Westminster Abbey & The National Gallery

The field trips today were amazing. Westminster Abbey was more beautiful than I had imagined. The room that grabbed my interest the most was the Poet's Corner. I felt like there were a lot of extraordinary individuals there that I actually had heard of. Geoffrey Chaucer who wrote "The Canterbury Tales" was the first literary figure to be buried there. It was interesting to find out that he was not buried there at first for his literary skills but because he was a civil servant at Westminster. It wasn't until 150 after his death that he was given literary recognition for his work and was moved to the more noticable spot. They also have memorials for Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and William Shakespeare. Poets's Corner is not only dedicated to writers. George Frederick Handel, a German composer, is also buried there. He was famous for his music, mostly opera, and around 3,000 mourners gathered when he died. Having literary figures and composers buried and given memorials in Westminster represents some of the art forms that were important during those times. Poet's Corner shows us that writing, poetry, and music were all respected art forms within the culture. Honored artists were not only those with a paint brush. It shows that within the culture of this time, some of the things people enjoyed doing were reading poetry and listening to classical music. Also, Poet's Corner illustrates how art and religion were intertwined within the culture. Most writings and compositions were created specifically for religion or had religious undertones to them. Poet's Corner gives us a little insite into the reality that existed many years ago.

For the second part of the field trip, I chose to go to The National Gallery which was an extremely good decision. There were so many beautiful art pieces it was hard to chose one to focus on. I spent most of my time with the 18th to early 20th century paintings. Of course I enjoyed Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers and A Wheatfield with Cypress and was shocked that I actually got to see them in person. I loved Claude-Oscar Monet's work as well. The effects of light and color within The Water-Lily Pond and Irises were so infatuatingly beautiful. I felt like I could stare at them for hours. But it was the paintings by Camille Pissarro that really caught my eye. I think it may have been because he painted different views of Paris and I just visited Paris this past weekend. The Louvre Under Snow was my favorite. It showed a view of the Louvre on a winters day covered in a blanket of snow. Pissarro often showed different weather conditions within his work. I enjoyed seeing this painting because it showed a different view of a city that I had just seen a few days earlier. The snow and the grey colors paint a type of isolation among the scenery which was completely different from what I experienced. There are boats in the Seine River but no people can be seen. Pissarro makes the city seem so calm.

Field Trip to Museum of London

The Museum of London was amazing. I loved all of the exhibits but I wish I had a chance to see the ones that were closed. It was interesting to see what was here before the city of London was built and how it came to be. One painting that grabbed my attention is the one below.

It is a painting of a family group in around 1637. It represents the costume in London at the time and all that clothes represented. Costume meant a lot in society. Individuals could tell what social group a person belonged to by the clothes they wore. The fancier materials like silk, satin, fine linen, and Italian lace were expensive. Individuals also had to pay for the materials to make their clothes and the tayloring of it. Ribbons, lace, hats, and gloves were fashinable at this time.

When I saw this painting, I felt like I could relate it to so many concepts we learned in the first day of class. I feel like this one picture represents alot and could be interpreted as a text. Just as the information from the display gave, the clothes say a lot about the family. It is obvious that the man put a lot of effort into his wardrobe. He is wearing nice shoes and a fancy hat. Also, the baby is wrapped in an extremely beautiful embroidered cloth. These items show that the family has money and a high status in society. I also noticed that there is a power structure within the painting. The very first thing one's eyes move to is the standing man. He shows dominance because he is the only adult standing and he is towards the center of the picture. The two women are laying and sitting down which emphasizes the standing man. Another factor that shows male dominance is the fact that the woman is holding the baby. The painting also reveals sadness, maybe because the woman in the bed is ill. This is because the two children are holding hands and one is holding on to the man. In normal circumstances they would not be holding each other this way. Overall, I felt like I could see a lot within this painting. It grabbed my attention as soon as I saw it.

Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray was such a good novel. I found the issue of morality to be very interesting. Dorian's morality is effected a lot by his obsession with youth. Dorian can't even bare to fathom the fact that he will one day face old age. This type of belief causes Dorian to act in certain ways even if it is immoral. Once Dorian knows how adored he is for his beauty within society, he wants his image to remain that way no matter what the cost. I believe that society and culture had a big influence in Dorian's obsession with youth. Status and image meant being respected in this time and Dorian was constantly reminded of that.

It was also interesting to read the different internal conflicts within Dorian and Lord Henry in relation to morality. Instead of worrying about what kind of person he is, Dorian is plagued with fears of aging and losing his beauty. On top of those fears, after meeting Lord Henry his morality is basically nonexistant. Lord Henry believes in living only for one's self and for no other reason. Does he believe in any type of moral code? He also knows how much of an influence he has in Dorian's life and wants to interfere only because he is interested in Dorian. I don't know whether or not he is really concerned with Dorian's happiness. Lord Henry also convinces Dorian that Sibyl's suicide is a positive thing. He tells him to remember that what's done is done. Dorian then feels no remorse for having caused the tragedy. Dorian also murders Basil and never admits to it. He kills Basil for no reason besides his own messed up issues and then blackmails an acquaintance into disposing of the body. Dorian's entire life is filled with issues of morality and it is not until the very end that he begins to see that his life was full of crime and pain. I was glad to see that Dorian did develop some sense of morality and he even told Lord Henry that he did not take advantage of a woman he easily could have. On the other hand, Lord Henry did not change at all.

The final issue I found interesting involving morality is that of the painting. Is the painting changing in accordance to Dorian's morality? Was it the changes in the painting that drove Dorian to fight even more for his youth? I think the painting represents Dorian's conscience. It allowed him to see who he actually was behind the beautiful face. One can not escape from their own moral conscience. The painting shows not to value beauty or status over your own morality.

Turner

One of the first images I saw when thinking of London was an image of a soldier dressed in red wearing a tall, furry, black hat. Therefore, my topic for the final project is the British Guards. I will examine them as a cultural icon in London and relate them specifically to Buckingham Palace. To make my topic more specific, I will focus on the Queen's Foot Guards and the five different regiments that exist within them. Culturally, I will examine the power relationship between each regiment and compare what each contributes to the culture. Also, I will research the history of the guards and how they have transformed into a more social part of London culture with, for example, the Changing of the Guards, which is a big tourist attraction. I will focus on why some tourists do not view the Guards as serious members of British society. Instead, most just want a photo opportunity or a chance to make them break from their stern character.

Before I am able to do this, I need to make sure I understand what kind of theoretical approach I am going to take as well as the cultural aspect I am going to examine. I am going to be focusing a lot on the power relations between the different foot guards and how this power has influenced the culture. This ties into Ch. 1 of the Turner text when he dicusses Marxism and ideology. On page 23, Turner states, "...cultural studies analysis is aimed toward a particular end- that of understanding the ways in which power relations are regulated, distributed, and deployed within industrial societies." This is the approach I will take for my project. Turner further explains the new idea of critical Marxism which negates the fact that culture is completely dependent on econimic relationships. Instead, there are other determining factors that make up society such as political influences, which is what relates to my project. Also, the discussion of semiotics is important to my project. Turner makes a point to say that it is important within culture to be able to understand different types of representation including gesture and dress. Within my project, different images and concepts that go along with the foot guards, such as their different collar badges and plumes will help show cultural significance. Finally, it is important I know how to read the different cultural aspects I encounter as "texts". This relates to Ch. 3 of Turner's text. I need to make sure I am able to relate different articles I read and videos I see about the British guards to what I actually see. It is important that I am able to combine the analysis of each different type of media I use. I am extremely excited to get a closer look at the British guards.