My 19th Century Art class today was really good.

There wasn't anything overly notable, it was just interesting and engaging, more so than usual. And it's usually a pretty good class.

Things I Found Particularly Interesting:
- There's a theory that Michelangelo actually did the Hellenistic "Laocoön" sculpture
- Rosa Bonheur had to get a permit from the Paris police to wear men's clothing, and had to get it renewed every 6 months (she was also the first woman artist in the Legion of Honor in France, a lesbian, and dissected horses to study anatomy...common for some male artists including Leonardo and Eakins, but definitely not for women)
- Additionally, Buffalo Bill brought Bonheur two wild mustang colts when he took his traveling show to Paris (she was a super fascinating woman)
- Napoleon III played an important role in modernizing Paris (introducing a city plan, wide streets, garbage disposal, etc.) because he had the idea that creating Paris as a cultural center would reduce the revolutionary tendencies
- Anderson Cooper is a Vanderbilt (when discussing William Morris Hunt's design of the Biltmore residence)
- It's possible to get a PhD. in the history of landscape architecture (BTW - I'm a huge Olmsted fan...google it)


Now, I think I'll head off to the movies. August Rush anyone? :-)