General Awareness

ART AND CULTURE - June 2019

Jun 2019

Apr 06, 2021

Mysterious Underground City of Egypt

It is widely believed that the giant pyramid of Giza is also the oldest one. However, it is not be true as this distinction goes to the step pyramid of Djoser which was built 4700 years ago.
Djoser was the first or second king of the 3rd dynasty of the Egyptian Old Kingdom. According to historians and experts on Egypt, Djoser started building the pyramid during his rule and appointed Imhotep as its architect.
The pyramid of Djoser built entirely of carved stone and was the first such monumental building in history.
There are several more structures around this pyramid. The entire complex is spread out in an area of 15 hectares. It is believed that an entire city was inhabited below it.
The underground city is connected to a chamber which is several square meters and is built at a depth of 28 meters.
It is believed that it must have been built so that the souls of dead people from the royal family remain in a palace-like place even after death.

Apr 03, 2021

Goa's Basilica of Bom Jesus could Lose Iconic Red Look to Conserve the Structure

One of the most iconic religious structures at Old Goa, The Basilica of Bom Jesus, which is home to the sacred relics of revered saint Francis Xavier, may soon have to shed its old look to prevent further deterioration of the red church, made up of laterite stones, due to continuous exposure to the elements.
The Jesuit church, which was consecrated in May 1605, is India's first minor basilica, and is considered to be one of the best examples of baroque architecture and Portuguese Colonial architecture in India. It is also one of the Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin in the World.
The Basilica was fully plastered like every other church in Goa and remained so for close to 350 years since its inauguration in 1605 till the early 1950s and bore a white look owing to its limestone plaster. However, in the early 1950s 'conservation' architects from Portugal (of which Goa was then still a part of) had it removed as part of propaganda initiated by the Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Salazar and the Estado Novo state.

Apr 01, 2021

Argentine Sculptor Turns Pandemic Waste into Art

Marcelo Toledo usually creates sculptures and jewelry out of metal. Now the Argentine artist is working with a new material: waste masks and syringes from the COVID-19 pandemic to create an exhibition exploring the painful impact of the virus.
Toledo, who has made jewelry for the musical "Evita" on Broadway and unique pieces for Barack Obama and Madonna, was among the first in Argentina to contract COVID-19 a year ago, which left him hospitalized for eight days with pneumonia.
The experience left an imprint on his life and triggered a flurry of artworks, from a 14-meter mask with the Argentine flag that he placed on the iconic Obelisk in Buenos Aires to raise awareness about organ donation during the pandemic.

Mar 21, 2021

Medieval Bishop's Palace Unearthed in England

In a small town in southwestern England, a construction crew hired to build a run-of-the-mill bungalow unexpectedly discovered a medieval bishop's palace.
The crew uncovered "substantial" medieval wall foundations, floor deposits and a fireplace in the town of Wiveliscombe, said a spokesperson for the South West Heritage Trust, a charity that works on preservation and management of English heritage sites. The site is being monitored by archaeologists from the South West Heritage Trust.
The ruins are thought to be part of a bishop's palace that dates back to the 13th century, according to the Somerset County Gazette. Multiple bishops of Bath and Wells carried out building works at the site, including Bishop Drokensford (bishop from 1309 to 1329) and Bishop Ralph of Shrewsbury (bishop from 1329 to 1363), according to the spokesperson. But the palace was likely first constructed shortly after 1256, according to Smithsonian Magazine.

Greek Bull Figurine Unearthed

A bronze figurine of a bull believed to be at least 2,500 years old has been unearthed in Greece following heavy rain near the ancient site of Olympia.
Burn marks on the statuette suggest it may have been one of thousands of offerings to the Greek god Zeus.
The discovery of the small, intact item was made by archaeologists near a temple, Greece's culture ministry said.
An archaeologist spotted one of the bull's horns sticking out of the mud after a downpour, it added.
The item was immediately transferred to a laboratory for examination.

Mar 16, 2021

France to Return Klimt Painting Sold under Duress

France is to return a painting by the Austrian artist Gustav Klimt to the heirs of the Jewish family that was forced to sell it by the Nazis.
French Culture Minister Roselyne Bachelot said that restoring it to its rightful owners was an acknowledgement of the crimes they suffered.
The painting bore witness to the "broken lives" of the Nazi era.
The French state bought the work, its only Klimt, in 1980 without realising its history.
The pre-war owner of Rosiers sous les Arbres (Rose Bushes Under the Trees) was Nora Stiasny, from a well-known Austrian Jewish family. She had inherited it from her uncle, the Austrian industrialist and art collector Viktor Zuckerkandl, Ms Bachelot told a news conference at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.

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