Module #7

Shinto & Daoism Video

1. I learned that this religion has a lot to do with the ideas of confucius.  Although confucius is not considered or classified as a religion, many say it goes beyond that because it is a way of life.  Confucius was China's great philosopher and teacher.  He was born in 551 B.C.E. and died at 73 years old.  His teachings live on today and play a major role in China and Chinese history.  The idea is that you should not do to others what you would not want done to you.  These religions are huge on family loyalty, respect for their elders, and kindness to their children.  The way of Confucius is deeply routed in the mind, body, and soul of Chinese people.  This way of life is very important and can be worshiped at temples throughout the country.  Daoism is performed at Mount Tai where more than 6 million people tour every year.  This mountain takes 4 to 5 hours to climb and is filled with dozens of temples and shrines.  This is a place where worshipers can make offerings.

2. The video on Shinto and Daoism correlated with the reading, Neo- Confucianism and Fran Kuan's Travelers by Streams and Mountains.  This is because the reading discussed the Confucian ethics.  It also talked about how the philosophers found it useful to think in complementary opposites.  These so called opposites such as feminine and masculine and bright and dark are responsible for the processes that generate natural order throughout each religion.  Both the reading and the video also talked about the importance of nature and how majority of the rituals and worshiping was done in temples outside or mountain side.

3.  My opinion of this film is that it had a lot of information.  For someone like myself, who does not have any knowledge on Shinto or Daoism religion it was a lot to take in, especially because these religions branch off into different ideas.  There are also many places and rituals that go along with these religions.  In my opinion, I love what these religions have to offer.  The idea of a life full of harmony sounds exceptional and intriguing.

4. I chose to watch this film because it is something we do not regularly practice or learn about in the United States.  I thought it would be new and interesting, considering they practice something unlike any other religion.

Judaism Video

1. I learned that a synagogue is a house of prayer for people to practice and celebrate Judaism.  The synagogue's have great detail and hold remarkable stories of mostly tragedy and loss.  For this religion, independence was a must.  Long ago, the jewish community fought to the very end because they believed that God would not let them lose.  Once they were invaded, the members took it upon themselves to kill their families and themselves because there was no longer a reason to live if Judaism would not be passed on.  I learned that the western wall was a very popular place in Jerusalem for prayer and many Jewish people would gather there.  I also learned that Judaism settled in England where a new synagogue was established and worship has continued for over 300 years.  Lastly, I learned that Judaism is very similar to Islamic faith.  They both follow the five books of Moases and they come from the same father, known as Abraham.

2. There wasn't a lot of information from the readings that correlated with the video on Judaism.  One reading that I made a connection with was the reading about church architecture.  Judaism is practiced in a synagogue which has amazing architecture that they are very proud of.  Some of the synagogues even have original benches and furniture originated from Quakers.

3. My opinion of this film is that it had a lot of information.  It was broken up into sections which made it easier to follow.  Judaism is hard to understand because it is closely related to other religions and deciphering the differences can be challenging to those who are not familiar.  In my opinion, Judaism is the most strict religion, considering what the people believe they should do for their God.  Long ago they believed that they had nothing else to live for except for the teachings of this religion. 

4. I chose this video because I am not familiar with Judaism religion and there are many people who practice this in our society.  Although I feel that it is important to understand religion and other cultures, I am far behind in that aspect of life.  My family is mostly Catholic but after the third grade I chose to stop practicing my religion and never really educated myself on it again.

Module 6- Peer Review of Blog Postings

1.

https://theartofbuffalo.blogspot.com/ Design Elements and Principles Project

https://faithartfundamentals.blogspot.com/ Design Elements and Principles Project & Art Gallery Project 

https://arianaroseboro.blogspot.com/ Art Gallery Project

2. Yes. I agreed with both of the artists elements and principles they listed but I also thought that there were some that could have worked better for others.  One in particular was a picture of a sunset with super bright colors in both the top and middle of the picture.

3. There was only one picture that was used that was the same as my own.  It was the "Four Food Groups" by John McQueen.  This work of art was very interesting because of the choice of media which was a different reason from what the other artist stated.

4. Yes there was a specific image that really sparked an interest in me that I did not see when I went to the Burchfield Penney Art Center.  The title was unknown but it was a super bright picture of an elephant created by Dixon.  I would love to know more about how this work was created and why.

5. I think the process of reading my peers reflections was valuable to my learning because I got to see more art works with different interpretations.  Having different perspectives and more to look at and learn from is always beneficial especially when it comes to art.

6. I found the comments on my projects helpful because while others agreed or connected with what I had to say about specific art works, some told me what they thought and gave me their own opinion.

Module 6- Video Review

Beyond the Classical: Byzantine and Later Greek Art

I learned that the Byzantine empire was deeply religious.  The style of painting that was used during that time helped to influence and make progress towards what we do now when painting and creating art.  I also learned that there is a correlation between classic continuity and contemporary art in which eventually created modern art.  Architecture had the greatest influence during the Byzantine era and continued once buildings were constructed with huge columns or pillars standing tall outside.  Statues were then incorporated in these buildings with realistic human being and animal like forms.This video relates to the readings in the OER content because of the architecture addressed all throughout.  Art began with architecture and then branched out from there until modern day art.  My opinion of this video was that it was very informative.  The video used real life houses and buildings to help understand the true meaning of architecture and how it originated.

The Greek Awakening: Art from the 5th Century BC

I learned that if we want to understand ourselves we first need to understand the history of the great awakening. In this video Ian Jenkins talked about how the Greeks shaped the way we think about ourselves and view the world today.  This time period gave us a sense of our philosophy as well as the sense of thinking and doing.  In Greece, humans were always the center of life.  Wether it was art or social life, humans were the most important.  This is probably why statues and paintings began with human form.  Temples and museums were also very important in Athens during this time.  This video relates to the OER readings because it goes back to prehistoric times and talks about how our world got to where we currently are with human statues.  My opinion on this video was that it had amazing examples of statues and sculptures and I can see how current artists were influenced by human forms/ sculptures from earlier times.

The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human

I learned that there was an obsession with the ability of form and soul.  The human mind and the power of emotion was influential during this time period.  Figurines were created thousands of years ago and realism began to emerge.  Experiments with realism was the most important part of this video and the fact that inner and outer beauty became important to the people.  This video relates to the OER readings because it explains how statues became important inside and outside of huge temples and museums.  The video talked about how humans, Gods, and animals began to be depicted and created in an energized and realistic manor.  Before this time, human beings did not look as if they were walking or moving when painted or sculpted.  In my opinion this video was the most impressive.  It was interesting to learn about how they developed a different way of making humans look more real.

Module 5: Project #2

 Burchfield Penney Art Gallery

A.) The Spooning Chairs by Wendell Castle created in 2002 made an impression on me because it is one black chair and one white chair spooning each other in a comfortable setting.  This artwork symbolizes the love between a biracial couple so peacefully.  I loved this because it is relevant to our time.  We now live in a world were it is mostly perceived as normal for different races to be in love.

Another artwork that made an impression on me was The Four Food Groups created by John McQueen in 2006.  The entire piece was done with hot glue, sticks, zip ties, and string and stood about five feet tall.  Although it symbolizes how plants have consumed the wastelands of the industrial age, the most impressive part was the choice of media.

B.) I feel the most connection with the artwork called Afternoon Wind, Created by Charles E. Burchfield in 1964.  This is because the painting reminds me of heaven and my grandmother just passed away recently.  She was the first thing I thought of when I looked at the painting because of the sunlight peeking through the darker clouds.

Another artwork I felt connection with was created by William Ehrich in 1942 named Horror.  This was a wood carving of a person holding its head with the face of fear and agony.  Although I am not going through anything compared to when this piece was created, I have been experiencing a sense of anxiousness all week over an assignment that is due in one of my classes. 

C.) One work of art I would like to know more about is the Mother with Children Sketch by Charles Cary Rumsey.  This piece was a gift from Mrs. Charles C. Rumsey in 2007.  I would like to know what her message was and why she presented it to her husband.  Was she trying to explain the hardships of being a mother?

Another piece I would like to know more about was created by Hannah Samuels in 1948 named Group.  This was a wood carving that looked like three people hugging and holding onto one another for support.  One of the individuals seemed smaller than the other two almost like two parents protecting their child.  I am interested and would like to know more about this artist life and background.

How Art Made the World Part 1: More Human than Human

The most interesting fact I learned from the video was that the figures of the woman body from 25,000 years ago looked the way they did because our ancestors brains responded to particular parts of the body. The woman's breasts and stomach were exaggerated because fertility was highly desirable back then. Other parts of the body such as the face and arms were completely ignored and left out. This is really interesting because now days a desired body type would never be big breast and a big stomach. That would resemble someone who is fat in today's world which is highly unfavorable. Our modern world is dominated by images of unrealistic bodies. These pictures are everywhere we look. On tv, in magazines and advertisements. The modern day body image is very different from our ancestors and this is because there has been a shift in what is desirable and what the ideal body should look like. The problem is that the ideal body image is so unrealistic that no one will ever be happy or satisfied with the way that they look because it is nearly impossible to get to that body goal image we portray.