A Mesh of Styles

Annunciation to the Shepherds

Folio in the Lecitonary of Henry II

Recichenau, Germany

1002-1014 CE

Tempera on Vellum

This work is a unique combination of all of the recent styles of art we have studied: Late Antique, Byzantine, and Carolingian-Ottonian.  The solid gold background immediately brings to mind Byzantine art like the Transfiguration in the apse of the monastery at Mount Sinai, or Crucifixion in the Church of the Dormition, among others whose trademark is the shining gold leaf as a basis for the images on top.  Early Christian landscape and animal portrayal, like that found in The Good Shepherd at Galla Placidia can be seen in this work as well.  The narrative that is told through the angel’s gestures and the people’s response is purely Carolingian tradition, now carried out by the Ottonians.  Thus, this piece shows how ideas were passed down, copied, and refined to create new styles in art.  

Local "Art"

Some of the best landscape architecture in Tennessee can be found in several beautiful golf courses located within an hour or two of Ensworth.  While most people don’t associate golf with art, playing a round outside on a nice day can be extra pleasant when you are playing on an aesthetically well-designed course.  A visually stunning course is Bear Trace at Tim’s Ford, designed by the infamous Jack Nicklaus. Like Frank Lloyd Wrights “Falling Water,” it has been built according to the contours of the land: the curves of the fairways leading up the natural hills, and bending around the huge lakes that surround the area.  You can’t help but be struck by the beauty of Tennessee nature when you come across a turn in the cart path and see the green, surrounded on all sides by sparkling lake, and see families boating a mile away.   Driving your ball off the tee and having it hit a tree then roll backwards down the hill is not a proud moment for the average golfer, yet it is these trees and hills that make the landscape, and the game, interesting.  I hooked a ball into the forest, and in an effort to retrieve it discovered interesting flora and fauna: butterflies, squirrels, everything, in fact, except for my ball.

The clubhouse itself was built with the purpose of preserving traditional rustic values.  It is a comely log cabin, and would not look out of place in a previous century with the exception of its soda machines and iron terrace.

The ninth hole is a par three, 200 + yards away, yet there is a twist.  The hole has been made so that the lake juts through the middle of it, heightening suspense when you are hitting, as the golfer knows a lost ball into the water is fatal for his/her score.  But, when scores are tallied, compared, forgotten, and bets are won or lost, the only thing visitors remember looking back is not if they putted for par on the 16^th hole, but the excitement of playing an interesting course. Bear Trace is truly one of the most beautiful public courses available in Tennessee.  So, reader, if you ever get tired of gallery-hopping, or want to trade your turtleneck and smokes for a polo and spikes, head out to Tim’s Ford to appreciate landscape art, sport, and nature blended into one.