Thursday, April 9, 2009

High At the High

About the time the computer went down with the virus, we went on a great trip to Atlanta. The main purpose was to go to the High Museum to see the traveling exhibit of the Chinese terracotta warriors.

From the time I first heard about these wonders of the ancient world, I have been fascinated. So when I heard they were coming to Atlanta, I knew I wanted to go. I ordered us 6 tickets in the fall for the day after Valentine’s Day. Both sons and their ladies were able to join us.

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This is a cardboard cutout in front. No photography was permitted inside the exhibit.

But this looks very much like the  warriors on display except that it is a little smaller. The originals are six feet tall. Each one is unique and thousands have been found so far. Each was molded, then sculpted from clay and fired in giant kilns and finally painted in bright colors by master craftsmen, over 2,200 years ago. Each one held a real weapon--- most of them bronze.They were created to protect the first emperor of China in the after-life from all the spirits of the hundreds (maybe thousands) of people he had killed.  He was obsessed with immortality. It is a very interesting story. This exhibit contained over 100 pieces from the area surrounding his tomb.

It will be on exhibit until April 19. If you go, get the headsets that tell you about the pieces.

This permanent, giant  sculpture was erected in front of the arts center when Atlanta served as host for the summer Olympics. Each link is a human figure.

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From the courtyard wall, there was a skyscraper looming over us, looking very surreal, I think.

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If you can deal with the traffic, Atlanta has a lot to offer.

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