PDF Worship Songs for Ukulele Songbook by Hal Leonard Corp. in Arts-Photography

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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy CustomerGreat book not many photos but very informative4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Brilliant work on classical art; by the most renowned art historians.By B. WolinskyGreat art historians provide essays on classical sculpture in this excellent study. Elizabeth Bartman begins with an essay on just that; the beginning. She chronicles the origin of where the art form began; and the time when wealthy Italians began collecting the art of ancient Rome. All scholars will accept that serious collecting of Roman sculpture began in the Renaissance; but Bartman tells of how the bas reliefs were the most popular. The connoisseurs were after any kind of Roman art that would tell them about the history; and it was the reliefs; on sarcophagi and the triumphal arches; that told the story of Romersquo;s history. Though she doesnrsquo;t mention it; Trajanrsquo;s Column was a popular artefact for scholars; thanks to its numerous depictions of war. Thanks to its height; most of it was spared from the defacement at the hands of the Christians; for nobody could reach the higher reliefs in order to destroy them. Someone did; however; manage to remove the statue at the top and replace it with one of St. Peter; leaving the original of Trajan to be lost to history.One thing that Bartman discusses; which I have waited years to read about; is why the Popes of the Middle Ages tolerated the pagan symbols. For some reason; the Popes of the Renaissance era didnrsquo;t object to statues of Zeus; Medusa; and Poseidon; whereas earlier Popes had Roman arches and reliefs defaced. Perhaps these Popes loved art? Were they enlightened by Greek scholars who fled Constantinople after the Turkish conquest?Bartmanrsquo;s essay is about the origins of the study of classical sculpture; but Jerry Podany; of the Getty Institute; discusses the early conservation of the artifacts. For starters; the wealthy Italians who displayed the statues in their villas and palaces can be credited with saving them. Today wersquo;d say ldquo;they plundered archeological sitesrdquo; and accuse them of theft; but in their day; that was the only conservation available. If the Medici family hadnrsquo;t desired ancient sculptures for their gardens; the marble wouldrsquo;ve ended up being ground into plaster. Most of the statues they acquired were broken; so they would hire sculptors to create replacement limbs out of marble and plaster; which were then stuck on. Today we canrsquo;t be sure of the accuracy of these medieval restorers; but we must credit them with drawing attention to these classical masterpieces. Few ancient marbles; save for those on the Parthenon; were found intact; so the restorer had to use his imagination. As for bronze statues; they were rarely found intact; as bronze was valuable and frequently recycled.Collecting in America gets a small chapter; and not surprising; given that the US patrons of the arts werenrsquo;t especially fond of Europe. While the British nobility had classical educations; and even gone on the famous Grand Tour; most American millionaires didnrsquo;t care much for classical art. Andrew Carnegie; for instance; had his home decorated by American artists; who sculpted and painted American wildlife. For a US millionaire; Audubonrsquo;s Birds of America were more desirable than marble statue of Zeus. Not mentioned in the book is The Metropolitan Museumrsquo;s sculpture collection; which eventually turned out to be full of junk. In the 1880rsquo;s; the museum hired an Italian general (and Civil War veteran) Luigi Palma di Cesnola as its curator for antiquities; and he proceeded to stuff the galleries with randomly-collected artefacts from Kurion. Even in the 1880rsquo;s; there were debates as to whether his ldquo;digsrdquo; were in fact looting; and the restorations; which he directed; were considered inaccurate even then. He was merely an amateur archeologist; with no experience; study; or training; but he was an Italian; so to the Americans; he was an expert. When the wing was reopened in 2006; some of the marbles he brought to New York were now thought to be scraps from art schools of the time. The professor mustrsquo;ve taken his studentsrsquo; homework; thrown it in a box; and said ldquo;here General Palma; ancient marble feet and hands.rdquo; This Italian ldquo;geniusrdquo; couldnrsquo;t tell the difference!One of the best essays in this book is by Bjorn Ewald; with his treatise on Roman sarcophagi. While the bas reliefs depict war; and the statues depict Roman gods; the burial boxes tell you about the regular people. Yoursquo;ll quickly learn what they wore; what they did; how they lived; and what class they belonged to. Togas and hairstyles depict the social class; while different symbols show the kinds of jobs they had. Women are usually depicted in luxurious poses; probably because a woman who could afford a stone sarcophagus wouldrsquo;ve been a very wealthy woman! Wreaths symbolize the patrician class; grapes; associated with Bacchus and Dionysus; symbolize luxury and wealth. Poppies; found on some marble funeral sculptures; symbolize freedom from pain.This is a brilliant work; using Roman sculpture as a primary source for studying history. However; I would like to have read some discussion on Giovanni Battisti Piranisi; whose etchings depict the Roman ruins half-buried in the earth. The Roman Catacombs are not mentioned; probably because no sculptures are found there. The Catacombs are; however; a great source of frescoes depicting early Christianity. Perhaps wersquo;ll see another book like this; about Roman paintings?