Arboretum Experience

On Monday we took our first field trip to the H.O Botanical Gardens, which is located at the Penn State Arboretum. This was my first trip to the Arboretum. I’m not really an outdoor person but yet I do track and field weird right? I am allergic to pollen and freshly cut grass so most things in nature tends to make me sneeze and it also makes my eyes all irritated and puffy so I try as much as possible to avoid it. I also dislike bugs. I can tolerate them but I prefer not if I don’t have to. I think that I have a love/ hate relationship with nature I’m not totally against it but I will not go out of my way to be encounter in nature.

 I’m not actually sure if I would have gone to the Arboretum on my own. But after seeing it in the fall I can only imagine how beautiful the plants would be in the spring and summer time. I actually did enjoy my experience because it was something out of the norm for me and it was definitely amusing. I think that I actually would bring friends back. The Arboretum is able to captivate the beauty evident in nature.

As I traveled through the Arboretum I saw a huge map of State College engraved in rock on the ground. That was awesome because I was familiar with particular areas that are near my home. Then I started to travel through the Arboretum I saw various amounts of different flowers. Some of the flowers were actually recognizable. Some of the flowers reminded me of the ones that my mom included in our garden back home. When I was younger I used to help my mom plant flower and as I grew up I was able to watch them grow and progress through natures life cycle. More specifically we saw sunflower they were simply beautiful and bold and definitely stood out to me. We also saw rocks that were in some type of formation. I noticed that on some of the rocks you were aloud to sit on them and on others it clearly stated “do not sit”. We went underneath this this arc of flower and when we looked up we saw these oddly shaped fruit and or plants I’m not exactly sure what it was.

Going on this field trip I learned that you could have your wedding at the Arboretum. That would be such a remarkable experience. It one of the most imporatant days in your life and you can experience it in such a beautiful atmosphere. That would be a dream come true. I also was able to recognize the orange mums. They quickly reminded me of the fall. My mom always puts orange mums on our front porch. My favorite thing at the Aroboretum by far was the fountain. The fountain was simply incredible. By standing on the outside looking in it seems like if you stood directly in the middle of the fountain you would not get hit with the water. The angle on the fountain are precise which makes it seem perfect! My overall experience at the Arboretum was definitely fun and one to remember.

Palmer Museum Visit

The piece that I chose is called St. Sebastian Healed by an Angel. The artist of this magnificent piece is Giovanni Baglione. This work of art was created in 1603 and Giovanni Baglione used oil on canvas as his material.


The piece displays a weak man leaning on his left shoulder with his left arm placed across his stomach. He is obviously wounded and in a enormous amount of pain. A women who is referenced to as a angel in the title is placing a thin stick with a feather on the end of it into the mans right side. She seems extremely confident and calm as if the situation is know big deal whats so ever. Well since she is a angel that means she has faith in God and believes that all thing are possible.

During this time period religion was a big thing and often stirred up controversy. I believe that throughout history we often come upon religious debates and disbeliefs of certain things that occurred. I think that this painting was in order to provide a simple scenario and show the affects of God if you choose to follow him.


Immediately when I looked at this piece I became extremely emotional. This picture made me revert back to ten years ago when my brother got shot. This is by far the most tragic event in my life. But to make a long story short, I remember the nurse leaning over my brother and placing a tube into one of his sides in order to drain all of the blood. In a religious aspect I could say that the nurse was referred to as the angel that helped to save my brother life. I agree with the picture it shows that anything is possible as long as you have faith and believe in it.
 


He seems like he is a credible artist.  He was Italian and an art historian. He created most of his pieces for the church. He is commonly known for is depiction of the Last Supper. He also wrote two other pieces of work.
 
The claim that the piecing is making is that everyone should part take in church. God is able to heal if you trust in him and simply believe. I think that is trying to convert people into Catholicism and or some other religion so the people will be saved. All of his pieces are based on religion, which make me believe that is big on the idea of religion. I think that this piece was made in order to get people to trust in God and confess all of the sins. It also alludes to the idea of helpfulness and togetherness.
 

I actually enjoyed my experience at the Palmer. This was my first time visiting this museum and I plan on taking my dad back one of these days because he loves art. It was definitely better than I expected. There were a lot of pieces that I have learned about previously and it was just amazing to see them outside of a textbook and or the Internet. It was also cool to see new unique or different textures and forms of art. I just applaud all of the artist and there talents.

http://www.wga.hu/html_m/b/baglione/sebastia.html

My Analysis

Template: Upon deciding which template I wanted to use for my blog, I noted a few things in particular. I realized that I wanted a template that was soft,and calm, yet also something that would catch your attention. I also made sure my blog was not overwhelming, and  easy to navigate. The blog reflects my personality because I am very calm and shy, but once I get comfortable I am able to open up and express myself. I also used the peach color as my background because it is light ,and it often reminds you of fall. When you think of fall you also think about change ,and this can be compared to an incoming freshman going off to college.

Title: I feel like my title is creative , and somewhat catchy. I am a very creative individual. I love designing and creating things. I actually love art and can appreciate it in all aspects. My dad is an artist so I am used to hearing him spouting off various famous artist and textual design. As a kid I always felt left out because I wasn’t as talented as my dad but I’ve learned to appreciate it.

About Me: In my about me section I simple addressed my love for sport. Sports define me as a person. I simply included a quick overview of my senior year and included a few accomplishments along the way. I feel like my about me section basically defines who I am. 

I think that my blog represents me very well. Blogs were a mandatory project for me last year so I am already familiar with creating them. I think that the blogs will help us express ourselves and we will become familiar with each other by doing so.