d&c blog number ... it's been awhile

the last couple of weeks, we've been doing out of class things. cool things.

we went to the art museum. I have a hard time with authorities talking to/guiding me in museums. sometimes they can have some pretty cool insights that help you better experience the artwork, but most of the time it's just distracting from a personal interaction with the exhibit. there's a new-ish addition to the religious collection, a painting of Christ from the circle of rembrandt (awesome). the lady was bothering me while I was having this incredible experience with this painting. rembrandt supposedly used a semitic jew expatriate to pose for this painting among a series of others, which gives it a more authentic feel. it always cracks me up when western christianity paints this blond-haired blue-eyed Jesus. come on people, he was born in israel, he's a jew. I would rather have a painting that shows me the true humanity of Christ than to have someone who looks more like me so I can relate better. the atonement is the reason Christ can relate to me, not because of the color of his eyes.

we also went to the special collections section of the library for a presentation. a presentation I already went to for my humanities class (cause prof ancell is just awesome like that). I love looking at the illuminated bible manuscripts, they're just exquisite. as if books weren't wonderful enough already, they turn them into works of art, too. I did get to see an original copy of the book of commandments (worth more than a million, if I remember correctly). it was very pocket-sized, literally. I wish they still made pocket books (livre de poche, like the french brand). I think I would have felt much very at home in a convent copying books all the days of my life, with the smell of inks and vellum around me and words under my fingertips day in and day out. actually, I would rather be a chaucer or something, but considering the status of women at the time ... a convent wouldn't be half bad.