Art of Africa: Ornament vs. the Palace Altar

Africa had plenty of natural resources in 7^th century such as gold, ivory, ebony, incense, and animal skin (leopard); therefore, African Arts has been used with natural resources like the artwork ‘Ornament’ and ‘the Palace Altar’. Some of Islamic Arts spread to the South Africa, and it affected African Arts.

Both ‘Ornament’ and ‘the Palace Altar’ are royalty remains in 10sth century and the very valuable remains of the country. ‘Ornament’ belongs to the queen and ‘the Palace Altar’ belongs to the king. They have been made with natural resources like ‘Ornament’ made with gold and ‘the Palace Altar’ made with ebony and ivory. They are also the symbols of the country and used in important matters. Each of these has symbolic meanings and added part of the animal body which are found easily in Africa.

The most materials of ‘Ornament’ are a pure gold and some paintings were over the some areas like a neckline of the figure in half moon shape. The ram’s head in the middle of it is the only creature in this piece, and the disk and half-moon-shaped piece are subjects to organize this artwork. The ream’s head is a symbol of Kush. A round - shaped figure behind the ram’s head face represents the sun and the disk represents an entryway to Kushan Temple. The round and the diamond patterns are repeated in half-moon- shaped figure. This artwork belongs to the tomb of Queen Amanishakheto.

Unlike ‘Ornament’, ‘the Palace Altar’ made with the ivory and ebony. This artwork is not combining and separated into several pieces. Four ebony materials of humanly faced shop are surrounded the king’s figure, and each of them has half- rounded ivory figure in different size on top of the head’s hole. Two small figures support king figure with a shield like they protect the king from the danger. Plenty of the bamboo was lined up behind the king figure, and bells in different shapes and sizes are around the king figure to show the center of the country is a king.

It is interesting to see the artwork with ebony and ivory materials. The color and texture of each material are smooth and very fantastic. I want to have some chance to sculpt with materials.

Architecture Art: Mosques vs. Palace

 Mosque started to establish in 900 C.E. by Islamic ruler who needed a place for congregational prayer. According to the textbook, there is a phrase that ‘early Islamic architectures drew inspiration from the description of the Prophet’s house’ as Muhammad’s house to preach and gather the faithful. Palace is a construction for royal families who had a daily exercise in here and call it ‘home’. Royal families also using this palace to discuss important political issues with nobles, set a celebration, and make a relationship with the foreign countries.

Both mosques and palace have been a huge impact on people’s life and their cultural construction art. These constructions built by best architecture and were good examples of architecture in that century. Each wall of these constructions has its own pattern of mosaics and shapes like ‘dome in front of the Mihrab’ and ‘court of the lions at Alhambra Palace’. Both ‘Mihrab’ and ‘Alhambra Palace’ are magnificent and most detail constructions. Several detail pillars on each side of these constructions support the roof and prevent the destruction.

Inside the mosques, there is the wall with mark ‘qibla’, and this place was built for Muslims who face forward during praying. Also, there are room called ‘iwans which used for study, rest, or schooling. The surface of every entrance of the mosques was covered with two colorful glazed tile mosaics, and the wall was covered with geometric patterns and stylized plant forms such as flowers, tendrils, foliages, and stems. Furthermore, there are two domes visible on the roof, and structure of constructions allows for light to enter through an opened window by the arches play over the glittering gold mosaics.

Unlike the mosques, the surfaces of entrance of the palace do not have glazed tile mosaics but simple wall with simple geometric shapes. There are many empty and open spaces through porches, open entryways, and pavilions. The foundation in outdoor connected to hole indoor of the palace by long and thin tunnel. Middle of the court of the palace was open, so the air and the sunshine can through both indoor and outdoor. Additionally, several diamond patterns covered the top of each pillar.

These constructions are very beautiful and artistic but it is useless and charged huge area of land. People must be using these places for the museum or other event places, so people can get two benefits: see old cultural constructions closely and directly, and find the right place to enjoy ceremonies or see other artist’s artworks.

What is a Beauty?

The word ‘beauty’ has many meanings, and there is a no specific definition of beauty. Its meaning is either keeping changing or establishes it permanent by individual person who set right definition of beauty based on their backgrounds, situations, principles, and views. Moreover, people can establish the meaning of beauty more than one, and it does not confuse the people. For instance, some artistic student prefers both physical and mental beauty to create new art work. This student found pretty landscape as a subject and start to draw the landscape on the canvas. But, at the same time, this study also adds more points that do not exist in real landscape bit it comes from the view of the mind and feelings because adding more paints bring a deep impression  to the mind or the mind finds ‘hidden beauty’ of the nature which cannot see it physically.

By the ‘beauty’ lecture on last Tuesday night, the classmates and the professor found several beauties: physical beauty which makes people’ eye pleasures, the mental beauty which comes from the mind, and etc. My definitions of ‘beauty’ are same as them, and I probably have more definitions of beauty in my life that I have not recognized yet. However, these are minor definitions to me; I think the major definition of beauty is people’s hard work for the goals, dreams, careers, and dreams. The result of hard work can be ended without a success or get worse condition but their best trying for anything is bright as a star and remains as a wonderful moment permanently after few moments later. Strong attraction to the career is another majority definition of beauty. Strong attraction to the career makes work brilliant. It means that person who feels very attached to one specific subject like a music or literature art, they do incredible work. Their mental voice and the knowledge of career are combine together perfectly, and become brilliant as the star in darkness space.

Chinese Art Vs. Japanese Art

 There was repeated-invasions and conquest from north to south in China; it shaped Chinese thinking and arts. Most Chinese Arts have been found with artifacts in jade and ceramics. The Japanese Art of Neolithic Cultures established on the island by 10,000 B.C.E. Japanese culture came into clear focus (burial mounds and architectures) during the first century. Its geography –separated from another country or lands- affects of Japanese Art.

Both Chinese Art and Japanese Art based on Neolithic Cultures during the first century. Since the art material was ceramic sands, their art works being called ‘burial mounds’. These art works relate to their beliefs or their important object in their century as ‘Haniwa’ from Japanese Art. During the first century, the horse is very important to Japan because it is one of transportation and represents ‘honor of Samurai’- means soldiers. Additionally, their art works are not colorful as current art pieces and can recognize its natural resources to just see it closely as shown in the bottom of this paragraph.

Chinese Arts are based on their beliefs. Shihuangei was the first emperor in China, and he worked on his underground burial site called ‘Terra-Cotta-Army’ based on his believe ‘immortality’. He made the soldiers, archers, cavalrymen, and charioteers’ burials in ghostly gray color, whose stand around his tomb because he believed he needs them after him dead. He also placed soldiers to facing east and the directions that danger might occur suddenly to protect his tomb. ‘Bronze’ is another example of Chinese Art; the only elite family could use it valuably as a wine vessel or banquets to offering foods to the ancestor. Two figures on top of it means horn, legs are stylized as a dragon, and appear birds on band; therefore, in past Chinese’ belief, people can practice communication with the spirit world through animal go- betweens.

Unlike Chinese Art, Japanese Art in the first century was more focus on architectures around the natures as shown in photograph called ‘Inner Shrine’. It is an unusual costume in this century. It involves a belief of the numerous nature deities that are felt to be. For instance, this house built near the waterfall because they believed purification through water helps communication with and appeasement of sprits. Their construction materials are gnarled trees, and they only allow to their family and priest to enter this house. The shrine’s appearance looks like the face of a soldier with a war hat. Each endpoint of a root has two horns, and sharp six thin rounded- branches forwardly.

Their art works are very amazing and help to have an easy understanding about past cultural life of each nation. They are very characteristic and have many specific details based on ancestors’ belief and daily life.

Buddhism Art Vs. Hinduism Art

The word ‘Buddhism’ come from Siddhartha Gautama, later know as the Buddha. He imposes rigid ideas about social order derived from the Verdus. He believed social equality and personal access to the spiritual realm. His believing and desire has been extinguished by cultivating non- attachment as ‘Stupas’. Hinduism became the dominant religion in India much later that Buddhism was established. Hinduism emphasis ritual sacrifice, evolved in its thinking. There are more than one religion in Hinduism, and established by Indian’s belief about religions in Hindu.

Both Buddhism and Hinduism Arts are based on Indian’s belief about a life cycle. Each their God or Gods who five them liberation from the life cycle, which repeat their life over and over as the three stages: life (creation), death (destruction), and rebirth. Each side also adds or put their religion’s creator into their art pieced as shown in next to the third and fourth paragraph. These art pieces are their symbols and there more following art pieces about their creators. Creator’s pose in art work has meanings like footprints in art work means the direction that creator goes to.

Buddhism Art represents an eight fold path of moral and ethical behavior to see the true nature as shown in next to this paragraph. It is one of Sanchi’s eight memorial mounds called stupas. It is a solid earthen mound and represents gateway of the life cycle, the honor of their religions, and shelter as a woman in this stone shows the power of the women and blessing of the animals, natures, and people who enter this gate. The man stone in meditated position indicated his present as a symbol and means his first sermon to the people.

To contrast Buddhism Art, Hinduism Art represents many gods as shown next to this paragraph. This stone is being called ‘Vishnu Dreaming the Universe’. There is goddess Lakshmi who holds a man’s foot who wear a cylindrical crown, it represents the energy of the female. The man who is in meditation position is god Brahama, who represents the creation of space and time by thinking. According to the textbook, he has been saying ’may I become many’. The total meaning of this stone is that ‘god guarantees their liberation from the life cycle with pure consciousness.

Theses two different arts have a very interesting meaning about life cycle, and it is well shown peoples'’ belief at this time.

Lecture note about classmates’ presentations # 2

Classmates’ presentations from last Tuesday were great as much as past two weeks ago. I was very impressed by Japanese Artist who created new sounds and several images with the lights. He created diverse sounds: the fractioned- glass sounds (it hurts my ears by high tone), some sounds from the improper working channel on the television, robotic sounds, game sounds (ex: shooting sounds by spaceship), and ethics. Some sounds are playing in one style but most sounds are mixed or repeated with other sounds as a pattern. The images he created inside or outside the building also very creative and will match to the sound as a background, so this combine helps to increase people’s curiosity about fictional worlds include me- I was feeling like I was flying sky through the clouds while I heard the sounds with vision of the light that spread to the ground in divers directions or the lights from diverse directions raise up to far of the sky like a vision of a tunnel or a way to afterlife world. He also well used darkness to express the light. The light probably was not seem valuable, and it is not pretty to make enough affection to people to explore their feelings into high level if he uses the light under the sun or in bringing a room.

A woman artist from Europe also impresses me and gave some lessons. She was used to dissect- animals to create her own arts. Fake animals like a ship were cut in half horizontally and presented two pieces of the body into two different clear boxes. Each piece of the body shows the bones or both bones and organs that real animal might have. Moreover, she presented the completed body of the animals and several different fished in different patterns of strings or shapes in clear boxes. I have some thoughts that neither simple pattern nor simple art work could not impress people and could not see as the artwork before I saw her art works. However, now I can see that ‘simplest’ is not matter to create new art. The real object of art is creative and ability to apply idea and art materials correctly to the place or to the material.

Two Unknown Artists: Duk Duk Maters Vs. Stone figures

Art piece ‘Duk Duk Masters’ and ‘Stone Figures’ are the best examples of the cultural art pieces 1,000 years later after the Ice Age. After Ice Age, many islands in Europe, Asia, and Pacific Island have been isolated to the other lands, and these art pieces were discovered later. These two pieces are on different Island well shown up the life and culture of each Island on past time.

Both art pieces ‘Duk Duk Masters’ and ‘Stone Figures’ are made with natural resources from the Island with unknown artists. Also, each art piece represents someone and shown up represent- people’s characteristics by size, shape, and pattern. These art pieces look part of the nature. These art pieces are placed on natural place which has the same color and same materials that art pieces have, so it is hard to recognize it as the art work if you pay no attention. By the material used in art piece, any audience can recognize the characteristic of each Island like we can recognize that Easter Island cover of the rocks and sans to just see the stone figures.

 Each ‘Duk Duk Masters’ is constructing with same natural resources such as leaves, tree trunks, and flowers but each piece have different patterns as shown in right side. One has two circles with the center points, half circle, and a long rounded line which seems smile face; and another one has also half circle but it has two snail shapes which look dizzy face. The whole appearance of these art pieces seems a person; and they represent the male leaders’ spirits who reborn each year from turban (the hat- shaped- stone) and immorality. It means power potentially force for chaos, and authorized- control.

Unlike art piece ‘Duk Duk Masters’, the art pieces ‘Stone Figures’ are simple constructions; they are made by with only four pieces of the rocks. Each piece of the stone figures is about 36 feet height, weighs ten of tons, and set upright on elevated stone platforms. They are mostly placed in volcanic mountain of Easter Island. These stone figures represent leaders or important ancestors, and some islanders built it based on their believe that it is vital to their community and make them as the heroes as their ancestors. 

These natural art pieces with historical believes very amazed me because they interesting theories and imaginaries about the passion of the past life of these islanders. I hope that I have a chance to discover similar art pieces in future.