What is Art?

To Judith G. Klausner it is an Oreo.  Were I a skilled sculptor and had the time, I would choose a more lasting medium.

Shades of Pemberley

This last week the house was empty except for Peter and me. Since I struggle with learning new things where there is an audience, I decided to pick something from my three page hand written {one page typed in the smallest font with two columns} list of “needed improvements to self” complied last January that, due to the nature of the task, an audience is usually unavoidable when acquiring. Peter, dear furry friend, does not count, at least as a music connoisseur or critic. I decided to turn to the piano for my entertainment instead of the TV in those mini moments of downtime such as when I was waiting for my dinner to finish baking and again at that time of the night when it is too early to go to bed, even for me. I was inspired to get out my sheet music from the movie Pride and Prejudice (2005) after talking with my cousin Stephanie. Using the method to gage the difficulty of a song taught to me by my Mom {If the page is primarily black, it is hard.}, I selected the song with the least amount of black as well as the fewest sharps and flats. {Too bad the last page has six flats, but I can do it.} It happened to be my favorite song from the movie titled The Living Sculptures of Pemberley. I have to thank my Mom for teaching me to love the piano. I still remember listening to her play at night after she had tucked us all in bed. And she tried to get me to play when I was younger, too, but I was stubborn, surprise. Thankfully there is such a thing as a violin. It worked much better. And it helped that after two weeks of private lessons with the sweetest orchestra teacher ever I joined the second violin section of the Junior High School orchestra. I love a challenge. And of course all of the private lessons with additional teachers had to have helped significantly, too! Thanks to the foundation in music provided by my Mom and Dad, I can be pleased with my progress this week. Though for now, it is probably best that I am content to be a practice room performer. Especially since there are too many grand pauses while I try to determine what that next note to be played by the left hand is supposed to be. Ah, the woes of a violinist attempting the piano… silly bass clef. But if I relearn the bass clef, maybe there will be a cello in my future? Hum, that would be fun! Then again, maybe I should just worry about the piano for now… yes!

I have had The Living Sculptures of Pemberley running through my head all week. This, of course makes me think of my favorite part of the whole movie, the scene in which said song is featured. {Sorry Jane Austen… your story is wonderful, and the movie was well filmed, but…} I absolutely love the marble sculpture {no, not Darcy} of the girl with the veil over her face. I have to confess that when I rewind any portion of that movie it is this scene only… to see that sculpture again. So I looked the sculpture up online {I refuse to Bing, who would “Bing” when you can Google? Wow that sounds a bit Mr. Elton-ish. Not my role model, but I guess I can be a bit ridiculous, too.} Here is what I discovered: It is the Veiled Vestal Virgin by Raffaele Monti, Marble, 1847. It was commissioned by the sixth Duke of Devonshire. And a little more information if you are interested: [Raffaele Monti: (1818-1881) was born in Milan, Italy. He studied under his father the noted sculptor Gaetano Matteo Monti. By way of Vienna and Milan, he came to London in 1848, and settled there. He exhibited at the Royal Academy, and Monti soon earned recognition for his piece for the Duke of Devonshire, the "Veiled Vestal." A bust based on this work, cast in Parian porcelain by Copeland, was issued in 1861 by the Crystal Palace Art Union. Monti produced sculptures working in marble, but he also created in metals, porcelain, marble and remained active in the applied arts. (Wikipedia)] [Vestial virgins: In Ancient Rome, the vestal virgins were the virgin holy female priestesses of Vesta, the goddess of the hearth. Their primary task was to maintain the sacred fire of Vesta. The vestal duty brought great honor and afforded greater privileges to women who served in that role. They were the only female priests within the Roman religious system. Their tasks included the maintenance of the fire sacred to Vesta, the goddess of the hearth and home, collecting water from a sacred spring, preparation of food used in rituals and caring for sacred objects in the temple's sanctuary. (Wikipedia) {What I do not understand is why they were ‘unmarried’ when they kept the hearth and home for Rome… unless of course, the Romans feared the results of having more than one hen in the hen house.}] [William George Spencer Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire: (21 May 1790 – 18 January 1858), styled Marquess[sic] of Hartington until 1811, was a British peer, courtier and Whig politician. Known as the "Bachelor Duke", he was Lord Chamberlain of the Household between 1827 and 1828 and again between 1830 and 1834. (Wikipedia)]

I think it is funny that the former Lord Chamberlain of the Household would commission a sculpture of a Vestial priestess.

These photographs, though lovely, of the Vestial priestess do not give quite the same effect as the video, but they will have to suffice until I can get to Chatsworth to see her in person: