something that could be a vocabulary for the mind rather than the mouth. That hasn’t been dismissed over this month, but rather it’s broadened. Accepting all that has happened throughout history of what art is has made me realize that it’s always been undeniably truth of reverence. Weather it’s the relationship of viewer to artist, or religious story telling, or memories before the invention of the camera. The search of some consistent truth seems to be at the core of all artists. Trying to discover what makes our surroundings, what reality really is, what a moment, a line, or a thought brings life to the world. What makes humanity alive? I thought art was something to be understood, learned, disseminated, and discussed. I’ve realized that art is none of those things. It’s meant to be experienced. Like human beings experience a moment in time. It’s not a philosophy, it’s not a text book, it’s not a history, it’s not religion. It’s the combination of all these things, which can only hope to guide us to the experience.
The exhibits I’ve seen over this month are nothing less than experiences. Captivating me from the moment I stepped foot in the door. I was aware of the personality of each artist. Their strokes on the canvas, tool marks on the stone, or hammer indents in the metal all left an impression of their personality. The Raphael room at the V and A overwhelmed me. Was that the art? Is it the work that’s left over, or the impression that is made? Lasting through the years because of the impact of the life of the artist seems to be pretty universal. Weather it’s Frieda or Van Gogh or Pollock the artist’s life seems to be just as important as the art that’s created.
This confuses me more than ever. It’s more than paint on a canvas, capturing that smile, or moment when the waves crash into the rock. It is the conversation between the artist and viewer. It is the moment of reflection. It is a record of history. It is a discussion of philosophy. It is a record of religion. It is whatever we want it to be. Art holds no boundary, it creates. The beautiful works engage, create, wonder, and move through out time.

A retrospective

Chris — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 16:25:44 +0000

From the time I arrived in London, there’ve been feelings of excitement, joy, wonder, intrigue, and these have pushed me through everyday. Extremely aware of the change this trip was going to have over my life, I entered with open arms. Although I was told this wasn’t going to be a vacation, or a summer camp experience. I didn’t realize how much work I was going to put in for a month. I could’ve visited, on my own, for two weeks and had an experience that wouldn’t have been as grueling. However, I wouldn’t have visited just about every museum in London. I say these things not out of contempt, but precaution to anyone reading this with the interest of attempting their own London Summer Study. It will be hard work, it’s not always going to be fun, and you’ll have to stick it out if you want to accomplish anything. Nothing worth doing is ever easy.
The thought of accomplishment is what has kept me through everyday; knowing I’m taking in the culture when I’m least aware of it, I’m learning about myself, and this is changing my perspective of the world. There have been students on this trip that didn’t want to change; they wanted the world to change for them. Thinking of the French as rude, or the English as snobbish were just among the few complaints I heard. I’ll admit is took a second to get used to no one wanting to make eye contact on the tube, or when walking down the street, but anytime I found a ‘reason’ to make conversation, such as the grocery store, I was overwhelmed with polite, interesting people.
With class 3 days a week, going on field trips for all of them and doing personal field trips on the four days off a week was a bit brutal for me. I didn’t realize how hard I was pushing my body walking sixteen hours a day. Having seen the Tate Modern, National Gallery, Courtald, Kenwood House, the British Museum, Royal Academy of Arts, and my personal favorite, the Victoria and Albert Museum has been the highlight of my experience. Not just rushed through them, but took in the variety of master works, Cassett, Cezanne, Courbet, Dali, DaVinci, Michelangelo, Pissaro, Picasso, Pollock, Monet, Manet, Rubens, Rembrant, Raphael, Rodin, Renoir, Rothko, Seurat, and Van Gogh just to name a few of my friends that I got to spend some time ‘chatting with’ on this trip.
I do have only one complaint, other than the students who would complain about something everyday throughout most of the trip, and that was the food. Being fed the food here was torture. The environment, however, in which we were placed, is a safe one, just outside of downtown London in a pretty side of town. There are flowers in just about every house, on the sidewalks, and through all the yards. The busses travel to London every 8-10 min from here, and the tube is within walking distance, which puts all of London within walking distance, and the train/tube/bus comes from both Heathrow, and Gatwick the airports of London. It’s very convenient to live in this Hampstead just north of downtown London, and very expensive, the apartments are all one-million pounds for a 2 bed, 1 bath.
I wanted to thank a few people who made this trip really worth while. First off, my parents without whom this wouldn’t have been possible. Maggie, the director, who has been a part of CCSA since forever, was the greatest help in any situation and always a pleasure. My professor, Ken Shipley, did a great job dealing with the huge variety of people that would attend every ‘field trip’, and all of their attitudes. A man I respect for his strength in guidance, pursuit of wisdom, method in teaching, and humor in everyday. Sam with whom I discussed books, art, politics, and didn’t know before this trip but will never forget.
Katie from KY, laughter is a necessary part of living thank you for making it happen everyday. Wait for that guy your worth it. To Holly from MS, your constant smile, positive outlook, and wise advice I couldn’t have done without. Miklos and Peter from Hungary, I know you learned from me, and I learned just as much from you. I enjoyed your thoughts and insight into the world, thank you. I am looking forward to your visit.
I was unaware of just how large the organization is until the other day I asked how many schools are involved. From my class alone we have 7 schools recognized:
Amelia Armstrong, and Mary Courtney Black from Mississippi State,
Cheryl Bak, Victoria Case, and Christi Cotham from Belmont,
Kim Balvere, Ben Schnurer, and Tina Urbi from Austin Peay,
Kristen Swartz (Austin Peay Alumni)
Sarah Hunt from University of Kentucky,
Rachel Jordan from Eastern Kentucky University,
Jennifer Parker from MTSU,
Rachel Lewis from Bellarmine University,
Amanda Perrigo and Bethany Sherer from Western Oregan University.
The directors are just as spread out with Maggie Monteverde from Belmont, Sam Faulkner from Moorehead, Ron Cella and Celia Wall from Murray State.
I will miss you all whether big or small. Your in my life forever more, I wish you all the best and that we will meet again soon.

My Friends Michelangelo, Da Vinci, and Raphael

Chris — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 10:39:14 +0000

Today we went to Windsor Castle. Which is really a small town built to receive international diplomats. It has its own cathedral, castle, and houses for the peasants that served there and for the ones who currently serve the church. It was spectacular. The view from the northern ledge was almost exactly the other side of London from Primrose/Parliament Hill. The garden outside was beautiful. Unfortunately, the queen was on vacation, so we couldn’t say “hi”.
One of the major ‘tourist spots’ was the queen’s doll house, which was used to drum up tourism during the Great Depression. Inside this 1/12 scale house, there is running hot and cold water, the cars, when filled with gasoline, will run, the sinks were mother of pearl, the wine bottles in the cellar had labels which all information was contained on along with the wine, everything from the smallest detail was contained in this doll house. It was a great example of English craftsmanship.
After the Doll House room was the drawing room. Inside their private collection of the great masterworks included Raphael, Michelangelo, and Da Vinci. To see the anatomical correct aspect of Michelangelo’s bodies, the pure modeling of Da Vinci’s faces, and the intense personality of Raphael’s eyes. Each artist had their focus, and throughout this trip I’ve felt as though I’ve gotten to know each one, and a few more, just a little bit.

John the Native

Chris — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 10:23:41 +0000

Went to a contemporary gallery today which means none of the artists are dead. Also my professor, Ken Shipley, has a few pieces in one of the galleries here, so we saw those also. We saw a few of Ruthann Tudball’s work, one of Leach’s grandsons, and a few other artists. Afterward, I was going to go for a walk when I ran into Tina, from APSU, and Sara, from Louisville, KY. Neither had any specific plans, and I was going just to draw/sketch for a little while so we decided to travel to the Hampstead Heath, a very large park on our side of London with a hill which overlooks the city, Parliament Hill. Well, during the bus ride a rather old, poor, ratty looking man gets on the bus, and Sara begins to talk with him. After a moment he invites us to Primrose Hill, another gorgeous spot that also overlooks the entire city. Although I was a little hesitant I could tell that the man was very well educated, nice and I wanted to go to Primrose Hill before I left anyway. So we did. And we kept this eighty-something yr old man ‘John’ company for the rest of the evening, or should I say he kept us company. We talked about politics, philosophy, Marx, London’s history, ‘Black Adder’, Monty Python, and a variety of other extremely entertaining subjects. It was an evening of delight with a ‘Native’ of London.

The Science Museum

Chris — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 14:08:33 +0000

Yesterday I went to the Science Museum, just to play with science. The major exhibits were all based around utilizing renewable resources, such as solar, wind, and water. Recycling was another major subject. Although based around a younger audience I enjoyed pulling the levers, flipping the switches, and typing in my answers on how to save the world from pollution, hunger, and inequality. All around Kristen and I were nothing but kids, and I mean small little 7-15 yr olds. I felt as if all the parents were giving me the evil eye, but I still had a blast. One exhibit took four people to pump enough water into a reserve that, once filled, spilled over a crank that powered a television and camera that clicked on displaying the ‘hard workers’ on the television. There was one whole floor dedicated to plastics, and hanging from the ceiling were hundreds of red strips of plastic that we had to walk through, it was quite an experience. None of the exhibits were visible until one had passed through the plastic barriers, which, if I was claustrophobic would’ve been very uncomfortable. It was a well deserved break from the constant ‘adult orientated’ museums of history passed; although I’m looking forward to another wonderful afternoon at the Tate Modern.

Da Vinci

Chris — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 13:37:45 +0000

You all know the name, the skill, and the beautiful quality of even his unfinished, “The Virgin and Child with St Anne and John the Baptist.” Well, go ahead and be jealous, because I got to spend time with it/him on a one to one basis. We talked, laughed, cried, it was a beautiful experience. Seriously, I’ve always wanted to see that work up-close and personal, because no pic I’ve seen does it justice. His unparalleled modeling of faces and gesture like quality of the clothes gives this work a life I was taken aback by. After leaving the National Gallery, which also had Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Leonardo, Picasso, Monet, Manet, Pissarro, Constable, Rubens, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Seurat, just to name a few. Go ahead, you may now be jealous.
After leaving the National Gallery we went to visit Freda, a graphic designer with her roots (and part of her business) in El Salvador invited the graphic designer’s, and me, to her house for a Q & A. As we boarded the train to Norbury I was able to reminisce, and remember all the history that was painting for painting, year for year in that gallery. The apartments along the way are all squeezed together, some two stories, some three, some four and all were made of brick. There is a feeling of permanence here that we don’t have back home. All the buildings are 300-400 years old or more, and all of them are made to last either 300-400 years more. It’s incredible sense of stability, consistency, and immobility.

The london ‘rags’

Chris — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 13:22:59 +0000

One of the ‘linen-men’ I’ve met who is also a student at King’s college, name is Miclosh, (you can call him Mikey, but he’s not Irish) is a Hungarian with a great attitude on life. We’ve had many socio-politico-philosophical discussion. He’s made me aware of how the ‘rest of the world’ is aware of our entertainment/media. For instance the Simpson’s is just as large here as it is in the states. Scrubs, South-park, Family Guy, all seem to be imported to their televisions. Music seems to be another cross cultural media. We went to eat at a place called La Broche and heard “A bridge over troubled water” “American Pie” and selections from Elvis, Rage against the Machine, of course it’s very eclectic, but made me feel at home for a moment.
I’ve also become aware of two papers that are handed out in London for free. The Londonpaper, and the Lite are their titles. Both papers were full of information on the latest celeb’s up and downs, who got drunk where, who’s dating who, and the hottest clothing styles. They are free tabloids and 90% of the tube-ians (or tube riders) have got one after 4 o’clock when they hand out the days issue at the entrance to the stations. They both contain just enough prominent news information to be considered newspapers and not tabloids. Not much different from home tabloids, except their free.

St. Paul’s (the 2nd)

Chris — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 13:16:54 +0000

After sitting in one of the wings last Sunday, this time we got to St Paul’s a half-hour early to sit a little more near the center. It was right in front of the ‘podium’ where the service was given. She gave a very modern interpretation of Mary Magdalene, of Mary from Magdalena. After revisiting the Tate, I was able to bask in the glory that is surrealism/minimalism/modern art. It was another rainy day, much like the rest of the week. The flood did damage much of England, just outside of London, to the west, some of the tube and a few trains were even shut down.
I have a feeling, now we are in the midst of the final weeks, and over the ‘hump’ of this course that most of the student that have come are no longer in the ‘excitement’ phase and are starting to realize they aren’t at home anymore. I’ll admit I’m homesick, but I’m also aware that America will be there in two weeks. “I just want to go home” seems to be a daily mantra for over half the students, I seem to hear it at least 3-4 times a day.

Dali

Chris — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 10:19:54 +0000

I’ve spent the last two days I’ve spent the bulk of the afternoon at the Tate modern. Sunday I was in the Dali exhibit. It was surreal. The whole exhibition was fore boding, which proably was Dali’s intention. Untill the last room, every painting/other room had a overwhelming lonley quality. After dealing with all of the serious, intense qualities of each Dali, one of his friends, a photojournalist, took quite a few candid pictures of him. These were a good diversion for a show that was intense. We met with Andrea’s sister for the show, and had a great discussion with her about it. It was quite a show. I spent two hours just wandering around the show looking at first hand the orginal paintings i had seen reproductions of for years. The detail of each one was unbelievable. Each time I got a little closer to each one there seemingly was a detail or reward for it. From further away the paintings opened up into the large picture, or message. Upon closer inspection each painting had something in the background just for those that wanted to ‘get close’ to Dali.

Rain, in London?

Chris — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 10:05:06 +0000

After that train ride, of which I couldn’t sleep on, I went to sleep just about all day yesterday. I woke up long enough to pick up some lunch at Sainsbury’s, the local grocery, and it rained on me the whole way there and back. Then it stopped. So I went back to bed. Today however I went up to Parliament hill. I noticed that I’m down to one of the last two bus passes. The view from Parliament overlooks the city. The WHOLE CITY!!! It was awe inspiring, I could see the London Eye, St. Paul’s cathedral, all of the down town skyline, all the way back to the hills behind London. It was very nice to see everyone walking their dogs, usually terriers, children flying kites, and young couples just sitting on the bench taking in the view, wasting the day away. I did a couple of sketches while there to try and keep my ‘eye’. I think since it’s the weekend I’m going to rest up for this weeks events today, may go to Victoria and Albert museum tomorrow, or the Tate Modern for a change. Until then…