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Chapter 11 Blog

         The Early Middle Ages in Western Europe is a period that follows the decline of the Roman Empire. Western Europe’s art, social life, and politics were heavily influenced and changed by Germanic invasions and by the emergence of Islam (p. 171).

           I’m not very knowledgeable about religions, but I realized from the reading that I have a much greater general understanding of Christianity than Islam and found Islamic art to be particularly intriguing. Islam means “submission [to God’s will],” and isn’t simply a religion (p. 171). Along with being a reference to religion, Islam also refers to its ‘followers’ known as Muslims, as well as the countries that its people live. The prophet Muhammad founded Islam, which is regarded as one of the greatest world religions. Muslims learn from the teachings of the Koran and worship Allah. While there is a heavy emphasis on the differences between Christianity and Islam, I found there to be far more similarities. For example, the Koran is comparable to the Bible and Allah to God. According to the text, the Koran “condemns the figurative representation of Allah or his prophets” which reminded me a lot of the Iconoclastic Controversy (p.171). Like Muslims, the iconoclasts were vehemently against “worshipping graven images” or human figures, and instead accepted religious art to be depicted by designs, patters, and animals (p. 169). I also think that these beliefs impacted the stylization of the Illuminated manuscripts, even though their purpose was to spread the word of Christianity. Islamic religious art mostly possessed abstract geometric and floral patterns, and the Illuminated manuscript contained a lot of geometric designs (p. 171 & 176).

           Christians built churches as places of worship, and Muslims built mosques. Double arches were unique to Islamic architecture. Columns filled the interior of the mosques and were thought to have derived from Roman and Early Christian buildings. I found it interesting that the columns weren’t even 10 feet tall. Since the columns were relatively short, architects built horse-shoed red-and-white-striped arches, as well as a wooden roof that rests on the second set of arches, to better illuminate the insides (p.172). Domes were also constructed in geometric patterns on ribs. All mosques have an enclosed courtyard called a sahn and a prayer wall called a qibla. Most quiblas have a mihrab which directs adherents to Mecca, which is where every Muslim must take a pilgrimage to at least once in their life (171). The mihrab reminded me of the crucifix and altar in Christian churches, to an extent. Jesus’ crucifixion took place in the East so Christian architects built the altar at the eastern end of the church. The altar typically supports a crucifix which faces the west (p.156-157). Both Christian and Islamic designs put great detail into the location of the holy symbols within their places of worship.

           In Northern Europe, Frankish ruler Charles Martel slowed Muslim invasion in central France. Northern Europe was more heavily influenced by Germanic tribes than by Islam or the Hellenistic-Roman period-and I learned that France got its name from Franks invading Gaul (p. 174). Since there were constant invasions, craft-based arts flourished rather than paintings, architecture, or sculptures. Manuscripts (which also reminded me of the Codex) and purse designs, for example, were produced at this time. The Carolingian Period was highlighted by the reign of Charlemagne who wanted to revive parts of the Roman past. He expanded monasteries, education, established a Roman-based political system, and created libraries (p. 178).

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Like you, I am not a religious person, but I was very impressed by Christian art. One of my favorite classes I’ve taken was literature, and I particularly like poetry because of its use of symbols and metaphors, which are also heavily utilized within Christian art. I was unaware of the fact that trees were a central motif for Christian work, as well, and found it beautiful that they changed the meaning behind the symbol of the cross. I was fascinated by the use of colors and shadows, in particular the concepts of purity and good and evil. Symbols weren’t very subtle, but I think because they were obvious Christian art is widely understood and popular. The color purple made it obvious who was admired or royal, and the use of light and white made it obvious who was considered holy or innocent, while dark revealed those who are no longer ignorant or who have committed sins. 

Blog Post Week 12

Early Christian and Byzantine Art is interesting because it focused on a singular god that did not require living sacrifices as many other worshiped gods had. The art from the Early Christian era took many aspects from previous eras of art. I hadn’t realized that Trees became a central motif  in Christian art but it makes sense. While I’m not religious, I find art of all kinds interesting so this era of art is no exception.

One way Early Christian art shows aspects of previous eras is the Basilicas they built as churches. Ancient Roman designs were used to create new buildings used to worship their God. Apses present in the churches held statues of Jesus Christ instead of the emperor as was custom before. I find it interesting that the cross, which was originally a sign of triumph for the Romans, was converted to represent the triumphs of Jesus. Despite the connotations the cross held in one of the civilizations, the Christians took the meaning of the cross and changed it to represent their own strength.

Byzantine Art is beautiful. My favorite from the reading is the Apse mosaics in San Vitale. I think mosaic paintings are interesting because of the work that must go into creating such a piece. I found this piece interesting because even though it was created after the Ancient Greek Art it does not hold the same values. The figures are completely frontal and lack the realism found in previous artwork. Similar to previous art, the Emperor of the time is depicted as being of higher authority and power than of his people. Justinian and his wife being shown to wear the same colors as Jesus in the mosaics makes them appear as divine beings.

While Early Christian and Byzantine Art is somewhat influenced by the previous Western Art, Art from Japan has different values and styles. While influences from Asia are present in Japanese art and life, they still created much different art than that in Greece and Rome at the time. Japan and China traded valuables between 57 AD and 107 AD. Around 300 AD Japan began building Sepulchral mounds, similar to tombs, and burying items and valuables with the dead just as civilizations from Asia did. Japan received influence from Korea in the late 300 AD and began creating grey pottery on a pottery wheel. The artwork available on metmuseum.org includes two jars that appear to be from this era. The jars are wider in the middle and have a tapered top to them. They were used for cooking but today the same design would likely be decorative.

The most interesting artwork to me depicted on the website is the helmet. The helmet dates back to the 5th century and is made of iron, copper, and gold. The design of the helmet was likely from Korea or China. Apparently, the helmet is special because it is made of different materials which was uncommon. I find the helmet interesting because of the two colors present. The helmet reminded me of Chinese artwork when I first saw it so when I found out it was likely influenced by another culture I wasn’t surprised. The Haniwa of a warrior also depicts the similar helmet which makes me believe that Japan placed value on warriors and protection.

Overall, I think that both art styles are beautiful yet extremely different. I like the mosaics and architecture of the Early Christian and Byzantine art, but the sculptures and three dimensional art created in Japan is also interesting. The restrictions put on the Byzantine art that prevented them from creating sculptures is unfortunate because we would likely have beautiful creations from that era otherwise. Japanese art and Early Christian art were created during the same time period and it is interesting that the two styles are so different from one another.

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Blog Week 12-Part 2

The Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.) established China’s imperial order and created a national consciousness. Some of the largest cities in the ancient world resided in the Han capitals and contained widely popular, international trade centers. The fall of the Han Dynasty resulted in political disorder. The fight for China’s control forced Han tribes to migrate south and developed a division between northern and southern dynasties for approximately three hundred years (https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/05/eac.html). Buddhism then made an evident emergence to China at this point in time. It was around 100 A.D. that Buddhism is thought to have entered China, when carvings of Buddha were found in caves, and around the time that philosophical thinking and ways of life were becoming more accepted and studied. Buddhism teaches that “enlightenment can be achieved in a single lifetime” and is believed to be China’s first foreign religion (https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/buddhism.htm). Often people turn to religion when they find themselves in political and social turmoil, so it makes sense that Buddhism emerged while China was in a state of deep division. Interestingly enough, the Chinese Buddha differs greatly from the original teachings and interpretations of Buddha. Chinese Buddhism considers Buddha to be more of a god than a teacher. His image varies significantly from original depictions of Buddha as well. Buddha originally was known for fasting and was often crafted as being skinny and positioned to appear as though he is meditating. The most popular Chinese Buddha was the ‘laughing Buddha’ whose main goal was happiness (https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/buddhism.htm). This Buddha is portrayed as overweight and smiling, which is also the version of Buddha that I am most familiar with.

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Blog Week 12

The Rise of Christianity had monumental impacts on the Western world. Christianity appealed to lower class citizens because it dismissed Ancient Roman politics and spiritual life. Christianity is a monotheistic religion that rejects the worship of emperors and the Roman, Egyptian, Eastern, and Greek gods (p.153). Christians were not accepted by Rome for the first three hundred years of the religion’s existence, and followers were persecuted. It wasn’t until Constantine granted religious tolerance, by issuing the Edict of Milan, that Christianity could be practiced freely, without fear (p.153).  Symbols were heavily utilized within its artwork and within its religious rituals.  Christian rituals didn’t include literal sacrifices. For example, wine and bread represented Jesus’s sacrifice by being an interpretation for his own blood and body. They also refused to use nonhuman figures to symbolize gods to avoid worshiping graven, unholy images, which greatly differed from previous artwork (p.169). The Last Supper, the idealization of Christ, Jesus’s crucifixion, and the concepts of good and evil and innocence were popular inspirations for Christian architecture, paintings, and sculptures.

Christian symbolizes weren’t particularly subtle and are well-known and widely practiced within Western art. One of the best examples, in my opinion, of the use of Christian symbols is the sarcophagus located in the church of S. Maria Antiqua in Rome. Similar to most works, besides the Etruscans, the sarcophagus reads left to right. It’s obvious that it is meant to be viewed left to right because the left side represents stories from the old testament, while stories from the new testament are shown to the right. One of the first images that is seen at the beginning of the sarcophagus is of Jonah and the whale. It’s interesting to me that the whale is portrayed as more of a sea monster than a whale. Jonah’s nude body differs from the other figures on the sarcophagus because he is “based on the idealized classical nude (p.155).” {I’m not a religious person and don’t mean to offend anyone with my next statements, nor am I very knowledgeable about Christianity} My own interpretation of the old testament is that it’s made up of folktales and stories that’s purposes are to instill values and reinforce the idea of salvation. According to the text, Jonah spent three days inside of the whale, which parallels Jesus’s resurrection. I think that Jonah’s image is idealized, and the whale is represented in a fictitious form because it isn’t based off of real events; the stories from the old testaments are just metaphors and symbols for events that occurred in the new testament.

Next to Jonah, you can see palm trees behind a ‘Muse.’ The Muse’s hands are out, and his figure is similar to the image of Jesus hanging on the cross. The cross was made of wood as well, and trees became an important symbol for Christian works. A poet reading religious texts is seated next to the muse, and to his right is shepherd carrying a sheep which is symbolic of Jesus being the good shepherd (p. 153). It’s interesting that part of the sheep and the shepherd’s arm is white, as is the religious text, which most likely represents purity and innocence. Also portrayed in a white/light color is a child being baptized. Baptisms signify rebirth, which would be seen as a good, light, innocent action- children often represent innocence in general, as well.

Early Christian and Byzantine architects also built tremendous buildings for worship, that payed impressively close attention to details. The position of the altar, which typically contains a cross and visuals of Jesus, symbolize the position of his crucifixion. Art decorated most inches of the interior designs of the churches and told stories found in the old and new testament. They also created the codex to share stories which paved the way for the creation of the modern book (p. 167).

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I agree that Rome proved to be an amazing civilization. Their architecture was superior to its predecessors both aesthetically and in terms of functionality. I was so impressed by the public baths and their utilization of aqueducts and drainage systems. They were considered a melting pot because they were able to assimilate cultures and people were able to receive citizenship even if they hadn’t been to Rome before (p.125). As you mentioned, they borrowed a lot from Greece and the Etruscans, making it evident that they were apart of the Hellenistic period. How do you feel about them conquering and spreading their ideologies, religions, language, and politics?  

Week 11- Ancient Rome

 In this weeks reading, we cover Ancient Rome one of the biggest ancient civilizations to ever be. Rome became this big due to the fact that they had political genius’ help running the country, and when Rome’s army went out to attack they would bring their religion, politics, laws, and the Latin language to help spread their ideology.

What Rome is best known for would be there architecture and art, a lot of their inspiration would come from Greece. While Greece took inspiration from their mythology of gods, Rome would use more history and have a story behind their art. But with this idea of having more of a history behind their art, they would also make wax masks and use them to collect an imprint of a deceased people so they could almost create a lifelike sculpture of the person. Even a lot of Roman families would have portraits of family members to create something similar to a family tree. As this reading goes on it really shows how important it was to the Roman people that they preserved their culture and history to the best of their ability.

But what Rome is most known for would be their architecture with monstrous buildings, The buildings they built really showed that they wanted to provide for the people of Rome and with such easy access to become a citizen of Rome, they had to so they could compete with the growing population. But with the large buildings, they always had more than one use, as a public bathing center would host a place to socialize, bath, run, and even saunas. But these buildings were nothing compared to other structures that were built, like the Collesuem. The point of the Colosseum would be to provide a place citizens could watch games such as combat between humans such as gladiator battles and they would even have humans fight animals and animals fight each other. But the sheer size of this building is astounding, once you see this building with your own eyes it really shows how talented and gifted these people were with being architects and engineers.

Another great show of Roman engineering would be aqueducts these bridge-like structures offered clean water from outside sources and helped provide water to farms also. But like all Roman buildings, these aqueducts seem almost perfectly made and just really help show how intelligent and talented these people were.

Finally, the religious buildings the Romans built would take a lot of inspiration from Greek and Etruscan civilizations. With pillars on the outside of buildings and frontal stairs to show a defined entrance, you can see the similarities between them. The most known Roman temple would be the pantheon. This building would be one of Romes most innovative builds yet with the outside resembling greek architecture but upon entry its circular which resembles Roman architecture. But the most captivating thing about this temple would be the oculus which is a circular hole in the round roof which helped provide lighting to those inside.

In the end, Rome was an amazing civilization which truly showed what humans are capable of achieving from politics to monstrous buildings, these people were true pioneers of architectural engineering and many other things.

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Blog-Week 11

Though Thomas Jefferson based parts of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence off of Ancient Greek government styles, I find, perhaps, even more similarities between the United States and Ancient Rome (which would make sense because Ancient Rome borrowed a lot from Greece). For example, the city of Rome was often referred to as a melting pot of cultures, as is the United States. Ancient Rome’s political style was considered genius because of its ability to incorporate diversity and “assimilate cultures very different from its own” (p. 125). Ancient Greece was considered the most civilized society of its time, which is arguably true, however Ancient Rome truly and embodied and perfected that title and earned its “position as the hub of the world” (p. 125).

           Ancient Rome’s architecture is the most advanced in terms of functionality and appearance. They utilized drainage systems and aqueducts, put heavy focus on the value of aesthetic beauty, and built a multitude of cultural centers and market places. From my understanding, they are one of the first civilizations to incorporate public baths and even had 952 of them by the mid fourth century (p. 133). Every day life appears to contain a lot more leisure time, and the people seemed to have a larger focus on entertainment.

           Ancient Western art, particularly, Ancient Roman art, differed greatly from its predecessors. Paintings and wall art of its predecessors were often of animals that were hunted and animals that were worshipped and represented gods, such as bulls. However, it would appear that the majority of Ancient Roman art focused more on emperors, gods in the human form (example: Hercules), or people of importance (example: aristocrats and religious leaders). Similarly, to its predecessors, Ancient Rome utilized colors to symbolize importance, beauty, and rank. Again, darker colored skin represented barbarians while white/lighter colored skin signified rank or beauty. Ancient Rome seems to have stolen the Greek’s thinking that civilizations outside of its own are barbaric, which is ironic because they are considered a melting pot and are infamous for their assimilation of cultures. Their art reveals that there is an obvious existence of classism and I would also consider the assimilation of cultures and ethnocentrism to reveal an obvious existence of racism.

           In chapter 7 we studied the Hellenistic period and learned that Hellenistic refers to the spread of Greek culture (p. 112). Greek culture most definitely spread to Ancient Rome, through conquest, and aspects of its art are very evident in Roman art. Roman religious temples make this especially evident. Columns, cellas, porches, orders, and pediments were all borrowed from Greek architecture. However, columns didn’t serve the same function in Rome as the did in Greece. In Ancient Rome, columns were used for their aesthetic value, whereas they were used as support in Ancient Greece. Instead, Rome used concrete or marble for primary support (p. 137). Ancient Rome also borrowed much from the Etruscans. For example, raised podiums and frontality of temples were modeled off of the Etruscans’ architectural styles (p.137).

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I also hadn’t heard of the Etruscans prior to this reading, although I believe it did say it is present day Tuscany. I think we’ve heard very little about them because we know very little about them since the Romans only left their burial grounds and tombs untouched. It’s actually extremely devastating that we know very little about the Etruscans because they seemed to be a very advanced civilization: they appeared to have an egalitarian society, their government had independent city-states, their wealthy were clothed in jewelry, and they apparently had an extensive literature collection (where they wrote/read right to left). However, it’s also pretty amazing how much we know about them just from their burial grounds. As you mentioned, we know they participated in sports, dancing, music, and had banquets. We also know some of what they valued, that they believed in an afterlife, and their architectural style. 

The Art of the Etruscans

The Art of the Etruscans is an art that I honestly can say I knew nothing about until I read the chapter for this week’s assignments.  I have never even heard the term Etruscans that I can recall.  I do recognize the statue of the Wounded Chimera, I believe that I have seen that before, although I do not recall where or when.  There truly isn’t anything else that I can say I even recognize. Once I read the chapter though, I found that they created and started some things that are still used today.   I do find that their urns are very intriguing to me, I like the different forms or shapes that they used through the years.  I also can see from the different sizes that you could tell who had money and who didn’t.  My favorite ones were of the hut and of the husband and wife together on what appears to be like a dining couch.  This separates in the middle and the ashes are stored on the inside.  In this urn, it is noted that the wife was as important as the husband, because she is portrayed along side of him and their ashes were put together in the same place.  Based on their funerary art, you can tell that they too believed in life after death.  They buried their people as if they were going on to another world.  They had jewels, mirrors, weapons and banquet ware.  Some had images of themselves on the art or some even had busts that were made to resemble the dead as if to keep them alive through his or her image.  Most of their art was found in the underground tombs.  So even though they are depicting life like on the walls they actually show the pleasures of life, such as sports, dancing and even music making.  In the tombs they also show touches of death, this is where the art was painted on the walls and it depicted that they believed that they entered through a door that was below the earth’s surface.  You can tell this by where the people are standing and the plants are coming through the surface.  I find this era to be way ahead of others in that women were shown as equals to these people and at the time that was well below the norm.  Women of this era were shown along side their husbands and were displayed showing them participating in public life.  Wives went with their husbands and participated in the banquets which in the Greek culture was meant for men only.  The wealthy women also were adorned with elaborate jewelry which you could tell their rank based on the jewelry that they wore.  Their jewelry and fashion was widely admired and was the envy of the greeks and roman women alike.  One thing that surprised me was the technical skills and craftmanship.  They excelled in bronze casting, jewelry and dentistry.  They created bridges and dentures that not only enhanced health, but was also cosmetically pleasing.  

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Week 10 Blog

           I’m disappointed to learn that most of the information historians have on the Etruscan civilization derives from graves and burial grounds because I feel as though we are missing out on so much. I found it very interesting that their language and writing differs so greatly from other civilizations, especially in the fact that they wrote/read from right to left rather than left to right (p. 117). It’s unfortunate that we will never be able to study or learn from their vast literature, and that we will always have very little insight on their values and philosophical and religious views. I was very impressed by their government style. Similar to Ancient Greece, the Etruscan civilization was organized into independent-city states. Unlike Ancient Greece, the Etruscan government never established an empire and allowed women to participate in politics and public life (p. 117 & 120). I wonder how accepting of diversity our country would be today if Thomas Jefferson had been inspired by the Etruscan, rather than by Ancient Greece, when writing the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

           While there is little record of the Etruscan's’ religious beliefs and their views on afterlife, we are able to gather a sense of what they believed in because of text on graves and the ritualistic burial grounds that survived. Historians are unaware of their “specific view on the afterlife,” but have found that they definitely believed in an afterlife, and one that more closely resembled the beliefs of Ancient Egypt rather than those of Ancient Greece (p. 121). Much of their dead was cremated, and their ashes were buried in singular tombs or cinerary urns. The urns were fascinating and taught us a lot about their artistic and architectural styles.  Some urns possessed lids that were sculpted in the forms of human heads that resembled the deceased (p. 121). Other urns were in the form of houses, which was very significant because it gave us a closer look at their architectural style. I really liked that the urn-houses were metaphorical for tombs/burial places being a “house for the dead” (p. 122).

           When learning about Ancient Greece, all my thoughts were consumed by the gender inequality within their society. The government style was patriarchal and that was depicted through their art. Unlike Ancient Greece, the Etruscan women were allowed to participate in politics and public life. Their artwork reveals that men and women held somewhat equal status within their society. For example, in figure 8.10 on page 123, both the male and female are of similar height. In previous chapters we’ve learned that height is often associated with power, rank, and stature.

           I was extremely interested in the statue Mater Matuta (figure 8.7, p. 121). In prehistoric times, female figurines and sculptures celebrated childbirth and fertility. However, in Ancient Greece, where women were seen as beneath men, there didn’t appear to be a fascination or appreciation for childbirth-statues of nude men signified an appreciation for the human anatomy, whereas women were typically clothed, for instance. The statue of Mater Matuta is of a woman holding a child, while seated in a chair, with a sphinx on each side of her. The statue is symbolic of mothers who have died in childbirth. I thought I had fully understood why the miracle of childbirth was celebrated in prehistoric times, and was outraged by the fact that the female body wasn’t appreciated in Ancient Greece; I interpreted them to view childbirth as a woman’s duty rather than a miracle. However, I had never truly considered how often women died while giving birth or the lack of medical care these societies may have had (or not had).

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The classical age was also very interesting to me, and definitely impacted Western Culture. I also found it intriguing that typically only men were sculpted in the nude, and found that that differed greatly from the past eras and cultures that we have studied. Rather than celebrate the female body and fertility, women were expected to be modest and covered for propriety reasons. Men’s nude bodies signified an interest in human anatomy and the body. Though there was so much to take away from this time period, I couldn’t help but get stuck on the fact that women weren’t able to celebrate their bodies, couldn’t participate in government, and that childbirth was viewed as more of a duty than something beautiful or magical.The patriarchal government style of the independent city-states in Ancient Greece influenced our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. 

The sculpture of Athena was very significant to me as well. Not only was she one of the rare sculptures of a nude woman, but she didn’t have a thin, or muscular frame; she was fleshier and curvier. I started thinking about how this impacted beauty standards over time and what things have changed and what things have remained stagnant when it comes to the ideal body image. I think it’s interesting that the classical age implemented more of an idealistic style than a naturalistic style, and would agree that it seems like it would be a setback. However, I think that’s also how art/photography/advertising works today. Everyday we view photoshopped images that show models in an idealistic way rather than how they naturally look. 

We gained a lot of positives from Ancient Greece in terms of art, literature, philosophy, and government, but I think that we also picked up a lot of negatives about their society, in particular the sexist nature of their government and their views on women’s duties. I think that a lot of gender stereotypes derived from this time period. While they are infamous for their take on beauty, I can’t help but think of how this also hurt our views on body positivity and equality.  

Week 8: Ancient Greece

After reading Chapter seven this week I have gained much knowledge about the art of Ancient Greece. The Greek’s art advanced greatly over time. I think it is rather interesting that they started with one style and then, moved to a completely different style by the end of their time.

The Greek’s started by making geometric pottery with meander patterns. Their shapes were usually amphora. They then started making archaic vases. These are rather intriguing to me. I think the black does a good job juxtaposing the other elements of the piece. Soon, the Greeks started incorporating the “trompe l’oeil”. They were one of the first people to start using this method or style. I thought the story of Apelles painting Alexander’s horses was rather interesting. The fact that he supposedly painted horses so realistic that other horses neighed at them means he must have been rather skilled as an artist. It is mostly likely a myth, but myths have to be formed off of some sort of base.

Next Greece moved into their Classical age. Something that caught my eye in this section was how the sculpture would only portray the men nude, and how women were not allowed to be shown nude. Their reasoning makes sense for their culture, but still it’s interesting. I also thought it was odd how they changed from naturalized art to idealized (It seems like a step back rather than forward, but they did start making a name for themselves in this era) In this change you can also tell that their techniques and skills have improved. They start carving out, and casting each part of the body in such a way that shows attention to detail.  During this time infamous architectural pieces began to emerge. Buildings such as the Parthenon have shaped much of what we see today in the United State’s political structures.

After this era, the Hellenistic era emerges. This era caused the spread of Greece’s culture and art. Their art became more violent and somber. An example of this can be seen in the Head of Alexander, from Pergamon. His facial expression looks worried rather than happy or expressionless. Sleeping Eros is also an example of this. He looks sad and depressed, but maybe he’s just tired.

After listening to the podcast I would have to agree that the Greek’s definitely had a way of capturing beauty. This can be seen especially in their Classical, and Hellenistic eras. The Classical era captured just that; classical beauty. It met the standards of beauty, but made in such a way that in my opinion, exceeded it. They were fine artists and it showed. The Hellenistic era was beautiful as well but a different kind. I think the Hellenistic era wasn’t necessarily trying to capture beauty in a so called beautiful state but more rather they captured the more somber times and through their art made them beautiful. I also thought it was interesting that people were and are physically attracted to statues. That was just something that caught my attention. I, myself have been fascinated by statues, but never attracted. The statues must be very symmetrical and proportional.

Overall, Ancient Greece advanced the standards of art for not only the future world of art, but also for themselves. They changed their artistic style multiple times throughout their rein, and are infamous for their art and for capturing beauty.

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Week 8 Blog

           Ancient Greece produced some of the most significant and influential art there is to date, and greatly impacted Western Culture. Much of what was established during Ancient Greece has remained relevant today. For instance, the Greek language has changed very little over time, philosophers still study Aristotle and Plato, and we still read The Iliad and The Odyssey in literature classes. Ancient Greece’s independent city-state government style even inspired Thomas Jefferson when he wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution (p.84). Not everything we gained from Ancient Greece was a positive, though. Each independent city-state required the participation of male citizens, and only male citizens; women were not allowed to be involved in politics. Unfortunately, their patriarchal society also shaped Western Culture and influenced Thomas Jefferson. They also considered all other civilizations to be “primitive” and referred to any outsider as a “barbarian” (p. 84). I found this to be interesting because some of their art was borrowed (or at least very similar) to that of Ancient Egypt (ex: sculptures with left knee forward, frontal pose, arms at side).

           While there was so much to take away from this reading, I was most intrigued by how Ancient Greece depicted women. The people of this culture, unlike the cultures we’ve learned about thus far, believed their gods to be anthropomorphic, meaning they were viewed in human form and had human-like personalities and problems (p. 85). The sexist nature of their culture is kind of shocking to me since many of their gods were women. Their female gods weren’t only known for beauty or fertility either-for example, Athena is a god of war strategies, wisdom, and protection (p. 86). In fact, their view on fertility differs greatly from other cultures we’ve learned about. In the Paleolithic era many sculptures, like the Venus figurines, celebrated the miracle of childbirth and fertility by emphasizing the breasts, mid-section, and thighs of nude women. Ancient Greece, on the other hand, produced a Krater that tells the story of gods murdering the children of Niobe, a mortal woman, who had fourteen children (p. 89). My take from these differences is that Ancient Greece viewed childbirth as a woman’s duty and not as something miraculous or beautiful.

           The sexist nature and gender stereotypes that derived from this culture was not only evident through government, but through artwork as well. Statues of nude males signified “an interest in human form” and anatomy, whereas “statues of females were clothed for reasons of propriety” (p. 91). In my mind, this shows that women are expected to be modest, and almost ashamed of their bodies. It shows that women’s bodies are considered male property, while men are allowed to be confident and proud, and their bodies have greater purpose.

           I was so excited that the podcast focused on beauty because one of the most interesting works of art from the reading to me was Praxiteles’ Aphrodite of Knidos (figure 7.34). Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty and her sculpture differed greatly from other sculptures of this time period. Not only was this one of the few sculptures that celebrated the naked female body during this time, but her sculpture also depicted a more curvy and fleshier body, with a rounder, fuller face. After examining figure 7.34, I began thinking about how the idea of beauty has changed so much over time. Specifically, I thought about how in today’s society an hour glass figure featuring a very thin waist and a gap in between the thighs is considered to be “beautiful.” However, after listening to the podcast I realized that there are a lot of similarities between what was considered beautiful then and what is considered beautiful now, and a lot of that has to do with proportions. The podcast also reinforced how intelligent artists are-they are highly educated in geometry and measurements, human anatomy, etc.!

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I agree that the art created in Ancient Egypt are among some of the most significant to date, in particular their architecture. Most people are already familiar with pyramids, hieroglyphics, and mummification. I also was going to mention that I found it ridiculous and insulting that people are conspiring that aliens created pyramids! I’ve seen many documentaries about how aliens created pyramids, but that just goes to show how incredible the architecture is-many can’t believe that humans created something so large and detailed.  

Since, for the most part, the Ancient Egyptians were polytheists who had woman gods and saw their pharaohs as gods, I was kind of surprised about the sexist nature of their “government.” As you mentioned, it was evident that woman were not seen as important of rulers based off of the size of female figures in comparison to men, and the fact that they had only a single female pharaoh during this time period. 

Egyptian Art

Egyptians are without a doubt the most looked up too in the fact of art. Romans and greeks only beating them by a small margin. However, even then there is a strong possibility that Romans and Greeks got even some of their ideas from the Egyptians. I feel as though the reason that Egyptians art is looked at so much in western culture is that we gain a lot of our knowledge from them, mainly being the architecture, I feel. Obviously, I am talking about the pyramids. While the Egyptians didn’t invent the pyramids or were the only ones to create them, I feel as though the absolute size and complexity of them made architects look at them. You can see we use them today infamous modern buildings such as the Musee du Louvre. I feel as though the pyramids have a sort of simplicity to them, and I think that’s why we research the Egyptian pyramids.

Of course, there is more than just the pyramids in Egyptian culture and art. One thing I found interesting the number of little meanings they put in the sculptures and drawings. Such as the pharaoh and the queen sculpture on page 58 image 5.10. They added lots of little meanings in them such as the difference of the man standing at attention and queen holding him, or the fact that he has a more polygonal crown and she has a more rounded crown, or finally that he is taller and she is shorter showing that the queen did not sit as high as the pharaoh.

There is also the history and culture you can tell just by how 2 different are sculpted. For example, if you look at the pharaoh he has very chiseled features a flat stomach and not a lot of emotion. However, if you look at the scribe sculptor on page 58 as well you will see that it is very different. The scribe does not need to look particularly good the stomach has a pot belly and the arms are flabby, you can also see that the scribe has quite a bit more emotion than the king does. This kind of shows that showing emotion as a kind was not normal and even possibly looked down upon.

One thing that amazing me and I are sure a lot of people as well as, “how they make this stuff?’ Well for one we are not really sure. Aliens, Maybe; hard work, possibly; something we have not thought about, more than likely. See most people just think of the pyramids when they think of this. However, there is a lot more you may have to think about. For example, in the New Kingdom, You had the temples built right into the side of the cliffs. Or how well those giant statues of the Pharaoh that have a lot of human likenesses, or the monoliths. It is pretty fantastic if you think about it because more than likely they had to carve and make all of that temple with bare hands and a few tools. But I feel as though the pyramids are the only ones that get any love.

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Week 6, Blog 5

The reading on Ancient Egypt was the most familiar to me thus far. I had prior knowledge about many of the pharaohs, and pyramids and mummification were among some of the artwork/architecture that I recognized. However, I didn’t understand the purpose of the pyramids and mummification or the religious value that they stemmed from. I find it interesting that, like the Near East, Ancient Egyptians (excluding the Amarna Period) were polytheistic (p. 56). Unlike the Near East, who saw their rulers as a middleman between them and the gods, the Ancient Egyptians viewed their pharaohs as gods (p.51). The Ancient Egyptians borrow gods from other cultures, and both they and the Near East believe gods to be human and animals-they also created artwork that combined the too creatures.

           Much of the artwork from Ancient Egypt is devoted to their pharaohs/gods. Sculptures and paintings reveal the importance and respect pharaohs had. Size and location of pharaohs within artwork symbolize their god-status. The Palette of Narmer (figure 5.1, p. 53) reminds me a lot of the Ancient Near East’s Victory stele of Naram-Sin (figure 4.11, p. 40). Both are sculptures in the relief that highlight the upper position that rulers have on commoners. In both, the rulers are larger than the other human figures, are positioned in the center, and are standing over dead bodies that they have conquered. However, Naram-Sin appears to be looking towards the heavens at the gods, whereas Narmer is considered a god; he is almost at eye level with Horas, the falcon god of the sky, and both are holding human heads, revealing their equality. Much of the artwork from both time periods consisted of religious value.

           Another resemblance between Ancient Egypt and the Ancient Near East is their fascination with the afterlife and burial rituals. This was also true of Prehistoric Western Europe, where historians discovered that the question “Where are we going?” is one of the most universally asked questions since the earliest periods of human history (p. 23). Altars and burial grounds have been around since the Neolithic era. I was somewhat aware of the architectural significance of pyramids and that they were used for burials, but had no idea that their shape, location, and position were ingeniously crafted. I was also unfamiliar with mastabas, which were single-story trapezoidal structures made of mud-brick, that were used built before the pyramids (p. 53). From my understanding, pyramids were created by mastabas of decreasing size being stacked upon one another. Pyramids were further designed to have the four sides slanting towards the center from a square base, and the “four corners of the plan were oriented to the cardinal points” (p. 54). I found it extremely beautiful that it contains a capstone that reflects the sun to symbolize the pharaoh’s “divinity and identification with the sun” (p. 54). I also found it beautiful that the Pyramids dedicated to the three pharaohs from the Fourth Dynasty all faced the direction of the sunset to symbolize death. The sun represents both life and death.

           Personally, Akhenaten was the most interesting Pharaoh to me because he strayed from tradition. His religious system was monotheistic, and little is known about the origin of this new belief. He worshiped the Aten, which is represented by the sun disk (p. 64). I am very curious as to why he unconventionally worshiped a single god, but am not surprised that it was the god of the sun disk. As is evident from the architecture and geometry of the pyramids, the sun was very symbolic to the Ancient Egyptians. Plus, the lack of technology of this time period wouldn’t allow the people to be overly knowledgeable about astrology and the sun in general.

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This reading was so interesting to me because I could connect it with so many other classes that I’m currently taken, or have taken in the past. I thought it was pretty incredible that, through art, we can know that there was social structures and complex urban civilizations during this time period. I thought that much of the art, especially since it was very religion orientated, backed up the previous chapters’ theories that humans always question “who are we” “where did we come from” and “where do we go.” These questions and the art work and written word from this time period reminded me a lot of what I’ve learned in sociology, psychology, and philosophy. And of course learning about Mesopotamia, the invention of writing, and civilizations reminded me of world geography and history classes I took in high school. It’s pretty incredible to think that most of what we know about the past and about human behavior is thanks to art. 

At the beginning of chapter 4, I found it extremely interesting how the during this era in the Ancient Near East there were civilizations that were first of all, just beginning to write and keep documents and write poetry as some of the first forms of concrete written art. I also found it very interesting how the chapter talks about people during this time shifting from a more nomadic way of life to beginning to settle in one area by using two social structures in particularly organized labor, and by stabilizing political power within their community. It sounds to me that during this time there was so much changing in politics, religion and how it was being viewed and its religious structures, as well as social groups, forming. As usual, art is always changing with the rest of all of the constants in life but during this time it some of their art seems to be somewhat similar to the last chapter, centering around rituals and fertility except now people are starting to acknowledge some presence of a God that they are also making the art for. To all of us in the present day and age so much of this art history may sound somewhat silly or as though the people then were just not quite advanced or doing things for the right reason but this chapter leads me to believe that they were smarter than many of us would expect. On page 34, under the section Catal Huyuk the author talks about the rebuilding of this town and now it seems to be designed without streets. To us this really makes no sense because it is the norm now, there are roads all over the country giving people the ability to travel where you want. In this section, you read that though there are no streets in this town they are connected in a completely different way than a person would normally assume, the ground levels of each structure in this town were all connected. Not only was each structure connected to the rest but there was also a ventilation system allowing smoke to escape from ovens and woodburning stoves in homes in addition to that these homes also included furniture that was already built into the home. This is something still seen today in buildings that are often constructed entirely out of cement, I was just surprised to read this knowing this is something contractors still practice today when building new structures.  I also noticed during this chapter that mythology seems to play a fairly significant role in their lives and art and really enjoyed reading about the significance of pottery during this time and all of the different meanings they may have, rituals they may have a part in and how they were made by the people during that time. 

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           The ancient Near East is a very significant time period for art and history due to the invention of writing, which allows us to understand more of what happened in the past. However, before the invention of writing in the Near East, art from the Neolithic Era revealed that social structures existed. It’s interesting to find the similarities between art in the Near East and Western Europe, especially because (I assume) there would be little communication between the two locations due to the lack of technology and long-distance transportation. The similarities between the art in the two locations further backs up the theory, presented in chapter 3, that the three questions “Who are we?” “Where do we come from?” and “Where are we going” are universal to human beings (p. 23).

           During the Neolithic Era in the Near East agriculture and animal herding had replaced hunting and gathering. Due to the climate, people created large-scale irrigation systems, which was made possible through “organized labor and stabilized political power,” which lead to “the rise of increasingly complex urban cultures” (p. 33). The architecture during this time period was particularly amazing, which I believe is due to organized labor. For example, Jericho, one of the oldest fortified sites, has walls that are 5 to 12 feet thick and has a tower that is more than 30 feet high (p. 34). What was really interesting to me, though, was that it also served as a house for the dead. Jericho skulls were discovered which were portraits of a skull decaying somewhere between life and death. This shows that people were fascinated with the ideas of “who are we,” and “where are we going.” The Catal Hüyük also contained houses with burials. In addition, the site possessed what is believed to be shrines and decorations that symbolize worship, implying that religion was probably present, though we cannot be sure without written word.

           It was in the Urak Period, also known as Protoliterate, when writing was developed (p. 35). Cylinder seals and cuneiform were used during this time to help keep track of time and accounts. Art, as well as written word, reveal that religion was also a very important aspect of this time period; for example, Ziggurts had stairs that lead to the gods and they also contained alters.

Religion played a large role in the Early Dynastic Period as well. Cult figures were created during this time and were made of pale stone with pitch black features (p. 39). Height was associated with status, most likely because the taller a figure is the closer it is to the heavens and the gods. The figurines’ hands were folded, exemplifying prayer, and their eyes were wide-open to “awe in the presence of divinity” (p. 39). Animals, particularly bulls and lions, were seen as god-like and were often worshipped.

 Though this chapter was very informative and interesting, it left me with a lot of questions:

·         Much of the art in the Near East consisted of a combination of animals, usually animals that are worshipped, and humans. This type of art made me wonder-is this how the people envisioned gods?

·         There was also a lot of art, like the Stag in figure 4.24, that had the body of stag, with curved antlers, and legs that turned into birds; this had me thinking about reincarnation. I know people believed that the gods lived in the heavens, but what did they think about after life?

·         In Western Europe, much of the work symbolized fertility, and that didn’t appear to be the case in the Near East. Why do you think that is? Were women perceived differently in the Near East? Did war impact this? Were births more complicated in Western Europe, that it was seen as more of a miracle to give birth?

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This was extremely informative and I really appreciate you uploading the comparison photos of the Venus women and the animal brain images-it gave me something new to consider. However, I think that the Venus figurines were most often made to represent fertility and childbirth because of the enlarged portions of their bodies, and the lack of hands feet, or facial expression. I also agree that obesity doesn’t seem to be a likely theory because they would have been created in a hunting and gathering time period, where I would assume obesity was not a major issue. 

It is also interesting that you brought up the idea of goddesses or religious icons because I could see that being the case sense they were nicknamed after the goddess who represents love, beauty, and fertility. I think their purpose could be a combination of representing goddesses and fertility. If the figurines represent fertility or religious icons, they could also be made by men for men to admire. There are a variety of interpretations and possible reasons that the figurines were sculpted, but I agree that fertility and childbirth were the main and most important intention of them. 

Week 3: The Venus Figurines

The Venus Figurines of the European Paleolithic Era are a mystery to many archeologists, just as many artifacts that are found from the past.  Archeologists can only guess or try to tie things together to understand their meaning.   The pieces range from 1-½ to 9.8” in height and they are made of many different materials ranging from soft stone to bone, ivory, or clay.  

One of the largest mysteries is that these are obviously pieces of women, but the women of that day and age would not have looked like the statues.  The time that the statues were made, Europe would’ve been in the midst of severe ice age and it’s unlikely that there was any obesity.  The carvings, however, have curvaceous bodies with large breasts, bottoms, abdomen, hips and thighs.  The heads, if they have one, are usually small and show no detail, they don’t have hands or feet either.  Some of the pieces appear to be pregnant and others show no sign of that.   There is some belief that these pieces symbolized hope for survival, abundance and longevity.  Some other theories are self-portraits, stone age dolls, religious icons, a mother goddess, and possibly pornographic imagery.  One of the strangest theories that I saw was that they were possibly figurines of life-sized animal brain-images.  See the picture below:

I believe that they are images of fertility, life and hope for abundance.  They appear to me to be a woman who is healthy and fertile.  In later years you see that they are adorned with “jewelry” or more art is shown on the figurine itself.  I think these figures brought hope to the people and showed the beauty of a woman.

http://missioningition.net/bethe/venus_turtles.php https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-europe/venus-figurines-european-paleolithic-era-001548

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Blog 3

Chapter 3, Prehistoric Western Europe, further opened my eyes to the prevalence of art in our every day lives, and reminded me that, as people, we haven’t changed all that much, other than the development of technology and science. The opening lines to the chapter, “Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?” were especially significant to me (p. 23). These are questions that we consider very regularly in modern society and were questions that were thought of even during the stone age, revealing that we haven’t changed all that much philosophically! During the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic periods burial rituals and sacred places were of great importance, and much of the art regarding life after death lead us to believe that people living during these time periods gave much thought to the question “Where are we going?”.

           I found the Paleolithic period to be the most interesting because I think a lot of the artwork focused on the question “who are we?”. The Mesolithic era didn’t produce an overly abundant amount of art since it focused more on cultural and environmental changes, and the Neolithic era was heavily based on religious beliefs (p. 29). While the latter two eras were very interesting, I, personally, am not a very religious person and was a lot more interested learning about the sculptures and paintings of the Paleolithic era rather than of the megaliths (though, very amazing, significant, and aesthetic nonetheless). From my understanding, much of the artwork created in the Paleolithic era represented fertility, love, nature, and hunting/gathering. While it would make sense that the animals represented the animals that the people hunted, I also believe that the animals could represent companionship, function, and even sacredness. Of the animal figurines, horses, bison, and oxen were most commonly found, whereas deer, mammoths, antelopes, boars, rhinoceroses, foxes, wolves, bears, fish, and birds were not as common; Why do you think that is? (p. 25).  

I was most intrigued by the female sculptures, both the round and relief, and that they were nicknamed Venus because of the Roman goddess of love and beauty (p. 24). I don’t think that the Venus of Willendorf or the Venus of Laussel were supposed to represent any one female in particular because of the lack of details on the faces. I agree that both sculptures were intended to pay tribute to the beauty of childbirth and the miracles that women’s bodies create. I believe that these sculptures consider the question “who are we?”, as well as the question “where do we come from?”.

The Woman of Willendorf (also known as the Venus of Willendorf) was found in 1908 in Willendorf, Austria. Although the features of the woman are rather large, particularly her stomach, breasts, and thighs, the sculpture itself is very small, standing only 11.1 cm tall, and can be moved easily by hand. She was made with oolitic limestone and red ochre pigment, materials that were not found in Willendorf. Both the size of the statue and the material lead people to believe that she was transported to Willendorf, and not created there. Her arms are very small in comparison to the rest of the body, the head lacks any facial features, and her feet appear to be missing; researchers believe that feet were never apart of the initial design. Because of the enlarged eras of the woman and the red pigments, many, including myself, believe that she represents fertility and childbirth. However, some researchers theorize that she was created by men, for men to look at. One researcher believed that she was created by a woman, and that the statue is “evidence of obesity or adiposity is actually the foreshortening effect of self-inspection” (Kuiper, Kathleen). While all three theories are very plausible, I think it is most likely a statue representing fertility and childbirth. The emphasis on the breasts, stomach, and thighs are clear indicators of fertility and childbirth, but could also be areas of lust. However, the red pigment really makes me believe the statue is a symbol of childbirth rather than a sign of obesity or lust.

 Works Cited

Kuiper, Kathleen. “Venus of Willendorf.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 11 July 2018, www.britannica.com/topic/Venus-of-Willendorf.

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I also found the reading to be extremely interesting because I never realized how much we truly utilize art in our every day encounters. Obviously, just about everything we used was made by someone, but even how we associate colors and shapes with our emotions are often derived from art. It’s really amazing to think about how symbolic a “simple” line can be. 

I really appreciate reading your take on Ellen Dissanayake because it was kind of a tough read, and helped clarify things for me. I also agree with her, and think that creating and art is natural for us, and would even go as far as to say it’s necessary. I never gave much thought to how privileged we are, due mostly to technology, and do not have to rely on art as much as people once did. What we wear, what we use, and how we express ourselves are all thanks to art. Dissanayake talked about how art is meaningful, and even if its not as necessary in today’s society, we should still learn to create. Art should still very much be apart of our lives, and it’s kind of sad that it’s not as prevalent or valued in modern times. I want to work on trying to appreciate, and realize how art impacts my every day life, and try to create more. 

Week 2

In my reading of chapter two The Language of Art it talks about art having its own language. I found it interesting on page 14 it talks about how we use lines in art to express character because we often identify them with our own experience of nature or with our bodies.  That straight lines are often associated with honest and truth, whereas, crooked lines are sought to be the opposite. We use lines a lot to express happy, sad, or mad faces. I have never put much thought into lines but reading about these points made sense.  We all use art in a way to express ourselves and speak a message without using our voice. For example, even if I couldn’t speak there is someone out there that could understand a simple sad face if I were to draw it. Art is so valuable for reasons such as that. We all have different views of course. To me that is powerful.  Art has been a huge aspect apart of my life. Whether it was growing up listening to Frank Sinatra with my grandfather or making arts and crafts with my siblings and our mom during holidays. I appreciate all art and the story behind who made it or what I think it is to be. Art is everywhere, to me it can be as far as a stop sign to Murals + Street art in downtown Dubuque, IA.

I believe Ellen Dissanayake has very good points in her article “The Pleasure of Meaning and Making.” In an area of this article, Ellen, talks about from the time we are born to now. As babies, we learn from our parents.  Our parents sitting down with us and teaching us to write, make crafts, and to cook. Sadly, some parents just have their children in front of TV’s, provide them iPad’s, and cell phones to keep them preoccupied.  From in the womb, we have used our hands to grasps and grab. As we grow, we have used our hands to communicate, as tools to create art, and use for our basic life necessities. In postmodern times, people would use their hands to create pots, clothing’s, food, and carve etc. Now a days, most of the time food is premade, our clothes are made from machines, and people buy their pots/pans. I must agree, as a society, people are losing much of human nature/touch because of how much they rely on machines/technology to do these things for them. It raises the question what would we do if technology fails us? If we are to let this continue, will generation after generation severely be affected? How can we stop this? It is crazy to think my grandma and mother used to sow their own clothes, whereas, most people I know my age wouldn’t have the slightest idea on where to begin. I personally don’t think a lot of society feels they should have to worry either. If bad times do come, I believe people will be running around like “chickens with their heads cut off.” Ellen did too, talk about art behavior, that different cultures and previous generations used art to change the way they were brought into this world to  express themselves . Such as, painting their faces, piercing their ears, etc. We today still use art to express ourselves. For example, wearing make up to social events or wearing the latest fashion trend. Art is all around us, we should find pleasure in what we can create and make to have a feeling of self-worth, so, we can thrive, and to live a happy life.