Interesting pieces of art in History week 11

First of all in Chapter 14 in the early medieval period what stood out as great pieces was the pages of the Book of Kells and other holy books. Each page was crafted to represent certain biblical events and virtues. The pictures within the letters symbolized things like the battles between good and evil. One page from one of the books had a picture of cats and mice. The mice where eating sacred wafers and the cats where trying to prevent them from doing so. One of the interpretations to that scenario is that the cats represented the heroes that where protecting the sacred things from being distorted by corruption which is in the form of mice. The Book of Kells is from the late 8th or 9th century and was considered to be sacred to a certain group of monks in Scotland. One of the other reasons why the history of these books came back to remembrance when we studied this chapter was the fact that I had seen an animated feature on the Book of Kells and why it was protected from the Vikings. It was first released in Europe then it came over here to the U.S a couple of years of ago.

The other piece of art from this time period that stood out was the "Doors of Bishop Bernard" on pg.449. Events from the old testament and the new testament represented the beginning and the ending of events. For example one panel showed the fall of mankind with Adam and Eve's sin and the panel next to it showed Christ dying on the cross to fulfill God's plan for salvation for mankind. The artist had a clever idea to show the viewers how biblical events where started and how they ended. Adam and Eve sinned which caused people that came afterwards to have a sinful nature. When Jesus came into this world, preached and died he gave mankind a way to be saved by confessing their sins and becoming clean. Jesus took the punishment that we deserved so that we can accept him and go to heaven. I enjoyed this piece because it showed something that I believe in which is God's plan for salvation. It is a visual reminder to me and other Christians of what Jesus did.

Last of all there was a relief that was on the Cathedral of Saint-Lazene is "The magi asleep "on pg.479 which depicts the wisemen that are lying asleep together and an angel wakes on up to show him the star. This scene is precious because the three kings are huddled together under a blanket asleep and when an angel comes to arose one he is startled. When picturing this scene in my mine it is almost comical because of the reaction of the king being surprised but then he would understand when the angel pointed to the star. Afterwards I imagine that he woke up the others so they can reach Bethlehem in order to see the Messiah. This relief is a visual reminder to everyone the true meaning of Christmas.

Byzantine art week 10

The two pieces of art that are being compared are "Christ Enthroned" on pg. 239 and "Rebecca at the Well" on page 243. In the first piece in is done in the Byzantine style because of the gold background which gives a heavenly affect and the angels that are standing on the right and left sides of Christ. He is being portrayed as a young man but in contrast to other portrays of him some of the features are different. For example he does not have a beard and he is not wearing white with a blue sash. He is wearing what appears to be a dark purple robe with a gold sash on his left shoulder. The hands and feet of the figures are thin. The faces have a cartoonish appearance and stays away from naturalism. One of the features that gives that away is the large eyes. The clothing on the angels is different because not only are they wearing white but there are other colors mixed in such as gold and blue. The wings are gray and brown. Their halos look like gold plates. The plants underneath their feet do not have a naturalistic appearance because of style and color blue that is used on some of the plants. Overhead it appears that there are thin clouds that have rainbow colors and above that a rainbow halo. To the right and the left of that halo is some short of vegetation. One thing to mention is that the throne that Christ is sitting on has the appearance of a blue orb.

"Rebecca at the Wall" first of all looks like a watercolor painting because of the black outlining of the camels and the faded colors of the water in the well.  When the viewer looks at the camels the outlining does mimic the appearance of watercolor use because the of the different shades of black and on of the heads of the camels looks like it is in shadow. The eyes are dots with no features. Both the human and animal figures in this scene do not look naturalistic and like the previous work they have the appearance of characters in an animated feature.  The faces of the women are hard to make out because of the use of white. The white almost causes a blinding affect and a person has to look close at the face in order to make out the features such as the eyes, nose and mouth.  The woman that is half naked with a blue cloak looks like she has a little potbelly which is a feature in the Byzantine form.With the objects it is the same way such as the well and the castle. The words on the piece are outlined in black and as the view reads the inscription the words start to fade out as view continues to read down. At the bottom the words fade out.  One of the reasons perhaps that this is so is because the piece could have been water damaged or the words could have been erased or smeared.  The language in the inscription could be Hebrew or Greek.The background is a reddish brown and the only evidence of vegetation is the green strip that is underneath the camels feet.

Both pictures have features of the Byzantine and Ottonian style. The artists steer clear of the naturalistic look and go for a more the animated appearance. One of the differences is that with "Christ Enthroned" the viewer can easily see the faces of the figures. In "Rebecca at the well" because of the use of the color white in the faces of the figures the viewer has to look close to make out the faces. One of the pieces is a Mosaic that is painted on the wall of the Church of Sant' Apollinare  and the piece of art is a page from a codex that is showing the book of Genesis.  In addition to that silver and purple dye are used. Some of the figures in "Rebecca at the well"are doing something like one is giving water to a passing traveler and another is walking beside the well with a jug. The figures in "Christ Enthroned"mostly in a standing or sitting position and looking regal. They is no action or movement involved in this picture. There is a distinct difference between the figures in the two scenes and that is one scene is depicting divine beings and the other the mortal humans.

Roman art compared to early christian art Discussion 9

When you look at the Roman empire the people appear to have a proud air about them because if you look at the statues such as "Caracalla on pg.204 " the expression in face shows pride and years of experience. There is a rigidness about the face as well because of the stern expression that is shown in the eyes and closed lips. The face has a few wrinkles and there are bags under the eyes that could indicate a lack of sleep. The eyes appear to be sunken in. The face shows an expression of exhaustion and sternness. This man appears to be in his early fifties or sixties because of some of the wrinkles. There seems to be a slight distinction of a beard on the chin. There is a sense of realism and naturalism in the face because judging by the way the physical features are carved the face looks like a real person unlike other portraits where the figure has exaggerated features such as big eyes such as shown in the bust of Constantine where the eyes appear to be bulging out. The bust of "Caracalla" symbolizes power and political propaganda because the attitudes that the Roman rulers had about tracing their ancestors because they want to show people that they where born into power. One could imagine that a bust similar to this one was probably paraded around by some official that claimed that he belongs in his position because his ancestor was a great leader. The blemishes and flaws where something to not be ashamed of but to be proud of because it showed that one has had many experiences and has gained wisdom by those life changing events. As was pointed out in the lecture the upper class of Roman where very interested in tracing their history.

The early christian art on the other hand portray the ideal person. This is shown in the example of "The Good Shepherd"in chapter 7 on pg. 225. The man looks youthful in appearances without wrinkles or blemishes. He is strong because he is carrying a sheep on his back and holding onto the animals hooves with one hand while the other hand is holding onto a tree branch. Even though he is strong this person after he lifted the sheep on his back had to gain his balance by holding onto the branch. This gentleman appears to be in his late teens or early twenties and has an air of confidence about him because of his expression. He is looking at the sheep and his expression seems to tell the views that he is reassuring the animal.  The figure has a naturalistic appearance because his facial features and his position make him look like a real person. Just by looking at this statue the viewer can imagine the figure moving about with the sheep on his back. This statue's symbolism shows how Christ finds his followers after they have wandered off like lost sheep. One of the reasons why this statue shows youthfulness is because people of that time did like to see the ideal person because they themselves what to think about life and youth. They don't want to think about growing old because that means wrinkles, blemishes and finally death. Secondly this statue is portraying Christ and he was perfect. No other human that has lived is perfect like Christ was because he is the son of God.

The Romans had different opinions about youth and old age. Some viewed old age as being a bad thing because you lose your abilities and your physical beauty at this point. On the other hand the Roman leaders took pride in portraying their ancestors in their old age because aging meant gaining wisdom. Along with that growing old meant reaching maturity and that comes with different experiences.This was shown in the example of "Caracalla" because he had the appearance of old age and experience. Youth was the ideal thing because it is indicated in their art that is how they want to remain. They wanted to be strong and healthy. Those characteristics are seen in "The Good Shepard". The figure shows both strength and physically fit whereas the other shows a person that is aging. The other difference is that on statue represents political propaganda while the other draws from a religious theme. The Romans as one can see in their art they are striving to be the best however they have a vain desire to remain strong and youthful until their death.

Discussion 6 Greek art Parthenon stones

Based on the information behind the discussion of whether or not the Parthenon marbles belong in the London museum or not is debatable. For one thing the archaeologist that discovered these artifacts at time though in order to preserve these pieces of history they should be placed in the London museum so that the world could see the wonders of ancient Greece. However the problem is that these Parthenon marbles where taken out of their native land without permission.  There could have been different policy's on those things in the 1800s where taking something out of a country was not a big deal like it is today in the twenty first century. In the 1800's the Greek artifacts came to the London museum and have been there on display since that time.There have been negotiations with the government in Greece as to the location of these artifacts. Does the Parthenon marbles belong to Greece or to the whole world? Some may argue that because these pieces of art where found in Greece then that is where they should remain and people from around the global can come to the museums in their country to see them. It makes for a more enlightening trip to see the original artifacts being on display in their own native land. Others might say on the other hand that the Parthenon marbles belong to everyone because everyone needs to learn about the history of Greece and other cultures. One of the ways that we learn about history is by going to museums and viewing the artwork and the pieces of architecture from other countries. Besides the people of Greece would what the world to know their cultures history and where they came from.

With having the Parthenon marbles in England it gave the people of Europe the benefit of going to see these wonders of Greece to gain a better understanding of the culture. Again some might say that the people of England took away some of Greece's history by taking the artifacts to London. Art is very important to the people of Greece because for one thing a lot of it has to do with their religion. There are many statues of the gods and goddesses that where created so that the people could pay contributions to these beings. The temples are another important part because their purpose was for people to go and worship these gods. What it comes down to is not a question about doing what many believe to be as right but how is it going to impact people. If the Greeks got their Parthenon marbles back would it be better to have them displayed at the museums in Greece rather then London or somewhere else. Would there be benefits to government in Greece having these artifacts back? The only thing that might be a benefit for Greece is the number of tourist from around the world coming to see their pieces of art. Still whether the Parthenon marbles are in Greece or not the country still gets tourist that see the other parts such as the temples and cities. There is a setback that does keep tourist from visiting England and Greece and that is the financial means and the time set aside to go.

Negotiations could be done in regards to having the Parthenon marbles go around the world such as going to museums in the United States, Canada, Asia, Africa, etc. That way everyone would get the opportunity to see these artifacts of Greece without having to travel so far and this special exhibit could be included in admission prices to the museums that it visits. It would be an educational experience for students of all ages. The point is that everyone should have a chance to see these pieces of art from Greece.

Discussion 5 Girl Gathering Saffron Crocus Flowers

This Cyclades wall painting was inspired by Egyptian art because it gives the appearance of the flat painting that is done in Egypt. The eye that is facing the viewers has an Egyptian style except that the makeup that goes out toward the end of the eyelash is not present and the eye brow has a thick appearance that is similar to what is shown in Egyptian art. The girl has less makeup then an Egyptian woman.  The face of the girl in the painting is full like the face of Egyptian women.

The design of the plant life is similar because of how the flowers thin leaves have waves in them that is similar to how a grove of papyrus plants are portrayed. The slender figure of the girl can be compared to the women in the Egyptian reliefs except that the arms on an Egyptian woman are slender and the arms on the girl in the picture are thick. This wall painting can be compared to that of a regular Egyptian relief because as was said previously the flat appearance. The grid style and geometric shapes are not used in this piece because the picture is not made up of distinct shapes.

The differences in this wall painting comparing it with the Egyptian art is that for one thing the outfit and hairstyle of the girl is different because the dress has different colors in it and looks like there is multiple layers that make up the skirt and there is no collar. The dress does not look like one that is wore by someone from the Mediterranean area. It has an Asian appearance because of the multi layers of material that make up the dress and the tie that is around the waist. The hair is pulled back and some kind of hat is worn that covers the head and a small strip of hair comes out the back that gives the appearance of a small ponytail. Egyptian women wear their hair down and there is a gold decoration that is worn in their hair and the jewelry is gold.The earring that the girl is wearing is bigger then those that are wore by the Egyptian women. The right ear on the girl is shown. In Egyptian artwork the ears on the women are hidden under the gold decorations that they wear on their heads. The bracelets that she wears has wavy curves and Egyptian ones show a straight band that goes around their wrists. In addition to that they are made out of different materials. One is a band that appears to be made out of leather and the Cyclades girl has bracelets made out of beads. Her right foot is shown is stepping up and it could be on a rock and the left foot is down lower. It is hard for the viewer to see her feet because there is a camouflage thing going because her skin and the background are the same color. One other thing to note is that it looks like her dress is open on top but her breasts are not showing.

Egyptian woman wear white dresses with gold collars and in the pictures you can see their feet. Their chests are small and their breasts are not shown. The skin color of the Egyptians is brown and the color of the girl in the Cyclades wall painting is albino white. The place where she is standing has little detail. This girl is shown in action because she is climbing up a hill and she is picking flowers.The view can assume that she is picking these crocus flowers on a hill because the ground has a slope that goes upward. The surrounds of the figures are more detailed in Egyptian art because the things like the plants and animals are drawn with detail. The surroundings in this wall painting are faded and have little detail which makes it hard for the viewer to make out the terrain.One more thing to note is that Egyptian women are in sitting or standing positions, immobile and look serious. The girl in the wall painting is mobile because she is climbing up a hill and picking flowers and she looks happy.

In contrast to Egyptian art, Cyclades are not as detailed and precise as Egyptians. In the wall painting for example because the feet of the girl are faded in with the background you might think that she was hovering in midair. You have to look close to get the details whereas with Egyptian art you are able to see the features of the figures because of the bright colors and the details. In Cyclades art pale colors are used more often then bright ones. This painting of a girl gathering saffron crocus flowers is interesting to look at and compare it with other artworks.

Akhenaten and his family Discussion 4

This painted limestone relief portrays an Egyptian royal family. This relief is square shaped and the upper left corner has a missing piece. It is not know how it was damaged but a small chunk has been taken off. The sides a not straight but kind of curved. On the right side of the relief pointing towards that right corner there is a small piece that broke off that is in the shape of a right triangle. Below that there can be seen smaller chunks that broke off. In addition to that compared to the left side the right has a smooth appearance and the left side has a bumpy appearance to it because of the blemishes. The areas where the figures has a rough and bumpy appearance because if you touch a carving you can feel the bumps and the rough curves and edges. It give the viewer the impression that this relief was broken off something else like a wall. The pharaoh and his queen have three children. The queen has a child that looks about the age of four or five and it is pointing at its sibling that is being cradled by the father. What appears to be the youngest child is sitting on his mother's right shoulder and he is pointing to his sibling that is being cradled in his father's arms. The child that is cradled in his fathers arms is pointing at his two siblings that are with his mother. It is hard to tell the gender of the children. The one sitting in the queens lap could be a daughter because of the headdress that she is wearing and the proportion of her body. Both the child that is in the father's arms and the child that is on the queens right shoulder could be males.  One other thing to point out is that the children that are with the queen are pointing with their right hand and the child that is with his father is pointing with his left hand. Those kids are not wearing a headdress like the one that is sitting on the queens lap. If you look closely at the small child that is on the queens right shoulder you can make out his genital area that hangs down. Pharaoh Akhenaten and his queen are sitting across from each other. Their expressions tells the viewers that they are proud parents and they love their children. The queen appears to have a radiant smile on her face and Akhenaten's face looks more solemn. The queen looks round in proportion around the middle indicating that she could be pregnant again. Her husband is skinny but he does have a bit of a pouch around the stomach. His kilt on the left side sticks out a little. Akhenaten is wearing the double crown of the unified kingdom and the queens crown shows the same thing only there are differences such as the shape of the crown. Pharaoh's crown is oval shaped and the queens crown is triangular shaped. One other feature to take note of that is seen on both crowns is that two pieces of material are hanging down from the crowns. This material could be interpreted as being hair as well and the way that it is sticking out it appears to be blowing in the wind which could indicate that this scene is taking place outside. The royal family could be out on a balcony or the front pouch. Judging by the proportion of the platform that has the thrones there is probably a stairwell that leads up to them.

 The sun god, Ra is in the middle of the picture and his many arms are stretching in both directions indicating blessings towards Akhenaten and his queen. The symbol of ankh can be seen in the mist of the hands the indicates everlasting life and at the bottom of the sun. Two of Ra's hands are holding that symbol. One hand is extended towards Pharaoh and the other is extended towards his queen. The blessing that Ra is bestowing on the royal family is everlasting life. Hieroglyphics are shown in the background and it is a possibility that they tell the story that is taking place in the picture.  The majority of the hieroglyphics are on the queens side which tells that the story is mostly about her because she gave birth to three children and another one appears to be on the way.The sitting places of Akhenaten and his queen are different because Pharaohs has a design of a variety of shapes that include triangles and rectangles and the queen's throne has a picture of plants that grow beside the Nile. The cushions that they sit on are different as well because the queens cushion has a piece of cloth that hangs down. Another difference is shown with the foot cushions as well because the queens has a tassel hanging down and Akhenaten's cushion does not have one. On his side there is a piece of furniture that looks like a stand that has different shapes. Some of the shapes are rectangular and that others are oval shaped and they are stacked on top of one another. On the queens side there is a tall skinny stand that looks like a lamp stand that has sort of a half moon shape that is upside down and the top and the bottom of the stand look like they are tied together but that is the design that creates the illusion that the top and the bottom are tied together. The technique that is shown in this picture is sunken relief which was sometimes used. The original stones role serves as the background and gives the figures a three dimensional effect. The views can see that the figures appear to come out more then the background by the way they are carved.

Discussion 3 Code of Hammurabi

First of all to look at it from an artistic point of view the slab in rounded in proportion. The sides a straight and narrow. The piece itself seems to be made out of plaster or concrete. The color is interesting to because it is black and that color represents death and emptiness. It could have been painted black or a black substance was used because black could mean that the punishment for law breakers was death. When people saw this slab in ancient times a fear could have been instilled into them for when they saw the slab they though we must obey the laws or we get the death penalty or face the wrath of the gods. From what I gather the reason why the slab is black could be due to the paint or dye that was used when it was created or it could be the substances natural color. There also appears to be a light and shadow thing going on because in the picture of the slab in the textbook light appears to be beaming on the top of the slab and that gives the impression that the top of the slab has shades of gray. There also appears to be dabs of gray at the bottom of the slab. Historically it is said that a righteous prince that feared the wrath of the gods wrote these laws to help bring order to chaos and to please the father of the gods. There are a total of two hundred eighty two laws. These laws are based on gender, class and finances. It is interesting to note that the ten commandments enough though the slabs are smaller and are written on a different type of mineral they are rounded in proportion as well. The ten commandments has been depicted to have been written on stone tablets that are white or tan depending on how the artist depicts them in paintings. White represents purity and the color could be an indication that these commandments came from God. The other could color depicted on the slabs could represent how the light is being reflected off of them. The laws in the code of Hammurabi seem to be divided for different people whereas the ten commandments apply to everyone and they are simple and the other laws are harder to comprehend. One more thing that I want to add is that the prince that wrote the code of Hammurabi did not receive divine visitations from the gods and Moses talked to God up close and personal.  Like the people that followed the code of Hammurabi the children of Israel were supposed to fear God and follow his commandments. From an artist point of views comparing the slabs they each have the same shape and proportions however the ten commandments are smaller and are written on stone. The color of the slabs is different as well.