"Beauty is truth, truth beauty, that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know" - John Keats
Contents
On top of the world
Me on the observation deck of Tours Cathedral, June 1999
Biography
Nick Herman. 18 years old, first year Art History student, living in Toronto attending Trinity College , a place of higher learning and excellent neo-gothic architecture. Up until June, 2002, I was a laughably voluptuary student at the nearby and equally preeminent University of Toronto Schools, a first class high school, or something like that. Now I'm just a laughably voluptuary student on a campus. My personal interests lie first and foremost in the realm of art history, specifically of the medieval period (i.e. art produced from around 1200- 1500). I also adore architecture and painting in general, but I am a thorough Pre-Raphaelite (the great Urbine master inclusive, of course), so don't expect me to agree with much after 1520. Wishing to expand this personal interest into a lifelong one, I plan on making a headfirst career plunge into the art world; fifteen years from now a happily betrothed Nick will be making his way across the chunnel on the Eurostar from his apartment and fine art dealership in London to his fifteenth century chateau in Northern France. Just watch me. Due to the considerable amount of wealth needed to live the aforementioned lifestyle, however, you can image that "Nicolus Ermanus Pictor" doesn't seem to be a very viable career choice at this point. Furthermore, the type of artwork to which I devote my spare time would have sold well about 700 years ago, not today. Nevertheless, I still paint, draw, and scrawl a great deal. This hobby goes along with my really quite general adoration (some would say obsession) of all aspects of creating, building, and expressing emotion through media which will outlast the flesh of ephemeral human existence (did I mention I'm a romantic?).
I'm also a great lover of poetry and literature of all sorts, having been the editor of two publications at my high school, Echo and Firefly. In terms of visual art, some of my more successful projects include two murals at school, two paintings on display in the UTS library, and plenty of other beautiful, interesting, and generally esoteric things such as illuminated books of hours, mosaics, and triptychs- all thoroughly medieval (or perhaps early renaissance) in style, of course. You can take a glance at some of my artwork if you so wish. I also happen to own a small collection of 15th century illuminated manuscripts and medieval archaeological objects, which can be viewed on the Ars Domestica Online Catalogue. One of my long term goals is to assemble and give an art collection, however small, to a museum in Canada, a country that is unfortunately somewhat lacking in that regard. Thus, as most art history enthusiasts necessarily do, I try to travel to Europe as much as possible. Of course, it's never enough short of actually residing there, but vicariously living through short trips overseas keeps me alive during the cold Canadian winters! When I'm lucky enough to be traveling, one of my favourite old-world pastimes is steeple-chasing, which consists of following Church spires all over a medieval-rich country like France, which is without doubt the greatest country in the world (hopefully some government official will read that and speed up my plea for honourary citizenship), except perhaps for our own land of Peace, Order and Good Government, Canada. I don't visit these Churches for any particularly spiritual reasons, but rather I see them as vessels of culture, art, beauty, and, yes, to a certain degree, a divine tranquility in a boisterous world. My personal record is 111 Churches in three weeks, which was accomplished in June 1998 during a three week class trip to Italy and Switzerland. For the most part I happily visited Gothic specimens, but I had to settle for some Romanesque, Renaissance and Baroque impostors. When push comes to shove however, I guess the Romanesque is passable, but by the time I get to Renaissance I feel faint, and at Baroque I'm no longer conscious.
 Of course, seeing art while I was young helped me to develop the seemingly boundless adoration I now have for such things. My family is lucky enough to have inherited a house in the south of France with the wonderful name of La Garance (so-called due to the plants used to die French soldiers' berets, found on the property), after the passing away of my grandmother in 1997. Frequent trips to the house, and more largely to that sacred hexagon ensure that I maintain a fluent command of the French language, though this too is never quite good enough. A catalogue of my various excursions abroad are detailed in my Travels section. Don't worry though, it might sound nice, but traveling with me is no picnic. It's "a tumultuous ride through the breakneck world of medieval art and architecture, with relentless visits to every last museum, cathedral, church, and castle" to quote many a witness. As much as I adore France and the world of art it contains, I am actually of Swiss background, so naturally I consume large quantities of chocolate, cheese, knives and expensive watches. My mother is of the de Montmollin family, a once powerful but now somewhat downgraded Swiss clan, so if you're ever in Neuchatel or thereabouts, keep an eye out for the family crest, which is, incidentally, a windmill on a hill. As for sports (and this is really a side-note meant for Rhodes scholarship scouts), I do a fair amount of biking, since I bike to school every day, that's about 11 km. And no, I don't use it during the Canadian winter. Snow tires are overrated and I learned that the hard way.
Call me a dead breed, but I like Latin and linguistics, and my good old Alma Mater UTS was one of very few North American schools left honourable enough to provide the services of Latin (maybe a few schools in Mexico teach some sort of Latin derivative, like Spanish, or something). Since I'm somewhat interested in Classics, and although medieval studies is naturally much superior, for several years I participated in the annual "Ontario Student Classics Conference", which is a gathering and competition of 500 high school students from the area. Our school, being the "intellectual" powerhouse that it is, has won the conference the last six years in a row. My job on the executive committee is the co-ordinator of creative events, however our school traditionally does well in the athletic and academic events. For this final year though, we will not settle for second best (or third best, or fourth best), we will sweep creative. That is a definite. But "Classics" as we like to call it, is not just hard work. It's actually more like a three-day long party. Actually, when I think about it, my whole life is basically one big vacation, with a little bit of schoolwork mixed in for variety. My general philosophy is that one should live each moment to its fullest extent, regretting nothing. But I'm certainly no hedonist; the philosophies I embrace the most are predominantly ascetic - Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas. Those "three A's" can be called upon to answer any questions I'm either too lazy or too ignorant to answer. I figure they've spent more time on it than I have. All things combined, I have been called a "Renaissance man" by some; indeed, a pre-renaissance renaissance man. Yet though my interests are varied, generally speaking I adhere to the maxim that I will not undertake to do something if I cannot do it best. It's a life rule that I think a lot of people should and do respect, and for that I can't blame them. These past few paragraphs are, in a nutshell, the tenets around which my world view revolves. I hope then that you have at least learned one or two things about me, and that you will enjoy this extensive but really not all that serious website. Websites are in no way as precise as human interaction, but I hope that these few pages will at least give you a small window into my soul. Regards, Nick.
| Name: |
Nicholas Andrew Herman (Nick) |
| Date of birth: |
November 23, 1984 |
| Place of birth: |
Ottawa, Canada |
| Current place of residence: |
Toronto, Canada |
| Nationality: |
Swiss / Canadian |
| Languages: |
English, French, Latin |
| I.C.Q. Number: |
79381987 |
| Top five painters: |
1. Simone Martini
2. Raphael
3. Perugino
4. Fra Angelico
5. Jan Van Eyck |
| Some other favourites: |
Quentin Messys
Gerard David
Hans Memling
The Limbourg Brothers
Jean Pucelle
Giovanni di Paolo
Giotto
Bellini
|
| Acceptable others: |
Crivelli
Titian
Ingres
Blake
Burne-Jones
|
Favourite Paintings
(how could I ever rank them?): |
The Annunciation- Simone Martini
Coronation of the Virgin- Fra Angelico
The Small Cowper Madonna- Raphael
The Mellon Poliptych- Agnolo Gaddi
The Louvre Tondo- Perugino
The Melun Diptych- Jean Fouquet
The Rolin Madonna- Van Eyck
The Venus of Urbino- Titian
The Virgin Among Virgins- Gerard David |
| Some other favourites: |
The Gdansk Last Judgement- Hans Memling
The Wilton Diptych- Anonymous
The London Triptych- Duccio
Guidorricio da Fogliano- Simone Martini
The Allegory of Government- Ambroggio Lorenzetti |
| Favourite Book: |
Confessions- Saint Augustine
|
| Favourite Play: |
Cyrano de Bergerac- Edmond Rostand
|
| Favourite Poet: |
John Keats
|
| Favourite Personality: |
Francis Petrarch
|
| Some Favourite Poems: |
The Blessèd Damosel- Dante Gabriel Rossetti
The Lady of Shallot- Alfred Lord Tennyson
The Eve of Saint Agnes- John Keats
Upon the extinction of the Venetian Republic, 1802- William Wordsworth
La Belle Dame Sans Merci- John Keats
When I have fears that I may cease to be- John Keats
Bright star! Would I were steadfast as though art- John Keats
On the sale of Keats' Love Letters- Oscar Wilde
|
| Top five bands: |
1. Oasis
2. Travis
3. U2
4. Coldplay
5. The Verve |
| Some Favourite Songs: |
Bon Jovi- Bed of Roses
Bon Jovi- Always
Counting Crows- Mr. Jones
Coldplay- Yellow
Coldplay- In My Place
Coldplay- The Scientist
Guns and Roses- November Rain
Guns and Roses- Don't Cry
Oasis- Don't look Back in Anger
Oasis- Whatever
Oasis- Live Forever
Oasis- Supersonic
Oasis- Stand by Me
Oasis- The Masterplan
Oasis- Sunday Morning Call
Oasis- Little by Little
Radiohead- Fake Plastic Trees
Radiohead- Exit Music for a Film
Saez- Sauver cette etoile
Saez- Jeune et con
Saez- Jours Etranges
Saez- MontÈe la-haut
Stone Roses- She Bangs the Drums
Travis- Writing to Reach You
Travis- Side
The Clash- Rock the Casbah
The Verve- Sonnet
The Verve- The drugs don't work
Third Eye Blind- How's it gonna be
U2- Sunday bloody Sunday
U2- Where the street have no name
U2- The ground beneath her feet
|
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News
Apr. 03: We awoke on April fools morning to a substantial snowfall. Some greeted this powdering with laughter; others with obscenities. Manifold responses seem to denote varying degrees of frustration. But only a polar bear or perhaps a puffin could not feel resentful towards such an interminable winter. As the first week of April progressed the snow feigned melting then, in a clever twist, decided to become ice. The treacherous sidewalks seemed to target the young, the elderly, and the infirm, much like SARS, or, at the rate things are going, certain military actions in the middle east. And they say a butterfly flapping its wings couldn't change global weather patterns. The experts attribute the cold weather to the Gulf Stream's inability to reach far enough up the Atlantic this year. The current seems to be explicitly avoiding the US and the UK. Funny, why would anyone be upset with those two countries right now? As usual Canada gets caught in the crossfire. As an erudite friend put it, "you know something's wrong with the world when the best rapper is white, the best golfer is black, the French are telling the Americans not to be arrogant, and the Germans don't want to go to war". Now, I'm not a follower of golf and I don't listen to rap, but I think everyone can appreciate the general crappiness of the world situation this month. It makes you want to take refuge in a Titian or something. Speaking of drowning one's worries in esoteric and elitist pleasures, I won't have to put up with all this much longer, as soon I will be leaving for a more than slightly ridiculous two week trip to France. No, this is not a summer trip, this is in fact an excursion that fits neatly into the three week hiatus between my last day of classes and my first exam. I guess studying is going to have to take an aisle seat to international travel just this once. Nevertheless, this convenient Easter getaway is intended to bookend an otherwise as of yet uneventful summer, the other end being my three week trip to Poland in September, a certain part of which will be for academic reasons. That's right, I'll be traveling to Cracow in the second week of September to participate in SPECQUE, a simulation of the European Parliament conducted entirely in French. This would seem to me to be an ideal opportunity to explore what greater Poland has to offer, and if the few specimens I know of already are any indication (isn't that right Aldous?), it should be an amazing trip. More immediately, of course, I'm finishing up my last week of classes and what better way to do so than with the notorious Trinity College Quad party. Hey, at least there won't be any beer rooms!
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Friends
We (my friends and I) have a great deal of interesting experiences with "good parties" at my house (since no one else ever bothers to hold them), and fry-ups in the Iron Chef calibre kitchen (where slanty is at his best), as well as in the excellent locale of Villa Nick, or, as some like to call it, Chateau Nick light. Yes, that's right, my dorm room. Can you say "fourth Welch"? Well, if you can the porter will be able to direct you to my humble academic abode, that is, when I'm not in my numerous and extremely time consuming classes. If you chance upon my rooms at the University of Trinity College on an opportune Thursday evening, however, you might simply find my room empty save eight kegs of beer. In such circumstances you will of course notice the dutifully posted liquor license proclaiming "Welch Hall, capacity 200" to be the endroit of such revelry. Regarding the following list, of course, with the advent of post-secondary education and all it entails, you'll discern a few new additions. For old times sake at least, I've chosen to conserve a bit of the old order (shards collected against our ruin...), and in general this ranking is thus totally random. Read on and you'll soon find that life with my people can be as outrageous as it is exasperating. Granted, it makes things interesting. Never a dull moment with our entourage. Guaranteed.
Luke, man, I don't even where to start with him. You just have to meet him. Fine. Here's a brief summary- Luke lives in Guelph, commutes, reposseses paintings, he is may (I mean of course, that his birthday is in May), is radically left wing, and has red hair (or lack thereof). Top it off with a shaved head and orange pants, and you're home free. His new fashion taste seems to be even more eye catching too, what with the illegible red and black tanktop, big green "Q" and bright pink, who could mistake him for anyone but Luke? Indeed, though he may not be a fan of keeping state secrets over I.C.Q., (Malcolm, I'm offended you'd even say that), Luke is an old standby for trips to MacDo's or TimmyHo's. And, being my next door res neighbour this year, I cannot thank the architects enough for building sound-insulated walls. I mean, the sounds that come out of there... That, however, is the least of our problems on Satan's roost, uh, I mean fourth Welch.
Aldous is a relatively new and totally ridiculous addition to the list! Wherever do I start? Our little friend! Of course! The ice cream cone, the banana. Oh man. Firefly!!! Did that ever rock the house. Man, I could really use a beer right now. I know, I know, this is seriously stopgap and terrible, but, hey, better than the Black Crowes. Two TTC tickets; $2.80, dinner for two at the Keg (plus another univited); $82.00, taxi ride to a flooded bank of Lakeshore Boulevard; $8.00, two tickets to Oasis' tour of brotherly love; $105.00, seeing the best British rock band in the world perform in the pouring rain; priceless. I could probably spend hours more typing up absurd in-jokes we have, but then, they wouldn't be in-jokes, would they? Absolute problematic. Larder Haut Cinq Yellow Small Liberal Arts College. Xinful, as it were, and so much more.
John, detto Giamacchaio, ( stemming from the Latin Ioanis, with modern day derivatives such as Jean, Ioana, Jonathan and Ian ) was, like me, in the extra-curricular Latin field way back when, but we've actually been friends since we competed in the Metro Torono Science Fair. Yes, that's right, with our mad science skilz, how come we only got an honourable mention? Well, that was clearly not best practice. Occaisionally, after a random act of general irrationality (like the posting of a certain sign on a certain A.H.'s locker) has been commited, he will proclaim a phrase of bewilderance.
Mila comes just before Simon and that's no co-incidence. Yup. Miles (or Bula Uglies) as we like to call her, is the only female member of our crew, and what a female she is. You might have to read this text aloud to her though, because I doubt she's tall enough to be able to see the computer screen. Wait a minute, she's plenty tall enough! After all, she spends about 8 hours a day online. Whatd'ya know, same number of hours as her age. Good parties? Of course. All the time. She once was the new girl, but now she's integrated herself into our crew as seamlessly as Aldous. Nothing says N.H.C. like dating one of its members. Simon's five may not quite be enough to satisfy her appetite, but he is two for three with his girls, isn't that what we decided? Anyways Mila, do try to get out of your Gap-UC-Home corridor for once. Although I'm not really one to talk.
Simon who has earned the nickname Smo due to his inability to afford all the letters in his name-necklace, is actually no longer single, so I'm not going to use this space as a personals add. Instead, maybe Simon can use it to advertise some inane new reality T.V. show. Hmmm. Just to keep him in check, I stage the occaisional raid on his overly antiseptic dorm room, not even leaving the pictures on his walls unscathed.
Steve, more commonly referred to as "steever" or "wheels", has a family who knows entirely too much about certain things. And room decore? Please! More white women needed. I can't make fun of Steve too much though, what with his incredible success with Women: Christina, Gee, and now a host of others! The pictures in MargAd attest. Anonymous hot Asian girls, like, Samantha Yau for example! The list goes on and on... And of course, her certainly deserves our repsect for his top notch driving abilities. Bien, Bien.
Julian who has earned the nickname Julesbitch, regardless of someone else's constant application for the title, should not be reading this as he should be studying instead. But did you see his Semi date? Wow! Don't tell us you don't use your "53 TV to pick up women.
Albee is someone who is so incompetantly bad at math that I, sitting beside him for the whole year, had to constantly give him the answers to everything. Or was it the other way around? I can't remember. At any rate, he invented what the blow, so kuzos to him. Apparently, if Steve's information is correct, as it always is, Albee is quite the man this year at Queen's...
Matt, closer really than much of my inner circle (even though having to take the bus through Binghamton doesn't exactly exude closeness). I often exchange excessive amounts gossip and ratings on the precentage score with him. Oh yeah, and Matt, she is a 96, not 93! (gee, that's a vintage comment now, who could have imagined spotting the fallen angel in front of Saint Severin?!). An old standby, Matt is always very willing to do things like going to movies, going to Ontario Place or doing generally loiterous activities. Speaking of loiterous activities, we're expert rebels when it comes to O.P. First of all, our friend Akos fraudulently got into the amusement park without paying (I am appalled), then we got four extra donuts at Tim Hortons for free, then we locked the door to the Megamaze, temporarily closing the attraction until Lilly or Edward could rescue the trapped mazers. Of course, I haven't even begun to tell you about last year's adventures with dead man's pipe (no, it isn't a snowboarding park). But gone are the innocent days of youth when we had enough time to while away the hours at second-rate amusement parks. Now we just play pocker at Kodo Tea House and eat meals at greasy spoon GoodBite, or better yet meet up in the fashion capitals of the world: Milan, New York, Bergamo. But Matt, do tell me, what are the Euros like? I mean, what are they like???
Laura My first high school love. Remember, we haven't broken up yet so I guess we're still an item, right? Good luck in Montreal, and at Queen's next year. It's a good decision regardless of what anyone says. Don't forget I'll always be around for your homecoming weekends. Keep in touch and DLBIA.
Julia I miss you, but you know I'm always here. Thanks so much for the mix CD and all the fun times I will never forget. Best of luck in CA. Never stop listening to Oasis and liking Liam. Live Forever.
Dave, well, used to consider all these doings with the opposite sex a bit, well, sordid. No longer, as he's hitched with Anne now, and I think he's enjoying himself. Dave and I go way back. All the way back to grade 2! Yup. Those John Fisher years were a blast! Oh yeah! And that whole Maggie email scandal, those B-Ball games, the adventures with Peter Howard, Ms. Ram, and all the other wacky things. Those were the days. Now Dave is reduced to playing the chauffeur with the GossetMobile, but I don't think he minds it too much. Hope he enjoys looking at the stars with Anne from Saltspring Island. Just remember me as a candidate for best man at the wedding!
Akos Wrong side, ech!!! Nice work on the Tipova video and such, and stay in touch. Please don't think too much of my lazy, uninspirational responses on ICQ. I am terse when typing (except now). My door is always open for unexpected visits. Except when my door is closed, then you have to knock.
Bronwen Ah, the top of my A-list. So I have strange hobbies for my age and gender, eh? Well, I hope you appreciate my testosterone-enhanced Echo editorials (but I swear they don't have Christmas trees in Provence!!!). Remember that, as much as I may travel now, you're almost certainly destined to make more money than I will and thus in future you will be able to travel more! Keep on having those serious parties on Evelyn avenue, the Annette bus being so convenient. See you in French class.
And now for a sampling of some Trin friends...
smaller doesn't necessarily mean not better
Adam the engineer, has something like 28 hours of class a week. And they say us artsies have it easy! At least he has time to take me to Suds and the like...
Alaric is quite tall for a Frenchman. His devious smile obviously betrays his status as an elite spy for the Foreign Legion. He is even prepared to fight to the death in the Trinity quad, wrapped ever-patriotically in the mighty Tricolore.
Caroline Hurrah for the Ontario Student Classics Conference. Even though your dear old Ms. McBride was totally biased. Please also wear your Avril Lavigne look more often. Not that Matt should be worried or anything, you're too short for me you know.
Emily Hey Emily lady guy, I really love all our crazy adventures. Like that time, at lunch, when I realized that you weren't listed here! That was crazy like.
Graham Oh Graham, I don't even know where to begin. Oh, yes I do, the moustache! And the beard! And the Tailcoat!
Jen, the New York sorority girl, is quite short for an American girl, but we still like her anyways.
Jonathan Are you going to your rom now? You're rom? Have fun hanging out on citadel hill when you go home...
Matt I would call you a country bumpkin, but Niagra-on-the-Lake is perhaps the only town in Ontario that is more cosmopolitan that Toronto. Indeed, if his squash skills are any indication, this man is quite the genteel squire. He even has several residences at College in Toronto.
Sarah Mrah, (short form of Munroe) is somewhat forgetful when it comes to daylight savings time. I hope you like your corsage at Conversat, despite the lack of colour options you have given me. Heheheh. Country girl. Spring forward...
And a big hurrah for... Ali, Sean, Eric, Andrew, and any other newcomers...
|
Allison Nice seeing you around campus. Forget the phone anxiety and call sometime. We can commisurate along with a few other members of our A-list about the anguish of University life.
Rosita Yay for Saint Hilda's and the Trinity crew, and the emergency Conversat rescue of Nick operation.
Michelle I'm glad we're firends this year. Just don't try to turn me into one of your boys. Gee, that old nickname Flirtfest was well deserved, wasn't it. Boy crazy, but you can't have me. Wait a second, do you even like boys? Have fun watching Innis TV, oh, and put in a good word for me now and then, will you?
Hannah, the most mysterious part of the trio and my unbelievably lovely formal date for S6. One of those people I wish I could have known better. Remember me every time you look at my corsage on the wall of your residence room, and please don't make too much (or too little) of the various suggestive comments the aforementionned Michelle makes regarding the two of us.
Carol Good luck moving in to your new abode across from the ROM. I hope your starving roommate is okay.
Rosemary Ottawa! Carlton! Parliament! Oh well, I do hope you at least visit the national gallery once and a while. Enjoy the nation's capital but come back to the real city as often as possible.
Adam You need to lighten up that vest. Can you say "long term back problems?"
Dan You have been officially Xin-Fenged on this website. Please do not give your PS2 to the passionate man-lover, as it would cause needless distraction and I wish to spend as little time in that most tainted of rooms.
Sidney Thank you for showing me that, uh, trick for opening our dorm doors. Very useful indeed. So useful that I have several times found Aldous in my room, having entered with his UTS student card.
Howard You're lucky indeed that there are other people around to temper my verbal attacks... Maybe we should just agree to disagree on Korea...
Agatha So you're listed now. Happy? Thank you for putting up with my courtesan trips to your magnificent room.
Nicole Yay, my first new friend to be listed on my website. Did you eat breakfast this morning at least? And did you get your beauty sleep? Have you read your art history? Have you studied sufficiently but not over studied? You know, just checking, after all, it is your minor, isn't it?
Jocy-Joss was my wonderful Formal date for 2001. What a lucky guy I was, and did I ever treat her right, what with the deluxe taxi and homemade corsage. I'm sorry I forgot it in the taxi, really I am! Thanks also for reassuring me on the S6 grade trip, and enjoy your next few years at the big schools.
Sam Owwwww! Wimper. Please come by more often for visitations. I miss so much our trio of self-depracating moaning. Don't worry, he makes me laugh like no other as well.
Evan, although we have minor philosophical differences, I actually put up with you for a year in Civs class. I don't know what was more annoying, the M4's or you. Just kidding, it was you. Circus! Hope you're doing well south of the border.
Anne, I can understand why you'd be upset at not being invited to the fry-ups. I mean, come on, ten guys and a wok of simmering beef? Irresistible. Good luck with the homestead and straw bale construction.
Lea LalalaLea, lover of the Russian Prince. Good at dancing. So did those three clowns ever apologize for the "incident" at Sabrina's? I certainly hope so. Wait, I'm not supposed to talk about that. Want some lasagna Alfredo?
Leon is deeply embeded in the new UTS power structures, which is fine with me as he has the full backing of the Trinity College military-industrial complex, the NHC, and the Nick Herman Evil Art Empire (and even Luke "status" Starker).
Esther my new post-UTS yet still UTS friend. Yay! Keep visiting us at Trinity and ending up at Tim Horton's for late night food after a leisurely dinner at the Pho. Also, put in a good word for the old big Deb once and a while.
Madeleine Oh how you have such a pretty name. And such a well-located residence in the south of France as well. Never mind those awful monks; they will soon be convinced of your divinity.
Graham with his healthy head of hair, has been the object of numerous (I won't say young because that doesn't always apply) ladies' affections. At any rate, while we can't always rely on starngers to pronounce his name properly, he is a great guy.
Baillie Keep in touch, at least for the sake of times past .
Hana, you should be ashamed of yourself, going around breaking the hearts of innocent French teenage boys! I'll warn them next time I'm there.
Diana Enjoy your organic chem class, and come by to visit more often!
The rest of the classics crew Again, the following thing... those who came before you... you know. The laurels rocked. You guys were worthy of them ten times over, believe me. The chariot was sabatoged, believe me. Mr. Di Sante is on drugs, believe me. Anyways, cheers, I love you all. This year you'll top 1000, no doubt at all.
Kim and Leslie Wow, how could I ever top you two, classics exec consuls and couple extraordinaire? It was a pleasure working with you guys this year, it really was, even if "the brother" didn't always pull his weight. Sorry about the crappy departing gift... I was really pushing for the authentic Roman coins. A popsicle stand is a popsicle stand is a popsicle stand... Scandalous affair with Matt? No thanks. Pax tecum et bene facis at the big schools.
Xin Good times, man. Remember all the parties, late night calls, pubbing, cruisin' on the streets of Heifei, and for heaven's sake, keep in touch!
Zoe Hey, look Zoe! You've been reinstated, last but not least. Your scathing guestbook signature alone was reason enough to do so. And what a privileged position you have, right after Xin and all.
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Travels
July and/or August
1986-1993 |
5 weeks |
France |
La Garance & Luberon Valley, Provence |
July - August
1994 |
6 weeks |
France, Switzerland, England |
La Garance & Luberon Valley, Avignon, Marseille, Geneva, Neuchatel, London |
July - August
1995 |
6 weeks |
France |
Paris, Chartres, Vendome, Chateaudun, Les Effes, Chambord, Blois, Cheverny, Usse, Azay le Rideau, Langeais, Tours, Poitiers, Loches, Chenonceau, Chaumont, Amboise, Bourges, Macon, Cluny, La Garance & Luberon Valley, Avignon, Aix en Provence, Dijon, Beaune, Vezelay, Fontenay, Reims |
March
1996 |
2 weeks |
Austria, Czech & Slovak Republics, Hungary, Germany |
Vienna, Krems, Durnstein, Melk, Cesky Krumlov, Cesky Budejovice, Kutna Hora, Plzen, Telc, Prague, Karlstein, Budapest, Frankfurt |
July - August
1996 |
5 weeks |
France, Switzerland |
La Garance & Luberon Valley, Avignon, Geneva, Neuchatel, |
March
1997 |
2 weeks |
Italy |
Milan, Vicenza, Verona, Padua, Venice, Florence |
July - August
1997 |
5 weeks |
France |
La Garance & Luberon Valley, Avignon, Aix en Provence, Arles, Marseille |
December - January
1997-1998 |
2 weeks |
France |
La Garance & Luberon Valley, Avignon, Aix en Provence, Carcassonne, Albi, Conques, Montpellier |
June - July
1998 |
4 weeks |
Italy, Switzerland, France |
Rome, Tivoli, Orvieto, Todi, Fonti del Clitunno, Spoleto, Spello, Assisi, Perugia, Arrezo, Monterchi, Sansepolchro, Florence, Pisa, San Gimigniano, Anghiari, Siena, Ravenna, Padua, Venice, Vicenza, Verona, Geneva, Neuchatel, Lausanne, Fribourg, Bern, Basel |
December - January
1998-1999 |
2 weeks |
France, Spain |
La Garance & Luberon Valley, Avignon, Aix en Provence, Montpellier, Barcelona |
July
1999 |
3 weeks |
Switzerland, France, Germany |
Geneva, Neuchatel, Dijon, Beaune, Semur, Alesia, Vezelay, Bourges, Les Effes, Tours, Chinon, Poitiers, Loches, Langeais, Usse, Saumur, Fontrevaud, Candes, Autun, Tournus, Brou |
December - January
1999-2000 |
2 weeks |
France, Monaco |
La Garance & Luberon Valley, Avignon, Aix en Provence, St. Maximin, St. Tropez, Frejus, Cannes, Nice, Villefranche, Paris |
March
2000 |
2 weeks |
France, Monaco, Italy |
La Garance & Luberon Valley, Avignon, Aix en Provence, Nimes, Arles, Orange, Vaison, Salon, St. Maximin, St. Tropez, Frejus, Biot, Eze, La Turbie, Nice, Villefranche, Monaco, Peillie, Peillon, Menton, Ventimiglia, Dolceaqua, Paris |
July - August
2000 |
6 weeks |
France |
Les Effes, Tours, Loches, Pallau, Mezieres, Lyon, La Garance & Luberon Valley, Avignon, Aix en Provence, Sisteron, Nyons, Grignans, Vaison |
March
2001 |
2 weeks |
Ireland, England |
Dublin, Wicklow, Glendalough, Powerscourt, Baltinglass, Cork, Ardmore, Blarney, Kinsale, Castletownshend, Bantry, Dingle, Killarne, Cashel, Athassel, Holy Cross, Kells, Ahenny, Killkieran, Killammery, Graiguenamanagh, Clonmel, Carrick, Killkenny, Newgrange, Drogheda, Trim, London |
June - August
2001 |
6 weeks |
Switzerland, France |
Neuchatel, Gruyeres, Romont, Payerne, Morat, La Neuveville, Erlach, St. Ursanne, La Chaux de Fonds, Basel, Paris, Loches, Les Effes, Tours, Pallau, Mezieres, Meobecq, St. Genou, Argy, Orleans, Chartres, Blois, Chambord, Chenonceau, Amboise, St. Aignan-sur-Cher, Nouans-les-Fontaines, L'isle Bouchard, Chinon, Saumur, Fontevraud, Candes, Bourges, Noirlac, Clermont-Ferrand, Thiers, La Garance & Luberon Valley, Grignans, Suze-la-Rousse, Lyon, Tournus, Alesia, Auxerre, Sens, Troyes, Reims, Laon, Arras, Vimy, Amiens, Beauvais, Senlis |
March
2002 |
4 weeks |
France |
La Garance & Luberon Valley, Avignon, Aix en Provence, Arles, Marseille, Montpellier, Maguelone, Narbonne, Port-Camargue, Aigues Mortes, Saint Gilles du Gard, Paris, Saint Denis |
July - Auguest
2002 |
7 weeks |
France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany |
Paris, Geneva, Morges, Neuchatel, Bienne, Yverdon, Morat, Berne, Fribourg, Riggisberg, St. Luc, Sierre, Montreux, Lausanne, Lyon, Annecy, Milan, Bergamo |
December - January
2002-2003 |
2 weeks |
France, Monaco, Italy, Germany |
La Garance & Luberon Valley, Avignon, Aix en Provence, La Garde Adhèmar, Tricastin, St. Paul Trois Chateaux, Nice, Villefranche Sur Mer, Monaco, Menton, La Brigue, Saorge, Frankfurt |
April
2003 |
2 weeks |
France |
La Garance & Luberon Valley, Paris |
August - Spetember
2003 |
3 weeks |
Poland |
Itinerary to be announced; 1 week to be spent in Cracow for SPECQUE (Simluation du Parlement Européen - Canada, Québec, Europe) |
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Thought
Why was it? Why did he feel so inconceivably alone in the pristine beauty of the world? He wasn't that different, after all. He laughed with them, loved them, shared the unbreakable bond of friendship just the same, but he felt alone here. Alone because the two halves of his life seemed so permanently irreconcilable. It wasn't a bad kind of alone- it meant a sort of fulfilment and satisfaction in every breath of air that no one else could ever even dream of. But he felt that he had somehow failed because he had no one close by with whom to share his inexplicable insight. Not even with those he thought would see it too.
What was it that he saw? He wasn't quite sure himself. It was a sort of transcending grace and beauty that was impossible to capture of quantify. But he saw it everywhere. Not just in the Old Masters that hung forgotten on museum walls or the vivid blue lilies his mother grew in the back yard. No, those were beautiful too, but more beautiful still were the tattered faces of strangers on the bus and the rusted metal fences in the park. And to him, all this was somehow linked to the sermons he sat through as a boy wearing his little Sunday suit and polished up penny-loafers. These were the only two things- beauty and religion- that all his mountains of textbooks could never quite explain.
So he embraced all this and took the two things hand in hand. He didn't question any of it. He realised that the truest, most complete things in life could never be explained, and he was serene with this knowledge. He had discovered that the one and true key to the fullness of life he had but could share with no other was acceptance, not understanding. The serenity in his mind and peace in his heart could never be explained to anyone. He finally knew why he felt so alone; he had discovered the meaning of life.
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Artwork
To say that I'm thoroughly obsessed with Medieval Art would be a huge understatement, yet my interest extends far beyond the simple scholarly study and appreciation of works of art. For example, I worked on an urban design project a few years ago, called Columbia,which has many medieval style buildings. I have also made an intricate model of a gothic cathedral. Moreover, how many students of art history can claim to have actually painted an egg-tempera panel, or illuminated a manuscript, or "built" a Gothic Cathedral? To truly undertsand the art of an ancient era one must live it. In this way one can gain an empathy of thought, a greater understanding and a more profound insight into the lives of those who came before us. The action of being the medieval artist speaks far more than simply listening or reading ever could. Do you know about Giotto or do you know him? That is the question. The following is a partial list of the work I have done over the years.
Works of Art by Nick Herman:
- A model Cathedral. Maquette, 1995-2001.
- View of the Alps from above St. Luc Oil on canvas, 2002. Painted during summer stay in Switzerland.
- A magnificent triptych
depicting a vision of the heavenly city. Oil on panel, 2001.
- An allegory of a knight, pentatych. Fresco and window mosaic, 2001.
- A small triptych. Mosaic and egg tempera on panel, 2000.
- Five Views:
Front Exterior,
Rear Exterior,
Centre Interior,
Right Interior,
Left Interior
- Two views of a city. Acrylic on canvas, 1999.
- A Portrait of a young girl. Acrylic on panel, 1999.
- A set of murals depicting city and country life. Acrylic mural, 1999.
- The work in prgress:
The City,
The Country
- A diptych of heaven and hell. Oil on canvas, 1998.
- The rebuilt city. Acrylic on canvas, 1997.
- Two 60 page illuminated books of hours - over 1000 hours work in total. Tempera on paper, 1995-1999.
- A Medieval Scene
- Durham and Canterbury Cathedrals
- Medieval France
- Important Castles
- Several sketchbooks, filled with predominantly charcoal drawings.
- Four large maquettes, all conceived and built with exquisite detail:
- A large feudal castle, surrounded by a curtain wall with a tall watchtower
- A fifteenth century urban palace, containing coins from all over the world
- A thirteenth century castle containing a chapel and various treasure rooms, all highly ornate
- A fourteenth century palace containing two levels, each highly decorated with colourful murals
- Dozens pieces of metalwork and minor arts- necklaces, pins, broaches, crowns etc...
- Over 15 jars, boxes and chasses of medieval design
- General Views of parts of the collection View 1,
View 2
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Sign Guestbook - View Guestbook - E-Mail: hermans@interlog.com
Visitors since September 1st, 1997
©Nicholas Herman MCMXCVI, MMII
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