the sun at night

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Fri, 24 May 2013 20:13:08 -0400

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Fri, 24 May 2013 15:10:08 -0400

plantedaquariumsetup: thalassarche: Corydoras julii Julii...

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:54:07 -0400

plantedaquariumsetup:

thalassarche:

Corydoras julii

Julii cory cats do great in planted aquariums!

jaws-and-claws: “Red tail Fox” by James D Murray

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:38:23 -0400

jaws-and-claws:

“Red tail Fox” by James D Murray

workman: The common perception is that the great statues and...

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:06:50 -0400

Trojan archer from the Temple of Aphaia on Aegina, Greek, c. 490-480 B.C. He is probably Paris, who killed Achilles with an arrow to that famous heel.

Grave stele of Paramythion, Greek, c. 380-370 B.C. from the Staatliche Antikensammlungen und Glyptothek, Munich. The stele appears as is (left), as it was, and as is under ultraviolet light.

The head of Caligula (looking innocent), Roman, A.D. 39-41.

Juxtaposition of the colored reconstruction and the weathered original of a bronze head in the Munich exhibition.

Naked Greeks battle Persians on the so-called “Alexander” sarcophagus, Greek, c. 320 B.C., Archaeological Museum, Istanbul.

Warrior's head from the east pediment of the Temple of Aphaia on Aegin. Left: Color reconstruction. Right: Original sculpture in ultraviolet light, showing scales on the helmet.

Torso of a warrior, Greek, c. 470-460 B.C., Acropolis Museum, Athens. Color of the cuirass is speculative, both yellow and gilt reconstructions were made; some ancient statues certainly were gilded

Athena. Reconstruction has been restricted to areas whose original appearance may be determined with some certainty.

The “Peplos” kore, Greek, c. 530 B.C. Right: drew criticism from those who say ancients painted only ornaments and details, never a whole sculpture. Left: limited to colors thatcan be determinedsurely

Left: Lion from Loutraki, color reconstruction. Center: Original. Right: Detail of mane and eyebrow hair visible with the naked eye on the original sculpture.

workman:

The common perception is that the great statues and buildings of ancient Greece and Rome were all pure unpainted stone or green tarnished bronze, but researchers have been arguing that this may not been what these classic monuments really looked like back in the era of their creation. That, in fact, these statues were quite alive and vibrant, full of color.

Gods in Color: Painted Sculpture of Classical Antiquity is a travelling exhibition of varying format and extent that has been shown in multiple cities worldwide. Its subject is ancient polychromy, i.e. the original, brightly painted, appearance of ancient sculpture and architecture. It features more than 20 full-size color reconstructions of Greek and Roman works, alongside 35 original statues and reliefs.

The color reconstructions are based on close examination of the originals and on scientific analysis of the scarce traces of paint remaining on them. Ultraviolet light, says Ebbinghaus, “brings out ‘paint ghosts,’ differences in the surface structure of the stone caused by different paints and by the weathering of the paints. It can often give you an idea of patterns, even if no pigments survive.” The paint on these reproductions of stone sculptures appears flat, lacking the depth of, say, oil. “We can identify the colorants—mostly minerals and some plants,” says Ebbinghaus, “but binding media are hard to identify. Egg has been used for the reconstructions. If the minerals were ground more finely, a different binding medium used, the paint polished or covered with a protective coating, the effect would be quite different.”

“We now assume that almost all Greek marble sculpture was painted,” she says. “These reconstructions can only be approximations,” but at least they dispel a popular misconception—that most statues of antiquity were plain old white. Plain would not be thought ideal until the Renaissance.

Researchers believe, particalurly Vinzenz Brinkmann who has been doing this research for the past 25 years, that artists used mineral and organic based colors and after centuries of deterioration any trace of pigment leftover when discovered, would have been taken off during any cleaning processes done before being put on display, washing the historical art clear of its true colors.

The findings of this research completley changes the commonly held modern ideas of the ancient world, and the way we view modern sculpture and art today, much of which was based on those classical Greek and Roman styles.

Sources: x x x x.

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Fri, 24 May 2013 08:50:54 -0400

headlikeanorange: A shoebill (Africa - BBC)

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:35:19 -0400

headlikeanorange:

A shoebill (Africa - BBC)

dearscience: Mad Ocean

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:19:34 -0400

dearscience:

Mad Ocean

travelingcolors: Twin Towers of Marina City, Chicago | Illinois...

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:03:31 -0400

travelingcolors:

Twin Towers of Marina City, Chicago | Illinois (by Atelier Teee)

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Fri, 24 May 2013 03:47:51 -0400

soreiyu: So this got a DD today. It’s 6 years old so it’s still...

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:31:55 -0400

soreiyu:

So this got a DD today. It’s 6 years old so it’s still rather odd to me. O_O;

While I am happy about it. I have a feeling that nobody in my family would give a damn. I doubt that I will ever be able to prove my worth to them…

love-peeta-mellark: queersuperteens: muffarino: Friendly...

Fri, 24 May 2013 01:16:28 -0400

love-peeta-mellark:

queersuperteens:

muffarino:

Friendly reminder that Tom Felton improvised this scene because he forgot his line.

A+ acting, would cackle again.

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Thu, 23 May 2013 22:44:51 -0400

travelingcolors: Finca Bellavista: a sustainable tree forest...

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:28:51 -0400

travelingcolors:

Finca Bellavista: a sustainable tree forest community | Costa Rica (by © Anders Birch)

forgetthebowl: A shot of one of my two goldfish fry! They’re...

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:38:20 -0400

forgetthebowl:

A shot of one of my two goldfish fry! They’re growing so fast so I’ve moved them into a larger container which when full holds about 3-4 gallons. They’re now 11days old and feeding on frozen baby brine shrimp. At 14 days I’m going to begin their first rounds of Prazipro. Hopefully by July they’ll be large enough to go into the pond!

the-science-llama: You wish your neurons were this pretty Greg...

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:22:37 -0400

NG2 Cells

Hippocampus

Cortex

Developing Cortex

the-science-llama:

You wish your neurons were this pretty

Greg Dunn, having a Ph.D in neuroscience, was inspired to do this artwork by seeing neurons treated with certain stains. The neurons he saw in his microscope reminded him of the Asian art he loved so much already and went on to paint neurons in the Asian sumi-e style.

Exploring the fusion of art and science through designs in gold leaf

Credit: Greg Dunn
Via Wired

dearscience: Nebula by Phillip Schumacher

Thu, 23 May 2013 03:47:52 -0400

dearscience:

Nebula by Phillip Schumacher

valscrapbook: untitled by ♆ Stephen ♆ on Flickr.

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:31:48 -0400

valscrapbook:

untitled by ♆ Stephen ♆ on Flickr.

filmspiration: (by Frau Acissej)

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:16:28 -0400

filmspiration:

(by Frau Acissej)

All these men have been up my ass this week and all i have to say is a) where are you people all...

Wed, 22 May 2013 23:42:24 -0400

All these men have been up my ass this week and all i have to say is a) where are you people all winter when i’m spooning my cat and ugly crying from loneliness and b) why is the only one of you i would actually ever pursue again a canuck?