ἕν οἶδα, ὅτι οὐδέν οἶδα
All I know is that I know nothing
Allegedly said by Socrates
So true, 30 years in Education, and I still feel like a kindergarten student, curious and inquisitive, questioning, interested, prying …
Pilastri Acritani and European 19th century Art
Spoils of War…Pilastri Acritani (piers from the 6th century Church of the Holy Martyr Polyeuktos in Constantinople) and the Tetrarchs (from Constantinople, c. 305, porphyry) on the South-West side of the Basilica of San Marco, in Venice https://venicewiki.org/wiki/Colonne_d%27Acri “In December 1826, the German ...
The Artist’s Psyche
Nikolaos Gyzis, 1842 – 1901The Artist’s Psyche, 1893, coloured drawing on paper, 31x23,5 cm, G. Maillis Collection The Artist’s Psyche… “What sort of draining challenge is an artist’s lifelong struggle to retain individuality and independence? …How badly do criticism and rejection hurt an artist’s morale? What exac ...
Teaching with Domenico Ghirlandaio
Domenico Ghirlandaio, 1449-1494An Old Man and his Grandson (detail), c. 1490, Tempera on wood, 62 x 46 cm, Musée du Louvre, Paris https://paintersonpaintings.com/clarity-haynes-on-domenico-ghirlandaio/ Domenico di Tommaso del Ghirlandajo, who, from his talent and from the greatness and the vast number of his ...
House of Venus in the Shell
Venus in the Shell (detail), 1st century AD, fresco, House of Venus in the Shell, Pompeii Archaeological Site, Pompeii, Italy, 2017 Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese http://pompeiiinpictures.com/pompeiiinpictures/R2/2%2003%2003%20part%2011.htm …Ah, goddess, when the spring / Makes clear its daytime, and a w ...
The Labours of the Months: January
By an unknown Venetian artist…The Labours of the Months: January, about 1580, oil on canvas, 13.6 x 10.6 cm, National Gallery, Londonhttps://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/italian-venetian-the-labours-of-the-months-january#painting-group-info Twelve months in a row, / Use them well and let them go ...
The Legendary Shield of Achilles
Philip Rundell (1746-1827) for Rundell, Bridge & RundellPhilipShield of Achilles, 1821-22, Silver-gilt, 90.5 x 90.5 x 18.0 cm (whole object), Royal Collection Trust https://www.rct.uk/collection/51266/shield-of-achilles “First of all he forged a shield that was huge and heavy, /&nb ...
Christmas-Time
Eastman Johnson, 1824–1906Christmas-Time, The Blodgett Family, 1864, oil on canvas, 76.2 x 63.5cm, the MET, NYhttps://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/11258 I heard the bells on Christmas Day / Their old, familiar carols play, / And wild and sweet / The words repeat ...
Church of the Holy Martyr Polyeuktos
The Church of the Holy Martyr Polyeuctus, built by Anicia Juliana in the 520s, on the northern branch of Constantinople’s Mese, between the Forum Tauri and the Church of the Holy Apostles, today in the Saraçhane area of Istanbul. Photo by Dick Osseman https://pbase.com/dosseman/polyeuktos “The empress Eudocia, in ...
Teaching with Domenico Veneziano
Domenico Veneziano, c. 1410-1461 Madonna and Child enthroned with St. Francis, John the Baptist, St. Zenobius and St. Lucy, c. 1445, tempera on panel, 209 x 216 cm, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence “(Domenico was) …a good and affectionate fellow, fond of singing and devoted to playing on the lute, he wo ...
Matisse and Jazz
Henri Matisse once said… “Jazz is rhythm and meaning.” My students love to explore Matisse's oeuvre and his Illustrated Book Jazz is a particular favourite. They like the brightly coloured pochoirs, his fluid lines and the energy every single illustration transmits. My new BLOG POST, Matisse and Jazz is inspired b ...
The Month of December
The Month of December, latest 1407, possibly by Maestro Venceslao, Fresco, Torre Aquila, Castello del Buonconsiglio in Trento, Italy Last, for December, houses on the plain, / Ground-floors to live in, logs heaped mountain-high, / And carpets stretched, and newest games to try, / ...
Lion Hunt Mosaic
Lion Hunt (detail), late 4th century, from the House of Dionysos, Pebble Mosaic, 4.90 x 3.20 m., Pella Archaeological Museum Is the Lion Hunt Mosaic at Pella inspired by Plutarch’s description that follows? “Accordingly, he exerted himself yet more strenuously in military and hunting expeditions, ...
Watercolours by Howard Carter
Under the protection of the gods, marked and dated "Howard Carter 1908 ", watercolour on paper, 62 x 46 cm, private collectionhttps://egyptophile.blogspot.com/2014/12/a-la-decouverte-des-tresors-de-carter.html “...Carter painted Under the Protection of the Gods (1908), a composite fantasy that depicts a vulture — ...
Dioscurides and Krithamo
Portrait of the allegorical figure Epinoia (thinking power) holding a Mandragoa in the middle, Dioscurides describing the plant to the right, and a painter creating the image of the plant to the left, Vienna Dioscurides, Folio 5v, about 515 AD, Byzantine Greek Illuminated Manuscript of De Materia Medica by Pedanius Di ...
Saint Mary of the Mongols
Byzantine church, known as Saint Mary of the Mongols in ConstantinopleNicholas V. Artamonoff Collection from 1930-1947Image Collections and Fieldwork Archives (ICFA) of Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection «The Byzantine church known as Saint Mary of the Mongols, or Theotokos ton Mougoulion, was onc ...
Teaching with Donatello
Donatello, 1386-1466David, c. 1430, Bronze, Height: 158 cm, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence “Speak, damn you, speak!” Donatello allegedly cried to his sculptures whenever he desired depth in their expression! Teaching with Donatello is a set of student activities and worksheets inspired by the great Ita ...