Week 8 Blog Video review

Week 8 – Video Blog Review Andrew Reed More Human Than Human This video pointed out something interesting that I never really thought about and that is that art history has revealed that humans prefer images that don’t look like us. The more I thought about this the more I realized that this really is true and that human body images dominate our lives. The part of this video that enhanced the text book reading was the section on the Venus of Willendorf. It explained the sculpture in depth and gave a better understanding of its meaning and its relationship as to how the body is viewed and why. Dr. Ramachandran, a neuroscientist, (I remember him from a previous video), was again fascinating as he explained his theory and how the brain is wired to perceive the most stimulating body parts and that this overrides culture. Another key concept I found interesting was Egyptian art and the human figure. The portrayal of the human figure did not change in this culture because it was always based on a proportional grid, they did not want the figures to change, a reflection of the Egyptian culture and the obsession for order. The Riace Bronzes discovered by a fisherman are an example of ancient Greek sculpture. The Greeks created human statures that were more human than human. The Kritos Boy was the most realistic stature discovered. The Greeks strove to perfect their bodies, as they strove to become more godlike. This is evident in today’s world as many people world wide work out and exercise; however, typically it is under the guise of good health. Polyclitus changed Greek sculpture as he divided the body into quarters and brought movement to sculptures that were created poised to action. It is interesting to think about how the exaggerated sculptures from centuries ago continue to influence our lives daily. This video enhanced the readings by giving further explanations, especially visually, into how the human body is depicted in art. Art and Life in the Middle Ages: The Luttrell Psalter I chose this video because I had no idea what The Luttrell Psalter was and to gain some knowledge into life in the Middle Ages. This video provided an answer to my questions and provided insight into daily life during the Middle Ages. It enhanced and added to the concepts presented in the textbook in that it gave in depth visual examples of the Psalter, how it was made and decorated, and the calligraphy and illustrations involved. In addition it provided interpretations of the illustrations and how they related to Bible stories and daily life. The Psalter in this video was the illuminated two hundred page psalm book in Latin, created by a the Luttrell Psalter, that depicted all one hundred and fifty psalms as well as stories of saints, Bible stories, commissioned by Sir Geoffrey Luttrell in answer to a calling from God. The illustrations gave a glimpse into fourteenth century values and the daily life at the time that included: fashion, trade, entertainment, farming, feasting, and warfare. Two very interesting facts: babewyns are nightmarish creatures created to be reminders of hell, and that Sir Luttrell’s son Andrew was married at the age of seven to Beatrice who appears several times in the Psalter. Cataclysm: The Black Death Visits Tuscany The thought of how the Bubonic plaque could impact art I found an interesting idea is why I chose this video. The video not only provided answers to this but also gave knowledge of the cities, art, and some rituals of the Tuscan cities Sienna and Florence, before and after the siege of the plague. Giotti was in the reading in the text book however this video explained in depth and gave a greater understanding into the impact he had as a painter on painting style as it emerged from the Middle Ages. Sienna and Florence were at peace and flourishing as cities in all areas from art to technology before the bubonic plague was brought to them via Chinese traders. One fact I did learn was that Florence, even without the onset of the plague, was headed for disaster as the King of England had reneged on a loan. The city was going bankrupt and it would not be long before there would be no food to feed the expanding population. The plague greatly effected the Christian population, many clergy men perished and a great disruption occurred in the occurrence of death as well as funeral procedures. A once kind and loving God returned to the vengeful God of the Old Testament. The cataclysm of the plague affected the arts in three ways. First, figures in paintings became flatter, there was no hint of emotions, and a celestial rather than physical world was portrayed. Second, gruesome paintings of the tortures waiting in hell emerged; diBartolo was one of the artists that portrayed this in his work. And third there was an escapist view. This is evident in the painting the Adoration of the Magi, where there is no symbolism or emotion. Some skeptics say that this may not be a result but rather perhaps artists were not as inspired that it was just a time of internal development. Regardless, one of the key concepts is that following the plague man changed in the way he viewed the world. There was a new way of thinking about man and his feelings and actions with nature and each other. This spirit of inquiry, fostered by St. Francis of Assisi, was the first light of what was to come the renaissance. The Treasures of Athens and Olympia: Beyond the Classical: Byzantine and Later Greek Art I did not have a special reason for choosing this video, honestly I really wanted to watch The Cairo Museum but after numerous attempts, at different times, and on different computers, the video does not play. It plays for about four minutes and cuts out, if you move ahead just a bit the same thing happens, and it goes on throughout. I suggest it be remedied or removed from the list. I did learn some things for the short bits I was able to watch but did not feel it would be considered a full blog posting. The Byzantine period was a highlight of this video and it definitely gave more insight into the art form of the painting of icons that was presented in the text book. The Greek Orthodox Church was a major influence on the painting of icons which depict, in addition to Biblical figures, but also heroes and stories that give insight into the culture of the time. It was interesting to learn that there are classes to learn how to paint icons and that some artists make a profession out of recreating these classic art forms. Damoskinos, Last Supper, is an example of the combination of the icon, a flat style, with concepts from Italian art. It was also interesting to learn how painting changed after the war with the Turks. The subject shifted as was not as religious based but rather a mixture of myth and reality. This Neoclassical movement, which looked back to Greece for inspiration, was introduced by King Otto, a Bavarian.