Reflections on Place:

Spending four days with my very good friend, Gustave lester, was a refreshing, artful, and informative experience. With the historic air of buildings and architecture from as old as the 1600s, was a thirst for knowledge; a craving to know more and question more. When I ponder the atmosphere of what a 19th century french salons of Debussy and friends, I think of this similar air; to refines one’s articulation of ideas, to be deeply interested in other’s passions, concepts, opinions or world views, and seeking clarification despite one’s insecurities, ignorences, or predispositions. It seems in these enviornments academic, artistic, and personal growth thrive. This heralds back to my high school literature teacher’s instruction about his philosophy of teaching. Dr. Bill Proser is the Literature teacher and founder of the Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy. His statement was that in oxford alot of the class set up is at a large round table, which is alot of the graduate seminars at Harvard also. In this enviornment everyone is looking at each other and the teacher is more of a facilitator and questioner rather than givening answers or prescribing tests. In this enviornment accomtability is a necessity, students come to realizations of their own questions and develop, the hot acadmeic phrase, “critical thinking.” Why don’t more people adopt this philosophy? Maybe it seems harder to measure growth (how can state measure standards or implement centraized education)…it takes longer…it takes trust…it puts teachers in more of a coleague role…

Rosetti’s “Blessed Damozel

Gustave Lester, since he is a harvard student was able to bring me as a guest into any of Harvard’s Museums and Libraries. We went to Harvard Art Museum on August 27, saturday. This beautiful and vast museum, covered many different era, most interesting for me was a Pre-Raphaelite room. This was euphoric. Studying Debussy, much of his inspiration throughout his life are brought out by these Pre-Raphaelite painters. Raphael was a 15-16 century bridge painter. The Pre-Raphaelite “Brotherhood” (British) returned to art that was more realistic, more intensity and drama, and also more detail, as opposed to common and idealized teaching and followers of Raphaelite painting.

A postulation why Debussy would be attracted to these works is because of the drama in them, there return to medival aesthetics, and the marriage of painting and poetry. In an artistic age were the marriage between music, poetry, and literature were coming together, this would have been very popular. Dante Gabriel Rosetti’s “The Blessed Damozel” is a work inspired by the painter’s original poem of the same title.

The Piece was composed for the composer’s Priz de Rome entry which was the most prestigous composition competition in the world; it granted a residency at the Medici Villa. The pieces return to medival aesthetics, mystery, and le femme fatale or themes which profoundly influenced Debussy’s work, ultimately culminating in Pelleas et Melissande (his only opera).

The experience to see this piece and make the connections of inspiration that happened so long ago is priceless.

 

Next up! My journey to Strasbourg. I am currently awaiting my flight to Frankfurt

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Thank you for reading and jusqu’a la prochaine fois…

Au revoir