cyberstudentsoul-fan-blog

[cyberstudentsoul-fan-blog]

I totally agree with everything you mentioned. I too, had also talked about how Goth, in this conversation, had a different meaning. In my Cultural Diversity class, we are now talking about disability, but we talked about how “gay” and disabilities in general have administered more than just one meaning. I also like how big the cathedrals were and how their architecture was related to other cultures. I find it very fascinating that, even to this day, we have architectural sketches and ideas that could date from this era and even further back. 

I also agree that I had no idea what I was going to learn or even begin to think about Goth art. I didn’t think I would like reading about it. It’s a good thing they incorporate pictures! History is so cool and it’s really good to hear you watched videos on something that really caught your attention! I hope it peaked more interest in other cultural art as well!

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. 

[cyberstudentsoul-fan-blog]

Week 15-Ch.13

Gothic art, around 1137-44 has so much detail within everything the culture entails from manuscripts, sculptures and even the architectural buildings that stand tall. Gothic was a term that applied to mostly the Western Europe area. It was first used by the Italians to denigrate (criticize) the pre-Renaissance. 

This type of Gothic art and the potential timeline and era remind me of The Da Vinci Code movie. During the several plots in the movie, Tom Hanks (Robert Langdon) and Audrey Tautou (Sophie Neveu), partnered together to solve a mystery in a murder. Following the clues to solve the murder in Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous paintings, Hanks and Tautou recover an ancient secret which, good or bad, could change the foundations of Christianity. This type of art just reminded me of the movie is all and I feel as if I understand the topic a little more, however, sometimes movies have false facts or made up characteristics to make a movie.

The three things that really stand out to me is the architecture that seems similar to other cultures and time periods, the sculptures in which seem like living creatures with detailed artwork and the paintings. I feel as though as we go on into other cultures that seem closer to our time period, buildings and some paintings and just art in general, seem to make more sense and look the same. With that being said, in one other chapter, some cultures had kept the look of buildings but made small changes to them so they belonged to a certain culture/time period and took credit for their appearances. Sculptures, like Ancient Rome and pyramids in Egypt still have the same detailed look to them that make them look realistic and gives the art life. As far as the paintings go as well, I feel the same way about them as I do sculptures. I believe each part of Gothic Art in particular plays a certain role in power and rule. The Chartes Cathedral also has some resemblance in other art which looks as if they ruled over peasants and gave consequences because they are in rule. 

I favorite part of Gothic art is the stained glass. I love stained glass in general and as a child, I would go to church and (I’ll admit, I’d zone out), look at the windows from the pews and see how bright the sun shown through. When that happened, the sun came through in different colors from the stained glass. Whether it was green, red, yellow, blue, or even the black outline, it all looked so cool. I also have a thing with color and just free-draw/different kind of art and I’ve tried coloring glass and had cut glass before. It was so cool to experience it all!

In all, Gothic Art could teach us so much more about our culture now, just like the others did. Gothic art isn’t at all what it sounds like-where black is the color for everything. There aren’t any sad stories we hear and learn about, like the Dust Bowl or murdering rulers for power. I believe there’s another true story and so much more history on Gothic Art!

[cyberstudentsoul-fan-blog]

I like how you incorporate your opinions into your blogs after introducing a topic or a different idea from the book. I think you provide good context, but sometimes I think they become a little vague. Your a good writer, go beyond what you think you can do. Your good at writing, but write more! I also agree with how clean this era’s artwork is. I feel as we read more into different time eras and reflect on other art, they also see very similar features. I also found it interesting how sculptures portrayed Satan, so they weren’t as heavily influenced. It’s kinda crazy to think of that to begin with. I’m starting to want to know about their thought processes at times. It’s just weird, and their religion I think can be drastically different, but also seem the same. I also find it interesting as to what you liked and things in the chapter that popped out to you. I like reading different posts and find out new things that also interested others. It’s almost like differentiating our likes and dislikes like the cultures we read about as well!

Good job.

Blog Post Week 13

This weeks blog post is about art from the Early Middle Ages. Previous to reading this chapter I had no previous knowledge of art from this time. The book says that the rise of the Early Middle ages happened following the decline of the Roman Empire which was from the 7th to the end of the 10th century. Like last week I find this weeks chapter to be interesting material because from viewing and observing the art you can tell there is a high influence of religion in their art much like the Christian art.

Islamic Art has high influence from their religion because they basically live for their religion so they must obey the rules. The Koran state that it forbids the figurative representation of Allah or his prophets so majority of all the paintings include abstract geometric and floral patterns. I found it interesting that sculptures were considered the work of Satan so sculptures in Islamic art really didn’t exist. On the other hand the monumental architecture and architecture decorations made up for not having sculptures because this art thrived in Islam. In Cordoba the Great Mosque was originally created for the first Muslim ruler of Spain and it seemed like a beautiful place to see. The design of the double arches were interesting because in the large interior space it looks like a bunch of separate walk ways. These arches where 9 feet 9 inches and the paint and details on the top of these columns add a pleasing visual. The part of the Great Mosque that really caught my eye was the mihrab bay in the mosque. The ceiling in this part of the mosque has a intense mosaic filled with abstract patterns of floral and geometric shapes. In my opinion I really liked the color choice because it has enough contrast to see the individual design but still blended together nicely. The room itself also had beautiful complicated patterns that are very intricate that I found interesting. This would be something special to see in its time because now it is a cathedral and only has some of the beauty that existed during its time. 

The next topic in this chapter was the Northern European Art. During this time no monumental architecture, paintings, or sculptures were created from this time due to invasions, but another type of art was being made which was influenced by the invaders. A piece of art that is famous from this time would be the Sutton Hoo purse cover. This purse cover was made of gold and red garnets and in my opinion is a fancy looking purse cover. The figures on this piece of art are pleasing to look at because it is symmetrical. The patterns on this also are an eye catcher because the line detail in this work is clean. The last piece of art that I found to be really interesting was the Four Evangelists from a gospel book. I really do not understand what is happening in the painting but the dark blue background on the white robes of the people adds great contrast and the dark figures add to the painting seeming like they are evil in some way. In conclusion I found this chapter to be interesting because I didn’t have much knowledge of this art but after seeing some I really like the colors and patterns that were used in most of this art. 

[cyberstudentsoul-fan-blog]

Week 13-Ch.11

The Early Middle Ages refers to the beginning of the seventh century to the end of the tenth. Islam Art, The Great Mosque, Anglo-Saxon Metalwork, Hiberno-Saxon Art, Palace Chapel, Manuscripts and Monasteries all have a big impact on this time period.

Islam means submission to God’s will, which refers to the religion. Muhammad, a prophet who founded Islam had only control of Arabia around the time of his death in 632. With the amount of fights that had involved the Middle East which had been run by Muslims, this area soon spread to Afghanistan, Portugal, Spain and some of southwest France. Within this expansion, became Christianity. 

Muslim ruler of Spain, Adbar-Rahma-n I and the expansion of the West, had to introduce new mosques for all the new territory. He had also gotten one built in his home town. Islamic architecture in Western styles have extended their artistic abilities and enlarged the construction multiple times! Around the 13th century, Christians turned these into churches. These mosque’s are especially unique due to where they came from. The columns and designs had originated from Roman to Early Christian buildings, which had now, been used to decorate and hold mosques for their architecture. 

To me, the mosques look a lot like temples or palaces like the pharaohs and different rules used to proclaim and make known where they lived. I think that the Early Middle Ages had gotten many of their ideas from these other cultures, like earlier ones did before them and so on. I find it rather fascinating that they had even thought of this to begin with. I have mentioned in my other blogs about how art has been copied before which either destroys the origination or ruins the meaning of it before. I feel as though this is another example, but for good reasons. We’re always being taught history (even in this class) and how important it is today because it’s been shaping our futures and the past for decades. I believe, all in all, that the reasons behind the madness of all of this is to create a more noble and “better” culture than the rest. There’s always another “one up” idea that shapes a culture and really makes it their own. No two are the same, but only similar. 

Out of this entire chapter, I’d have to say my favorite is the Palace Chapel. It’s just the size of the place. It’s so incredible and I wish to go there one day. I’d love to see how truly big it was not just from pictures. This Chapel consists of offices, workshops, and other smaller buildings. This had big meaning for Charlemagne because he used it for his own worshiping and for imperial courts. He was also the Roman emperor crowned by the Pope. He had great power over parts of western Europe including France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, northern Spain and Italy. This time period was the Carolingian Period in which it comes from Charlemagne’s grandfather.  

In all, this chapter had lots of rulers and still had emperors. There was so much that had been ruled over, even under one ruler, especially Charlemagne. I loved the Palace Chapel, but also the amazing art that consisted of this time period. I am hoping to one day learn more of this and be able to explore the amazingly power Palace Chapel that holds most of Earth’s history itself!

[cyberstudentsoul-fan-blog]

I for one like the topic or the culture you picked. It was much different than mine and I greatly feel your expression about this. I however have had no knowledge prior to the reading or really anything as well, so reading about Japan was awesome! Would you want to go to Japan someday? I think that there’s more to this culture as well because there’s more than what meets the eye. Someone could like a dragon painting while someone else would like their lanterns. But there could so much more to their culture and even the story behind their religion or artwork for that matter. I like how you expressed your opinion on this topic and where you stand and your view points are on the artwork. I would 100% agree with you when you mentioned pottery being a huge influence for thousands of years because well, it has. All the readings we’ve done and constant research and findings we’ve found throughout history gives us knowledge today of what history was like and where we could have been at one point.

Great post!

Blog Post Week 12

The discussion topic for this week is Early Christian and Byzantine art. Right away I thought of the Christian religion and some of the early history about this. Their religion would have a major influence on their art and architecture because their religion is basically what their beliefs are based off of. The marble sarcophagus in the Church of S. Maria Antiqua in Rome is the perfect example of their religion reflecting art because on the visible side there is a visual from the Old Testament and the New Testament which includes carvings of Jonah and the Whale as well as John the Baptist baptizing a child and other carvings of religious figures. This section notes that this carved sarcophagus had influence from the Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans because they would carve sculpture with religion figures. Moving onto Byzantine art previous to this chapter I did not have much knowledge of art from this time. In my opinion I was shocked at how incredible Hagia Sophia looked on the outside and the inside. From the outside it looks like a large temple with 4 towers on each corner. From the inside the ceiling looks drastically high and the pillar structures made it look high class as well as the mosaic decorations. Finally I would like to point out that this place was an imperial building and was only available for the emperor and his court so this was not available to the public. I think this is a true reflection of how important royalty was. In conclusion, the art from this chapter was pretty interesting but in my opinion I like the Hagia Sophia and the San Vitale because of how large and incredible the architecture was. 

For the second part of this post I researched Japanese art from 1-500 A.D. During this time in Japan the people that lived their would practice building tombs out of large mounds and they would be buried with treasure. These large tombs were evidence of Japan developing a power with central government. Some of the treasures buried in these tombs were objects like bronze mirrors, personal belongings, and clay vessels. Advancing into a more structured art in the early 400s more advanced clay pottery was being developed like using a pottery wheel to create their art. During the Yayoi period a piece of pottery was created which was a jar and in my opinion I find it fascinating and impressive that in 100-300 A.D. a jar was created with the design Im familiar with seeing. This would bring up the point that this design has influenced pottery for thousands of years because there is a lot of pottery that looks like this and the Japanese were doing this in roughly 100-300 A.D. In my opinion the art from this period is interesting because at a glance with no prior knowledge these sculptures would seem basic but if you think of how old these piece of art actually are it will blow your mind because art existing all the way back to 300 A.D. seems almost impossible because life was not very advanced in that time.  After doing a little research and seeing some of the art from this time was interesting because I really had no knowledge prior to looking at this website. But in conclusion I was impressed at how influential and advanced this art was i this time.

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/05/eaj.html

[cyberstudentsoul-fan-blog]

Week 12-Ch.10

To begin my blog this week we’re focusing on the Early Christian and Byzantine chapter in which it talked a lot of religion, the art they portrayed, little history behind a few art pieces and their architecture. I believe a lot of what stood out to me was the artwork because most of it related to the rulers like most other time periods did. This era also talked about the basilicas and went into much detail about their buildings and architecture. It’s kind of hard to believe that so many cultures had the same ideas or greatly reflected from each other, yet they were all different time eras. It’s really fascinating to know new information about this because as we think about our society today and what we have, today, we greatly differ from others back then and we also have differences even from the Early Christian and Byzantine era. 

I was to look up Western art in which talked about it’s political and social views or problems. For this part, I decided to check out North America, which just so happens to be Canada and the U.S. When I first saw North American artwork I thought it would it be similar or exactly alike to actual art we know today. However, I was wrong. It almost looks like it came from a different time period. As in like the art of the Etruscans or some of Ancient Greece or a mixture of both. Some looks as if it came from Egypt too. I was very surprised and a little confused when I saw this as well because I had originally thought I was looking at said Etruscan and Ancient Greece or Egyptian art.

Their musical instruments are very differential and I’m sure most of us could depict our musical instruments out than from those of later. I love music, so just the fact that musical anything relates back to even later dates is really incredible!

Our weapons are largely different as well and I think a lot of others would agree. Having a brother in the military makes it easier for me to know what kind of weapons they use now (don’t get me wrong, it’s great and everything-but I blank sometimes and stop paying attention!) I also have a grandpa who served in the Vietnam War and just hearing stories about it really makes we wonder where we’ll go in the future. We have guns and gun powder, tans, strategic war training and protection, even for the soldiers. We even have benefits for jobs and get discounts off at restaurants. Last time I checked, this wasn’t even a thing back then and our military has grown stronger and smarter everyday. And, there isn’t just fighting in military. There’s so much to do, AND, it’s not just for men! 

Their pottery and sculptures are very unique and I think that they took into consideration the detail and amount of clay or mud they use. I believe they also put a lot of thought and consideration into their artwork. Nowadays, it could be a blank canvas with a red dot in the middle and people would pay thousands of dollars for it. Jackson Pollack would take paint and just whip it back and forth on a canvas, and he even became famous for it. 

We differ from one other. There is no one alike. And we are all unique in our own ways!

[cyberstudentsoul-fan-blog]

I like how you were honest throughout your entire post. I found it interesting and surprising you didn’t know much or anything before the reading. It’s pretty cool, isn’t it? I found that you wrote mostly about the building structure so I just assume you’re into the building techniques too. I find that buildings speak louder than the sculptures in this culture which you would think would be the opposite, right?! 

You mentioned a lot of other buildings I didn’t mention in my post so that was something I enjoyed about your post. Glad we have different views because all the same posts would be boring! :)

I also agree with your point about the sculptures and their detail, however, like I said before, their buildings seem to speak louder to me. I kind of feel as though I have met Julius Caesar or the Falvian women sculpture because they’re so detailed. I prefer color in my artwork, but who knows what they were thinking back then. 

Great post!

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. 

[cyberstudentsoul-fan-blog]

Week 11-Ch.9

I have always had a love for this era, along with the Greek time period. However, as their art may be interesting and tell a tail of their life at one point, I’ve always loved listening to the stories. The tragic death of Julius Caesar was a downfall, but the back stories and detail behind them are all so interesting. 

Julius Caesar was the ruler and political leader that reined Ancient Rome, along with Pompey, his son-in-law and Crassus. He was known partially for his first role which was the First Triumvirate-the rule of the three men. He later was apart of a consul. Caesar’s role later on lead to him becoming temporary dictator-meaning he was a “fill in” before they found someone else fit for the job. As he was gaining rule and power, his people and many others became worried that he had gotten to used to the power and rein. So when many others didn’t like it-those of “council” did something about it. A well known group, in fact, in most stories these people were part of Caesar’s rule-they back stabbed him-literally-to the point where he bled to death. 

But on a more positive note, to be quite frank, I love the building portraits more than the human sculptures because it represents more than just person. There were many people in rule over Ancient Rome at the time, and sculptures only depict what the rulers looked like and how they dressed-rather their live style and what/where they lived. I feel like their art was portraits of rulers and their architectural buildings. Today, most these buildings are in ruins. There were two developments that really shaped Rome and use for public spaces. For instance, in these public spaces, there, they grew the Forum and the Basilica. Forums were used for emperors to address announcements that the people of Rome heard news from.  Basilica’s were formed at one of end the forums. Mostly used for court halls or community involved activities, they were big enough to hold large groups or have really cool parties!

The Colosseum was another major part of this community. It basically had the same concept as the Forum and the Basilica however, this was known to people today as the Colosseum or an amphitheater. Today, this monumental building has been tumbling bit by bit for many years now, yet it had been a popular site and still is one of most incredible sights to see today. The ground floor columns were a later invention by the Doric-but are Tuscan. The second floor is Ionic while the third had Corinthian texture. Other temples, an Athen Parthenon, an aqueduct (bridge), columns and many monuments were made and used and have been apart of this Ancient Rome culture for centuries! We are still learning about this amazing and tremendous mystery of a life people lived in back then!

[cyberstudentsoul-fan-blog]

Your blog was very informative. I personally also have a love for Greece and their artwork. I found it very fascinating that their architecture was based off of the Greek foundations! Just goes to show how smart and independent they were. I did too find their writing styles and techniques very interesting. Try writing a book right to left. Would we have to start in the back of a book then? That would just confuse me.

I think that women played very important roles, even if they weren’t respected well/looked upon in good ways. I do like the cultural setting they seem to portray because it really is different from Greeks and from other civilizations I must add, especially when you mentioned that women were treated much better during this time than they were during the Greek period. 

Etruscan art I had only thought of to be their own. I never thought to think of it as their portrayals of Greek life. I guess that’s a good way to explain it! And I mean, in a way it makes sense. They built their buildings similar to their culture-maybe they were trying to conform to their way of life and culture but made sure to incorporate a different type of culture. But I’m also sure that they more than likely had their own culture because they had better resources and learned a lot from the Greeks.

Blog Post 10

This week we are on chapter 8 which is the Art of the Etruscans. This era existed from 1000-100B.C and is important in western history because it is related to Greece and Rome. 

To begin some of the art is lost from the Etruscan civilization was lost and it happened to be majority of all the literature and writing. What only exists is some writing in the form of religious texts. This creates a barrier because the lost literature was information that could’ve been used to better understand the art from this time. The large source of information that experts have are from the burial tombs because they left them untouched and they were built nicely because they were the tombs of people. Although much of the architecture has collapsed due to the material used to make them, many other visual arts were able to be discovered and were helpful in the act of understanding exactly what the art means. 

Art of the Etruscans was highly influenced and almost a reflection of the Greek art in that time. For example, from the understanding of experts the large scale buildings that were discovered were tall and had open air sanctuaries much like buildings from Greece the only difference was some of the processes and material used to create these. I personally like the construction of the Apollo at Veii because although it looks simple the architecture is solid and not to extra. Moving on to the pottery and sculptures I find these to the be the most interesting because personally I really admire Greek art and the Etruscan art is basically there own perceptions of Greek art. What is left of the surviving art from this time shows that their economy was striving with bronze because much of their sculptures are made of bronze. I like that there sculptures were mainly bronze because when you think of bronze you think that is less value of gold and silver but these sculptures shows that sometimes its not the material that matters. For example I really appreciate there depictions of the greek mythology in the Wounded Chimera sculpture and I personally because if that sculpture was made of gold or silver I would still appreciate what it is not what its made of. 

Moving onto the women in this society they had more rights and their attitudes were much different towards women in Etruscan times. Depicted from their art women actually were in public life more and were more respected than in Greek times. The art reflects that there was more emphasis on females because in their art there were more mother goddess and women would dominate men by being older and more powerful. A perfect example of this would be from the scene of the back of a mirror from Volterra which shows a Herakles being breast fed by the Goddess Uni. I feel as though this shows the importance of women in their society whereas in some cultures woman wouldn’t even get a sculpture of themselves. 

The Etruscan people were very interesting people because they kind of did everything as their own like their religion and language. Although it would seem everything they did was original they still had influence from Greece which reflected a lot in their art. I think they are very interesting people because they put there own perspective on some of the Greek art. 

[cyberstudentsoul-fan-blog]

Week 10-Ch. 8

The Art of Etruscan's had their own way of making art or conveying their message towards it. I feel as though they had the same idea with other cultures basing their sculptures and pottery on their everyday life. They created them to remember their life and so their culture and teaching continued into this life.

I particularly like this culture alike Greek and Aegean because I too like monuments and statues. They signify the importance one had as a role in their life-Ceasar as ruler. It’s like presidents now making laws-most of them would put their name in the organization (Obama Care) to signify that a specific rule or law created was their idea. They had rule over that certain time and left a mark for society to remember-either good or bad!

I do however, unlike their art, found their writing to be significant. It is nothing like American writing or the same way of writing. Meaning they would write-right to left. This type of writing is more commonly used for grave writings, religious texts, and inscriptions now. Who would have thought that back then things would be so different-especially with technology? 

Their buildings, even in other cultures, have always fascinated me. I haven’t been in a temple or seen one, but I have been in huge houses if that counts! Anyway, my point being is that I would be so bug-eyed because they just had a way to them and they’re especially made with hard work ethics. Their foundation I found interesting was inspired by the Greeks, but to distinguish the two cultural differences, Etruscan’s made podiums out of out of stone, and used porches instead of pediments. 

[cyberstudentsoul-fan-blog]

Casey,

I like your beginning and incorporated your personal experience into it. I’ve always been told that personal experience with anything will one: make it stronger and prove your point better and two: make others either want to the same thing or inspire them to do something close to it. I always use personal experiences with my essays for my writing class. It’s very interesting. In my post, I mentioned the Trojan Horse. It’s not a story or anything, but an event (that I do not recommend!) But it’s the history behind it and the horse they used to attack the people. Your second paragraph was very detailed. I like how you went down the list of the types of styles that artwork beauty. I think others can relate to your post especially with the personal experience you put into it and what a certain topic reminded you of. And your takeaway from the podcast is quite interesting. Your summary of it looks way better than how I described mine!! Anyway, very informative. Great job!

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. 

[cyberstudentsoul-fan-blog]

Week 8-Ch.7

The Ancient Origins of Modern Beauty Podcast:

I found the beginning very pleasing. The beginning with the music made it soft to make us feel beauty. Well...I felt it anyway. The man asked two questions that are commonly asked which is: What kind of things do people think are beautiful? and What does beauty do? “Is it the effects at which we admire or are attracted to?” that creates beauty. A Goddess statue is fit to describe the standards of beauty which we do not inherit today. Some may look at statues and simply fall in love, while others, may only look at it and think of themselves. The only meaning to beauty which the Greeks found to be true was through symmetry and thought up proportions, while the attractiveness may have some biological factor to beauty. Simple biological beauty for instance is around the time reproduction was possible or signs of health. Birth’s are said to be beautiful today because it’s another life that had been created, but only through the eye’s of God that biological factors reflect from the parents. “Beauty” comes from God. David Konstan, who was being interviewed in the podcast, investigates and suggests that cultural influences are described and further undermines the uses to which it is put, which was from a book “Survival of the Prettiest.” In more terms, to me, he based a lot of his findings and truths off of the book and Greek history.

Book Reading:

From the Women in Ancient Greece reading from a little side note mentioned a lot about beauty and most of it involved family, individualism and marriage. Family simply states that if one is not married, the parents of their children will choose who they marry. If a child does not have siblings or a relative close to them, the women will marry a man from her father’s side to continue their “preservation within their family.” While reading however, I compared their lineage and culture to today’s society. And doing so, I’ve come up with the fact that we choose who we want to live with. One individual chooses someone else to love without their parents choosing for them. 

While this may be fun and have an “amazing” feeling, there comes a time when in most cases, marriage ends in divorce. Back then, a man could divorce only through witnesses while a women simply could take a man to court with serious offenses or accusations. I compared this to today’s society simply stating that divorce could end because there is no love or “spark” between two people in a relationship and witnesses and accusations or not, you could still get a divorce.

 I have also seen and heard from many males (most of which I’ve been friends with for years now) have said that independence in a women is “hot” and makes them more attractive. Being independent and relying on little to zero people makes women stand out more and seem to make males think they are capable of living a life and is prepared for taking care of a family. Almost all of today’s society is pure beauty and I love how women have power over certain things, especially when it comes to our individualism. It makes us who we are and tend to be stronger. Who said you need an army to be strong?

From the other reading in Ch. 7 I picked out some pieces that I thought would help. Starting with the Trojan War. All in all, it was a sneak attack, but the first impression was a present. There were concerns, and when people realized it was an attack, they called it “barbaric.” In today’s society, we mostly look at it as uncivilized, “ridiculous” or “obs-herd.” Now, most women look at men having the same personalities, but with wrong intentions. Women call this ridiculous also, simply because we are more likely to think we are being used only for one thing. 

Their pottery is beauty. Going back to the Ancient Times, were told the symmetry is the main reason for beauty. But they also so this for clay and their pot making, so maybe that’s why we buy vases or have decoration. There is certain importance to beauty. Beauty is symmetric, but also having something of value to it. 

And last but not least, Athena. Many years ago, the Parthenon was build to honor Athena for her “symmetry” or in other words her beauty. Her individualism, courage and pure independence made her beautiful. To me, she could be looked upon as a “hero” or “inspiration!” And seeing as how she was the virgin goddess, gives women to believe that you do not need a man to have power. It is the purity and confidence that makes a women simply powerful!

[cyberstudentsoul-fan-blog]

Your blog was very informative. From this, I learned Amenhotep IV was able to change their religious system. I find this very interesting because nowadays we either believe in one religion or none. I however, grew up going to a Methodist church, yet somehow I convinced a friend to take me to her church, which ended up being a Mormon church. I have not been baptized, because I’ve been baptized and confirmed into the Methodist church, but from the Mormon religion, I believe that I have a testimony, but my problem is truly knowing the church is real. I am half convinced, but I feel like something is missing, which is why I have not been baptized.

Anyway, religion is pretty important to me, so I found your fact interesting. I didn’t know that. Other than that, I like how you mentioned their burial rituals. I’ve had to do research on them in the past and had many subjects that talked about it and I always find Ancient Egypt and their way of life interesting and such a great topic to research. 

Great job!

Week 6 Egypt

I found chapter five to be very interesting. When I read about places like Egypt it was most commonly done for religious purposes and to read about Egypt’s way of life, it’s periods, and the amazing forms of art they brought to our world it was truly fascinating.

Something I found to be scary was their way of ruling. According to the book the Egyptian people ruled under the principle of “maat.” This to me is a scary thing as I get how these people would worship powerful things like human emotions and their environment then apply that to gods. But when one would say a human is a god, this is truly a scary thing as how could an individual think someone who is made out of the same material so much better than themselves.

When looking at other portions of the chapter it was clear to see the Egyptians valued their hierarchy system, what happened to you before and after death, and the placement and construction of their burial sites/teams. When looking at the Egyptians it was clear to see their hierarchy system was very important in their day-to-day life. It was extremely interesting to read how their sculptures would portray the order of importance and how they were visualized. I came to this conclusion when looking at all the material used for pharaohs, queens, low-class people, and both paintings and sculptures that are in relation to the afterlife. The material used for Pharaohs and queens would be able to last longer and portray a nicer effect to the viewer’s eyes for an extended period of time. Another attribute that helped me come to this was the large size and height that differentiated the importance and stature of a certain sculpture. The book said Pharaoh’s would be built upon a larger scale and would have the betrayal dominance in their face. The book also said the queen would be slightly smaller in size, and the foot would not extend as far as the Kings. Nor would the hands have the same look of tension.

The last thing I found to be most interesting was the Amarna period. I found this to be interesting because Amenhotep IV changed one of the most important things in their lives. Which was their religious system. Amenhotep was able to change the Egyptian polytheistic systems into a monotheistic system. This portion was truly surprising as throughout the last pages it talked about paintings, their gods, pyramids, afterlife, and gods being pharaohs. And to see one person to change the entire system of religion was truly astonishing. Not only would it affect the religious system, but it affected their style of art and the location of their capital. I believe that if he was not of Egyptian royalty he would have been unable to do this was in his land. I feel like it was sad to see one man have so much power, but at the same time to see one man changed the entire religious system was astonishing.

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Week 6-(Ch.5)

I would say I had a love for the study of the Egyptian world when I was a 7th grader. I had a friend named Madison who just adored this time and the art I guess of how they lived, where they came from, what they used in there everyday life but I think the one thing she loved the most was their art and what meant something to them. Nowadays we have pictures to capture and remember memories that are important to us or a keepsake/souvenir we keep to remember a good time. And I think that’s what a lot of the Egyptians did. And because they knew that we would love to study them, I think it was a remembrance of them and so they won’t be forgotten.

Besides desperately wanting to go to Africa, I think Egypt is another place on my list to go to. Their tombs just from pictures in our textbook and from sources online just go to show how big their imaginations were and how creative they might have been. It’s just so amazing to see their art, but I don’t think they just randomly drew images or stories about their life...there had to be some inspiration. I honestly believe their art came from the God’s they worshiped. If they followed the ways the God’s lived and forever worshiped them, the God’s would show them what to draw and knew what to keep as a keepsake for our discovery about them one day. I believe they kept these keepsakes because they were important to the God’s as well. 

As a 7th grader 6 years ago, I remember in my History class learning about the pyramids and what it looked like inside from diagrams and how every question our teacher asked us, I was more than likely ready to answer or give insight about the topic we were on. Most of the time I was on the right track, but no one else said anything, so I kinda just went for it. But I was so intrigued about them and remember doing so many projects on Egypt in general and how cool it was with our discussions. My teacher also had a dry sense of humor which made it even more funnier. I believe there is so much more than what we’ve learned and like I’ve said in my other posts, we can learn off of them and build new things. Maybe all these cultures and art are tied together. Do you know how cool that would be?

[cyberstudentsoul-fan-blog]

Casey,

I love your post. I like how you went into some of what the book said. I like that you mentioned those who are involved in findings...it’s kinda amazing to see what other people see and what they find. Maybe they see it as art to. Your point about religion and art is very strong. I love that you put that in there because I’ve started going back to church as well since I’ve started college and it’s very different. I would not have really entirely thought of religion being connected to art, but the history behind it is important. Your very right on that. Now that I start to think about my church before and praising The Lord, thanking God for the “pictures” has helped us understand why we live behind our religion!

Week 4 Blog

Chapter 4 was interesting to me because it talked about the history of certain art and the periods that it came from. A lot of this art was some of the original types of art like writing, carving, and even architecture. The chapter talks about the reasoning behind these forms of art. Most of the pieces of art mentioned in the chapter are very old pieces of art from B.C time. This chapter is basically a overview of the certain people from certain times and what they produced as far as art. 

To begin the some of the Neolithic sites mentions were the site of Jericho and Catal Huyuk. These locations both contained buildings that held corpses and even painted walls and some areas that are said to be shrines. I find it very interesting that archeologists are able to make the assumptions of the intended purposes of these buildings even tho they are thousands of years old. For example archeologist are able to find out that the buildings in Catal Huyuk were made without streets and the holes and little windows were used as ventilation from the oven. 

During the early Dynastic Period statues were created in the Abu Temple at Tell Asmar. Experts are unsure if these statues were supposed to be in a group but they all seem to share characteristics. For example some of them hold cups but the men are bare in the chest while women have robes over one shoulder. One interesting thing pointed out about these statues are the hierarchical proportions. I never thought about hierarchical proportions until reading this section but it makes complete sense that the size of the statues shows the status of the donor and how much money was donated. If a person owned a large statue this would reflect how much they paid for it. Its kind funny that back in this time a person received what they paid for. Today its unlikely to get what you pay for. 

One of the big pictures that I interpreted from this chapter was art truly does have a purpose. For people like us, who enjoy the nature and meaning behind art, realize that as humans art and creation is a natural part of life. If you were to speak to someone who could care less about art they are going to say that art really serves no purpose and can’t help humans but this chapter shows that there is actually meaning behind these. For starters many people are religious and will stand behind their religion strongly. Some people may be religious but also have the opinion that art doesn’t matter. But if you look back at the history without art, religion could have been lost throughout history. Art was able to continue the religion through statues and paintings and even writings in books like The Quran or The Vedas. These are all forms of art and some people do not realize the importance of it. In the end after reading this chapter my knowledge towards periods and people who created art has grown and I have a better understanding of really how important art is. 

[cyberstudentsoul-fan-blog]

Week 4

I find this kind of history very interesting and eye opening. With our technologies now and our knowledge from back then, I can only imagine how they were even able to find and recount their ways of life and how they lived. From the writings in caves, to stone carvings and clay masks, we’ve learned how to better our understanding of life and how to make it better. We need to continue to teach our findings and beliefs for others to understand where we came from. We didn’t just magically appear from a hole in the ground.

 There were ancestors before us and history of families before them as well. We have learned how to carve (no pun intended) our teachings from clay into chalk with hopes of one day learning how people lived then. Go live and explore in Egypt or live in caves to learn how they did actually live and then one day, maybe, we won’t take life for granted as much. 

We have theories as to why we didn’t come up with led for pencils or buckets for sand castles back then, or why pyramids were called temples. It was their way of life and how they understood it. Since scientists have done research, society today calls pyramids....well, pyramids. We have different meanings of temples now and “historical sites” now. Just like different meanings of “there” “they’re” and “their.” Were evolving..it’s human evolution and were learning and becoming smarter everyday.

[cyberstudentsoul-fan-blog]

Wow Jade,

I’m amazed at what you found. I also did my research on the Stonehenge and yet we both found different theories. I like why and how you believe the stones to be part of human remains. You mention them looking like grave stone heads and since reading your post, maybe your right. You point out very interesting reasons why you think this! To many criminal shows?!?! Anyway, it’s just very intriguing to know what these are and why there here. I hope you check out my post!

Great job by the way!

Week 3

I have decided to research Stonehenge more in-depth. I have always thought these stones were interesting because nobody really knows what the purpose was for them back then. However, there are many different theories out there to explain why the stones are there. Some theories say that the stones serve as a graveyard, a computer to predict eclipses of the sun and moon, a female sex organ. These ideas are just among the many different theories that archeologists have come up with based on evidence. The one theory that interests me the most is the graveyard theory. Researches think that Stonehenge could have used as a cremation cemetery for men and women. They believe this because remains of human bones have been found near each stone. According to radiocarbon dating, the bodies have been cremated over a period of 500 years. The reason I believe this theory the most among the other ones I have mentioned is that I don’t think it’s a coincidence that archeologists have found several humans remains around the stones. I believe that the people back then buried their loved ones around the stones to remember where they are and to honor them. Since the human bones have been cremated and found in rings of pits, this makes me think that they held some sort of a ritual to put them to rest, kind of like a funeral in today’s age. I also believe this theory because this area of land is all open and would be a great place for burials. After all, today’s cemeteries are all open grassland. Today, the cemeteries include headstones made from stones and rock, and that is how I see Stonehenge. Stonehenge also had little blue stones throughout the area, leading archeologists to believe these stones were individual markers for the human remains. I agree with this aspect of the theory as well because, after so many burials, the people would have a hard time knowing where there aren’t any human remains. Therefore the blue stones mark where there is a human buried and so they know not to put other remains on top of them. I also think this is out of respect because it would be disrespectful to just throw two people in the same area and not care about it. In my eyes, the bigger outer stones represent the “graveyard” and then the blue raised stones represent where each individual is buried. Some of the graves also had special symbols that were buried with the bones. These symbols included a stone artifact, which researchers called the head of a mace. They believe that these stones represented some kind of authority. Therefore, these human remains had to have been royalty or very special people. I also think this could be very real because back in the day royalty and hierarchy's were very usual. Burying loved ones or friends that had this kind of royalty would I think also have some sort of special burial, hence the special artifact inside the grave. There are many different theories as to why Stonehenge is the way it is, but I believe that it is a graveyard and I support this theory.