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I believe in the conservation of historical artifacts and conservation. Interestingly here in the USA more specifically in the southwest continental area, it can be illegal to pick up Native American artifacts and pottery shards. There are millions of shards laying on the ground that are slowly deteriorating cause of the natural elements. I believe sacred sites and specific areas that have meaning to Native Americans should belong to them and all the artifacts that reside there. That being said I don’t think it’s right to completely say one culture owns everything just because it was their ancestors. We are all humans on this planet and I believe the individual who goes out looking for artifacts and puts in the time and money should be rewarded for that. There are thousands of acres of pottery shards and to say you can’t touch or pick up pottery even if it’s on your land is ludicrous. Therefore it is very interesting to me that The Kouros figures from Attica Greece are on display in the Metropolitan museum of Art in New York. As well as the Assurnasirpal II Killing Lions is from Kalhu, also known as present-day Nimrud, Iraq, is on display in the British Museum in London. So long as the history of the artifact is correct and that the location of its origin is always known, I do not see why we cannot share what we have found with others or let those who find the objects have ownership.
Humanism is an approach to life based on reason and our common humanity, recognizing that moral values are properly founded on human nature and experience alone. — The Bristol Humanist Group
It is interesting to me that the concept of humanism plays a large role in the Greek Arts when a huge part of their culture is Gods and Goddesses. However, I believe that is the reason it was only the concept that played a role in the arts and not the entire way of life. With that being said, as stated in the above quote, humanism is just what it sounds like; the belief and idea that humans make their own way in life and that there is no other divine entity playing a role in our life. A great example of humanism being demonstrated is the FUNERARY KRATER and the EXEKIAS’S AJAX AND ACHILLES PLAYING A GAME. I chose these two because in the first example, the krater, we are shown a funeral of a man. There are no special descriptions, other than the sacrifice of animals, to say that he believed in the after life. He is simply shown on the bier as a simple man figure. Then, in the card game between Achilles and Ajax, we are seeing two cousins playing a simple game of cards. They are shown enjoying time together as normal family members would, where as in a time that didn’t use part of humanism in their daily lives, we would see something geared more towards religion or some other divine individual.Egyptians seemed to have unlocked a chasm of knowledge and mystery. For being a culture that was made so long ago they seem to have channels of knowledge that are god like. They have made symbols and art that represent different deities. Even in their buildings and art represents some higher power. They seem to constantly look up and communicate with these beings and then record their beliefs and interactions. Their ability to look past their “primitive’ life and understand the relationship between birth, life, death and afterlife is astonishing. In fact their art somewhat commits them to being advanced and having some sort of other world information.
An example that I believe shows social hierarchy very well is the The Stele of Naram-Sin. At the top of the Stele, Naram-Sin is shown at a larger size compared to the other people in the scene depicted. This shows he is better than those he rules. He is also shown killing an enemy but also sparing another. This shows that he gives punishments when they are necessary but is also merciful. There are then soldiers bellow Naram-Sin. This shows that they follow him and listen to his commands that he may give.
It was interesting to me how man rulers used statues or built a palace to show their power. Darius I built Persepolis to show the people of Persia not only that he was the King who had nice things, but that he was a King with power. This was shown by some of the design work that is left standing today such as the double-headed griffin and the lions carved into the wall fighting. Alexander the Great then showed the downfall of the Persian King by destroying the palace. The Stele of Hammurabi has the law code, all 282 laws, engraved into. This is a symbol to his power because it has Shamash, the son god and god of justice, sitting atop of the laws. When we look at modern politics and compare them to these examples, we see that there is a difference but also a similarity. When Sadam was dictator over Iraq, he erected a giant statue to show that he was the boss, the big fish so to speak. Once the people were liberated, they destroyed the statue to ruble. Just like Alexander the Great did as mentioned above.
When I think of abstract art, these prehistoric paintings and sculptures are a far cry from the definition of abstract. Abstract art is essentialy art that you cant immediately look at and say, yeah thats a dog or look at those cats. However, that is exactly what we see happening here. We see the image that the creator was going for. We can see that the sculptures are of women and that there are 13 different animals on the cave wall. These art pieces are by all means, not abstract. I would however, say that Stonehenge in the Neolithic art may be abstract. I say this because to most it seems like a bunch of rocks that are just out in a field. Was it a building at one point? Is it really an intentional piece of artwork? Since we know that it is artwork, what is it designed to be? I believe Stonehenge to be abstract because I know I am looking at art, I just don’t know WHAT I am looking at.
When I look at these paintings and sculptures and then get asked “What do the pictures mean,” I am immediately drawn to the conclusion that they were created as a way for the people of that time period to share what they saw and experienced. It was a way for them to preserve their history and tell a story. It also could be a representation of what they thought was important enough to create an image of it. For instance, there were multiple sculptures of women and that leads me to believe that they held women to a certain standard and they may have created the sculptures to show future generations what a women in that era may look like. There was also a lot of cave drawings, paintings, of animals and even a sculpture of a lion standing as though it were a man. This sculpture could mean that in that time period, they viewed animals to be just as important as man and that maybe there was a type of connection to one another. It could also be their interpretation of being reincarnated from a man to an animal such as a lion. There are many different ways we can interpret these pictures but we will never truly know the true intention behind their creation.
What is Art? Choose a definition that you disagree with and one that you see merit in and tell us why.
The definition of Art that I disagree with is “Creative activity resulting in the production of paintings, drawings, or sculpture.’ I disagree with this definition because art is much more than just paintings and drawings. It can be a poem that someone writes or a novel. Art can also be a way someone stages an open house for someone selling a home. How are those art? Because it is something creative that someone saw and created. When a poem is read, we create an image, the “Art’ if you will, in our minds. When we tour the open house, we see the creative eye that someone else saw. In my opinion, Art is more than just a picture or sculpture in a room.
The definition of Art that I believe has merit is “Works produced by human creative skill and imagination.’ Because as I stated previously, Art is much more than just a picture of sculpture. It is something that we as individuals create and then share with one another. Its music, movies, books, poems, paintings and photographs. Art is how we see the world and then interpret what we have seen.What is Art History? Why do we study the history of art? How does it help us understand the world in which we live?
Art History is just that. The study of Art and its development through the years. We study Art’s history because it shows us how we have evolved and changed through time. You hear the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words,’ and I believe that can be used for all forms of art. Each piece of Art we study has its own story to tell or even a secret to reveal that we may not find anywhere else. The history of art allows us to learn about what resources a certain time period may have had access to or the art may show us what type of people were important. We can learn about what people wore or how they spoke. We can learn so much from Art that would otherwise be lost without it.
Hi Jessi! Forensic Art sounds like a challenging degree but one that will pay off in the end! What type pf career are you hoping to pursue with that degree?
Hi Aalieyah! This course is going to be great! I can definitely say the weather here is nothing like Texas! I spent four years in Texas and boy do I miss the heat!
