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Humanism Blog

Humanism is the emphasizes the value of human beings instead of divine or supernatural matters.  Humans have started to become the main focus instead of the gods and goddesses.  This system was most common in Ancient Greek Art era and showed the parts of humans that were most valuable.  The art was focused on detailed parts of human beings instead of the different types of appearances the gods and goddesses may have had.

In Greek and Rome art, statues of gods and goddesses had more features of a human being.  They emphasize the body of men and their structure with facial expressions and their poses.  In the, it has very detailed parts of mankind for example, hair, muscle, facial expressions, etc.  It showed that even though the gods were worshiped, they still look like humans.  Nudity was also important to Greek humanism.  They embrace the nudity to show that everyone was equal, no matter where one stood socially, the human being physical structure was the same.

Mesopotamian and Egyptian art, however, focused more on hierarchy with the gods and the humans.  They portrayed through their artwork that god and goddesses were much more powerful than other beings. Therefore, when shown in an artwork they were not shown as human beings.  Gods and goddesses had heads the same as animals and the body of a man.  In the painting of Anubis, he is a god with a jackal head.  This shows how god and man were not be equal because the gods had a special appearance.  The reason being was to show the power they had over humans and that the gods were superior.

(Painting of Anubis)

Egypte – Photo © Richard Soberka – http://www.photoway.com/

(The Kouros figure)

Humanism in Greek and Roman Art

Humanism is an ancient idea that is still very current today. It is the idea that man is the center and everything revolves around it.  Man is basically the sun.  Humans’ needs are the most important.  This idea is very obvious within Roman and Greek art. Their art is very different than the art of the rest of the world, specifically Egyptian art.

Since Humanism is all about man, their [Greeks and Romans] art was made to honor man.  Egyptian art was made for after life and Deities, they served a purpose for a greater being(s).  One of the major differences between the two types are that the Greeks and Romans honor and love the human form, which means that most, if not all, of their art has people naked. They enjoy the look of the nude body so that’s what their art is; many, many naked people.  The Egyptians are making art for a higher power so they don’t need to show off the body, especially since being naked wasn’t as amazing as it was in Greece and Rome, who literally did everything in the nude.

Egyptians also used a lot of animal figures for higher representation of things, but Romans and Greeks believed that there is nothing higher that a human body.

For example, the Egyptian painting of Anubis.  He is clothed and portrayed with the head of a dog to signify something.  Many times he was painted on the inside of a coffin to protect the soul.  Then the Greeks/Romans had Kroisos, a nude sculpture of a boy.  It was also used for a death, but was shown loud and proud to mark the grave.

 

 

Humanism

Humanism is a system of thought attaching importance to humans rather than divine or supernatural matters. It stresses the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasizing common human needs. Art of Greece and Rome. This is depicted in the behavior and personality of the Greek gods. The Greek gods, felt jealousy, anger, happiness, among other human emotions. This is different from many modern day religions in which the highest figure must be one dripped in perfection, non-human like in many ways. It allowed for believers to better resonate with the gods.

The art of Greece and Rome were more realistic and a better representation of an actual human. They made their works of art to show human rawness by incorporating facial expressions, body movement (or body in motion), and fine detail. Kroisos from Anavysos which was simply a human statue of a man. However, the detail included in the sculpture employs the elements of humanism. There was less focus on any divine or religious connection, and more emphasis on human features. Body parts such as fingers, toes, and muscles, as well as posture and expression all showed that this was an actual person who was most likely modeling for the artist. Nonetheless, humanism in this sculpture shows the difference in societal ideals the Greeks and Roman’s had in comparison to the Egyptians and Mesopotamians.

In comparison, Mesopotamian or Egyptian views art nude depictions of individuals as a taboo. Being nude was frowned upon and often used as a form of embarrassment. The ancient Egyptian statues often lacked movement, stood straight, and featured animal figures, usually the head, on the human body. Being part animal demonstrated that they were seen as divine and as superior to humans. An example of this would be Anubis, which has the head of a jackal and the body of a man and is the god of the dead. Anubis was the god of embalming and the dead. Since jackals were often seen in cemeteries, the ancient Egyptians believed that Anubis watched over the dead

Brooklyn Museum Assignment

Part 1:

The Amunhotep III statuette is located on the 3rd floor of the Brooklyn Museum standing at almost 11 inches tall. The full figure is covered in gold and black, the headwear and bottom garment are golden and the torso as well as the legs being completely black.  The figure is missing arms, probably due to the passage of time, and it is standing on an inscribed wooden base.  The position of the figure is a stride, with his left leg moving forward and his right leg following behind.  The mediums of the statuette are wood, gold leaf, glass, and pigment.  The body, head and base were made of different types of wood. The eyebrows and eyes were made from different types of glass.

The subject of the piece is a pharaoh from the New Kingdom of Egypt: Amunhotep III.  He is one of the first pharaohs to depict himself in a more realistic manner.  The statuette’s stomach isn’t flat, denoting lack of perfect fitness.  His jowls sag slightly, denoting age.

Amunhotep III was the son of Thutmose and his minor wife, Mutemwiya.  During Amunhotep’s reign, Egypt had reached its peak in terms of art production, influence and international power.  Meaning that this depiction of the pharaoh was also a representation of Egypt at one of its most artistic and powerful times.  It is interesting that this is the time when the pharaoh chose to be represented in a more realistic manner, perhaps due to the outside influences that come with being an international power.

Part 2: 

In the Soul of A Nation exhibit, there was a lot that spoke to me due to the fact that not only were there so many beautiful artworks, but because I felt like I was being addressed specifically.  Black artwork in an American setting has always felt like it was a revolution in itself, not always a rebellion, but a constant growth and undefinable spirit of a people that keep evolving, which is why I think the exhibit is perfectly titled.

The piece that I chose is “Black Children Keep Your Spirits Free” by Carolyn Lawrence.  The piece was made through acrylic on canvas and is around 48in x 50in x 5in.  It was completed in 1972.  The 1970s were an important time for Black America because it was the post-Civil Rights Era.  Black heroes had just paved the way for every American citizen to be truly granted equal rights and liberties and because of this, black citizens were making great strides in society.  The phrase “keep your spirits free” is probably a nod to this revolution, and a reminder to never lose the freedom that they had achieved.

The artwork is filled with a wide array of colors.  Orange, yellow, green, red, blue, purple, and pink make up the painting.  The colors blend into one another, different shades of the same colors are touching each other.  In the forefront is a kid making a beat with their hands.  Even though this child is on the right, they are the first thing someone in the audience will see because how large they are drawn, showing they are the closest to us.  Other characters include a kid biking, and a man in a mask playing an instrument.  The words “keep your spirit free” repeat endlessly in different colors all over the artwork.  This is written in different fonts as well, perhaps representing a chant said by many different people.

Brooklyn Museum Assignment Part 1

Part One: Ancient World

The piece of art I chose was the “Painted Coffin Interior”.  It was the inside bottom of the coffin where an Egyptian King would be buried on top of, after being mummified.  What originally drew me to observe the piece were the colors used.  It was the only art in the room that had any color, and I love colors.

I believe the painting done was specific towards the King that was buried there.  It tell the story of his life and the things he accomplished.  The biggest figure in the center of the painting is the King of the dead, Osiris, due to hieratic scale, it makes sense that he is four time the size of the other figures, since the who;e point of the painting is for death.  The mummy would be laid on top of it, so the deceased could be associated with the King, who was reborn in the afterlife.

The birds with heads are called ba-soul.  They are the part of the soul that can travel between living world and the death world.  It was believed that only kings had these souls, so the ba-souls on the top registers were previous kings.

There are two figures holding Osiris up, Anubis and Horus.  Anubis (on the left), is a God who watches over the dead.  He was the God that embalmed Osiris after he died.  Horus (on the right) was the symbol of  kingship over Egypt.

The circles on the top of the painting, I believe, are there to show the circle of life.  Even though the King’s human life is over his soul continues on in the after life, so there are more than one circle; the soul goes on.

Unit 1 Summary

Image result for checkUnit 1 covered basic learning styles and systems of analysis that are conducted in the study of art.  To truly appreciate art, a student should be a part of a classroom that engages in critical pedagogy, so that everyone in the classroom can truly learn together.  Friere’s learning style leads to students being more active and gaining more independence than the classic learning style.  This increased engagement leads to art students feeling more connected to the education they’re getting and develop more of a passion and memory for the concepts.  An example of a concept that can be retained faster from this learning style is formal analysis.  Formal analysis is the study of a work of art by breaking down and identifying its physical, historical, and meaningful features.  Although it is presented in a very formal way, this skill should become second nature to an art student who is tasked with the duty of analyzing art.  Practice and input from this student through the critical pedagogy system will develop this second nature at a fast rate within the individual.  I’m refreshed to know that I am learning within a classroom where I can be treated as an equal and asked to analyze all of the different ways art is meant to effect its audience.  Being treated as lesser and only analyzing art through one lens would become boring and disinteresting.

Brooklyn Museum Assignment, Part 2 of 2 (Soul of a Nation)

While I found my ventures in the Ancient World exhibit of the Brooklyn museum to be knowledgeable and enjoyable, I found myself eager to reach the second part of this assignment. I already knew that in exploring the Soul of a Nation exhibit of the Brooklyn museum, I was going to gain a better understanding of the mental and emotional labor Black American artists poured into their art two decades after 1963 (an integral time period in American history for the black community). Considering the times we live in today, it is so important to support Black American artists and have an open and accepting environment where  their art is allowed to flourish and where their stories are their own, told through their voice and their voice only.

The piece that struck me the most was Sam Gilliam’s painting, April 4th. In using formal analysis to assess this powerful work, we’re all inclined to first take note of the size of it. I don’t buy picture frames and I’m not good at math, so my words will have to do the size of the painting some justice. It is colossal, taking up a good chunk of the museum’s wall. It was the first painting I had come across while walking through the exhibit and I had to stop. The size itself tells us something about this piece, that the emotions that have inspired the painting are far too big to hide, the loss it’s suggesting is not only a prominent one but a poignant one. Gilliam used acrylic paint in this particular work of his and the most prominent colors seen are purple, red, black and white. All of these colors work together to further invoke feelings of sadness, loss and, even before reading what exactly this painting commemorates, violence. When honing in on the red blotches, which look like blots of blood, the violence is expressed in shapes that look like bullet wounds to me. It is a beautifully composed mess. It almost looks as though the colors are melting into one another (almost like painted rain against a windowpane), but not enough so that you can’t address each of them a purpose of their own. When reading about this piece further and educating myself on where Gilliam’s piece is derivative of, I discovered this work is in homage to Martin Luther King Jr. on the first anniversary of his assassination. The colors of the painting reaffirmed my initial response of it being a melancholy piece that encapsulates loss and violence. The purple can be seen as a magisterial and the red marks (as I had suspected) might suggest bloodstains. The coupling of the two colors pay a respectful homage to Martin Luther King Jr. and appropriately address the loss (of not only who he was but who he represented for the black community) as tragic and detrimental. While the red blood splotches don’t monopolize the painting, they are there and representative of M.L.K.’s own fatal wound shots, the blood that will never wash away because they are stained on the hands of the U.S. government.

Brooklyn Museum Assignment, Part 1 of 2 (Ancient World)

In walking to the third floor (after getting in for free with your Brooklyn college ID) of the Brooklyn museum, you are overwhelmed with the plethora of artwork you can explore in their Ancient World exhibit. I found myself reflecting back on our classes, trying to draw from what we’ve addressed and depicted. From the powerpoint slides of the small statues, the large statues and the wall paintings that we’ve examined and analyzed thus far, the Ancient World exhibit was a showcase for what felt like millions of these art forms. While I was in awe of larger works and works that seemed to be of imminent importance, I found myself drawn to the smaller statues that were showcased throughout all of the exhibit. I remember learning in class that while these statues are on the smaller size, they still retain an importance. In being so small they were most likely portable objects that people deemed not only vital but beneficial to carry around with them. The statue that I really adored was from ancient Mesopotamia titled Female Figure.

Before I read the description below the figure, I could already draw from previous knowledge that she was made of clay and most likely meant to inspire fertility, or accentuate and embody womanhood in general.  In using formal analysis, my eyes are drawn first and foremost to her breasts. She is cupping them with her hands and they are uneven and voluptuous. While the largeness of them could simply just be a depiction of womanhood in general (which heavily places an emphasis on a large chest), large breasts are also a signifier of pregnancy, holding the milk they’ll feed to the life they bring into this world. Her hips and thighs are also large, further emphasis of this being a grown woman who has come into herself, possessing a matured body that will support childbirth. It’s hard to tell whether or not she has no head at all, or her head is just very small and not detailed. In pinpointing the details that are lacking, she also has no lower legs or feet. Perhaps they were once present and haven’t been sustained, or perhaps it only speaks further to what body parts of the female anatomy are most important and will work to inspire fertility. Of course, in reading the description below we learn that while the statue can range from real to ideal to divine women, the main purpose of the statue in general was to indeed inspire fertility.

Brooklyn Museum Assignment

During my trip to the Brooklyn Museum, I went to look at the Egyptian arts and Soul of a Nation. My time at the Egyptian art section was interesting because there weren’t many “paintings”, instead there were many cravings, sculptures, and little trinkets. One of the artworks that took my attention was Mummy Cartonnage of a Woman. This sculpture is made of gold, and with small colors of blue and pink in it. It stood out the most to me because as I wander around the museum, many of the sculpture was carved in stones, but this is in gold. Gold is actually not uncommon during Egyptian time so I was relatively surprised by this piece. The artist put a lot of details in the headpiece, and the serpent armlets, in order to make this piece stand out and give it a pop of color, the artist added blue color mainly on the face. During Egyptian times, the blue color is a symbol of fertility, rebirth, and power of creation which is really fitting for this sculpture of the Egyptian goddess Isis. The color blue is also mainly associated with gods and goddesses. I believe the artist put in a lot of thought and preparations into this piece because he thought about what the colors mean during that time, and the details to portray his piece of the goddess, he made it obvious with the blue color, and the flowers that represented Isis.

The second part of my trip was to go look at the Soul of Nation artworks, and to my surprise, there were many colorful and big pieces that stood out to me. The one that stood out the most was the Archibald Motley piece. This piece is such a brilliant artwork portraying the hardships and times of slavery in America. The more I looked at this artwork the more emotions I can feel emitted from it. The colors of this artwork are mostly blues and red/orange with some whites. Immediately at first glance when you look at it, the colors of the blue seems very ominous and gloomy portraying the tough times. Within the art you can also see a man being lynched, the statue of liberty [representing freedom], the Confederate flag, the Ku Klux Klan, skull and devil, Abraham Lincoln and MLK’s head floating on the tree, and the broken stained glass on the tree. This is such a powerful piece because it shows the artist trying to put in all the troubles that the African Americans suffered through. The brightest part of this whole painting is the white clouds that looks like it’s on the horizon with the crosses out of the clouds, but right in front of it is the protest for freedom and a crucifixion on fire. This is one of Motley’s last piece after finishing within the span of 10 years, and I would say this a great last piece of his to portray the Black social life.

MD: Soul of a Nation

Michael DeGennaro

When entering the Brooklyn Museum’s soul of a nation exhibit, I was strikingly hit with emotion rooted in the history in the artwork surrounding me.  This exhibit celebrates the work of Black American artists from 1963 to 1983. During this period the dreams of the Civil Rights Movement were formed and black artists across America worked to create a range of art in response to the moment.  The Flag is Bleeding, 1967 by Faith Ringgold particularly spoke to me.  This painting is a questioning of the reality of what the American flag symbolizes.  It is interesting because a flag is intended to represent unity of a nation, yet here, it is blood shed and as a symbol for racial inequality and violence.  A black man is putting his hand over his heart, which is an American symbolization of unity when reciting the national anthem, yet his heart is wounded, yet he is holding a knife, preparing defense for future attacks.  The white male figure‘s dominating stance demonstrates his power in society, implying racial status and hierarchy. He is unwounded and standing with his arms to his hips, dressed in a suit which connotes as highly authoritative.  The female in the middle attaches both males at either ends and interlocks them, showing they are all connected under this unjust system, yet they are all unequal. The artists choice to have a flag oozing deep red blood, in a manner that is very blotchy and scattered depicts the reality of this long drawn battle.