Extraordinary v. Ordinary

How do artists differentiate extraordinary beings from ordinary ones? Give examples

   One way that artist distinguish extraordinary beings is by giving them a composite body with multiple animal parts. An example of this would be the art work of Palette of King Narmer. In this piece the pharaoh at one point is depicted with the head of a bull. This alludes to his might and power. The pharaoh is considered a god and so the bull head is just one way the artist chose to depict him as powerful. Another example of this would be the Last Judgement of Hunefer, from his tomb. In this piece the gods are depicted with another animal's head. This signifies their superior supernatural status. Lastly but not the least would be the high officials in Africa that wear the elephant mask.
   Another way that artist depict extraordinary beings is by having more pronounced body parts. An example of this would be the Statues of votive figures, from the Square Temple at Eshnunna. In these statues there are a couple of pronounced features and one of them is the bulging eyes that illustrate that the deity is all seeing and omnipresent. Another example would be the Venus woman statue. This depicts a woman with big breast and hips to signify fertility. The Ambum Stone also might represent fertility.
   The ordinary beings don't depict partial animal/human figures and exaggerated features. 

 

Forbidden Palace

Review the ways architects design structures and spaces that communicate the power of the patron and state. Examine the Forbidden City's plan, making preliminary guesses about how this palace communicates power. Post your guesses in your blog.

   First of all I would say that this place communicates  power in the size of the Palace. The Palace was made to house the emperor and to convey the might of the emperor it was parallel in the great size of the actual Palace. Second I would say that the emphasis on using the number nine is an indication of its greatness. Nine is a number that means a lot in the spiritual power in China. And so to have nine rows of nine of brass nobs or the 9,999 rooms just adds to the power of this place as the number nine used in this Palace makes it seem to have power just beyond housing the great emperor. Thirdly I would say that the extensive treasures, jewels, and many other wonders that filled each of the rooms at the Palace and decorated the halls and open ways just demonstrates the power that is there. If this were some underclass citizens abode there is no way that we would put national treasures there. But there we have thousands of precious objects that would total in millions upon millions of dollars if sold today. This concentration of wealth in the form of treasures displays the power that is associated with the Palace. Lastly I would say that the location of the Palace is another thing to consider in communicating power. The Palace was placed in the political epicenter of China and so by putting the Palace in an important location it makes this Palace very powerful. If however it was placed in a small village or secluded somewhere else there is no way that it could exhibit its power. And that is why location of the Palace is an indication of the Palace communicating power.
   These are just a couple of my guesses on how the Palace illustrates power.

Longmen vs. Todai-ji

Compare the Buddha at Longmen Caves to the Buddha at the Todai-ji Temple.

   One of the similarities between these two Buddha is that they both are made very large and dominating in relation to the other statues and infrastructure around them. Both of these areas didn't receive assaulting that hurt the Buddha. Actually during World War Two the allies were bombing Japan, but the Buddha at Todai-ji was not hurt. And the same goes for the Buddha at Longmen which was not hurt over its existence.
   Furthermore both of the Buddha also have a couple of differences. One of the differences would include the medium. The Buddha at the Longmen caves was made out of the rock in the cliff. On the other hand the Buddha at the Todai-ji Temple was made out of bronze. Not only are the mediums different but also the cultural influence behinds these Buddhas. The Longmen Buddha is from China and the Todai-ji Buddha is from Japan. Because of these two different cultures they influence the art that is associated with the Buddha and infrastructure that goes around it.  

Longmen Buddhas vs. Bamiyan Buddhas

   Here is some similarities and differences between the Longmen Buddhas and Bamiyan Buddhas.
   Some similarities between the two would include that both of these are apart of the religion of Buddhism. Both of these are set in a geographical area in which it is set inside caves. Both of these have cave shrines and cave dwellings for the monks. Both of these area are geographically isolated.
   Some of the differences between these buddhas are that even though there are some geographical similarities there are also some differences. The geographical difference is that one is set in a valley in Afghanistan and the other was made on the banks of a big river. Another difference is the amount of statues. At the Bamiyan Buddhas there is only two great huge statues while at the Longmen Buddhas there are hundreds of buddhas. The main Buddha statue at Longmen is not as large as the main Buddha statue at Bamiyan. One historical difference between these two statues is that the Bamiyan Buddhas have received a more severe beating from human interaction. The Bamiyan have been hurt by humans going from Ghangis Khan to Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda actually destroyed the statues in Bamiyan. The Longmen Buddha statues on the other hand have not received any destruction to the statues.
   This concludes the comparison between the Longmen Buddhas and Bamiyan Buddhas.

Nave Muesum Extra credit

Picture of me outside the Nave Museum

 

 

 

I really liked this little memorial set up for this young man, Sean Christopher Lewis, that died. It really pulled at me with emotion as I felt for this young man that died and his family. I liked what they did, but in all honesty I hated this memorial and liked it. It was not as festive as some of the others around and it was sad that such a young man could die. When I approached the table and looked at the pictures and read about him I got the impression that he was full of life and have that taken away from him by a muscular dieses was really depressing. I was really happy that they did this in remembrance of this young man. This whole festivity that was about to happen is really meant to celebrate the dead and keep their memory alive. I even know this guy or his family, but I still felt a deep sense of appreciation that they did this for him. 

 

Artist: Toni Ross

 

Name of Artwork: Sean Christopher Lewis

 

Time Period: 2016

 

Media: It is a variety of different personal objects that defined who he was like baseball caps and jerseys.

 

Physical Description: There are many of personal objects that belonged to the young man, and a statue of the young man in a wheel chair.

 

This one particularly caught my attention because of the festive colors all of the place. This memorial really signifies the essence of the celebration of the dead. Even though death is such a horrible depressing event, looking at this made my heart fill with joy. Each had objects that defined that person and gave the audience an idea about who this person was. And this is really why I liked it. The intricate detail to make each one of these probably did take some time, but it goes to show how much these people meant to the artist which is awesome.

 

Name of Artist: Ray Ortega

 

Name of the Artwork: Cinta's De Los Muertos

 

Time Period: 2016

 

Medium: Different object that were personally owned and used by the people that they are commemorating. Over materials included tensile, lights, paint, candles pictures, wood and paper decorations.