SnitchSeeker.com - View Single Post - HoM Lesson #1

Watson · 09-11-2021, 02:31 AM

SPOILER!!: individual replies

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArianaBlack

[COLOR=“#77b5fe”]Kinsay offered a tiny wave to Maya, before turning around to make a silly face at Pheebs and Teddy. She'd make it a point to bug them at least once in every single lesson until the end of the year so as to make their seventh year classes more memorable. Or. Something.

But she did turn back to face the front of the room as Professor Holden posed his first question. While Kins was still bummed that they wouldn't be painting during the lesson, this question elicited all sorts of excitement and she almost jumped out of her seat when her hand shot straight up into the air. Pick Kinsay! Pick Kinsay! Pick Kinsay!

History was usually a boring subject, but if they talked about art every time, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. She'd suggest that to Professor Holden maybe. "I think it can tell us a lot of things about history because things that are hard to put in words are easier to explain with art sometimes," she knew from experience. "Like feelings." No, especially feelings. "Even if it's not a moving portrait, art can still tell us stuff about how people felt, like with colors and facial expressions and. And symbolism - so it can help us experience the history with ... our emotions and not just the boring facts. The boring stuff only tells part of the story." She leaned forward, propping herself up on her elbows. "Art humanizes it." It was easier to care about history when Kins could see who was involved in it, you know?

Because sometimes the details didn't feel all that real because they were so out of reach, but when she could see the people, she could reaaaally imagine the stuff and it'd be more like the stories that Cooper told her. Or like real life.

Also? No questions this time. Just eager anticipation for what was to come mhm. This might've been a first.
[/COLOR]

Simon Holden was genuinely surprised at Kinsay’s enthusiasm. She had never been one to be super excited about the subject before so he suspected that her excitement stemmed from the topic of art. He smiled, called on her to answer because she was the most ecstatic, and then listened to her answer. He nodded. It was a good point indeed. Feelings. Art made you feel. “Well said. Art humanises history. I know one of my predecessors probably would have rolled his eyes at the notion of us studying the emotion of history but history is messy and complex. It has human involvement.”

Quote:

Originally Posted by astrocat

Everyone better be enjoying the happy version of Ash right now. Because you never knew how long it would last. Hopefully a while. “I agree with Kinsay,” she said softly, avoiding looking at the other girl. “I always use art when I want to tell someone something that I can’t... or don’t want to... explain.” It was usually that it would be painful to explain. Ash figured she could explain things alright, except it just hurt too much to do so. Especially when the explanation involved feelings that she didn’t wanna voice. “Also... a good picture is worth a thousand words. And some things don’t have words for them yet, so the best you can do is show it.” There. That was it. That was why she loved art, and that was why she would probably like this lesson. She tapped her fingers on the desk. “Seeing how people felt during a historical event is really important. Because people act in according to their feelings a lot of the time.”

Simon was surprised that Ash and Kinsay had found some common agreement based on the girl’s lack of acknowledgment of one another. Curious, he was, on the subject or person that caused that but one day the feud would be history itself. He nodded. “Art can be a form of expression. It can be used to convey secret messages and hidden themes.” Simon jotted down a few notes on the chalkboard.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chelliephone

The Ravenclaw had muttered a quick, "beautiful day" to his Professor at the question as he sat. And from there, it didn't take long at all for Evan to get his things situated out on his desk, and by the time he had everyone else was entering and he could hear a couple greetings. He noticed Claudine slide into the seat next to him and smiled a greeting, "Hi Claudine." He heard his name then from another Slytherin and he looked over to see V, looking a bit excited. "A fan of History of Magic?" It was really just an assumption, why else would she look like... err that? Ash got a bright smile as well, with a bit of a raised eyebrow given the rather... happy mood she seemed to be exuding today. That was a good look on her too. Charlie was another who got a return greeting, "Hi Charlie. Doing well I hope." But he didn't know her very well so he wasn't entirely sure what else to say as greeting. Ollie, Maya and Kinsay all got the briefest of waves as he glanced up at the clock to see it ticking down, and as Heath the older Ravenclaw who was dating Claudine came in, he nodded in greeting towards him as well. "Hi Heath." He was another person Evan did not do well, but he liked Claudine so he assumed Heath was a good guy too since she liked him.

Evan had raised his hand for the first question, but honestly Kinsay had summed up what he was thinking SO well he hardly knew what else to say. But he figured he would still try to contribute something to the conversation. So once he was called upon, he offered, "Building off of Kinsay, with art showing us different emotions that means that we can have the opportunity to see different perspectives. There are usually two sides to every story, and the way that two different artists could depict the same event can give us a lot of insight into what each chapter of people might have been feeling." It was honestly pretty cool, and he did like to try to compare and contrast on things.

“Exactly! A vehicle to show different perspectives. Very important for us to understand different perspectives even in our times today. One can be too quick to jump to conclusions and things can get heavily politicalised when it doesn’t have to be that way. Emotions can cloud logic,” he nodded.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2111jen

Max raised his hand.
“A time before photographs, all people had were painting and sculptures and stuff. So it was one way to capture a time in history.”

“Indeed. We have cave paintings to prove that. Well done.”

Quote:

Originally Posted by NiallNIP

Miss Kingsley. Hearing just that small affirming phrase made her heart flutter, bringing even more heat to her cheeks. She looked down to avoid any embarrassment.

And then the lights dimmed, and she didn't have to worry about being seen anymore. "Deviating from what the others have said, art can also give us more context about different historical periods or events—like, what was the fashion of the time? What were peoples' relationships like? How did an event really go down? But you should obviously view art through a skeptical lens; not all of it is accurate or truthful, since it's from the viewpoint of the artist." Quinn hoped her answer was deep and moving and insightful ~~to impress the hot teacher~~ for just about no reason at all.

“Indeed. It can give us a peek into the culture of a society. For instance, we can tell that collars were very much in high fashion during Elizabethean art.” Simon nodded, happy that Miss Kingsley had raised that point.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Felixir

Hold-On still greeted them - some professors were just like that - but Nem only afforded him a glance before looking elsewhere again. Specifically, back to the pen they were turning over and over in their fingers. Perfectly fine, perfectly alright, nothing wrong with them, et cetera, et cetera.

Don't think so, Phoebe James. As her hand came into view, Nem swiftly moved the pen out of reach, then back again to prod her index finger with it. "Specifics required."

Nem didn't look up for every single student who entered the room, but most. They caught sight of Tilly, nearby, and Kingsley, also nearby, and Limpet, further away. Abbott-Daniau and the James twins - one of which they had, of course, already addressed. Each and every time, just as with Hold-On, their gaze would slide across each face and away again.

When the question came, Nem's input(?) was immediate, if unaccompanied by any kind of raised hand. A relationship between the two areas of study, which combined to create a third: "Art history.”

Simon nodded. That’s what all he could do. “Rather articulate.” He couldn’t say much else on the matter because Nem was accurate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverTiger

The very fact she had gotten that response from the professor to her offhand question kind of made Gracelyn feel a bit better about herself. Even if Teddy’s comment had maybe reminded her that she hadn’t quite finished the assigned reading before the lesson. Likely not the best choice given there were exams coming up this term. Last term had been nice in that regard.

Either way, the lesson had begun, and she had applied her attention to Professor Holden again, notwithstanding the fact she had noticed Nem’s disregard of her being there. It wasn’t surprising in the least. Nor was their having suggested the very thing she had asked the professor about at the start, but she kept quiet on that fact. They could think it was a cunning response. It didn’t bother her.

Either way, she did raise her hand. “Art styles reflect the time periods they happened in sometimes. Like the Renaissance,” not that this was Muggle Studies, “Historical periods get named after the styles of art that happened then. Or they’re named after each other?…Plus, historical events are the subjects of art all the time. Sometimes pictures can teach more people than history books can.” At least, she thought that was the case. Besides, not everyone was able to read, but they could look at pictures.

Simon listened to Gracelyn’s perspective, nodding ever so often. “Some great historical moments are captured in portraits.” He had seen plenty of portraits about Goblin Rebellions and whatnot. Even the Wizard’s Council had multiple paintings.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wednesday

Shortly after Ollie sat herself down, Remy walked through the door. Now Ollie purposely choose a seat away from her friends so she could focus better during the class, not that she was a big ‘talking during a lesson’ person, but she didn’t want any temptations. Of course when Remy choose to sit next to her, she wasn’t upset per say, she just wished nothing got too boring leaving her to turn and talk away. As her friend sat next to her she turned and whispered “Hey.” giving a small smile with the greeting. Then she returned her attention back to the Professor as he began the lesson.

Hmmm. This wasn’t how Ollie expected. She didn’t think they taught about art and such at Hogwarts. As she listened to others answer before her, she tried to form an answer of her own. “Not only does it tell you about what current events and styles were happening, but it also can tell you more. Like, art and history do go hand in hand in the ways others are saying like what was happening at the time. But it art is a way to display emotions and more often than not, artist intend for there to be a deeper mean.” She didn’t expect to have such a big opinion on this matter seeing as she really hasn’t had any interest in anything artsy ever, but at least she was participating in class! “So art from history also can tell you deep emotions about those current events or you may find something happening in the background that the artist purposely left or put there to show you something else.”

“Indeed! There are always hidden messages. You can also sometimes tell what the artist thought of whom they painted and if they respected them. Sometimes portraits were flattering… other times… not so much,” he chuckled.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady of Light

Art and history. Valentina knew nothing whatsoever about art. Well, maybe just a little. She hated not knowing many things when people around her were so smart! She couldn't help but smile at Kinsay's excitement, her eagerness to answer. It was super cute! She raised her hand after a few minutes, decided to just say what she knew anyway.

"Well, art can tell us something about how the artist saw the world too? About the culture that existed then from their point of view." Maybe. If that made sense. Isn't art just a form of expression at the end of the day?? She tried to think of something else that she could add.

Yes. Valentina was right. Art gave a unique perspective about the culture. “Yes! The culture. It can give us context to some of the events that we’re transpiring.”

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emzily

If Remy knew that Ollie would rather not sit with her or anyone at the moment, she would have sulked and sat somewhere else. Thankfully, she was none the wiser. She did, however, notice Evan Nam smiling at Ollie but NOT at her. Oh, okay. Choosing not to dwell on it, her eyes fell on her favourite Gryffindor but she couldn’t linger there too long because he was sat behind her.

The pairing of art and history actually sounded pretty interesting. As an aspiring actress, she liked to involve herself in all things creative.

“Art has always been around.” Probably since the beginning of time. Her answer did tie in with what others had said but she still added her two knuts. “Carvings on walls… the Egyptians told stories with their art.” She mentioned as an example. “… which also gave us an idea of historical languages spoken.” Did that count as art?

Remy raised a new point to which Simon raised his eyebrows. “Yes, carvings on walls and hieroglyphs are art forms within themselves. Exactly and that comment could lead us certainly into a topic of how history is told through Ancient Runes.” He smiled. He’d leave that topic to the Ancient Runes Professor but his thesis had been based off the relationship of history and ancient runes. Went hand in hand.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samia

Oh there he was.

"it's not my fault you take FOREVER in the loo, Atlas" The blonde pointed out easily. He, on the other hand, was always quick, that included washing his hands after too.

Already zooooning out of whatever was being said in class, he chose an X and did so by doodling it at the corner of the grid. "We need to make this interesting somehow" he whispered, before leaning forward to rest his head on his hand.

[COLOR=“#2d499f"] Simon didn’t say anything to this student. He simply raised his eyebrow and began walking over to the two Flamsteed twins. Distractions would not be tolerated in his lessons. Perhaps he ought to add an X to their tic tac toe game, hmmmmmmm? Tempted, he was.

"Mr. Flamsteed. I'd be careful with your next move. It could cause you the match..." he simply said with a deadpan facial expression.[/COLOR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by love-for-HP

"Since, basically the dawn of time, people have been using art to keep track of history. Even the early cave drawings are history and showed their life at the time. Many paintings are of battle fields, both muggle and wizard alike. And portraits in the wizarding world keep a moving record of history."

There that seemed a like a satisfactory answer right??? ... right

Simon nodded. “Art is a way for us to understand how previous cultures lived their lives what tools they used and what food they ate.” He smiled at the comment relating muggle and wizard paintings. “Our paintings can talk and you can get a very interesting perspective on historical events from them!” Probably would be worth an excursion to go speak to some of the paintings at Hogwarts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

Claudine happened to love this new Ash. Not that she didn’t love the old Ash but there was something great about seeing the Ravenclaw so happy. The older girl returned the smile then looked elsewhere as she heard her name. “Hi, Charlotte.’’ The Gryffindor got a wave as did Serena, Maya and Kinsay {whom she noticed had looked in her direction. Also - how was Kinsay a fourth year already?}. “Hi, you.’’ Heath got an even more personalised greeting as usual.

The Snakette straightened up a bit after the door was locked and the lights dimmed. Well, the majority of the lights. All attention on what could be considered the centerpieces now, yes? Then she blinked. Um… why would they not make it to class in one piece? Claudine threw Holden a suspicious look. She hadn’t been aware of any current dangers. Anyway. Her hand went up.

“It’s also a way of preserving events. Over the years, memories will be lost, anyone who actually experiences the events will die, narration of what actually took place during those events will eventually be muddled with new narration and facts can be distorted. Art helps to keep the facts intact. At least to an extent. I suppose it helps a lot more if the portrait is of a person; that way they can speak of events as they exactly happened." Like Sir Cadogan or the Fat Lady.

A new point indeed. Preservation and memory. The concept of memory was always one that Simon still had yet to get past himself. He had, unfortunately, had to deal with memory and loss of memory since he was a wee lad. “Exactly…. Memory is fickle. It can be taken away and manipulated so easily. We are fortunate to have magical paintings that can speak for themselves on the events that they lived too. Others are not as fortunate.”

Quote:

Originally Posted by kayquilz

V didn't know if it was being NOT a first year, but she really did feel a bit more knowledgeable about all of the subjects this year, and she found it made her more observant and caring towards her classes. It was a nice change of pace, really.

But art was something she knew some things about because of her dad! She raised her hand timidly, waiting to be called on. All of the older people had such good points.

"Well, my dad always says that not only does art imitate life, but life imitates art. So...someone can do a piece about what they think the future will look like, and we humans find a way to do whatever our art shows. It's like...a circle of influence almost," she said, hoping that made sense. "Art can like, influence what we do."

and WAS she pouting about NO ONE wanting to sit next to her? PSSHH NO. NO HURT FEELINGS HERE. SHE WAS FINE AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE.

Simon moved to call on Miss Gellar next. He listened attentively to her describe what her father told her about art. Life does imitate art. “A circle of influence. You should coin that phrase, Miss Gellar,” he nodded. “Art expands the imagination.”

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kolyander

The only thing that Dahlia really appeared to be focusing on right then was the parchment in front of her and the quill in her hand. From the moment Professor Holden had opened his mouth and began speaking about art history, she had started taking down notes. Mainly what each of her fellow peers were saying about the topic finding it all to be true and very relevant to what she herself was thinking.

Lia raised her hand when she finished writing. "Art was always around, though it may not be the same as what we consider art to be today. It shows us how our ancestors lived and some forms of art are passed down through generations in families.”

’Art has evolved over time. Some people view art as finding something like…” He walked over to a student’s desk and picked up a textbook to illustrate his point. “Some people may believe that I can say this textbook is art. It’s found. But that’s an entirely different matter that we can debate another time. I don’t think finding art is technically art. There’s differences between the Impressionist Masters and others.” He had some strong opinions about art.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy

Heath turned his attention to Professor Holden as he began speaking. Paintings depicting things from history? He wondered what things that could be. At any rate, that sounded interesting. He briefly glanced toward the easels, as if trying to see through the covers. The first question jerked him out of his thoughts, and he blinked confusedly. He had no idea what to make of that question!

His thoughts immediately turned to the role the arts played in his life. The arts were his way of expressing the emotions he had to hide otherwise, and sharing his art with others made him feel understood and accepted. Granted, he was more geared toward the performing arts, but he supposed the same would apply to other art forms. But that was too close to what everyone else and said, wasn’t it? Then he remembered how he got into theatre, how watching plays helped him connect with others and he wanted to pass that on to others. He tentatively raised his hand and said, “Art helps us connect with the people of the past, their emotions and their culture.”

Was that a good enough answer? He doubted it, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say.

Mr. Jones had an acceptable answer indeed. Simon nodded. "Precisely! Connect us to the past and with their emotions and cultures. Thank you."

Simon took a step back from the chalkboard and addressed the room. He was quite enthralled with all of their answers. Lots of themes to highlight here and he had jotted them doing ranging from emotions to art history (thanks Nem) to culture to art influencing life and vice versa and so on and so forth. All excellent points. He took a moment to look over all the points and nodded.

Good.

“Excellent points. Thank you for sharing. I appreciate the participation," he said with a nod before casting a glance at the two Flamsteed boys OBVIOUSLY doing something else. Yes, Professor Holden was watching. *AHEM* He addressed the remainder of the class. "I like starting with art as a question because history is always told through the perspective of the victor... or so said." He paused and leaned against his desk at the front of the classroom. "Some people tend to look at history as merely memorisation of facts which it is... but it is so much more than that. If you take anything away from this class, I hope it is that you study these facts and are able to interpret them and think through all the possible outcomes and opinions. I want you all to be able to pick up the rock on the beach, turn it over, analyse every single surface and try to understand the differing opinions. I want you to be able to debate differing opinions because only through trying to understand different perspectives can we create a future society that is accepting." He chuckled. "Now that is, of course, my ideal world... It is much easier to say that then to will it but you all in this room will be able to shape your own future and indirectly the world's... So I implore you to learn the facts and develop an opinion and interpretation.. This... This is the beauty of what history can teach us. Too often though we don't pay enough attention to our previous transgressions." Ah yes, here he was going on another lecture about life and becoming more philosophical. If he continued, he knew he wouldn't leave this topic so he pulled out his pocket watch which was engraved with several runes. "But we must move on.... Otherwise, I'm sure we can stay stuck on this topic... Thanks for your input."

Simon stood and moved away from the centre of the classroom. "Now art can help give us a unique perspective or opinion on the political, cultural, and societal happenings of the time at which we are studying... That being said, I'm going to move our focus to a time period closer to our own." He raised his hand up into the air, ready to cast a non-verbal.

"Now Professor Recard gave me the perfect introduction to this lesson with her lesson last year. I'm sure you are all familiar with Sacred Twenty Eight, yes?" He glanced around the classroom to see how many nods he got. "To refresh your memory, the Sacred Twenty Eight were the only supposed "truly pureblooded" families by 1930 or so the Sacred Twenty Eight would claim. Once again, we must always be a little skeptical and ask why...." If they didn't ask why, they would be like mindless sheep. A healthy dose of skepticism was important.

Simon cleared his throat. "Now.. today's lesson is going to be focused on one of the particular families in the Sacred Twenty Eight."

He stopped his lecture, knowing that he ought to put a disclaimer before they got into the meat of the material. "Now I'm aware certain events that had transpired two years ago may have left the class divided... I implore you all to park your opinions at the door and be open-minded and willing to listen to different opinions. I know what I ask is easier said than done but true learning is done when you are respectful of each other. I'm sure you are all aware of my rules. I will not hesitate to ask anyone to leave the room and see the Headmaster or go pay some time with me in detention if I see disrespect happening in this classroom."

With the warning being said, he dropped his hand, causing the easel cover ups to slowly fall forward and off the paintings. The five paintings before them are of two wizards and three witches with striking features- so striking that some may refer to them all as being beautiful. Three adults with dark hair, one with bright blonde hair and blue eyes, and the other with light brown hair. "All beautiful, aren't they? The Noble And Most Ancient House of Black was a rather striking family.. Unfortunately I wasn't able to transfigure the tapestry here today but I'm sure these portraits will do."

Yes, dear student, before you sat Regulus Black, Andromeda Tonks (née Black), Narcissa Malfoy (née Black), Bellatrix Lestrange (née Black), and Sirius Black. Grovel in all their glory.

He turned to the class. "Now tell me who are these people and what facts can you tell me about them?" He let the question hang in the air for a moment before adding. "I have a small game for those who are bored..." He walked around the room distributing a sheet of parchment with five facts on it. Once he was done passing them out, he walked back up to the classroom, letting the silence hang. "Now your task is to take the five facts that I gave you and match them to the correct portrait."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mini-activity

Your task is to match the following Black Family Member to the below facts.

Members to match:
1. Bellatrix Lestrange
2. Sirius Black
3. Andromeda Tonks
4. Narcissa Malfoy
5. Regulus Black.

Facts to match to:
a. Ended up serving in Azkaban.
b. Was an animagus.
c. The only “true” family of Sirius Black.
d. Betrayed the Dark Lord.
e. Was on the Slytherin Quidditch Team.

"I shall give you fifteen minutes to complete this task."

OOC:Hi folks! Thanks again for your participation. Next we are at the mini-activity. Here the task is take the five facts and match them to the appropriate member of the House of Black. Yes, there are some facts that may match to more members but go for it. Have fun I'll move us on in 16-20 hours

09-11-2021, 02:31 AM	#47 (permalink)
Watson DMLE Mooncalf Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: RI/DUB Posts: 7,748 Hogwarts RPG Name: Octavius Jude Salander Ravenclaw First Year Ministry RPG Name: Arabella Morgenstern Law Enforcement	Slytherindor ♛ The Crazytastic Besties ♛ Shan Watson ♛ SPOILER!!: individual replies Quote: Originally Posted by ArianaBlack [COLOR=“#77b5fe”]Kinsay offered a tiny wave to Maya, before turning around to make a silly face at Pheebs and Teddy. She'd make it a point to bug them at least once in every single lesson until the end of the year so as to make their seventh year classes more memorable. Or. Something. But she did turn back to face the front of the room as Professor Holden posed his first question. While Kins was still bummed that they wouldn't be painting during the lesson, this question elicited all sorts of excitement and she almost jumped out of her seat when her hand shot straight up into the air. Pick Kinsay! Pick Kinsay! Pick Kinsay! History was usually a boring subject, but if they talked about art every time, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. She'd suggest that to Professor Holden maybe. "I think it can tell us a lot of things about history because things that are hard to put in words are easier to explain with art sometimes," she knew from experience. "Like feelings." No, especially feelings. "Even if it's not a moving portrait, art can still tell us stuff about how people felt, like with colors and facial expressions and. And symbolism - so it can help us experience the history with ... our emotions and not just the boring facts. The boring stuff only tells part of the story." She leaned forward, propping herself up on her elbows. "Art humanizes it." It was easier to care about history when Kins could see who was involved in it, you know? Because sometimes the details didn't feel all that real because they were so out of reach, but when she could see the people, she could reaaaally imagine the stuff and it'd be more like the stories that Cooper told her. Or like real life. Also? No questions this time. Just eager anticipation for what was to come mhm. This might've been a first. [/COLOR] Simon Holden was genuinely surprised at Kinsay’s enthusiasm. She had never been one to be super excited about the subject before so he suspected that her excitement stemmed from the topic of art. He smiled, called on her to answer because she was the most ecstatic, and then listened to her answer. He nodded. It was a good point indeed. Feelings. Art made you feel. “Well said. Art humanises history. I know one of my predecessors probably would have rolled his eyes at the notion of us studying the emotion of history but history is messy and complex. It has human involvement.” Quote: Originally Posted by astrocat Everyone better be enjoying the happy version of Ash right now. Because you never knew how long it would last. Hopefully a while. “I agree with Kinsay,” she said softly, avoiding looking at the other girl. “I always use art when I want to tell someone something that I can’t... or don’t want to... explain.” It was usually that it would be painful to explain. Ash figured she could explain things alright, except it just hurt too much to do so. Especially when the explanation involved feelings that she didn’t wanna voice. “Also... a good picture is worth a thousand words. And some things don’t have words for them yet, so the best you can do is show it.” There. That was it. That was why she loved art, and that was why she would probably like this lesson. She tapped her fingers on the desk. *“Seeing how people felt* during a historical event is really important. Because people act in according to their feelings a lot of the time.” Simon was surprised that Ash and Kinsay had found some common agreement based on the girl’s lack of acknowledgment of one another. Curious, he was, on the subject or person that caused that but one day the feud would be history itself. He nodded. “Art can be a form of expression. It can be used to convey secret messages and hidden themes.” Simon jotted down a few notes on the chalkboard. Quote: Originally Posted by Chelliephone The Ravenclaw had muttered a quick, "beautiful day" to his Professor at the question as he sat. And from there, it didn't take long at all for Evan to get his things situated out on his desk, and by the time he had everyone else was entering and he could hear a couple greetings. He noticed Claudine slide into the seat next to him and smiled a greeting, "Hi Claudine." He heard his name then from another Slytherin and he looked over to see V, looking a bit excited. "A fan of History of Magic?" It was really just an assumption, why else would she look like... err that? Ash got a bright smile as well, with a bit of a raised eyebrow given the rather... happy mood she seemed to be exuding today. That was a good look on her too. Charlie was another who got a return greeting, "Hi Charlie. Doing well I hope." But he didn't know her very well so he wasn't entirely sure what else to say as greeting. Ollie, Maya and Kinsay all got the briefest of waves as he glanced up at the clock to see it ticking down, and as Heath the older Ravenclaw who was dating Claudine came in, he nodded in greeting towards him as well. "Hi Heath." He was another person Evan did not do well, but he liked Claudine so he assumed Heath was a good guy too since she liked him. Evan had raised his hand for the first question, but honestly Kinsay had summed up what he was thinking SO well he hardly knew what else to say. But he figured he would still try to contribute something to the conversation. So once he was called upon, he offered, "Building off of Kinsay, with art showing us different emotions that means that we can have the opportunity to see different perspectives. There are usually two sides to every story, and the way that two different artists could depict the same event can give us a lot of insight into what each chapter of people might have been feeling." It was honestly pretty cool, and he did like to try to compare and contrast on things. “Exactly! A vehicle to show different perspectives. Very important for us to understand different perspectives even in our times today. One can be too quick to jump to conclusions and things can get heavily politicalised when it doesn’t have to be that way. Emotions can cloud logic,” he nodded. Quote: Originally Posted by 2111jen Max raised his hand. “A time before photographs, all people had were painting and sculptures and stuff. So it was one way to capture a time in history.” “Indeed. We have cave paintings to prove that. Well done.” Quote: Originally Posted by NiallNIP** Miss Kingsley. Hearing just that small affirming phrase made her heart flutter, bringing even more heat to her cheeks. She looked down to avoid any embarrassment. And then the lights dimmed, and she didn't have to worry about being seen anymore. "Deviating from what the others have said, art can also give us more context about different historical periods or events—like, what was the fashion of the time? What were peoples' relationships like? How did an event really go down? But you should obviously view art through a skeptical lens; not all of it is accurate or truthful, since it's from the viewpoint of the artist." Quinn hoped her answer was deep and moving and insightful ~~to impress the hot teacher~~ for just about no reason at all. “Indeed. It can give us a peek into the culture of a society. For instance, we can tell that collars were very much in high fashion during Elizabethean art.” Simon nodded, happy that Miss Kingsley had raised that point. Quote: Originally Posted by Felixir Hold-On still greeted them - some professors were just like that - but Nem only afforded him a glance before looking elsewhere again. Specifically, back to the pen they were turning over and over in their fingers. Perfectly fine, perfectly alright, nothing wrong with them, et cetera, et cetera. Don't think so, Phoebe James. As her hand came into view, Nem swiftly moved the pen out of reach, then back again to prod her index finger with it. "Specifics required." Nem didn't look up for every single student who entered the room, but most. They caught sight of Tilly, nearby, and Kingsley, also nearby, and Limpet, further away. Abbott-Daniau and the James twins - one of which they had, of course, already addressed. Each and every time, just as with Hold-On, their gaze would slide across each face and away again. When the question came, Nem's input(?) was immediate, if unaccompanied by any kind of raised hand. A relationship between the two areas of study, which combined to create a third: "Art history.” Simon nodded. That’s what all he could do. “*Rather articulate.” He couldn’t say much else on the matter because Nem was accurate. Quote: Originally Posted by SilverTiger* The very fact she had gotten that response from the professor to her offhand question kind of made Gracelyn feel a bit better about herself. Even if Teddy’s comment had maybe reminded her that she hadn’t quite finished the assigned reading before the lesson. Likely not the best choice given there were exams coming up this term. Last term had been nice in that regard. Either way, the lesson had begun, and she had applied her attention to Professor Holden again, notwithstanding the fact she had noticed Nem’s disregard of her being there. It wasn’t surprising in the least. Nor was their having suggested the very thing she had asked the professor about at the start, but she kept quiet on that fact. They could think it was a cunning response. It didn’t bother her. Either way, she did raise her hand. “Art styles reflect the time periods they happened in sometimes. Like the Renaissance,” not that this was Muggle Studies, “Historical periods get named after the styles of art that happened then. Or they’re named after each other?…Plus, historical events are the subjects of art all the time. Sometimes pictures can teach more people than history books can.” At least, she thought that was the case. Besides, not everyone was able to read, but they could look at pictures. Simon listened to Gracelyn’s perspective, nodding ever so often. “Some great historical moments are captured in portraits.” He had seen plenty of portraits about Goblin Rebellions and whatnot. Even the Wizard’s Council had multiple paintings. Quote: Originally Posted by wednesday Shortly after Ollie sat herself down, Remy walked through the door. Now Ollie purposely choose a seat away from her friends so she could focus better during the class, not that she was a big ‘talking during a lesson’ person, but she didn’t want any temptations. Of course when Remy choose to sit next to her, she wasn’t upset per say, she just wished nothing got too boring leaving her to turn and talk away. As her friend sat next to her she turned and whispered “Hey.” giving a small smile with the greeting. Then she returned her attention back to the Professor as he began the lesson. Hmmm. This wasn’t how Ollie expected. She didn’t think they taught about art and such at Hogwarts. As she listened to others answer before her, she tried to form an answer of her own. “Not only does it tell you about what current events and styles were happening, but it also can tell you more. Like, art and history do go hand in hand in the ways others are saying like what was happening at the time. But it art is a way to display emotions and more often than not, artist intend for there to be a deeper mean.” She didn’t expect to have such a big opinion on this matter seeing as she really hasn’t had any interest in anything artsy ever, but at least she was participating in class! “So art from history also can tell you deep emotions about those current events or you may find something happening in the background that the artist purposely left or put there to show you something else.” “Indeed! There are always hidden messages. You can also sometimes tell what the artist thought of whom they painted and if they respected them. Sometimes portraits were flattering… other times… not so much,” he chuckled. Quote: Originally Posted by Lady of Light Art and history. Valentina knew nothing whatsoever about art. Well, maybe just a little. She hated not knowing many things when people around her were so smart! She couldn't help but smile at Kinsay's excitement, her eagerness to answer. It was super cute! She raised her hand after a few minutes, decided to just say what she knew anyway. "Well, art can tell us something about how the artist saw the world too? About the culture that existed then from their point of view." Maybe. If that made sense. Isn't art just a form of expression at the end of the day?? She tried to think of something else that she could add. Yes. Valentina was right. Art gave a unique perspective about the culture. “Yes! The culture. It can give us context to some of the events that we’re transpiring.” Quote: Originally Posted by Emzily If Remy knew that Ollie would rather not sit with her or anyone at the moment, she would have sulked and sat somewhere else. Thankfully, she was none the wiser. She did, however, notice Evan Nam smiling at Ollie but NOT at her. Oh, okay. Choosing not to dwell on it, her eyes fell on her favourite Gryffindor but she couldn’t linger there too long because he was sat behind her. The pairing of art and history actually sounded pretty interesting. As an aspiring actress, she liked to involve herself in all things creative. “Art has always been around.” Probably since the beginning of time. Her answer did tie in with what others had said but she still added her two knuts. “Carvings on walls… the Egyptians told stories with their art.” She mentioned as an example. “… which also gave us an idea of historical languages spoken.” Did that count as art? Remy raised a new point to which Simon raised his eyebrows. “Yes, carvings on walls and hieroglyphs are art forms within themselves. Exactly and that comment could lead us certainly into a topic of how history is told through Ancient Runes.” He smiled. He’d leave that topic to the Ancient Runes Professor but his thesis had been based off the relationship of history and ancient runes. Went hand in hand. Quote: Originally Posted by Samia Oh there he was. "it's not my fault you take FOREVER in the loo, Atlas" The blonde pointed out easily. He, on the other hand, was always quick, that included washing his hands after too. Already zooooning out of whatever was being said in class, he chose an X and did so by doodling it at the corner of the grid. "We need to make this interesting somehow" he whispered, before leaning forward to rest his head on his hand. [COLOR=“#2d499f"] Simon didn’t say anything to this student. He simply raised his eyebrow and began walking over to the two Flamsteed twins. Distractions would not be tolerated in his lessons. Perhaps he ought to add an X to their tic tac toe game, hmmmmmmm? Tempted, he was. "Mr. Flamsteed. I'd be careful with your next move. It could cause you the match..." he simply said with a deadpan facial expression.[/COLOR] Quote: Originally Posted by love-for-HP "Since, basically the dawn of time, people have been using art to keep track of history. Even the early cave drawings are history and showed their life at the time. Many paintings are of battle fields, both muggle and wizard alike. And portraits in the wizarding world keep a moving record of history." There that seemed a like a satisfactory answer right??? ... right Simon nodded. “Art is a way for us to understand how previous cultures lived their lives what tools they used and what food they ate.” He smiled at the comment relating muggle and wizard paintings. “Our paintings can talk and you can get a very interesting perspective on historical events from them!” Probably would be worth an excursion to go speak to some of the paintings at Hogwarts. Quote: Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19 Claudine happened to love this new Ash. Not that she didn’t love the old Ash but there was something great about seeing the Ravenclaw so happy. The older girl returned the smile then looked elsewhere as she heard her name. *“Hi, Charlotte.’’* The Gryffindor got a wave as did Serena, Maya and Kinsay {whom she noticed had looked in her direction. Also - how was Kinsay a fourth year already?}. “Hi, you.’’ Heath got an even more personalised greeting as usual. The Snakette straightened up a bit after the door was locked and the lights dimmed. Well, the majority of the lights. All attention on what could be considered the centerpieces now, yes? Then she blinked. Um… why would they not make it to class in one piece? Claudine threw Holden a suspicious look. She hadn’t been aware of any current dangers. Anyway. Her hand went up. “It’s also a way of preserving events. Over the years, memories will be lost, anyone who actually experiences the events will die, narration of what actually took place during those events will eventually be muddled with new narration and facts can be distorted. Art helps to keep the facts intact. At least to an extent. I suppose it helps a lot more if the portrait is of a person; that way they can speak of events as they exactly happened." Like Sir Cadogan or the Fat Lady. A new point indeed. Preservation and memory. The concept of memory was always one that Simon still had yet to get past himself. He had, unfortunately, had to deal with memory and loss of memory since he was a wee lad. “Exactly…. Memory is fickle. It can be taken away and manipulated so easily. We are fortunate to have magical paintings that can speak for themselves on the events that they lived too. Others are not as fortunate.” Quote: Originally Posted by kayquilz V didn't know if it was being NOT a first year, but she really did feel a bit more knowledgeable about all of the subjects this year, and she found it made her more observant and caring towards her classes. It was a nice change of pace, really. But art was something she knew some things about because of her dad! She raised her hand timidly, waiting to be called on. All of the older people had such good points. "Well, my dad always says that not only does art imitate life, but life imitates art. So...someone can do a piece about what they think the future will look like, and we humans find a way to do whatever our art shows. It's like...a circle of influence almost," she said, hoping that made sense. "Art can like, influence what we do." and WAS she pouting about NO ONE wanting to sit next to her? PSSHH NO. NO HURT FEELINGS HERE. SHE WAS FINE AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE. Simon moved to call on Miss Gellar next. He listened attentively to her describe what her father told her about art. Life does imitate art. “A circle of influence. You should coin that phrase, Miss Gellar,” he nodded. “Art expands the imagination.” Quote: Originally Posted by Kolyander The only thing that Dahlia really appeared to be focusing on right then was the parchment in front of her and the quill in her hand. From the moment Professor Holden had opened his mouth and began speaking about art history, she had started taking down notes. Mainly what each of her fellow peers were saying about the topic finding it all to be true and very relevant to what she herself was thinking. Lia raised her hand when she finished writing. "Art was always around, though it may not be the same as what we consider art to be today. It shows us how our ancestors lived and some forms of art are passed down through generations in families.” ’Art has evolved over time. Some people view art as finding something like…” He walked over to a student’s desk and picked up a textbook to illustrate his point. “Some people may believe that I can say this textbook is art. It’s found. But that’s an entirely different matter that we can debate another time. I don’t think finding art is technically art. There’s differences between the Impressionist Masters and others.” He had some strong opinions about art. Quote: Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy Heath turned his attention to Professor Holden as he began speaking. Paintings depicting things from history? He wondered what things that could be. At any rate, that sounded interesting. He briefly glanced toward the easels, as if trying to see through the covers. The first question jerked him out of his thoughts, and he blinked confusedly. He had no idea what to make of that question! His thoughts immediately turned to the role the arts played in his life. The arts were his way of expressing the emotions he had to hide otherwise, and sharing his art with others made him feel understood and accepted. Granted, he was more geared toward the performing arts, but he supposed the same would apply to other art forms. But that was too close to what everyone else and said, wasn’t it? Then he remembered how he got into theatre, how watching plays helped him connect with others and he wanted to pass that on to others. He tentatively raised his hand and said, “Art helps us connect with the people of the past, their emotions and their culture.” Was that a good enough answer? He doubted it, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say. Mr. Jones had an acceptable answer indeed. Simon nodded. "Precisely! Connect us to the past and with their emotions and cultures. Thank you." Simon took a step back from the chalkboard and addressed the room. He was quite enthralled with all of their answers. Lots of themes to highlight here and he had jotted them doing ranging from emotions to art history (thanks Nem) to culture to art influencing life and vice versa and so on and so forth. All excellent points. He took a moment to look over all the points and nodded. Good. “Excellent points. Thank you for sharing. I appreciate the participation," he said with a nod before casting a glance at the two Flamsteed boys OBVIOUSLY doing something else. Yes, Professor Holden was watching. AHEM He addressed the remainder of the class. "I like starting with art as a question because history is always told through the perspective of the victor... or so said." He paused and leaned against his desk at the front of the classroom. "Some people tend to look at history as merely memorisation of facts which it is... but it is so much more than that. If you take anything away from this class, I hope it is that you study these facts and are able to interpret them and think through all the possible outcomes and opinions. I want you all to be able to pick up the rock on the beach, turn it over, analyse every single surface and try to understand the differing opinions. I want you to be able to debate differing opinions because only through trying to understand different perspectives can we create a future society that is accepting." He chuckled. "Now that is, of course, my ideal world... It is much easier to say that then to will it but you all in this room will be able to shape your own future and indirectly the world's... So I implore you to learn the facts and develop an opinion and interpretation.. This... This is the beauty of what history can teach us. Too often though we don't pay enough attention to our previous transgressions." Ah yes, here he was going on another lecture about life and becoming more philosophical. If he continued, he knew he wouldn't leave this topic so he pulled out his pocket watch which was engraved with several runes. "But we must move on.... Otherwise, I'm sure we can stay stuck on this topic... Thanks for your input." Simon stood and moved away from the centre of the classroom. "Now art can help give us a unique perspective or opinion on the political, cultural, and societal happenings of the time at which we are studying... That being said, I'm going to move our focus to a time period closer to our own." He raised his hand up into the air, ready to cast a non-verbal. "Now Professor Recard gave me the perfect introduction to this lesson with her lesson last year. I'm sure you are all familiar with Sacred Twenty Eight, yes?" He glanced around the classroom to see how many nods he got. "To refresh your memory, the Sacred Twenty Eight were the only supposed "truly pureblooded" families by 1930 or so the Sacred Twenty Eight would claim. Once again, we must always be a little skeptical and ask why...." If they didn't ask why, they would be like mindless sheep. A healthy dose of skepticism was important. Simon cleared his throat. "Now.. today's lesson is going to be focused on one of the particular families in the Sacred Twenty Eight." He stopped his lecture, knowing that he ought to put a disclaimer before they got into the meat of the material. "Now I'm aware certain events that had transpired two years ago may have left the class divided... I implore you all to park your opinions at the door and be open-minded and willing to listen to different opinions. I know what I ask is easier said than done but true learning is done when you are respectful of each other. I'm sure you are all aware of my rules. I will not hesitate to ask anyone to leave the room and see the Headmaster or go pay some time with me in detention if I see disrespect happening in this classroom." With the warning being said, he dropped his hand, causing the easel cover ups to slowly fall forward and off the paintings. The five paintings before them are of two wizards and three witches with striking features- so striking that some may refer to them all as being beautiful. Three adults with dark hair, one with bright blonde hair and blue eyes, and the other with light brown hair. "All beautiful, aren't they? The Noble And Most Ancient House of Black was a rather striking family.. Unfortunately I wasn't able to transfigure the tapestry here today but I'm sure these portraits will do." Yes, dear student, before you sat Regulus Black, Andromeda Tonks (née Black), Narcissa Malfoy (née Black), Bellatrix Lestrange (née Black), and Sirius Black. Grovel in all their glory. He turned to the class. "Now tell me who are these people and what facts can you tell me about them?" He let the question hang in the air for a moment before adding. "I have a small game for those who are bored..." He walked around the room distributing a sheet of parchment with five facts on it. Once he was done passing them out, he walked back up to the classroom, letting the silence hang. "Now your task is to take the five facts that I gave you and match them to the correct portrait." Quote: Originally Posted by Mini-activity Your task is to match the following Black Family Member to the below facts. Members to match: 1. Bellatrix Lestrange 2. Sirius Black 3. Andromeda Tonks 4. Narcissa Malfoy 5. Regulus Black. Facts to match to: a. Ended up serving in Azkaban. b. Was an animagus. c. The only “true” family of Sirius Black. d. Betrayed the Dark Lord. e. Was on the Slytherin Quidditch Team. "I shall give you fifteen minutes to complete this task." OOC:Hi folks! Thanks again for your participation. Next we are at the mini-activity. Here the task is take the five facts and match them to the appropriate member of the House of Black. Yes, there are some facts that may match to more members but go for it. Have fun I'll move us on in 16-20 hours __________________