Ceramics Field Trip

On Thursday, we went to visit the Snake Kiln in Miaoli County. It is not the biggest snake kiln in Taiwan, but it is still very big. When we went there, they first introduced us to a small kiln, which was not a snake kiln, which they used to make ceramic tiles. They said that when the fire was out in the kiln, they would pour water on the fire and brick the kiln up. Then the inside of the kiln would be covered with black smoke which would turn the tiles black. Then they showed us how their snake kiln usually baked vases, and how those vases made wines taste better because of good clay. Then they showed us how there were stamps or seals on the vases that told what company made the wine and what kind of wine was in it. They also showed us a kiln that was called a bottle kiln or something, and it was used to bake clay bottles. It was also shaped like a large bottle. The guide took us into a room and showed us the snake kiln. It looked like a gigantic leech/slug thing. There was a small hole in the front for putting in wood, and a long tunnel. At the end was the chimney.
We were given a small block of clay to make whatever we wanted. Because my hands were wet to the extent that made my block of clay equal to a slab of mud, they gave me a new piece. I made a bowl, but decided it was boring, so I stacked pieces of clay randomly on my bowl and called it an abstract sculpture. After I finished my sculpture, I went to play with the dog, who kept following Patrick around. It was fun.

Renaissance Quiz

1. What historical event (the fall of a civilization) took place in 395 AD to usher in the middle ages? Fall of Rome

2. What was society and culture generally like in the middle ages? No middle class, church controls everything, not many people knew how to read and write, people very poor (except for royalty)

3. Renaissance means _______________. Rebirth

4. What was being brought back during this time? Greek and Roman ideals

Define:
5. Contraposto : Counter-posed

6. Chiaroscuro : light and dark

7. The painter of the Mona Lisa was ________________ Leonardo da Vinci

8. The man who sculpted the Pieta and the Sistine Chapel was _________ Michelangelo

9. What is different about Renaissance painting compared to painting during the Dark Ages? In Renaissance there is contraposto and chiaroscuro. Art is not as religious.

10. What is meant by the concept of "Humanism?"Art of humans are perfect (ie)perfect musculature, curves, etc.)

Art 8 10 November, 2009

1. Describe 2 people and their facial descriptions, clothing, and what they were doing.
For this first part, I decided to describe two workers: one that was blowing glass (1) and the worker who was shaping glass into animals (2).
(1) This worker was wearing a blue T-shirt and he was sweating because of the furnace nearby. He was shaping blowing glass into a cup. I couldn't see his face properly, but I could see his face wasn't scrunched up like Mr Marchione's from blowing too hard.
(2) This worker was shaping glass into animals.He made a penguin, a snail, and something I didn't know. He was also making a blue T-shirt. I didn't see his face because I was looking at the glass.

2. Give 2 reasons why Hsinchu is famous for glass making.
Hsinchu has a lot of silicon and glass. Hsinchu has so much glass it is called the silicon valley of Taiwan. However, Hsinchu glass is still not as good as Italian glass or Venician glass or whatever.