Art, Politics & Power 2017 Study Travel to Belgium & The Netherlands

Today we did a tour (with Ann Marie of course) around Ghent: we were able to see the culture and learn more about the history here…and the food. Here were a few of my favorite places:

This was definitely one of my favorite parts of the day! We got a three course meal: asparagus soup, ratatouille, and fruit. The soup was my favorite by far. The cocktail wasn’t all I expected it to be, though.

By the end of the day we ended up at the Fine Arts museum of Ghent. This was one of the best museums we’ve been to so far. There were so many different sections; whether it was realism, expressionism, or surrealism. I spent at least 30 minutes in romanticism then studying some of Rodin’s which was so surreal; it was nice to finally have free time to really take a closer work at the art here.

I’m not sure who sculpted this or what it’s called but it’s soooo intricate and unique. I haven’t seen anything like this before since we arrived in Ghent. And it’s huge which is another level of impressive. The sculptures in the museum were one of the most impressive parts. Some were plaster, marble, but not much painted wood–the only painted wood sculptures I’ve seen so far was in the churches we visited yesterday. I hope to see more sculptures like this one and especially Rodin’s. He’s known for being such a talented modern sculpture so being able to see more of his pieces in real life would be incredible.

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Walking in Bruges (which I learned how to correctly pronounce from our tourguide Dany,) we came across several buildings named “Godtshuys.” These are Renaissance style almhouses, and we were able to enter one of them. 
These houses were often commissioned by the wealthy, who at the time, had a different view of Heaven. They believed that one’s time in Purgatory could be shortened by the prayers of others. So, the wealthy would build almshouses where the sick would be under contract to pray for their patron, sometimes up to six times a day. From this, the patron expected to have a much shorter time in Purgatory.
Inside, at the altar, was a set of rules in Old Dutch language. Our guide explained the basic rules for us: in order to stay there, you must be sick, poor, widowed, have no debts, and over the age of 50. 

Today, my group and I visited the city of Ghent, where we were able to see many structures and art pieces! While I found today extremely fun and informational, I think my favorite part of the day was being able to see the Ghent Alterpiece. While not all the real panels were there, I was still amazed to see most of the real panels together right before my eyes! And while the lighting in the room wasn’t very good for pictures, I’m still happy to know I was able to see it in person. And I was okay that they were not all completely together because I saw the other pieces at the Fine Arts Museum, where they were being fixed.

For a good portion of my freshman seminar class, we talked about the symbolism and the high quality of the whole piece in itself! The design, the details, the meaning of each and every little bit of it, and how it all tied together. I consider myself to be a pretty religious Christian, so when I saw the Alterpiece in person, I was in complete awe at the sight of it. I know many people who don’t consider themselves to be religious at all, but when they saw it, I could tell they were in absolute amazement by it.

Considering how old these series of paintings are, I am so amazed that they are still in relatively good shape. Despite the fact that the paintings were not together either, I was still glad that I was able to see all of them! And seeing them in person also made me really wish that the Just Judges panel was found because I could tell that that panel looked slightly different than the other ones. Hopefully, one of these days, the panel will be found and all the original ones will be together again!

Second dayyyyy!

Today was very fun for me (probably because I got a really good night sleep) !!! It started off with an amazing sunrise over the city. We toured multiple old historic churches on foot with amazing intricate stained glass, woodwork, and stonework. Our tour guide was really knowledgeable about the whole city, he showed us little nook and cranny places that almost felt hidden inside courthouses and courtyards, but they were really interesting.

After touring the city for a while we went to the Groningen Museum. I honestly liked the art in this museum way better than yesterday. First off, because the museum way smaller I didn’t feel as overwhelmed with how much art there was. Also, I really liked having a guide to explain the art in detail it helped my understanding and it was way more interesting. Also, I really like the different styles of paintings displayed such as  what would have been degenerate art in Hitlers eyes and the realistic versions of the crusifitions and other biblical scenes as well as portrsits. This museum is my favorite so far!!!

Today each student choose or was assigned something to write about that we visited today. I was given this painting by Gustave van de Woes tyne called The Last Supper which was created in 1927 via oil on canvas. The first thing I noticed about the painting was its size, it’s huge!!! You can see its tremendous size because in the picture im standingbright nextbto it and im onky 5’2″!! It is a representation of the last supper, you can tell by the bread and wine displayed on the table held by the figure in the middle who is surrounded by multiple other people. It’s different from the original last supper because of the enlargement and disproportionate features the features have, the hands and heads being the main ones. Also, it is very dark as far the the overall  colors used in the painting and the sad and solemn which leads the onlooker to believe they are weak, unpowerful, and possibly poor,  and because of this it would have been considered “degenerate” to Hitler and the Nazis. Fortunately, it survived the war and I was able to see it today.

Overall I thought today was very fun, even if it felt like we walked 70 miles haha, I really enjoyed the crypts, buying chocolate, seeing the blood of Jesus, and seeing the Bruges Madonna. Cant wait til tomorrow! Another blog coming soon!

 

Keep Smiling,

Juliana Eike

 

 

 

Before we even started the tour through the city we noticed a difference from Ghent to Bruges. This place was out of a history book and was almost as if it didn’t change. There was only cobble stones all as the roads and as we walked down the streets we heard the sounds of hooves clacking in the background. What I realized I really loved about this beautiful city is how much they hold on to their history and culture. In America we do our best to keep modernizing and our country but here there is pride in the city they belong to.

Some thing that stood out to me is that a lot of the buildings were made to have pictures and symbols out front so people knew where they were going even if they couldn’t read the name listed on the building. It seemed like the builders of these historic landmarks wanted the people of Bruges to prosper. Even the bells rang and played songs so you knew when to go to work. My favorite building in the square where this bell stood was built in many stages the first level built in the 14th century the second level in the 15th and the third in the 15th. Not only did this building show the technology growing but also the style. This building that still hold the most history get the most money. Money was very important in that time. Even some of the buildings were made out of gold on the outside.

Overall, I was exhausted after walking around this beautiful city but I learned a lot and I wish America had more cites like that.

Today our class got the chance to visit the glorious city of Bruges. This trip was filled with many sights, beautiful pieces of art, and most importantly…CHOCOLATE!!! We started our day with a trip to see the Bruges Madonna and to learn about the many interesting features of the church. It was nice that we were able to go here and experience the breathtaking scenes.

The next monumental experience we had was going to the Choco-Story museum. Here, we learned about how chocolate was  made and even got to try the finished product. This was a great experience, especially because we were able to get a full background of the making and history of chocolate. I did not realize its rich history and symbolism behind the cocoa pod/bean.

After walking through the city  and seeing all of the overwhelming canals, we were able to visit different works at the  Groeninge Museum. I was given the artwork, Moreel Triptych by Hans Memling, to study. This piece was dedicated to three saints. At the first church, we learned that many families in the catholic churches would commission paintings to the church to ensure their family’s faster arrival into heaven. It was interesting that we were able to see one of these pieces outside of the church. This piece was very beautifully done and I am glad that I was able to study the work. 

 

Today we visited the churches, the chocolate museum, and the Groening Art Museum in Bruge. The churches were huge and full of amazing statues, paintings, and beautiful architecture. We saw some late 1800’s paintings of tapestries and learned the history of a family who sold a painting to the church to be buried near the alter.

The chocolate museum gave a very interesting look inside the history and making of chocolate. We watched a cool chocolate making demo and got to taste some chocolate from the museum.

The Groening Museum was my personal favorite part of the day… even though it was very short lived. There were many very detailed religious paintings and some large expressionist paintings. I was assigned lucky number 8 in the museum which was “Ontdekking Van De Tekenkunst” by Joseph Benoit Suvee. The piece is a depiction of what is known as the first ever drawing. A woman is outlining the shadow of her husbands face on the wall as she prepares to go off to war. The piece was large and dark. Their faces have a lot of emotion.

 

Today, we all visited Bruges. While we were there, we saw the chocolate museum, sampled some chocolate, visited churches, and toured the Groeninge Museum.

While in the Groeninge Museum, we saw a painting about Saint Nicholas. The painting depicts a portrait of Saint Nicholas in the center. In the other panels, tales of some of the miracles are shown.

The miracles are about various good deeds. While there was a famine, Saint Nicholas convinced sailors carrying grain to the Emperor to stop to give away some extra. To the sailors’ surprise, they had enough grain to last the town for 2 years and still had enough that reached the Emperor’s weight limit. Saint Nicholas also gave a poor man a dowry so he can marry off his three daughters. He also resurrected 3 boys whose heads were chopped off. To give perspective and visual accuracy to the painting, a landscape is painted in the background using light blue and green colors.

Today, our first stop was the St. Ann’s Cathedral in Brugge, Belgium. This was a beautiful traditional catholic styled church, though once Romanesque style church. This church was built on the old relics of the previous church and the archives of the Romanesque now can be seen in display in this church.

Inside the church, we where able to see three different types of interior architecture. I was able to experience displays of mock renaissance as well as 18th and 19th century alter designers and the detailed thumbs built into the church. Also, while there I was able to see the tumbs of the duke of burgundy as well as his daughter. The details and money needed to assemble such a highly recognized and appreciated church is unthought of in America. It was an amazing sight to witness.