Elease's Europe Adventures

We have learned a lot about Maria Theresia during our time in Austria.  Maria Theresia became queen at 25 years old however her whole empire was unstable.  She had no money and was fighting many wars at once because of other countries challenging Austria because they saw it as weak.  She only lost one of these wars and that was against Prussia. In doing this she ended up proving herself to her subjects and was able to trust her subjects because of how smart and powerful she can be.  She created the iconic Maria Theresia yellow that is now seen throughout Austria.  I really like Maria Theresia and how she was able to build something out of a kingdom that was seen as weaker.   Maria Theresia made many contributions to her country and throughout the rest of the world.  One of these was her interest in vaccines and how it can help her children to survive to adulthood as well as help the rest of the country to learn and take vaccines.  She was als...

For my art work of choice I am choosing the painting called "Portrait of a Woman" by Gustav Klimt.  This painting depicts a woman in a black gown.  The shoulders are puffy, her hair is pulled back, and she has a short necklace with a charm on it.  She has her hand resting on a piece of furniture and she is looking away from the viewer.  Her skin is a stark white contrast from the black of her dress.  She has rosy cheeks.  There is a tapestry in the back ground and her dress is sparkly like there are gem stones on it.  This gives you the ideal that she has money to spare on nicer things.   I believe this painting is important for a variety of reasons.  First of all this painting is of a woman which contrast to what we are used to seeing from paintings at the time this was very important.  Another reason is because this woman was so important for the shift of fashion cultural.  Like Professor McFarland said this woman shifted the...

  When we went to the Quinta da Regaleira I was in awe.  It was so beautiful seeing the different towers, caves, tunnels, and chapels.  This place was a maze of beauty.  I noticed a lot of different building made of rocks and the caves were very detailed with many different loops and holes.  All were naturally eroded.  We also were able to walk down this really deep well that had stair case around in a circle.  The paths we walked on were wide and very clear paths.  There was beautiful nature around.  This area was like walking around finding hidden treasures.  There was beautiful scenery and trees.   This castle is important for many reasons historically and culturally.  One of these reasons is because it is a landmark for Sintra that it can claim as a popular place.  It also is important according to the professors because it is esoteric.  This makes the place so interesting to people coming because it gives th...

The painting that I am choosing to write about is "The Wreck of a Transport Ship" by Joseph Mallord William Turner.  This painting depicts two ships sailing in extremely rough waters.  There was one a ship with sails that are slanted sideways.  The other one does not have sales but a bunch of people is shown in the boat rowing.  The water is almost as high as the boats and there is some rocks that is dangerously close.  The water is white showing the roughness of the waves, and the sky is a greyish hue that shows it is stormy.  The colors in the ship are extremely stark against the rest of the waves and sky.  There are men with bright red coats.   This painting is an English painting so I believe it depicts an English scene.  This I can tell is because of the red coats that are iconic to old English soldiers that is depicted inside of the boat.  I do not think this is significantly important to Portugal though.  However, accord...

For my woman of choice I am doing Queen Maria the second of Portugal.  We learned a lot about her because of our trip.  I learned that she became queen at 7 years old.  This made her entire life about how to be the best queen ever.  They sent her all around Europe to become as educated as possible.  She was also supposed to marry her uncle but they eventually over ruled this and she ended up getting to marry a liberal man who was a good king.  She had 12 kids and worked to help people have a better life and did her best to help prevent people dying from cholera.  She died having childbirth too young at 34 years old.   Her contributions are so important because she helped to standardize public health for Portugal.  She also continued to help fight cholera.  She was constantly fighting for the welfare of the people of Portugal.  She has helped to change society because she was able to be a queen of Portugal without having a king ...

I have learned a lot about this woman during this trip.  I learned that she can sing in five different languages: Portuguese, French, Spanish, English and Italian.  She was the most famous woman at the time.  She was very interested in clothing, jewlery, and sunglasses.  She grew up as a seamstress and working her whole life.  I also learned that she had a parrot that is still alive today.  She was married twice.  Once because her parents really wanted her too.  Her other marriage was with a man she loved who died just two years before her of a heart attack which is the same way she died.   Her contribution was so important because she created a community within several countries.  She was able to sing in so many languages which helped to unite these countries in a common love.  She also was able to sing about something that is political which was very controversial at the time.  She was a powerful woman and was able to pa...

This monument is a huge tall tower of cement.  It is shaped like a large rectangle.  There is a slight curve that look somewhat like waves.  There is a group of men slanted up toward the river.  All of the men are looking toward the river.  Around the statue there is a board walk next to the river and the river is quite expansive.  All the men look like they are in another time period.  It is a powerful looking statue that is very imposing on the area.  There is also nothing else around that size so it draws your eye straight to you and is very imposing to everything around you.   This monument is so important to Lisbon and Portugal because it is seen as soon as you get in by the river.  The monument represents and shows you Henry the Navigator who was a big deal to the people of religion.  The reason this monument is so important and Henry the Navigator was so important was because Henry the Navigator and his crew made Portuga...

The woman I want to write about today is Condesa De Pardo Bazon.  This woman was an intellectual who wrote many stories.  She wrote anything from a narrative, a fairy tale, children books, poems, articles, etc.  She was the first woman to become a professor in the big university in Madrid.  She was the superior in her job title, however, the other professors at her school would extremely prohibit other students from going to her lectures.   She was a Catholic that believed in Darwinism.  This is a huge deal for the time period.  She is smart and knowledgeable but still has a religious background.  This was uncommon for religious people to believe in evolution.  I really like her for many reasons but for this detail specifically because she did not have to sacrifice her beliefs for realistic knowledge.   Her contribution is so important because she is a pioneer for woman teaching at a university level.  She is also importan...

This painting that I choose is called "La Siesta" by Pintado.  This painting portrays four girls resting in the grass.  The colors all mix together to create dimension.  There is darker and lighter color green that shows the shadows and hills of the grass.  Other things that cause dimension is the different colors in the dresses.  This causes the dresses to look wrinkled which adds to relaxed state of the girls.  Other features include a dark area at the far left corner that show something that I cannot quite figure out.  It seems like it is some kind of animal but it is definitely giving the viewer imaginative qualities to figure it out on their own.   This painting is important culturally because of the Siesta that they celebrate each day in Spain.  This is a cultural thing that really effects the way they live.  It makes the day different than the way we experience each day because they eat later, sleep in later, and go home for ...

  When we went to the Cathedral today in Toledo I was in awe!  It was such a big Cathedral with so many details that I was able to notice better because of El Pratt's scavenger hunt.  Some things that I noticed was the rock that we touched that the virgin came down upon.  That was cool and interesting that they kept it and was so much of an importance to them.  Other things I noticed was the details in every place in the city.  There were paintings, stained glass windows, 3D sculptures that combined with the paintings to give the effect of going on forever.  I noticed that it was very dark and they only used natural lighting.   I believe this is so important historically and culturally because of the background behind the events that happened there.  This Cathedral was the place were the Virgin awarded the cape.  This became such a historical story and event that made this Cathedral so important.  Another, thing that makes this...

We have learned a lot about Concepción Arenal during our time here in Spain.  She is a journalist and poet who also graduated with a degree in law.  During law school she had to dress as a man not because she had to disguise herself to be let into the school, but because she was told if she did not she would make the men distracted and uncomfortable.  She did so and continued to dress as a man throughout her life because she found she was taken more seriously when she was dressed as a man.  This resonated with things we are told as a woman throughout our life especially as a woman in the church.   Her contribution is so important because she wanted to attend school and university.  She found a way to do so.  She also advocated for women prisoners because of the mistreatment and the lack of reform for prisoners.  Prisoners were decided that they were a criminal by the shape of their head.  She fought to make improvements for prisoners so ...

During our visit to the Archeology museum we learned a lot about the Iberian time and how they settled Spain.  I noticed a lot of different things inside the museum.  Lots of Artifacts from times when Spain was less settled and was a bunch of different groups.  I noticed a lot of pottery, head pieces, and things that contributed to their grave.  I noticed a lot of gold, and stone artifacts.  They did not have as much color as other things that we have been exploring however.  I learned a lot about the way Spain came to be and how the different groups of people contributed to the culture of Spain.   I believe this group of people was so important for Spain because it helped contribute so much to what Spain is today.  Learning about all the different things that make up this group of people has helped us to better understand Spain now.  Some of these things include their art and the way they respect the dead.  However, many of the thi...

  The artwork that I picked for Amsterdam was Port en Bessin by  Georges Seurat  in the Kroller Muller Museum.  This painting is an impressionist painting in the style of millions of tiny dots on a canvas.  The tiny dots are clumped together in a way to make it look like an image.  The image this is depicting is a port in Amsterdam that has boats and a canal.  The Amsterdam flags are waving in the background.  The sky is darker in the painting is darker than the canal.  The canal is darker here in Amsterdam so you can tell the artist was knowledgable and studied the landscape around.   I believe this painting was historically important because it shows the wave of impressionism that was popular in that era.  It was also culturally important because it shows Amsterdam and the things that make up Amsterdam (canals, flags, boats, etc.).  This helps you to realize the things that make up Amsterdam.  It is also culture sig...

I want to do my blog post on Bet van Beeran.  This woman was LGBTQ+ and was open about it during Nazis rule in Amsterdam.  This was not accepted in this time but especially not accepted when the Nazis were in Amsterdam.  We learned a lot about her and her contribution of protecting others specifically during the time of the Nazis.  She had a cafe that was a safe place for others, specifically the LGBTQ+ community, but also anyone else who needed protection and a safe place to be who they are.  She would have a owl that would warn others when Nazis were around that she would light.  The people that she protected and helped ended up calling themselves the "Owls."  I loved learning about Bet van Beeran because she was someone that could have only protected herself because of her own persecution from Nazis, however, she decided to be there to help others as well.   I think Bet van Beeran contribution is so important because she allowed for a safe...

We have learned a lot about Anne Frank in our time in Amsterdam especially when we went and visited the house she was in during her period of hiding.  I have had the opportunity to read her diary previously as well as learn more about her during our tour.  We learned that she and her family were born in Germany and had to flee too Amsterdam.  Her father had a business that he was running with an extra space in the back.  They were able to have a normal life but lived in constant fear.  Something that I learned about her was that she was very deep and thoughtful for a girl her age.  The words she wrote we wise beyond her years.  I also learned about their daily routine and how strict and exact it was which helped them to stay secretive for so much longer.  I loved learning about her because she reminds me of myself.  She is someone who is a little bit of a trouble maker but is still wise.    Her contribution is so important because t...

In my time eating the Balinese food I loved the experience.  I thought it tasted amazing.  I noticed there was a lot of color.  There was brown, orange, green, etc.  It included rice, and many other different kinds of protein.  I liked that there was ways to try several different kinds of foods.  It was fun to be able to switch around and pass towards others.  I noticed a combinations of flavors, sweet, spicy, nutty, salty, etc.  I noticed that the restaurant was dim and was very nice.  They served the food on warming plates.  There were many different fun drinks.   I believe this kind of food is important historically for Amsterdam specifically because it has held onto the culture of it for so long.  I loved learning about how Amsterdam is the only place that you can still eat like this.  I also found it interesting learning about the Trading company and how they brought all of these different spices to the Amsterdam...

For my art piece I am doing the Lamb of God.  This art piece shows Jesus as a king in the center of the alter piece.  You have John the Baptist and Mary off to his sides along with a choir, piano player, and Adam and Eve.  Underneath him you have people flocking to see the lamb of God which represents Jesus in the very center.  Something that I noticed was how bright the colors are.  You can tell Van Eyck wanted to capture our attention using color and how grand this alter piece is.  It looks like something that is very rich.  The clothing that they are all wearing is rich looking with gold trim and bright colors.  Another thing I noticed was the shape of Eve's body.  She looks like a normal slim woman, however, her stomach is swollen.  I wonder if this is to portray her as a postpartum woman.   I believe this was so important because of the meaning behind it.  Van Eyck was able to create a painting with so much meaning be...

I have learned a lot about this woman during our trip! Some things I have learned is about how Marie Popelin was a woman who was willing to try new things.  She left her previous career to do law school.  She wanted to take the bar to be fully licensed and begin practicing law.  However, they would not let her because she was a woman.  She challenged this multiple times with a lawyer of her own and lost multiple times.  She realized that it was the oppression towards woman that needs to change instead.  Learning about Marie Popelin and how she continued challenging previous ideals shows how when she sets her mind to something she will do everything in her power to achieve it.   Her contribution to feminism is so important because she is someone that will work towards something.  When she saw unfairness in her life she decided to do something about it.  When she challenged Brussels and had a case against them it gave awareness to the issu...

  In the EU Parliament building I noticed how extremely large it was.  Although we only saw a small part of it I noticed the expansiveness of it.  I noticed that it was very simple and structured.  Using grey stone and windows to give a more modern classic look.  I could tell that the way they created it was something that was done to give space to all that was done in the building but to also create a space that many professionals and politicians to come in that was impressive to them.  Both the interior and exterior was something that was somewhat plain but grand.  It was a building that was almost intimidating.   I believe this building is very important for many reasons.  It is a building that holds many important political across much of Europe.  This building is a place that holds many discussions and is a good neutral ground for these discussions to take place.  It is also important historically because it shows how much...

The woman that I am choosing is Marie Lurencin.  She is from Paris and is initially trained as a porcelain painter.  She the began learning painting and frequented with other famous artists.  She was influenced by Cubist painting from the 1920's however she created her own style based on light, pastel tones and dreamlike environments.  She also helped to design theaters and ballets.  Her art shows animated almost ethereal figures that look like they are otherworldly.  However, the images she depicts are based on people.  Her paintings are similar to something the Picasso created however, the way she creates them is much softer looking and magical.   I think she is so important to the art world because she is a well known cubist, modern art, artist.  She is also a woman.  Many other artist especially with this style of art are men.  This is an important factor because many of the paintings she creates are of woman.  This is...

My favorite piece of artwork was by an artist named Auguste Renoir.  The painting is called La Lecture.  This painting is depicting two young girls who are both reading one book.  One girl is blond and the other one is blond.  The light catches on the cheek of the blond girls face.  She is definitely the "main character" in the painting.  The brush strokes are long and strategic, using many different colors to create depth and structure to the painting. The different colors also creates a sort of dreamlike essence that makes the painting somewhat magical and nostalgic.  The brunette girl has her arm across the back of the chair leaning over and has quite red cheeks.   I am not sure if this painting is important or not based on looking at it right away.  However, I believe that he was somewhat of a leader in painting people that could be potentially close to him or people who were not adults, famous people getting portraits, or biblical s...

I have learned a lot about Simon de Beauvoir during my time in Paris.  I learned about her opinions in "The Second Sex".  I have learned about her ideals of how men and women allow us to become the second sex.  I learned about how she is a philosopher and somewhat of a autobiographical author.  She believes in open relationships and not getting married.  I also learned of how much of a trailblazer she was in academia and how she was important in founding and creating feminism.  Something that I really appreciate that she believes in is freedom of choice and how the consequence that follows will become your responsibility.   I think her contribution is so important because feminism is so important.  Her ideals and philosophies gave more ideals and more power to the second wave of feminism.  This helped to continue to grow the progressiveness of feminism and build a foundation of ideals that more people agreed with that connected with them...

I have learned a lot about Agnès Varda during our time visiting her grave as well as visiting her house. I learned that first she was a movie director, photography, and revolutionary for her time. She was smart and used different camera angles to create a more unique angle for her films. Her films were always using a woman as a main character. She also loved to tell her autobiography about her life using her movies. She realized along the way that all movies are autobiographic so she decided to lean into it and tell her stories more. I really liked her because I learned how revolutionary she is. I also learned how important it is to have women in film. I really have grown to love her and her work because of how much we needed the stories she is telling. We needed to have stories of women told by women with new ideas that women should have. Her contribution in film is so important because of her ideals. Her films show the transformation of women specifically in showing what we...