Regular blog postings begin on DECEMBER 26, Monday.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
16 December: This Day in Mystery
The second Sherlock Holmes film starring Robert Downey opens in the United States.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Art Terminology: Acanthus and Altarpiece
Because a lot of mystery novels have charcters who talk about art...
Acanthus
Architecture: A prickly plant of the Mediterranean region with large, deeply cleft and scalloped leaves which are freely imitated on the capitals of the Corinthian and Composite orders and often used, in varying degrees of abstraction, to ornament moldings, brackets, friezes and so on.
Altarpiece
Architecture: A painted or sculpted panel or shrine placed behind and above an altar, also called a "reredos" or "retable." 14th and 15th century altarpieces are often very complicated, consisting of several panels or separate groups of sculpture.
An altarpiece consisting of three panels is called a tryptych, when it has more than three panels it is called a "poylptych". Some altarpieces have a decorated base, or pedella, and have "shutters" or "wings" which can be opened to reveal a series of "transformations" or "stages" to reveal other paintings or sculptures. The shutters are usually painted in rather subdued colors on the outside - monochrome imitations of sculpture ("grisailles") being common in northern Europe - but when opened up for the feast days of the Church, they offer a brilliant and sumptuous display pf color.
____________
Bibliography
From Abacus to Zeus, A Handbook of Art History
James Smith Pierce, 1977
Acanthus
Architecture: A prickly plant of the Mediterranean region with large, deeply cleft and scalloped leaves which are freely imitated on the capitals of the Corinthian and Composite orders and often used, in varying degrees of abstraction, to ornament moldings, brackets, friezes and so on.
Altarpiece
Architecture: A painted or sculpted panel or shrine placed behind and above an altar, also called a "reredos" or "retable." 14th and 15th century altarpieces are often very complicated, consisting of several panels or separate groups of sculpture.
An altarpiece consisting of three panels is called a tryptych, when it has more than three panels it is called a "poylptych". Some altarpieces have a decorated base, or pedella, and have "shutters" or "wings" which can be opened to reveal a series of "transformations" or "stages" to reveal other paintings or sculptures. The shutters are usually painted in rather subdued colors on the outside - monochrome imitations of sculpture ("grisailles") being common in northern Europe - but when opened up for the feast days of the Church, they offer a brilliant and sumptuous display pf color.
____________
Bibliography
From Abacus to Zeus, A Handbook of Art History
James Smith Pierce, 1977
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Art Terminology: Abacus and Abbey
Because many mystery books feature descriptions of artwork - from architecture to sculpture.
Abacus
Architecture: The uppermost part of a capital, forming a slab on which the architrave rests.
Abbey
Architecture: A monastery governed by an abbot. The church of an abbey is called an "abbey church" and is usually planned to allow for the special requirements of the monks such as a deep choir or many altars.
____________
Bibliography
From Abacus to Zeus, A Handbook of Art History
James Smith Pierce, 1977
Abacus
Architecture: The uppermost part of a capital, forming a slab on which the architrave rests.
Abbey
Architecture: A monastery governed by an abbot. The church of an abbey is called an "abbey church" and is usually planned to allow for the special requirements of the monks such as a deep choir or many altars.
____________
Bibliography
From Abacus to Zeus, A Handbook of Art History
James Smith Pierce, 1977
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