When you consider the Ritual Pot, Dogon iron lamp, and Chinese bronze vessels I was wondering what historical events or influences did you discovered that influenced how each work looks?
What visual characteristics (e.g., details, use of elements, such as color, etc.) do you see as contributing to our understanding of the meaning behind each object?
Running head: ART AND CULTURE
ART AND CULTURE 3
Art and culture
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Question 1: Monumental Architecture and Sculpture
In this question, I will discuss three sculptures. These are;
(i) Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang in China in the 15th century.
(ii) The ancient mysteries of the Ajanta caves in Maharashtra, India (2nd century BCE to 480 CE)
(iii) Atomic Bomb Dome/Hiroshima Peace Memorial in Hiroshima in 1945.
http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/thumbs/site_0439_0001-500-375-20151104132041.jpgThe architects of the Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang in China were Cai Xin, Kuai Xiang, Giovanni Boccardi and Nguyen An. Its construction took place between 1406 and 1420. The history of the entire Forbidden City which houses Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang in China started in the 15th century when it was put up as the palace for Ming emperors of China (G., 2013). It was the palace of the Chinese emperor from Mid-Ming Dynasty to Qing Dynasty which ended in 1912. It now houses the Palace Museum. The meaning of the now Palace Museum is to educate the generations how things were when it was still a palace (G., 2013). Unlike structures like Mount Rushmore and the 9/11 Memorial which were created in memory of the fallen citizens who are victims of terrorism, this is a historic sculpture.
http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/thumbs/site_0439_0005-375-500-20151104132043.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Ajanta_%2863%29.jpgThe ancient mysteries of the Ajanta caves are located in Maharashtra, India. It is one of the series of Buddhist cave temples. It dates back the 2nd century BC for the first phase of Ajanta cave. Ajanta Caves was carved out of the solid rock which lied along Waghora River (Behl, 2008). Ajanta caves were created with the aim of preserving the culture and for religious purposes. The visual characteristics of Ajanta caves represent the culture of India as well as Buddhism (Behl, 2008). It is a cultural sculpture unlike Mount Rushmore and 9/11 which were as a result of terrorism or lack of peace.
Rock Cut Ajanta Caves, India
Hiroshima Peace Memorial, also known as Atomic Bomb Dome. It is a skeletal building whose purpose is commemorating the dropping of atomic bomb. The damaged structure was preserved intentionally after the Hiroshima bombing, and some people also refer to the skeletal building as Genbaku Dome. It was preserved in 1966 after Hiroshima City Council made the decision. The visual characteristics of this building show how severe the bombing was (Kloosterman, 2016). Comparing it to Mount Rushmore and 9/11, they are similar because they are as a result of an act of terrorism or lack of peace.
Image result for Hiroshima Peace memorial Image result for Hiroshima Peace memorial
Question 2: The Function of Art Objects
In this question, I will discuss three objects. These are;
(i) Bronze vessels invented 5000 years ago in China
(ii) Ritual pot with bull-headed handle invented in an early 20th century in India
(iii) Dogon iron lamp from Mali
Bronze vessels were invented 5000 years ago in China. Bronze vessels led ancestors of modern China from Stone Age to Bronze Age. These vessels were delicately decorated with multiple and diverse ranges of motifs and designs (Pearce, 2017). Bronze vessels were used in numerous aspects of life such as ceremonial offerings, musical instruments and also as weapons of war.
Image result for bronze vessels china Image result for bronze vessels china
Ritual pot with bull-headed handle was invented in an early 20th century in India. It was used by elders in ceremonies where traditional beer would be decanted in these ritual pots (Pearce, 2017). To offer their blessing, the elders would drink several sips of beer and then hand over to other family members after which they blew the empty ritual pots.
Related image Image result for Ritual pot with bull-headed handle
Dogon iron lamp originated from Mali in the 20th century. These iron lamps have bowls whose function is burning oil and other stuff for expressing power, status and prestige (Pearce, 2017). They brought honour to ancestors, existing leadership and the owner of the object or sculpture.
http://www.hamillgallery.com/DOGON/DogonIronwork/DogonIron01s.JPG The Nairobi Gallery_Dogon iron lamp
References
Behl, B. K. (2008). The Ajanta caves: the artistic wonder of ancient Buddhist India. Harry N Abrams Inc. G., H. (2013). Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang. In: Huadong G. (eds) Atlas of Remote Sensing for World Heritage. China: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. Kloosterman, A. (2016). Hiroshima Genbaku Dome: The Dynamics of Inscribing a Contested World Heritage Site. Wiley. Pearce, S. (2017). Museums, objects, and collections: A cultural study. Smithsonian Institution.
