Art 235 Final Blog Post

            I have never had the opportunity to learn about the history of art prior to this class; I was and still am excited to learn more about it. There is so much information out there; I have truly enjoyed learning about all of the different eras, cultures, and types of art.

 I would have to say that the earliest findings are what I found particularly interesting. The prehistoric – Stone age period is unique visually as well as historically. It fascinates me how works of art that are thousands of years old still remain in tact. Cave paintings in particular captivated my interest right away. As simplistic as they seem to most, they touch me in a special way.  Artists are special in the way that they are set apart and different from the average person.  They internalize, see, hear, and touch the world in a completely different way.  To be able to have the gift of expression through the works of ones hands is an amazing gift.  I find it interesting that the cave art was done in dark caves with only the flickering light of a lamp. These artists must have been very patient, and determined, not to mention they must have had great eye sight. I think it is really neat how people also used representational objects to tell a story and help others learn.  The BIRD-HEADED MAN WITH BISON within the Lascaux cave tells a story of a man who is probably a hunter who was telling a tale about how he hunted, or how to hunt.  The figures are so simplistic, especially the man who is portrayed as a stick figure. I found it interesting to learn about the different kinds of poses that artists used. The composite pose for example was used during this prehistoric time period. The images that are portrayed seem so elementary or better yet abstract compared to most present day artwork.

            Cave painting is very interesting; however I really liked learning about the cave sculptures. Being able to see pictures of these works within the text book is fascinating. I especially like the sculpture of the Bison within the cave in Le Tuc d’Audoubert, France. I think it is really cool how some of the shapes were modeled, as well as carved and engraved. The footprints of the artist(s) which surround the piece are really intriguing.

            Architecture is another artistic interest of mine. My family’s history lies within England; I love castles, and I found the picture of the Dover castle to be absolutely breath taking. The cathedrals that we looked at were also very interesting to me.  I especially enjoyed learning about the Medieval era and the "Doors of Bishop Bernard" panels. I enjoyed how they told stories from the Old Testament and the New Testament, because I am not a religious person, they were very informative and enlightening.  I especially liked the panels which showed the temptation and fall of mankind, which was done by portraying Adam and Eve sinning in the Garden of Eden.  The next panel showed the crucifixion of Christ, where he was left to die on the cross for the salvation of mankind. I like how these panels were done in chronological order, and I really appreciated the different levels of relief which they were carved. In all honesty I have learned so much from this class, I have a new appreciation and respect for art, artists and art historians.

Temptation and Fall of Adam and Eve vs. the Crucifixion of Christ

     I have chosen to take a closer look at the panels which depict the Temptation and fall of Adam and Eve as well as the Crucifixion of Christ.  These panels are on Bernward’s door within the Hildesheim Cathedral. Although these two pieces tell a different story they are similar because they coincide with the topic of sin. The bronze panels have eight scenes on the left which are from the Old Testament, and eight scenes on the right which are from the New Testament. The Old Testament depictions are in chronological order from top to bottom. The New Testament depictions are to be read from the bottom to the top. 

            The Temptation and fall of Adam and Eve depicts high relief sculpture of nude human figures.  The tree and serpent are depicted in low relief sculpture.  According to the Bible, God had told them that they could eat anything within the Garden of Eden. However he specifically instructed them not to eat any of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  Satan was a fallen angel; he disguised himself as a serpent within the Garden of Eden.  He disguised himself in order to convince Eve that it was ok to take and eat a piece of the forbidden fruit, which she shared with Adam. Because Eve gave into temptation by listening to the serpent, they went against Gods word therefore they were both banished from the garden.  They were also made aware of their nakedness and became ashamed.  They became mortal humans and would have to work by the sweat of their brow for food as well as have childbearing illness (menstruation and labor pains).  This situation within the garden is where the first incident of sin occurred.

            The next panel which I would like to talk about depicts the crucifixion of Christ. The bodies within this piece are in high relief. Christ who looks weak and frail, is nailed to the cross, with his arms stretched out.  Besides Jesus Christ, there are two guards, Christ’s mother Mary and John the apostle. The theme of this piece also relates to sin, as it depicts Christ sacrificing his life for the salvation of man. All of the people are shown facing toward the middle where the cross stands, which leads the viewer to believe that this part of the composition is the most important.  The cross as well as the background is carved in a low relief translating its level of importance to be less than that of the people. The same is true for the previous composition of Adam and Eve.  Their arms are outstretched towards the tree which is in the middle of the piece, thus meaning it is the main focal point.

            In conclusion after studying both pieces, I feel that both of these pieces are very balanced, as well as they both draw the eye of the viewer to the center of the composition. Because sin is the main topic within both pieces I feel that they have a common bond, therefore relate to one another.  The first piece shows how sin started, and the second piece shows us how Christ tried to end sin by sacrificing his life.

           

The bust of Commodus as Hercules vs. the portrait head of Caracalla

            Most marble carvings, weather it be a bust or a portrait are made because the subject is extremely important within their community, country or empire.  Sometimes the image(s) and or the message which these carvings portray can be misinterpreted due to exaggeration by the subject itself.

     The bust of Commodus and the Caracalla portrait were both made in honor of two very important influential men.  Commodus was an extremely handsome, vain and pretentious man; he claimed to be the reincarnation of Hercules as well as the incarnation of the god Jupiter.  The bust that was created of him was made in the likeness of which he wished to be portrayed.  So that Commodus would be associated with strength, power, immortality and divinity, the idealized bust was made to resemble the youthful god Hercules. Commodus is shown wearing the hide of a lion, which is worn like a cloak upon his head and shoulders.  The head of the lion rests atop Commodus' head; the front legs of the lion are then wrapped around Commodus’ neck, tied and draped over his chest area. The paws of the lion hide which Commodus is wearing appear to be slightly textured, contrasting the smooth polished stone of Commodus’ chest.  His chest and arm muscles are accentuated in order to project physical perfection.  The way in which he is shown holding the club exudes courage, power and strength. He is shown glancing to his right, away from the viewer, which is somewhat of an arrogant pose.  The way in which the face was sculpted appears to create a sultry gaze.  The chiseled eyes have arched eyebrows and droopy eyelids which hang over the iris of the eyes thus giving him the look of relaxation and confidence.  Commodus’ hair on this bust is very detailed, the curls have been made to exhibit depth and texture, light and shadows, using positive and negative relief. 

There are many representational symbolic features within this bust; the piece which he wears upon his head is Hercules lion hide, the 1^st of 12 labours, the killing of the Nemean lion.  He is holding Hercules club, and is shown wearing the Girdle of Hippolyta. This girdle depicts the 9^th labour, the killing of the Amazon queen and the defeat of the Amazons. The shield on the girdle has the head of a gorgon Medusa on it, which refers to Greek mythology. Below his right arm, there appears to be a female sculpture.  This headless and armless sculpture represents the killing of Amazon women. The fruit in his left hand are the apples of Herispides which represent the 11^th labour. The marble ball underneath of Commodus is the “Orbis Terrarum”, (orb of the world); a thick band is wrapped around the orb which contains zodiac signs.  These particular signs represent important times in Commodus’ life and the rosettes on the orb represent stars. The cornucopia represents the new golden age which Commodus brought. They are full of fruit, which also represents prosperity, abundance and fertility. Commodus is surrounded by and adorned with trophies, which leads me to believe that he was a handsome, strong, courageous ruler.  Realistically, I think his ego was larger than he actually was.



The portrait head of Caracalla shows a very realistic threatening scowl which is rather intimidating.  The portrait forces one to acknowledge this mans stern militant authority and power.  Like Commodus, Caracalla wanted a particular representation of himself to be made.  However, Commodus was rather arrogant and egotistical with his sculpture depiction. In my opinion he just wanted to be glorified, Caracalla on the other hand wanted to be feared and respected.  Caracalla had a reputation for being callous and aggressive; however he was well respected by his military. In order to be properly acknowledged, Caracalla wanted his competency, his association with the army, and his capabilities as a military leader to be visually prominent.  This portrait appears to be veristic, due to the enhanced furrows, wrinkles and lines on his face. He looks like he has “been there, done that” and seen more than the average man. The shortness of Caracalla’s hair and beard was done by negative carving; a technique done by stippling a chisel across the surface of the stone.  The characteristic traits of Caracalla's which this portrait depicts are that of a thick neck, a sharp turn of the head (to the left), protruding muscles of the forehead and wrinkled brows, two slanting protrusions above the eyes, a furrowed brow, cleft chin and an overall sinister expression. The scowl and suspicious glance worn by Caracalla was, among other things a nod to the army.  It was also an affirmation of military strength from Caracalla, who became commander in chief at a relatively young age. 

In conclusion I feel that bust of Commodus portrays an arrogant and prideful young man more so than strong and powerful one.  To me, the portrait of Caracalla portrays wisdom, power and strength. Both pieces are unique because certain parts of their body i.e.: eyes, hair and gaze are accentuated in different ways.  The adornments, stance and facial expressions are all characteristics affiliated with propaganda.

Parthenon Marbles

Option #2

The way in which the museum displays and preserves the Parthenon Marbles is beautiful, however the issue at hand is weather or not these pieces are being represented in the way which they were intended to be, and if they should stay at the British Museum.   

   In my opinion, it is a tough call, on one hand it is amazing that these historic pieces were salvaged and put in a place where they can be viewed and preserved.  However, it is a “double edged sword”, due to the fact that we as curious humans can be selfish, by removing artifacts from the place in which they are meant to dwell might be infringing upon and disrespecting their all around purpose.  On one hand by having the pieces in the British Museum we are doing the world a favor by preserving historical pieces and enabling them to have a place in the future. However the concern I have is whether or not people are being fully educated with this display alone.  The marbles are magnificent pieces of art; however the historical purpose which they hold is not being accentuated.  The frieze for example is placed at the eye level of the viewer, which enables the details to be seen up close. They were created to be displayed at an elevated view point, high above the head of the viewer.  Being able to see these works up close is great, however it was meant to be seen from a distance.  Being able to see the human sculptures up close encourages the view to focus on the anatomy as well. Some of these representations could enable or antagonize contextual issues.  Because the marble is displayed as it was found it is raw and mostly white in color.  Yes, this is how the stone has weathered over the years, but there should be some kind of original depiction of these pieces of how they looked when they were first completed.  In my opinion, to display the findings as plain marble, just sitting on the floor is like only telling half the story.  If the frieze were to be displayed up high rather than on the floor, one would probably have a better appreciation and understanding for its existence.  I think that the average person does not know the history or importance of these pieces, which limits ones understanding of the agenda for which they were created.  I feel that if there were some kind of display which showcased the cult statue of Athena along with the findings it would be a more complete display.  

Once again, it is wonderful that in this time and age, the viewer is able to be up close and personal with these historical pieces, but unless there is an accurate depiction of the art, I feel that it is falsely represented.  It would be wonderful if the museum had some replica sculptures made, and maybe part of the frieze, all painted so that we could see a depiction of what they may have looked like originally.  It would be greatly beneficial as well as educational to have a scale model replica of the Parthenon, pediments, frieze as well as the sculptures along side the display. 

 I think the pieces should stay in a museum for preservation purposes; however if the British museum continues to hold on to these pieces, it needs to extend the display and elaborate the importance for how, and which they were originally created. Otherwise I am sure that the New Acropolis Museum would value the opportunity to share the heritage of these precious historical findings.

Week 5 Blog

What is it and who made it ???

I love a great challenge! I was determined to find out what these two works of art are and who made them. When I saw this picture I knew right away that it was made by Mycenaean potters.  After further research I found that this piece is called the Terracotta Chariot Krater.  It looks similar to the “Warrior Krater” found in the text book, in figure 4-20 on page 99.  The scene depicted on both sides of the Chariot Krater follows the tradition of Mycenaean chariot representations from the beginning of the fourteenth century B.C.  Two tall, armless figures wearing long, spotted robes stand in a chariot drawn by a pair of horses. Specks of paint on the box of the chariot indicate that it might have been covered with an ox hide.  Stylized flowers, stems and abstract motifs decorate the background of the scene. To the right of the chariot, a female figure wearing a long robe stands with both arms raised and fingers spread out in what looks to be a meaningful gesture.  Similar to the Warrior Krater, the woman’s emotions are shown on the Chariot Krater with the gesture of her arms raised to her head, indicating mourning.  Her breasts are represented as two spirals, and the features of her face resemble those of the figures in the chariot. Most likely she is waving goodbye to the departing warriors.  This is a familiar scene on earlier chariot kraters.  The horses follow the convention of Mycenaean vase painting.  I found it interesting that when two horses are meant to be represented, the painter, in an attempt to show perspective, depicts only one body, with two tails, two pairs of hind legs and forelegs, as well as two heads. 

As a result of extensive trade relations between the Argolid, a region in the Peloponnesos, and the eastern Mediterranean, large numbers of Mycenaean vases overwhelmed the Cypriot market at the beginning of the fourteenth century B.C.  The krater was a popular form in the vast collection of Mycenaean vases, found almost exclusively in tombs on Cyprus.  In fourteenth and thirteenth century B.C. as many as half of the objects in tombs on Cyprus, consisted of Mycenaean pottery.  Pictorial vases, like this one, were probably connected with funerary practices and, in some regions, may have served as vessels that held the remains of the deceased.

This gorgeous Minoan piece is called “The Fisherman”. The Minoans' all important relationship with the sea is demonstrated in much of their art, including this fresco. This vividly naturalistic silhouette of a fisherman is from the 16th century BCE.  This piece was found in a house in Akrotire, on the island of Thera, which was destroyed by a volcano. This wall painting depicts a naked young fisherman carrying the day’s catch, which appear to be small tunas or mackerels.  Nudity is very rare in Minoan art. Another feature which is unique is the fisherman’s head, which appears to be shaved except for a few locks of hair which are painted blue. Some think the fisherman was a juvenile, since only young people are shown with shaved heads.  Some believe that the style that is represented within this piece is religious and that the fresco may in fact depict an offering to the gods.  This wall painting was found close to a corner of a room near a table of offerings.  In fact, the fisherman is facing the corner of the room where the table of offerings was found.  I absolutely love how naturalistic and vibrant this piece is.  It is quite different from stereotypical Egyptian art. The smooth lines, vibrant colors, and sense of nature make Minoan art very pleasing to the eye. Minoan artists broke away from the two-dimensional figures of Egyptian art and created three-dimensional figures. The extraordinary beauty and fluidity of the frescos makes the figures quite charismatic. The easy nature loving lifestyle that comes across in their art is consistent with a feel of opulence and sophistication unknown anywhere else in the western world at the time. 

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The pyramids at Giza and the ziggurats of the ancient Near East

             About ten years ago my parents lived and worked in Cairo, Egypt. They resided there for four years, only coming home to the U.S once a year.  I have learned a lot from them and their travels, however the history that Egypt holds continues to fascinate me. The pyramids at Giza are extremely mystical and full of history.  I knew very little about the ziggurats, however upon reading this book I found that there are several comparisons to be made between these two kinds of structures.  Most people tend to think that all pyramids are the same in structure and purpose but there are several important differences between them.  The ziggurats and the Egyptian pyramids are very similar in structural style, yet they had very different uses.  The most famous Egyptian pyramids are found at Giza, “Necropolis” (City of the Dead) just outside the city of Cairo. Several of these pyramids are some of the largest structures ever built. These structures were built to be the "gateway to the afterlife".  Within these pyramids were tombs of kings and that of wealthy upper-level government officials.  Each pyramid had several passageways, chambers and a funerary built next to it.  There were also several false passageways, doors and vaults within the pyramids. These were put in place in order to protect the tombs from intruders as well as robbers.  In order to follow the suns path of east to west, the sites in which the pyramids sit had to be carefully planned out. It is also thought that the designers of the Egyptian pyramids may have incorporated some kind of symbolic astrological calculations.  Each pyramid has a square base and four sloping triangular faces. The angled sides of the pyramids were thought to have been made to represent the slanting rays of the sun.  Inscriptions on the walls of some of the tombs tell of deceased kings climbing up the rays to join the sun god. These pyramids are almost perfectly square, and are aligned to the points of the compass with remarkable accuracy.  Inside each pyramid there lies a narrow shaft that extends from the center chamber to the outside, which is aligned exactly with the polestar.  The material used to make these pyramids was stone.  These large granite and lime stones were roughly cut.  They are laid so tightly that you can’t even fit a knife blade, or sheet of paper between them.  In order to stabilize the structure, gypsum material was used as mortar.  Within the tombs there were large, over-life-size statues and works of pictorial relief.
            Similar to the Egyptian pyramids, ziggurats were constructed as huge pyramidal structures.  However these towers were built as monuments to local religions by the Sumerians, Babylonians, Elamites, and Assyrians.  Ziggurats look similar in shape to the Egyptian pyramids, except for the Ziggurats had a stair-stepped shape.  These structures were large layered platforms, ranging from two to seven tiers.  The first ziggurats may have been built at a sacred site upon the rubble of a previous structure. This broken down material may have been used as a foundation for a more recent structure. Unlike the Egyptian pyramids that were built in the desert, the ziggurats structures were elevated in order to protect the temples from potential flooding.  Egyptian pyramids come to a point at the summit; ziggurats had a temple or shrine at the top. The only way to gain access to the ziggurat was by walking up a series of ramps on one side, or by a spiral ramp that led from the base to the summit. Because they were thought to be the gods’ actual homes, only priests were allowed to enter.  Ziggurats had seven tiers, representing the seven known planets or the seven heavens. Unlike the Egyptian pyramids which were build on a square base, the ziggurat structures were built with receding tiers upon a rectangular, oval, or square platform. Bricks that were sun-baked mud made up the core of the ziggurat.  These bricks had facings of fired bricks on the outside, which were glazed in different colors. Just like the Egyptian pyramids, the ziggurats were thought to have had astrological significance as well.  However, unlike the Egyptian Pyramids which used mortar, reed ropes ran through the core of the Ziggurat sturcture to hold the mudbricks together.  Although there are differences between these two kinds of pyrimidial structures, they both serve very important purposes to the people who created them as well as the community that surround them.                                                 

Enemies Crossing the Euphrates River to Escape Assyrian Archers

*Week 3 Blog*

       This interesting gypsum wall panel is on display at the British Museum. The exact dimensions of this piece are height: 88 centimeters, width: 225 centimeters, and thickness: 9.5 centimeters (extant). To have a better visual understanding when converted from centimeters into inches, it is approximately 35 inches high, slightly wider than 88 and a half inches wide and almost 4 inches thick. This piece was excavated by Sir Austen Henry Layard in May of 1846.

     The wall panel shows an incident described in Ashurnasirpal's written accounts. This stone depiction takes place in 878 BC when Ashurnasirpal was campaigning down the river Euphrates and reached the enemy capital, the city of Suru in the land of Suhi.
     The relief shows two Assyrian archers who are shooting at the enemy. They are dressed and armored as typical Assyrian soldiers. They are wearing pointed helmets, kilts, swords and bows with quivers on their backs. There are three trees on the river bank, in which only one can be made out to be a date-palm. Relief of the palm tree and the line that distinguishes the river bank give this piece a wonderful sense of depth.

    

     As you can see in the photo above, it seems as though the foundation of the fort is on an island, and appears to be made of stone. The walls on the other hand would probably have been made from mud-brick. The arched shape of the doors is typical of that time period.



     There are three men in the water who are dressed in long robes, indicating that they are all of high status rather than ordinary soldiers. These swimming soldiers appear to be taken by surprise. The soldiers are of small scale, which displays a sense of spatial positioning and depth within this piece. There are two soldiers that are blowing into inflated animal-skins, which they used as flotation devices to help support themselves in the water. One of the swimming soldiers has been hit by arrows. All but one soldier have a beard. The one without a beard is probably a eunuch, a high official employed at the ancient Near Eastern courts. Eunuchs were castrated men who were in positions of high responsibility.

     There are traces of the standard inscription at the bottom of the panel. This was repeated across most of his reliefs. In order to reduce the weight of the slab for transport the nineteenth century excavator Henry Layard often had the ‘Standard Inscription’ cut away. However, he only had the ‘Standard Inscription’ removed if the did not interfere with the image.
     Unfortunately there is very little information to be found about this particular piece. However, this amazing work of art is wonderfully detailed with texture, depth and spacing, all of which intrigue the eye of the viewer.

Venus of Willendorf

I believe beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, however as time passes so does the desires of civilized humans. A contemporary issue that this article made me think about is the way society glorifies sexuality and the female body.  The media has played a huge role in the history of what we are suppose to believe is beautiful.  Over time we as a society have been brainwashed to believe that a tall, thin figure is prettier, sexier and more desirable than a short, curvaceous, fuller figure. 

Some might argue that what make a body beautiful are the functions that it provides.  The body type that the Venus of Willendorf figurine displays is that of a full figured and natural woman. This body type may have been desirable by primitive civilizations due to the absence of media and peer pressures which it produces. The purpose of the carving is the subject of much speculation. It never had feet and does not stand on its own. The large size of the breasts and abdomen, and the detail put into the vulva, lead some to interpret the figure as a fertility symbol. I think that it is fascinating that what we as humans find attractive, changes and evolves over time.

 Naming the figurine found in Willendorf, Austria “Venus” was used to describe a figurine that was armless and footless.  The Classical Venus, Capitoline Venus and, or the Medici Venus for example are tall, erotic, curvaceous, young women who are nude and recognized as sexual objects.  Therefore by naming the Willendorf “Venus” it was a mochary of what the name represented.  By naming the Willendorf figurine “Venus” one is forced to judge and compare this piece of sculpture to what we know of the Greek, Roman and Renaissance sculptures.  The Classical Venus portrays a female body that is of a goddess, feminine and toned.  The breasts are very small, the pubic area is undefined, the abdomen, and hips are not given any emphasis.  The expression of sexuality and physicality are exhibited in a tasteful, modest way.  Initially the Venus of Willendorf was nicknamed the “la poire” meaning “the pear” due to her shape.  The pubic area is very prominent as are the breasts, hips, and thighs.

There lies a conflict between female and feminine, as well as with sex and gender.  Western culture focuses on what the Classical Venus portrays.  This Venus is both biologically and sexually female.  In terms of gender she is feminine. While some believe sex is biological and a product of nature, gender is also thought to be a product of socialization and nurture.  Of course being a woman myself I think this belief comes from a male point of view.  Therefore in my opinion, according to what a male perceives as feminine in today’s world; the Venus of Wallendorf is not seen as feminine because of her physical size and shape. 

In some cultures this body type is predominately attractive, because it represents strength, power and fertility.  The fullness of her physical features, markings on her wrists and the deliberate emphasized genitalia suggest that this woman may have been a fertility Idol. When the figurine was discovered it had traces of red ochre, which may suggest that is to be interpreted as some kind of charm that has to do with menstruation and or fertility. 

Chances are that the average Stone Age woman did not look like Venus of Willendorf.  They were hunter-gathers which required them to be physically active on a daily basis.  Therefore I think this representation of a woman may have several different possible meanings. Either she was unable to partake in the daily activities due to some kind of handicap or disability.  Or she may have been someone who was catered to because of her hierarchical status.  Either way, she was of some kind of importance to be able to have the figure that she had, and to have had a figurine carved in her image.

 There have been several findings of this type of figurine ranging from France to Siberia. This fact most likely suggests that there were several women with this body type during the Paleolithic period.  Relying on the theory of importance, might mean that women may have played a different, much more important role during that time period.  In some tribes a Matriarchy existed, women were dominant and ruled the Paleolithic society.

I thought it was interesting that the Venus of Willendorf is faceless; therefore it, or she, is to be regarded as an anonymous sexual object, rather than a person.  The physical body and what it represents is what is important.  There are seven rows of concentric, horizontal plaited bands that encircle the head, as well as two more half bands below that back of her neck.  These bands are intended to look like braids of hair.  The part that I found really interesting is that the number of circles is seven, which is significant because today the number seven is thought to a lucky number.

Mother Earth or Earth Goddess is another concept that derived from the Greeks. During the end of the 19^th century and during the beginning of the 20^th century.  Archaeologists thought that the Paleolithic “Venus” figurines may be representations of the Mother Goddess. 

I am not really sure what the Venus of Willendorf represents, however I find it amazing that it is still in tact and that there are so many different possible meanings behind it.

Introduction-week 1

Hi there, my name is Theresa Vandenberg.  I am a senior at CWU, I am majoring in Art and look forward to graduating this year!!  I would like to start a study group for this class, I hear it is a challenging course.  If you are interested in studying together please email me at;   theresavandenberg@yahoo.com. Thank you and good luck   :)