Art Studies
		http://www.ackland.org/visit/index.html

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    You have to visit the Ackland Art Museum on the UNC Chapel Hill Campus and look at the wondrous sculpture of “Wisdom supporting Liberty”.  As soon as I walked into this section of the museum, the sculpture grabbed my attention above everything else.  “Wisdom Supporting Liberty” was sculpted by the French artist, Jules Dalou who lived from 1838 to 1902.  This particular sculpture received a bronze medal in 1889 and was an anonymous gift to the University.
    Dalou created an image of the Greek Goddess of Liberty who was falling because she was too weak to stand alone.  The Greek goddess of Wisdom holds her up to keep her from falling.  The detail of the sculpture is wondrous as it displayed every muscle on the two goddesses in bronze.  The sculpture was very smooth to the touch.  Dalou sculpted the faces of the two women in such detail that they also express great emotion as well.  As I observed the object, I felt the cry for help from Liberty and the strain of Wisdom to hold up her falling friend.  When I walked around the sculpture, I was able to see different features of the goddesses.  An interesting observation that I made was how Liberty's leg was falling off the base of the sculpture.  This made the scene appear more realistic.  Although the sculpture was all black, the detail of the body shape of the goddesses, their clothing, and their features give it life.  It was wondrous to me to see how the black sculpture could display so much energy and emotion.  It was in the center of the room on a wooden stand amidst many paintings which made it stand out even more.  You should definitely come by the Ackland to see “Wisdom Supporting Liberty” and experience for yourself the wondrous sculpture and story depicted.
~Trish

    One of the most uniquely painted displays in the Ackland Art Museum on UNC Chapel Hill campus is the painting, “Landscape”.  It was painted by the French artist, Jean Metzinger, who lived from 1883 to 1904.  This particular painting is an oil on canvas painting that was painted in the year 1904.  It was put into the Ackland Museum because of the Ackland Fund.
    This early 20th century painting is unique in its technique and style of painting.  From a distance the painting appears as a beautiful autumn landscape with the grasses and leaves of fall.  As I walked closer to the object, I was amazed at how the fall scene became less clear.  Up close the painting appears to be made up of many dabs of paint from a paint brush close together.  Every splotch of paint appeared to be a different shade of color.  This was so wondrous to me to see how all these different colors were placed together to create this beautiful scene of autumn.  The painting felt like a smoothed over rough and dry surface because it was oil on canvas.  The painting style of this object sets it apart from all the paintings in the museum.  The multicolored display was very interesting.  I found myself walking up close to this painting and then observing it from afar to experience the two different perspectives.  Up close, it was hard for me to distinguish the different parts of the scene because of the scattered brushes of paint.  From about five feet back, I could clearly see the autumn landscape.  Overall in observing the painting, I felt a since of calmness and peace because the colors were many different light shades of fall, such as red, green, orange, and yellow.  You should come check out “Landscape” at the Ackland Art Museum and see for yourself this wondrous style of painting.
~Trish

    A very beautiful and large painting is found in the Ackland Art Museum at UNC Chapel Hill.  “The Falls at Tivoli with the Temple of the Sibyl” was painted by the French artist, Pierre-Athenase Chauvin who lived from 1774 to 1832.  The painting is oil on canvas and was placed in the museum by The William A. Whitaker Foundation Art Fund.
    As I was strolling through the Art Museum, this particular painting caught my eye very quickly.  The painting was first of all very large compared to the other paintings in the room.  What attracted me the most was the illumination of a waterfall painted in the scene.  The foam of the waterfall was bright white and stuck out compared to the rest of the picture which did not have as bright of colors.  The detail of the painting and the perception of light in the painting came off as wondrous.  Chauvin uses the perception of light to give depth to the mountainous scene in the painting.  The village at the top of the painting is created with darker colors which appears to be farther away.  I looked at the waterfall for a long time and observed its liveliness and beauty.  The detail that Chauvin used to create the landscape was marvelous.  I could just look at the painting for hours because of how its beautiful detail brings you into the scene and captures your emotions.  I felt so peaceful after observing this object.  The museum was really quiet and I began to imagine that I was actually there at the Falls at Tivoli.  As I was standing up close I could even see tiny white birds flying beside the mountains.  The beautiful colors and detail of the scenery were so amazing.  You should most definitely come see this wondrous painting and observe how the perception of light can be so intriguing.
~Trish

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    One of the most wondrous objects found on Chapel Hill’s campus is the camera obscura which is located right outside of the Hanes Art Center and the Ackland Art Museum.  UNC Associate Professor of Art Elin o’Hara Slavick and her students in a photography class constructed this particular camera obscura.  It is open to the public from 8 am to 5 pm on weekdays through May 2, 2003.  The actual camera obscura, or “dark room”, was invented in the 19th century and was a prototype for the modern camera.
    The camera obscura on our campus right near the Ackland, is a small red, wooden, octagonal room that has a tin roof and a turbine spinning on top.  When I first visited this wonder, I was filled with excitement and curiosity.  The outside always grabs my attention with its bright red walls and spinning turbine, which makes it so unique.  As I stepped inside and shut the door, the small room was completely dark except for the small holes in the walls surrounding me.  Sunlight was beaming through the holes of various sizes.  As I stood in the dark, I felt nervous as I anxiously awaited for something to happen.  Then after a few minutes, I began to see vague images on all of the walls surrounding me.  This was such a wondrous feeling.  Soon, I was able to make out the images projected in color as trees, cars, and people from the outside of the camera obscura.  It looked like a fall scene from outside.  There was a good projection of a small tree with red leaves right near the camera obscura.  It was like watching a film, except everything was upside down.  I was truly amazed at how all of these images from the outside world were projected through tiny holes in the walls.  As I turned and looked at the different walls I was able to see different images projected from outside.  As a UNC student, I feel that the camera obscura is a wondrous object on our campus because it takes the laws of physics and creates beautiful art through the projection of film and photography.
~Trish