Myths are stories that explain why the world is the way it is. All cultures have them. Throughout history, artists have been inspired by myths and legends and have given them visual form. Sometimes these works of art are the only surviving record of what particular cultures believed and valued. But even where written records or oral traditions exist, art adds to our understanding of myths and legends.
To use the site I have chosen this week, go to:
http://www.artsmia.org/world-myths/
and explore the site for a little while.
Then, choose ONE (1) work of art featured on the site, read the
1) KEY IDEAS and the
2) STORY, and then read the
3) DISCUSSION QUESTIONS. When you have already thought of an answer, click on the question and see if you are right. Remember, sometimes, there is no right answer, but it is important to reflect upon the question.
Then, write me a message and write a very short report (5-10 sentences) on what you have read about!
10 comments:
Gentilissima Prof.Pikens le invio il commento sul primo assignment in attesa di una sua risposta.Ringrazio anticipatamente.
In the first assignment I have read the introduction to the myth and I have selected the globe called " View all art".In this globe there are many works but I prefer Saint Catherine of Alexandria because I think that is very interesting.Reading the history and the background I have found many things that I don' t knew.Many elements of the Saint Catherine legend are similar to those of the life of an ancient philosopher named Hypatia she although pagan philosopher was given special treatment by christian leaders in the city.She was murdered by a group of fanatical monks.During the 14th century, the artists including Saint Catherine in large-scale alterpieces.In the sculpture is used the linden wood, she is dipicted as a graceful young womenbut is not accompained by her customary attributes, especially a spiked wheel, a marty'r palm and a wedding ring.Catherine is represented not as a 4th century Egyptian woman, but as an aristocratic woman living in 15th century Austria.The stocky figure and angular drapery of this Austrian sculpture are typical of the late Gothic " hard style".This legend demonstrated the virtue of defending one's beliefs.Saint Catherine is a symbol of Christianity's triumph over paganism.This legend is very interesting and is very easy.
ERSILIA LIDO 078000005
After visiting the website, between various works of art I have chosen the “KETOH”, a wrist guard that Navajo Indian archers wore to protect their forearms from the snap of the bowstring when shooting an arrow. It was originally only a leather band, but, by the 1870, silver was commonly attached to the leather to give more protection to the archer and to adapt the ketoh form into decorative jewelry.
I have chosen it both because I was attracted by this object and because I was made curious by the story of a culture different from mine.
Beyond the valuable working of these manufactures, I was struck by ability of Navajo silversmiths in synthesizing in this object the Navajo ideals of order, balance and harmony, encompassed in the concept of “HOZHO” which means (more or less) “beauty” and it guides all aspects of traditional Navajo life. Ketoh designs often have an emphatic center and the symmetrical four-part organization is also used to evoke the four cardinal directions. Order and harmony are evoked through the careful balance of curved lines (female ideal of activity) and straight lines (male ideal of stasis).
Further I like this object because it features, with its meanings, ideals of my sign of zodiac: The Libra!
Excellent work, ladies! I am looking forward to seeing your comments on the other activities.
Just a couple of small corrections:
The past of "don't know" is "didn't know" and regarding the word "between", there is also another word which expresses a similar idea. Here are some rules to understand which word to use: 1) Use between with two items.
e.g:
Emily was standing between Sam and Adam.
Ram divided his property equally between his two children.
2) Between can be used to talk about distance and intervals.
e.g:
I will be at the college between eight and ten.
The distance between wooden studs in new houses in UK is 350mm
3) Between is used before each
e.g:
There seems to be less and less time between each event
Insert a space between each character
There are 9 lines between each centimeter
4) Use among with three or more items.
e.g:
Ram divided his property equally among his three children.
The letter is somewhere among these papers.
5) Use between when something/ someone is between several clearly separated thing/ people. Use among when something/ someone is in a group/ crowd/ mass which we cannot see separately.
e.g:
My villa is between the woods, the river and the village.
Your villa is hidden among the trees.
6) When talking about dividing and sharing things between or among more than two people or groups - can use any of the two
e.g:
Ram divided all his property between/ among his children and grandchildren - both between and among are correct
We shared the work between/ among four of us. - both between and among are correct
7) Generally between is used after difference.
e.g:
What's the difference between a Democrat and a Republican?
There are enormous differences between developing countries in burden of disease , financial resources, educational attainment, and health systems
For the first assignment, I have chosen a greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Orpheus was a great musician of lyra, son of the god Apollo, and Eurydice was a nymph. They married, but in their wedding day, a little poisonous snake killed her. Orpheus, desperate, decided to descend into the Underworld to pray the king and queen of that kingdom to resurrect Eurydice. After they heard him playing lyre, accepted to give her him back on condition that Orpheus must not look back at Eurydice until they were both completely out of the Underworld. But almost to the way out, Orpheus turned and looked at her and she slipped back into the darkness. This ugly story is painted by a Symbolist painter Maurice Denis, in 1910. In the painting, the author uses serene colors that do not communicate a tragic end: Orpheus play the lyre in a forest inhabited by nymphs, while Eurydice is under the green foliage that makes one think of her fate in the Underworld.
My choise in the first assignment was "Woman Dress (Lakota, 20 Century A.D.)", because I love the American Indian culture, exspecially the Lakota Sioux Tribe, so I wanted to know all about this object of art. I had the opportunity to see by the live these kind of dresses, at the Indian Museum of Cody, Woyoming. Also there, the turtle picture was an applear simbol. The story that I read in the website of Minneapoli's Istute of Art about the turtle leggend is so enchanting, like everythings about Indian culture. So I think is injustice that a pride people like they are, have to live in poetry now, in a Reserve, where they leaving all their rituals and preyers.
Valentina Rocco 072000136
Thoth was the god of the moon and god of wisdom. He was considered the measurer of the time and the inventor of writing and numbers. This statuette presents rigid pose ,symmetry and formal attributes typical of traditional Egyptian art. Thoth defied reigning gods to a game of dice and he won. As his prize he asked them to give him five days in addiction to those that already existed. Thoth’s act reconciled the Egyptian calendar with earth’s actuak 365 day cycle.
During the prosperous 26th dynasty artists produced many bronze statuettes. Because in Egypt they placed them at burial sites like offers to gods.
Thoth’s bronze represents him in a typical manner. His head was represented like ibis head. Ibis’ long curved beak was associated with the moon. Thoth wears a simple loincloth. The holes in his hands suggest that they once had objects ,probably a pen( he was a scribe too) and a palette for writing.
Thoth’s crown is filled with symbols for example serpents with a smaller discs, feathers of the truth, a solar disc that indicates his cosmic power.
The symmetry of this statuette and naturalistic curves suggest the Greek art influence.
Francesca Civetti 072000134
Exploring the website I clicked on “Art by culture”, and my choice was: Native American. I love the American Indian culture, especially the Lakota Sioux Tribe, so my next choice was "Woman Dress (Lakota, 20 Century A.D.)". I choice this because I wanted to know all about this object of art, in leather, cotton, copper, and glass beads . I had the opportunity to see by the live these kind of dresses, at the Indian Museum of Cody, Wyoming. Also there, the turtle picture was an appealer symbol. The sacred turtle figures, because of her role in the Lakota creation story, is associated with women and their gift of creating human life. The story that I read in the website of Minneapoli's Institute of Art about the turtle legend, tells of a previous world destroyed by the Creator with a flood, because the people of that world did not behave themselves. Sole survivor was Kangi the crow that pleaded with the Creator to make him a new place to rest. So the Creator decided the time had come to make a new world. From his huge pipe bag, which contained all types of animals and birds, the Creator selected four animals known for their ability to remain under water for a long time (dove, otter, beaver and turtle). Their mission was to retrieve a lump of mud from beneath the floodwaters. But only fourth animal, the turtle, after stayed under the water for long time, with a splash, broke the water's surface and the mud filled its feet and claws and the cracks between its upper and lower shells. Singing, the Creator shaped the mud in his hands and spread it on the water; so He made a new land that He named Turtle Continent in honor of the turtle who provided the mud from which it was formed. I think that this story is very enchanting, as everything about Indian culture. I think is injustice that pride people like they are, are forced to live in poetry, in Reserves, where they are losing all their ancient rituals and ceremonials.
After exploring all the themes, I have choosen "The elevation of Magdalen" because even if she's a famous character of the Bible, Mary Magdalen is still unknown and misterious. Studying Medieval Art for three years with a great french teacher extremely competent in this aera, he gave to me his passion and I had made many researches about Saints and few Bible's characters like mary Magdalen and I have to tell that she is controversial a lot and I think that it's a good point because like this, the people can choose to love her or to hate her which is a good way to keep us the liberty to accept or not her life and so what she represents.In the Southern of France, Mary Magdalen is celebrated like the Christ or like Mary, she's very important because she proves that redemption is possible ever.
Pauline DRUBAY 072000127
The Birth of Venus.
The Birth of Venus is a painting by Sandro Botticelli. The iconography of Birth of Venus is very similar to a description of the event in a poem by Angelo Polizano. A Neoplatonic reading of Botticelli's Birth of Venus suggests that 15th century viewers would have looked at the painting and felt their minds lifted to the realm of divine love.Botticelli's art was never fully committed to naturalism. In the Birth of Venus, Venus body is anatomically improbable, the bodies and poses of the winds to the left are even harder to figure ant. It is a fantasy image. Venus is an italian Renaissance ideal; blonde, poleskinned, voluptuos.
Andrea Salzarulo Matr. 012002561
DEAMS
I have read about King's Crown.I have understand that the King's crown is very important for this popolations because it's symbol of power.But with the civil wars the tradition of them were contested by the people of British and French.So their power was limited,and today there are still missing to wear the crown.
Adriana De gennaro
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