Saturday, June 07, 2008

Whatsoever Things Are Lovely..











"whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are right, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think on these things. " Philippians 4:8



Many years ago I home educated my children in classical education, which included English painters of the 19th century. I believe with all my heart that a classical education enhances the home and elevates the mind to the good, the lovely, the pure and the truthful.



As the children ,study great art, the inventions, earth science, the heavens (telescopes and all) , history, (with biographies of many world leaders and many common people as well) early exploration, Blackstones Law, mathematics, grammar, speech, drama....the list goes on; it is reflected in life at home.



The bookshelf changes with the addition of great works, the walls change with the addition of beautiful art, the furnishings change with the addition of learning skills in architecture, room arrangement, textile knowledge, sewing, resourcefulness, etc.


As learning continues in things like nutrition and gardening, the palate and the appearance of the plate changes! As speech and drama emerge, the children begin speaking differently at home and as logic and writing are learned, they begin to produce their own newspapers and start their own classes. I believe the home is greatly benefited by the classical education.



The Bible in particular comes alive as its meanings are grafted into the soul. The music of Handel and Hayden and others, take on a new significance, in its relationship to the poetry in Scripture. Our interest in these things gives life a great purpose. Life at home becomes sacred and important. Honoring of parents is one of the great products of a classical education, or at least, it was for us, as we saw our children happy and productive and able to live right. The final blessing was to see their high regard for the sanctity of the home and their trust in God.
On the Beach by Sydney F. Muschamp





I've posted this art piece by Sydney Muschamp, (British, 1851-1929) called "The Proposal," from Lovely Whatevers, where more of his art is displayed.



A brief biography of this painter:


Muschamp’s brush was motivated by his love of the past and he concentrated on portraying Shakespearean, Classical and Baroque lifestyles. This becomes quite evident, when reviewing titles of paintings he exhibited during his lifetime – these include: The Merchant of Venice, The Sonnet, Much Ado about Nothing, Juliet and her Nurse, The Fool and Maria: A Scene for ‘Twelfth Night’, The Winning of the Golden Fleece and Ivanhoe.

Born in Hull, the artist lived in London and exhibited his works between 1870 – 1903 at many of the major halls, including: the Royal Academy; Suffolk Street; Royal Society of Artists, Birmingham; Dudley Gallery & New Dudley Gallery; Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool; Manchester City Gallery; Royal Society of British Artists; Royal Hibernian Academy; and the Royal Institute of Oil Painters. He died in 1929. http://www.rehs.com/Francis_Sydney_Muschamp_Bio.html




Llandudno Beach by Sydney Muschamp



Looking into the paintings gives a glimpse of the textiles and homes of the era. I always enjoy seeing the architecture and the interiors, including draperies, tassels, fireplace mantels, clocks, mirrors, chairs, rugs, window seats, floors, etc. Many other things in the beach paintings can be observed, but I will let the readers do that!

6 comments:

wendybirde said...

I was wondering if you might know what happened to Mrs Alexandra's site? I get an error message when i visit...is there a new address?

Lydia said...

She has taken it off the air because she was too busy to maintain it at this time.

HisBeloved said...

Thank you for posting those lovely paintings. I love looking at great works of art and just taking them in.

Your blogs are always to refreshing!

Blessings!

non said...

Wendy, I have come to conclusion that at this period of my life I need to spend more time with my family and less on the net. Maintaining a website is a lot of work, even more than blogging. I should have posted a note probably but I couldn't bear the thought of people writing me emails and asking not to do it. I knew I would have no heart to go forth with my plan so I just took it off. I'm not sure what I'm going to do next, may be just relax and enjoy my break from blogging/writing.

Anonymous said...

Regarding a classical education, did you use any resource(s) in particular to acquaint yourself and your children with this course of study? If you have any helps as to where to begin (I grew up in the public school system) it would be greatly appreciated.
Warm regards,
Lyn

Lydia said...

We had what we called the Brownlow books, which had references to things that gave a general idea of classical learning. "Flowers That Never Fade" had quotes from classical literature, science, history, etc. We used them as springboards to further study in those areas.

In the 70's I read Helen Andelin's book, "All About Raising Children" which was very classical and gave me a lot of ideas.