Lowbrow, Native American Discoveries, Kodak

DISPLAYING MODERN ART: THE TATE APPROACH

The gallery was dealing with such huge crowds that certain galleries needed to be roped off. It was the most popular museum of modern art in the world. The Tate has an astounding detail for British art. The way that we look at modern art is shown by historical concerns. The MoMa opened in 1929. This pioneered the new form of display. THis system for exhibiting was the product of the museum’s first director. It was a response to artistic modernism; it was the characteristic type of modern exhibition. The works were categorized in a series of rooms and chronologically. The movements evolved around each other based on their order. Artists began to explore the political concepts of the museum in their work. The history sold the museum as an ideological museum. Concerns expanded to look at the role of gender and sexuality in works. Professionals had to come to terms with these types of works. Works were displayed in 4 sections and each section provides a theme and principle for each work. The themes are landscape, still life, history, and the nude. Genres have expanded to make titles consisting of three terms, each relating to each other. The other terms widen the structure. Within these terms we can look at movements and develop themes. They yielded so much. These artworks were made at different ends of the 20th century, and Water Lillies was produced after WWI. The works are also made of different materials. In contrast, Long’s works consist of a circle of slate and a drawing made of mud and a photograph. The display challenges us to see parallels between different works of art.

BONES OF CONTENTION: NATIVE AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY

Over the past 150 years, the bones of Indians have accumulated in the name of science. During the colonization of North America, the bones of Native Americans were collected and studied at will by archaeologists. In 1974, a cemetery was found when a man was beginning construction on a highway. They were reburied in another ceremony but the remains of an Indian were taken to a lab and studied but the other 26 white people weren’t. The woman of the construction worker made a trip to the city council of Iowa. Maria Pearson’s battle caught the public. The first law protecting Indian burial sites was passed and went state to state. David Van Horn was searched by the police for possession of Indian bones. The crime carried a prison sentence of 3 years. The case was thrown out of court. The law also attacked artifacts held by museums across the country. Archaeology became the structure of American colonies. THey had to declare that the people weren’t the owners of the land when the colonists wanted them off the land. The discovered mounds and other earth works. Soon people began to dig up the mounds and the remains were collected. Skulls of Indian tribes were now being investigated. It resulted in the collection of 4,000 skulls. Starvation, war, and disease threatened the Indians and they were seen as a doomed culture. Dozens of museums were built to house the collections were the remains have rested. Attempts were starting to be made to recover these objects and remains. In 1985, the Smithsonian began an infantry of its Indian remains. It held the bones of more than 18,000 Native Americans. The new law was beginning to bite. By the end of 1999, the museums skewered their collections. Some tribes just want the bones returned as soon as possible. Studies that anthropologists were engaged in could provide much information however, they cannot continue on because of the law. In some Indian cultures, there are ceremonies that can identify ancestors. When science says they’re not related, Indians believe that isn’t true. Scientists don’t know the Indian culture and techniques they use to identify each other. Archaeologists see the remains as markers and if the don’t continue, they feel they lose the past. Indians use oral tradition to pass things down. They know what their lives mean because of the oral tradition. For many Indians, oral traditions contain all the information that they need. Scientists are piecing together the science of disease by looking at the effects on past bones. They hope to gain a better insight of diseases today. The problem with this is that it is open to disagreement. WIth this uncertainty, its not surprising that Native Americans are skeptical. Maria Pearson has taken place of a highway production in Iowa along with the governor to ensure that Indian rights weren’t excluded or that sites weren’t vandalized. The Omaha Tribe have lived in Nebraska for years. A collaboration has developed between the tribe and the University of Nebraska. They suggested that the bones be studied for cultural and medical information. These remains can speak to us, but only through science. Research is directed by the Omaha tribe and their council. They addressed the problems they needed. Diabetes has had a devastating affect on the Omaha tribe. It results from change in diet and activity. The lifestyle meant they were all in very good physical shape although patterns have changed. The answer lays now in their diet. They had a diverse diet and a large part of it was derived from bison, 40-60%. There is a lot of processed food and fat i Omaha diet today. This could have triggered diabetes. In the early 1800’s, trade took off. It brought about the tribe’s downfall. The change in the culture resulted from disease and a change in the economics. Before the epidemic, their health was very good but after the women had much more of a role in manufacturing and this contributed to their bad health. Women weren’t living long enough to birth, therefore the population declined. Research can be used to generate a sense of pride in the children of the tribe. Remains have been buried now; scientists have done their research. The Omaha also got their knowledge. 

GEORGE EASTMAN HOUSE: PICTURE PERFECT

George Eastman was a marketing and business genius. He was born in 1854, he was a child of new photography. He was the founder of Eastman photography. He created the 1st affordable user friendly camera. The George Eastman house has been the mecca of film and photography. It includes over 400,000 photographs. This links the history of photography and film to the life of George Eastman. History was captured through these works. In this house, archives are right across the hall. It contains about 16,000 objects. It holds the largest Daguerreotype collection outside of France. It also has the first camera ever sold in the US. It was sold the $76 in 1840. In 1844, Talbot published his book using illustrations. Kodak became one of the best known brands in the world. In 1888, he offered the Kodak, costing $25. Processing the film was handled by Kodak. In 1900, he introduced a camera that sold for $1. It was a hit. Kodak shipped over 150,000 cameras in the first year alone. The snapshot was born. He knew engaging women and children, he was presenting to the world a way to capture memories. Adams used his pure art forms to create amazing pictures and memories. In 1894, a machine that took and projected movies was develpoed. Eastman, working with Edison, developed a film strong enough to deal with movement. Eastman had the first home theater in America. In 1902, he began construction on a 50 room estate, which is now the centerpiece of the museum. It had a photo album of prints of the home and garden taken during his day. It aided in the $2 million restoration of the house. The album allowed for accurate restoration of the house because it had so many angles of the house. The collection contains over 62,000 personal artifacts. His love of hunting shows all over the house. He brought back an elephant which hangs in the conservatory. He was making a movie of a charging rhino. He was a maker of film. There is a collection of 25,000 films in the Eastman house. The 1st great monster animation classic was the Lost World. Eastman was a man who was in control of his own destiny. He took his own life. He died on March 14th, 1934. His legacy is that he changed forever the way we see ourselves and each other. He gave us our image. 

THE LOWDOWN ON LOWBROW: WEST COAST POP ART

Lowbrow is something somebody used. It is art that no one can categorize. It was seen on porno sites. It is reactionary against highbrow culture. It has many connotations. It used in relation to paintings with naked girls and hot rods. It evolved into a meaning of it’s own. A more appropriate term would be lowbrow surrealism. It was a manifesto. It isn’t surreal. It’s about heart. It’s more of a people thing. What makes the artists a group is the common experience that makes them want to be a part of that type of art. People can relate to the imagery they are seeing. There is a historical reference that is more personal in this type of art. It has a history in folk art. It comes full circle to consumerism. One thing that is important with this type of art is the post WWII period from the late 40’ t the mid 60’s. They had a lot of influential elements. At the same time there was an American consumer culture developing. There were very important images in this time that influenced lowbrow art. Rock posters were known all over Europe but weren’t shown in America. Lowbrow art was also seen in comics and was influenced by comics. One of the greatest alternative artists of our time is Robert Crumb. Tiki art is another successful aspect of lowbrow art. It shows a world we’re fascinated by. Conceptual art is conception. An artist just has to point to something and that is considered art. Conceptualism brought intelligent thought to the playing field. The established art world is joined systematically to help promote only certain forms of art like minimalism and abstract art. There has been an emergence of women artists who have made their presence felt. Things in pop culture women can reference that are sexually driven can be seen in this art. Women feel that they’re better qualified to paint women than man are. Lowbrow is better open to women than any other movement in the art history world.   People are attracted to art when people aren’t telling them they have to be. It’s a natural attraction. One of the most important things is the artist audience interaction. Seeing the artists in public and knowing who they are adds a lot to the art. New York inherited fine art from France, due to abstract discretions. The fresh new capital of the world was New York. LA have the quality of being on the pacific brim and owing almost nothing to Europe. Things in LA are all new and exciting and are all related to art. This is where people are open to new things. In the late 70’s, punk rock happened. The majority of punk rock musicians had a fine art background. You can see many artistic abilities in the CD covers and fliers. This movement blew up because Bully Shire opened up a gallery. Juxtapose magazine made is possible for people worldwide to stay in tune with the lowbrow scene. It started out of necessity. People associate good art with NYC. There was recognition for lowbrow work on the west coast however. The greatest masterpieces are coming out now and people are spending a great amount of money on the art work. By the mid 60’s work, for example, Dali’s work was going for millions of dollars. 20 years ago, Robert Williams could beg anyone to show his work. Now, galleries are begging him for his work. This movement has gone under an amazing Renaissance.

Modern Art Blog

ANDY WARHOL: IMAGES OF AN IMAGE

The features of a face have been repeated 10 time in black in two horizontal rows. The rest of the surface is covered in silvery white paint. The work is entitled 10 Lizes, painted by Andy Warhol in New York in 1963. He enjoyed a career as a commercial artist. He cut out ads in newspapers and used them as his subjects. He collected pictures of actors since his childhood. He selected a picture of Marilyn Monroe and used it to print a whole series producing many versions of the original picture. Her face made Warhol famous. He began with a simple idea, the immense power images have acquired in out society. He cropped pictures, simplified them, colored them, etc. and continued this technique. He also took an interest in Elizabeth Taylor. He produced a silk screen image of one her pictures. He silk screened a picture of her with her husband and another couple. He reproduced the front page of the daily news covering Taylor’s breakup with her husband. He also created a large canvas depicting Taylor as Cleopatra. He also used pictures of her from 4 years prior to create more silkscreens. For 10 Lizes, he had a screen and canvas made and covered with silvery white paint. He applied his frame to the surface 10 times. He reused the same silkscreen frame on different colored backgrounds, according to the same principle as the Monroe motif. This printing represented a brilliant commercial idea; he could reproduce images and meet clients needs in no time. The repetition causes a sort of dizziness; it distracts the eye and eliminates the initial exceptional nature of the original photograph. He also took an interest in other celebrities. He produced many variations of the Mona Lisa and Jackie Kennedy. His loft on 47th St was used as his studio and became known as the factory. It became a place for artists to hang out. He was obsessed by the idea of celebrity. He also published his own magazine and made a film with Liz Taylor in Rome. He had become an international superstar. He decided to use polaroid pictures as a basis for some works. Rich clients were willing to pay a small fortune for their portraits. In his portraits, only the basic traits of the face survive. Silkscreen printing erased Taylor’s smile. She no longer has a complexion, color, or skin. There is no feeling or radiance, just an imprint. Death was one of Warhol’s main themes. Plane crashes, car accidents, electric chairs, suicides, and human skulls were some themes. 

UNCERTAINTY: MODERNITY AND ART

Art has it’s own memory of itself. In it we see human consciousness changing, idealized versions of what we could be if we were better than ourselves. We see an unquestionable set of values carried through art. But then art changes, because everything changes. WIth industrialization, art changed. Modern life eventually emerges. Consumerism arises and new ideas change how we live. We then see art as it describes us and freedom to be what we want to be. The big thing that modern art tells us is that there is no single code for living, the burning thing to us is uncertainty. What will future civilizations see when they look back to us and art? A changed society. They will be interested in how we showed ourselves to ourselves. Art becomes the conductor for changing values. Modern art is a tradition when art is transformed. It never stops changing, it keeps responding to the same problem; modern life. Because its difficult, people wish it would pull itself together. Modern art took off when they felt art had to go deeper than mass culture. Hitler tried to make art exist in a world where it never really can. We live in a world where nothing lasts and doubt exists. Modern art became an icon for moral goodness. Abstract art is where the look of the world is left behind and you’re in an experiment where you’re being asked to see beyond the illusion that art has always dealt with. An abstract artist says, this is the experiment, what is it telling you? We’re uncertain because we know there’s an inner light. Modern materialists take an interest in their urban environment. Their shapes and designs are intriguing to them. Artists were outcasts because they couldn’t accept the values of consumerism. We can measure our individuality by the consumer products that surround us. We learn to live with the doubt that goes along with it. This feeling is communicated in art through pop art. There is a change from a belief in higher values to accepting that we really don’t believe anything. There is no reliable truth except that nothing is true is a theme of pop art. We look at our own disillusion. Modern society disillusioned abstract artists. Consumerism says there are no values except the values of the free market. We should look within and see new freedoms mean there is no high and low anymore, we are all the low. We think out art is weird but we’re weird because civilizations model of art has changed. We see new dreams and questions we’re ready to ask now. We look, we think, we enter the future. 

THE POWER OF ART: ROTHKO

9 paintings by Rothko arrived at London’s Tate Gallery after his suicide. Money follows art. There is nothing a painter wants more than a wealthy patron. Representing American, another 5 of Rothko’s paintings were in tour in Europe. He was the greatest living American painter. His was commissioned to provide paintings for the Four Season’s restaurant in the Seagram Building. THe architect approached Rothko about his work to decorate his restaurant. In exchange for paintings, they agreed to pay Rothko 35,000 which is about 2.5 million today. Rothko thought long and hard about this because he was insecure about American capitalism. He was born in Russia in 1903. Beating up Jews filled his memory and took over his childhood. He was brought up by his mother among his arrival to the city after his father has died. He went to school, read every book he could get his hands on, and played instruments. He wanted to please his mother. He dropped out of Yale. He had a creative itch and thought art could change the world. He really believed this which is why 30 years later he couldn’t walk away from the Seagram job, the greatest challenge of his career. He rented space in an old gym and went to work. As he started work, he envisioned the Seagram murals as a teaching, a tribute to modern life. He taught kids at a Jewish community center to make ends meet. He dabbled in expressionism. The Subway serious were the first painting that would catch you off guard. The people have a compelling strangeness. He insisted that his paintings reflect the values of society. There was no interpretation to his art. He wanted to establish human values, nothing related to psychology. It’s about and of the world. Sexuality to irony to death and a sense of tragedy is what he painted. He he almost completed work on the Seagram job by 1959. He had always wanted to give his paintings the emotional force of the old maters. He visited Michaelangelo’s library for inspiration on the Seagram murals. They were both after the same feeling. He [Michaelangelo] made the viewers feel that were trapped so all the could to was hit their heads against the wall forever. This is the feeling Rothko wanted to give the people who ate in the Seagram restaurant. He had become the maker of paintings that were powerful and complicated. His feeling he’d been striving for finally revealed itself. They were unmistakably deep. What Rothko makes his paintings do had an effect on our senses. They come and get us and we surrender. He stated that his paintings would be hanging in a place where the richest people would come and dine with them. There were things about the commission that were challenging in a positive way. He wanted to work in a public space, his place. A curator came to invite him to exhibit in a fair in Germany. He offered to paint for free if this curator built a chapel of expiation for the Holocaust. It never happened. With success, his life got shabbier. He developed alcohol problems and his chain smoking brought him lung and heart problems. His work got darker and more intense just as modern art was going. His work was always an alternative to pop culture. He was defensive and angry. He went raven black, as black as Texas oil. He created murals, only in black. But before he died, these murals took a turn and evolved slightly with added shades of gray. 

ISAMU NOGUCHI: THE SCULPTURE OF SPACES

The idea he had, he never lost. It’s an overall concept for treating the earth. Everything else comes out of sculpture. Self expression didn’t interest him enough. Sculpture was something different than painting. He wanted to extend what sculpture may be. He went around the world and landed in Japan. A new era started there. He found gardens upon stone gardens. This took on aspects of sculpture, as evidence of sculptural instinct. The UNESCO garden was his first big chance to do something outdoors. It was his homage to the Japanese gardens. There is a youth to his madness. It is a humanizing of sculpture. It is something a part of peoples lives and it comes from his own background, the need for belonging. He always felt uncertain as to where he belong and was always looking for someplace where he would be at home. This holds many clues to his interest in sculpture and his feeling of isolation. He became the typical American. He was in NY when he was out of high school. He was nobody but people wanted to help him. He got a scholarship and went to Paris. He returned to NY dead broke. This influenced his work and how he thought. Noguchi was summoned to Miami to redesign Bayfront Park. His work spanned 2 generations. His late works were covered on the news coverage, giving the public insight to the work he can potentially do. However, he threatened to quit unless city commissioners tore down the public library. The light will become more apparent. It was hidden by the library. The library was ripped down. Art has to do with discovery of the character of a place and enhancing it. It’s the differences that make the difference, not the sameness. Work began on Bayfront Park. He is constantly moving from one medium to another as a manifestation to sculpture. He is always concerned with peripheral relationships and perimeters. He spent time working on the shape of the lake before he got to the business of the fountain. His playground sculpture steps outside traditional art and work that can be found in a museum. He wanted to create something that can be useful to people. His water sculptures reveals that imperfections are better than perfections. We can’t perfect nature because nature is perfect with those specific imperfections. Noguchi perfected Jerusalem. His sculpture respected the Holy City. He built three hills in the sculpture garden. You must climb up. As you ascend, you come face to face with the sculpture as the sculptor wanted it to be seen. The gardens he lives in represent a celebration of life, just by it’s mere creation. Elements refpect serenity and calmness. The composition that nature completes is a way that no one can imitate. This is real sculpture. The energy of matter and grass create a harmony and appreciation of life. When he was first given the commission of the Moere Numa Park in Japan, he was excited. He created a 3-D relationship between pieces. 

Art Gallery Visit 2

Step 1: The Exhibition

Questions about the exhibit:
1. What is the title of the exhibit?

R William Doolittle Gallery
2. What is the theme of the exhibition?

Historical Buffalo

 Step 2: The Gallery

Questions about the physical space:
1. What type of lighting is used?

Lights were on the ceiling with their attention turning towards the works on the wall. The lights weren’t extremely dim, but they weren’t powerful either. There was ample light to keep the works hidden in a way so you needed to get closer to them to see all the detail.
2. What colors are used on the walls?

The walls were a dark gray.
3. What materials are used in the interior architecture of the space?

The gallery had light wooden floors that were very new and well kept. The walls were a dark gray and ceiling lights reflected into the walls.
4. How is the movement of the viewer through the gallery space?

I ventured through the beginning of the gallery, where the gallery name appears. I started to my right, with the Pan-Am Express Logo. The room was in the shape of a square and the works flowed through out the walls. The longest wall had 5 works on it. The next had 4, followed by three on one wall, two on another and one on the last.

Step 3: The Artwork

 Questions about the artwork:
1. How are the artworks organized?

It seemed as each wall was in their own chronological order. The were equally distant from each other on the walls and weren’t laid out by size.
2. How are the artrworks similar?

Each work, aside from black and white works, had very vibrant colors. It seems as though the paintings were lighting up the room, not the lights. Most were made of oil on canvas. They are all reflecting the history of Buffalo. They each also depict some sort of movement, whether it be people walking in the streets, cars moving, or water movement.
3. How are the artworks different?

Each picture had their own theme and reflecting something bigger than what was depicted. They were also different in size. The use of color was also different.
4. How are the artworks framed?

Each work had their own  style and size of frame but all of the frames were either gold or of a brown tint.
5. How are the artworks identified and labeled?

The labels to each work of art were shown to the right of that work. They contained a title, date, and author as well as a description of the work.
6. What is the proximity of the artwork to each other?

Each work was equally spaced out on the walls. There was enough space between each work but they were in a reasonable space to each other to show their relationship. 

Step 4: Art Criticism Exercise

1. Artist: A. Raphael Beck

Title of work: President McKinley Delivering His Last Great Speech at the Pan-American Exposition

Media: oil on canvas

Date: September 5th, 1901, 1902

Size: the size wasn’t given on the label

Be receptive - Keep an open mind.  Look for what is good.  No put-downs allowed.

Description – Describe what you see.  (subject matter)? 

The main subject that stands out to me when looking at this work is the draped flag behind President McKinley. He is also a dominant figure in the work, but because of the colors of the flag, my eyes are immediately drawn towards it. Behind the President are many many people all coming together. Tall buildings can be seen in the background with puffy clouds looming over them. It looks as if the crowd is gathering around the President for his speech. The figures in the foreground are very clear, but as the work extends, the figures become blurred yet the buildings appear very clear. 

Formal analysis – (form)  What principles and elements were used and how are they used?

Space is the main element seen in this work.The way the people are blurred into the background from the foreground allows the audience understand the large nature of this gathering. Large buildings are seen in the background, allowing the audience to also grasp the concept of space seen in the work. Emphasis is also very apparent in the work. Most emphasis is placed in President McKinley and the American flag in the foreground of the work, which also contains the most color. The flag is attention grabbing. The author also allows the audience to grasp a sense of unity. The gathering of people around a figure creates that sense of unity, unity of a people perhaps and unity of a city or country. 

Bracketing - Is there anything in or about this work that reminds you of anything else? Do you see any symbols, metaphors, or allegories?  (iconography) 

When I look at this work of art, I am reminded of Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech he delivered in front of his audience. I am also reminded of any major Presidential speech that always has an influence over people. Aside from the title of the work, one may not know who’s represented in the work but with the addition of the American flag, the audience can understand that he is a political figure; a president. 

Interpretation - (content)  What do you think the artist was trying to say? 

I think the artist was trying to portray President McKinley as a great figure. He is the largest figure in the work and exactly in the foreground. There seems to be many people gathering around for his speech, so many that they become blurry in the distance. The American flag is also very distinct, attracting the audiences eye. The flag appears to be larger than him, making his presidency seem larger than life. People are attracted to him and I feel the author wants us to understand that he was a great political figure and adored by many. 

2. Artist: Claire Shuttleworth

Title of work: Flags Flying, Avenue of the Allies, Main St, Buffalo

Media: oil on canvas

Date: 1919

Size: the size wasn’t given on the label

Be receptive - Keep an open mind.  Look for what is good.  No put-downs allowed.

Description – Describe what you see.  (subject matter)? 

Looking at this work, I see an alleyway. Many people are gathered in the street. It appears to be a sunny day, as a shadow casts over the sidewalk from the buildings. The main elements that can be seen in this artwork are the numerous flags of different countries. France, Britain, the United States, Germany, Italy and another countries flag that I cannot make out, China possibly, can all be seen in this work. The are all scattered and hanging out of windows in the alleyway, waving in the wind with a sense of pride. Many people are also gathered down this alleyway, as if it’s a sort of parade of festival going on. 

Formal analysis – (form)  What principles and elements were used and how are they used?

Color is the most apparent element in this work. Neutral colors are used through out the work but the flags add emphasis. Space is also an element seen in this work. The buildings are in perspective and their placement allows the audience to capture the sense of space. Emphasis can also be seen when looking at the flags. They contrast the neutral colors in the rest of the work and may be used to catch the viewers eye. Movement can also be captured when viewing this work. The size and placement of specific flags and the array of people through out the work allow the audience to feel that sense of movement. The gathering of people in this work as well as the flags also entail a sense of unity, a sense of coming together. 

Bracketing - Is there anything in or about this work that reminds you of anything else? Do you see any symbols, metaphors, or allegories?  (iconography) 

Symbolism is the main element you can see in this work. The waving flags representing different countries gives the audience a sense of pride for that country. When looking at this work, I am reminded of a festival representing different countries. Many people are gathered on the street as if they’re all coming together for a certain cause, this may also explain why the different flags are represented in the work. Waving flags remind of the 4th of July, when all Americans take pride in their country and what it stands for. 

Interpretation - (content)  What do you think the artist was trying to say? 

The label next to the work said this work represented the Avenue of the Allies. It was completed after the end of World War I and the flags represent a celebration the people were having. The countries represented were the countries that the United States was in an alliance with through out the war. I think the artist was trying to give the audience a sense of patriotism just by viewing the work. I think we are supposed to understand the alliance between the countries and also be able to view it in this work. People are gathered together, I can assume people from the various countries, and the flags are waving, giving a relaxing yet patriotic feel to the work. We are meant to understand the alliance between the countries, as well as the sense of pride. Heritages are coming together while the countries came together in war efforts. 

3. Artist: Mildred C. Green

Title of work: The Growth of Buffalo

Media: oil on canvas

Date: 1930’s

Size: the size wasn’t given on the label

Be receptive - Keep an open mind.  Look for what is good.  No put-downs allowed.

Description – Describe what you see.  (subject matter)? 

When looking at this work, I see a lot of movement. Each figure in this work represent a form of transportation, just as the label at the bottom right corner says. The Peace Bridge is seen in the background with a large ship coming in. I train can be seen entering into the work from the left side and right below it is a horse and carriage as well as what may have been a bus in that time. Planes can be seen immediately above the Peace Bridge flying through out the sky. To the right, we can see another horse and carriage entering as well as another mode of transportation which I am not 100% sure of what is it. Railroad tracks can be seen in the foreground of the work. The colors are very light, some seeming like a pastel. Grass and trees can also be seen, taking away from the industrial sense. 

Formal analysis – (form)  What principles and elements were used and how are they used?

Movement is a major element in this work. All figures represent a mode of transportation. These factors contribute to the sense of growth. Space can also be seen in this work. The way elements are placed allows the audience to capture that sense of space and its entirety. Balance can also be understood in the work. Elements on the left side of the work balance out the number of elements on the right side of the work. The different modes of transportation in this work capture the element of line as well. Horizontal and vertical lines are the most apparent. They also guide the viewers eye through out the painting. 

Bracketing - Is there anything in or about this work that reminds you of anything else? Do you see any symbols, metaphors, or allegories?  (iconography) 

Because of the modes of transportation used in this work, I am immediately reminded of the Industrial Revolution. I feel this is the creating of Buffalo perhaps, and it being industrialized. People are entering, trains and planes are entering and a major ship is also entering. Many are coming and starting the creation and growth of Buffalo. Different elements add to the diversity of the city. The Peace Bridge is a major symbol in this work. It is very apparent and I feel if the audience didn’t know the title of the work, the bridge would be easy to point out. This is our link to Canada. It reminds us of our proximity to them although a different country. This work draws me to the history of Buffalo and it’s strong sense of a new life. 

Interpretation - (content)  What do you think the artist was trying to say? 

I think the artist was trying to make the audience understand how much of a great city Buffalo was when it was at its growth. Many people in many ways were entering to the city and contributing to its growth and heritage. The different modes of transportation allow us to understand the different classes of people entering the city. We see planes, ships, trains and carriages with horses. The array of people entering had a different effect on the growth of the City. 

 What did you think of visiting the Gallery and purposefully looking at the exhibition from a different perspective - the physical space, the architecture, theme, etc.?

I feel viewing the exhibit by looking at its surroundings adds to the visit in general. Seeing the works around other works that represent the same theme enrich the experience. The number of works, the color of the walls, and the lighting all have an effect on the understanding and totality of the gallery and the visit. They add to your understanding and experience. 

Jenna Aiello - Cubism, Surrealism, Impressionism Movie Reviews

THE MYSTIC NORTH: SPANISH ART FROM THE 19TH CENTURY TO THE PRESENT

The story of modern Spain is crucial to the history of modern art. It’s a journey that leads to the darkest and most fascinating elements of history. Goya reframed the way in which we see the world. He spent his youth painting decorative pictures for the Spanish court. His art metamorphosed into something dark and strange. He is known as one of the fathers of modern art because of this work. In 1792, an illness left him deaf. His style became very dark and very pessimistic. The Spanish response to Napoleon’s invasion was a new kind of guerilla warfare. Goya’s response was a series of 85 collections known as a series of war. He took a traditional portrait and gave a growing atrocity, saying how bad can it get? The images immediately evoke religion. This was his way of saying there’s just darkness. His new art was tied to a new age of doubt. He painted an expression of his despair, known as the Black Paintings, on the walls of his house right outside of Madrid. This took art into new unchartered territory. Nobody knows what these paintings mean of why they were painted. Soon after the Black paintings, his sight deteriorated. The painters that came after him didn’t follow his lead. At the start of the 20th century, Spain became one of the powerhouses of modern art. It was to take a very particular course in Spain. The city was under going an economic boom. Barcelona’s spirit of exuberance was animated by Gaudi. He was the first great artist to emerge in Spain since Goya and was pretty much his opposite. His work consisted of carnival spirit and organic sexy shapes. It was inspired by God’s natural world. He clung to the certainties of Spain’s catholic past. He saw himself as God’s architect; he looked to him for inspiration. New ideas began to undermine the ancient traditions of the Catholic church. Funds couldn’t help to pay for the cathedral, so work was terminated in it. The stone quarry inspires a sense of awe missing from the uncompleted cathedral. He reinvented the entire language of 20th century sculpture. The buildings he designed were so abstract and organic; the movement towards the primitive can be seen in his work. The same tension between spirituality and sexuality would drive the work among Pablo Picasso. He moved to Barcelona when he was 14 years old. The Picasso Museum in Barcelona was shaped by him and many of his works are shown here. He set out to show Spain that he himself always felt spanish to the core. The theme of his young life is his respect for his Catholic beliefs. Cubism is said to be the coldest phase of Picasso’s art. Even his most famous painting is soaked in memories of catholic art. We need to understand that he remains wedded to the superstitious powers of art. He combined ancient art and ancient catholic art with new art of his time. Spanish modern art is so rich. Work has to have a sense of the mysterious to keep you interested. Dali called his pictures hand painted dream photographs. His endless clowning around is revealing. The tension between genius and self parody lies at the heart of his birthplace. He claimed that his museum was the world’s largest surrealist objects; it’s more like a giant amusement gallery. He had become a controversial thinker. He was kicked out of the surrealists for having fascist thoughts. Guernica portrayed one of the most tragic moments in Spanish history. He believed that his beloved Spain would one day be saved.  

A SUNDAY ON LA GRANDE JATTE, 1884

A Sunday on La Grande Jatte was one of the most scrutinized pictures. It was an experiment and an expression. It was worked on for two years, created with the smallest possible brush strokes. The closer you look at the painting, the more mysterious it becomes. It has a totality about it, as it was meant to be from the beginning. It has kept us guessing for years, about what it truly means and its context. It features 48 people, 8 boats, 3 dogs, and one monkey. People are enjoying a sunny afternoon along a lake. It is more than just a pleasant scene. We wonder who these people are and why they are there. Seurat was 24 years old when starting the painting. He was discrete and very reserved. Historians say there is something inhuman in him and it is reflected in his work. He decided early on to become an artist and enrolled in school for art at 18. His studies were interrupted by his military service and he never went back to them but continued to sketch. His subjects were solitary figures caught in a half light. He distilled the forms of the types into an effective and mysterious set of figures. The subjects were commonplace, landscapes and workers. After this came his first work. The actual island used to be very well known to Parisians because it was easily accessible and many would come on a sunday. Seurat was drawn to this land on the path of the city. It contained the industrial elements in the background; it was a place where classes mixed and environments mixed. Middle class people might stroll but it was a place where prostitution was said to have taken place. It was said that there were so many people making love along the island. In the painting, unaccompanied women of many ages appear. The woman with a fishing rod in her hand may have been a prostitute, loitering in public. Fishing could have been a way of sustaining her practice but keeping the police away. She may have been a potential sinner. Was Seurat was alluding to it or not? For audiences, there is one detail, the monkey, which captures everyone’s eyes. It appealed to Seurat. There was a monkey house at the zoo where Seurat was living in Paris. An X-ray of the painting shows that all the key figures were there except for the monkey, which means that it was added at a later time. The monkey was also an intention to represent a sexual desire. The woman at the right of the painting is a high class woman, not a prostitute. There is a great array of bourgeois characters in the painting. The picture is composed of single dots, all forming the picture. This technique is known as pointillism. He would go everyday in the morning for 6 months straight, observing the light and people coming and going from the park. He would paint the figures, almost as if he were observing the cast. The work was of constant change. He spent 10 months on the canvas. He went away to Normandy for the summer, leaving his work at home. It was then when he began to develop a new style. He recognized that light is a constant and dynamic element in how we see and view things. He cant to believe that colors next to each other and at the right distance would appeal to the eye and create a complexity. Every single dot and brush stroke is extremely rich. He worked to simulate the brightness of a summers day in his work. The incomplete mixture of color produces a lively scene. You get a silvery effect when looking at the picture. In the dead center of the picture is a little girl in white. She is the only one looking out at us and she is the only one who isn’t colored in dots. White was at the center of the color wheels. Sunday’s were when everyone dressed in nice clothing for their days off. He was fascinated by the lines of fashion and fashion was at its most extreme when the painting was painted in the 1880’s. He gets the essence of clothing and pairs it down to its essentials. The stiffness of the work is striking. He wants to say something about self presentation. There is also an influence from the ancient world. The stiffness in the ancient Egyptian people can be seen in La Grande Jatte. The woman in the center of the picture is in the same position of an ancient sculpture. He combined the ancient and the modern. His vision is to say what a summer was like in a part of the world in 1884 and represents that in the same way the ancient rituals were presented. It was ignored by critics who reviewed a show it was going to be in, except from one critic. They said what’s important about this painting is its revolutionary technique. In 1958, the painting left Chicago for the first time in years and traveled to New York. However, after a fire at the MoMa, it was the first and last time it would leave Chicago. 

EXPRESSIONISM

Edward Munch: Ashes - he created a kind of imagery of pictorial style. Ashes deals with one of his themes; sexuality, and the problematic relationship between man and woman. The woman reveals a bodes glowing red and tells of innocence being lost. Symbolic colors, black white and red symbolize passion. This shows a modern Adam and Eve. They find themselves in a barren landscape. All forms are simplified and the contours emphasized. Paint is applied thinly, at times running down the canvas. “I don’t paint what I see, but what I saw.” - Munch. His portrayed emotion called offense. He translated his work into other media. In later works, the woman is portrayed as Medusa. He exuded sexuality, driven by desire. Despair expressed in an earlier painting is gone and a pleasure seeking character is seen. The man and woman are frozen in Ashes; time and space are no longer relevant. He also painted many portraits. In Anxiety, he returned to the depiction of pure emotion. Forms were simplified, places were lifelike. In Madonna, his ambiguity to women can be seen again. He revealed the emotions that lied below the surface. His images were like reoccurring nightmares. Ecstasy, despair and anxiety can be seen. Most of his works can be loosely related to each other, representing a pessimistic and drastic way of life. THe issues he addresses were of universal significance. 

Franz Marc: The Tiger - animals are the hallmark of Marc. Artistically, his eyes were turned to Paris and exotic colors. He used these colors for emotional effect. His shapes are simplified and defined by colors that fit together. None of the forms are inscribed in terms of limbs. All irrelevant details are excluded. Cubism is used as a heightening means. He is depicted as a tyrant of the jungle. 

Ernest Ludwig Kirchner: Five Women in the Street - 5 women are along the pavement, to the left a car rushes past, on the other side is a show window. The window has been created with a few rapid brush strokes. There clothes and fashionable getup gives the figures a grotesque heir. Individuality lies behind the furs and hats. The ladies peck aimlessly, nothing catches their attention. The shapes are jagged and pointed. The visual language is more linear and tense. The women seem to contain premonitions of the upcoming disaster. All we see is complete chaos. 

Max Beckmann: The Actors - at the center is a king on a state appearing he’s about to kill himself yet he seems to act with  determination. Next to him a singer in a dress takes no notice of what’s going on. The man in black behind him seems to be following or singing along. He doesn’t seem to be moved by the kings attempt at suicide. A third can be seen emerging; a woman with her hands laid out and her hands and eyes wide open. On the floor is a script, but what is she doing when singing along? On the left an old man and an old woman can be seen. And on the right, two other figures can be seen. It’s hard to say what it doing in underneath the stage. Every part contains some sort of action and the more we look the more we notice. Three tough looking men getting props ready can be seen. The left appears completely separate from the others. Several figures are pushed together in the foreground. Between stands a woman in black showing anxiety and concern. We can’t tell if we’re watching a play or if it is a real occurrence. The subject on the right depicts a single person looking at herself in a mirror with a body staring at her. There is a figure on the steps who acts as a linking element and there is also a scene under the stage. These figures easily remind us of puppets; they are unaware of the roles they play. The play on the stage is a metaphor for Beckmanns own experience. 

George Baselitz: The Great Friends - 6 large figures all upside down. He is often related to images that are unusual. His subjects have a glamour about them. Their faces have a sense of loss and bewilderment. Their bodies are massive yet lifeless, they look stiff and bloated. The emotion seems compromised by their unresponsive bodies. In the face on the left, we can see a sense of hope but we can also see that hope is all that’s left. The hands suggest an acceptance for a need to sacrifice. The ground shifts and crumbles beneath the feet. They seem to be standing in no-mans mans. They’re isolated and exhausted. The things on the ground are abstract but some seem more lifelike yet they’re lost in the setting. One object, the flag on the pole, occupies the same spaces as the figures. Yellow smoke rises on the other side of the picture. We can see a certain beauty in the scene. The flag still flaps vigorously but lies beneath the figures. The way these figures is significant, representing a victory. Gestures represent the human and artistic. The joyful title itself is a gesture. Deformity can be seen in this picture. The figure on the right has a dislocated arm. But we still recognize the presence of the human being. 

Anselm Keifer: Interior - all his work alludes darkness and monuments associated with the Nazi regime. Colors are earthy. Sand roughens the surface. Strong patterns represent the texture and feel of the surface. The dark space becomes a presence in the center of a gloomy hall. The glass roof, columns, a huge room can be seen. 

THE IMPACT OF CUBISM

Juan Gris: The Breakfast Table - gradually we can make out the shape of objects, although seeming very abstract. The picture still doesn’t express the atmosphere of a breakfast table. It’s still life, a pattern replacing chaotic reality. The contrast of light and shadow, lines are in themselves exciting. But added excitement is given from the event itself. One diagonal is balanced by another.

Juan Gris: The Violin - the further associations of the object is important. He is able to allude to techniques of musical composition. 

Marcel Duchamp: Sad Young Man on a Train - the picture was painted in 1911, we can hardly see the man in the work. He claimed the picture was a self portrait. What interests us is the experimental approach. The figure looks as if it has been taken apart and reassembled both in mind and on the picture. He embraces the notion of the figure evolving in space and time. The young man has a mechanical heir about him. Nude on a Staircase is another work by Duchamp however the figure appears in motion. 

Robert Delaunay: Champ de Mars - this work was built for the Paris world fair in 1889. He returned to the subject, adding to it. It shows the Eiffel Tower. Each painting combine several viewpoints. He combined the view from street, apartment block and the imagines view from above. He broke through traditional view of perspective. The apartment blocks through which the tower seems to burst can be seen. We look at the tower a if we were pedestrians and also seem to be looking down towards the base. Then we see details that are normally close to the body. He focused more on the abstract pattern of the work. The affect is confusing but its part of his intention. The image springs into life as out attention shift. The arches of the house can be seen at the base. At the base of the tower are more houses and more details of houses. Circular forms is another work by Delunay. He wants us to look at what is shown but attentively and sympathetically. He took his first steps towards abstraction. Color is used to guide our attention and perspective. 

Kasimir Malevich: An Englishmen in Moscow - CUbism became the international style. Looking closely, it seems as if a story is being told or that we’re on a journey. We can see a red arrow plunging slavishly. Looking back, it seems like a sash. We can see a spoon by his head and torn newspaper lines. We can also see a white fish by his face. The advertisement is for a horse race. We can also see syllables for a solar eclipse. The englishmen seems lost in Moscow. The style is cubist, not the content. 

Umberto Boccioni: Farewells - he tries to convey the uncontrollable emotions people feel when parting from each other. There are crowded streets and railway stations as well as cityscapes. He conveys the confusion of the crowd in the modern city. He was intrigued by effects of atmosphere and bold colors. He uses elements techniques of the Neoimpressionists, colors of expressionism and effects of cubism. Our experience of the present is really simple and direct. The scene is very complex because of the different points of view on the arriving train. It shows many moods to match its synthesis of many moments. 

Mask Images

Colombian Mask

Peruvian Rabbit

Mardi Gras Mask

Mask Making

This is a mask from Colombia, South America. It is a 9 inch tall piece of painted wood. It looks as if it has blonde hair, two eyes, a mustache, and a smile. Different colors are used through out the mask, giving it a more adventurous and fun feel. Scratch marks appear on each side of the mask (2 sets, one black and one white) and another set appears on the chin. 

Line is very evident in this mask. Starting from the top, lines run through the set of hair and guide the eyes down to the rest of the mask. Lines separating the colors can also be seen as well as the scratch marks on the side of the mask. Color is also used in this work for emphasis. The mask is composed of primary colors that enhance its features. The colors are also very earthy, consisting of red, green, and blue. Texture can be seen in the hair of the mask. Overall, the mask has rhythm that guide the viewer through all aspects of the mask.

This masks is very representative of a rabbit. The ears are stark white with pink. The rest of the mask is brown with a red nose and pink lips. The eyes seem as if they are marbles, and entice the viewer. This mask originated in Peru, South America. It is a 12 inch piece of painted tin. The locals in this area were fond of using metal to make their masks. 

Shape is important in this mask. It outlines the features of a rabbit. This mask is equally balanced as well as proportionate, each of its features can be seen symmetrically on the opposite side. The color emphasizes various aspects of the mask. 

This is a type of Mardi Gras mask. I was inspired by this mask because of the strong emphasis on the eyes. The mask is white with a blue outlining on the head. The lips are very red while the eyes are outlined in gold sparkles. The eyes are also designed with that look to be long leaves from a flower, colored in green and purple. The mask looks as if it can form to a humans face, with all features in the correct place. 

Color is a prominent element that can be seen in this mask. Because of the colors used, emphasis is also very evident. The white background on the mask allows for the colors used around the eyes to be emphasized more and stand out. The red lips also add a greater emphasis to the mask. Proportion can also be seen, each side of the mask has the same features. Texture is also added by the gold used around the eyes. The shape of the drawings around the eyes add to the original facial shape of the mask. 

This is an initial sketch of the shape and areas where color would be included in the mask.

The sketches seen are rough representations on shapes and elements I wanted to include in my mask. I wanted it to be very colorful because the colors add emphasis. I also used glitter around each color to add a little more emphasis between the colors. The feathers used in the mask add texture and give a soft feel to the mask. The flags seen were inspired by the rabbit ears in the Peruvian mask and each represent my heritage. I used the Mardi Gras masks as an influence because the eyes are always to beautiful and extravagant. I wanted to emphasize that in my mask and I used drink umbrellas and attached flowers to them to represent eyes. The fruit drink  on the masks head represents a sense of serenity. It gives a tropical feel to the mask as do the colors and the flowers used. Each mask above had a different influence on my mask. As stated the eyes are inspired from the Mardi Gras mask. The colors were inspired by the Colombian mask, as well as the separation of colors. And the flags coming from the top of the masks head are influenced by the rabbit ears in the Peruvian mask. The mask is equally proportioned and balanced. Each element can be equally seen on the opposite side. These masks and others created were used in rituals in many different cultures and each have a different representation of each person or culture. This mask is a clear representation of what I wanted to portray, which was an exotic sense with natural features and enhancing colors. I'm happy with the result. Creating the mask was a process and took a good amount of time but it was fun using different representative elements within the mask.

Jenna Aiello - African Art, Buddhism, and Hinduism

AFRICAN ART: LEGACY OF OPPRESSION

The world’s greatest collection of African Art was displayed at the Smithsonian in Washington DC, then in Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas, it will tour Europe and America, then return home to its museum right outside of Brussels, Belgium. There is a huge range to African art styles. The Congo region is home to 250 African cultures. This African art packed an emotional wowing; it’s impact became immediate. You can see this impact in Picasso’s work. It gave an idea about how to give a physiological truth to the human form or to a scene they wished to depict. It allows us to tell a great deal by taking the figure away from the realm of reality. Some art had distortions that inspired modern artists but still had the power to impress. The form that some art takes is a system that can be read by the people in their society. Artists in African society glorified mothers and their effect and chiefs and their “chiefness.” Many art objects were magical. THese figures are what noted anthropologists about cultures. The most common object among them all was masks. Some were designed to scare and to teach, others frightened young candidates for manhood to respect their elders. Some are frightened when looking at them but others look them as there is something else more behind it, more than what meets the eye. Some were meant to intimidate enemies in battle. However, some didn’t work. They were used to scare us westerners. They weren’t good protection against machine gun bullets. Yet, there is no mention of this work in the exhibit. Nothing about the Holocaust was said even though Congo was the country that saw the worst of it. King Leopold bought and conquered chiefs and used this free state, Congo, as his own colony. His private army went into the village to buy slaves and chiefs. They were treated terrible and often raped and not allowed to eat. It was all administered by whip and gun. Disease took a terrible toll. Soldiers had to being back a right hand for every bullet fired. They chopped off and delivered a right hand of a living person just to prove that an expensive bullet wasn’t wasted. The Belgians were also bringing back objects. They set them up living into civilized and uncivilized villages and people came to see. The African people were put on display as they were a part of the zoo. In their art, the cultures of central Africa managed to outlive the horrors they endured. African art is all about the nature of existence and that can be seen once explored. 

BUDDHISM

Buddhism began in India. Buddha was born in 563 BC. He was a man who had everything. Then he stepped into the real world and saw the wasting of old age, the suffering of sickness, and death. This perfect world imploded. He met a monk to answer his question “is that all there is?” Finally, he meditated. He saw the world in a totally different way. The enlightened one arrived in the world and Buddhism was born. A simple red seat marks the seat for meditation. Nearby is the place where Buddha walked. The door to understanding was the Toranah, the gateway to the temple. It is engraved with the teaching of Buddha people thrived for. He spoke firmly against authority, “find your own way.” The key is the extinguishing of desire and of everything that feed the ego. This meant they can be in the world but not of it. This was the middle way, between aestheticism and materials. Above all, he proclaimed a message of love. The Golden Age was when the teachings swept through India and people were in search of the middle way among the eight fold path of living. His final teaching, upon his death, was all compounds are out walk out your own way with diligence. A hundred years later or so, Buddhism split into two groups, the hinayaba and mahanyana. Honoring the works and teachings of Buddha was prominent. The Great Stupa at Sanchi is the finest example of monumental architecture and art. For centuries, pilgrims made their way here from India and beyond. The path begins at one of the gateways. This fortifies them before they climb the stupa. All four gateways show some aspect of the Buddhas life but he isn’t seen in human form at all on any of these stupas. He disappeared into symbolism and refused to be seen as a god. Each gateway has a different design and symbolism on it. Each of the four was built with two posts crowned with lions, elephants, and dwarfs. The walkway winds around the great stupa and every step is one of discover. In the east, the pilgrim must always walk clockwise. The pilgrim lets go of material things in the attainment of virtue. He attains right, truth, and right living. The umbrella at top represents the three levels of heaven, nirvana, which Buddha sought as true bliss. The largest Buddhist shrine in the world is found in Indonesia. It was built with more than 60,000 square meters of lava block. It is in the form of a lotus, the sacred flower of Buddha. It was intended as a center of pilgrimage and was at a time painted white. Pilgrims made their way here from all over Asia. They were accompanied with 5 kilometers of carvings to the teachings of Buddha. Finally, they would reach the peaks of enlightenment. The summit is a circle, a world of formless in the heavens, where forms dissolve. It was called the temple of the countless buddhas. It took 100 years to build, lasted 30 years, then was buried by a volcano. In 1815, it was rediscovered and restored in the early 1990’s. It is the standing truth of the spread of Buddhism throughout Asia. America has long been characterized as the land of opportunity. New York was the city to make you standard. The Chuang Yen Monastery is in upstate New York. It was completed in 1985. The centerpiece of the shrine is a 6 ft. tall statue of a Buddhist. The pilgrims must leave their shoes at the door as a sign of respect of the place within. There are no internal pillars holding the Great hall up. The focal point is the largest Buddhist statue, in which the building was erected around. Murals can also be seen around the statue as well as 10,000 mini Buddhist statues. The monks maintain the link with Buddha. The monastery is a treasure house of art and architecture. Buddhism flourished in every Asian culture except in India, the place of its birth. It also enriched Hinduism. It stressed kindness to all creatures. It unraveled to the tangled question of the afterlife and evoked art and architecture that is truly heaven on earth. 

HINDUISM

Hinduism seems exotic and mysterious. The oldest inhabited city in the world is Varanasi, which is also the holiest city in the world. The great river Ganges, is a powerful symbol of Hinduism. It is a symbol of great stream of death and reincarnation. Hindus believe life is for millions of years of life, death, and rebirth. Hindus can worship anywhere. On the banks of the Ganges, a priest performs ceremonies. It a ceremony of thanksgiving for life and offerings. “Aarti” means removal of pain. This city is dedicated to mother Ganges, who refreshed the soul to those who bathe in her water. The great number of gods and goddesses is one thing we find difficult about Hinduism. They provide access to Brahma. Hinduism doesn’t focus on temples. Temples reflect the giving up of things for something better. Death belongs to live, as birth does. Both are transition points on the great path of life. In the end, Hindu’s believe that we will all arrive at the same point. THe cremation places are all along the banks of the Ganges. To die here is the wish of all Hindus. This is where they can go straight to heaven. Millions travel here in hopes of passing away on the banks, especially the elderly. The flames liberate the spirit. When the clothes wear out, the body discards them. When the body burns out, the self discards. These rights of passage, to the believer, are full of symbolism. Everything in Hinduism is symbolic. Mamallapuraum is where the Ganges turns to stone. It is carved into the natural cleft of a rock face. Hindus turned the rock formations into cave art. The epic and ordinary and the fantastic and the familiar are aspect of Hindu art. They are finding their way to Brahma. The were a culture that began their artistic life underground. At Panch Rathas, 5 temples can be seen. Using a single boulder, the sculptures techniques were representative of wooden architecture. They were cut from the same rock. The largest of these temples is three stories high. Hinduism respects converters of other religions. The ancient shore temple was recovered from the Bay of Bengal. It is a treasure house of architecture and sculpture. It contains a stone fallice. The Khajuraho temple in India was dedicated to Shiva. It gives the impression of a mountain range but erotic and symbolic figures can be seen around it. To the Hindu, sex represents the creative love of Brahma, who gave love to everyone.  That is why at the heart of a Hindu temple, we find the symbol of life and its regeneration. In the Hindu story, Shiva and another god are fire and water. Worshipers come with offerings to the temple and in return receive food that represent spiritual enlightenment. The Ganges symbolized the begetter of life. The source of all life for Hindus is Brahma. It teaches that there are many ways to Brahma and the many gods are symbols of those ways. While these symbols find their variety of expression of art, it is the deep sense of the spiritual in everyday life that leaves an impression. There is a time for becoming one with the river to attain liberation. 

AFRICAN ART

Art is a part of daily life to the people of Africa. It is seen in the making of everyday utensils. It finds expression in dress and hairstyles. It has always been important in traditional African rituals. Many of the statues, masks, and other objects were once used in ceremonies. Many masks and clothing were made of wood and straw. Most museum pieces are less than 200 years old. They represent much older patterns of expression handed down from generation to generation. Ceremonial art is preserved in sound, color, and movement. Other art forms created in more durable materials, provide a historic depth to its evolution. The oldest exiting art is found in drier regions. Carvings have endured. These rock form represent animals and may have been created to appease the spirits of animals killed for food. There is no mistaking what animals artists portrayed. Humans are also represented in African rock art. Hunting and gathering lifestyle lasted. Farming and herding replaced hunting and gathering. This led to the development along the banks of the Nile. This influenced African expression and beyond. A series of important African empires developed south of the Sahara. Arts splurged. Sculptures glorified rulers who were believed to be divine. Bronze casting was done by guilds. Gold work and carved chairs representing the rulers power also come from this area. Other cultures developed their own artistic styles in south east Africa. Great Zimbabwe was the focus of a political system. A walled enclosure is Zimbabwe’s greatest feature. This represented the authority of rulers who once lived within these walls and ruled the surrounding land. Carved stone birds represented their national emblem. The impact of the site is powerful just as the art of African nations. It was unknown to European nations. It was regarded as primitive and childlike by European nations. Others were searching for an alternative to their realistic tradition. The key to understanding African art lies in the perceptual and conceptual art. Conceptual art flows from the artists imagination. It flows from ideas and most African art lies in the conceptual tradition. Diversity can be seen in art as well as a representation of the diverse cultures in Africa. Figure sculptures are found in West Africa. In other regions, talents are expressed through masks, decorations for homes, and the embellishment of utilitarian objects. Each have a symbolic meaning. Artists grew up with and absorbed the beliefs and styles from their culture groups. Objects were created in a traditional way. They were respected as great community members. African art is intertwined with the realms of magic and religion. Traditional belief systems are rooted in a force or power with dynamic energy, all pervasive in nature. All things, animals, plants, and stones are animated by unseen spirits. Rituals developed that gave humans controls over such elements. Art was believed to intervene in the course of natural life. An art object isn't supposed to represent a human or a living animal. It was used to worship and appease spirits, gods and ancestors. It served as a symbol of authority. Mystic symbols is evident in 3-D African art. Some represent power and wealth of rulers while others symbolize ancestors giving the continuity of life. Dead are present among the living through the statues. Medicines and offerings can be placed on such figures. Ritual and mystic means are strong design elements in African culture. asks intended for dance and rituals contain some of the most spectacular elements of African art. Others are stylized and abstract. Wooden masks are often embellished with feathers and other materials. Dancers move with the rhythm that put them in touch with the universe. Animal masks symbolize relationships between animals and the role of humanity. The mask allows dancers to communicate with gods and spirits. The communicate with the forces of an invisible world of power. They represent war like strength. They prepare for battle or celebrate victory. 

Each of these videos taught me ideas and concepts I didn’t really know about of fully understand. The text allows us to read about certain traditions but the videos allow us to see and better acknowledge the concepts and traditions found in either art or religion.