Today was sadly our last full day in London. I'm really disappointed because I truly fell in love with the city and don't want to go. We had the whole day as a free day, which was nice. Danielle and I had purchased tickets to go to Stonehenge and since we didn't have to catch the bus until 12:15, we decided to revisit the British Museum since it was free and right down the road. We only had an hour an a half to spend there, which meant we only got to go to about two or three rooms, but it was worth it. The first room we got to was in the Greek section in which we got to see a lot of the geometric and archaic pottery. One piece that was especially exciting to see was "Achilles and Penthesileia"it's the scene in which Achilles is going to kill Penthesileia, but then falls in love with her and can't go through with it. It's an interesting story and a beautiful example of Greek pottery. In a side room was a battle scene between the Greeks and the Centaurs and the Amazons. This would have been the frieze in a temple dedicated to Apollo. It was done in relief; however, the figures seemed almost in the round due to the deep carving. The figures were so emotive and complex; the limbs twisted around the composition and you could actually see the veins in the centaurs. I found these more interesting than the frieze from the Parthenon. We also made it to the prints and drawings room. The big-named piece was Michelangelo's cartoon- there are only two in existence. It was very nice to see, because the cartoons are like looking into the artist's head as he's working. You see what compositional elements he's utilizing, his style, and overall it's like a behind-the-scenes look at his work. Michelangelo's cartoons seem like finished pieces in themselves. It was huge and very complex. The felt the sketchy lines added to the overall effect of the piece. I had mixed feelings about the other pieces- some were too "abstract" for me even with the labels. I really responded to George Grosz pieces. I am more familiar with his paintings, so I enjoyed seeing his drawings. He seemed to use a consistent line that connected all of his figures to create an emotive piece. It almost seemed like a maze for the eye as you were trying to decipher one person from the next. His pieces, like his paintings, were highly political as well. Aside from these pieces, we didn't get to see much more before we had to get the bus down at Piccadilly Circus.
To get to Stonehenge, we took a tour bus out of London WAY out into the country to Wiltshire. With traffic and road work it took about three hours; however, it was completely worth it. The British country side is unparalleled. It's so lush and green! I was blown away by just the ride up. The quaint little towns added to the beauty and appeal of rural England- I really would like to move out there. While driving, we actually came up a hill to see Stonehenge breaking the horizon- I can't imagine passing it everyday on your way to work or something. It was so prominent and alluring- but we had to circle around to actually enter the grounds. I found it strange that there was admission (which was covered by our tour) to get in- I'm not sure how someone could own or claim Stonehenge, but it was well worth every pence. The commanding and powerful presence of the rocks were overwhelming. The sheer size of the rocks is impressive- but the fact that they were shaped and stacked is mind boggling. I can't believe ancient people could do such a thing. To further emphasize the amazing creation, the setting is wonderful. It sits in the middle of a luscious green hill with sheep all around. The whole experience was magnificent. I wish we could have gotten closer to the rocks, though. There was a divider preventing you from getting too close- but I really wanted to walk between the pillars. This is definitely one of the best things I've done, not only in England, but in my life.
The rest of the evening was pretty quiet, but it was really fun. Brittini, Danielle, and I got a pizza, a bottle of wine, and a cake to celebrate our last night in London while we packed. We had a lot of fun and still managed to be in bed at a decent time. There was still many, many, many things I wanted to do- but there's not enough time- we also have to be awake and ready tomorrow by 8 am to get the Eurostar to Paris. I'm a bit nervous about the language difference- but Brittini speaks French, so I'll just stick with her at all times.
Question of the Day: Discuss the work of John Constable.
I have seen many, many works by John Constable by now. I'm pretty sure at least one of his paintings have been at every museum we've been to thus far. Constable has a very realistic, but thick style of painting. Before I saw his work in person, I thought his paintings were nearly photographic; however, when you see them in person it is clear that he used small, but thick layers of paint to create very naturalistic landscapes. His work almost seems more Impressionistic than Realist in person. He's not nearly as abstract as Turner, who creates broad abstract backdrops of beautiful color combinations, but there's something loose about his brushwork. Constable's "Haywain" attests best to his style.The large painting is overpowering; it commands attention. The genre scene seems grandiose. The short paintstrokes make up details such as the reflection in the water, or the individual leaves. I quite enjoy Constable's work .
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