Japanese and Chinese Art

Japanese and Chinese art are very similar. Chinese art held much meditation, focusing on one subject, mostly nature. They use to focus on human figures, yet changed to nature for the peaceful meanings behind them. Chinese time periods are divided into Dynasties, having various emperors for each one. One of the earliest forms of Chinese art was sculpture, yet later painting grew in vitality. The paintings held a very known perspective with as much negative space as positive space. Landscaping is common as well, portraying nature in a harmonic, comfort promoting way. Japanese art is like Chinese art in many ways. Most Japanese art held a purpose behind the beauty, such as the warrior suits, pipe cases, and swords. They tended to be of nature colors, sometimes a vivid color thrown in to contrast, with functional reasons as well as mental reasoning. They used woodblock prints as their signature, such as the prints of African art, yet etched within the block instead of protruding out. One example to the left, is The Great Wave by Hokusai, demonstrating the use of not only woodblocks, yet the power of nature as well. Scrolls were painted and tucked away, used as leisure enjoyments for meditation, similar to the American novel. Quite a few American artists were inspired by the Japanese artists. These paintings held signature view points that were uncommon to the world. This let their paintings put the feel as though the viewer was truly inside the picture, told a sense of motion, portrayed a value of textures, or any number of reasons to demonstrate the culture of perspective. All pictures had some for of nature within, showing it's power and overall control over humankind. This belief derived from the fact Japan consists of many island, being exposed to many natural disasters. Japanese and Chinese art are more different from the world than similar, shining their heritages through each masterpiece.
Terracotta soldiers (an exmaple to the right) were made in pieces and put together to be buried with an emperor named Quin Shi Huang Di for afterlife beliefs such as the mummies in Egyptian art. Dry brush, even wash, and graduated brush techniques are used in paintings. Dry brush is used for swift, narrow strokes. Even wash was mainly used in paintings for areas where the color remained the same. Graduated brush gave the picture shadowing for the paint was thick in one line. The painter would go back to this with the wet paintbrush and draw the paint out, making lighter pigments.
I enjoy the flow of these types of Asian art, tranquil spasms of expression. Not all of the art was like this, but the majority is, giving the artists and viewer a sense of relaxation. The forms have a distinct contradiction to the world, letting the viewers defiantly know it's culture. While terracotta soldiers were not peaceful, they have a character that is brought up in each one, so realistically human, it is intriguing. I look forward to making my own soldier, can not wait to learn more about Asian art, and believe painting bamboo is one of the most centering experiences, even though it has nothing to do with who I am. I believe Asian art to be original and am excited. As for my pictures, at the top of the reading, I chose of Japense art and Chinese art, I love the flow yet distortion of the Japanese figure, and the nature of the Chinese art.

Greek and Roman Art

Greek art is similar to Egyptian art, with the architecture, yet instead of pyramids, they created temples with columns. These temples usually did not hold doors, having a triangular top. It is called a pediment and told a story in a low relief sculpture, usually about the Greek gods and goddesses. There were three types of columns: Ionic, Doric, and Corinthian. Ionic is simple with curved capitals (the area atop the column). Doric is even simpler, with straight capitals, while Corinthian is delicately decorated with various designs. Above the capital is the abacus and the entablature before the pediment. The abacus supports the entablature and is considered the highest part of the column. The entablature consists of three parts: the architrave, frieze, and cornice. The architrave is next to the abacus, then the frieze, then cornice, before the pediment. Even though most Greek architecture is in ruins today, it is stupefying to think of what amazing structures stood in the past. Re-drawing the school project was interesting, giving is the chance to see our school in a change of light, yet giving us the freedom to make it anything we wanted. The Greeks also influenced the Romans with architecture, using columns, domes, and arches as well. One fine example would be how both cultures used the Triclinium as a fancy dining room, mostly for the rich. Pompeii portrayes such a room in this painting called Triclinium. Not only did the inner rooms hold similarities, yet the building plans themselves held much similar backgrounds. Using columns, arches, and domes in the same light as the Greeks, one fine example of similar arcitcheture would be The Colosseum that resides in Rome today. It might not be complete as the original, for time ruined some of the structure, yet the general outlines are visibly like that of the Greeks.
Architecture could also be inspired by other objects, such as a vase. The Greek vases, such as Hydria, we used for a number of reasons. The Hydria vase was a water jog with three handles, two for holding, one for pouring. It was build in the fifth century like most of the other vases in that era, and had three different styles: completely black, black and red with designs, or black and red with pictures of animals and humans. Such vases motivated the blueprints for a chair we constructed in class. I did not particularly like this project. Designing the chair would have been great, and making it, yet we only had a day or two to pull everything together. Our chairs were decent, but they could have been much better.
Greek gods and goddesses are featured in much of Greek art, telling the views of their religious beliefs, worshiping, and legions that were past down throughout the ages. Toga's were worn by the Greeks and special foods made. They honored their gods and goddesses, ate their tempting plates, and made monuments, columns, and other architecture movements.

African Art

African art varies from ritual clothing to body art to sculptures and more. They have symbols that they make and stamp onto a cloth to tell a story. In class, this project was very interesting. It was nice to talk about a certain year in high school to our fellow students, even people we normally would not talk to, expanding our social connections. Carving the eraser was my favorite project so far; I’m going to use the stamps over and over. I enjoyed how the result let us literally take what we did home that could be used again. Scarification is body art that the Africans use, usually to determine what tribe a citizen belonged in or some part of their past. Sometimes dye would be rubbed into the scar to make sort of a three-dimensional tattoo. Scarring cream would also be rubbed in so the scar would become fresh again, making it more defined. To be honest, this intrigues me very much. I think I would rather get scarification than a tattoo, for I hate needles, but it would be more unique in America. It would be amazing to go to Africa and get a real African to do the process. Something I did not know was Africa was one of the first Christian countries, using the cross in much of their art. Masks were used either to wear around the neck of royalty, or usually for royalty to wear on special occasions. The mask project we did was also quite enjoyable. Out of everything we have done in class so far, even with writing the essay about African art, I believe that was the most successfully taught and had the best projects. I liked the art better than the Egyptian and Prehistoric art. They made sculptures that were realistic, yet idolized. Other sculptures could hold the wood spirits, which were believed ugly yet made beautiful so they would not be offended, the king, and/or people adoring the king. Many natural materials were used such as Ivory to symbolize a number of meanings. Some wooden carvings were believed made by woman long before we realize in the art world, yet we cannot date them. While the art was semi-realistic, it told the roles of genders in the area. Females were more like property, while the man was in charge. The man was the warrior, hunter, protector. The woman was the feminine, nurturing, “mom” type of a woman. Kings would garnish themselves in rich beads with drums surrounding. They would hold weapons, symbolizing power. While this made them seem paralyzed, it held it’s reason, showing the people their leader is vital, giving him the respect her deserves as king. African art was the most relatable for me because I love religion and am Christian like the majority of them were, I love the styles of the art forms, and all of the symbols and scarifications are so different, yet simply extraordinary. I really want to visit Africa now. Thank you for that. I chose the pictures with of the mask that was worn as a medallion by the king. The eyes are looking slightly down; the lips are relaxing upon each other, while the nose and ears poke out. Lines between the eyebrows go straight down, giving the caring a more serious tone when I gaze into its face. I merely love the little wood spirits that go around the head like hair from far away. Each has such detail, took such time, had such meaning, I could goggle at the piece for hours.

Egyptian Art

Egyptian art is almost unbelievable to me. I do not particularly like the paintings or sculptures more than other eras, it is the architecture that surpasses every other form of architecture I have ever seen. Egyptians thought about the future, making sure their art work would survive throughout the ages. This was because art was created for religious reasons. The people believed that this life was only lived to prepare for the afterlife. After death, the ka, or soul, would leave the body and go into the world of beyond. Although their body lay on earth, they needed a body in death. This is why the bodies were mummified. Organs were removed and saved in jars, such as the brain through the nostrils. The pharaoh, or ruler, was considered to be the king and a god-like figure. This is why the pharaohs had sculptures, paintings, and pyramids made for them to occupy. Supposedly, the body would lay inside the tomb in the pyramid, while the ka would go into a sculpture or other work of art in their next life. As a result of the beliefs, all art had to have every body part shown, while their heads were usually turned, creating a distorted look, yet surprisingly realistic. When the mummies were put in their tombs, they had jewels, food, drinks, toys, and other items with them for the after life, all depending on how wealthy they were in life. Architecture not only involves art, but it takes math knowledge as well. Egyptians made pyramids of huge stone, so heavy we can only imagine how they maneuvered it to go in the correct space, angled so they would not erode, some even having designs to them. I chose a picture of a pyramid called The great sphinx because it simply blows my mind away to even ponder about making this now, let alone thousands of years ago. It has a head and a body of a cat. The head looks evenly proportioned even after all these years, a few chucks clipped out of it. Simply brain-numbing.
Another work of art I chose is a highi relief sculpture of Queen Nefertiti. The Egyptians honored their rulers and wished them well afterlives, statues being one way to provide for both. This piece is very realistic, unlike most of the other works, and I enjoy the large hat, even though I would not wear it-but I'm not a much of a hat person :)

Prehistoric Art

As I'm sure everyone does, I did know people drew on cave walls, but I had never got into it in depth. I never really thought about how little these people had to work with, and they still made amazing works of art. The project we did today, with the crumpled paper bag paper and the watercolors, pastels, and chalk, put it into perspective, and it was much harder than I expected. I always draw with something to look at. I had completely forgotten these people had only memory to work off of, and my memory is bad. They signed their names by imprints of their hands, which is so personal, not many would know who did a form of art, if any knew, except the person. They obviously did not create art for recognition, materials, or fame. It's cool how these caves were discovered by accident, how splendid it would be if we could stumble into a whole cave full of history, adventure, art. It was surprising how the drawings were in very hard-to-reach places, and how much detail was depicted. It just shows how intense their beliefs of religion and power were, based on nothing. Nowadays everyone needs facts to believe, then it was based on faith. Artwork expresses so much about the artist, they must have had so much patience, memory, and a busy schedule to spend hunting, cooking, eating, sleeping, finding shelter, and on top of that creating art. It is odd how they color in the top of the animal in some pictures and leave the bottom of the belly open. Maybe that was the part they wanted to eat? Who knows. I love how the work keeps the viewer guessing to answer why, intrigued to answer when, and stunned to answer how.
One picture I remembered the most and liked the best was an owl in the Cave of Chauvet because most did not draw the owl. Also, it was etched into the rock instead of on it, where the majority was on the rock.

Rinpa Eshidan link

http://rinpaeshidan.jp/works/index.html

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Rain Come Again Today

For many, rain seems scary, angry, or depressing, yet, in my eyes, it is not. It is one of the most extraordinary views of art, moving, pounding, living. Water is very hard to capture in another form of art, so it’s beautiful to see it splashing about. To me, rain is one of natures ways of reminding us, technology-loving humans, to spend some time with it, a dance of nature. Thunder, lightening, and rain intrigue me so, bringing forth the primitive instincts we all have rooted from. Impulse craves me to join this sense of art, swarming in my skin, twitching in my bones, flushing through my blood, making the hair follicles on my body poke out as if lightening. As the droplets of rain explode into a surface, they multiply and then form one, as if a family would that had been fighting when an unsuspected misfortune happens. Lightening slices the sky, brightening the dimmed scene, thunder craving my impulses all the more. Yet when the lightening and thunder cease, the rain alone sooths the Neanderthal inside. Breathing in dense humidity, dampness teases the tongue and urges the throat for a sip. Untainted the rain would be if human being had not started the cycle of destroying this world, now trying to turn back, a regret that cannot be fixed. Feeling such little blasts of pleasure, such droplets of coolness, such tears of tranquility. Your essence rises as the precipitation sinks, seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, feeling. The presence of something a human could never recreate, something so powerful, meaningful, vital, that takes you away from this world by simply enjoying it. It’s only was the rain fades away that we go back to the normal and have the haunting feeling that it’s such a shame more people do not embrace what had just happened, out of human hands. Only time could turn this friend into a foe.

April-Digital Media

I already know that digital media is creating art on the computer, yet I never really knew what it is. I am horrible with the computer, so I have always loved creating with my hands over everything else. Digital media could be altering a normal photograph to creating a symbol for designing a symbol using Microsoft. I still am confused, so I hope to learn more tomorrow.