Tapas Garden

As I love to travel and have been spending extensive time in Florida, I feel that the least I could do is comment on it. The Clearwater, FL area is beautiful and well-traveled by tourists. Beautiful beaches (though not as white or pristine as Florida’s northwest beaches) run along the Gulf coast boasting bright green water and soft sand. Though I have my favorite beaches and parks in the area, I want to focus on something that I know quite well, food. I have a passion for food and am quite picky about not only the food but the ambiance, the air, that the restaurant provides. A recent find of mine (that does appear on the top spots in the Clearwater/Indian Shores area) deserves some dialogue.

The Tapas Garden and Wine Bar at Indian Rocks Beach is an interesting mix of Florida and Latin flavor. When I hear tapas, I think of the tapas I ate in Spain, jamon and olives. These are quite simple options and that is what I like about cold tapas. Though marinated olives were an option at Tapas Garden the ham was not which is slightly upsetting because there is little better than Spanish or even Italian hams and salami. The food that I could order however was good. In true Spanish fashion I ordered paella. It was good but too salty for my general taste. Though I opted away from the standard seafood paella mine was filled with chicken, vegetables, and chorizo. The chorizo really added the necessary flavor and for a split moment I felt the warm Spanish sun on my face—well, I was also sitting outside on the patio.

I was eating at a pleasant table facing the street. Though loud trucks distracted me from time to time from my enjoyment (especially when one of them was backing up—beep, beep, beep) I liked the light breeze, the sun, and the feeling of vineyards enveloping me. The restaurant also has a seating area on the side which is the garden seating. It appeared nice when I walked through and a little more peaceful but not as interesting for people watching. I would opt for the front patio unless quiet or romantic accommodations were necessary.

Tapas Garden blended American tastes by adding a pizza (with a thinker crust) to the menu, the local Cuban population by including the infamous Cuban sandwich, and several of the classic dishes of Spain. I liked the food for its vibrant flavor, characteristic of Spanish food, and the comfort of sitting on their patio. However I believe that the accommodations for diverse palettes limit its ability to be a true tapas restaurant and also the pastel colored floral décor was disappointing for I like the punch of the beautiful bright blues and yellows and oranges of a cliché Spanish restaurant.

Timbuktu

Timbuktu was for a long time thought legendary. Its reputation of immensely rich city fed myths in Western Europe and explorers tried their luck to find it. Located in the middle of the Western Africa, it would be discovered by Europeans centuries after its decline. Few accounts related to the city till the eighteen century and as a result the imaginations of the people were easily misled by them and their rarity, contributing to bolster its status as a mysterious place. I am afraid that this article will not be as detailed as I wished it could as sources on Timbuktu remain sparse at least on internet.

Timbuktu was founded by the nomadic Tuareg as early as the 10th century as a seasonal settlement. Roaming the desert during the wet months, in summer they stayed near the flood plains of the Inner Niger Delta. In the eleventh century merchants set up the various markets and built permanent dwellings in the town, establishing the site as a meeting place for people traveling by camel. They also introduced Islam and reading, through the Qur'an. With the rise of the Ghana Empire, several Trans Saharan trade routes had been established. Salt from Mediterranean Africa was traded with West-African gold and ivory, and large numbers of slaves. Halfway through the eleventh century, however, new goldmines near Bure made for an eastward shift of the trade routes. This development made Timbuktu a prosperous city where goods from camels were loaded on boats on the Niger. Muslim scholars from Walata fled to Timbuktu and solidified the position of Islam. Timbuktu had become a center of Islamic learning, with its Sankore University and 180 Quranic schools. In 1324 Timbuktu was peacefully annexed by king Musa I, returning from his pilgrimage to Mecca. The city now part of the Mali Empire, king Musa I ordered the construction of a royal palace and, together with his following of hundreds of Muslim scholars, built the learning center of Djingarey Ber in 1327.
By 1375, Timbuktu appeared in the Catalan Atlas, showing that it was, by then, a commercial center linked to the North-African cities and had caught Europe's eye.

With the power of the Mali Empire waning in the first half of the 15th century, Maghsharan Tuareg took control of the city in 1433-1434. Thirty years later however, the rising Songhay Empire expanded, absorbing Timbuktu in 1468-1469 and lead the city to its golden age. With the capital of the empire being Gao, Timbuktu enjoyed a relatively autonomous position. Merchants from numerous other cities of North Africa gathered there to buy gold and slaves in exchange for the Saharan salt of Taghaza and for North African cloth and horses. Leadership of the Empire stayed in the Askia dynasty until 1591, although internal fights led to a decline of prosperity in the city. The city's capture on August 17, 1591 by an army sent by the Saadi ruler of Morocco, Ahmad I al-Mansur, and led by pasha Mahmud B. Zarqun in search of gold mines, brought the end of an era of relative autonomy. Intellectually, and to a large extent economically, Timbuktu now entered a long period of decline. In 1593, Saadi cited 'disloyalty' as the reason for arresting, and subsequently killing or exiling many of Timbuktu's scholars. The ultimate decline continued, with the increasing trans-atlantic traderoutes (transporting African slaves, including leaders and scholars of Timbuktu) marginalising Timbuktu's role. While initially controlling the Morocco - Timbuktu traderoutes, the grip of the Moroccans on the city began losing its strength in the period until 1780, and in the early 19th century the Empire didn't succeed in protecting the city against invasions and the subsequent short occupations of the Tuareg (1800), Fula (1813) and Tukular 1840. It is uncertain whether the Tukular were still in control, or if the Tuaregs had once again regained power, when the French arrived.

Historic descriptions of the city had been around since Leo Africanus' account in the first half of the 16th century, and they prompted several European individuals and organizations to make great efforts to discover Timbuktu and its fabled riches. In 1788 a group of titled Englishmen formed the African Association with the goal of finding the city and charting the course of the Niger River. The earliest of their sponsored explorers was a young Scottish adventurer named Mungo Park, who made two trips in search of the Niger River and Timbuktu (departing first in 1795 and then in 1805). It is believed that Park was the first Westerner to have reached the city, but he died in modern day Nigeria without having the chance to report his findings. In 1824, the Paris-based Société de Géographie offered a 10,000 franc prize to the first non-Muslim to reach the town and return with information about it. The Briton Gordon Laing arrived in August 1826 but was killed the following month by local Muslims who were fearful of European intervention.  The Frenchman René Caillié arrived in 1828 traveling alone disguised as a Muslim; he was able to safely return and claim the prize. Robert Adams, an African-American sailor, claimed to have visited the city in 1811 as a slave after his ship wrecked off the African coast. He later gave an account to the British consul in Tangier, Morocco in 1813. He published his account in an 1816 book, The Narrative of Robert Adams, a Barbary Captive  (still in print as of 2006), but doubts remain about the veracity of his account.

After the scramble for Africa had been formalized in the Berlin Conference, land between the 14th meridian and Miltou, Chad would become French territory, bound in the south by a line running from Say, Niger to Baroua. Although the Timbuktu region was now French in name, the principle of effectivity needed France to actually hold power in those areas assigned, e.g. by signing agreements with local chiefs, setting up a government and making use of the area economically, before the claim would be definitive. On December 28, 1893, the city, by then long past its prime, was annexed by a small group of French, led by lieutenant Boiteux. Timbuktu was now a colony of France. During World War II, several legions were recruited in French Soudan, with some coming from Timbuktu, to help general Charles de Gaulle fight Nazi-occupied France and southern Vichy France. After World War II, the French government granted the colony more and more freedom. After a period as part of the short-lived Mali Federation, the Republic of Mali was proclaimed on September 22, 1960. After a November 19, 1968, a new constitution was created in 1974, making Mali a single-party state. By then, the canal linking the city with the Niger River had already been filled with sand from the encroaching desert. Severe droughts hit the Sahel region in 1973 and 1985, decimating the Tuareg population around Timbuktu who relied on goat herding. The Niger's water level dropped, postponing the arrival of food transport and trading vessels. The crisis drove many of the inhabitants of Tombouctou Region to Algeria and Libya. Those who stayed relied on humanitarian organisations such as UNICEF for food and water.

Nowadays, Timbuktu is also considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site – this has been so since 1988. As such, Timbuktu holds many wonders and pleasures to the culturally attuned. On a visit to Timbuktu, one can visit museums and an institute dedicated to the preservation of ancient manuscripts and book artisans. Its legend started when Mansa Musa, then the ruler of Timbuktu during the 14th century, went to Mecca on a pilgrimage. It is said that on the way to Mecca, he stopped over in Egypt where he behaved extravagantly by throwing gold around. It is said that he spread around enough gold that the Egyptian currency back then devalued. What happened then was not surprising – rumors started to fly around that there was this city deep within the heart of Africa wherein there was more gold than one can imagine - roofs and streets made with gold, and so on. In the end, its history and image in the popular culture makes it a prized destination for travellers looking for adventure in the desert with a mysterious touch.

-Croissant

Wonky Weather

Torrential rains have fallen over California over the past few days. Tonight is to bring up to ten inches (25cm) of rain (the harshest period of the storm yet). Though I cannot really make comments about the weather as I have very little control over the subject and usually it is considered dull conversation, I still have several questions related to the topic.

1) Why does rain fall while I am not there? I love the rain and I am a little disappointed to be missing it.

2) There are many mudslides, particularly in Southern California, which largely endanger expensive homes along the Pacific Coast Highway. Though these homes are located on a hillside and many overlook the Pacific Ocean, meaning highly prized property, why were they ever allowed to be built in the first place? As a taxpayer whose taxes go into emergency funds that have, in previous serious storm situations been paid out to mudslide residents, I am curious why the land was ever approved for residential use. If the land is not stable to build on, why are tax payers helping with the costs of repairs?

3) With unprecedented weather in other areas of the world (Europe) where are the discussions of climate change? Though this can be a completely natural global occurrence, I believe that this is a prime time for advocates to come forward and be vocal.

One last note, in the article about mudslides the seriousness of this storm really hits home. My hometown lost a little boy in a rain induced auto accident. Though I love the rain, I hope these next hours of downpour are safely enjoyed.

~PB

Crazy Monarchs

I was reading in my 'Easy French Reader' the other day and there was something that I found quite striking. I was reading a story of French history and there were references to the crazy/mad monarch, Charles VI: "En 1392, le roi de France, Charles VI, devient fou...En 1420 les Anglais forcent Charles VI, qui est encore fou..."

Reading this got me thinking...Was he really crazy or did he just not follow societal or leadership conventions of the time. I think about how many monarchs throughout history we have heard were mad. Were there bad genetics (and destructive inbreeding) in royal veins or were they unable to deal with the pressures of court or where they raised to have unreal/unpractical perspectives of the world they they were unable to maintain the image of sanity or were they just beyond their time in not believing in the social conventions and were therefore considered mad.

I think it is interesting to delve into what really made them be considered crazy. I have found a link that explores these mad monarchs from King George III of England to Ludwig II of Germany. This is some of what the page says about Charles VI:

In April 1392 Charles suffered from a mysterious illness which caused his hair and nails to fall out. He was hardly recovered, still suffering from occasional bouts of fever and behaving incoherently, when he set out on a punitive expedition after an assassination attempt on one of his advisors...Charles' mysterious illness of 1392 could have been typhus or encephalitis. If this disease was encephalitis, then it could very likely have been a contributory factor to the bizarre features of Charles' behaviour, for encephalitis can cause a marked character change and give rise to impulsive, aggressive and intemperate activity, similar in its symptoms to those of schizophrenia.

So it appears that he truly did suffer from constrained mental capacities. The question can then become why people tolerated being ruled by the unwell. Locke would argue that the contract between the governed and the governing had been broken. I think part of this revolt can be seen with the American revolution under King George III. Had George III not been ill would the course of history be different?

My Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving, the most traveled and family oriented holiday in the US. Nine out of ten people are spending the day with their family. However, it is disheartening when I am one of those 10% who are not at home. I actually traveled away from my family for the holiday. Working provides ample opportunities and enjoyment but I think that with such a family oriented holiday it is really hard to be away.

This holiday is I believe the most raw of all our holidays. It is not glamorized or commercialized like others nor does it revolve even around religion (meaning no one is left out). This holiday is the one time that I think Americans take the time to find their families and their gratitude and recenter. It is a humbling experience that Americans can all share. Though families hold a lot of drama and sometimes these events are stressful, there is a shared connection that cannot easily be pushed away like at other holidays. We have to take the time to look at what is important to us and attempt to show it.

So the big question then...what am I thankful for? I am thankful for so many things that I do not want to sit here and list them. I will say that my family and friends are always my greatest blessings. They are the most challenging and therefore the most rewarding. I am appreciative of my work and that I have such fun people to spend the holiday with here. And though I felt quite alone today I am grateful for those people who contacted me today to greet me. With that, I will head to sleep with a belly full of food and despite being thankful will feel slightly sorry for myself about having to be away from my home.

Message, manner and art

I went to an exhibition about Street Art recently in Coventry which was, to my surprise, quite interesting. In addition, the art gallery included a museum incorporating some pieces from the 18^th century to now. 

The street art exhibition was focusing on artists such as Banksy (arguably the most famous of them), Miss Tick, Sickboy or Pure Evil. These pseudonyms already manifest a statement about the authors and their wish to remain anonymous. The wishes of some artists to remain absolutely anonymous like Banksy might reveal some form of existentialism thought about just being an average person in the world. This practice is normal considering the nature of their works and its illegality. Indeed, graffiti is their main modus-operandi (but not the only one) and can be found, as it name implies, anywhere in a city. This is one of the main characteristic of street art and it reflects the desire of the authors to use the public space so they can reach the public and thus diffuse their designs or ideas. 

This idea of using the street as a tool also reflect the fact that they feel they cannot be seen in regular art galleries, mainly due to the elitism present there, and also probably for financial and time management reason. This has given way to the development of an underground culture which has been appealing to many. A lot of these graffiti bring with them a political message often encapsulated with some dark humour. They often appear to be criticising governments, traditions and denounce the unfairness of the world. Indeed, the use of opposite symbols in the same work or their falsifications is a recurrent technique leading to a caricatured scene.

I find the dark humour, facetiousness and creativity of these artists funny and interesting. Yet, seeing these works in an art gallery is making feel uneasy about the motives of displaying these already public works in a different place. Is this art a way for them to cry out their feeling of unjustice? Is this wish to remain anonymous genuine or do they just want to be famous in another way? Or is their seemingly opposition to traditions and government a genuine critique of their time or a childish idealist caprice? These artists probably do not care about how people judge them. I guess that my main bite against them is more born out of a weariness of art or rather what is called art and the whole elitism behind it. In particular contemporary art and its interpretation which I believe  is quite grotesque and a bad satire of the art world (especially when it comes to price).

Thus, when I read and look at street art, which is supposed to be radically opposed to capitalism and by proxy to contemporary art, how it is used, displayed and talked about in general; I cannot help but think about contemporary art and that, although street art tries to be different in its approach and in its aspiration, people still long for popularity and a desire to be different which in the end make them very similar. I, for one, could just appreciate art whether it be street art, contemporary or anything else just for the aesthetic aspect of the works and would gladly ignore any critical messages conveyed in most of them. I do not condemn the fact that art can be used to convey a message but rather, the manner in which it is done and its genuineness.

-Croissant

The Three Musketeers

Arriving in the mail as a thoughtful gift, I have started reading The Three Musketeers. I am approximately a third of the way through the book and already have a few comments. Though I find the book entertaining I am not nearly as pleased with this book as I was with The Count of Monte Cristo, and this is why...

1. I believe that Dumas is a thorough writer. As he is writing a serial, he add a lot of details and people and events to extend his story and therefore his pay. However, though I am familiar with The Three Musketeers I was more knowledgeable about the plot and characters in The Count. I think that reading a novel of this nature becomes very slow and bogged down with details if you are less familiar with the general flow of the book. I have stopped looking at all the notes in the back of the book and have decided that it would be impossible to get everything from the book on the first read.

2. D'Artagnan is beyond annoying. As he is the ever present character and I cannot stand him, I find myself frustrated listening to his story. He is quite immature, rash, and has very little foresight. He has just accepted a trip to London to retrieve earrings. This is just one of many actions that moves the plot along but demonstrates his inability to be calm and control himself. He lacks composure and has a vengeance that is quickly activated. Certainly this is just a story and many intrigues are meant for entertainment but I am quickly bothered by his demeanor.

3. Though I like the inclusion of issues pertaining to King Louis XIII and Richelieu, I wish there was more in relation to this topic. In The Count there were many scenes with the King and political questions of revolution. I am sure there will be more about the King and Queen to come in The Three Musketeers however, I like issues of politics and I want to see more in both the royal relationship and the tension between the King and Richelieu. I just imagine that I have not yet hit the climax of events yet. However this only goes to show that the novel is too long in making one wait so long before getting to plot development and away from character development.

4. The book is entitled, The Three Musketeers, however much of the character development does not include these musketeers at all. I am more interested in the characters of Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. Yet I know so little about them at this point and to be honest I cannot tell the difference between any of them. Their individual characters have been described yet there is not enough about them to distinguish them in my mind yet. This however could be the point? They are one unit as the title implies and I do not need to establish individual relationships with any of them.

These are such some brief opinions yet I am anxious to continue reading so I can develop completed opinions.

Dawson City

Dawson City will be the first city that I will write about. I will mainly detail the current state of the city and what made it famous and why it is not the case anymore.

Dawson City owes its existence to the discovery of gold fields in its area. In August 1896, a certain Robert Henderson was prospecting in the area. He met on his way back a group of men led by George Carmack and invited them to have a look. Carmack and his companions discovered what they called “Bonanza” creek and went to claim it in the town of Forty Miles.  This news provoked the birth of the city of Dawson at the confluence of the Klondike and Yukon rivers. By June 1897 the new town had a population of some 4,000, by June the following year the population had grown to over 25,000. Word of the Klondike gold discovery hit San Francisco and Seattle in July of 1897, prompting people to this new gold field in the Canadian North West. All that winter they had been arriving in Dawson, but it wasn’t until the spring of 1898, when several hundred boats and scows of all description and size left Lake Bennett, as soon as the ice went out of the lake all heading for the Klondike goldfields some 600 mile away down north on the Yukon river. Many of them had a disastrous trip wrecking their boats in the White Horse Rapids, or the Five finger rapids, losing everything, many lost their lives. By mid-summer the new town of Dawson City had a population of some 30,000 people. Everyone looking for an opportunity to stake a claim and go back home with their pockets full of gold.

The Klondike gold rush was characterised by a sudden start and a short span. In addition, the travel that the prospector, people from all walks of life who had left their original activities behind them, had to do was exhausting. Boats of all kinds sailed north out of western port cities (Seattle, Portland), nearly bursting with people, gear and pack animals. This journey was the most challenging and time-consuming aspect of the gold rush. Stampeders were physically unprepared and poorly equipped for the severe northern climate and terrain. Some died and many abandoned the journey. Travellers did not always fare better in the summer. Stampeders struggled in rain, fog, boulders, and bogs. Without its covering of snow and ice, the trail to the summit led over giant boulders over which people literally crawled. For instance, to move one outfit over Chilkoot pass, stampeders packed and cached their goods up to forty times and hiked up to 1,000 miles. The terrain on the last four miles of the trail was too rough for pack animals. Discarded supplies littered the trail as stampeders cast unnecessary items aside. Many took three months to move their goods from Dyea to the summit. Most stampeders felt disappointed when they reached Dawson. Local miners had claimed all the gold-bearing creeks up to a year earlier. Without gold "for the taking," late arrivals milled about town. Many went home. Some found jobs in and around Dawson. People made good wages working another miner’s claim, or in saloons, hotels, and other support positions. Others looked for gold on nearby creeks but rarely found any. The irony of the gold rush was that after risking their lives and fortunes on the journey, most stampeders never struck it rich. About 40,000 people reached the Klondike, only four of every ten who tried.

As for the city of Dawson itself, although this boom town was destroyed by fire on Thanksgiving 1897, it became by 1898 the “Paris of the north”: the biggest city west of Winnipeg and north of San Francisco, with all the amenities of the outside world only 286 km (165 miles) south of the Arctic Circle,. On June 13, 1898, Yukon Territory was formed out of the western part of the Northwest Territories encompassing the Yukon River water shed. The Yukon was governed by Ottawa, with a Commissioner who had his headquarters in Dawson which was now the capital of the new Yukon Territory. Dawson offered entertainments in its elaborate theatres, hotels, saloons and dance halls. Moreover, fine stores were selling all the things that were available in the stores in the rest of Canada and the United States, including the latest fashions from Paris. Four major religious orders erected churches, Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist and Roman Catholic. By 1900 Dawson had electricity, water and sewer, and telephone, and in 1901 was connected by a telegraph system to the rest of the world. However the golden age of Dawson City was short and when gold was found on the beaches of Nome Alaska, in 1899, it was estimated that by spring 8,000 left Dawson for Nome. In 1900 Dawson had a population of 5,400.

By 1903, more than $96 million in gold had been taken out of the creeks. Ten years after the discovery of gold, the rush was over. There were a few millionaires and many who left with unfulfilled dreams. The Klondike Gold Rush is remembered as the greatest adventure of them all. It was a brief, exciting period of history that continues to live through memory and existing reminders of the gold rush period in Dawson City, Whitehorse, Skagway and places in between. By 1960, there were 350 permanent residents and tourism had become a growing focus for Yukoners. The Yukon and Canadian governments realized that Dawson City provided a priceless heritage that should be preserved. Dawson was declared a National Historic Site and the National Parks Service was placed in charge of the restoration of significant Dawson buildings and gold mining sites.

Today Dawson city has been reconverted as a touristic attraction that largely take profit from its history. It is thus possible to visit the house of writer Jack London, who started his career as a gold prospector and ended up writing short stories about his adventures proving that the Klondike gold rush spawned more than dream of gold and riches. It is also possible to come to the first modern licensed gambling casino in Canada: Diamond Teeth Gertie. Gold Prospecting is still going around and it is possible for the neophytes to try out their luck in one of the free claims available such as Claims 6. Dawson City seems to host a lot of events, ranging from the dog sledge race to French Can-Can spectacle, all along the year which is given its size quite unexpected. Dawson City has been saved from History thanks to its interesting past and the desire from the Canadian government to development its attractiveness to tourism. Not to be forgotten is also the spirit of adventure that it conveys thanks to its remote location, the reason of its existence and its beautiful landscapes and faunas which extend on an immense surface.

-Croissant

New Flight Security

I am concerned about the new Transport Security Administration (TSA) processes implemented last week. Either I have to enter a screener that basically strip searches me or have an extensive grope session in front of fellow uncomfortable passengers. Hmmm. This is not only degrading but can it be questioned whether my rights are in jeopardy?

I have chosen to fly and therefore am subject to those terms and conditions which includes extreme tactics to maintain safety. I am all for safety but how much will this aid the process versus just take additional time to get through the gate and appear to improve safety. Is my body meant to be private? I wonder why we are not yet flying nude (though crevices will still remain a problem). Why maintain personal privacy and modesty if a government agency can require you share it with these hired officials? If I went however to check into my flight while naked, I would be arrested. This is a hypocritical policy that I doubt will largely deter those who want to compromise flight safety.

I want to continue but I have to work...

My new hobby/endeavor

I have put in some thought as to what I am interested in pursuing. I am interested in people in history and I think I will pursue this however many months ago I wanted to conduct in-depth research about a person I find important and interesting. I think that my research will suit this blog and discussion between us. I want to seriously research the Marquis de Lafayette. He was French and American and I want to read his writings and better understand his contributions to both France and the United States. I am quite interested in this and now that I have made it known, I will have to begin...

A journey of a thousand miles always starts with a single step..

I have not written in a long time yet, it is not because I do not wish to do so anymore but rather because of time. A few months ago, I had the idea to write about various cities in the world. The reason behind the selection was that they were mostly lost in the middle of nowhere but held once, a certain status or at least they did and still have to me.  

Some of them have a historical value, others have been the goal of some expeditions while most of them have an inspiring name. I do not really aim to make a specific point about them. It is just that they hold an interesting significance to me and I probably wonder deep down why some cities stay in the sunshine while others are forgotten like these ones.

My list of cities includes:

Timbuktu, which was for long time thought as legendary

Zanzibar, a haven for slave trade and departure point of famed explorer D. Livingstone

Archangelsk, a lost city in the north

Vladivostok at the end of the Transiberian

Dawson City, starting point of the Klondike Gold Rush

Samarqand, a very old city and main stage on the Silk Road

Ushuaia, at the edge of South America

I hope to be able to finish this project in a not too far future!

-Croissant

Joan of Arc lecture

Oh how the tale is twisted. This evening I attended an Alliance Française lecture presented by Norman Stokle entitled ‘Joan of Arc: Fact or Fiction’. The presentation was kicked off with a retelling of Joan of Arc’s story and how she became the French heroine and Godly legend. This mystic story fabricated but this aligns with most stories surviving the test of time. Though I found myself getting swept up in Joan’s fantasy story, and somewhat wishing it were all true, I was enlightened by the second half of the lecture.

Stokle look various aspects of Joan’s life and related physical evidence to what was most likely, or rather most plausible. It is likely that Joan was not the peasant shepherd that she is portrayed as. He began critiquing her beginning as the child of Jacques d'Arc and Isabelle Romée of Domrémy, born in 1412; there is not any birth record for Joan and there are accounts of local residents claiming they did not even know of Romée’s pregnancy. Also, during Joan’s heretic trial, a close friend with whom she played as a child, testified that Joan was older than her by several years and she herself was born in 1410. Joan’s date of birth can now be believed to be 1407 or 1408. Again there is no such record for her birth at that time. However Stokle claims that another birth of an illicit match taking place in 1408 could have sent Joan into the country to be raised. This match was between Isabella of Bavaria-Ingolstadt, the mother of King Charles VII of France, and Charles, Duke of Orleans. This would make Joan and Charles VII, whom she crowned king, her brother. This would explain her ease at being able to meet with him, convince him to give her an army, and her ability to persuade him to Reims to be crowned legitimate king of France. Additionally, Stokle claimed that Joan was well educated from her letters, her use of language that was not native to Domrémy, and her demonstrated ability to converse with nobility which if she was a peasant would be highly implausible.

Joan had claimed also to hear voices, those of St. Margaret of Antioch and St. Catherine of Alexandria which were claimed later by the Catholic Church to have never existed. So who then was speaking to her?

Further contestation of Joan of Arc’s story lies with the death itself. It has been detailed that Joan was burned at the stake however she was placed on a platform that was higher than any other stake used in execution and her head was covered. It was illustrated that in the square in which she was burned all of the windows were nailed shut. There is also on record that there were two other women being tried for heresy at the same time and held in the same tower, at Rouen, as Joan. This would lend to the idea that it was not Joan of Arc that was burned at the stake but rather another convicted ‘witch’. This is further evidenced by later letters and receipts containing her name, Jeanne la Pucelle. Such letters showed the same acquaintances which can demonstrate that an imposter was not possible.

One final comment that caught my eye about Joan’s stay at Rouen—the British man who oversaw the trail of Joan of Arc was the Earl of Warwick, Richard Beauchamp. Though the trail was held by the Church, the results were directed by the English. Is this why the French helped her escape death? Was the desire to rebel against the British the reason for her survival or was it due to gratitude of Joan’s accomplishments?

Stokle ended by claiming that her military victories and her crowing of the king are assured. These are true and alone can demonstrate her great contributions to unifying France. However, for these tings to happen it was necessary for her to have the confidence of the King and the military. As this confidence was in place, Stokle believed there must have been more to the story.

I enjoyed the discussion that Stokle led but I wonder how much of this research is true and how much of this research can be added to the many other theories surrounding Joan. Scholars can argue that Joan was crazy, a lesbian, a Protestant, and they can defend their arguments. Stokle can defend successfully his arguments that Joan was not born a peasant but half brother to a king and was indeed not executed. Though he displayed evidence such as letters after her presumed death and demonstrated the lack of evidence surrounding her supposed birth date, I am interested to know how whether this is enough to change her whole history. Though this research was convincing, I find that it doesn’t really matter. Jeanne d’Arc has proven herself as a hero and with that she gains the glory that comes with it—the glory of an epic history.

St. John's Church

Though I am still on holiday and have not the time to write an extended article, I want to briefly share my notes about St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia.

This church was made famous by the convention that was held there in 1775. Patrick Henry made the notable speech including the line "Give me liberty or give me death". This was an early instance of American treason against the British crown. Every Sunday during the summer the speech is reenacted with a collection of 18th century statesmen. It is an interesting portrayal including an organ concert prior to the main event.

I enjoyed the ardently patriotic event despite its slightly peculiar cheesiness. My quick note however was regarding the patriotism regarding the separation from England. This event takes place in an Episcopal church which is the American Church of England. It follows the practices established by Henry VIII. This church still follows the Book of Common Prayer, derived from the monarchs of Britain but praise themselves for American separation. A British flag hangs next to an American flag over the door. If this reenactment was so much about the revolution and resulting separation from Britain, then why is the church still following this religion? Of course religion transcends time and national revolutions but it is somewhat ironic when you see these things combined.

A summer at the Royal Academy

The Royal Academy of Art in London offers the possibility to see two exhibitions this summer: Sargent and the Sea and the Summer Exhibition.



John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) is an American expatriate painter, popular for his portraits. However this exhibition do not focus on this part of his life. Indeed, the aim of the exhibition is to “demonstrate the role that the sea played in Sargent’s early development. As it name implies, focuses on its works about seascape and marine, reminds me a lot of impressionists and Barbizon school, notably Eugène Boudin. Mainly because they painted the same subject: sea, coast and beaches and boats sceneries involving mainly fishermen and fisherwomen rather than bourgeois on vacation and the effect of climatic conditions on the seascape. Sea storms seem to have inspired him which is unsurprising given that Sargent’s inspirations have also included John Mallory Turner. His travels during his youth, in Europe, seem to follow a fashionable path amongst the painters of the time. He went in Brittany and Normandy, which were popularised thanks to the development of the railways, to Capri and Naples under the shadow of the Vesuvio and close to the buried Pompeii and through various ports and harbours like Venice in between. In addition, he also painted during his transatlantic travel which is more unusual. As I said earlier, if his style was reminiscent of previous and contemporary prestigious painters, the way he depicted the sea was something of a novel as he tried to avoid representing the limit between the sky and the ocean.

On a side note (slightly off-topic and probably ludicrous I reckon), paintings of naked kids brought to me the question: Does painting young naked kid would seem paedophile nowadays? I do not know if Sargent painted them directly on the beach or from memory, most likely in his studio, but I wonder how an artist painting that kind of subjects now would be criticised and worse, if he would be pursued for paedophilia. Yet, in this case it is art. I am not saying that paintings displaying that kind of explicit content should be banned but I find this discrepancy ironic. On a different subject, there was also an other exhibition at the Royal Academy and as I could get in for free, I did not mind checking it out.

The Summer Exhibition 2010 is quite a fun exhibition where unknown and more famous artists show their works of the year and where people can buy them. It is the world’s largest open submission contemporary art exhibition, now in its 242nd edition. A leaflet with the price is provided. There are works for the taste of everybody on various medium: painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, architecture and film. It is a rather large exhibition as it occupies a little less than a dozen of rooms which are defined by a common topic. Some artists are members of the Royal Academy and some are not. Although, most of them seem to be English by their name and their number, according to the Guardian, seems to reach 11,000 which seems a lot to me. 1,100 would be closer to the reality I suppose (here is a list of the exhibitor last year, I could not find it for this year.)




Overall , the Summer Exhibition is a good opportunity to see new things and to develop a taste in art that one would not be naturally drawn to. Some of them are really weird like this video of a woman licking some hair (i couldn’t figure if it was an animal or the head of someone..) for 3 minutes, and I think that the price was around £800. But that is what makes this display fun and entertaining.

-C

Art Hop

I have recently attended an art function in my hometown called Art Hop. Art galleries twice a month open their doors to the culturally curious. The artists are on the premises to talk about their pieces and there are refreshments provided at every location. It is an amazing idea for the culturally starved region and the art that is produced has been of high caliber however in this town there is always something wrong...

The event takes place on the first and third Thursday of every month between 5pm and 9pm. Though this is a fun mid-week entertainment opportunity how regular can attendance or motivation be? I think the premise is good but those hours are difficult to accommodate if the person is working. Unless the person plans to only visit one venue, this is quite restricted.

These venues are also quite small--artist studios or galleries or just exhibits in parks. They are nice to look around but as they are fairly small it would be more reasonable to attend multiple locations and exhibits. The problem here is that they are all scattered throughout the city. Though certain areas are more concentrated than others the need to drive between venues is a large deterrent to attending such functions. Further, a large portion of area residents do not own cars. This is discluding to large portions of the population (probably the population that might benefit the most).

My next note for improvement--artists and sales. This event has turned into more of a sales event for budding artists than exhibits. My most recent participation involved two venues: a watercolor exhibit (with images inspired by Georgia O'Keefe) and an sculpture exhibit (largely tea sets). The artists were on hand to discuss their pieces and it was quite interesting yet, I would rather peruse their work in peace. I felt compelled to ask them questions because they were excited to have anyone looking at their work. Even more so did I feel like I needed to by something because they are standing over me as I look. I felt uncomfortable especially when there were things I did not like (mainly the watercolors). Though artists need recognition and sales, I think that making this event revolve around sales will limit people that legitimately like looking at art.

Though I like the idea there needs to be more appropriate time for the event, closer venues, or shuttle transportation options, and there needs to be a greater emphasis on art education and appreciation than sales. This area is greatly in need of cultural advancement and growth and this idea is moving in the right direction but it unfortunately neglects people from the start.

Renaissance Drawing at the British Museum: from Fra Angelico to Leonardo

I recently went to the British Museum to see the exhibition about drawing during the Renaissance in Italy. As I have never been that interested in the subject I nevertheless, was interested in the historical background and was looking for some answers. Fortunately this exhibition was answering my questions while featuring works by Leonardo da Vinci, Fra Angelico, Jacopo and Gentile Bellini, Botticelli, Carpaccio, Filippo Lippi, Mantegna, Michelangelo, Verrocchio and Titian. In order to gather all these artists in one place, the British Museum pooled into its own collection and into the Florence based Uffizi collection. The Renaissance was a period, starting in Italy in the 15th century and then in Europe, which saw an intense revival of the classical art and learning from the Greek and Roman civilisations. Hugo Chapman, the curator of the exhibition, notices that “marble figures like Bacchus encouraged artists to recognise the sensuality and beauty of the human body. The sculpted Bacchus presents an idealised vision of the perfect male body.” Indeed, amongst these drawings we can see that the artists, such as Leonardo or Raphael, started to draw different subjects of the day-to-day life and that their portraits were focusing on the body and the face of their subjects.

The exhibition begins by focusing its attention on the innovation that developed the profession of artists: the paper. In fact, it points that the Chinese invention of papermaking had been brought to Europe via the Islamic world. The invention of the printing press in Germany in the 1450s gave a huge impetus for papermaking, above all in Italy which was the most literate and urbanised region of Europe. Renaissance paper was handmade from cloth fibres (not wood pulp as today) obtained from old clothes, sails and ropes. To complete the explanation, a video shows how paper was made and visitors are invited to touch different types of papers to feel the differences. This is obviously a detail, but it is a good way to put into its historical context this artistic breakthrough.

The exposition then proceeds to show the evolution of artists’ techniques through the ages and how important were the various Italian city-states. Starting with pioneers religious men such as Fra Angelico or Lorenzo Monaco, the spectators' attentions are then focused on the main cities. Florence, with mainly the Medici and the Tornabuoni amongst others, has been one of the first city were the Renaissance artists could evolve from religious subjects and thus became a pole for them. The powerful Italian families wanted to use their talents to express their wealth and leave behind them a glorious picture. The Vatican was also another major player as it attracted artists such as Raphael or Michelangelo from Florence. There, the most successful of them would receive the most important commission and be able to impose their own style and thus fulfil their ambition as being the best artist. Leonardo Da Vinci’s career, apart from being one the quintessential Renaissance man, shows the important cities and families at this time as he worked for no less than Florence’s Medici, Milan’s Sforza, the Doge of Venice and the Vatican and then Francois 1er of France. However, his career does not reflect the way Renaissance was present in all the Italian peninsula as many lesser cities also employed lesser artists.

 Although I have never been a huge fan of this period artistically speaking, I can still appreciate the precision of these drawings and this exhibition allow the visitors to observe the artists’ talent with their pencil and sometimes even compare these with the finite paints, notably Lorenzo Monaco’s tryptich. The historical side, was an interesting side of the exhibition, showed that artists had a huge ambition and how through this war between them the style of the Renaissance evolved progressively from a religious theme to everything that the artists wanted to show.

-C