The Reason Why I Like Numbers and Not Art

"Living side" of the Rosary

 "Death side" of the Rosary

 

My abomination yet my best attempt

(For sale starting at $10,000)

While looking through the 1400-1600 AD category of art, I found this image of a medieval Rosary. The creator of this piece of art was not stated but it was created during the in 16th century. somewhere between 1500-1525 AD, and the culture which it it came from was German. The beads were made from ivory, silver, and partially gilded mounts and the largest bead was 6.5 cm by 5.1 cm and the smallest was 4.2 cm by 3.4 cm.

In the 1400-1600 in central Europe, which included Germany, the Church was losing power and it was struggling to hold their territories. The Church started to face opposition and the church's corruption was starting to be brought to light. At the same time, there was an increase in intellectual activity and technology began to prosper. Humanist ideas and interest in education, which began in Italy, made its way to central Europe and had a huge impact on society and the arts. Paintings and art based on the human body and anatomy began to become popular and universities started to open. Even though the enlightenment era began in the 17th century, this era witnessed the first glimpses of it.

Just by looking at the Rosary, we can see that it is comprised of two human/skull combos, one at the start and one at the end, with 6 beads in the middle with a image of a religious figure; this would be the "living side" of the Rosary. If one flips the Rosary so that the skulls are facing upwards, we notice that two of the religious figures are replaced with skeletons with Latin words flowing out of their mouths. When the words are translated, one of them says "remember death" while the other says "this is what you will be."

When we closer analyse the Rosary, we can uncover multiple messages that are being conveyed by this creepy piece of jeweler. One of the first things that I noticed was the mixture between science and religion. The reason I chose this piece was because I was impressed by the amount of detail in the creation of the skull and the skeletons (and it was one of the only one my feeble mind was able to draw). This portrays a clear picture of what society was like during this era; education and technology was becoming more important but at the same time religion was of significant importance. By juxtaposing a human face with that of a skeleton, which is done by having them on the opposite sides of essentially a coin, two things can be interpreted. The first is that life is fleeting and that we will all die one day. Having life and death represented in this manner shows how close death truly is making it seem that someones life can end as quick as a coin flip. The creepy Latin skeletons also reinforce this message with what they say. The second interpretation of this can be the weakening of the church's power. The religious figures are representations of the church and by having two of them replaced by skeletons, it can represent its power slowly dwindling away.

Anyway, I made it past the word count so consider this the conclusion. Peace out.

Sources
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/08/euwc.html
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/464300

Jane Eyre and the Abuse of Power

In the novel 7th chapter of the novel Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë, it describes the events that occur after Mr. Brocklehurst, a high authority figure in a religious boarding school, visits the school to see how things are being run. He imposed very strict regulations on ths school, expecting them to be followed, but to his surprise, they were not. He had major issues with the fact that bread and cheese were being served to the orphan girls once a week, instead of being served burnt porridge. Also, he had issues with a girl’s natural curly red hair, another girl’s braided hair, and the fact that the teacher gave out extra clean clothing so that one of their students could attend an event. He believed that it went against the schools ideologies since he believed that, in order to teach the girls, they must suffer the way that Jesus for his followers. Irony comes into play when his family walk into the room in the middle of his speech. His family was wearing luxurious clothing and were wearing feathers and plumes, exhibiting all the behaviors he was complaining about. By juxtaposing Mr. Brocklehurst’s ideologies and the way his family is portrayed, Brontë is able to create a social commentary on the abuse of power.

It is clear that Mr. Brocklehurst is big on religion. He wants every aspect of the school to run a religious manner as well. He achieves this goal by imposing very strict regulations on the girls. For example, they are only allowed one clean tucker a week and are heavily restricted when it comes to their appearance. Mr. Brocklehurst believes in uniformity and wants all the girls to essentially be the same. The reason he does this is to inflict suffering in the girls; he wants them to feel the suffering that Christ felt for them on the cross. Ironically, this mentality does not apply to his family. His family comes into the class wearing clothing made of velvet, silk, and fur; extremely luxurious materials. Also, they all had curls; the girls had a strand of curly hair while the elderly women had French curls. What they were wearing completely contradicted what he was preaching against. Through the juxtaposition between his family’s attire and Mr. Brocklehurst’s expectations for the girls at the school, Brontë creates a sense of irony.

Brontë utilizes juxtaposition in order to comment on the abuse of power in schools during the early 19th century. Mr. Brocklehurst has all the power in the school and he could use it in any way that he desired. Even though all the orphan girls at his school were forced to suffer, from the description of his family, his family doesn't have to follow the strict rules that he imposes. By abusing his power, he goes against his belief of conformity that is in effect in the whole school, and allows his family to express themselves freely. Since the orphaned girls and the teachers don’t have any power over him, he is able to do this without a hassle. By showing how Mr. Brocklehurst has complete freedom to do whatever he pleases in the school, Brontë comments on the abuse of power in 19th century schools.