Module 7

Christianity Key Concepts:

• For centuries after the crucifixion, Christians in the Roman Empire were forced to worship secretly, away from the centers of civilization as they were fleeing persecution.
• Sinai is a place where both Muslims and Christians live in harmony despite their different beliefs and cultures.
• In 1504, Christianity was divided in half, forming the Western and Eastern branches.
• Romanesque churches have rounded arches.
• Christian architecture is renowned for its beauty across the world and among all faiths.
• St. Peter's took 120 years to build and began a symbol of the strength of the Counter-Reformation.
• The construction of St. Basil's Cathedral was tied up with the politics and philosophy of the 16th century.
• Within Orthodox churches, there is always an iconostasis which is a wall of icons and has a tradition of being a "book for the illiterate" because not everybody during that time was able to read the gospel.

Islam Key Concepts:

• It is believed in Islam that the prophet Mohammed declared whoever builds a house for Allah (mosque), Allah will build him a house in paradise.
• Jerusalem has been a site of complex religious conflict between Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. 
• The Dome of the Rock is considered the first Muslim monument. Most of the monument has been replaced but the structure remains the same.
• Kairouan is the center of Islam because of its strategic placement.
• Muslims believe there is a direct relationship between those who pray and God and therefore there is no need for those who pray to look directly at the imam. 
• There are no figurative representations or sculptures in mosques. 
• Islam is a monotheistic religion and regarded as a continuity of Christianity and Judaism. 
• The Cordoba Mosque was not just a place for worship but also one for knowledge and learning. The interior of the mosque focuses on the spirituality of the individual. It allows Muslims to concentrate and prepare to speak with God. 
• As Catholicism dominated Europe and Spain, the tolerance period between the religions ended.
• The fall of Constantinople, the Christian capital of the Roman Empire, in 1453 to the Ottoman Turks was an important progression in Islam and to Christianity, as well.

2) The videos relate to the readings because we are able to see from this content how religious and art history are interrelated. The readings discuss periods of art history and how religion affected its development while the videos provide examples.

3) I enjoyed the films because it was interesting to learn just how much religion has affected aspects of art and its history. From the videos, we learn about how religious art, including architecture and sculptures, held political and philosophical importance.

4) I chose Christianity because I grew up in a Roman Catholic family and felt it would be interesting to learn about the ancient religious relics. I chose Islam because it is the second-most practiced religion in the world, behind Christianity, and we often don't hear about it much living in the western world.

Module 6: Video Review

1) Beyond the Classical: Byzantine & Later Greek Art
This video discusses how developments in art did not stop after the Hellenistic age and did, in fact, continue to flourish through the rise of Christianity. We learn about the profound religious influence on Greek art which has persisted despite an "increasingly secular Europe." It was from these art forms that modern contemporary artists were able to replicate and expand on, thus creating a continuity in art history.

The Greek Awakening: Art from the 5th Century BC
From this video, we learn that Athens is the birthplace of western civilization because of a revolution in art, architecture, philosophy, and theater which took place during the 5th and 6th centuries. The influence of this revolution is evident even in our present-day society. Many attribute this to the Greeks viewing themselves as the center of their universe, rather than the gods. One such representation of this humanist movement is the construction of the Parthenon. 

The Measure of All Things: Greek Art & the Human Figure
This video discusses how Greeks became focused on representing the human form in their art during the Great Awakening. This focus leads the way to produce realistic renderings that are still valued today and have developed the artistic style of realism. The video describes the Greek art as shifting the focus from religion to anthropocentric: with the focus on the human being, especially female. 

2) The videos relate to the readings through mutual expression of the lasting impact of Greek art and civilization on modern-day society. The content discusses how Greek influence is found all throughout the western world, lasting for centuries. 

3) I enjoyed the films and learning about some of the history of Greek civilization. The videos provided various examples of monumental Greek art which helps me to understand just how profound Greek influence has been over centuries. 

Module 6: Reviewing Peer Responses to Artwork

1) I reviewed the following blogs for this project:

https://visualgemsbymikayla.blogspot.com/   &   https://findingsthroughart.blogspot.com/


2) While looking at the Elements and Principles projects, I liked being able to see how other people interpret these concepts and where they are able to find them in the world to convey through photographs. I was able to see from their point of view and saw the elements and principles through a different lens. I was also able to see other elements and principles which the photo did not represent for the sake of the assignment. For example, I really enjoyed Charlotte's "Shapes" which could have also represented "Space."

3) I didn't choose any of the same artworks as my peers from Project #2. However, I did visit the Burchfield Penney Art Center for this project, as did Mikayla. I was able to see the pieces that she chose during my visit and after reading her descriptions as to why she chose them, I have a new perspective on these artworks.

4) I really enjoyed the pieces that Charlotte chose for Project #2 at The Andy Warhol Museum. I've also visited there and would really like to return again someday. I like contemporary art and I believe Andy Warhol's work is a great embodiment of this. As I mentioned in my comment on her blog, I like that Charlotte picked Make Him Want You to include in her project. I would like to know what exactly was the inspiration and message behind this piece. 

5) I personally enjoyed reviewing my peers' reflections. It was an interesting lesson about interpretations of art and how much they can vary from one person to the next. Being exposed to these different interpretations helps when learning about art.

6) I enjoyed reading the comments posted on my blog because it is nice to make connections with other individuals through shared experiences in art. 

Module 5

Artworks that made an impact/impression on me:

1)Charles E. Burchfield, December Storm, watercolor on joined paper mounted on board, 1941-1960

This piece made an impression on me because of the foreshadowing made by Burchfield, unbeknownst to him. This piece was created one day prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor.

2) Arthur Kowalski, Sunshine and Cloud Shadows, oil on canvas, 1940

As I was walking through the gallery, this piece stood out to me and I mentioned to my sister it reminds me of a scene that we would've come across in our small hometown, Springville. As we approached the piece and read the description, we realized it was based on a scene in Boston, NY, which is another small town close to Springville. This made the piece have a significant impact on me, creating a sense of homesickness. 

Artworks I felt a connection with:

1) Thomas Mickell Burnham, The Port of Buffalo, oil on canvas, 1835

I connected with this piece because it is a depiction of what the city that I live in looked like before it was what it is today. The city served different purposes to the residents of that time and it's interesting to know that so many people living in the same place can have such different experiences. 

2) Charles E. Burchfield, Wild Sweet Peas in a Summer Rain, watercolor on paper, 1965

I felt a connection to this piece mostly for the title. The flower associated with my daughter Odessa's birth month is the sweet pea. I've always used "sweet pea" as a pet name for my daughter and the artwork is beautiful and made me think of her.

Artworks I would like to know more about:

1) Charles E. Burchfield, Song of the Telegraph, watercolor on joined paper mounted on board, 1917-52

I would like to know more about this piece because I feel that it has a type of psychedelic quality to it that makes it intriguing to look at but also gives me an eerie feeling. I also think it stood out as an atypical work when compared with Burchfield's other pieces which were mostly portrayals of landscapes and natural beauty. 

2) Donald Whitney Burns, Bethlehem Steel, oil on canvas, 1935

I think it would be interesting to know more about the background of this piece of art. Bethlehem Steel was a very important manufacturing plant that supplied jobs to a large number of residents in the area. Its eventual demise was a reflection of the direction in which the American economy was headed. 


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

1) The most interesting section of the video to me was the experiment done with seagulls. Even when presented with a stick with three red lines, which does not bear any resemblance to their mother's beak, the babies were still attracted to it. It shows that we are stimulated by overly exaggerated representations. 

2) The world is dominated by images of the body which are unrealistic because artists choose to emphasize features of the body which are important to the context of time and culture. For example, to the nomadic peoples who created the Venus of Willendorf, being fertile and fuller-figured was a sign of being able to reproduce and obtain food which were the main objectives of their lives.