London Graffiti

 During my History of London class this week we took a trip to Brick Lane. I had never been to this area before, but was suprised and pleased to find a culturally diverse area full of great art and delicious indian food. Throughout our walking tour, we stumbled across various areas and buildings decorated with graffiti. This particular area, pictured both above and below from different angles, shows a collaboration of graffiti from many different "artists". In my opinion, the graffiti on this street seems to diminish the beauty of the area. It makes the area look almost dirty and unkempt. I can appreciate areas that are completely encompassed by graffiti, but in this case the graffiti looks amateur and incomplete.

 Pictured above is another example from our walk through Brick Lane. I do not like or appreciate the graffiti in this picture. The only sort of meaning that I can decipher from the signage is that it must be someone's name or a group they are involved in. I find this sort of graffiti to learn more towards vandalism because it does not display any sort of element of art. This graffiti just seems lazy and egotistical. I can appreciate graffiti that demonstrates the individual's true passion for art or graffiti that is created to express emotions and make statements, but the preceding picture does not seem to do any of these things.

 The picture above was also taken in Brick Lane. The following graffiti, or street art, is located on a large wall that has various other marks of graffiti, but none as remarkable as the one pictured above. The following image was created by an artist who carved into a white wall to create the image of a man. I think this artwork definately enhances the area. It is located on a boring, old building and was able to transform this plain building into a work of art. It is clear that the artist who created this image is very talented and his work should be appreciated. One aspect of this image that I dislike, is the various graffiti on top of this beautiful creation. These other amatuer graffiti artists seem to be attempting to diminish the true beauty of the initial artwork, but have not been very successful judging by how striking the image continues to be.

On my frecuent excursions over by the National Theatre, my eyes have been drawn to the skate park that is completely surrounded by graffiti. I find the graffiti in this area very intriguing and artistic. This skate park seems to be an area that allows and possibly even encourages graffiti due to the fact that it's in a very busy and well-known area. The graffiti seems to fit with the decor of the area. A skate park is generally an area for people to express themselves and go against the grain of society. I also appreciate how this skate park, with its extensive graffiti, is located directly next to the National Theatre, which is a very classy and popular venue.

British Museum

Our first excursion to The British Museum took place soon after my arrival in London. I was anxious and excited to take one of my first trips on the tube and to witness my first London museum. After a long night out, our trip to the museum was not everything I had hoped it would be. As I looked around at my friends and fellow students I was struck by how exhausted everyone looked. The night before had been one of the students twenty-first birthdays and the sleep deprivation and nausea was apparent in everyone's expressions.

This first trip was led by Brit, our beloved tour guide for our frequent pound trips. The museum was massive and the impressive architecture and the extensive exhibits left me in awe. We toured through room after room, with Brit going off on lengthy tangents about the collections and artifacts. Our first room led us to the Rosetta Stone, where I can say I learned more about the Rosetta Stone than I ever wanted to in my life. Then we were able to witness the statues and artifacts from the Parthenon, something that I didn't quite appreciate at the time but anticipated on my journey back.

Throughout our journey from room to room Brit rambled on and on with her impressive audio guide. She talked so long about everything we were seeing that I was left feeling restless and distracted. I looked around and noticed that many of my fellow students had similar feelings. Students were talking amongst themselves and wandering around distractedly. I also noticed intruders wandering around and listening to our guide which left me more interested in watching what they were doing that Brit. It's not that Brit is a bad or boring tour guide, it's just that not every single artifact in the museum required a ten minute description. The fact that I was too exhausted and lacked my typical attention span that morning aided in the fact that I was not able to appreciate The British Museum on the level that it deserves.

On my second trip back to the museum, I looked forward to viewing the museum artifacts at my own speed and to read the captions and descriptions by myself so that I could be informed of the museum without being bored with it. This second trip was much more memorable and successful. I was able to appreciate the beauty and history of the artifacts without thinking how much I would rather be in bed. I journied through new rooms and exhibits, such as the China and Southeast Asia exhibit and was intrigued by all of the religious artifacts surrounding the room. My favorite exhibit, from both of my trips to the museum, is the mummy exhibit. I have always been fascinated by ancient Egyptian history and stories and ever since I was a kid, I've wanted to see a mummy. The beautiful coffins and portraits left me struck with how beautiful the ancient Egyptians wanted to make death out to be.

What I learned from my two trips to The British Museum is that a guided tour is not my style when visiting a museum. I need to experience a museum at my own level and be able to view items of my own interest instead of listening to lengthy descriptions of artifacts that I do not find intriguing. I appreciate Brit for her extensive knowledge in the material at the museum, but the tour left me feeling bored and anxious to leave. When I visited the museum again on my own I was able to get much more out of it and view many more exhibits. My second visit to The British Museum has left me anxious to return to the museum with my family and sisters and show them the beauty and amazing history that I have discovered there on my own.

National Portrait Gallery

The logo for the National Portrait Gallery is very simple and all encompassing. This gallery exhibits a wide variety of portraits by means of differernt artistic techniques and individuals from very diverse eras. It would be difficult to make a generic type face more creative to fit these diverse portraits, but one thing they could do is make the type face more elegant to meet the status of the individuals pictured there. Another thing that could be done is add some sort of graphic that adds to the concept of a portrait gallery.

This drawing is of the Princess Diana portrait in the National Portrait Gallery. Princess Diana was a woman known and respected around the world. I've edited the picture to resemble myself because I aspire to be like Princess Diana someday. She was a very caring and strong person who did numerous charity work. I also participate in charity work, but would like to make it a larger part of my life when I get older. She was also a very elegant and fashionable person, which is how I hope to be someday.

This drawing is of Anna Wintour from the National Portrait Gallery. Anna Wintour is the British editor-in-chief of American Vogue. She's a very powerful woman who is known for her great eye for new designers and trends. Her face and hair have been adapted to resemble Lauren Cantu. Lauren Cantu is very interested in fashion and not afraid to stand out with new trends. She is also a very strong-willed person who could someday aspire to be the next Anna Wintour.

This is a drawing of the Beatrix Potter portrait from the National Portrait Gallery. Beatrix Potter was a well-known English author and illustrator of children's books, such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit, her most famous book. Potter was also very interested in nature and animals and spent her life on a farm. Her portrait has been adapted to resemble Lauryn Besasie because she's a very maturnal and kind-hearted person. Lauryn Besasie is also the biggest animal lover I have ever met.

This is a drawing of Dame Anna Neagle's portrait in the National Portrait Gallery. Dame Anna Neagle was a very famous English actress and singer. She was a very stylish and dramatic person. Her portrait has been edited to resemble Lauren Rosenfeldt because Lauren is also a very dramatic person who I could see being famous someday. Lauren is also very stylish and has similar physical attributes to Neagle, such as her fair skin and red, flowing hair.

This drawing is of Brian Eno's portrait in the National Portrait Gallery. Brian Eno is a very famous English musician and record producer. He is well known for influencing the music industry with new techniques and musical collaborations. His portrait has been adapted to resemble Karl Iglesias because Karl is also a talented musician. Karl is similar to Eno with his musical innovations and unique style. Someday Karl could aspire to be as famous as Brian Eno.