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[rhoadsj-blog]

Week 15 - Gothic

This week’s reading focused on the Gothic style of art and architecture. This style quickly spread throughout Europe. In this blog post, I will first discuss French Gothic architecture, then I will talk about English Gothic Architecture, and finally I will touch on German Gothic architecture.

According to this week’s reading, the Gothic style of architecture began in France. French Gothic architecture had an emphasis on light and height. Cathedrals in this area are very tall, rising steeply from the city streets, and have many stained-glass windows. Flying buttresses were used to strengthen the walls since the wall materials were thinner than that of the Romanesque style of walls, and also because there were so many windows involved in the design. I really enjoy the look of French Gothic cathedrals. The tall towers, like those of Saint-Etienne on page 203 and Chartres Cathedral on page 205, seem even higher to me than they actually are because they come to a sharp point at the very top. These cathedrals also have statues integrated into their outside design. I find these statues to be intriguing because there are differences between the styles of the statues depending upon when they were created and who created them. An example of this is the comparison between the statues on the doorjamb of the west façade of the Chartres Cathedral and the statues on the doorjamb of the south transept of the Chartres Cathedral. The statues on the west façade are in frontal view and less natural looking, while the statues on the south transept are more lifelike.

The Gothic style of architecture quickly made its way toward England. According to the reading, the English Gothic cathedrals were placed in more nature-like areas rather than within cities. They are surrounded by grass instead of streets. These cathedrals are not as focused on height as French Gothic cathedrals. They are more horizontal. They also have fewer windows, so they need less buttressing. The Salisbury Cathedral on page 219 is an example of the English Gothic style of cathedral. I really like that it is surrounded by nature rather than the city, but I prefer the French Gothic style because the height makes it seem more grand to me.

The Gothic style of architecture also found its way into Germany and the Cologne Cathedral on page 220 was erected. According to the reading from this week, this German Gothic cathedral focused on height, similar to the French Gothic cathedrals. According to the reading, the Cologne Cathedral used to be the tallest building in the world. Like that of the French Gothic cathedrals, I like how the towers from the German Gothic Cologne Cathedral come to a sharp point at the top, making the already very tall towers look even taller.

In conclusion, in this blog post, I first discussed French Gothic architecture, then I talked about English Gothic Architecture, and finally I touched on German Gothic architecture. This week’s reading was about the Gothic style of art and architecture that quickly made its way throughout Europe.

[jacobfaber-blog1]

Good summary, gothic architecture was such a cool study for me I hope it was for you. The way they designed the building to accumulate the maximum amount of natural light was amazing to me. The statues on the editor walls were also an awesome feature, what was your favorite feature? Yeah your right about it spreading throughout Europe, I wouldn’t call it “quickly” it took several hundred years for the style of architecture to encompass Europe but it eventually did. Anyway, great post. Thanks, Jacob.

[jacobfaber-blog1]

Gothic

Learning about Gothic architecture was quite a surprise for me. Chapter thirteen was open the history and creation of Gothic architecture. Beginning in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, Gothic architecture became more and more common among cathedrals. Beginning in France and eventually spreading across Europe, these Gothic cathedrals were much larger and spacious than its predecessors. I find these to be a lot more beautiful and detailed than cathedrals prior. Everything about them, the spacious inside, the hundreds of sculptors on the exterior walls, and the massively tall ceilings are all awesome.

Unlike what I thought going in, Gothic architecture does not at all resemble what we associate with the word Gothic or “goth” for short. These buildings are not dark and scary but open and beautiful. They were not meant to be intimidating but majestic and a tribute to God and the king. Gothic cathedrals were built to maximize the intake of natural light. From interior pictures in the day time you can see how bright and shiny everything is. Today there is still no reason for artificial lighting in Gothic cathedrals because of this.

Some key features of Gothic architecture are tall ceilings designed out of peaks called a “vault”, pointed doorways in place of the common rounded style, and the famous “flying buttress”. The pointed doorway which led to the tall and spacious ceiling vaults was technology borrowed from the middle east, it had been there for hundreds of years before the French began to use them. I found it pretty interesting how styles of stricture and art travel like this. Someone must’ve observed it in the east and brought it back, just a weird thought. The flying buttresses were a support system for the buildings that came off from the exterior walls giving it the thin, detailed look Gothic cathedrals are famous for. Some other consistent traits of Gothic architecture were stain glass windows, gargoyles, and fountains.

My favorite feature of them was the stone status on the outside that covered the entire frontal walls. I found them so detailed and well placed. But overall Gothic art was pretty cool to learn about, I was able to watch a bunch of videos of the indie of these cathedrals which was cool as well. The way we’ve changed the meaning of Gothic was a much-needed reminder to not judge a book by its cover. I did not go into this blog thinking I would enjoy Gothic art but after actually learning what it was, I have to say I do. I found its history and origins to be fascinating to learn about as well, to have incorporated styles from the middle east is not something I would guessed for the early mid evil period. 

[emilyleifker-blog]

Week 13 Chapter 11

We began the chapter reading about Islamic Art which shows to be very different from other religious art. Muhammad’s teachings forbade the idolization of Allah and the Koran forbade the figurative representation of Allah. In many other religions and eras, gods, goddesses, kings, and queens were the main focus of art. Their art consisted mostly of abstract geometric and floral patterns. Sculptures were practically nonexistent because they were thought of as the work of Satan. This left architecture, such as a mosque, to shine. A mosque is the place of worship, where Muslims kneel and face Mecca. Before the constructions of mosques, Muslims would pray in any available space that faced Mecca. Mosques contain important features, including a sahn, an enclosed courtyard, and a qibla, a prayer wall. One of the best examples of an exquisite mosque is The Great Mosque at Cordoba, built by the first Muslim ruler of Spain. It was doubled arched and upheld by columns.

We then continue on and read about Northern European Art. Because of invasions, no monumental architecture, paintings, or sculptures were created. Instead, Anglo Saxons created the Sutton Hoo purse cover. It was known for its metalwork, containing gold coins, red garnets, and cloisonne enamel. The purse cover was very sleek and eye-catching, combining Early Christian and German designs.

Charlemagne’s Palace Chapel was probably my favorite part of the chapter! The Palace Chapel is artistically and architecturally beautiful. The Palace Chapel served as a public space, but also Charlemagne’s personal chapel. The Palace chapel is described to have a sixteen-sided outer wall with an octagonal center surrounded by an ambulatory, a place for walking, supporting a gallery. The gallery then opens to a central area through arches.

Education was very important to Charlemagne, leading to the importance of manuscripts. The manuscripts were portable, proving to be an essential part of artistic and educational communication. Personally, the manuscripts look a little freaky, the way the subjects are posed and their straight faces creep me out a little bit. Another strong reinforcer of education were the monasteries, building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone. All of the monasteries included a school, religious and administrative center. From page 180 and 181 in the textbook, “Monasticism is a way of religious life in which the individual takes vows of chastity, obedience, and poverty, and serves God in relative seclusion.”.

The last section in the chapter talks about the Ottonian Period. “Ottonian” refers to the three rulers named Otto who helped the Roman Empire after the death of Charlemagne. The Empire consisted of only Germany and parts of Northern Italy. The architectural spotlight of this period was the Benedictine abbey church of St. Michael’s at Hildesheim. The metal work of the building is showcased by the bronze doors. The doors are covered in scenes from the Old Testament and the New Testament, done in high relief.

[jacobfaber-blog1]

Hey Emily, 

you description and explanation of the Islamic culture at the time and how it tied into there art was really helpful for me in better understanding some of the things in the chapter. I really like Charlemagne's throne room too! I found it beautiful and exciting to look at. When you talked about the monks I really could picture in my mind these guys working away, copying scriptures, ancient France is such a cool topic, glad you were able to talk a decent amount about it in your post. Thanks, Jacob

[jacobfaber-blog1]

week 13

The middle ages or the dark ages are such a cool and mysterious era. We don't know a whole lot about this time period which is the reason it's referred to as the dark ages. Alot was happening politically and culturally during this time. Some of the most tragic events in human history such as the black death took place in this slot of history. We learn about this time period mainly through artifacts and legend. Not a whole lot of written records exist from this time period (with the exception of monks) because not a whole lot of people knew how to write. The glory and great minds of ancient Rome and ancient Greece were lost and there scroll containing all there precious knowledge either hidden away or destroyed. Im drawn to this era because of these things, its mystery, great wars, kings and kingdoms all captivate me.

Chapter eleven covered such a variety of cultures during the middle ages, from ancient France under the rule of charlemagne to Islam and the middle east. The art work of all these cultures was interesting to look as you try to picture the time frame and why someones was painting, sculpting ect. It. One thing I found consistent in almost all the art in chapter eleven was its lack of detail. I'm not saying the art was worse than its predecessors ( greeks and romans presay) but The painting especially were all a little less human, the figures took on a more cartoon shape and picture like portraits were not really around. I have a theory for explaining this. I believe a culture's art reflects itself on a deeper level than just what people acted or dressed like. I think that a chaotic culture (such as many mentioned in chapter eleven) will have chaotic art. Hear me out, I would say that today's western culture is quite fast pace, chaotic, and confusing. Because of that we've seen a shift in the art world from (if we're still talking paintings) still portraits and landscapes to “modern art” shapes and symbols with a supposed deeper meaning that isn't always clear to the onlooker. When looking at Middle age art we can see this as well. People were less educated and had little to no knowledge of the world around them, there art showed this by basic forms and little evidence of any outside cultural influence.

By far, my favorite work mentioned in the chapter was charlemagne's throne room, this was one of the few medieval works that i found intricate, detailed and just really beautiful. The colors and designs really make me wonder of the majesty and power charleman must've held. I also enjoyed the section on islamic art and its ties to religion, especially when it comes to muhammad. To me, middle eastern cultures and religions is still a bit of a mystery, I try my best to learn more about what it means to be muslim but unless you know someone in that culture, it really hard to truly understand. Islamic art kind of seemed restricted to me, I believe if their religion allowed more freedom in art, they could have a lot more and beautiful works that we could admire today.

[brainardaarthistory-blog]

Week 12 Chapter 10 Blog

Upon reading this chapter and information on my selected nonwestern place, I can say that I have learned quite a bit. In the first part of this blog post, I would like to discuss some of the things that I learned from the chapter in the book. Including the introduction of Christianity to the world, the mosaic artwork created during this time, and the Hagia Sophia. In the second half, I would like to talk about what I learned from the provided website and additional research on culture in China throughout 1 A.D. to 500 A.D. The two topics are about rather different things but both were very informative. Prior to reading this chapter, I was unaware that there was once a time where it was actually considered dangerous to be a Christian. When, in fact, at the beginning of the idea of Christianity “Rome was not entirely safe for Christians before A.D. 313.” I believe this was particularly shocking to me because Christianity is such a prominent religion in my area today. The second thing that caught my attention was the mosaics and to be completely honest these were so capturing to me because of how elaborate they are and the amount of detail that was put into them. When creating their mosaics, the Christian mosaics were created like the Roman’s were, using very small colored glass or stone squares; which I think would be very tedious to work with to create the large pieces that they did. Finally, the last thing from the chapter I would like to talk about is the Hagia Sophia, a beautiful piece of architecture that can be found in modern-day Turkey. This building is definitely fascinating, inside and out, the most catching thing to me was the ceiling on the inside of the Hagia Sophia after it was converted into a mosque. Overall I found this chapter to be quite fascinating and enjoyed reading it. For the research section of this blog, I decided to look into China from 1 A.D. to 500 A.D. During this time in China the Han Dynasty was the main focus and due to China being so traditional in their ways there are still many people who call themselves Han people. This is also the time in which Buddhism began to grow prominent and calligraphy made its presence in the southern parts of China. Outside of the Han Dynasty focus of this time period, there were other types of art that were being created including pottery with interesting glazes and woodblock prints. Overall, it was a time filled with various artistic creations that were all quite remarkable. After reading about both topics I found that there were many things that caught my attention. Particularly the mosaics and the incredible building that is the Hagia Sophia. I found both to feature incredible artwork that deserves recognition for the amount of hard work that was put into them both. I appreciate the fact that I now know more about both the beginning of the Christian religion and the nonwestern culture of China in earlier times.

[jacobfaber-blog1]

Hey there, Glad you found some things about early Christianity that you didn't know before. Its really sad how heavily early Christians were persecuted by Rome and many other nations including Israel and the Jews. I also found the section on stain glass windows or mosaics to be interesting. Ancient China was a cool and huge topic to pick, I enjoyed reading up on it. the part on their poetry was pretty cool as well. Another great part about your post is how you tied the two vastly different art styles together at the end and talked about the cultural significance surrounding both. Thanks, Jacob

[jacobfaber-blog1]

week 12

Chapter 1 in the textbook was about early Christian art and the culture that surrounded it. We also had the opportunity to pick another non-western art style to write about. I’m excited for this blog because it was fun to learn more about Christian art especially all the important historical events going on around the world that influence it.

So when we talk about early Christian art we first have to go back to its roots. It is clear that the main focus of this art aside from other important biblical characters is Jesus. Early Christian art took many forms, from statues to paintings to carvings and architecture. I read in many of my peers blogs how early Christian art was heavily influenced by Greek and Roman art styles. I would agree in a sense but we got understand why, after Jesus’ ascension The church began to spread rapidly throughout Greece and Rome especially. So many of the early Christians making this art were actually Greek and Roman which is why we can see you have the similarities in their art styles. When we really dig deep into the culture of early Christianity ancient Greece is a very large part. A large majority of the new testament our letters from the apostle Paul written to churches in Greece. In fact the word Christ is Greek for Messiah, the Hebrew term for savior.

Ancient Rome under the rule of Emperor Nero was not a safe place for a Christian to be. Often times Christians would be publicly burned to death on the city streets or tortured. I find early Christian art to be really interesting seeing where it all started to the massive globally dominate religion it is now. The colors and depictions of Jesus always fascinate me. I find no matter what we always see Jesus Christ as the center.

For the second portion of this post I was torn between A few cultures I wanted to write all but I chose ancient Russian art 1 A.D - 500. Ancient Russian history is super complex and so is there art, as I did research on the topic I was able to pick up a few key points in explaining how old their art evolved. Around the time of the western enlightenment . Peter the great, the czar of Russia went out searching for a national religion that would suit the country best. After turning down middle eastern Muslim religions and Israel’s Hebrew religion, he came to Constantinople’s version of Christianity and selected it. Constantinople was famous for its extravagant and powerful arts and architecture. When looking at Russian art from this time. We can see how Peter the Great incorporated the Styles into his own nation especially his capital. Peter the great built hundreds of temples and places of worship resembling that of Constantinople‘s. He spent enormous amounts of money hiring European painters and sculptors to decorate these buildings as well as his own home which is now used as a museum for all its art.

Their art was almost entirely human founded meaning it portrayed people and crowds more often than anything else. As European culture became more prominent in Russia as we can see their paintings and sculptures becoming more detailed and intricate. As these cultures mixed under the authority of Peter the Great, Russia became more modern.

[caseynicc]

Ancient Rome

For this week we are taking a closer look into Ancient Rome and previous to reading this chapter I did not have much knowledge of art from this time. To start off the architecture in Rome was influenced by Near East, Greece and Etruria. The main material used was concrete which was a material that helped much of the structures in Rome stand regardless of size and shape. Their domestic architecture seems like nothing special but in ancient times these houses and apartments were much nicer than say living in a clay hut. The public buildings from this time are truly a reflection of how nicely constructed these buildings were. Typically they were either a forum building which was square or rectangular open space bounded on three sides, and the basilica which is a high roofed structure which is at the end of a forum. These public buildings were constructed nicely and looked high class because of the architecture. For example the Markets of Trajan looks like a fine piece of architecture because of the arched windows and the rounded layout of the building. A more familiar piece of architecture would be the Colosseum. I recognize this structure previous to reading this chapter and all I have to say is there is a reason this is highly famous because its a beautiful structure and many human and animal battles took place in the arena for the romans to watch. The other types of architecture from Rome would include commemorative architecture and religious architecture. 

Moving on to different types of art from this time would include sculptures. The sculpture are made with great detail and look realistic. A Young Flavian Woman is a very beautiful bust which has great detail in the hair and looks real because of the detail in the curls and strands of hair. A popular statue from this time is the Augustus of Prima Porta. I particularly like this piece of art because of the fine detail and also because you get sense of what styles existed in Rome and the clothes they wear and the overall idea of what people looked like in this ancient time. 

The last type of art that was talked about in the book was the paintings and mosaics. Some of these paintings were able to be seen because they used wax in the time of the creation of the paintings to preserve them. Many of them survived and were discovered in Pompeii and Herculaneum. I like the Soothsayer mosaic because even though the faces in the picture are blurry I think the details being pieced together are very pleasing. The next piece of art which I like the most is the Villa of Mysteries. This piece of art was painted on the walls and from the pictures seems like a large painting. I think the overall idea of what is going on in the painting is confusing but the conclusion is that a ritual is going on which seems accurate. It does not include much color but I think what was used was the right amount of color. The thing that stands out the most to me is the person in the white robe. I feel like the person was painted wearing white because they are significant in some way. 

Overall I believe the art from Ancient Rome is highly influenced but in a way is its own art. I like the large concrete structures as well as the fine detail paintings that come from this time. The sculpture too were highly detailed. The art from this time is a reflection of the life in Ancient Rome. 

[jacobfaber-blog1]

Hi Casey,

First off great post, I like how you spent some time discussing its architecture. I did the same thing because we know the importance and lasting influence ancient Roman architecture has had. I like how you made a guess as to why only one person was wearing the white robe in the Miral, this is a good thing to do when viewing art. (I agree he was important somehow) there’s no doubt the ancient Rome was influenced by many other cultures as the empire contained hundreds of different peoples and nations but I think that’s kind of what ancient Rome was. A collection or melting pot of the known world.

Thanks, Jacob

[jacobfaber-blog1]

Chapter 9/Ancient Rome

I’m really excited to write on chapter nine which covered ancient Rome. The Roman empire was a super complex political machine that at one point contained the majority of the known world. There is no understating the influence and power that the ancient Roman empire once had. Because of this vast influence that the Romans had, we today are able to know so much about them due to detailed record keeping from within the empire as well as outside accounts of the influence they had elsewhere. Chapter nine talked about Rome’s rich culture and art that’s all flourished as the Empire itself did. Chapter nine, like the previous few chapters did a good job of including thoughts and discussion on culture as well as The art. I believe there’s no better way to understand a culture then to study it’s people and it’s art.

So quickly I want to discuss the parallels between ancient Rome and ancient Greece when it comes to their art. There is no question that Ancient Greece had some major influence on the Roman empire. The largest one outside of art( but not completely) was religion. The Romans had almost identical gods and goddesses to the Greeks under different names. The Romans worshiped and respected their gods in similar fashion as well. The Roman empire had a completely separate political system but I think in bedded in Roman culture was specs of ancient Greece. This is a really cool thought for me because it shows how even such a great empire Borrow things from previous cultures and people.

One of the most prominent things that comes to mind when discussing ancient Roman art is definitely architecture. No type of architecture has ever been more influential than Romans. When the Americans were constructing what is now Washington DC it is clear they had ancient Rome in mind. The capitol building with its columns, The Lincoln Memorial with its long white steps. And most obvious the White House, modeled after what a Roman governor’s house would’ve looked like thousands of years prior. Specifically, Roman pillars where the trademark of their architecture. Roman pillars are still used in buildings and housing today and have not gone out of style.

Ancient Rome is also quite famous for its many sculptures. Roman sculptures are quite similar to The Greeks with some minute but important differences. For one the Romans had a lot more female statues then the Greeks, often the statues would be just of the body with the arms legs and head not included. Ancient Rome Valued their art and displayed it in wealthy peoples homes, government buildings and even what would be today’s equivalent of an art gallery. Many of these statues were to show off military might ( which Rome certainly had ) or the political power of a governor. For me, Head busts are what comes to mind when I think of Roman statues. We have preserved a head bust for almost every Roman Cesar, this helps us to establish an accurate political timeline for ancient Rome. This was also one way the Caesars would attempt to be remembered.

Ancient Rome has always been an interest of mine, their military power and famous culture all continue to impress and amaze me. As I mentioned before there is no understating the importance and influence ancient Rome had thousands of years ago and the influence we can see on the modern day. Chapter 9 did a great job of covering what I consider the important stuff and enjoyed being able to learn some new things.

[stavroplusn-blog]

Chapter 8 Etruscan's

Chapter 8 has been a very interesting chapter as I have known little to none about the Etruscans people and even their art.  when reading I was able to discover that much of it was tied into Greek architectural designs along with sculptures, carvings within tools such as pans vases and statues. The Temple of Apollo at Veii shares many similarities with the Temple of Athena or known as the Parthenon such as the suportsCarvings within the rooftop and the overall look of the Temple,  But when looking at the temple I can also see many similarities with Eastern countries of China and Persia. I believe these people style of art is truly amazing as they were people of trade meaning they traveled all over their world which gave them inside to other people’s ways of life in which they incorporated into their own art and their ways of life.

Not only did the temple share similarities between the cultures of Greece, Persia, China, and Africa/Egypt, but so did many of their sculptures and pottery.

You could see their Cultural diffusion of art through things such as the wounded chimera. From the wounded chimera one could see the body of a lion in which could only be found in Africa at this time and the body of a goat which was common to see in Greece, and with the tail of a snake which most likely could be found within their own Homeland, Greece, Africa, Persia, or many other places throughout the world. But from these different animal parts it gave the people of today Insight on how these people interacted and how they may have been connected in some ways.

When reading I saw something that really stuck out to me. Which was the way they treated their women and how they portrayed them within their art. Throughout the world around them in places such as Rome, Sicily,Greece, Persia, Africa, Egypt, and Pompeii women overall were treated the same used as a housewife doing household chores and producing children, but when looking at the Etruscan women they could be seen participating in public life holding higher positions than their husband’s be involved state affairs use their money in any way they saw fit. One of the biggest things was they were able to participate in school and get a form of Education.  I think these people have been overlooked within history as I am now very interested in learning more about the Etruscan people and to see if their art was real or fake. Possibly the women would portray themselves higher than what they were as a way possibly put themselves in a position they wanted, but n doing this it gave us a fake reality.

I believe way of portraying death and burial scenes shell in line with many of the Egyptian ways of doing things. I believe if it wasn’t for them being a trading people they would be much like Rome and not have this cultural diffusion and a style they can call their own.

[jacobfaber-blog1]

First off, great post. 

I think most off us including myself had little to no knowledge that their was even a Etruscan civilization. When it comes to cultural influence the Greeks were by far the most influential which you realized but I liked how you noted a lot of other civilization that had influence on the Etruscan's as well. Why I choose to respond to you is you and I shared the same skepticism when it came to how the book said women were valued. The art displaying something I don’t find to be sufficient evidence for equal rights and you are very correct that the art could and probably is very misleading. Anyway, thanks. Jacob,

[jacobfaber-blog1]

Week 10

Chapter eight was about ancient Etruscans, their art, their culture, and what impact their art has had on our art today. It also spent some time discussing how big of an impact Ancient Greece was on its culture. Etruscan culture is very comparable to that of Ancient Greeks. Even when comparing their art, one can see a clear comparison on they way they dressed, who they viewed and valued the women, and a strong irreligious undertone. Something the book mentioned that I found pretty cool was their Language. The Etruscans created their own language, presumably being heavily influenced by Greek. Etruscans is a long dead language which has been an impediment to further understanding of their culture. They clearly had a somewhat advanced written language all that is useless to us for understanding. We can however, enjoy the beauty of the language without reading it. The Etruscans created many classical art types such as statues, paintings, pottery, and beautiful architecture. These are also clues revealing Greek influence.

When it comes to religion, The Etruscans borrowed a ton from the Geeks and Ancient Phoenicia. They were pagan meaning worshiping many gods, goddess, and deities. Their gods and goddess were the same as the Greeks just under different names and functions. They worshiped gods of important things, places and events. For example they had a god of death, and god of wine and Uni the sun goddess. Greece had deities for all these things as well. As with most cultures, Etruscans religion heavily influenced their art, sculptures, poetry, and even monuments were created to honor and worship their gods. We get a lot of beautiful art from these practices.

Another topic the book touched on was women’s role in Etruscans society. I read some other peers blogs and what the book had to say. It seems like there is an overwhelming conclusion that women were much more respected and valued in Etruscan then in Greece or Rome. This can be observed through their art, when looking at Ancient Greek art it is overwhelmingly male. Aside from a few statues of goddess, Greek art focused and gloriyed the male form far more than the female. What I found interesting is that Etruscan was nearly the opposite. The female form was the center of their art, statues and paintings alike focused on the female curves and beauty of the female form. there is also depictions of women out and about in society, doing things we only see men doing in Greek art. Although the book claims this is evidence for women having more “rights” than their contemporaries in Greece, I’m not completely convinced. Women in a lot of ancient cultures were deprived in art and still oppressed. Although their heavy appearances in art is a clue women may have had more rights, it doesn’t mean they had equal rights. There is truly no way to tell for sure what women’s status was, it’s just my option that art is not sufficient evidence to determine they were indeed treated the same as men.

[caseynicc]

Week 8 Blog

Ancient Greece is another part of history that I have some knowledge of but that is about it. To begin I recognize some of the known epic poems that have came from this time. I remember learning and reading The Iliad attributed to Homer, and also The Odyssey. These are both important and interesting epic poems and they are a very known and still hold meaning even this many years later because I learned about them in literature. I think a lot of literature is forgotten as art and majority of people think art is creating pictures but through these epic poems a picture is painted. I believe literature is art because through the experiences in the writing it is connecting with a person and it gives pleasure to others just by words. Much like painting and drawing it is a form of expression that humans show and literature is also expression through writing

The styles that come from Ancient Greece pottery consist of The Geometric Style which has rectilinear patterns and is pleasing to the eye because of the lines forming rectangles in a smooth movement but yet has harsh corners. Next the Orientalizing style has more curvilinear patterns than the geometric style and has geometric borders around the pictures in the art. I find these more pleasing because in my eyes it looks like a more developed geometric style piece of art. Archaic Style has more of a darker feel and I find the famous piece Achilles and Ajax playing a Board Game to be very pleasing because it gives a deep contrast in the art on the vases. Moving on to the sculpture styles there is the Archaic style which seems to be influenced by Egyptian techniques. The Statue of a Kouros definetly has the Egyptian feel because in the face it reminds me of the faces in the Palette of Narmer. In the early classical style the way the human was sculpted changed and takes on a different approach. The human sculptures look more detailed and more realistic. Finally the classical style is what is considered to be the golden age of greek art and is the some of the best looking sculptures. This time reflects on the intellectual achievements and shows how much their art really matters. When talking about Greece everyone knows you cant leave out their architecture. When looking at some of the architecture still standing I see it as a message to other countries. They made huge structures with large pillars that just scream power and riches. 

In the podcast I liked how they used beauty as much as they can. It gives a sense of how this art from this time actually looks and how much emotion comes from just viewing this art. It also talks about what beauty meant to people in Greece and how attractiveness played a large role in how they perceived beauty. This idea of beauty really reflects in the art from this time because most of all their art is very pleasing to look and that is what beauty is to them. 

[jacobfaber-blog1]

Casey,

I really enjoyed how you spent so much time on the Beauty aspect of the chapter, I know that was the theme this week but it’s easy to get distracted by everything else. You really made it clear How relitive and meaningless beauty was in Ancient Greece. Glad you were able to mentioned the different arts like sculptures and paintings as well.

Thanks, Jacob.

[jacobfaber-blog1]

Weak iiiahtt

This was a pretty fascinating study. Chapter seven was over ancient Greece which a time period we are still learning about and from. Chapter seven discussed nearly all there is to in regards to art. Sections even talked about their ancient form of democracy which we do credit ancient greece with. I hope by now we know how broad of a term “art” is. I believe the ancient Greeks recognized this as well. Chapter seven went over philosophy, sculpture, paintings, religion, politics, all which can be traced to or relevant in art.

Something I read in alot of my peers blogs as well as in chapter seven was the rights of women in ancient greece. First we have to understand that although their artwork was beautiful and their culture rich, they were not a good people. Until Paul was able to reach certain parts of Greece with the Gospel and news of Jesus, Greece was a violent place whose laws enabled what we would see as atrocities. Their worship of multiple gods confused and darkened the minds of the people. Women could not be respected in an environment like that. In order for them to see the injustices put on them, they would have to be liberated from that culture first.The article underneath the podcast link said Greeks viewed beauty as “skin deep”. This is kind of how our culture is reverting back too. There many people, I would argue the majority who would say beauty is more than skin deep but when it comes down to our basic thoughts and feelings, beauty is sadly just that to us.

Another cool part in that article was how is took the english translation of the Genesis and used the greek word. Genesis was originally written in hebrew, it gave a hebrew world corresponding to the greek one but not the original hebrew itself. Ancient Greece is by far one of the most influential time period today. Its culture, political ideologies, and especially its Art all resonates into today. Rome, the second largest empire to ever exist, modeled itself after Greece. Architecture is another art that has lasted for centuries. If you look at our capital, you will see roman pillars which were modeled from original greek architecture. Both the podcast and chapter seven gave me new insights on how beauty was evaluated and created in ancient Greece. There is so much mystery and tension surrounding the Greeks, is really a fascinating topic to write and learn about.

[howej23-blog]

Chapter 5

I thought chapter 5 was really interesting and I learn a lot of new information.  I do not really remember learning a much about ancient egypt during school.  Most of this information was fairly new to me.  I found it interesting and it kept my attention throughout the chapter.  

I do remember talking about the pyramids in school, just a little bit.  Which means we probably covered other things, I just do not remember.  In school we made our own pyramids.  We made them out cardboard and glue and created them as if we were making a pyramid for the first time.  I think the pyramids and so amazing but I can not believe that they were made. They are huge and there is a lot going on from the outside and the inside.  They did not just makes one pyramid they made several.  With each pyramid they made they got more complex each time.  They did not make the pyramids just for fun, there was a reason behind it.  It was a place for the king to be buried.  They made huge pyramids, for there king to be buried at.  This just blows my mind.  For them to want to put that much work in, there king must have meant a lot to them.  I wish the book would have added how long they have estimated it took to build the pyramids. I want to know how they were built.  They did not have all the tools we have now, it must have been a lot of working with your hands.  The pyramids have always been something that have interested me so I am glad I got to learn more about it.  

The process of mummification really grabbed my attention.  They believed to get to another life after death there bodies had to be preserves.  I never knew that is why they wrapped themselves up in linen.  It does make sense that they would not be wrapped up after they were dead ‘for fun’. I think it is weird to remove their organs if they want to live on again.  I would have thought you would keep them inside of the body, you need your organs to live.  But they left the heart, I do not get why you would take all the organs except one.  They must have thought for the heart to be the most important organ to leave it inside the body before it was preserved.  I think it is weird they kept the organs by be protected by Horus’s sons.  I would not have ever thought organs were important enough to be protected after leaving a body.  

This chapter blows my mind about what they believed and how they did certain things.  I do not understand how the pyramids were built, it is crazy to me.  That they wanted to preserve their bodies to make it to another life.  There views and what they did just surprised me.  I do believe it is important to understand what happened before we lived.  

[jacobfaber-blog1]

Hey, Jacob here

Really cool post, I liked that you brought up the mummification process the ancient Egyptians used. It’s actually quite gruesome but is fascinating to learn about. Do you think that would be considered art? Lol. You should read my post, a lot of people are saying the pyramids were used for burial purposes, I don’t believe that to be the case. I’ve only seen mummification discussed in your post so thanks for bringing it up. Jacob.

[jacobfaber-blog1]

Weak sixxcc

Ancient Eygt is one of the biggest mysteries today. We know so much about their society from the many afrtifacts, monuments, language, and art left behind yet when it comes to the very details of what their day to day culture looked like or the technological capabilities they truly had, we have no idea.

Chapter five had a lot to say about ancient Egyptian art as well as society (the two are kind-of Intertwined). Somethings I thought were accurate, aswell as interesting was pretty much its whole discussion of the importance and relevance of art in ancient Egyptian society. These people were clearly cultural and the book points that out. Just as I believe we are today, Egyptians were dependent on art to sustain their image. Almost all the artifacts and monuments still in existence today were either built for or commissioned by a Faroe. The reason why ;and the reason the book gave, was just the grand scale of some of these works of art. The Monuments in particular are still wonders of the world today. Aside from the obvious pyramids, the also impressive Sphinx monument has lasted just as long and whos size countinues to shock tourists. Sadly the mouth of one of these Sphinx has broken off but The beauty of it has not diminished.

Chapter 5 spent a decent amount of time talking about the pyramids. The pyramids are really the image of Egypt today and are by far the most popular tourist attraction in the area. The book made it pretty clear that the pyramids were used as burial sites for pharaohs. I’ve done a lot of research on this point now and in the past and it is abundantly clear that the pyramids were not used for burial sites but for and entirely different function. There are many theories on what that function might have been. The most convincing what I’ve heard so far is that the pyramids were used to produce electric energy. It’s kind of crazy to think that the ancient Egyptians had electric power but it has been proven they did.

Really, I believe the intention of chapter 5 was to stress The beauty and 4/10 of art in ancient Egyptian society. Whether we are talking about monuments, pyramids, hieroglyphics, or jewelry; ancient Egyptian art have left a legacy that lasted thousands of years and will continue to be of impact of interest forever.

[gsydney11]

Chapter 4

I really enjoyed reading chapter 4. There were a lot of different unique sculptures that were mentioned in this chapter. I thought that a lot of these sculptures in this chapter were amazing to look at. Someday, I would like to go see some of these sculptures at an art museum. I think they would be breathtaking to look at in real life. I have always admired sculptures, and I like learning about the history of them and when they were built. I thought the Neolithic plastered skull from Jericho was very interesting. I thought it was crazy to learn that it was built c. 8000-7000 B.C. In the book, it says “skulls such as this reflect an attempt to reconstitute the image of the dead person by modeling features in plaster.” I thought this was very fascinating to learn. The Head of Gudea sculpture and the seated Gudea sculpture were also interesting. I enjoyed learning more about Gudea. I learned that he was the king of Lagash, and that he embodied the transition between gods and humans. I also learned that Gudea either stands or sits, usually with hands folded in an attitude of prayer. The Hittites were interesting to read about. I didn’t know anything about those people, so it was fun to read about them. It was fascinating to learn that they kept records in cuneiform on clay tablets. I thought the Lion Gate Stone was very unique and creative. I was intrigued when the book said, “the guardian lions are a traditional motif in ancient art because of the belief that lions never sleep.” The Hittite war god sculpture was amazing to look at. I just thought that it looked very beautifully made, and it looked like it took a lot of time and effort to create it. The Achaemenid artists also have some very amazing and beautiful artwork. My favorite was the Achaemenid drinking vessel, because I thought it was very unique and creatively made. I thought it was amazing that it was made from gold. It is very fascinating how the metalwork is a lion on one end, and a drinking vessel on the other end. I loved reading through this whole chapter. I enjoyed learning about some different ancient artists and their artwork. Art is very interesting to look at and learn about, so it is fun to look back on artwork that was made such a long time ago by incredible artists.

[jacobfaber-blog1]

I also enjoyed the sculptures discussed in the text, you didn’t touch on it but I think it’s obvious there relation to the cultures religious traditions and worship. Glad you went over Jericho, the skull was a super cool piece, one of the best in chapter 4 in my opinion. The gold vessel you mentioned was awesome too, makes me wonder what the prosses in making somthing like that would consist of.

[jacobfaber-blog1]

Week fwaaaa

So chapter 4 was a pretty interesting read for me. I’ve always enjoyed the Mesopotamians and Sumerians eras. I had know a little about what their art consisted of and looked like before but chapter for definitely gave me a more well rounded idea. It’s clear the the chapters are moving in chronological order according to what the authors believe and I find that somewhat interesting as well. So chapter 4 was pretty spaced out and covered a lot of different cultures and aspects of art within those cultures but I’m going to highlight some target areas that stuck out to me and how I interpreted them. It began discussing about written art and carvings the authors believe came at the begging of the Sumerian civil action and arguably helped build it. It’s under no question that a written language is vital for a more advanced civilization and. Samaria as well as Persia became such massive empires partly due to them having one. The carvings shown were clearly religious most likely some type of idol worship. The Bible discuses these civilizations in some detail and idol who ship was a large part of their lives. Another target point of chapter 4 was the Neolithic era and its effects on art. I didn’t know what the Neolithic area was on my first read. I’m always fascinated by anything do do with history so I did some outside research. The major way we can define the “Neolithic era” would be the era in which farming was developed. Before this we had dealt with last week, cave paintings, stone hedge etc. but during the Neolithic era, art took on a different form and purpose as civilizations began to develop. This totally makes sense, instead of worshiping and idolizing wildlife by painting them on walls, instead we have detailed carvings man begins to worship what he creates with his own hand. Another random thought was that farming was kind of an art. Think about the first group of people to harness the ability of controlling wheat or corn, they must’ve thought it was beautiful. Overall I really enjoyed chapter 4, I’m glad it’s going over the history of art from the very beginning, it’s good at simply explaining how art has developed especially during these mostly unknown times.

[caseynicc]

Week 3 Blog

       For this week I chose to research the Venus figurines because I actually did not have much knowledge of what they were other than the fact that they were old sculptures. Basically Venus Figurines are a bunch of these little figurines that represent the female body but in a special kind of way that I will cover in this post. Typically on these figurines they have enlarged females breasts and buttocks with no facial features as well as small counterparts. I find these figurines to be very pleasing because the woman’s body and human body itself is a work of art and these figurines show that the woman’s body has always been a work of art even dating back to B.C. times. To begin these figurines are thought to be some of the oldest art that man has uncovered after many years. The most common figurines that have been found are the female figurines but there has also been some figurines found that they were unsure of the gender and were a male. The figurines were commonly made of bones, antlers, stone, and even ivory from mammoths. One of the figurines found is said to be made of wooly mammoth tusk. This truly shows how old and prehistoric this art piece is considering it features a part of a wooly mammoth. The most known Venus Figurine is The Venus of Willendorf. This figurine was carved from limestone and in my opinion is the most interesting one of them all. I find this interesting because it is near impossible to know anything about it other than its physical properties. The experts know that it is a woman and what it is made of. Other than the approximate time it came from that is the only thing they know about it. It is impossible to figure out who made it or even why it was made. Humans want a clear understanding of everything and sometimes think they know everything but they only know what they seen in this case with the Venus of Willendorf. Another interesting fact about these figurines is many of them were found over 20,000 miles apart in other countries but yet represent each other in ways like the form of the woman body for example. I find it really neat because 20,000 miles is a long way and seems like there would be a lot of cultural differences but yet the idea of the art is the same. 

     To know what the actual intent of these figurines are for is nearly impossible to know but many theories exist about the Venus Figurines. One theory that I researched was that they were used for scared and religious purposes because at the time women didn’t depict what the statues form represented. Another thing to note is the small size of the figurines and how many of them do not have feet to stand up with. This would point to the idea that they were held in hand during rituals or ceremonies making this a sacred item. Another theory about these figurines is that they were used as a symbol of fertility because the shape represents with a pregnant woman. Some also had a place to put a string through to wear as a pendant and could serve as a protectant for woman during child birth. These both seem logical but I believe the religious use seems the most correct in my opinion. The fact that the size of them fit in the hand seems like a logical reason that they were held and holding things during rituals is common in religion. The main reason for my opinion on this theory is the fact they do not stand up or have no feet seems to prove they were not used as decoration, more as a hand held item. In the end I believe these figurines are very interesting and are a big part of art history and the knowledge of art. I did not know much about these until today and I am glad we did research on it. 

[jacobfaber-blog1]

That’s so crazy bro, you’re Probably right. Whatever religious traditions they had seems like the most sensible reason for them. The fact their 20000 miles apart blows my mind, to think they either traveled or had some other sort of communication. How they used bones and other animals to create these processes I found pretty dope too.