BAL September Show

Gerrietts, Keith toexhibit at BAL inSeptember

TheBeaumont Art League will present “There is Music onthe Wall,” an exhibition of work by Frank Gerrietts, Sept. 11-30.Gerrietts is 2008 Membership Show winner and the exhibition is part of the prize for first place.

“Gerrietts’ new show reflects the emotions and moods which arise while listening to zydeco, classical or other types ofmusic,” Dana Dorman, BAL director, said. “The show features abstract compositions with vibrant colors that dance on canvas, each named after a specific piece of music.”

Artist Sam Keith will accompany Gerrietts in the Scurlock Gallery with “Canvas Images: Real and Imaginary.”

Anopening reception is scheduled for 7-9 p.m., Sept. 11.

For more information, call BAL at 409-833-4179.

TRISTAN AND ISOLDE by Frank Gerrietts

WARRIORSfrom page 10

was found which was unfinished at the time of the emperor’s death in 210 B.C. and contained no figures.

The Terra Cotta Army is believed to contain as many as 8,000 warriors, 130 chariots pulled by 520 horses as well as an additional 150 cavalry horses. The emperor, surviving several assassination attempts, became increasingly paranoid and insured hisprotection in life and the afterlife.

There are only a fraction of the army on display in the exhibit but that is impressive enough. One can only imagine the feeling of awe being confronted by an army of 8,000 stone-faced, 400 pound, six-foot fiveinch towers of terra cotta men carrying real weapons and clad in ceramic and stone armor.

The young emperor, commissioning the project when he was only thirteen years old, was not only interested in an army to protect him in the afterlife, but also had his craftsmen create an entire terra

Civilian Official is among the Qin dynasty terra cotta figures on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science though Oct. 18. cotta kingdom, complete with civil workers to keep order in the underworld.

Theemperor was not just concerned with matters of order, business and protection, however. Faced with an eternity in the afterlife, the emperor also required entertainment to keep his terra cotta head together.

Aheadless acrobat stands in a glass case. The figure is massive. Its arms and shoulders rival that of anOlympic weightlifting champion. There are also terra cotta musicians and life-size bronze exotic birds. One can imagine the emperor sitting on his throne while the acrobat performs and the birds dance to the music played by the figures.

Construction of the tomb is believed to have taken about 36 years and began soon after the boy became king of the state of Qin and declared himself the first emperor of China. Archeologists estimate more than 1,000 workers were divided into 87 groups toconstruct the army.

Adetailed model of the construction of the terra cotta army at the exhibit shows how the figures were made. Using an assembly line construction process, the craftsmen built all the figures from the ground up. Each 6.5 foot, 300 to 400 pound warrior began as aroll of clay which was beaten to remove any air. The rolls moved down the line and were fashioned into feet and legs. After the legs were made, the torso and arms were made leaving a hole in the neck for the air to escape during firing, and finer clay was added in which to add detail to each figure. The limbs and head of each figure are solid but the torso ishollow. The figures are believed to have been fired between 950 and 1,500 degrees centigrade, much higher than other Chinese pottery of the era. The head was added later and the whole figure was lacquered, toned, and decorated.

Although archeologists estimate there were only about 8 different moulds for the warriors, each figure has a unique look, features, military rank, and body type. From differing hairstyles, headdress and bulging bellies to varying clothing and armor each warrior has something that distinguishes it from another.

There is a group of warriors standing together in the exhibit which appear to have used the same head mould. The overall shape of the head is almost identical,but the features, the shape of the eyes or slant of the eyebrows, a moustache or clean face, a hat or a hair knot give each figure its own identity.

In addition to the terra cotta army, China’s first emperor commissioned more than 200 palaces, the beginning stages of the Great Wall of China, the Lin Canal and unified the country’s currency, law code, weight and measures system and written language. He burned all books of ancient knowledge about medicine, agriculture and divination in the process so that every part of China was united under the Qin. It isbelieved that the name for China is derived from Qin, pronounced “chin,” which was the name of the country at that time.

“Terra Cotta Warriors” offers a look into a unique part of Eastern history and culture which remains somewhat mystical and mysterious to most of the West. The exhibit features the vision of a ruler and the talent and dedication of his people that is unparalleled to this day.

For more information visit tcwarriors.hmns.org.