Scan of Nefertiti's Bust

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/03/090331-nefertiti-bust-picture.html

According to the article, scans of the ancient bust of Nefertiti may indicate that there is a rather different face beneath the finished exterior. It's possible that the bust originally had a bump on the bridge of the nose, and wrinkles around the mouth. However it's believed that it was smoothed out to suit aesthetics of the time period. While I find myself doubting the legitimacy of the layer beneath actually indicating a different face was intended, it's still an interesting way to look at varying layers of art without risk of damage to priceless artifacts.

Roman Collosseum

This is a video giving a more in depth view at how the Colosseum in Rome was mastered. It shows whats materials were used to build it and how they came up with the idea. It also shows the method in which they used to provide shade for the spectators. It shows all the different pathways to easily get in and out of the Colosseum and never before seen footage of the aqua ducts underneath the Colosseum. It describes all the different things that happen inside including, gladiator fights, lion battles, and even ship  wars. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOylD1KC6kc

Art in the Making: Italian Painting Before 1400(Shanqiao Liang)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EuK0IhYOdw

This is a Italian painting artwork, and I very like the artwork because they used very interesting way to create the artwork. they should carve the pattern on a place of paper such as flowers, and put color on a board, then put the paper which is carved, and the line of the carve will leave on the board, and the artist can do decoration for the artwork. this is a smart way to create an artwork and very spacial I never seen that before.
Shanqiao Liang  

Russian photographers illegally climb to the top of the Pyramids --- for some breathtaking results

An exquisite photoset appeared on my Tumblr dashboard earlier this week, featuring a story on a group of fearless Russian tourists who waited several hours before sneaking past the guards of the Great Pyramids of Giza and climbing to the top to capture a rare view of Cairo at sunset.

Of course, since their actions were seriously illegal and infringed upon rules mean for protecting this ancient world wonder, the group faced up to three years of jail time for their ballsy endeavors. The photos originally surfaced in March of this year, going viral and catching the attention of the Egyptian government. I haven't found any word whether or not they actually went to jail, but one of the climbers issued a public apology via CNN. You can read it and see more of the unbelievable photos here. 

Source: visualnews.com, cnn.com

7 Most Mysterious Places In The World

7 Most Mysterious Places In The World

 

This article briefly poses questions of seven of the most mysterious places in the world. The places range from the Stonehenge of Wiltshire, England to the religious Gobekli Tepe of Urfa, Turkey. This article discusses many explanations and theories of how such huge monuments were transported without the materials that are present today. It even discusses that Plain of Jars in the Province of Laos and what was believed to be used of the jars. Reading this article, I became motivated to tour many of these countries so that I, too, could come up with my own theory as to how these places were constructed. I hope you enjoy!

 

I pulled this article from my Flipboard. It was posted by Huffington Post.

http://flip.it/xV814

Koh-i-noor Diamond

The priceless Kohinoor diamond is one of the most famous diamonds in the world. It was first mined in India. The diamond had belonged to many kings and dynasties of India during their rule.It was seized by the British during their rule and was gifted to the queen of England.  The British Had the diamond cut and now the diamond is half its original size. It is now a part of the queen's crown. The Indian government has asked the British many times to return the diamond but in vain.

SOURCE: My Grandfather

Persian Earring (525 - 330 BC), found in Iraq

I found this article on my Tumblr timeline. Not much info behind it, but if your intrested in what it looks like here you go!
Asian History

study suggests paleolithic women, not men, created much of ancient cave art

Via United Press International

A Penn State archaeologist studying ancient handprints has determined that most cave paintings were created by women, contrary to popular belief. Using the hand print stencils in the caves as a reference, Dean Snow claims that more than half of the prints in the caves belong to women. According to Snow, this shows that women played a larger role in hunter-gatherer than previously thought.

Original Article

Blog Information

Survey of Western Art I Classes:
I have set up this blog to provide a forum for student to make posts for extra credit. The blog will be open only to members of my two Survey classes. You can post items on the blog such as images, videos, links, etc., or share your own original thoughts. You may comment on something discussed in class, for example. All posts must be accompanied with a brief explanation in your own words (45-word minimum) of what each posted or linked item is about. No explanation is required for posts of original thoughts (it’s assumed that such posts will be more than 45 words). If an original post uses sources for information and/or ideas, these must be cited in footnotes. Always use your own wording unless you quote directly (in which case you need to put the wording within quotation marks). Students should link to articles rather than copy and paste entire articles on the blog (to comply with copyright laws). Topics can be related to any art period (and any country, society, culture, or artist), but topics that deal with art made prior to 1400 will be looked at very favorably.

Please Note: You'll be able to post after you respond to my request to add you as an author.

John Alford