Carolingian Period, HERE WE COME!

Our next art history adventure is in the Carolingian period.  We will begin Thursday, May 24^th. 

       Europe around 800 (public domain map), Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

As mentioned in the St. Patrick post, the rulers of Rome were in charge of Roman state religions at this time.  Rome was still in its glory days and adding territories to their empire like crazy to rule over.  It was the Emperor Constantine who was in charge of this acceptance of Christianity as a state religion; however there is debate as to whether he was an actual “believer.” I don’t wish to get into a debate; it’s simply background to the Carolingian Period. Constantine was also responsible for the construction of the first church of the Holy Sepulcher at Jerusalem and Saint Peter’s in Rome (before it was known as Vatican City).  It seems like he was also responsible for a lot of dissidence in my opinion.  This is another study subject of its own!

       The Coronation of Charlemagne by Rafael, 1516-1517, Fresco,  Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

On Christmas day of 800 AD, Pope Leo III crowned Charles the Great, also known as Charlemagne, the emperor of Rome. This took place at Saint Peter’s Vatican Basilica. Charlemagne became the first Holy (Christian) Roman Emperor.  As a side note, this crowning wasn’t necessarily accepted by other empires at this time. Charlemagne’s Latin name was Carolus Magnus from which “Carolingian” is derived.  This period of time is historically remarkable because of the art, culture and political ideals that emerged.  Now you know, when you hear Charles the Great, Charlemagne, or Carolus Magnus (aka Carolingian), they are referring to the same person/point in time.

Equestrian statue of Charlemagne, by Agostino Cornacchini (1725) — St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican   Photo: Myrabella / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0 & GFDL

Mary B.

Saint Patrick Left a Puzzle

It’s Thursday and TAG-5 didn’t meet today; this is a rarity in 3 years.  So I thought I’d go back to the middle of March and share one of the research items I brought to a meeting.  It’s a little long, but I promise it will get you thinking about the puzzle! 

            T ʹwas the day of St. Patrick and all through the house 

The smell of corned beef and cabbage was wafting about 

When all of a sudden to my mind came some chatter 

Thursday Art Group research should be on my platter 

I ran to my computer and was on a new mission  

“Who was St. Patrick” I typed in the question 

Then suddenly a phrase to my eyes did appear 

It shocked my whole being as I sat in the chair 

And read: St. Patrick wasn’t Irish―What??? 

What was I reading, what was this, faux pas???

It was like hearing ‘there’s no Santa Clause.’

Okay, I could have tweaked this forever, but one gets the idea―it was a fact I didn’t know! 

Puzzle Piece 1:

Image: Saint Patrick stained glass window from Cathedral of Christ the Light,
Oakland, CA.(Creative Comons: Att-NC-SA) 

As TAG-5 quickly discovered 3 years ago, there’s not a lot of separation between history and art history; they intertwine. This seems especially true of ancient history.  That said some background to the St. Patrick puzzle needs context.  It was the state of ancient Rome (Roman Empire), not its inhabitants, in charge of the state religion.  There wasn’t just one.  It wasn’t until c. 312 A.D. that Christianity was tolerated (accepted?) by the state of Rome. As Romans traveled, settled and conquered new territories, Christianity spread to larger parts of Europe.

According to The St. Patrick Centre  “After the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312 Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and this religion became the Official Roman Religion. In AD 391 the Roman Emperor Theodosius closed all temples in the Empire and banned all pagan cults endorsing Christianity as the official religion of the empire. This command would have eventually been acted upon in Britain - one of the remotest parts of the empire although Roman for over three centuries at that time.”

The first story is from Dr. Tim Campbell, Director of  The St. Patrick Centre in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland who kindly gave me permission to reprint it.  It is a synopsis of St. Patrick’s life.

“Saint Patrick was born in a place called Bannavem Taberniae.  We don’t know exactly where that is.  Many people think he was Irish, but that’s not true.

            He was actually born in Britain.  He was a son and a grandson of clerics, but when he was a teenager, he was a wayward minister’s son.  And, he decided he wasn’t interested in his father’s faith.  He lived in a big estate and was abducted when he was 16 and brought to Ireland to a place called Slemish Mountain.

            Saint Patrick was a shepherd slave for six years on Slemish Mountain.  He began to hear voices in his head, which he supposed were God’s voice talking to him, and that gave him the strength after six years to run away from his master, probably to the southwestern part of Ireland, and jump onto a ship.

            Eventually he goes home to be with his people again, and he becomes a cleric because of his experience, and eventually a bishop.

            One night in his sleep the angel Victoricus comes.  I call him “Victor the Mailman” because he came with this great big bag of mail, one of which was addressed to Patrick, and it said, “Vox Hibernicus, the voice of the Irish.”

            More or less, “Dear Patrick, please come back and save us”, which he decides to do.”

Image: Slemish seen from Buckna (Northern Ireland). Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license

Puzzle Piece 2:

My “prepared mind” now comes into play.  A few days ago, I came across this article and this tag line caught my eye:

“The traditional story that Patrick was kidnapped from Britain, forced to work as a slave, but managed to escape and reclaim his status, is likely to be fiction."

---

—Dr Roy Flechner

Image: Celtic cross Credit: Andrea Raia from Flickr (Creative Comons: Att-NC-SA)

The classic account of St Patrick’s life tells us that he was abducted from Western Britain in his teens and forced into slavery in Ireland for six years before escaping, during which time his faith developed. However, a new article looking at Patrick’s own writings in their historical context argues that the saint may have in fact fled to Ireland deliberately to avoid becoming a ‘Decurion’ – a Roman official responsible for tax collection.

 “In the troubled era in which Patrick lived, which saw the demise and eventual collapse of Roman government in Britain in 410, discharging the obligations of a Decurion, especially tax-collecting, would not only have been difficult but also very risky,” says Dr Roy Flechner of the University of Cambridge.  Flechner’s article, “Patrick’s Reasons for Leaving Britain”, appears in Tome: Studies in Medieval Celtic History and Law in Honour of Thomas Charles-Edwards, edited by Fiona Edmonds and Paul Russell (Boydell, 2011)

The position of Decurion was hereditary, and by the time of St Patrick it was a far from desirable administrative post to hold in this part of the Roman Empire. As well as tax-collecting (for which any shortfall came from the Decurion’s own pocket), there was road maintenance and the recruitment of soldiers to contend with.  Patrick’s own father Calpornius exploited a bail-out clause in Roman law that allowed him to leave his post as a Decurion by joining the clergy – on the proviso that the role got passed to his son Patrick.

The heir of a Decurion would instantly qualify for the role, as they possessed by default the necessary wealth. According to Flechner, once Patrick was faced with the obligation to become a Decurion following the void left by his father, he chose to emigrate overseas. Ireland would have been a natural choice, given its proximity and links with western Britain.  Patrick would have had to find a way of retaining at least some of the family estate, in order to initially fund his way in Ireland. In the late-antique British Isles this normally came in the form of land.

Ireland did not have a monetary economy at this early stage, so exchanging land for money would have been pointless. Slaves, however, were a highly valued commodity and Patrick mentions that his family owned several, as did all aristocratic families in Britain at this time.  Slaves were also relatively easy to transport, and in the historical context it makes sense that Patrick would have converted his family wealth to slaves. So was St Patrick, the freed Christian slave of legend, actually a slave owner and trader?

“It may seem strange that a Christian cleric of Patrick’s stature would own slaves, but in late antiquity and the early middle ages the church was a major slave owner – early medieval Irish legal texts regulate the church’s ownership of slaves,” says Flechner.  “The only objections to slavery in this period were cases in which Christian slaves were owned by non-Christian masters. Patrick is known to have attempted to free enslaved captives, but only those that were Christians he had converted himself.”  “The traditional story that Patrick was kidnapped from Britain, forced to work as a slave, but managed to escape and reclaim his status, is likely to be fiction: the only way out of slavery in this period was to be redeemed, and Patrick was never redeemed. The traditional legend was instigated by Patrick himself in the letters he wrote, because this is how he wanted to be remembered.”

Dr Flechner, who is a Research Fellow at the university’s Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic, adds, “Escaped slaves had no legal status and could be killed or recaptured by anyone. The probability that Patrick managed to cross from his alleged place of captivity in western Ireland back to Britain undetected, at a time when transportation was extremely complicated, is highly unlikely.”

“None of this is to say that Patrick was not a bishop or that he did not engage in missionary activity, but his primary motives for moving to Ireland were most likely to escape the poisoned chalice of his inherited position in Roman Britain.”
Source: University of Cambridge http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/  

Following are a couple of comments posted after this article which brings up a whole new subject, but also adds insight to the time.

“Patrick could have had slaves; slavery was universal at that time. It was not based on racial aspects but "you lost the war, you now row the galley." Read the Bible; see how much Mathew (Levi) was hated by his fellow Jews including Simon Peter for being a tax collector for the Romans. And in Patricks time the decaying Roman empire (hint; think USA) was not what you wanted to work for.”

“A little too light a gloss on slavery: most slaves were raided, just like in Africa. Ireland became an entrepot for slavery until after AD 1000 - from all over Europe, not just the West Britain. The "racial" aspect you refer to wasn't the motive for later slavery. It started more because the cheapest supply of slaves happened to have a different skin color and that evolved onto a quasi-moral justification. Before that slave supply also typically came from abroad but in Northern Europe happened to be white. There was nothing nicer about slavery in Patrick's day.”

Okay, there you have it; two parts to the puzzle. Which way would you put it together? 

There’s lots of information in this post to do additional research.  I was very impressed with the information on The St. Patrick Centre website―definitely worth exploring all the tabs on this site.  Also, Burt Wolf has has great info on St. Patrick.  This link is to the actual script from his television show, and there's more at his website.

What does this have to do with art history?  The popes and their emissaries realized early on that if they incorporated the symbols of any Pagan religion into that of the Christian religion they would have more converts, therefore more control.  Control over reigning rulers of the Roman Empires conquests.  In Ireland, for example, one will see ancient Celtic art (knots, symbols, circles, etc.) on familiar items such as crucifixes, also in the Illuminated Manuscripts.  Happy researching!

Mary B.

Image: The Book of Kells, (folio 292r), circa 800, showing the lavishly decorated text that opens the Gospel of John. Creative Commons



Book of Kells, Folio 32v, Christ Enthroned. Source:Scanned from Treasures of Irish Art, 1500 B.C. to 1500 a.D. : From the Collections of the National Museum of Ireland, Royal Irish Academy, & Trinity College, Dublin,Metropolitan Museum of Art & Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1977, ISBN 0394428072 . Creative Commons

CHANCE FAVORS THE PREPARED MIND

This has turned out to be one of my favorite sayings.  One may ask: to whom is it attributed? The first time I saw this phrase it was attributed to Ansel Adams; since then, I’ve seen other names such as Louis Pasteur.  What does it mean?  Here is my experience:  While working on my BFA degree, I used a dragonfly as a motif.  I’ve always been fascinated by them. I occasionally saw them in my  yard. Some time ago while vacationing in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and staying in a cabin on stilts, I pointed out a humongous dragonfly hovering at cabin level.  Out of the blue, a bird suddenly flew by and snatched it in one fell swoop.  We all stood motionless, in disbelief of what had been witnessed.

Copyright of the author of this blog post

Back to school.  Using a dragonfly motif required me to study them with more awareness―the once dreaded research.  What I learned about dragonflies was quite fascinating.  Since then, I see dragonflies in one form or another everywhere!  I wondered why I hadn’t noticed before. Was it always a popular motif?  Then it occurred to me that my mind had been prepared from my research to observe differently.  When I graduated from college, my dear friend Mary L. presented me with bookends that say “Chance favors the prepared mind.”  They are a cherished possession.  As an artist, not a scientist, I understand Ansel Adams and his photography more now. He knew what to look for and when because he studied his landscapes.

What has happened while studying art history the past three years is that our minds have been prepared to notice things related to what we previously studied.  All due to our new favorite word: research!  Yesterday, not only did Mary L. share the information she discovered about The Staffordshire Hoard, but shared another National Geographic article from the June 2011 issue titled “The Birth of Religion” by Charles C. Mann.  It seems the question “Who am I?” and “Where did I come from?” was not lost on these Neolithic ancestors.  Mann says:

”Most of the world's great religious centers, past and present, have been destinations for pilgrimages—think of the Vatican, Mecca, Jerusalem, Bodh Gaya (where Buddha was enlightened), or Cahokia (the enormous Native American complex near St. Louis). They are monuments for spiritual travelers, who often came great distances, to gawk at and be stirred by. Göbekli Tepe may be the first of all of them, the beginning of a pattern. What it suggests, at least to the archaeologists working there, is that the human sense of the sacred—and the human love of a good spectacle—may have given rise to civilization itself.”

Image: Göbekli Tepe, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

While studying the Neolithic period 3 years ago, we touched on the subject of the Göbekli Tepe (pron. Guh-behk-lee The-peh) located in Southern Turkey. It gave us a glimpse into the period of time (11,600 years ago) when civilization was beginning to unfold:  People working together instead of independently. It was a lifestyle evolving. Göbekli Tepe may be the most significant site as it was originally built of cleanly carved limestone, the tallest are 18 feet high and weigh approximately 16 tons. (Yikes!) It took a lot of human brainpower to construct this detailed architectural and engineered structure. Keeping in mind that this is not the only Neolithic site but one of many, Mann says:

 “Discovering that Hunter-gatherers had constructed Göbekli Tepe was like finding that someone had built a 747 in a basement with an X-Acto knife.”

Image: Göbekli Tepe, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Image: Göbekli Tepe, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Kaus Schmidt, a German archaeologist, has been working and studying the surrounding areas at Göbekli Tepe for almost 15 years. To add additional context, he was also part of a group working at Şanlıurfa (pronounced shan-LYOOR-fa) “the place where the Prophet Abraham supposedly was born” which is about 9 miles from Göbekli Tepe. Schmidt says:

"Twenty years ago everyone believed civilization was driven by ecological forces," Schmidt says. "I think what we are learning is that civilization is a product of the human mind."

Image: Göbekli Tepe, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

During Mary L.’s sharing, our thoughts went back to ‘The Birth of TAG-5’ and the Neolithic period we previously studied/researched in-depth.  Chance favored her prepared mind and we were the recipients!  The subject wasn’t cold.  We understood the where, what and how’s of the caves, hunter gatherers; the Fertile Crescent; the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; the beginning of farming, etc., and their art. It was fun to understand what Charles C. Mann was talking about in his article. It filled in some of our ‘blanks.’  If one of us had a question, another would have an answer.  It was a great discussion!  I hope you will read the entire article for yourself.  Oh, and thank you Mary L.

The link to the article is:  http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/gobekli-tepe/mann-text  Make sure to view the two minute video showing progression of an architectural scale model of the site.  As usual, the actual magazine article has incredible images.

Mary B.

Early Medieval Current Events

Does this perhaps sound like an oxymoron? Just when TAG5 (The Thursday Art Group of 5) thought we were just about finished with this period, Mary L. found some interesting information while perusing the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC section at her library branch.  The cover of the November, 2011 issue labeled “England’s Medieval Mystery” caught her eye.   Inside was the article titled “Magical Mystery Treasure, Buried in the English countryside.  Anglo-Saxon in origin.  Who hid it and why?” written by Caroline Alexander. 
  

“One day, or perhaps one night, in the late seventh century an unknown party traveled along an old Roman road that cut across an uninhabited heath fringed by forest in the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia.  Possibly they were soldiers, or then again maybe thieves―the remote area would remain notorious for highwaymen for centuries―but at any rate they were not casual travelers.  Stepping off the road near the rise of a small ridge, they dug a pit and buried a stash of treasure in the ground.

For 1,300 years, the treasure lay undisturbed, and eventually the landscape evolved from forest clearing to grazing to working field."

Saxonengland, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Then, in 2009, along came Terry Herbert with his metal detector looking for a lost wrench.  What he found was 3,500 pieces of GOLD, silver and garnet objects buried from 1,300 years earlier (ca 650-700 A.D.) worth over $5,000,000 (count those zero’s) for half the found items.  It was designated “The Staffordshire Hoard” and described as military in fashion as there was no women’s ornamentation in the lot. Combat was their way of doing business―or plunder and hoard as it is so aptly named.  When coming of age, a boy was given a shield and spear; the spear used for hunting food or for defense.  It was a very bloody time to live―not quite as “romantic” as has been portrayed in novels. 

Speaking of GOLD, seemingly it has always been thought of as precious; used in the art of metallurgy as magic and for magical functions; is engrained in myths; collected for wealth; used for talismans and holy relics to name a few.

Staffordshire treasure; Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons 

What does this all have to do with art history?  It’s the intricate carvings (some of which are just 1.6” high), inscriptions, bas relief, cloisonné and other adornments on these gold pieces that give a glimpse of the era’s art. Celtic knots, inlays of precious stones are all visual displays of their art. Visual art was their way of communicating as not everyone could read the written word. But symbolism/imagery, that was universal. 

An exercise the TAG5 uses is: While reading if a word, term or geographic name that isn’t totally understandable or familiar just simply GOOGLE it and see what the thread leads to.  (Example: Anglo-Saxons - who exactly were they?)

To read and find more information, type ‘England’s Medieval Mystery’ into NG’s search box at:  http://www.nationalgeographic.com  However, the best way is to find the actual National Geographic November 2011 issue because the detailed images are spectacular (they are not all on the website).  Also included are a maps and an historical timeline.

The good news: The bottom line is there will always something new to find out about things found.  The bad news: I'm afraid the only relecs our ancestors will find are plastic bottles and disposible diapers 1,300 years from now!

Mary B.

Early Medieval Music

Being the ever-so-curious person that I am, while reading The Mists of Avalon I began to think about Early Medieval music, so I went to the web to see what I could find.  Loreena McKennitt is who I found.  In her autobiography, she says:

“I became smitten with what is now referred to as Celtic music in the late 1970s, but it was only when I started to connect with its history that my journey really began. At an exhibition of Celtic artifacts in Venice in 1991, I learned about the geographic and historic spread of the Celts. I found myself drawn into a rich, ancient tapestry of sounds and rhythms and stories. I discovered myths and traditions that resemble one another from far corners of the globe, people who share traits and yet are instinctive.” 
(find more of Loreena's information at  http://www.quinlanroad.com/homepage/index.asp)

The Lady of Shalott was a young woman who fell in love with Sir Lancelot, King Arthur’s best friend.  Alfred Lloyd Tennyson wrote about her and Loreena McKennitt sings it beautifully. Is it authentic music?  No, but it is a connection from the past to the present and  she sings it like a bard. The YouTube video author said that when the video was uploaded she was only permitted 10 minutes at that point in time, so some of the end may be missing. :-( 

Mary B.

The Lady of Shalott

By Alfred Lloyd Tennyson

On either side of the river lie
Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothe the world and meet the sky;
And thro' the field the road run by
To many-towered Camelot;
And up and down the people go,
Gazing where the lilies blow
Round an island there below,
The island of Shalott.

Willows whiten, aspens quiver,
Little breezes dusk and shiver
Thro' the wave that runs for ever
By the island in the river
Flowing down to Camelot.
Four grey walls, and four grey towers,
Overlook a space of flowers,
And the silent isle imbowers
The Lady of Shalott.

Only reapers, reaping early,
In among the bearded barley
Hear a song that echoes cheerly
From the river winding clearly
Down to tower'd Camelot;
And by the moon the reaper weary,
Piling sheaves in uplands airy,
Listening, whispers "'tis the fairy
The Lady of Shalott."

There she weaves by night and day
A magic web with colours gay,
She has heard a whisper say,
A curse is on her if she stay
To look down to Camelot.
She knows not what the curse may be,
And so she weaveth steadily,
And little other care hath she,
The Lady of Shalott.

And moving through a mirror clear
That hangs before her all the year,
Shadows of the world appear.
There she sees the highway near
Winding down to Camelot;
And sometimes thro' the mirror blue
The Knights come riding two and two.
She hath no loyal Knight and true,
The Lady Of Shalott.

But in her web she still delights
To weave the mirror's magic sights,
For often thro' the silent nights
A funeral, with plumes and lights
And music, went to Camelot;
Or when the Moon was overhead,
Came two young lovers lately wed.
"I am half sick of shadows," said
The Lady Of Shalott.

A bow-shot from her bower-eaves,
He rode between the barley sheaves,
The sun came dazzling thro' the leaves,
And flamed upon the brazen greaves
Of bold Sir Lancelot.
A red-cross knight for ever kneel'd
To a lady in his shield,
That sparkled on the yellow field,
Beside remote Shalott.

His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd;
On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode;
From underneath his helmet flow'd
His coal-black curls as on he rode,
As he rode back to Camelot.
From the bank and from the river
he flashed into the crystal mirror,
"Tirra Lirra," by the river
Sang Sir Lancelot.

She left the web, she left the loom,
She made three paces taro' the room,
She saw the water-lily bloom,
She saw the helmet and the plume,
She looked down to Camelot.
Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror cracked from side to side;
"The curse is come upon me," cried
The Lady of Shalott.

In the stormy east-wind straining,
The pale yellow woods were waning,
The broad stream in his banks complaining.
Heavily the low sky raining
Over towered Camelot;
Down she came and found a boat
Beneath a willow left afloat,
And round about the prow she wrote
The Lady of Shalott

And down the river's dim expanse
Like some bold seer in a trance,
Seeing all his own mischance -
With a glassy countenance
Did she look to Camelot.
And at the closing of the day
She loosed the chain and down she lay;
The broad stream bore her far away,
The Lady of Shalott.

Heard a carol, mournful, holy,
Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,
Till her blood was frozen slowly,
And her eyes were darkened wholly,
Turn'd to towered Camelot.
For ere she reach'd upon the tide
The first house by the water-side,
Singing in her song she died,
The Lady of Shalott.

Under tower and balcony,
By garden-wall and gallery,
A gleaming shape she floated by,
Dead-pale between the houses high,
Silent into Camelot.
Out upon the wharfs they came,
Knight and Burgher, Lord and Dame,
And round the prow they read her name,
The Lady of Shalott.

Who is this? And what is here?
And in the lighted palace near
Died the sound of royal cheer;
And they crossed themselves for fear,
All the Knights at Camelot;
But Lancelot mused a little space
He said, "She has a lovely face;
God in his mercy lend her grace,
The Lady of Shalott."



We're still in the Early Medieval Period

It’s Thursday.  We have been studying the Early Medieval Period since about the beginning of March and are still finding myriad books to read/review with each other. The beauty is we all seem to find different information to present to the group.  Where do we find them?  At the public library, book stores, discount book stores, second-hand stores, personal collections, and on line; wherever one finds books. We bring the books on our Thursday meeting days to share and this is today's share:

An Introduction to Celtic Mythology by David Bellingham.  This book not only tells folk tales, but has images of artwork of the period.

The Book of Kells by Charles Gidley.  It’s a book showing actual images of each page of this magnificent manuscript.  One of the most renowned pages is of the Chi-ro-iota.  It is like a chapter introduction to the text that follows.  Actually, The Book of Kells is a translation of the four Gospels in the Bible’s New Testament written in old English.  I saw this book when in Dublin, Ireland, over 25 years ago and I didn't know what I was seeing, just that it was beautiful and fascinating.  Now I know!

Early Medieval Art by Ernst Ketzinger, Revised Edition.  There are great images and explanations of this period’s art.

Celtic, Viking & Anglo-Saxon Embroidery by Jan Messent.  In this book, she “. . . combines contemporary interpretations of ancient art and embroideries with historical narrative.”

Our “group read” is progressing.  Currently it is The Mists of Avalon a novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley. She relates Arthurian legends from the perspective of the female characters.  It’s nice to get a different point of view from the King Arthur legend. Reading fiction or historical fiction is a great way to get perspective on culture and historical context in a particular period of time.  I feel like I can almost “walk-in-their-shoes” for a time by taking advantage of the author’s research.  One way to do this would be to Google a word or place you find in a book that is unfamiliar or curious and see where it takes you.  I’ll reveal a few of my revelations in future posts.

Mary B.

Welcome to our blog!

We are a group of five women that meet every Thursday morning at a cozy coffee shop to study art history.  We began meeting weekly about 3 years ago with the stipulation that our class be serious, flexible, and broad enough to include literature, architecture, music and anything that was considered "art" not just fine art.  We will do our best to recapture our timeline of the last three years, then move forward from our current studies. 

This is still an exciting journey for all of us and we hope to inspire your own art history awakening!