More Questions About Martin Luther and the 95 Theses

Ryan: After Martin Luther there were multiple branches of Christianity. Do you think there should be multiple branches of Christianity?

Jago: What was so bad about translating the Bible into English? Why did the Catholic Church get so angry at William Tyndale?

Hannah: Why was the Catholic Church so scared of letting people read the Bible?

Pierre: Who do you think was a more influential person: Martin Luther or Martin Luther King, Jr.?

Stewart: On his deathbed, do you think Martin Luther regretted writing the Ninety Five Theses?

Martin Luther and the Beginning of the Protestant Reformation

Today we began our study of the Protestant Reformation.

The students read about Martin Luther's dramatic decision to criticize the Catholic Church by posting his Ninety Five Theses on the door of his church in Germany. The students had a host of intriguing questions:

Zach: Why did Martin Luther start a separate branch of Christianity, rather than just starting a whole new religion?

Cooper: Since the time of the Protestant Reformation, has the Catholic Church changed very much?

Maeve: Why did the leaders of the Catholic Church care so much whether some people wanted to believe different things about Christianity?

Amanda: Did Martin Luther like all the publicity and attention?

Jeremy, Lillian and Nick: Were the Ninety Five Theses immediately taken off the church door, or were they allowed to remain on the door for awhile?

Becca: If you'd been living during the 1500's, would you have helped Martin Luther hide from the Emperor?  Why or why not?

Caroline: If there weren't so many different religions, would people's lives be different?

Halle: What characteristics do people look for in a pope?

The Link for Today's Kahoot Game

https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/26f1de8a-4892-46d7-a302-486c72879331

Remember: You are not being tested on the Current Events or African Festival questions!

African Festival

Today's African Festival was fantastic.

I loved the drumming and dancing, and I loved the message of Ubuntu at Chapel.

History Video #18 - Review for Renaissance Test

Student Writing about Illuminated Manuscripts and Medieval Armour

Today we read and discussed excerpts from two informational essays about the Middle Ages (portions of each essay are included below).

The students provided excellent feedback and constructive criticism about both essays.

A big thanks to Emma and Charles for sharing their excellent work!

Emma
Illuminated Manuscripts

The illuminated manuscripts of medieval times included multiple years of tedious work just to complete, but it was certainly worth the time. Before the scribe could start his work the pages needed to be measured out and have margins drawn in so the writing would be straight and pleasing to the eye. To make this process go faster they would have all the paper in a neat stack, on the first page they measured out the margins and drew them in then they would take a long thin needle and pierce it through all the parchment creating tiny pinholes for the scribe to follow. Finally, the scribe could begin to write. They would begin their work in a room called a scriptorium that was usually part of a monastery. These rooms were strictly silent and the scribes could only communicate by using signals. Although scribes worked for many long years in order to perfect their handwriting, they would make mistakes. These mistakes were either fixed in the margins or scraped up with a knife. When the scribe was finished writing they would commonly sign their name at the end, this revealed that many of the scribes were women. The next step is to have the plain pages decorated lavishly with different precious gems, plants, and metals. The pages seem to light up when you see the intricate designs swirling on the page. The vibrant colors were made from different plants and jewels that crushed to make the strong pigment come out.

Charles

Medieval Armour

When medieval knights went into battle wearing chainmail, they felt secure knowing that they had the best armor money could buy. Chainmail comes from the latin word “macula” which means mesh of the net. Chainmail was first worn by the Roman foot soldiers who would wear it as a defense against spear and sword thrusts. Chainmail was made from interlocking iron circles and it was very expensive. Only the richest knights could afford to wear it. The knights in the thirteen hundreds wore different chainmail pieces. The first piece of chainmail the knight would wear is his chainmail shirt, which is also called a hauberk, then he would put on his chausses which were chainmail leggings. If the knight was rich enough he would have a pair of chainmail gloves. Under all of his chainmail, the knight would wear plain comfortable clothes such as a tunic, a padded hat and wool leggings. The downfall of chainmail began in the late fourteen hundreds when more powerful crossbows were being manufactured to pierce chainmail. However, the real reason why chainmail fell was because of guns and halabrids. A halabrid is a combination between an axe and a pike. It was a long metal or wooden shaft with a spike in the top and a battle axe blade on the side.

David Takes a Selfie?

Michelangelo signed the Pieta to be sure that everyone knew he had carved it. 

Why didn't he sign the sculptures and paintings that he made later in his life?

Sophie M., Dawson, Cole and Isabella F.: When Michelangelo got older, he didn't need to sign his work. He became more mature and realized that it wasn't about him -- it was about the art.

Michelangelo's "Pieta" and "David"

Yesterday we discussed Michelangelo's awesome statue, The Pieta, and today we looked at his monumental achievement, David.

We talked about the way that Michelangelo viewed the human body as God's supremely-beautiful creation.

He believed that creating a sculpture from marble -- particularly a sculpture of the human body -- is the highest form of art.

We also learned the famous story about Michelangelo carving his name (along with the emphatic words "made this") into the Virgin Mary's satchel, after he overheard someone claiming that another artist had made The Pieta.

The students had lots of great observations about David, including:

Leah, Pierre, Lucas M. and Oliver: The details of the sculpture really stand out, especially David's hair, his pupils, and his abs!

Hannah, Lillian, Nick and Celia: His muscles are well-defined, and his hands are huge.

Natalie, Ellie and Zach: He has really great hair. It reminds us of Seppi's hair. (ok, now Mr. Richmond is officially jealous ... I want hair that reminds people of Michelangelo's sculptures!) 

More Impressions from Washington DC

Marin
St. George and the Dragon.

St. George's cape really caught my eye. The princess looks so caring and loving to St. George. My favorite thing about the painting is the sky and the water. I like the sky because of all the different colors joining together to make something so pretty.

Natalie

I was surprised by the portrait of Ginevra de Benci because there was a painting on the back as well as the portrait on the front. I didn't know paintings could have stuff on the back too. Also, while the colors in the other paintings stood out more in real life, I feel like Ginevra's colors were more or less the same.

Gia

The Ciborium.

Its delicate carving and the white and gold really caught my eye. I loved how it was simple but extravagant at the same time. 

If you looked really closely at the part where they put the bread and wine, you could see a little doorknob. It demonstrated how precise the carvers and sculptors had to be when dealing with such an amazing piece of artwork.

Peter

I loved the big black pillars at the National Gallery. They gave an amazing contrast to the lighter stone of the building. 

My favorite art was the marble busts. The faces were so detailed, and even the hair was three dimensional. The marble statues seemed to be happier or even just calmer than the bronze statues, who had very strict faces, beards and clothes.

Riley

One thing I liked about the National Cathedral was all of the little tunnels that ran below the ground surface. I liked how the tunnels led different places but there was always a way out.

I also liked how if you were in the church choir or playing the organ, there were mirrors so that both the choir and organ player could see each other and tell each other when to start singing or playing.

Lucas P.

I liked all the mini chapels, like the Children's Chapel and the Soldiers' Chapel. You had the large, main chapel, and I thought it was nice that they included so many individual ones too. 

One small thing I liked was the pun with the cannons as a decorative piece, because the priests are canons too.

Impressions From Our Washington Adventure

Amanda

The National Cathedral. Awestruck when I laid eyes on it. Just giving myself a moment to breathe it all in. Cherry blossom trees surrounding the Gothic work of art like a beehive to a queen bee. The beautiful gargoyles and grotesques. 

I was even more astonished when the squeaky doors opened to go inside. The rainbow of colors and the excellent carving skills. Grey, yellow, blue, red, all coming together perfectly.

Ethan

The flower fountain in the National Gallery of Art. In the middle of all this art was a huge dome which was art in itself. And in this dome was a huge fountain surrounded by flowers. An assortment of flowers and a variety of color -- white, pink, yellow.

It was abstract. When I say abstract I mean there are many ways to look at it. One of the ways is that at the end of the road there will be a tranquility. Yeah - that was among the many things that amazed me at the art gallery.

Halle

As I slowly rounded the corner into the atrium, I saw a magnificent row of flowers in the center. It was like stepping into a field of just-bloomed flowers. The colors hit you so fast it hurt to look at them. 

There are no words to describe it. Every time I went around it I would spot something new.

Stewart

The gardens gave the whole Gallery an ambience that almost felt magical. The flowers filled the Gallery with a sweet rich aroma that made you feel like you were outdoors roaming a beautiful park or meadow.

Lisa

My favorite part of the National Gallery was not a visible piece of art. Some might even say that it isn't art at all. What is this? The answer - the sweet smell of flowers that greeted me as I took my first step into the museum. It was invisible art. Always there, and just as precious. So many different types of flowers, all working together to stir up one smell. The scent changed as I walked, just like the paintings.

Gresh

The Adoration of the Magi inspired me because of its magical size and its intricate frame.

I counted 26 animals, but everytime I recounted I seemed to find more! 

The level of detail is outstanding, and the way Fra and Fra painted the movement and emotion is just hard to believe.

Eli

The stained glass windows at the Cathedral. It wasn't just the intricate designs that made them astounding. It was mostly the way the light shone through them. It made the colors of the window change in a unique way. My favorite window was the one with the moon rock in it. The purple colors behind the moon rock were amazing, and the window just looked heavenly.

Alex

The stained glass windows seemed like they had been glistening and gleaming forever, pure light in and out.

More Impressions To Come Tomorrow...

Renaissance Art at the National Gallery: Vivid Colors and Beautiful Nature

 Saint Jerome Reading, by Bellini
(Interactive version here)

Ryan, Nikki, Henry and Peyton: Except for the blue sky and Saint Jerome's robe, the colors are not as vivid as in other Renaissance paintings. There's not enough red!

The realistic details are great, but we are confused about the lion next to Saint Jerome: what's he doing there?

Dawson: I like the squirrel up on the ledge.

Celia: That's not a squirrel, it's a rabbit!

Dawson: Squirrel.

Celia: Rabbit.

Charles: Settle down you two. It's clearly either a Ruirrel or a Squabbit.

Claudia Quinta, by Nerocio de Landi

(Interactive version here)

Tomas, Amanda, Rosalie and Bertie: The dress is beautiful, and all of the details are amazing. And there are even gargoyles in the background!

(An especially perceptive observation by this group - I had never noticed the gargoyles before).

Sam, Jago, Gresh and Riley: Here's a painting of a ghostly pregnant lady, holding a boat that is mirrored by another version of the lady, standing in the background, next to a life-size boat. We really like the double image.

Julia: I like the way he painted the white material in Claudia's outfit. It's so wispy.

The Adoration of the Shepherds, by Giorgione

(Interactive version here)

Things we like about this painting by Giorgione:

Oliver: The colors and the outdoor scenery.

Lillian: The angels.

Lucas M.: The mountain view and the shepherd's knife.

Sophie M.: The cave.

Feast of the Gods, by Bellini and Titian
(Interactive version here)

Maeve, Lia, Jackson and Charlotte: The bodies are curvy, detailed, and realistic. The outdoor scene, in the middle of nature, is beautiful - especially the sky. There are lots of vivid colors, and the shadows and linear perspective give it depth and space.

Renaissance Art at the National Gallery: The Adoration of the Magi

Today we continued our study of Renaissance art by examining the stunningly beautiful Adoration of the Magi, by Fra Angelico and Filippo Lippi.

The students discussed a number of Renaissance characteristics of Adoration of the Magi, including:

• The use of linear perspective to create a sense of depth and space
• The realistic portrayal of human bodies
• The many different expressions and emotions of the people in the painting
• The outdoor setting and abundance of animal life
• The vivid colors
• The incredible range of movement by the animals and people

The students pointed out all kinds of fantastic details in this painting. For example:

Zach contrasted the dynamic movement in Adoration with the no-nonsense, stiff-limbed "security officers" in medieval paintings (I love Zach's analogy to security officers).

Marin pointed out the subtle golden halos surrounding the three kings.

Bertie noticed the smiling black horse near the center of the painting (this horse has become an early contender for "Most Valuable Animal" for this year's Leonardo Awards).

Renaissance Art at the National Gallery: St. George (by Raphael) and Ginevra (by Leonardo)

Yesterday we looked at two of the masterworks that we'll get to see in-person next week:

St. George and the Dragon, by Raphael

Ginevra de Benci, by Leonardo

Isabella C. and Amanda: How long did it take Leonardo to paint Ginevra?

History Video #17: The National Gallery of Art

Special thanks to Lia and Oliver for today's beautiful illuminated letters (and numbers!), below: