New Year's Eve Ball

                  The original Times Square Ball

                    Today's Times Square Ball

          In the spirit of the new year, this post is dedicated to the famous Times Square ball dropped every New Year's Eve.
         This obscure tradition began in the year 1907, when the first 700 pound, iron ball adorned with one hundred light bulbs, designed by Jacob Starr, was lowered down the flagpole of One Times Square. Every year since, with the exceptions of 1942 and 1943 due to the wartime "dimout", crowds have formed in the famous square to watch the ball drop and count down the seconds to the new year.
         In the year 2000, the traditional style ball was replaced by a new one designed by Waterford Crystal. The ball was six feet in diameter, weighted over 1,070, and was covered in 504 crystal triangles, creating a geodesic sphere. In 2007, 72 of the crystal triangles were replaced with new ones showing the design "Hope for Peace", consisting of three doves as symbols bringing peace into the new year. 168 crystal light bulbs were added to the outside of the ball, 432 light bulbs--in an array of red, green, blue, yellow, and white-- were placed inside the ball with 96 colored strobe lights. About 100 rotating pyramids were faceted to the exterior in order to reflect the light back towards the audience. The lights and mirrors were all computer controlled, and created an amazing, kaleidoscope-like effect. After the 2007-2008 New Year's Eve bash, the Millennium ball was taken down and is now displayed inside One Times Square.
         This odd tradition did by no means begin in Times Square. The first "time-ball" was used in 1833 by England's Royal Observatory in Greenwich. At one o'clock every afternoon, the the time-ball would drop in order for captains or nearby ships to set their chronometers--a navigation instrument.

More Fashion

       
         After doing my last post on "The Golden Age of Couture," I decided that I must write another post on my favorite piece from the collection: "Les Muguets" by Hubert de Givenchy.The dress was made in 1955, but the original commissioner is unknown.
          What struck me most about this particular Givenchy's innovation of the "New Look" ideas set forth by Dior combined with his own personal touches. Givenchy incorporated the cinched waste and feminine, full skirt contemporary of the "Golden Age", but he created a greater sense of delicacy and beauty through his use of embroidery and train. The dress is made even more feminine through its elaborate design and long train.  When I saw the dress in person, The dress literally sparkles in every direction. Each bead was sewn of individually, and every pattern done separately; the intricacy is absolutely overwhelming.
           This dress is stunning. Enough said. I dream about it.

Here is a close-up on the embroidery. Absolutely incredible.

Golden Age of Couture

                         "Zemire", Dior, 1954-5

          A few months ago, I visited the "Golden Age of Couture" collection at the First. The exhibit showcased Dior's "New Look". In 1947, Dior opened his couture house in Paris, and he became an instant success. His work embraced feminine characteristics--sloping shoulders, cinched wastes, and full busts--and defied the masculine, wartime look of his predecessors. From this time until Dior's death is known as "the Golden Age" of couture, for Dior's work influenced many other designers like Paris's Cristobal Balenciaga, Hubert de Givenchy, and Pierre Balmain, and his influence spread even to London's Hardy Amies, Charles Creed, and Norman Hartnell.
         Dior's "Zemire" is exemplary of his "New Look". The version displayed in this particular exhibit was made in 1954 for Lady Sekers, the wife of a British textile manufacturer, from man made fabric, Cellulose acetate. The skirt is line with layers of silk and netting in order to achieve the full-hipped feel desired by Dior. One can see the difference between the wartime attire and Dior's postwar garb through the tiny, accentuated waste, the curved, sloping shoulders, and the length of the skirt.
         This particular piece stuck out to me because of the obvious innovative characteristics created by Dior. Pieces like this one changed the fashion industry forever.

The History of the Christmas Tree

       
          Yesterday, while disassembling my family Christmas tree, my little brother asked, "Why do we even have a Christmas tree?". I honestly had no idea either, so I was encouraged to do a bit of research on the history of the odd tradition.
           The Christian story of the Christmas tree began almost a thousand years ago in Germany, and a Christian prophet, St. Boniface. It is said that while St. Boniface traveled across Germany converting the native peoples to Christianity, he came upon a group of pagans worshiping an oak tree. Enraged, St. Boniface cut down the oak tree, and in its place, a fir tree grew up from the ground. St. Boniface associated the fir tree as a symbol of Christian faith, and Christianity's triumph over paganism.
           Only, after doing a bit ymore research, I discovered that the history of bringing evergreen trees inside one's home and decorating it began long before St. Boniface. In fact, ancient Pagan cultures used to bring evergreen trees into their homes and temples during the month of December in celebration for the winter solstice. The Pagans believed the evergreen trees to have magical powers, seeing as they were the only plants able to survive winter. The Roman Pagans are said to have decorated their evergreens with metals, candles and replicas of their god in celebration of their winter festival, the Saturnalia, which lasted until a few days after the winter solstice.
            Although the history of the Christmas tree is twisted and uncertain, no one can deny the beauty of the odd tradition. Modern day Christmas trees are beautiful with their vast array of lights, ornaments, and tinsel. I know in our home, as soon as the Christmas tree is assembled, a joyful mood seems to take the entire house; the wonderful evergreen smell, the twinkle of the lights, and the handmade ornaments create a cheerful holiday atmosphere.

Portait of a Man in Red Turban

In the National Gallery in London stands the work of art that helped form our modern day view of painting. Jan Van Eyck's Man in Red Turban drastically differed from the painting styles used before him. The Flemish artist, credited with the discovery of oil paints, reestablished the use of a direct portrait, having not been done for hundreds of years. Painted through the eyes of the man being depicted, Van Eyck creates the sensation that the man is merely looking into a mirror, with the painting as his reflection. This may be the first perfectly done direct portrait, where the eyes of the figure seems to follow one across a room. Through his use of oil paints, Van Eyck is able to capture an amount of detail never seen before. He portrays a naturalism far more realistic than any of his predecessors through the addition of the minutest details: individual capillaries in the man's bloodshot eyes, a relaxed and natural three-quarter head turn, a faint but noticeable shadow of stubble, wrinkles and bags underneath tired eyes. As seen in the magnificent folds in the Turban, the shadows under the folds in the man's aged skin, and the light reflecting off the man's right eye, the oils allow Ban Eyck to establish a better sense of three dimensions.
A controversy among critics has arisen around this particular work of Van Eyck: is this a self portrait? Still in it's original frame, one can read the inscription on the top central panel as it simply says in Greek "As I Can", then below on the central bottom panel in Latin, "Jan Van Eyck Made Me". Although this seems to be fairly solid evidence to the theory, it cannot be proved for sure. What this portrait does depict is the desire for secular artwork from the growing middle class of the time. In years before, painting and sculpture was dominated by the religious figures, disrupted only by the an occasion royal depiction.

Arnolfo Di Cambio's Florence Cathedral

During the 14th century, Florence played a dominant role in European politics, economics, and culture. As a result of their power, Florentines self pride was made evident through the construction of multiple landmark buildings. The Florence Cathedral, begun in 1296 by Arnolfo Di Cambio, is remarkable not only in size, but in it's architectural and decorative qualities as well.  Originally designed to hold the entire Florentine population, the basilican style church channels Early Christian tradition rather than follow it's Gothic contemporaries in France. In contrast to High Gothic style, the Florence Cathedral does not seem to be built to emphasize height, for all of the geometric shapes of the revetment create a strongly horizontal feel. The exterior walls are remarkably ornate with marble-encrusted geometric designs, exemplary of Tuscan Romaneque traditional architecture.

The Cathedral's campanille was designed much later, in 1334, by Giotto di Bondone. The capanille, standing apart from the main church, upholds the traditional Italian style of the main Cathedral. The interior of the Cathedral has a unique shape. The large dome seems to be the focal point, emphasized by the nave which seems to lead straight to it. A spaciousness felt not even in those lofty High Gothic Cathedral is evident in the Florence Cathedral, for the nave bays are much deeper. Continuing with the exterior, there is a strong emphasis on horizontal elements in the interior. The decoratively ornate capitals of the piers inhibit one's eyes from looking any further upwards, as well as elaborating on the piers structural importance. Unlike the Gothic style's need to dissolve any substantial mass or wall space through the use of light, this cathedral does not seem to care at all about melting away solid structures; there are few windows in comparison, and the structural piers dominate the interior floorspace.

Laon Cathedral

The Laon Cathedral located in Laon, France,  represents the classic French Gothic style  of the twelfth century C.E.. As it was constructed in 1190, the cathedral incorporates elements of Romanesque style as well as Early European Gothic tradition. The Cathedral encompasses the Norman Romanesque tradition through the Nave arcade's support system, comprising of alternating compound and central piers, as well as through the vaulting system and the vaulted galleries above (except for the pointed arches). The pointed arches seen in the nave bays, as well as the triforium,  are exemplary of the Early European Gothic stylistic elements of the cathedral. The triforium, the story in the nave comprised of arcades, in  this case, blind arcades, was a new feature used in Gothic architecture accentuating the new found Gothic inclination to break up any areas of continuous wall space.

The Western Facade of the cathedral depicts the transition from Romanesque to European Gothic perhaps even further than the the cathedral's interior. Through the enormous centrally located rose window, the openness of the two tower structures, as well as the doorways' deep porches, European Gothic style dominates the facade.