The Beauty of the Arboretum

I was not expecting much going to the Arboretum on a cold, Fall morning.   By now, I thought most of the plants would be dead or transported to another area to save them before it gets too cold.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that all the plants thriving and looking just as striking as the last time I was there.  The last time I went to the Arboretum was two years ago to take pictures with my sister during her spring graduation.  During the spring, the Arboretum looks astounding, with the flowers blossoming and the vivid colors of the plants catching your eye.  I really enjoyed going to the Arboretum during class because of the awesome landscape, the beautiful plants and the overall serenity of the gardens.  

The most beautiful substances in the world are not created by humans; they are the natural views and objects that are bestowed upon us by nature.  I am a nature lover because I am often blown away by what nature has to offer.  At the Arboretum, it is very easy to see why many people love nature.  The plants range from sunflowers to trees and are extremely colorful.  Many of the plants are very brightly colored and easily stand out.  There are many different and unique plants that you may not expect to see.  For example, there was a Palm tree, which is the first Palm tree I have ever seen at Penn State.  The set up and structure of the Arboretum helps make the plants look even better because of the flow and organization.  They have all of the brightly colored flowers next to each other which help each plant stand out even more because of the contrast of the colors.  Nature has so much to offer to the world and the Arboretum perfectly shows people the serenity and beauty of nature.

The Arboretum offers a valuable and unique experience every single time you go.  Visiting the Arboretum with the class is different than going there alone.  With the class, it was more of a social and academic visit.  Going alone would be a more peaceful and serene time where you can observe the beauties of nature and collect your thoughts.  The Arboretum is often overlooked and outshined by many of the other various arts and non-arts experience here at Penn State.  I plan on going back to the Arboretum a few times throughout the semester.  I want to go with friends to hike on the paths that surround it and also go alone to get some peace away from the classrooms and dorms.  I can imagine myself going back a few times to try and get the full experience of everything that the Arboretum has to offer.

When people here at Penn State first think of the Arboretum, they would most likely think of all the beautiful plants there.  Although the Arboretum is filled with thousands of plants, there is so much more to experience there than just that.  My favorite part about the Arboretum is the incredible view of the mountains.  Sitting down under the massive, white tarp and staring out into the fields that seem to last forever is an incredible experience.  I was taken away by the beauty of these mountains that surround our school.  Beyond the just the views, there is also awesome landscape and architecture that make the Arboretum what it is.  The building is brand new and built in a way that fits in with all the natural substances around it.  It has a lot of open space in it and is surrounded by large, thin trees.  The Arboretum has a lot to offer and some of the best parts aren’t even the plants.

 

I am really glad that I got to go to the Arboretum again and I can’t wait to go again.  Wandering around the gardens, observing the beauty of the mountains and taking in nature as a whole is truly a unique and breathtaking experience there.  The beauty of the plants and tremendous views are the two things that stick out to me there.  Overall, I am truly lucky to go to a school that offers so many different opportunities and experiences that include observing nature and the beauty of our world.

First College Field Trip: The Palmer Museum of Art

Louis Finson
Flemish, C. 1580-1617
San Gennaro, C. 1610-1612

            The piece of artwork that caught my eye in the Palmer Museum of Art was an oil on canvas painting titled San Gennaro, painted by Louis Finson.  The painting is very large in size; about 3 feet wide and 4 feet tall and is surrounded by an old and golden frame.  The painting is of the Patron Saint of Naples, San Gennaro.  San Gennaro is wearing a white robe surrounded by a golden cloak.  He is also wearing a large golden cloak and holding a large staff.  In front of him is a table holding two bottles and a severed human head.  The head is positioned sideways and looks pale and green.  When you see the head, you look back up at the Saint and see his face in a different manner.  He is holding his hands up and his face is showing a cold and menacing look.  No matter where you are located in the room, the eyes of the Saint follow you.  The background of the painting is a deep, dark black that makes the picture that more daunting and scary.

 This piece of art was created around 1610 in either Finson’s home in Belgium or in Italy, where San Gennaro is well known.  Very little is known about San Gennarro and many myths still float around about him.  After thorough research, there was no extreme religious tension or war going on in Italy or with them around that time.  The severed head was most likely from a man who spoke out against the church or a practicing scientist who went against the church.  In the 16^th and 17^th century, the church executed many different people for speaking out against them.  This painting send the message that the church does not mess around and will not tolerate anything that hurts or goes against their values.  This artwork shows that while the church believes in peace and non-sinful ways, they will kill people.  The artwork fits perfectly into this age of the church because of the severed head and death glare from the Saint.

To me, this piece is a very dark, scary and mysterious work of art.  When I first looked at the painting I saw the menacing glare of the Saint and a severed head that scared me.  You look at this man and you know that you should not cross him.  It is a very mysterious piece because it does not show much and you have no idea why a Saint would be next to a severed head.  This piece of artwork makes me feel like the church is above its own rules.  One of their commandments is to not kill thy neighbor, but they have no problem doing that.  This piece of artwork is creepy, dark and mysterious for its look and the meaning behind it.

This painting was created by Louis Finson in 1610.  He was considered a successful artist in his time, but is not an extremely famous one.  He was often commissioned to do religious paintings in Italy.  The Flemish artist work and studied art in Spain, Italy and France during his life.  His most famous piece is titled Allegory of the Four Elements.  He also painted many different pictures of Jesus and famous stories from the bible.  Little is known about the life and eventual death of this man.  The dates of his birth and death are not perfectly accurate.

The claim this piece is making is about the power of the church.  It makes different claims now than it did four hundred years ago.  When Finson first created this artwork it was meant to serve as a pro-church piece of work.  The message it sends is that the church is all knowing and that no one should cross them.  They are correct all the time and their beliefs should be regarded as the church.  Another reason why this piece is showing the church in a good light is because the artist was often commissioned by churches to make art for them.  The claim is very persuasive because of the severed head and cold, scary demeanor of the Saint.  A dead man means nothing to this leader and he is not afraid to do what he has to do.  

Going to the Palmer Museum of Art was my first trip to a museum of any kind in a few years.  It was really enjoyable going back to a museum because you get to experience art from many different centuries.  I really want to start to go back to museums and learn about history and enrich my perspective.  I would like to also go to museums that preserve things other than art.  It would be awesome to go back to Washington D.C. and visit all the historic Museums that carry the artifacts of this country.  I am a history buff and would love to see the artifacts that defined our country.

All About My Blog

Template: I am not a computer guru by any means, and my blog reflects that.  That is not necessarily negative because the way it is set up is simple.  I want people to look at my blog and see that it is easy to use and understand.  I want all parts of my blog to be very user friendly.  The template does give the blog some more character.  The most important purposes of my blog is that it is easy to use, but I didn't want it to look boring and bland.  I chose the simple blue template to fulfill those purposes.

Title: I don't like boring titles and I thought this title would immediately grab people's attention.  I also think I am a little crazy, so I thought a little crazy title would fit me well.

Color:  I choose to use a light blue color because it looked relaxing.  I don’t want my blog to be taken to seriously or profressional, I just want it to get the job done and at the same time have people enjoy being on it.

Font:  The font of my blog was not the most important characteristic about it to me.  I think that the font shouldn’t be to complex and the reader should understand it easily.  I also feel that the font should be profressional and not distracting.  I kept it simple, going along with the theme of the blog.

Pages: I once again kept the pages characteristic of the blog simple.  I have the important tabs at top for readers to find the most important blogging information.  Also, looking at many different profressional websites and blogs, you find the most important information (i.e. contact us, homepage, etc.) at the top of the site.  As I continue to build my blog, there will be more tabs on the top of the page.

Sharing: My blog has a follow by email gadget and a search bar that will help people navigate the blog.

Links: Links will be displayed on the bottom of the page as need by.  I also added a few gadgets to the blog for functional and design purposes.  As mentioned earlier, I have a search bar and email attachment that will help people follow the blog better.  I also have a logo and a quote gadget that give the page more character.

About Me: My information gadget on the side of the blog gives some basic information about me.  Its not a biography but tells users my current location, where I was born, what I am studying and a little fact about me.  I kept it simple because I feel as if people are more interested in the blog posts than the “About Me” section.

Overview: Overall, I like my blog because it is simple and easy to use.  It reflects me well because I like to keep things simple.  Also there is some humor throughout the blog, and I like to make people laugh.  Building it was not to difficult, but I am not computer savvy, so I did struggle a little.  I think I will get a lot out of this blog because it is my first time blogging, I like english and writing and I will put a lot of work into it.