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.