Videos- week 7

Islamic Art- India and the Middle East
In this video Islamic art is explored through a look at its decorative art and architecture. The Taj Mahal is considered to be one of the most beautiful works of Islamic art. It is also the world's oldest known mosques. It is a perfect example of the stylistic features seen in most Muslim art. It has geometric shapes and designs. The video also states that there is one stylistic feature that unites Islamic art and that is the atmosphere of paradise. The art is meant to portray divine tranquility. In most mosaics painted there is a depiction of what paradise should look like. The rich greens and and yellows are described in the Holy Qua'ron. One special feature is that there is no one in the mosaic. The idea is that if you lead the right life and worship the right god, then paradise is waiting for you. In history Muslims also were excellent inventors. Mostly everything they created was based on the Qua'ron. They invented instruments that told the time of the day so they knew when to pray and which direction to pray towards Mecca. Also, historically images were taboo, but this was not universal. Icons were sculpted in some mosques it depended on the fashion of the time. One of the narrator's main points was that the Middle East was not only about terrorism and he had to tell of the peaceful, creative side of Islamic art.

African Art: Legacy of Oppression
The video opens by describing a mask that was made by the Yombe tribe. The mask was white so it was meant to connect with the dead. The masks and other "primitive" art was used to inspire many modernist artist like Pablo Picasso, who were trying to escape the realistic approaches to art. African art and sculptures are naturalistic images that are symbolic. They are abstract and simplified but represent many different elements that only the tribes would understand. The mask was very important in African art because it is believed be magical. Some were meant to be scary and most told a vivid narration. Around the late 1800s there was a decline in the creation of magical masks because Africans soon discovered that the masks could not protect them from bullets. The Congo, which was the birthplace of so many African artworks, was the bloody land where so many men and women were exploited. When King Leopold the II colonized the area, the women were raped and the men were forced to exploit the land of its natural resources such as rubber. The right hands of the people were cut off to prove that bullets were being used and not wasted. The pain that was endured during that time did not stop the people from creating beautiful works of art.

African Art: Its Cultural Meaning
This video delves into every aspect of African art. Africans add beauty and design to their homes, everyday utensils, dress and even hairstyles. Many of the masks and sculptures that are displayed in museums are less than 200 years old because they were made of wood and the warm climates add to the rapid degradation of the artworks. Ancient rock art dates back centuries and represents people and animals. Many believe these were painted to appease the spirits of the animals killed in hunting. Hunting and gathering was used until recently. The remains of Great Zimbabwee is used as a model for modern Zimbabwee's architecture. Great Zimbabwee was a sophisticated political society. African art was unknown to Europeans until the 19th century and even then they looked at it as primitive and even childish. They did not know that African art is mostly symbolic and conceptual. There is a generalization of African art is that it is all the same but there are many different types of African art. For example, West African art is mostly figure art like sculptures.
Artists are respected in African communities. The idea is that an artist has to be able to recreate traditional African art but do it better. African art is intertwined with magic and religion. Their beliefs revolve around the idea that everything is animated by unseen forces. So the sculptures and masks were never meant to represent a real person but to appeal to spirits and ancestors. Rituals were performed for the invisible force of nature. Therefore, art intervened with the course of life.

Buddhism
This video starts with when Buddhism was born in India. Buddha was enlightened after meditating under a tree and realizing the path to follow to escape suffering. His goal: to walk off to Nirvana the final place of bliss and peace. The key to Buddhism is freedom of desire. Most art depicts Buddha in symbols. His teachings swept through India during the Golden Age of Buddhism. .Within one hundred years of Buddha's death, Buddhism split into two groups: "hinayana" and "mahanyana." The monks looked at him as a saint and the leity looked at him as a savior. Sanchi is a center of Buddhist art and architecture. There were intricate carvings of medallions and flowers. The three tiers represent the three levels of Nirvana. Borobudur is the Mecca of Buddhism. Pilgrims traveled from all over Asia to reach this shrine to finally reach the peaks of enlightenment. It took 100 years to build and was destroyed by volcanoes not restored until the 1990s. Buddhism traveled so far that it reached the Western civilization. In Carmel, New York, the Chuang Yen Monastery is a complex of buildings dedicated to Buddhism. The centerpiece of the shrine is a sculpture of a Buddhist. All of the architectural style is modeled after the Tang Dynasty. Buddhism is a paradox because it rejected the commonalities of religion but now embraces it.