Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling

For my Christmas present, my very clever sister gave me "Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling", by Ross King - a fascinating account of how Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.  Along the way, he paints a picture of the politics of Italy and the Church at the time, and the dynamics between the Pope, Julius II. and the artistic community.

But what I really enjoyed was the description of how Michelangelo learnt the art of fresco as he painted the ceiling, how he grew in confidence over the course of time, and especially the author's insights into Michelangelo's creative thought process as he worked on the different panels of the painting.  I like how he also integrated the story of Raphael, who was working on the frescos for the Pope's study and rooms around the same time.

I had of course visited the Sistine chapel just about one and a half years ago (as recorded in a previous post) and craned my neck looking up at the ceiling the whole time.  Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos :-( But I recall looking at the ceiling and thinking that there was such a contrast between one half of the ceiling, where the panels appeared to be more crowded with smaller figures, as opposed to the majesty of the other half, where the masterpieces of God creating dark and light, and the creation of Adam (with the famous finger) were.  The book explains that the more crowded panels were painted first.  Thereafter, the scaffolding for that half of the chapel were removed and Michelangelo got his first look at the frescos from the floor of the chapel.  He realised that they were not impactful due to the size and composition, and thereafter increased the size of the figures and simplified the composition for the second half of the ceiling. 

These, and more insights, can be found in the book.   I do recommend it for any art lover planning to visit Rome/the Sistine Chapel.  The only downside is that there were not enough colour plates in the book.  I would have loved more.  Instead, I had to look at the paintings online on the Vatican Museum's website - the virtual tour of the chapel - whilst reading the relevant section in  the book.

Journey to Pompeii

I have been on leave all this week. Aside from meeting up/having a meal with friends, and clearing my work email, I've taken the opp to do a little bumming around Singapore.  One item on the "to-do" list was visiting the Pompeii exhibition at the National Museum of Singapore - Pompeii : Life in a Roman Town 79CE.

It's been a while since I visited the Museum - in fact, I've not returned since my first visit soon after the Museum re-opened.  Instead, I visited the Peranakan museum a few times in the interim :-)  So it was probably time for another trip.  And the Pompeii exhibition was well worth the time.

The first thing which greets the visitor to the exhibition are casts of people and animals lying on the ground.  When Pompeii was excavated, the forms of those who died during the volcanic eruption were found - the ash had covered them and formed moulds around their dead bodies.  Whilst the bodies decayed over time, the shapes remaind. Particularly poignant (for me) was the cast of the little dog which had been chained up to guard his owner's property, whilst they fled to safety.  He died trying to escape the chain. Another cast was of a man, seated on the floor, with his hand covering his mouth in an attempt to keep the ash out.  But his  efforts, too, were in vain. 

The next stop is a short video, which attempts to reproduce the eruption of Mount Vesuvius on that fateful day in  79CE.  The eruption was actually recorded by the Roman letter writer Pliny the Younger (the Pepys of his day), who describes what happens in some detail - from the early part of the eruption to the subsequent darkening of the sky and the constant raining down of ashes.  Pliny was in Misenum, a nearby town, not in Pompeii itself, but he too had to flee the town in order to escape the volcanic ash and fumes. His uncle, however, had taken a boat out to study the volcano and also to mount some sort of rescue mission and perished in the attempt.

Subsequent rooms contain pottery, coins, weights, religious artefacts, jewellery and other items from the destroyed city. But my favourite room was the one containing the statues and beautiful frescos from the town. Some of the colours were still so rich and fresh, I had difficulties in believing that these were really almost 2000 years old.  According to another short video, the frescos were preserved so well because of the ash they had been buried in, following the eruption.  There was also a beautiful little mosaic fountain.  It is fascinating to think that this is just one small Roman town, not particularly exceptional, yet with people who appreciated beauty, art, and the pleasures of life.

I ended up buying a book on Pompeii, and with a wish to pay a visit to the ruined city one day.  I feel fortunate indeed to live in Singapore, far  away (relatively) from active volcanos. But at the end of it, it is indeed a reminder not to take for granted the blessings which we have, for life as we know it can indeed change overnight.

A somewhat pensive thought to end the year on!

p.s.  a few more photos on my Flickr page.

Waterfall

Silky Water!
Originally uploaded by Taking5

I thought I should end this series of posts on Laos, with this photo of the Kouang Si Waterfall, near Luang Prabang.

It is my first photo with silky water, achieved through lengthening the exposure, but as I didn't have a tripod, I had to find a suitable perch to put the camera on.

This is of course not the full falls - those are far more impressive. But the water looks a lot nicer in this shot - do check out my Flickr set if you would like to see more photos.

This visit to Laos has been truly enjoyable, exploring the countryside, meeting the people, participating in the life here.

The Mighty Mekong

Almost twilight
Originally uploaded by Taking5

The Mekong river is the lifeblood of Laos. It flows from one end of the country to the other, connecting villages, towns and communities. It separates Laos from Thailand - in Vientiane, you stand on one bank of the river and look at Thailand on the other side. In Luang Prabang, the Mekong and the Nam Khan form three of the four city boundaries, forming a natural defensive barrier around the city. The view of the sun setting on the Mekong river is also one of the most beautiful and peaceful ways to end the day (as the photo above demonstrates).

Our first sight of the Mekong river was in complete darkness, as we went there the first evening we were in Vientiane and my friend brought us to see the river and the lights of Thailand on the other bank. There was reclamation work being done on the river bank, so we trudged through the soil to stand on top of the bank.  The row of shops and restaurants which must once have enjoyed great river views was now further back. The next day, we drove down to a house on the Mekong river - the house itself was nice but the road getting there was a small dirt track between the beautifully kept homes. But in Vientiane, a house on the Mekong is still very much a prized possession, something for only the wealthy few.

When we went to Luang Prabang, the Mekong was indeed all around. We had lunch, dinner beside it in the many restaurants on the bank (and made the acquaintance of a dear little cat, which was most interested in the fried fish we had for lunch). The best guesthouses also make much of their river view. But one day we decided to cross the Mekong, to visit the small little villages on the other side. This was indeed quite a world away from the touristy streets of Luang Prabang.

We hired a boatman to ferry us across the river, and walked around the villages there. The villages were small, but very clean and neat (the Lao are a tidy people). Dogs roam the streets, and occasionally skirmishes would break out but otherwise, they seemed to get along together. Chickens also pecked around the area , searching for food. Obviously, it was also a school holiday, as could be seen by all the children playing under the shade of the trees.

We walked up a hill to visit the wat right on top - Wat Chom Phet.  It was bare and poorly maintained, with the painted facade badly faded and decorations missing except for the altar with the Buddha on top. A group of children were playing outside - but with a little bribe from one of my companions, they were induced to go sweep the wat, provide a mat and some flowers so that my friend could pray there for a while. The view of Luang Prabang, however, was amazing - the sight of the Phou Si, and the golden spire of the That Chomsi on the other side of the river.

We walked further on, to reach a larger temple complex - with a much better kept temple, Wat Long Khun. There was a far greater sense of a living community here - the monks quarters, other outhouses and buildings surrounded the temple, saffron coloured robes were hung out to dry in one corner, rice was drying also on large flat baskets set out in the sunshine beside the temple. The children however were still following us and brought some flowers for us to offer at the altar.

Wat Long Khun is supposed to be a "counterpart" to Wat Xieng Thong, across the river in Luang Prabang, and one of the most beautiful temple complexes in the country. We had earlier visited Wat Xieng Thong and indeed, it completely outshines the humbler tempple in this little community. I thought however, that this smaller temple had a quiet beauty and serenity all its own compared to the grander buildings across the river.  It was quiet and peaceful - we were the only people here, aside from the children and the one person minding the complex and collecting admission fees (yes they had it even here!).  So it was a real contrast to the better known, grander temple just across the river.

We visited a third wat on this side of the river but there was no one in sight - obviously they were praying or eating. We walked back to the village and hailed the boatman to ferry us back. It was an insight into a different world, different lives.

As always, more photos on my Flickr page.

Making Merit

Even more than Vientiane, Luang Prabang is full of temples, and full of monks. My friend told me that besides the young men who go into the temple for a few months, poor families also send their sons there. It is a way for them to get a better life - access to education, whilst lessening the burden on the family. We are staying across the road from Wat Xiang Mouane.  I woke up one morning to the sound of a drum; it was the day of a festival and the drum was being sounded at something like 4am in the morning. 

A little later than 4am, the monks leave their temples, and walk the streets to beg for food.  The morning ritual in Luang Prabang is as follows:

• Rise and shine before 6am
• Wait outside the house : with a scarf over the shoulder
• Carrying: a basket of food: sticky rice, or some biscuits or whatever.
• Kneel, if you are a lady, or stand, if a man.  Wait for the monks.

The monks then walk down the road, in single file.  They carry a begging bowl strapped over their shoulder.  They walk by the rows of people, we put food in their bowls. 

The line can seem endless; you can run out of food.  At last, it stops.

Charity, giving to others.  The humility of having to beg for your meals every day.  This is an example of how the giving helps both the giver and the  recipient. 

The Market Economy

It is said that Dr Goh Keng Swee liked walking through cities to look at their shops.  Not for purposes of shopping, mind you, but because he felt that this gave a good sense of the state of the area's economy.

I was reminded of this when I visited the morning markets in Vang Vieng, and Luang Prabang.  For us in Southeast Asia, the morning market is where all the housewives go first thing in the morning, to buy the food to be cooked later in the day. So it is a good place to find out what people eat.   

In Vang Vieng, there were lots of vegetable stalls.  There were also a few stalls selling meat - I really do not know what type of meat and I did not want to ask.  There were a few stalls selling a few fish each.  But there were many people seated on the ground, with a small pile of food in front of them - some vegetable stalls but others sold more "exotic" products, including a basin of insects, of live frogs each tied by the leg with a little piece of string, and bats.  These were women from the nearby villages, who had gleaned a few vegetables from their gardens, or who had sent out their children to see what could be caught, to sell or trade at the market. 

My friends bought duck eggs, to be boiled in the guesthouse and eaten for breakfast, rice cooked in banana leaves and a huge comb of gigantic bananas. 

By contrast, the morning market in Luang Prabang had more stalls selling meat and fish, in addition to vegetables.  One stall had a large tank of fish, in fact. Others sold crabs, tied together with rattan.  There was the one stall which sold what looked like maggots (or worms?).  There was also one stall selling some 6-7 types of rice - ordinary slash-and-burn rice (referring to the mode of cultivation), early harvest rice, sticky rice, black rice, brown rice, amongst others. The Laotian people really know their rice.  A number of stalls sold ready-cooked food- my friend bought a few packets of mixed black and white sticky rice, which we would eat with a little coconut and sugar (it was delicious). In short, the signs of a more vibrant regional economy.

For more photos on Laos, see my Flickr page.

By the Nam Song River

The Nam Song river wends its way through mountainous terrain; these limestone karsts tower over the river and continue beyond it.  We were on our way from Vientiane to Luang Prabang, from the new capital to the ancient capital.  Much of the journey would be spent driving through these mountains.  And we would be spending one night on the road, in Vang Vieng, a little town nestled beside the mountains, by the river.

Vang Vieng today is a sort of backpacker paradise.  It has many restaurants and guesthouses for backpackers, with the restaurants essentially comprising raised seating areas with lots of cushions.  There the backpackers sit, snacking and drinking and watching TV - largely reruns of American sitcoms.  We would be staying somewhere else - in one of the older guesthouses, which had been redeveloped a few times and catered to (ahem) a higher class of tourist.   Right by the river, it had fabulous views of the mountains and was within walking distance of the toll bridge and small tribal village.

We visited the village briefly (it was getting late, and the cows were already on their way home).  After a good dinner (pork ribs, papaya salad, a soup of young bamboo shoots, fish, and vegetables),we returned to the guesthouse.  There, we were greeted by the strains of "Blowing in the Wind".  The owner of the guesthouse was no mean guitarist and singer - some folks in our group knew him. We spent the evening by the river, singing away.

The next morning, we woke early and after a visit to the morning market visited a series of limestone caves (filled with stalagmites and stalagtites), again by the river.  We were early, so had the caves mostly to ourselves.  Then, we continued on our journey through the mountains to Luang Prabang. 

Spectacular, majestic scenery was all around.  The winding road took us up and down the mountains. It was an exciting journey, though a little worrying at times, particularly after we had to stop because one driver, going too fast, had gone off the road into a ravine and the car was being winched up.  Fortunately, we also had a good driver who didn't speed, kept his eyes on the road and tooted his horn every time we rounded a corner.  We arrived safely at Luang Prabang that evening.

To end off, here is a little video of the singing session that evening in Vang Vieng.  I asked for a traditional Lao song.  This one, is about the national flower of Laos - the frangipani.Here he is singing it together with others in our party.