Archive for June, 2008
The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is a Russian Orthodox church located in St. Petersburg in Russia. It is one of the main churches located in the city as well as one with the most striking features. The church may have quite a unique name. The name actually refers to the blood of Alexander II of Russia who was assassinated and mortally wounded on the same site on March 13, 1881.
History
The construction on the church began sometime in 1883. It was constructed by Alexander III as a memorial to his father. Work on the church took decades and was finally completed in 1907 under Nicolas II. The site where Alexander II was mortally wounded was enclosed inside the walls of the church. An elaborate shrine inside was constructed on the exact site decorated with topaz, lazurite and other precious stones.
Church Architecture
The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood was different from the other church architecture surrounding St. Petersburg. Most of the city’s architecture are predominantly influenced by Baroque and Neoclassical styles. The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood on the other hand was influenced greatly by medieval Russian architecture. The style of the Savior on Blood closely resembles the celebrated St. Basil’s Cathedral in terms of design and architecture.
The Church of the Savior on Blood is quite known for its mosaics. All in all, it contains over 7,500 square meters of mosaics, considered to be the most mosaics to contain in a church all over the world. The walls and ceilings inside the church are completely covered by intricate mosaics. The main pictures in the detailed mosaics were of popular biblical scenes and figures, with each picture intricately patterned with borders.
The said church was designed by some of the most noted artists in Russia, although its chief architect, Alfred Alexandrovich Parland, is a relative unknown. Some of the more noted artists who had a hand in the design of the church included Mikhail Nesterov, Mikhail Vrubel and Viktor Vasnetsov.
June 27th, 2008
Francisco Goya is a notable Spanish painter and printmaker. Goya has been regarded as the last in the line of the Old Masters and the first among the modern painters. In fact, Goya is considered by other artists as the Father of Modern Art, whose works became models for the works of other famous artists such as Manet and Picasso.
Early Years
Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes was born on March 30, 1746 in Fuendetodos, Spain. His parents were Jose Benito de Goya y Franque and Gracia de Lucientes y Salvador. Goya’s father worked as a gilder. Goya spent his early childhood in Fuendetodos and later in the city of Zaragoza where the family moved later on. Goya attended school at Escuelas Pias. At the age of 14, he began his apprenticeship with the painter Jose Lucian.
Development as Painter
Goya later on moved to Madrid where he studied art under Anton Raphael Mengs. Goya the student clashed most of the time with his master which resulted in his unsatisfactory marks under Mengs. Goya then tried to enter the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in the city but was denied.
Unable to enter the Royal Academy, Goya ventured to Rome. There, Goya was able to win the second prize in a painting competition held by the city of Parma in 1771. during the same year, he went back to Zaragoza where he eventually studied with Francisco Bayeu y Subias. It was during this time that Goya began to develop the use of delicate tones from which he later on became famous.
Success as Painter
Goya found success as a painter with his association with Francisco Bayeu, who is a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Art. Goya married Bayeu’s sister Josefa in 1774 and was able to get work from the Royal Tapestry Workshop. Here, Goya was able to design patterns that were used to decorate the residences of Spanish monarchs. This provided him with the means to catch the attention of the Spanish royal court. During the course of his new found success, Goya also was able to be appointed as a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Art.
Painter of Royalty
Goya’s access to the Spanish royal court led him to be appointed as a painter of royalty, especially by Charles III in 1786. He eventually became court painter in 1789 to Charles IV. Goya did paintings of the King and Queen the royal family as well as other nobles.
Later Life
In 1792, Goya contracted a high fever that left him deaf. This experience also made him more withdrawn and introspective. This may have influenced him to create more bleak and intensely haunting works of art. Goya later on relocated to Bordeaux in 1824. Goya later on died in Bordeaux in 1828 at the ripe old age of 82.
June 20th, 2008
Johanns Vermeer was a noted Dutch painter who specialized in the Dutch Baroque style. He was famous for his art works of domestic interior scenes depicting ordinary life. A painter with a relatively few artworks credited to him, he was for some time forgotten for nearly 200 year. It was an 1866 art critic who revived his reputation as an art master by publishing an essay that attributed 66 paintings to him. And through that, he was acknowledged as one of the greatest painters ever to come out of the Dutch Golden Age in art.Early Life
Little has been known of Johannes Vermeer’s life. It was believed that Vermeer was born in 1632 in the city of Delft in the Netherlands. His father, Reynier Jansz was a lower middle class silk worker. His mother, Digna Baltens was from Antwerp. Vermeer’s father later on bought and ran a large inn and sold paintings. When his father died in 1652, Vermeer took his father’s place in selling paintings.
Vermeer’s education in the arts has not been ascertained. But it was believed that he was apprenticed as a painter. He probably studied painting in Delft or possibly taught himself how to paint with guidance from his fathers connections with other painters as an art merchant. It was also known that Vermeer became a member of the Guild of Saint Luke, which was an association of painters. He later on became the head of the guild, according to guild records, hinting that he became an established craftsman respected by his peers.
Although respected as an artist in his hometown in Delft, Vermeer was a relative unknown outside of it. Painting only a handful of artworks, with much of it bought by a local art patron may have contributed to limiting his talents outside of the city. Vermeer also led a very short life, having died sometime in 1675, at the age of 43.
Art Technique
Vermeer’s painting technique was characterized by transparent colors produced by applying paint to the canvas in loose layers. He was also known as one of the first early painters who made use of the expensive pigment called lapiz lazuli. He used themes that are taken from mostly domestic scenes. Most of his works are largely portraits, with two known cityscapes attributed to his name. His subjects are mostly people from the 17th Century Dutch society, ranging from milkmaids going to work to rich noblemen in their homes.
June 12th, 2008
Green building is a fairly new practice in architecture and design that has become increasingly popular today. Green building is all about design and construction with the concern for the environment in mind. It is the practice of increasing the efficiency on how buildings use resources. In terms of design, architects and engineers try to design structures which can make use of energy and materials more efficiently as well as reduce the negative effects of these structures on human health as well as the environment.
Sustainable Architecture
Another term usually used in design and architecture is sustainable or green architecture. It is a general term that refers to the design techniques being employed and with how it will generally affect the environment being a high level of concern. Sustainable architecture aims to reduce or minimize the negative impact of buildings on the environment through the more efficient use of energy, materials as well as development space. There are many factors that are being considered when architects and designers aim to “go green” on their designs.
Sustainable Energy
One of the main aspects that goes in the design of the green building is how it will be a able to sustain energy efficiency during its life cycle. Architects try to find different ways in which to design a low-energy or zero-energy building. There are various ways in which this could be done. The very objective of these techniques is to try and reduce the energy needs of buildings and increase its ability to capture or generate the energy being used for the whole structure.
An important focus of designers in making up green buildings concerns the heating, cooling and ventilation needs of the building. In order to do this, architects try to design a well-insulated building. A well insulated building will require less heat generation during the colder months and less energy to cool it during the warmer months.
Alternative Energy Sources
One of the best means to design the green building is by making it able to generate or recycle energy. Buildings usually have waste products that designers usually try to make use of in order to create recycled energy. Not only are waste products reduced, it is being recycled as an energy source for buildings. Other designers try to include other energy saving devices such as solar panels and employing passive solar building design in order to make buildings more energy efficient
June 5th, 2008