Sculptures of India

A lot of the information about Indian sculptures  has already been explained in class. The appearence stays pretty much the same with the elongated eyes, long fingers, exaggerated curves, high eyebrows, clingy clothes, necklaces,bangles, the movement in the shape of the pose, and the multiple arms in Hindus work. Sculptures of India were created mostly for religious reasons. They are covering the temples for anyone to visit and worship. The Hindus and the Buddhist are the main religions that influenced the art. The materials that India used were stone;like sand stone, metal, Ivory, and wood. The sculptors usually did not sign their names and take credit for their work, but in temples of Hoysala several artist signed their names almost like competing with one another. A sculptor would normally not only carve stone but also in ivory, wood, know how to cast bronze and to paint and design buildings. Some of the statues, if you would look at them face to face they might appear that the perspective is off but that is becuase the carvings on the temples were made to be looked up at and so the sculptor did that on purpose.

 Jain Temple  you can see movement in the limbs like and demension of the 3D quality.

 

In Khajuraho there are three large temples, each one has a scene of life sized statues involving a polyamorous sex dipiction. Many people think it is vulgar.Others have theories to the meanings of them. It might be shiva and his wife or many wifes, could be to display how common court life was like for the wealthy people, or it could have been just a visual expression displaying the ordered hierarchy or humans needs. In their religion they believed everything is connected and it involves everything. So perhaps the worshippers do not view it in a perverse way or thinking its vulgar they just accept it as part of life.

I found one video that shows a little bit of several artists working on pieces similiar to the art style we are studying.

Stone sculpting

 

Works Cited

Mason,Darrielle. "Images of Integration:The temples of India and their Erotic Scupltures" Sculpture Review 53.4(2004):26-35. Art Full Text(H.W. Wilson). Web 26 Sept. 2012

Pratapaditya, Pal Tindian Sculpture, Volume 2. Museum Associates. (1988).Print.

                                                                                                                                                             

Chinese Archeology and Bronze Age

When watching the videos on ancient china I was really interested in the terra cotta statues; were they made from one mould? or maybe they had something that made them more of an individual. Compared to the Royal Tombs of Ur where they sacrificed everyone for the princess so they would be with her in the afterlife, they have statues in the place of human lifes. I think that has a better effect anyways because one you are not murdering people and also since they are statues they out live humans making them immortal warriors. It would seem that because of all of the terra cotta warriors, swords,jade jewelry, and jade armour that the prince must have been a very respected and powerful man. Those masks they found were huge! and with such portruding eyes. That statue of the deer made me think of the Ice maiden's culture, and Egypt because of the importance of animals being shown in this culture as well.

So I found out the Terra Cotta warriors do have slight differences in their faces and wear.

It gives them more personality and a life like quality so it would be like the prince and his wife had a whole army guarding them even after death.

In the Bronze Age video I was amazed by the sword that somehow popped back into shape from being bent. It almost seems like this tomb was enchanted. The most fantastic piece to me were the bells. They were  used for ceremonies. It would be really cool to hear them being played during that time period and see everyone wearing traditional garb, if only time travel did exist, just to secretly listen to them... then leave with out a trace(hopefully).

 

Heres a Bronze bell, but they were placed with many other bells and played together.

I looked up to see if I could hear them being used and I found a video in which traditioned bells are being played.

Bianzhong Performance of the bells

 

 

 

Indus Valley civilization in mohenjo daro

The animated video was kind of neat how they recreated the buidings and displayed how the people lived.  The part when they had shown a walk through the columns and how the shadows were laying on the ground is the best part visually which makes you feel like you might actually be there with them for only a second. I wonder how accurate they were with the layout and things including what looked like a pottery market place. Was pottery the only main art object they sold? Also I noticed the people were pulling up vessels and carrying them on their heads; did these just contain water, were they for other things?

The Dog Catacomb

In Saqqare, Egypt There is a Dog Catacomb. Only information found on it was that in 1897 Jacques De Morgan published a map of the necropolis of Saqqara. Paul Nicholson used the map plan Jacques made and found that the catacomb was a mass grave of thousands of mummified dogs and animal remains. They were offereings to Anubis the Jackal Headed god of the dead. The animals died for their owners so they would I suppose get on Anubis's good side. Many of the animals lived a long life while others were only a few months old before being put to death.One animal bone specialist says many of the mummified animals were dogs but since Anubis had characteristics of a large canine or a "super canid" there is a possiblity that not only dogs were sacrificed but also jackals, foxes and hyenas.

Saluki was found in the Valley of the Kings.

Animals were mummified for other reasons than just to be given as an offering to please their gods. They were mummified and buried with the owner, if that owner was wealthy; so their pet would share an afterlife with them. Also animals were mummified because they were like living representations of their gods. Every animal seemed to have their chance to be mummified. Dogs as I mentioned before and cats, shrews, rams, gazelle, crocodiles, monkeys, Ibises, hawks, fish, scarab beetles including their dung, lions, donkeys and bulls. Since sometimes they mummified animals for symbolizing their gods they would have seperate temples for each animal/god and have pilgramages  and bring their mummy offerings according to the temple and type of animal. They believed their pets would whisper to their gods in their favor.

 

Baboon Mummy, Ibis Mummy, and Cat mummies.         

    The animals were wrapped in linen and decorated with painted designs like in the image of the cat mummies.

Here are some videos that I found interesting.
 















3 videos below.

Animal Mummification
Animal Cult
 Scanning mummies

Egyptian videos

It was fascinating that Pharaoh Tutankhamen was so well hidden with in many walls,doors, and coffins like a russian nesting doll. In the mummification process video the mummy they discussed had a bird mummified and wrapped with him. I wonder if that bird was a pet or had something to do with the man's status or personality or if like they said it might have just been a mere symbol to aid him  in the afterlife. I think I would want to learn more about the significance animals played in the Egyptian culture. When the egyptians mummified the dead I thought it was odd that they would want them to be dried out even though they kept the organs and believed they would come back to life. but I understand that they probably wanted the flesh not to rot and decompose on the wrappings.
I found an interesting website talking of the animal/ animal gods of Egypt.http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/animalgods.htm 

Research schedule

Media: India~ Stone Sculpting

Magazine: sept/october 2010

Religion: Shinto from Japan.

        

Royal Tombs of Ur

When looking at the Royal Tombs of Ur I noticed they buried everyone in a "deathpit" the royal and the ones they sacrificed. I wonder why they did not get seperate graves according to their status? The only significance it seems is that they had a row of woman and the sixteen with the valuable pieces.Maybe the women were Queen Paubi's servants?
       This group of people remind me of several other cultures: Egyptian culture because of the way they have animals, the style, almost like hieroglyphics on the plague with the Ox, the use of rich gold and blue colored stones like lapis and they wore eyemake up as well. The other culture they remind me of are the Mound Builders. I had researched them a while back. I am compareing the two  because they mentioned they sacrificed people and buried them in a mass grave and also the way Queen Paubi was wrapped in beads is similiar to how the Mound Builders buried their princess. I think Queen Paubi's headress was beautiful and intricate with all the gold flowers. eternal flowers.

           Three photos of art from the Tombs of Ur

This is one of the Functional art piece and  I think it is kind of unique since its a double bowl. The dimensions are 3.7x10.6. the media is chlorite which is mixed with clay. The technique used on this is ceramic being carved into.

This cyclinder seal has a deer like animal which looks to me like it blends into being more like a design of lines to be a patteren. The dimensions are 4cmx2.3cm. the media of the cyclinder seal that made this design is crafted from lapis lazuli. The technique that creates this image is from the stone being shaped as a cylinder and engraved so then when pressed in clay it makes this ongoing picture.

 

Lastly is a piece of jewelry. It is 12.3 cm long and has lapis lazuli and carnelian stones. This is a beaded pendant which is strung together with bull amulet as the last bead. this piece was attached to a cylinder seal.