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I'm Kenney Mencher. I'm an artist who left a tenured professorship in 2016 to pursue making art full time. This blog is about art, art history, with a emphasis on human rights. I make homoerotic art featuring bears, otters & other gay wildlife.
Thursday
ARTS JOBS
Seeking employment in the arts? Check out current openings at the California Arts Council on our Careers webpage, or browse here for general listsings throughout the state. You can sort these postings by deadline, date posted, county or job type.
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ORGANIZATION
JOB
DEADLINE
Madera County Arts Council
Madera
Madera
06-14-2020
Meagan Cignoli
West Hollywood
West Hollywood
06-14-2020
Opera Parallele
San Francisco
San Francisco
06-15-2020
Brentwood Art Center
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
06-15-2020
Museum of Contemporary Art
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
06-18-2020
San Francisco Opera
San Francisco
San Francisco
06-19-2020
Jordan High School
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
06-19-2020
Performing Arts Workshop
San Francisco
San Francisco
06-21-2020
Everett Alvarez High School
Salinas
Salinas
06-26-2020
ODC
San Francisco
San Francisco
06-26-2020
Yucaipa Performing Arts Center
Yucaipa
Yucaipa
06-30-2020
Yucaipa Performing Arts Center
Yucaipa
Yucaipa
06-30-2020
Yucaipa Performing Arts Center
Yucaipa
Yucaipa
06-30-2020
San Bernardino Valley College
San Bernardino
San Bernardino
06-30-2020
Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project - QWOCMAP
San Francisco
San Francisco
06-30-2020
Muckenthaler Cultural Center Foundation
Fullerton
Fullerton
06-30-2020
JCO'S Art Haus
Los Gatos
Los Gatos
06-30-2020
San Diego Symphony
San Diego
San Diego
06-30-2020
ODC
San Francisco
San Francisco
06-30-2020
Little Mission Studio
San Francisco
San Francisco
06-30-2020
Santa Cruz Symphony
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz
06-30-2020
Artist Studio
Cypress Park
Cypress Park
06-30-2020
Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA)
Fountain Valley
Fountain Valley
07-31-2020
Little Mission Studio
San Francisco
San Francisco
07-31-2020
East Bay Center for the Performing Arts
Richmond
Richmond
07-31-2020
Venice Arts
Venice
Venice
08-01-2020
Chinese American Museum
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
08-31-2020
University of California San Diego
La Jolla
La Jolla
10-10-2020
Classics 4 Kids
San Diego
San Diego
10-31-2020
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley
Redwood City
Redwood City
12-31-2020
Carlsbad Music Festival
Carlsbad
Carlsbad
12-31-2020
HeadShots Inc
San Francisco
San Francisco
02-01-2021
Wednesday
Early Christian into Byzantine Hagia Sofia
Byzantine Art
Time Line
Beginning of Pagan Roman Empire- 200 B.C.E.
Roman Empire- 200 B.C.- 315 C.E.
Early Christian/Byzantine 315-750 C.E (some sources say the Byzantine style survived all the way to 1450)
Romanesque 800-1150 C.E.
Gothic 1150-1350 C.E.
For all the videos in order with a textbook and study guides please visit:
https://www.udemy.com/user/kenneymencher/
Time Line
Beginning of Pagan Roman Empire- 200 B.C.E.
Roman Empire- 200 B.C.- 315 C.E.
Early Christian/Byzantine 315-750 C.E (some sources say the Byzantine style survived all the way to 1450)
Romanesque 800-1150 C.E.
Gothic 1150-1350 C.E.
For all the videos in order with a textbook and study guides please visit:
https://www.udemy.com/user/kenneymencher/
  | Hagia Sophia (Sofia) 532-37 architects: Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus Istanbul, Turkey (Byzantium) Byzantine  Form: This is a central-plan design that expands on the original basilican design. The design incorporates the use of pendentives, buttressing half domes, and arch and dome technology creating a large many storied central area. Expands on the concept, engineering and design function of the Pantheon by adding cross vaulting technology that the Romans had developed. A good example of this cross vaulting technology is in the Basilica of Constantine. Decorative forms (in terms of two-dimensional designs) inside the Hagia Sofia reflect early Byzantine Style, which means that even up to the 1300's they are still using many of the same things in the Hagia Sofia to depict people.Iconography: The name Hagia Sofia can be translated as "Holy Wisdom." The plan has the form of a Greek cross surmounted by a dome which as in the Pantheon is a symbol of the dome of heaven. The engineering used is also symbolic of the power and intelligence of Constantine's empire. Context: The geographic location of Hagia Sofia places it in the region of Byzantium. The city where they moved the empire to is called Constantinople that is in modern day Turkey, and is also now called Istanbul. The four minarets that surround it were built later. They were added by the Muslims to them to call the faithful to worship after the church was transformed into a mosque. A mosque is an Islamic place of worship. The ornamentation of the interior is Islamic looking. For more details of images at Hagia Sofia go here. |
 Capital, Hagia Sophia (Sofia) 532-37 architects: Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus Istanbul, Turkey (Byzantium) Byzantine | Form: This capital at first appears to be an almost Corinthian capital but on closer inspection it is the correction of the original Greek and Roman orders. The designs on the capital are much more ornate and less solid looking then its predecessors. The over all intricate organic patterning and weaving of the ornamentation is abstract and overly ornate. Iconography: The organic vine like qualities refer to the symbol of Christianity as a vine that keeps spreading. In the center of the column is the monogram or initials for Justinian the emperor who commissioned the structure. The use of classical ornamentation and then the obvious changing of it is symbolic of the fusion of the Roman and Greek classic ideals wedded to the culture and decorative forms of the east as well as the iconography of Christianity. The symbology of the vine relates to many images of vines in the Old and New Testament: |
Go here for a Catholic Sermon on the iconography of vines: http://www.abideinchrist.com/messages/jn15v1.htmlJohn
Chapter 15
- 1
- "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
- 2
- He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
- 3
- You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
- 4
- Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.
- 5
- I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.
- 6
- Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned.
 Mosaic of Christ from the interior of Hagia Sophia created c 1300 For all the videos in order with a textbook and study guides please visit: https://www.udemy.com/user/kenneymencher/ | Form: Decorative forms (in terms of two-dimensional designs) inside the Hagia Sofia reflect early Byzantine Style, which means that even up to the 1300's they are still using many of the same things in the Hagia Sofia to depict people. The figures are stylized in a typical Byzantine mode. The heads are too large and the bodies are covered completely with drapery that does not reveal the anatomy beneath. It also shares some elements from the Arch of Constantine, the heads are big and there's no Contrapposto (liberal movement in figures). The facial anatomy is stylized. The face is also elongated and the nose meets the bridge of the brows and the eyebrows actually go directly into the nose. These are some of the elements that become standardized in Byzantine Manuscript Iconography: The distortions of the anatomy are symbolic. The distortions and diagrammatic and cartoon like drapery deemphasizes the figure's naturalism and emphasizes the spiritual, intellectual and didactic aspects of the figures. Jesus is represented as a teacher and his weapon against evil is the Holy Bible or Libris Mundi (Latin: "book of the world") and his compassion. Jesus is also surrounded by a halo which symbolizes an aura of light. Possibly meant to be literally a symbol of "enlightenment." Inscribed inside the halo is the cross on which Jesus was martyred and on either side of the cross are his initials IC XC. Basically it is an acronim for his name in Greek. The acronym when promounced sounds like "ichthys" which sounds very much like the Greek word for fish. Hence the fish symbols on either side of his head. Context: The Byzantine style, although centered around the geographic region of Constantine's Byzantium, expands all through out the Christian world. It was used for manuscript and church art throughout France, Italy, Spain and the rest of Europe well into the 1400's and perhaps even later. As an artistic style it is used well into the Romanesque and Gothic periods. Even during the Renaissance there are still artists who use Byzantine drapery and facial stylization. For more details of images at Hagia Sofia go here. |
Monday
Bonaventura Berlinghieri, "St. Francis Altarpiece" tempera on wood 60' x 42' (approx. 5" x 3.5) Byzantine Style (maniera greca) painted during the Gothic Period
The main reasons why this altarpiece is studied are because it is an excellent example of the Byzantine painting style during the late Gothic period, it also represents St. Francis who is a historical religious figure who represents humanistic changes in culture during the late Gothic period into the Renaissance.
This is painted with egg tempera on wood panel. The medium of egg tempera is quick drying but very prominent in terms of color. The style that this was painted in, sometimes referred to as maniera greca, which literally translates as “in the Greek style or manner,” is a very flat not very illusionistic style of painting that is probably closer to what we think of as a cartooning style than a style that is meant to depict light and shadow or shading. If you look very closely at the figure and how things like how the facial features are rendered, you’ll probably notice that there is an attempt at shading however, it is not based in observing how light shades an object.
The way in which the people or figures are painted is also not very realistic and also closer to what we consider a cartoon rather than a realistic depiction of the bodies’ proportions and anatomy. The figures tend to be elongated, the posture is stiff and unrealistic, and the proportions of the face are unrealistic as well. For example, the eyes seem to be placed a little too high up into the four head, the nose is too long, and the mouth is placed further into the chin than his realistic.
Study with me here: https://www.udemy.com/user/kenneymencher/
The creation of space, and the relationship of the sizes of the buildings to the people in the pictures is also not realistic. For example, the figures seem to be too large when compared to the buildings. The size and scale of the figures to the buildings to the landscape our overall disproportionate and unrealistic.
The size of the panel, which is about 5 feet tall, makes the central figure of St. Francis almost life-sized. St. Francis is placed in the center of the composition. The composition is overall symmetrical, which means that you can cut it in half and it seems to be equal on either side of a vertical line. The central figure of Francis divides the overall composition into a left and right series of six scenes are vignettes that contain images of Francis and other figures as well as environments. The scenes represent the life and times of Francis and in particular focus on his deeds. The scenes range from, Francis ministering to the poor, to animals, and helping to save souls in general.
Francis literally takes the words of Jesus into his life by giving away all of his earthly possessions, ministering to the poor, and in general doing unto others as he would have others do unto him. The three knots in Francis’ rope belt represent, poverty, chastity, and obedience to God’s will. The subject matter of the altar focuses on the central figure of Francis and several scenes from his life that led to his canonization as a saint and amplify the concepts of charity, living a life of non-materialism, and thinking about as well as behaving in the way that Jesus prescribes in the New Testament.
In the upper left-hand scene, Francis receives the stigmata from a type of Angel called a Seraphim. This scene, explains and amplifies the wounds that Francis exhibits in the almost life-sized figure on his hands and feet that represent an honor that he receives because these are the same ones that Christ received while on the cross. Probably the next most important scene for Catholics is the scene in the middle of the left-hand column in which St. Francis delivers a sermon to the animals in the wild, because all living creatures are invested with God’s love. By the way, this does not necessarily mean that St. Francis believed that all animals have souls because this is inaccurate according to Catholic theology.
This altarpiece was painted in 1235 less than 10 years after Francis his canonization. Probably the most important reasons why this painting is taught as part of the great Canon of European late Gothic painting is because it represents the ideas that Francis represented. Since St. Francis taught several revolutionary ways of thinking about Catholicism, he’s almost like the “poster boy” for the changes that were happening in the transition from the late Gothic to the early Renaissance periods. For example, Francis represents humanism and critical thinking in the way that Francis chose to physically act out the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Previous to the life of St. Francis, the Catholic Church was the sole source of information about God for the layman (every day nonclergy). The Church interpreted, interceded and imposed a very clear point of view about God's teachings and was the sole source of biblical interpretation. In fact, laymen were not even allowed to own a Bible, not that they could afford one since they were hand written and very expensive. This point of view and religious/political system meant that everyday people could not actually "know" God for themselves and supported and maintained a point of view that one was born to a place on this earth that was unchangeable.
Francis's point of view that "To follow the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ and to walk in his footsteps." Breaks with this tradition and demonstrates the beginning of a point of view in which the lay person could not only have a direct experience of God but also alter their behavior in accordance with their knowledge without needing to consult the Church for interpretation. This is important and interesting because aside from the ideas exhibited in the teachings of Thomas Aquinas, this represents the beginning of a change in the way of thinking and the stirrings of individual critical thought. The art that follows, after the Byzantine period and in the late Gothic and Early Renaissance exhibits a new and critical point of view of the world.
Study with me here: https://www.udemy.com/user/kenneymencher/
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