I know I said today I’d post about the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel but I’ve come down with a pretty bad cold. In the mean time, entertain yourselves by making an online sketch.
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Thursday, September 13, 2007
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Frescoes
Frescoes are paintings on plaster. Plaster is a material used in buildings especially for walls. It starts as a powder that, when mixed with water, becomes a paste that can be spread on walls.
Usually frescoes are made when the plaster is still wet, though sometimes artists will add details to plaster when the main part of the painting has already dried. Painting done on dry plaster does not last as long as painting done on wet plaster.
Frescoes were often created directly on walls. The plaster would be mixed and spread on the wall. After about an hour it would be solid enough to paint on. Then the artist would have about ten hours in which to complete the painting before the plaster dried. For this reason, many paintings were done in sections rather than all at once. The artist would decide how much he could paint in ten hours and then mix enough plaster to cover the area. Then he could rest. When he was ready to paint again, he mixed more plaster.
When Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, he created an enormous fresco. He painted one day’s section and then, when he came back to paint the next day’s piece, he scraped away a little before starting so the sections were connected. Imagine how long it took to paint the entire ceiling and the walls of the chapel!
Check back for tomorrow’s post all about the Sistine Chapel ceiling (shown above).
Usually frescoes are made when the plaster is still wet, though sometimes artists will add details to plaster when the main part of the painting has already dried. Painting done on dry plaster does not last as long as painting done on wet plaster.
Frescoes were often created directly on walls. The plaster would be mixed and spread on the wall. After about an hour it would be solid enough to paint on. Then the artist would have about ten hours in which to complete the painting before the plaster dried. For this reason, many paintings were done in sections rather than all at once. The artist would decide how much he could paint in ten hours and then mix enough plaster to cover the area. Then he could rest. When he was ready to paint again, he mixed more plaster.
When Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, he created an enormous fresco. He painted one day’s section and then, when he came back to paint the next day’s piece, he scraped away a little before starting so the sections were connected. Imagine how long it took to paint the entire ceiling and the walls of the chapel!
Check back for tomorrow’s post all about the Sistine Chapel ceiling (shown above).Tuesday, September 11, 2007
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
I just finished re-reading E. L. Konigsburg’s Newberry Award Winning, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and I love it as much now as I did when I first read it nearly fifteen years ago. It is a truly timeless book and one that can be enjoyed by eight year olds and eighty year olds alike.
Claudia Kincaid doesn’t want to be the same old girl anymore; she longs to be different. So she plans and organizes until she is ready to go out and make herself different. She convinces her younger brother Jamie to run away with her—just for a little while, just long enough to teach her parents a lesson—to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Once there, the siblings become determined to solve an art mystery that has stumped even the art experts. Only when she solves the mystery, and discovers what she needs to feel different, can Claudia return to home.
Claudia Kincaid doesn’t want to be the same old girl anymore; she longs to be different. So she plans and organizes until she is ready to go out and make herself different. She convinces her younger brother Jamie to run away with her—just for a little while, just long enough to teach her parents a lesson—to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Once there, the siblings become determined to solve an art mystery that has stumped even the art experts. Only when she solves the mystery, and discovers what she needs to feel different, can Claudia return to home.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Artist Profile: Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, called Michelangelo, was an artist during the Renaissance. He was born in Italy in 1475. He was brilliant and talented in many ways; he could paint, sculpt, design buildings, and write poetry. He is best known for his sculptures and frescos (paintings on wet plaster).
When Michelangelo was a child, his mother became ill and couldn’t care for him, so he was sent to live with a stonecutter and his wife. Michelangelo joked that this is where he learned to love cutting stone into sculpture.
Michelangelo spent years studying the human body. He even looked at dead bodies so he could learn the way the muscles and bones were attached and how arms and legs moved. He drew sketches of people in various positions, concentrating on getting the muscles just right. Many of these sketches still exist so we can see how Michelangelo prepared to create his masterpieces.
Michelangelo was very religious and many of his masterpieces show religious scenes or people from the bible. One of his most 
famous sculptures was David, the biblical hero who defeated Goliath. The sculpture was originally meant to stand in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. Today, a copy of Michelangelo’s work stands in this place (shown on the left). David is the statue on the left side of the door. The original (on the right side of the page) is in the Accademia, a Florence museum.
Michelangelo believed that there was a sculpture in every piece of stone. He tried to let the stone speak to him and become what it was meant to be. His job as the artist was to free the sculpture from the stone.
Among his most famous paintings is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican in Italy. It is made up of many panels illustrating scenes from the bible which Michelangelo painted directly onto the ceiling. A picture of the ceiling is shown below. I’ll write a post on the Sistine Chapel ceiling later this week and talk about some of the scenes and how Michelangelo painted this masterpiece.
When Michelangelo died in 1564, he had become one of the most known and admired artists of his time. He was even called “Il Divino” which means “the divine one.”
When Michelangelo was a child, his mother became ill and couldn’t care for him, so he was sent to live with a stonecutter and his wife. Michelangelo joked that this is where he learned to love cutting stone into sculpture.
Michelangelo spent years studying the human body. He even looked at dead bodies so he could learn the way the muscles and bones were attached and how arms and legs moved. He drew sketches of people in various positions, concentrating on getting the muscles just right. Many of these sketches still exist so we can see how Michelangelo prepared to create his masterpieces.
Michelangelo was very religious and many of his masterpieces show religious scenes or people from the bible. One of his most 
famous sculptures was David, the biblical hero who defeated Goliath. The sculpture was originally meant to stand in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. Today, a copy of Michelangelo’s work stands in this place (shown on the left). David is the statue on the left side of the door. The original (on the right side of the page) is in the Accademia, a Florence museum.Michelangelo believed that there was a sculpture in every piece of stone. He tried to let the stone speak to him and become what it was meant to be. His job as the artist was to free the sculpture from the stone.
Among his most famous paintings is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican in Italy. It is made up of many panels illustrating scenes from the bible which Michelangelo painted directly onto the ceiling. A picture of the ceiling is shown below. I’ll write a post on the Sistine Chapel ceiling later this week and talk about some of the scenes and how Michelangelo painted this masterpiece.
When Michelangelo died in 1564, he had become one of the most known and admired artists of his time. He was even called “Il Divino” which means “the divine one.”
EDITED TO ADD: Check out my post on Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel
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Saturday, September 8, 2007
Free Books For Kids
This post has nothing to do with art. This is about reading: something else I’m passionate about. Read on to find out what you can do to make sure everyone gets the chance to learn to read.
Reading is one of the most important skills you will ever learn. If you never learn how to read you won’t be able to order food at a restaurant or find your way around a city. You won’t be able to graduate from school. If you never learn to read you’ll never know the pleasure of getting lost in the world of a good book. But many families can’t afford to buy books for their kids and this can mean that those kids never become good readers.
You may have noticed the orange button on the right side of the screen. Click the button and you’ll see a large, rectangular, orange button that says “Click Here to Give—It’s Free!” When you click that button the website’s sponsors give money to buy books for kids in poor families. You should click everyday so lots of kids can have books to read. Every click helps and it doesn’t cost you a thing!
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Reading is one of the most important skills you will ever learn. If you never learn how to read you won’t be able to order food at a restaurant or find your way around a city. You won’t be able to graduate from school. If you never learn to read you’ll never know the pleasure of getting lost in the world of a good book. But many families can’t afford to buy books for their kids and this can mean that those kids never become good readers.
You may have noticed the orange button on the right side of the screen. Click the button and you’ll see a large, rectangular, orange button that says “Click Here to Give—It’s Free!” When you click that button the website’s sponsors give money to buy books for kids in poor families. You should click everyday so lots of kids can have books to read. Every click helps and it doesn’t cost you a thing!
Return to main page.
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