|| Rome Trip - January 2014 ||

A thousand apologies for the lack of posting, I’m very ashamed.

Nice wet morning in Rome

I know I always say this, but I have been incredibly busy – A Levels are not fun. And that is a fact. I’ve been very bogged down with coursework, homework and a week of work experience at the Wilts & Glos Standard (more to come on that later.) I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while, and have been putting it off for ages. I’m sorry.

Anyway…

At the end of January I was fortunate enough to go on a trip to Rome with my Classical Civilisation class. We stayed in the beautiful city of Rome for four nights, and just around four days and I have to say it was one of the most wonderful cities I have ever been to (it may even top Paris…)

Admittedly the weather was appalling. It rained the whole time we were there, with the exception of the sun making an appearance on our last day in the city – typical. The rain unfortunately caused a few problems to our schedule, for example we were not able to visit Ostia Antica because the rain had left some “puddles” which meant we couldn’t look around. It’s safe to say my lecturer was extremely irritated. However, we didn’t let the weather affect our spirits as we traipsed around the city of Rome with our troop of umbrellas and soaked shoes.

Initially we couldn’t get into the Forum, again because of puddles. The Romans must not be as well adjusted to the rain as we Brits are. However we did eventually get a chance to take a tour around the political centre for the Roman Empire and it was absolutely mind-boggling. 

Me and a bust.

It was absolutely fascinating to see where Cicero would have performed his speeches, where the Caesar was cremated, where the Vestal Virgins lived and prayed, and all the other bits of history that I got far too over-excited about. Along with the Forum, we also visited the Palatine Hill and the Colosseum, which were all valid for our knowledge on Roman History.

Amongst all the Roman historical sites, we all visited all the ‘typical tourist’ sites of Rome including; the Sistine Chapel, St Peter’s Basilica, the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. We also went to many other churches and fountains but unfortunately I can’t remember all their names. 

One of my favourite places was definitely the Vatican and the Vatican Museum. It was so unbelievably mesmerising and everything was so beautiful. The Vatican Museum in particular was astounding. There was so much to see and there was art and history everywhere; on the walls, floors and ceilings. I would be walking down a corridor and my eyes would be automatically drawn to a painting on the ceiling, and then to the main features on the walls, and then to some more art dotted around the whole area. Just incredible.

(L-R) Me, Zeus, Georgia

We were lucky enough to get a guided tour around Cinecitto Film Studios (kind of the Hollywood of Rome.) We went into the studio’s mini-museum which had props and costumes from various films filmed on the location, along with information about the films and a short documentary about the studio’s prime set designer Dante Ferretti. Cinecitto also happens to be the location where HBO’s series ‘Rome’ is filmed and the set is still currently up. This proved to be very interesting as it gave us an insight into what Rome would have looked like ‘back in the day.’

Other than all the touristy and historical sites, we also got the “real Italian experience” when we went out for pizza and pasta for every meal. I’m pretty sure I doubled my weight out there with the amount of pizza, pasta, ice cream and wine I had. It was so worth it though. 

|| Art Trip || London Tate Modern & Tate Britain ||

As part of my Fine Art course at college, we are lucky enough to go on plenty of trips to various galleries, many of which are in London. Last week a large group of the art students, ranging from the AS & A2 level students to the B-Tech Diploma students, embarked on a trip to two London Galleries: Tate Modern & Tate Britain.

Theres something so enticing about art galleries, particularly for me those of modern art. They really open up your eyes to so many types of art and helps you to explore new artists. Galleries are a cultural experience that stimulates the brain in a way that only art can: a creative yet intelligent way.

I thought I would post some of the pictures I took from the trip, just to show my readers what spectacular and wonderful art both these galleries contain.

Tate Modern

Jannis Kounellis || Untitled

Joseph Beuys || Monument to the Stag

Picasso || The Weeping Woman 

Hrair Sarkissian || Education Sqaures

Gerhard Richter || Cage (1) - (6)

Lorna Simon || Five Day Forecast

Miyako Ishiuchi || Yokosuka Story

Niki de Saint Phalle || Shooting Picture

Project Space: Inverted House

This particular project I found so completely inspiring and wonderful. The whole collection was absolutely wonderful. My own current project is Space & Place so I found this particular collection to be so motivating and stimulating.

Siniša Ilić || Untitled

Tina Gverović || Parastates


 ||MORE IMAGES BELOW||

|| Black || The Greatest Colour in Fashion & Art? ||

Yves Saint Laurent once said that “black is the liaison which connects art and fashion,” supporting Gianni Versace’s similar citation that “black is the quintessence of simplicity and elegance.”

The colour of black wasn’t really introduced into fashion until around the 14^th Century, in which the status of black within fashion and art began to change. The fine quality dyes began to be imported and exported and soon arrived on the market. Initially black was to be worn by governmental officials and magistrates, acting as a symbol of ‘importance’ and ‘seriousness.’

Black was the colour of power; of dignity; of humility and temperance with the rulers of the European world basking in the symbolism of black.

Gustave Doreé || The Inferno, Canto

In the 18^th century black began to retreat as a fashionable colour, and as Paris became the fashion capital of the world; the powerful men and women of the world began adorning shades of pastels, creams and colours – a sweet shops of colours.

Then came the Industrial Revolution and everything changed. The cities of Europe and a-like became stained black resulting in the art and literature of the time to reflect the landscape – think Charles Dickens and famous French artist Gustave Doré. 

Henri Matisse || Potrait of
Madame Matisse

Within the world of art, black was a controversial topic with some artists fully loathing the colour within their works, whereas others, such as Manet, incorporated the colour in their works to capture the lights and true emotion of the subject. In the 20^th century black became the colour of Fascism from counties such as Italy and Germany. However within art, black regained some the territory is had previously lost in around the 19^th century.

In 1945, Henri Matisse (personally one of my favourite artists) greatly expressed his love for the colour within his work, explaining the significance and importance of the colour: “when I didn’t know what colour to put down, I put down black … Black is a force: I use black as a ballast to simplify the construction … since the impressionists it seems to have made continuous progress, taking a more and more important part in colour orchestration, comparable to that of the double bass as a solo instrument.”

Coco Chanel's 'LBD'

In 1926 our beloved Coco Chanel famously said this: “A woman needs just three things; a black dress, a black sweater, and, on her arm, a man she loves.” Along with her famous LBD – Little Black Dress – she helped to revolutionize fashion, and of course the colour of black within fashion. Women’s fashion became sophisticated and simplified, symbolising freedom coinciding with chic. One of the most famous dresses inspired by this movement is of course the one worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, designed by Hubert de Givenchy.

In the 1950s, black became the symbol of individuality and intellectual and social rebellion, spanning from the leather jacketed greasers to the punk subculture of the late 20th century.

Designer Ann Demeulemeester said that black is of “the purest of colours … the most poetic, but at the same time strongest. It’s the colour of poets and writers and of rebels.”

Coco Chanel

Black within fashion is a recurrent feature, the only colour that stays no matter what. No matter the season. No matter occasion. No matter the style. Many speculate that black within fashion is greatly linked with the economy and in a sense I agree. Black has been, and still is, a symbol for various movements, subcultures and personal expression. Black became a way in which men and women could fully express themselves without giving in to the conformity pressed by society. It became is symbol of power, freedom, individuality and rebellion, and symbol that, without even knowing, would change the face of fashion and art continuously. Black is a colour that is in-definitively adaptable to our surroundings, social status, economical stance, and our political and moral movements.