All posts filed under: University of York

Landed in Paris

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So after what seems a long day of travelling, we have finally arrived safe and sound in Paris. After heading on an early 9am train to London, we then departed via Eurostar to the French capital. This was my first time of using the Eurostar, and it was much quicker than I had anticipated. Once we got to the hostel, and after we had unpacked our belongings, we met with our two tutors and headed out to the Montmartre area for a lovely dinner with both the groups. I just love Paris, there’s so much to see, and it seems every street you walk down offers you a new and different glimpse of Paris. We headed to the Moulin Rouge after of food, and lets just say that we saw some sights that are youngsters should not be seeing! Tomorrow ‘The Virgin’s Places’ are off to Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Lourve. But I’m hoping to have the time to quickly go to the Sainte-Chapelle, which is in between these two places. I cannot wait to …

Bye York, hello Paris!

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So today I am off to Paris with my current module – The Virgin’s Places: Chartres, Siena and Castile. During our week away we will spend the day visiting Chartres Cathedral, which I was lucky to go to the last time I was in Paris with Autumn’s module, Death and Devotion. I love Chartres Cathedral, as it’s a beautiful space – it’s so big and overwhelming. As well as spending the day outside of Paris in Chartres, we will be going to Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Lourve. I will also, in any spare time that we have, go and visit the Sainte-Chapelle – probably my favourite place in Paris! I will try and blog some photos about our trip, so keep checking back! I hope everyone has a great week, whether you’re a third year also going away (I know some people are going to Rome this week with the History of Art department!), or if you’re still in York.  

Valentine’s day arty treat

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As it’s Valentine’s day, I have decided to repost a piece that I published this time last year for the student-run magazine, HardZine. These are some of the most ‘Romantic’ paintings that I enjoy, if you can think of some others that you believe should be on here then post it in the comments section! Whether Valentine’s day is a day to enjoy with one’s significant other, or just a commercial creation conjured up by corporate conspiracy to make money; there is no denying the impact that it has on our society. How love is visually represented is wide and varied; from traditional depictions of couples sharing a moment of intimacy by embracing and being intertwined almost as one, through the written form, to the tragedy of a doomed romance. From Renaissance paintings to Contemporary Art, love is an emotion universally explored and understood. To celebrate the day we have come up with our favourite paintings, sculptures and artwork that represent the notion of ‘love’. Where does one start when describing and commenting about this …

Busy, busy, busy

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Sorry for the lack of blog posting, it’s been an incredibly busy week! So, what I have been doing the last few weeks? Well, this term I started by new module for the Spring/Summer term: The Virgin’s Places. This term I will be exploring all about the Virgin Mary in various places around medieval Europe, focusing specifically on Chartres Cathedral in France, the city of Siena and in the Spanish kingdom of Castile. This course is great fun, and its really fascinating to be studying the extent to which these people from the Medieval ages saw Mary as their intercessor, guardian and divine source of help. This week we’re looking at Duccio’s amazing panel painting Maesta, which if you haven’t seen, it’s stunning! As part of the module I am back off to Paris next week! – boy, I cannot get away from there, 3 times in the last 7 months, not that I am complaining. Luckily we are travelling to Paris by train, which was a great relief to me and other students who …

Spring 2014 public lectures

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At the University of York there are many interesting talks, lectures and workshops taking place throughout the year; many of which the History of Department present. I just wanted to encourage anyone interested in expanding their knowledge and learning something new to have a look at the variety of talks and attend one! I have been to a couple of these presentations, and have found them extremely helpful. Whether you’re in first or third year, there will be a talk for you! There’s a talk coming up next week which I am attending, and I think it will prove beneficial towards my dissertation and current module research, and plus because it’s focused on something that I am really interested in! The talk is presented by Dr Meg Boulton (who was a tutor of mine in my first year) and is titled: ‘City of God, city of gold: the symbolic of ecclesiastical ornament in the early Church’. (http://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/events/public-lectures/spring-2014/city-of-god/) I happened to come across this by pure chance, and I am really grateful that I did – I …

End of a long week

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So last week I completed my first ever 48 hour open exam, and boy oh boy, it was an experience that I wouldn’t really recommend to people. Actually, it wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated. I’m the kind of girl who plans her essays in advance, and  ends up writing an extra billion words, to which I then have to get rid of – hard to do in a limited amount of time. Anyway, I survived! I’m working on a post which will detail some tips that I found really helpful for preparing for this type of exam. I’ve also started my new module this term – The Virgin’s Spaces – all about the Virgin Mary! So keep checking out the blog to see what I’m learning about. I hope that the first two weeks have gone well for everyone, and in the up-coming-weeks I have many plans for some potential posts, including tips on getting internships in the arts!