British Museum

The British Museum is about a 10 minute walk away from Goodenough College. 

I knew a few famous things were in here so went to those first...

Exhibit A: the Rosetta Stone. 

Next, went to the Parthenon Room. Sculptures from the Parthenon were taken from Greece between 1801-1806 by Lord Elgin when he was the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire (which Greece was a part of at that time). The British Museum information makes it very clear that it was "with full knowledge and permission of Ottoman authorities" that Lord Elgin took them to Britain. Apparently, the arrival of the sculptures in Britain caused "regenerating interest in ancient Greek culture" (...aka they wanted them back once everyone realized how amazing they were). Their renewed relevance also "influenced contemporary artistic trends" (...aka the wildly popular Neoclassicist style from the early 1800s seen in art, fashion, etc).

 When I was in Athens, Greece, all the tour guides at the Parthenon Museum could talk about was how the British stole the reliefs and sculptures from them in the early nineteenth century and they "deserve" to come home to Athens. Where they rightly "belong" is a subject of major debate - art restitution issues between countries can be quite messy when those valuable objects were taken during times of war or when those countries were not yet independent and were ruled by foreign governments (aka Greece - they did not achieve independence from the Ottoman Empire until 1830). Even though it was permissible at the TIME to take the reliefs from Greece, do they belong back in Athens? Brits would say no, Lord Elgin took them legally, while Greeks would say absolutelygivethembackrightnow.

ANYWAY! Here is the room. - reliefs and sculptures surround the room.

Onto another room...

After seeing the most popular rooms, I decided to go see some of my favorite things...European art! There was a small exhibition on Spanish sketches, etches, lithographs from 1500s-1800s. I did my thesis on French lithographs by Delacroix - Goya (Spanish artist) and Delacroix knew of one another and were making comparable work during the exact same time period. Exciting(...to me)! 

The lithograph below was done in 1825 by Goya. It is one of a set of four called "The Bulls of Bordeaux." Goya moved to France in 1824 and produced this lithograph there. What is so striking about the work is the movement Goya achieves with such limited resources as a single lithographic crayon in simply black and white. The grins on the spectators are also fun and quite remarkable - they seem surprisingly unconcerned that people are being trampled on the sidelines! The contrast between dark and light makes the picture enjoyable to look at - this kind of effect was specific to lithography. The "sketchy" quality may seem messy at first glance, but the level of detail is extraordinary. Of course, all of these features and effects are more easily seen up close and in person, but still beautiful! 

Stopped by the "Britain in the Middle Ages" room and knew this would make Annie laugh...the vase was created in North Staffordshire about 1700. It is a lead-glazed earthenware owl. And its head can be used as a cup. Amazing.

Ended the day with a quick trip down to the Thames and wondering around LSE (London School of Economics), which is just near the equivalent of our Supreme Court. It being Friday night around 6, there were LOTS of lawyers and suited-up men at pubs...now I know where to hang out ;-)

Cloudy, but sun is setting on the Thames! 

And back to Goodenough to make dinner. One of my favorites - kale with garlic, onions, tomatoes, and garbanzo beans. 

More to see tomorrow!