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Response Journal
TOPIC CHOICE #3: Color Facts
Different colors have different associations in cultures. Colors are used as a sign, symbol, and connotations, adhering to different religious, historical, spiritual and social events. In Northern and Southern America and Europe, red is used as a symbol of love, taking into account Valentine’s day. In the Indian culture, red is known as a symbol of wealth, beauty, purity and fear. It is also added that at the ceremony of an Indian wedding, women are supposed to wear red henna that is an identification of the marriage as well. In China, red color is the symbol of luck and fertility, where red envelopes are used to symbolize good fortune during the celebration of the Chinese New Year. In the United States and Ireland, green color is the symbol of jealousy, renewal, and luck. Green color also means wealth and it is depicted in the color of the dollar. In Mexico, green color presents independence and freedom, which is an integral part of the flag as well. In Islamic culture, green is one of the most valuable colors, taking into account sacred associations. Green color also symbolizes the prophet PBUH. Also, green color is a representation of eternity and illustrates Middle Eastern culture as well.
It is asserted that color affects human behavior. Color psychology is one of the branches of psychology that study how colors affect human behaviors, psychological processes, and mood. It is a common observation that every action even buying of clothes is all driven by human psychology. The choice of colors attracts or repels customers. Wearing a specific color can earn respect, disrespect or sympathy. If a woman is wearing a red dress and belongs to the Indian culture everyone will treat her with love because she would be getting married. In Indian culture, white is the color of sadness and widows wear white color. So, wearing a white color will earn her sympathy and emotional attachment. Another example of human behavior being affected by the color can be found in the significance of mood while shopping and the reaction after buying something. There are some people who are suggested by the doctors to go shopping when they feel anxious or low, it infers that colors have the potential to refine or affect the mood of an individual. Also, there are a lot of people who feel refreshed after shopping. If someone visits a place where people are seen wearing green color and they belong to Islamic culture, then it is evident that the individual has to react in a calm and polite way because there must be some sacred event going on.
There are some scientific aspects of color as well. This first attempt of a scientific approach to colors was progressed by Newton's Rainbow in the 1660s. According to science, white light is the product of seven different colors blended. Optiks is the first theoretical approach to the study of colors while Goethe highlighted that color is not just scientific measurement but colors have some subjective experiences as well. Scientific approaches have highlighted that there are different reasons behind the perception of colors such as neon lamp appear so because of the transition between the color and the energy levels. Copper appears red because it absorbs some strong shades of green blue and violet. At many of the places, the soil looks orange because of the presence of a high quantity of iron. There are some other scientific experiments as well conducted to define colors and how they are playing a role in managing the process of life such as the process of photosynthesis, and the function of green liquid called chlorophyll.
TOPIC CHOICE #7: Cathedral Vs Temple
Cathedral is also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Xhrtes, a Roman Catholic church that is located in Chartres. The interior and exterior of the Cathedral is a clear and profound representation of the religious associations similar to scripture, the church has stained glass windows that are meant to be educational. From a small distance, the cathedral seems to hover in the midair right above the fields of wheat and only coming closer can reveal the cathedral. The plan of the Chartres is a Latin cross comprising of three aisles with an ambulatory and a short transept. There are five radiating chapels at the rounded end. The high naves have double flying buttresses that are also anchored by some great abutments and colonnettes. There is an additional row of single flying buttresses that are supported by an apostle from the beginning and another row, the third row was added in the 14 centuries (Patterson, pp. 86-185). There are three portals. North Portal, South Portal, and the Royal Portal. The five windows represent a choir, a hemicycle that is constructed in relation to the Virgin Mary. The rose window is a reflection of the figures that portray the Old Testament. However, the South Transept is the representation of the New Testament depicting Apocalypse.
Although there are several modifications made to the cathedral, still, it is asserted that the damages are themselves identification of the religious upheavals. In contrast, the imagery on the exterior of the Kandariya Mahadeva is also another representation of religious associations. Similar to the Cathedral, the overall structure is tall and slender but it is not that expanded. It is important to note that the art at Kandariya is often used as an example of the erotic designs that are carved on the Hindu temples. These sculptures can be seen both the facades and the interior of the temple. It is a clear depiction of religion intertwined with the form of sexuality where this idea is not found in the sculpture is Cathedral, which only asserts religious associations. The sculptures on the temple are slender and tall. These sculptures exhibit sophistication of Khanuraho at the peak of its prosperity. There are postures of nymphs along with some violently agitated people. One of the major and distinct illustrations is the image of dancing Chamunds that is found on the outer niches who have twelve arms and it seems to be vicious and ugly, the image has bulging eyes with a largemouth. The structure is horrifying depicting dried up hanging breasts and bones and veins. The figure wears a jata-mukata embellished with pendant with Scorpio and a grinning skull. She is seen standing on some headless corpse. On the other side lies the preta which is defined as a departed soul (Patterson, pp. 86-185).
From the external view, it feels that the temple is in a deep sleep and there is no sign of life in contrast to the exterior view of the cathedral where different windows and statuses represent signs of life. The structure of the Temple is complex in its architecture taking into account a different vision on all the walls, the external appearance of the terrace and then structure of the pillar. It would not be wrong to say that both the places have associations, they have different arts and different representations of religions. Here, both the places are an emblem of religious association still, there is a difference in the appearance, when one stands outside the Kandariya Mahadeva, he would be terrified or somewhat encouraged to fight the evils of the society in contrasts the exterior of cathedral represents a peaceful orientation of the religion that has a lot of sayings to be brought into practice (Patterson, pp. 86-185).
TOPIC CHOICE #6: Mesopotamian Civilizations
According to historians, the first settlement of humans was Mesopotamia in the Paleolithic Era. By 14000 BC, people lived in small settlements that had circular houses. Sumerians of Sumer was an ancient civilization that was founded in the Mesopotamian region of the Fertile Crescent that is situated between the river Tigris and the River Euphrates. The civilization is also known for its innovation in different departments of life such as architecture language and governance. This civilization was settled by humans from 4500 to 4000 BC. The culture of the civilization comprised of a group of different city-states such as Kish, Nippur, Ur, and Eridu. Also, the Sumerian civilizations have a system of medicine that was based on the use of herbs and magic, they were thought to have advanced knowledge of surgical instruments, archeological sites and the knowledge of autonomy (Warren & Waynne).
Babylonia is another state on the civilization of ancient Mesopotamia. The ruins of the city of Babylon are present in Iraq that is about 4000 years ago, at a smart port town located near river Euphrates. Babylon was conquered by a king known as Hammurabi who ruled from 1792 to 1750 BCE. Hammurabi was one of the major figures who brought progress to Babylon and turned it into an influential, rich and powerful city. Neo Babylonian Empire is another major line of kings that was established and it lasted from 626 BC to 539 BC. The Neo Babylon empire was one of the most powerful states in the world after the defeat of Assyrians. Like Babylonia, the Neo Babylonian was also very short-lived. in 539, another legendary king Cyrus conquered Babylon and the fall of Babylon was complete when the empire came under the complete control of Persia. There are some historical aspects of Babylon that have made it a major part of histories such as Tower of Babel, a religious emblem and an approach to reach heavens. the Walls of Babylon a symbol of artistic expression and art, the hanging gardens of Babylon. The hanging garden is also one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World. Ishtar Gate is another portal decorated with a bright blue glazed brick that was adorned with the pictures of lions, bulls, and dragons (Warren & Waynne).
Assyrians are the people who have lived in the Middle East in ancient times and even today, also found in the different parts of the world. The city had a God called Assur and a vast territory. The city of Assur got independence about 4000 years ago, with three histories, Old Assyrians, Middle Assyrians and the Neo Assyrian period. There are a lot of prominent and attractive features of this civilization such as their own language, religion with a belief in some deities such as Adad, Anu, and Nergel, etc. It is observed that the culture of Assyrians is similar to that of Babylonia and it was influenced by the Sumero-Akkadian styles (Warren & Waynne).
Persian is another major civilization in Mesopotamia. It belonged to Indo-European nomadic people. There are both rural and urban settings in this civilization. The professions of the Persian society were real estate investors and the entrepreneurs who occupied the highest position along with expanded administrations. They contributed a lot to the art and architecture in the form of wood industries and handwoven cloths, Also, they were famous for the weaving industry. There were all types of literacy figures poets, musicians and the singer who composed different aesthetic sources. Omar Khayyam, Rumi, and Rudaki are some major figures who are associated with bringing modernity and revolution in this civilization (Warren & Waynne).
TOPIC CHOICE #2: Writing About Space
Space is defined as an area that surrounds or found between two real or implied objects. there are different types of spaces, inner space, personal space, and pictorial space. The idea of space can be understood from the artwork of different artists and how they have used the idea of space in their work. There are different aspects to consider while studying the idea of space. Linear perspective refers to the illusion of three-dimensional space localized on the flat surface. One-point perspectives occur when the receding lines seem to coverage at a single point on the horizon. It is used to show the relative size as well as the recession into the space of a singular object. It is used in hard-edged or three-dimensional objects such as buildings. Having a look at ancient art, “The Last Supper” by Leonardi da Vinci is an example of a one-point perspective. The work is composed of locating a vanishing point located exactly behind the heads of Christ. Here, the attention of the viewers is focused on the center where the arms of Jesus Christ are receding to the lines of the wall. The painting by Leonardo is just a strong and potent reflection of the one-pint reflection because the very first vision of the picture automatically observes the character of Jesus which is designed in such a way that he appears to be the focal point. Although there are a lot of figures as well, on the same table but the figure of Jesus is more like an illustration of the components that support the central character. It is observed that the picture is crowded, almost all the sections and the sides are filled. Even the space under the table is also filled with the imagery and the back scenery is also colored to assert the significance of the central image and add to the significance of the image of Jesus Christ.
In contrast, another example of the use of space can be seen in the picture by Marcel Odenbcah. The picture represents three biscuits piled on one another and some crunches laying on the other side. This picture has a disparate use of space. Here space is nothing more than an option to add to the color and appeal of the main figures, representing biscuits. The use of space here is also one point because the colors and the texture of the food are titled and oriented in a way that a central point of the meeting of the three biscuits is clear. Here, it is obvious that the crunches and the shadow of the pictures are similar to the image of other people who are sitting beside Jesus in The Last Supper. The difference is, “The Last Supper” is considering the central point with the help of crowded imagery but in this picture, the central illustration is brought to the focus of vision with the help of a clean area. single color and some respective tints that are nothing more than the additional components to assert the central point. an important point to note is, in contrast to the characteristic of the image of “the last supper”, “Seduction”, is a more specified and to the point image in which the artists do not struggle with the building of background and the embellishment of the surrounding. It is just a simple texture that adds to the realistic approach of the picture, but all the aspects add to the significance of the central biscuit.
TOPIC CHOICE #8: African Art
African art describes both historical and modern paintings along with installations, visual cultures, and the sculptures. It also includes different unifying themes that represent different backgrounds and cultures of the African community. It is highlighted that there were different tribes and each of the tribes has something special in it which was also observed in the artistic expression. Major artworks included Masquerade, sculpture dance, metalwork, architecture, and fiber art. The Africans not only address the art produced by Northern Africa, but it was a collection that was made from the different areas of Africa such as Ethiopian Art, Islamic Art and the Meditarrian Art. The possession of African Art by the different people and countries outside Africa is the result of African Imperialism (Maloney et al.). Between 1870 and 1900, the African imperialist diplomatic pressure, military invasion and the imperialist aggression occur. It would not be wrong to say that the African Imperialism is more like an event that brought dangerous and disastrous changes in the culture of Africa. It is highlighted that the African Imperialism is the product of the forceful invasion and with all other resources such as ivory, the art, and the architecture was also shifted and taken away. It was the same time when the Sub Saharan African Art pieces were stolen and they were brought to Europe and displayed. These objects were made a part of art museum, and natural history. African architecture and art pieces are also found in the private collection of the United States and Europe. During the time when African art was looted, the art-pieces were not called the looted objects, but they were termed as the colonial conquest collection of the exploratory expeditions and they were sold at a fairly low price as compared to the other objects of arts. Here., another important aspect is, some of African art pieces were a display of the African art in terms of its appreciation with which art is produced. The European collection was guided by national interests. The stance of African Art can be found by the analysis of the Primitivism movement, a response to the appreciation of the African Art (Maloney et al.).
After the looting of art-pieces from Africa, the European museums wrestle with the restoring of African art. Off and on, different attempts were made by the people so that the art pieces can be returned back to Africa. In 2006, Marie-Cecile Zinsou put forth the idea and struggled for taking the African’s art back to Africa. Although there are no such significant attempts of the African art being returned still there are many people who are trying their best to return it back to Africa such as Felwine Sarr. Different campaigns are also working for this cause, taking into account the rising complexities that are posing some uncomfortable challenges (Maloney et al.). Although there are several justifications that are given to keep the African art from returning, such as lack of artistic minds that can take care of the art pieces, poverty and the lack of art institutions. still there are a lot of intellectual minds who are striving hard to get the art pieces back to their homeland because art is the ornament and beauty of any land which needs to be retained and restored with the passage of time. Also, the lack of African art and craft is a huge loss to the economy and society of the African as it promotes tourism and adds to the economy of the country (Maloney et al.). Also, art can be life-enhancing, moral support, a cultural association so significant efforts are required to return the African art back to Africa.
Work Cited
Maloney, Samantha Lyn Goral. "Face. Off. Faceoff: Mapping African Representations in Western Art Institutions." (2019).
Patterson, Dayna. "Our Lady of the Temple." Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 52.1 (2019): 86-185.
Warren, Waynne. "Early Civilizations: Create Your Own." (2019).
