One thing clicks into another thing, Mike is dropped off for his playdate with Darren and Lisa, and I find myself unpublishing those old astronomy class blog posts that weren't really ever supposed to be imported into this diary. I haven't had enough sleep. We didn't make it to the store. I'm too beat (at the moment) to pick up the Mystery Gift.
And somehow I am now reading the diary kept during my token Art History class, looking to see what I can put in here. (I hate that all of my old blogs aren't integrated, but I don't want to make the same mistake I made with astronomy blogs, and unleash hundreds of "Got an email from the professor - 94 on the quiz - yay" posts, either.)
Reading "class blogs" is a tad depressing because, er, I no longer remember so much of this. I found a post where I was blasting myself for briefly forgetting whether the sun is north or south along the something-or-other at two weeks past autumnal equinox, and of course now this fact is thoroughly forgotten. I sure would like to know how to say "Use It or Lose It" in other languages. Does any other language make the sentiment rhyme?
In Spanish, is it "Lo Usa o Lo Pierda"? "Usarlo or Perderlo"? Wait, what's the Spanish for "to lose"? Babelfish says, "Utilícelo o piérdalo." A clear example of unused things lost, right there.
One thing I forgot about my little intro to Art History class (with its broken-linked, centered, Web 0.6, hspace-deprived, HTML-only course delivery) is that I had to write a small discussion forum post about "Darius and Xerxes Receiving Tribute."
If you'd said to me yesterday, "Hey, doesn't that painting look a little like the watercolour of Darius and Xerxes Receiving Tribute?", I wouldn't have known to smugly point out that DaXRT is actually a sculpted piece (comma loser).
This is DaXRT, by the way:
No, I can't make it larger. I stole this one from the University of Wisconsin's Art History pages, so shhh! before we all get busted and they try to pin one of those Scream jobs on us.
In my original diary, I wrote that my contribution was "terribly stilted and embarrassing," so of course I want to share it here now, sevenish years later, as if those days are over.
(I can't remember what the actual assignment was. I think it was along the lines of, "Look up some info in the textbook about your assigned art piece, process it in a larger historical context, and regurgitate it into two paragraphs for the class."
(Heather and any other art history majors - I know you have to leave this post early so you can get a good night's sleep for tomorrow. Bye!)
Darius and Xerxes Receiving Tribute
(Detail from the staircase leading to the Apadana, Persepolis, Iran)
491-486 BCE
This relief was constructed during the last five years of Darius I's reign. Darius is shown on the throne with his son and heir Xerxes standing behind him. Xerxes I assumed rulership in 485 BCE and added to the Persepolis complex, but most of the work was completed under Xerxes' heir, Artaxerxes I, beginning in 464 BCE (Stokstad 87). World events at this time included the influence of Shakyamuni Buddha in India, whose teachings formed the basis of Buddhism (Stokstad 371). King Bimbisara of Magadha (an Indian kingdom) supported Buddha and through the expansion of his kingdom at this time helped further Buddhism in India. The Celts were reaching the high point of their power in the Western and Central parts of Europe (Nothiger). In China, twelve powerful states emerged, later called 'the Spring and Autumn period' (Stokstad 401). Rome saw the establishment of the plebeian tribunate after the first of three plebeian uprisings (Neelin). Nearby in Greece the culture was shifting from the Archaic period into a time of transition from which the High Classical period would emerge in 450 (Stokstad 151). Throughout the Archaic period the city-states had flourished and Athens began moving to the forefront as an artistic, political, and commercial power (Stokstad 162).
Greece was facing trouble, however, from the expansion of the Achaemenid Empire under Darius. The two rulers before him, Cyrus II ("the Great") and his son Cambyses II, transformed the previously nomadic Persian people into an empire which included Babylonia, the land of the Medes (including Anatolia), Egypt, Cyprus, and some of the Aegean Islands (Stokstad 85). The Greeks rebelled against Persian rule on their islands and initiated the Greco-Persian wars around and during the time when the Apadana stairway relief was created (Nothiger). The expanse of Darius's control had an influence on the design of the complex at Persepolis. Darius imported materials, workers, and artists from across his realm. In this he caused a new style of art based on a combination of Persian, Mede, Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Greek traditions (Stokstad 86). The influence of these other cultures can be seen in 'Darius and Xerxes Receiving Tribute' by the knife-edge pleats and revelation of the body beneath the clothing. This is in the Greek style and may have been done by the Greeks themselves (Stokstad 87). Assyrian influence is also seen in the theme of the piece, for some Assyrian palace reliefs were known for showing displays of allegiance and economic prosperity rather than heroic exploits (Stokstad 87-88). In this relief Darius and Xerxes are being presented with gifts from conquered nations (Encarta).
RELEVANT STOKSTAD PAGES:
85-88, 151, 162, 371, 401ADDITIONAL WORKS CITED:
Neelin, David G., Timeline: Ancient Rome
http://www.exovedate.com/ancient_timeline_one.htmlNothiger, Andreas, HyperHistory Online (History: -500 - 1)
http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/History_n2/a.htmlEncarta Online Concise Encyclopedia (Persepolis: Apadana: par 3)
http://encarta.msn.com/find/concise.asp?ti=761567682&sid=2#s2RELATED WEB LINK:
http://www.coco.cc.az.us/~apeterse/_ART201/persia.htm (Alan Peterson [instructor ], Coconino Community College, 'Art History I: Persia', 1997)
It all sounds like blah-blah-de-blah(rglelargle) to me.
That was 23 Sept 2001. Four days later I posted this:
"I had a dream last night that a woman was substituting for Mr. X and I had to build an art project for my museum paper grade. I had scarves and jewelry and small objects and eventually started to form a glittery folk-style altar. The woman, sort of hard to please, showed me my score so far and it was 661 points. (Something like that.) I could take the grade then or keep working. She said I could get another 20 points if I (and there was a specific word she used) gave it more fringe-like, twinkly qualities. I started working on that but as I did I was messing up what I had. I had an inspiration and began dividing the red elements to one side and the blue to another. Unfortunately, when it was time for her to go I didn't have anything intact so I had to pass on the 661 points, and knew now I would have to work much harder to create something and Mr. X probably would not be giving me 661 points for it."
I got a 40/40 for this assignment, and the only things he added were items that I couldn't find a way to include without breaking the two paragraph limit. I was always very literal about stuff like that. This is reminding me of why I'll probably never get another degree.
What I forgot about this assignment was that the professor ("Mr. X") considered this a division of labor for studying. As in, everyone studies one thing really well and puts its gist into two paragraphs, then we all study each others' submissions instead of the whole darn book.
The main problems with this were as such: 1) not everyone turned their work in, and 2) not everyone kept it down to two paragraphs. (I remember one classmate who wrote five paragraphs, at least one of which was a pasted-in Amazon review. I also remember that the instructor didn't say boo about it in his public comments.)
Later in the diary, before the first exam, I bugged out over not being able to remember something about the Ara Pacis. And again, now I'm bugged out over not remembering the Ara Pacis itself.
(Not really. Summer! Shall we have ice cream? Strawberry shortcake bars? The Pioneer Woman is giving away a couple more Zunes, by the way. Yes, again! All you have to do is leave a comment on her blog. I don't know why I'm telling other people and limiting my own chances... must be SUMMER!)
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