I chose The Great Wave because the print is quite ubiquitous, but I didn't know much about the artist behind the masterpiece. I chose African Art because I took an art history class on African art, but didn't get much out of it, and I'd like to learn more. I chose Hinduism because I'm interested in India's culture and history, and I chose Buddhism because it is a religion/philosophy that I deeply respect, even if I don't practice it.
The Great Wave was created by Hokusai, a Japanese artist born in 1760 in present day Tokyo. For much of his life, he created "floating world" style paintings and prints that focused on sensual, carefree pleasures. It was not until at the age of 70, when his grandson gambled away all of his money, that he created something truly profound. Western art had influenced Shiba Kokan, who created unheard of Japanese oil paintings, which in turn influenced Hokusai. In many ways, such as the horizontal words, the "frame" that surrounds it, and the perspective, the print feels Western. It was a part of 36 Views of Mount Fuji, which shows the esteemed mountain from multiple perspectives and seasons, and in the case of The Great Wave is only small and in the background. The wave dominates everything, including the fishing boats filled with who are either braving the wave to go home or to sell the season's first fish.
The Great Wave captures a moment in time right before destruction happens, a unique idea in a time before photography. Also ahead of its time, it uses fractal patterns. The waves have tiny "claws" at their tips, which look like more waves budding out of the bigger version. The print went in and out of popularity many times, picked up by the Impressionists, and then forgotten during WWI, then picked up again as Japanese propaganda in WWII, and then forgotten once more until the 1960s when Pop artists embraced Japanese mass prints. Hokusai died shortly before it spread to the west, with the belief that he still had yet to reach the goal of true artist. The print surrounds our lives today, in the form of murals, advertisements, tattoos, and a plethora of other places.
African Art was a very broad video about both the variety and generality that exists in African art. Many of the examples that we find in museums are quite recent, for much African art was created from easily perishable materials, such as wood and hay. African art typically focuses on the conceptual rather than the perceptual. They are less concerned with recreating how things look in real life, and more concerned with using their imagination and representing ideas and emotions. There is a wide variety of styles, uses, and forms of African art (some cultures focus on masks, others on more utilitarian objects), but there are also some elements that are common to almost all African cultures. For instance, across Africa there is no distinction between art and craft. Secondly, artists were not focused on coming up with new and unique ideas, but on honing traditions that were many generations old. They could try to be superior craftspeople, but their art had to remain traditional.
To truly appreciate a lot of African art, such as masks, one has to see them in their original contest. Masks were worn in elaborate masquerades, where the dancers lost who they were and became who the mask represents. The art was a combination of ritual, dance, costumes, and music, and was used as a means of getting in touch with the universe. In some ways unfortunately, much of today's African art is losing its original meaning, and is often created just for selling to tourists.
Hinduism studied the religion through its art and architecture. Varanasi is the holiest city for Hinduism, and has a 3000 year old history. Here is the Ganges, a river of life, death, and rebirth, where people worship. One ritual is dedicated to the Mother Ganges, who heals those who bathe in her waters. There are many Hindu gods and goddesses, who give access to Brahma, much like Saints give access to the Christian god. Temples are small and are not the only places of prayer. They focus on the letting go of material objects. Cremation places are all over the Ganges, for many hope to be burned in the Holy city. It is the untouchables that handle this process, as devout Hindus are not supposed to touch dead bodies. At Mamallapuram, in Southern India, there are large stone carvings that tell the story of the origin of the Ganges. In this area, there are many large rocks scattered about, which early Hindus carved, starting with the caves. Here, Krishna holds up a mountain, and nearby is a farmer milking a cow. One characteristic of Hindu art is having this sort of divine imagery right next to ordinary scenes of daily life.
Temples went from wood to stone, often carved out of one solid rock. One has a "half and half" statue of Vishnu and Shiva. This statue is an example of tolerance between religions. In Khajuraho, an elaborate temple exists hidden in the forest, dedicated to Shiva. There is a main spire that is 31 meters long, representing a mountain, a quality of Shiva. The temple is covered in erotic imagery, which is not nearly as taboo as it is in other religions. Here, they celebrate life and regeneration, the result of the eroticism. This is the male aspect of Hindu creation, and the Ganges is the female.
In the video Buddhism, we are first taken to Bodh Gaya, where "fact and legend intertwine." A stone slab represents where Buddha reached Enlightenment. There is a gateway to the temple, the "door to understanding," that is carved with the teachings of Buddhism. Buddhism emphasized becoming free from desire and following the middle way, between extremes. After Buddha's death, Buddhist art and architecture flourished. Sanchi contains The Great Stupa, based off of ancient funeral mounds. On the stupa and in the gateway, there are many carvings of Buddha's life, but he is never actually depicted. He is instead represented by other things, such as a bodhi tree. Past the ornate gateways, there is a winding path that the monk follows toward enlightenment, which must be walked clockwise. The monk must lose attachment to material objects.
In Indonesia, there is the largest Buddhist Shrine in the world, Borobudur. It was originally painted white, making it appear like a heavenly part of the sky. At the top, are the peaks of Enlightenment. There is a circle at top, where individual identities dissolve. Borobudur only existed 30 years before it was buried by an erupted volcano, and wasn't rediscovered until much later. The Chuang Yen Monastery, in upstate New York, is built in the style of the Tang Dynasty. The buildings are simply designed, though the Great Buddha Hall is a large open space with no internal pillars. Layers of timber are glued and pressed together that creates a very open space that holds a very large Buddha statue. Buddhism has now become somewhat paradoxical: it has elaborate temples and has become very institutionalized for something that champions being a lantern unto yourself and living simply.
The Great Wave mainly focused on one specific piece of art from Japan, rather than going into a general overview like the book did. The video also did not really get into the culture or religion behind the work, which was emphasized in the readings. The video, in fact, seemed to talk more about how the video related to Western art, rather than Japanese culture. African Art seemed to be the rare case where the video was more vague than the reading. While the reading went into a variety of specific cultures, the video focused more on generalities--what African art is as a whole, rather than how distinct it can be from within. Hinduism and Buddhism were from the same series of films, and both focused on several key places that were both key to the religions and had splendid architecture. The videos seemed to pick some unusual choices of locations, however, such as the Chuang Yen Monastery in upstate New York.
It seems like the more specific the video, the better. The Great Wave was far more interesting to watch than African Art, for the latter didn't really go in-depth at all. The Hinduism and Buddhism videos spent just as much time, if not more, talking about the religions rather than the architecture of the religions. This is fine, as learning about the architecture without knowing anything about the religion wouldn't make sense, but it's too bad the architecture couldn't be explored further. I'd like to look up the Buddhist place in New York now, and check it out!
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