1100 Jefferson

A Day at the Musée d'Orsay

"Not a day, nor even a week, will exhaust what this museum has to tell us."

New York Times Inauguration Review of Musée d’Orsay, 1986

 

On the left bank of the Seine in Paris there is a museum that, since its opening in 1986, has welcomed over 76 million visitors and is currently one of the 10 most visited art museums around the world: the Musée d’Orsay.

Housed in the former Gare d’Orsay—a railway station built  between 1898 and 1900—this museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1915, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography.

 

This museum consolidates Paris's greatest 19th-century train station with Paris's greatest 19th-century art.

With three floors of exhibition space, it could be complicated to discover its greatness from 3,830 miles away.  However, art historian Linda Skalet aptly tackled the challenge of exploring d’Orsay’s history, complete with a virtual tour through its collection and analysis of the cultural context of its artistic treasures during her seminar: “A Day at the Musée d’Orsay”. The tour began with d’Orsay’s golden years as a railway station, paused for a French-themed lunch, and then finished with a comprehensive survey of the largest collection of impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces in the world.

 

Brief Insight to the Collection: Impressionist Revolution

Most of the displayed artworks inside the museum are from impressionist artists who violated the accepted rules of academic painting during the 19th-century. By emphasizing light and movement through a welter of new techniques and forms, the Impressionist Revolution showed itself to be not only a precursor to new painting styles, but also a strong reflection of how our perspective of the world was changing

The idea to turn the Gare d’Orsay into a museum came from the desire to provide a unique space that could bridge the gap between the traditional paintings of the Louvre and the artworks of the National Museum of Modern Art (MNAM) at the quirky Centre Georges Pompidou. Musée d’Orsay’s collection includes masterpieces by celebrated rebels that changed everything: Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Seurat, Sisley, Gauguin, and Van Gogh.

 

Here is a look at some of the great artworks inside the Musée d’Orsay:

 

E.Manet, Luncheon on the Grass, 1863.

 

E.Manet, Olympia, 1863.

 

P.A. Renoir, Dancing at the Moulin de la Galette, 1876.

 

E.Degas, Absinthe, 1873.

 

P. Cezanne, The Card Players, 1873.

 

V.Van Gogh, The Dance Hall at Arles, 1888.

 

P. Gauguin, Arearea, 1892.

 

E. Degas, Young Dancer of Fourteen, 1881.

 

This museum displays some of the most celebrated works of French artists inspired by anecdotes of daily life and nature rather than composed images. Its collection praises color, line, and form which gives a glimpse into particular moments of artists’ daily lives. The Musée d’Orsay is one of the greatest compilations of brief, but sincere fragments of modern life that flaunts the beauty of anecdotes.

It is more than just a building; it is art itself.

 

For further information about its collection, visit:

Musee Orsay Collections

Written by Nancy F. Sanchez Garcia

To Adventure Born: Wendell Phillips in the Arabian Desert

"Herein lies the story of a dream, which like many dreams occasionally achieved nightmarish qualities...I  warn all others to whom romance, adventure, science, travel and the lure of the unknown beckon that the fulfillment of their dreams may also bring up on them the torture of split lips, swollen tongues, frozen fingers, dysentery, fever, heartbreak and monotony beyond compare."

Sounds like something Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones would say, doesn't it? They are the words of Wendell Phillips, from his 1955 book Qataban and Sheba: Exploring the Ancient Kingdoms on the Biblical Spice Roads of Arabia. In it he describes what transpired when, at age 28, the archaeologist and explorer followed a dream: to excavate a temple dedicated to the biblical Queen of Sheba. He did find treasure, but was forced to abandon his dream or risk losing his life.

There's a you-are-there feeling to "Unearthing Arabia: The Archaeological Adventures of Wendell Phillips," the Sackler Gallery's multimedia exhibition about the expedition Phillips led in 1950 into South Arabia (present-day Yemen). It was a place he described as "rich with the spoils of time." He was eager to push "through sand and centuries of a glorious past" to find those riches. Dig they did, beginning at Timna, the ancient capital of Qataba where excavations included a temple and a cemetery. Phillips was the first Western archaeologist to come there.

The trouble started when the expedition moved north to Marib to unearth Awam Temple and evidence of the Queen of Sheba. They were forced to abandon everything and pull out in a hurry or face certain harm by hostile local tribesman.

Phillips never returned to the desert, and he died in 1975 at age 54. But the adventure is still alive in the image that welcomes you into "Unearthing Arabia." The poster shows a cocky young man with a turban atop his head and revolved cradled in a holster on his hip--the very picture of a desert explorer. Cases contain everyday items such as field notebooks, photographs, baskets, canteens, and a camera. Vintage footage of the team at work is displayed on giant wall panels, including the moments of discovery of some of the artifacts in the exhibit.

"Unearthing Arabia's" 70 artifacts were selected from the collection of nearly 400 objects dating from the 8th century B.C. to the 2nd century A.D. that Phillips' sister, Merilyn Phillips Hodgson, donated to the Sackler in 2013. They range from chiseled limestone incense burners, bottles, bowls, and fragments of cups, to fine funerary statues from the cemetery at Timna, and steles commemorating the dead. A striking head of a woman (the team nicknamed her "Miriam") was carved from alabaster with inlaid lapis lazuli eyes and brows and dates to the middle of the first century. The expedition's greatest find is a pair of bronze lions, each being ridden by a boy. Massumeh Farhad, Sackler's chief curator, noted that the statues' Greco-Roman style and iconography suggest "the close relationship of the Mediterranean and South Arabia" and a familiarity on the part of local artists with the Greeks' artistic language.

Phillips and his team had blazed a trail for archaeological exploration in the Arabian Peninsula. And being a man of action, he succinctly summed up his desert exploits in words all would-be explorers might take to heart: "Not all is archaeology on an archaeological expedition."

Visit Unearthing Arabia: The Archaeological Adventures of Wendell Phillips at the Sackler Gallery until June 7asia.si.edu

Wendell Phillips, courtesy the American Foundation for the Study of Man

Copied from the March issue of the Associate

Film Theory for Dummies: An Oscars 2015 Recap

Wow, what a night. Neil Patrick Harris managed to make some really bad jokes (hating on Meryl for wanting equal pay, ugh the nerve!), Lady Gaga slayed her rendition of The Sound of Music plus Julie Andrews graced the stage all queen-of-Genovia-like, and Birdman ended up winning both Best Picture and Best Directing!

I have to say I went into the show with a bit of snooty confidence, thanks to the expertise of Noah Gittell at our “Red Carpet Night with Oscar” event. Noah gave us a little perspective about his Oscar picks this year, and the politics of the Academy in general. Did you know an Oscars campaign costs more than a Congressional campaign? It’s absolutely crazy what Hollywood will do to promote itself and the industry, yet we’ve all bought in. The Oscars, according to Noah, is just a huge plot to get us to spend money on the newest from Hollywood, and hey, I will gladly and religiously do that every year (NOT SORRY).

 

The Winners:

It turns out Noah was pretty spot on with his Oscar picks, which made me the most knowledgeable girl in the room—thanks Noah, you’re the real winner here!  Here’s a look into the theory behind Noah’s 2015 winners and picks! 

 

Actor in a Supporting Role:

Winner: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

Noah’s pick: Also J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

No surprise there. Actor in a Supporting Role went to J.K. Simmons, as Noah confidently explained would happen. He has the years on the other nominees, and though the Academy loves Mark Ruffalo, J.K. Simmons was the shoo-in.  

 

Actress in a Supporting Role:

Winner: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood

Noah’s pick: Emma Stone, Birdman

Patricia Arquette winning Actress in a Supporting Role was a pleasant surprise for me. After Noah explained the trend of the Academy to lean towards the hot, up-and-coming youth over the refined and more experienced woman, I assumed Emma Stone would take the cake. Noah had tagged Patricia Arquette as the “dark horse” of this category though.

 

Actor in a Leading Role:

Winner: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

Noah’s pick: Also Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

Actor in a Leading Role going to Eddie Redmayne was expected and did not disappoint. The time and depth he spent preparing for the role of Stephen Hawking really set him above the rest of the nominees. Not to mention, his acceptance speech was probably the cutest thing you saw all night, as he promised to wait hand and foot on his new apartment mate (his Oscar) and graciously thanked his fellow cast (and wife—precious). Birdman’s, Michael Keaton, was Noah’s “dark horse” pick—for a “we may have shorted you an Oscar a few times, so here it is now,” situation, but I think we were okay with heartthrob Eddie stealing the spotlight.

 

Actress in a Leading Role:

Winner: Julianne Moore, Still Alice

Noah’s pick: Also Julianne Moore, Still Alice

This Oscar was the one which made me the most nervous. Noah explained that this was Julianne Moore’s time to win, especially after being shorted to Hilary Swank (not once, but twice). But after his “hot young thing” talk, I was worried that Marion Cotillard of Two Days, One Night or Rosamund Pike of Gone Girl would pull a Hilary Swank on Moore. Both gave absolutely excellent performances, but they paled in comparison to Julianne Moore in Still Alice.

 

Best Picture:                                        Best Directing:

Winner: Birdman                                     Winner: Birdman

Noah’s pick: Birdman                               Noah’s pick: Boyhood 

The ones we’ve all been waiting for… and coincidentally the ones that caught me totally off guard. With Noah’s help however, I think I can shed some light on the decision.  Noah explained that Birdman and Boyhood were the films that would take Best Picture and Best Directing with each film taking either one or the other. Boyhood took the Golden Globe for Best Picture, so the film was definitely in the running for the Oscar. The 12-year film project is something innovative and experimental for the film industry, which is why I believed the Academy would award Boyhood for Best Directing. However, Birdman managed to sweep both categories—likely because the Oscars are ultimately about selling Hollywood, according to Noah. What could sell Hollywood more than a movie about the industry itself? For that reason, I think Birdman was awarded so favorably by the Academy this year.

 

Hollywood’s Comeback:

The speeches, the dresses, the performances; this year’s Oscars was definitely one of my favorites. What we’re seeing in Hollywood is this shift toward social activism, where members of the industry are using their acceptance speech time to speak out on issues near and dear to their hearts. What better time to address the nation than with an expected audience of 43 million watching, and I think it’s awesome!

Eddie Redmayne recognized the ALS community, Julianne Moore spoke on behalf of those affected by Alzheimer’s, and J.K. Simmons told us to call our moms.  Patricia Arquette advocated for equal pay, Graham Moore told us to stay weird, and Mexican director, Alejandro González Iñárritu of Birdman ended the night reminding us we are a nation of immigrants.  Even off the stage, Reese Witherspoon ran a social media campaign to #AskHerMore, urging journalists on the red carpet to ask females more than just “what are you wearing?”

After seeing the 2015 Grammys and Oscars winners deliver similar messages to audiences, it certainly seems like people are setting a precedent in how they use the award show stage.  Actors and actresses, given their fan base, can be great vehicles for change, and the trend is one I hope continues for years to come.

 

P.S. If you thought I was kidding about “Finding Dad” at the Oscars, here’s the proof! http://1100jefferson.smithsonianassociates.org/2015/02/oscars-2015-are-you-ready.html

 

 

For more from Noah Gittell visit:

http://reelchange.net/

 

Written by Sammy Spiegel, social media intern

Reading Your Way to a Well-Educated Mind

Reading is easy, and thinking is hard work, but the one is useless without the other.

Lord Bryce

Time is money; so why invest hours in an activity that does not “produce” anything? Living in a world that prioritizes observational results, speed, and sales, can sometimes make us question how to spend our time. How many of us still take the time to read a book? When was the last time we took time to actually think about the lines we were reading?

During her seminar on February 7, writer and historian, Susan Wise Bauer invited the attendees to think about these and other questions about our views and practices towards reading. Most people learn to read at a very young age, so we often forget that we need to keep training this skill! Bauer emphasized that the two main joys of reading a book are to get in touch with ideas we have never thought about and to question our values and beliefs.

A well-educated mind questions ideas and tries to understand the ones that are being shared in a book. Bauer shared several tips that may help us to better understand those ideas, which may help us build arguments instead of hazy opinions. 

 

Main Tips

• Take notes: It is not a crime to write notes, highlight or bookmark the parts that catch our attention; notes are helpful for a second reading. Remember: collect and evaluate, before drawing your own conclusions.
• Keep a journal: Have you ever read a book and later forgot what was it about? Don’t worry, this is normal, and it happens to everyone. However, it might help to keep a journal of your reading in which to write down our reactions in our own words.
• Give yourself time: The need for speed does not apply to reading. Give yourself some time to read and really enjoy it. Use your time wisely to understand what you are reading. Enlightenment takes time.
• Ask questions: Rather than a monologue, reading is like having a conversation. Do not be afraid to question what you are reading. It is actually expected that you do!

 

 

Rethinking the Three Most Popular Genres: Brief Highlights

Novel

Reading is introspective and novels are a celebration of the individual. Perhaps by better understanding the characters, we can actually find something we did not know about ourselves. It all starts with asking questions, some of them might be more difficult than others, but the important thing is to try to relate what we are reading with ourselves and our beliefs. From Don Quixote to Fyodor Dostoyevsky or Italo Calvino, there are a lot of stories to be shared and ideas waiting to be discussed!

Autobiography

We all agree that no autobiography is objective and that even in this type of “fact” writing, we find fiction. But this genre could actually help us to know a deeper truth about the author by analyzing their impressions of the world and the events that were considered important to include. Most people will even say that autobiographies are sometimes more fictional that novels, but we need to remember that, as Fawn M. Brodie once said: “An individual’s memory is bound to be a distortion of his past in accordance with his present interests, and the most faithful autobiography is likely to mirror less what an individual was than what he has become”. Great stories and ideas from real individuals—that is the power of autobiography.

History

Some say that reading history is like reading an argument. But how do we come up with an opinion about what we are reading? One of the main tips from Susan Wise Bauer is to read the first and last chapter. Yes, in history books, it is ok to know how the book is going to end since they are not only trying to tell us what happened, but why it happened in that way. If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday. Just remember that the final judgment must also include your point of view.

 

Final Reminders

Reading leads us to self-reflection. Critical thinking does not only provide us a better understanding of our readings, but it could also make us more analytical about the thoughts that shape our world. So remember: it is not a matter of quantity, but quality; it is not a matter of opinions, but arguments; it is not a matter of reading, but understanding.

 

Written by Nancy F. Sanchez Garcia

Oscars 2015: Are You Ready?

With award season in full swing, the buzz for the Oscar race is getting us excited here at the Smithsonian. The beautiful gowns, the stars, the acceptance speeches, and especially following this year’s moving Grammys, we’re ready for what is deemed “Hollywood’s Biggest Night.”

My personal love for award shows reaches far beyond my celebrity obsession. I remember being as young as six and my mom letting my sister and I stay up late on those Sunday nights just so we could watch the show. The three of us would ooh and ah at the dresses and laugh at the host, but more importantly play this funny little game called, “find Dad!” That’s right, my dad attended the Oscars every year and as a kid, it was probably the coolest thing ever (still might be the coolest thing ever!)

“Finding Dad” was a task, though, because he isn’t the one walking the red carpet in a tux. He’s actually, and still to this day, a utilities and camera guy who often works award shows (I fangirled a little when I saw his name in the credits during the Grammys…) Anyway if we were lucky, there would be an aerial shot of the audience and we could maybe see my dad dressed in all black crouching near the front cameras. He’d come home too late for us to stay up but the morning after we’d run up and hug him screaming “We saw you on TV!”

My point being—the Oscars are something that hit very close to home. That’s why when I got the chance to volunteer on the red carpet at our very own “Red-Carpet Night with Oscar” event, I couldn’t be more excited. Last year, many fashion favorites wowed us on the Red Carpet at the show, which gets me wondering who will stun us this year both at the Oscars and our event! If you can remember, Lupita Nyong'o made her Oscars debut in a pale blue Prada couture gown with gold jewelry accents, Sandra Bullock wowed us with a navy blue Alexander McQueen gown with Lorraine Schwartz jewels, and Meryl Streep, my woman crush always, owned it in an ivory Lanvin blouse and black Lanvin skirt (to name a few personal favorites!)

From Lupita to Sandra, and even my girl Meryl, it’s always exciting what the stars bring to the Red Carpet. Luckily this year you don’t have to be a star to strut your stuff at our “Red-Carpet Night with Oscar.” The Smithsonian is honored to host film critic for Washington City Paper and blogger for ReelChange.net. Noah Gittell, who will cover Academy Awards history, memorable ceremonies, and this year’s nominations! Brad and Angie will be there, courtesy of Madame Tussauds, and you’ll feel like a celeb in no time thanks to Hollywood-inspired cocktails from Tortoise and Hare. It’ll be a night for the books, and we hope to see you on the Red Carpet dressed to the nines for what’s sure to be an awesome evening!

For tickets, visit:

http://ow.ly/Hg011

written by Sammy Spiegel, social media intern

Getting to Know the Justices: Smithsonian Style

It was a full house at GW’s Lisner Auditorium last night, where the Smithsonian Associates were proud to welcome the “odd couple” of the Supreme Court. Political opposites but great friends, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia discussed everything from their views on the Constitution, to their favorite vacation stories, and even what was a snooze-worthy SOTU (at least for Ginsburg!)

The two started by amiably chatting about their favorite moments together—Ginsburg recalling a bumpy elephant ride in India, and Scalia remembering parasailing in the South of France.

"Ruth -- honest to goodness -- went up behind a motor boat," he said. "I mean she's so light you would think she would never come down. I would not do that."

With different perceptions of “fun,” the two, of course, offered different and unique perspectives on the interpretation of our Constitution. Scalia claimed the Constitution is not a living document, among other things, and that the majority should rule.

“Don’t paint me as anti-gay or antiabortion or anything else,” Scalia said. “All I’m doing on the Supreme Court is opining about who should decide: Is it a matter left to the people, or is it a matter of my responsibility as a justice of the Supreme Court?”

Ginsburg offered ideas about the ever-evolving nature of our society and thus how the Constitution must be loosely interpreted.

 “These grand ideas [of equality] were meant to develop as society develops,” Ginsburg said. “This question of who counts has become ever more inclusive.”

NPR legal correspondent, Nina Totenberg, facilitated the lively evening of laughs, applause, and friendly debate from the unlikely duo.  “Good spirit, great stories, high combat”: getting to know the judges on a more personal level was definitely a night to remember!

 

To hear more about the night, visit:

Washington Post

CNN

U.S. News & World Report

New York Times

 

Written by Sammy Spiegel, social media intern

The College Student's Guide to Buddhism: Self-Help Edition

As part of the Smithsonian Associates 6-session course on discovering world religions, last Thursday we welcomed UVA graduate turned associate professor and dean from the School of Theology and Religious Studies at Catholic University of America, Charles Jones. Professor Jones was able to find the right words to explain the dense Buddhist teachings in a way the entire audience could understand.

His opening: “I’m about to sound like a self-help guru here!”

Now that sounds like something I could use in my life. Professor Jones continued on to explain the foundations of the Buddhist religion, fundamentally established on the golden question: “Can we put an end to suffering?”

Its Beginnings

Buddhism began around an estimated 563-483 BC, when the historical Buddhist, the Shakyamuni probably lived. After leaving palace life around age 29, he experienced firsthand the impermanence of good, which led him to a deep suffering that he tried multiple ways to get out of. Buddhist teachings thus center on this idea that human existence is bound for endless suffering, a term known as Samsara.

Sounds pretty awful, right? Surely there must be some way out of the samsara. Luckily, Professor Jones answered the “$65,000 question” (using analogies with pizza and beer) in terms of the four noble truths.

The Four Noble Truths

1.      Truth of Suffering
2.      Truth of the Cause of Suffering: Desire
3.      Truth of the End of Suffering
4.      Truth of the Path to the End of Suffering

According to Professor Jones, the relationship of the four noble truths can be looked at from two different perspectives. The first: a simple cause and effect relationship.

The first truth is the truth of suffering. Suffering exists, and there is dissatisfaction inherent within the human condition because of impermanence and insubstantiality. Basically, once you realize great things end and won’t be great forever, you realize even trivial things in your life are suffering.

The second noble truth is that the cause of suffering is desire. The first noble truth is essentially the effect of the second noble truth; in other words, desire causes suffering.

The third noble truth is the idea that there can in fact be an end to suffering.

The fourth noble truth is that there is a path to the end of suffering, The Noble Eightfold Path. Because the fourth noble truth implies there is a path to end suffering, the fourth noble truth is the cause of the third.

Did this confuse you? Me too. The other analogy Professor Jones used to describe the relationship of the four noble truths was a visit to the doctor’s office—something we can all understand.

The first noble truth corresponds to the symptoms, the symptom being suffering. The second noble truth relates to diagnosis, trying to see what caused the suffering: desire. The third noble truth acts as the prognosis of the doctor visit, where the doctor tells you what your odds are looking like (which are good according to Jones!) And the fourth noble truth is the prescription: here’s exactly what you need to do to cure the problem, the Noble Eightfold Path.

The Noble Eightfold Path

According to the principles of this Eightfold Path, Buddhism teaches that you will be able to leave the samsara of endless suffering when you have achieved the following:

    Right view: Under the broader category of prajñā, or Wisdom, the right view can be understood as the right perspective or outlook. This right outlook should be one that is detached enough to see in a way that transcends all views.

    Right resolve: Also under prajñā, the right resolve—or right intention—involves ridding yourself of any qualities that are wrong or immoral.

    Right speech: Under the category of Śīla, or Morality, Buddhism teaches that one should be careful in his use of words—avoiding slander, lying, abusive speech, or idle chatter.

    Right action: Also under the category of Śīla, right action would be avoiding any kind of conduct eroding social structure. In America, this would mean simply following the law.

    Right livelihood: Lastly under Śīla, right livelihood means not engaging in trade that would be harmful to another human being—The five we touched on included no trade of weapons, living beings, meat, liquor, or poison.

    Right effort: Under the category of Samadhi, meaning Meditation, right view means vigorously pursuing wholesome mental states, and abandoning all wrong and harmful thoughts.

    Right mindfulness: Also under Samadhi, right mindfulness means being aware of your thoughts in a way to live completely present in the moment.

    Right concentration: Lastly under Samadhi, right concentration is finding the meditation to fit yourself best.

Though it seems pretty straightforward, what’s hard about achieving the Noble Eightfold Path, according to Jones, is that it requires a combination of a clear mind, while living completely in the moment. We didn’t have much time to delve deeper into reincarnation, Nirvana, and other Buddhist staples, but I walked out of the lecture grasping Buddhism a little better than I had before. Hopefully after reading this, you can say that too!

 Written by Sammy Spiegel, social media intern at the Smithsonian Associates

Discovering Veneto, Italy

Traveling all of Michelangelo’s routes, studying opera at Italy’s Julliard, and writing cookbooks on Italian cuisine are just a few of the experiences Fred Plotkin enjoyed while working toward the ideal of the Renaissance Man. Considered an expert on all things Italian, Plotkin recently came to the Smithsonian Associates to take the audience on a journey through the region of Veneto, Italy. The event was the first of six that focuses on the highlights and history of a specific region’s cities and provinces.

 
Map of the Veneto Region | Photo credit: Maps of World

Veneto offers much to the traveler. The most geographically diverse region, visitors can walk along the seashore or scale the Dolomites. They can visit cities known for medical innovation and art, and enjoy Italy’s most famous brands and best wines. The region is made up of many amazing cities, but is most famously known for Venice.

 

Venice
Spread across 118 islands, Venice is Veneto’s most famous city and Italy’s youngest major city. The city is symbolized by a winged lion, and a statute of the lion was built in the cities Venetians took over. The lion was chosen because it also represents St. Mark, who became the saint of Venice when two Venetian merchants brought his stolen remains back to the city.

 
Lion of St. Mark in Venice | Photo credit: Marie-Lan Nguyen

Festivals and celebrations are held in Venice each year, many of which were designed to attract tourists. Venetians created the festival of Carnevale to bring tourists during the colder days of winter. Another event created to bring in tourists is a tradition where the Doge (the ruler), drops a gold ring into the lagoon as a symbol of marriage between Venice and the sea.

The relationship between Venice and the sea led to Venice becoming the shipbuilding capital of the world. Eventually some Venetians sailed off to create a place in the new world, moving to “Little Venice,” or what’s more commonly known as Venezuela.

 
Venice Beach wharf | Photo credit: California Historical Society

While Venice offers a lot for the traveler to experience, much of what people praise Venice for actually came from another city in Veneto: the older city of Aquileia. The design of Gondolas, for example, came from the design of Aquileian fishing boats.

Aquileia was the first city in the world to allow women to vote, teach, and read. Aquileia was also one of the wealthiest cities in the Early Roman Empire, until Attila the Hun attacked and destroyed it. Fortunately, Attila left alone the Patriarchal Basilica, a building with gorgeous mosaic floors, which is now one of the oldest standing Basilicas in the world.

 
Aquileia Basilica | Photo credit: Giovanni Dall'Orto

Survivors of Attila’s attack fled to another city in Veneto, Torcello, and began rebuilding what they had in Aquileia, and eventually began building Venice.

 

Beyond Venice
Several iconic parts of Veneto are found outside Venice. Many travelers headed to Venice stop to pray in Padua because it’s home to the church of St. Anthony—the saint of travel. Another important religious building, the Scrovegni Chapel, is found in Padua and is the first great cycle of paintings painted anywhere in a cathedral in the world. The paintings took so long that the artist lived in the building for the years he painted. Illiterate people in the town would come to the chapel to look at the paintings to learn about key events from their religious beliefs.

 
Fresco in the Scrovegni Chapel | Photo Credit: Public Domain

Padua also has the second university built in the world. Founded in 1222, The University of Padua had famed teachers such as Galileo and famed students such as Copernicus. The university was the first in Europe to accept Jews, and the first woman to receive a doctoral degree graduated from there.

 
Galileo teaching at University of Padua | Photo Credit: Public Domain

The oldest botanical garden in the world, found in Padua, includes plants from Asia, the Middle East, and North America, which were studied for their pharmaceutical benefits.

Verona is a city in Veneto where Thomas Jefferson visited. He planted the first grapes and rice in North America, which came from Verona.

Jefferson also brought back ideas about architecture after he came to Veneto to study the style of Andrea Palladio, who is considered by some to be the greatest architect in history.

Palladio built the Teatro Olimpico, which was the first time in history that sets were built as part of a theater. People could shift the scenery by sliding the set on rollers. As Plotkin points out, “the theater was designed in such a way that anyone who saw it saw theater in a new way.”

From theater to festivals, Veneto offers many experiences to travelers. But there’s much more to Italy than Veneto. The expert on all things Italian will be returning to the Smithsonian to highlight five more regions in Italy, spotlighting one region a month. To learn more click here. 

The Life and Death of Rasputin: "The Mad Monk Who Wouldn't Die"

The story of Rasputin, “the Mad Monk who wouldn’t die,” is full of exciting twists and turns, ending with him being poisoned, shot, shot again, beaten, and thrown onto solid ice only to die of drowning. But that story is false.

Ralph Nurnberger tells a different ending. The professor of international relations at Georgetown University came to the Smithsonian Associates to share the true account of Rasputin’s death.

And that’s an ending I never would have seen coming.

 

From Humble Beginnings

Born on January 9, 1869 in Pokrovskoye, Siberia, Rasputin never went to school. Since he would grow up to work the farm, education wasn’t a priority. The village saw Rasputin as an outsider, and as they watched him spend his time drinking, sleeping around, and stealing, they predicted he would never amount to much. Rasputin claimed he could heal animals by whispering to them and that he met the Virgin Mary one day while farming, holding deep beliefs that God had big plans for him.

 

Setting The Stage For Rasputin’s Influence

At the time, the Tsar Nicholas and Tsarina Alexandra ruled Russia. Alexandra desperately wanted a son and enlisted the help of mystics and religious leaders. Rasputin met the couple, claiming he could predict the future, heal sicknesses, and cure away unhappiness. He quickly became the first person they saw as a friend.

Eventually Alexandra gave birth to a son diagnosed with hemophilia. When he became sick, Rasputin promised he would survive. The couple attributed the child’s recovery to Rasputin and over time they developed a huge loyalty to him. At one point, the Nicholas’ mother said, “either Rasputin goes or I go.” She later moved to Kiev. Rasputin, though loved by Nicholas and Alexandra, became hated by almost everyone else. People loathed the fact this peasant possessed so much power in the Russian government, despised his habits of drinking and sleeping around, and believed he wasn’t the holy man he claimed to be.

 

Something Must Be Done

When the Tsar left to lead the war, leaving Alexandra in charge, Rasputin became her political advisor. At this point, a group of five men began to plot to kill Rasputin. They agreed the murder would take place at the home of Felix Yusupov, a man Rasputin viewed as a friend. Felix hated Rasputin, believing he was destroying Russia and whoever killed Rasputin would be the country’s savior.

 

The Story Most People Know

The tale of Rasputin’s death is an elaborate dramatic one. Felix reportedly lured Rasputin to his house with promises he could sleep with his wife. Rasputin arrived and requested music, resulting in the only available song, Yankee Doodle Dandy, playing on repeat. The stories of the five conspirators conflict, but they agreed that Rasputin was poisoned, shot, shot again, beaten, dropped onto frozen ice, and died of drowning on December 16, 1916.

Though this is the accepted account most people know, it’s not true. The problems with the story are:

1. Conflicting and changing stories: Those involved not only gave stories that conflicted with each other, but they changed their own stories multiple times.

2. Motivation to dramatize the story: Felix gave a grand tale about how Rasputin wouldn’t die, but he had motive to create a grand story. With his story he hoped to show that killing Rasputin was in the interest of Russia and that he accomplished a huge feat by killing this superman, which led to the changing of the story to become larger than life.

3. The evidence: the autopsy showed no poison in his body, no water in his lungs, and declared the cause of death was a third bullet to the head.

 

The Story That's True

Rasputin was indeed shot three times, once in the house and twice in the courtyard as he tried to escape, but was dead before they dropped him into the river. While the conspirators claim they shot the third bullet, evidence suggests otherwise. Nurnberger revealed the real killer was British M16 agent Oswald Rayner.

1. The motive: Records show military intelligence Officer Michael Smith ordered the British Secret Service to kill Rasputin. England wanted Rasputin dead because of concerns his influence could result in him convincing the Tsar to pull out of the war, allowing Germany to defeat England.

2. The weapon: Analysis of the fatal bullet in a 2004 Scotland Yard report linked the bullet to a gun only produced in England and one Rayner likely would have used

3. The scene of the crime: Rayner was a friend of Felix, visiting his house several times before the murder and the day of the murder (records his driver kept proved this).

4. The confession: Rayner told his cousin he killed Rasputin.

The grand story most people know, while entertaining, is not true. Rasputin was really killed by an M16 agent. Now that’s a James Bond movie I would watch.

 

Photo credit: Allan Warren

 

To learn more about Rasputin, the speaker recommended:

Rasputin: The Untold Story by Joseph T. Fuhrmann

To Kill Rasputin by Andrew Cook

Rasputin: The Role of Britain’s Secret Service in His Torture and Murder by Richard Cullen

 

The Smithsonian Associates puts on hundreds of events and lectures each year, ranging from the real killer of Rasputin to current events in Cuba. Discover events to attend here: 

Introducing Our Winter Blogger

“New year, new me!” But also new weather, a new city, and a new time zone for the Smithsonian Associates’ newest social media intern, Sammy Spiegel.

Sammy is a junior communication and psychology double major/writing minor from UC Santa Barbara who has left 70° Southern California to see what D.C.’s all about… we’ve welcomed her with her first snowfall and temperature drops! Like former social media intern Danielle, Sammy was accepted into the University’s UCDC program that enables UC students to experience D.C. for a quarter.

Sammy hopes 10 weeks is enough to accommodate her growing passion for the arts, culture, and entertainment the city (and the Smithsonian) has to offer. After returning back to Los Angeles this summer, she wants to continue interning in public relations for the arts and entertainment where she can do what she loves—write, stalk people on Facebook, dress like a successful business woman, and talk an ear off. Her goal is to one day attend a TED Conference and maybe even give a talk.

1100 Jefferson is excited to welcome her into our home for the next few months. Here’s to hoping the blonde California girl brings some much needed sunshine to this winter!