week 10 video blog

Week 10 Video Blog Review African Art: Legacy of Oppression The reason I chose this video was because of the title I had not read anything about Africa being oppressed. After viewing the video it definitely enhanced the text and added another dimension in my mind about African art. The video focused on Belgium’s Tervuren Museum’s, 250,000 piece, collection of African art. It was interesting and notable to see the variety of masks and understand some of the meanings such as the use of colors on the masks: white means healthy and black means ill. Also the different functions of the masks, some are to scare and some to get over fear. It was interesting that some are meant to protect against enemies, and in some cases that refers to western cultures. It was difficult to view the horrors inflicted on the Congo culture by King Leopold and how many were left dying on the road, whipped, or put in concentration camps in pursuit of the cultivation of rubber. Heaven on Earth: Buddhism I chose this video to learn more about the Buddhist religion. It greatly added to the information provided in the text book. It was very interesting to see videos of the famous Buddhist temples and their architecture. The temples explored were the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya, the Great Stupa at Sanchi, India, the largest temple Borobudur Temple in Indonesia and the most interesting fact to me the Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, New York. The key to Buddhism is the teaching of tanha the path to extinguish all desires and all things that feed the ego and obstruct enlightenment.. The temples are built on levels and one must walk clockwise on the path of enlightenment to reach Nirvana, heaven. It was fascinating to view the carvings and learn that each had a lesson to teach. The largest temple the Borobudur Temple is in the shape of a lotus flower, a sacred flower to Buddha. One top of this temple that took 100 years to build are 432 carved Buddhas. The temple in New York is built in the Tang dynasty style and is made of glue and compressed wood. This temple is the home to the largest Buddha statue in the western hemisphere. Another fact I found interesting is that Buddhism flourishes in all Asian countries except India were it was founded. African Art: Its Cultural Meaning I was hoping that this video would give views of a wider range of African art outside of the very popular African mask. I was not disappointed. This video offered a more visual and in depth of everyday art in Africa. In the sub-saharan area of Africa art is a large part of everyday life. It is created in the simplest everyday objects, such as utensils, clothes, ornaments, hairstyles and architecture, and every piece shown was intricate and truly beautiful. An interesting concept I learned is that most of the art from Africa that is on display in museums is less than 200 years old because it was made of mostly wood or straw which deteriorates. Also it gave insight to the bronze casting, use of gold, and chairs made by the Egyptian civilization. It was interesting to view the performance art prevalent in Africa which involves not only masks but also movement, and music. Another key concept was that most of African art is conceptual art which flows from the imagination rather than being based on realism. It was interesting to learn how urban centers are impacting African art and how now many pieces are being made for collectors and decorators. Heaven on Earth: Hinduism Again to add to my knowledge of world religions I chose to watch this video. And again it added to the knowledge provided in the text in terms of the religion and the ability to actually view the artwork that reflects the Hindu religion. The Hindu religion considers Brahma the source of all life and its followers seek to let go of all things. The Ganges river, one of the symbols of Hinduism, is the sight of one of their most sacred rituals, that being the burning of the dead on pyres and the ashes being distributed into the river. An interesting fact is that the devout followers of Hinduism art not allowed to touch dead bodies, a task that is left to outcasts. The basis of the architecture of Hindu temples is that they are small but elaborately decorated in honor of a great many gods and goddesses. The temples explored included: the Mamallapuram, Khajurho, Krishna Mandapam, Panch Rathas, the largest the Dharmaraja Ratha, the Shore Temple recovered from the Bay of Bengal, and the Kandariya Mahadev Temple created during the 9th century which was considered the golden age of Hindu architecture.