Video Review of Art in Different Civilizations

1. Explain why you selected each of the FOUR videos you choose from the selection listed above.
The videos I chose were Islamic Art: India and the Middle East, African Art: Legacy of Oppression, African Art, and Hinduism.  I chose the first video because in my work I deal with many residents relocating to America from India and other Middle Eastern countries.  I am intrigued by some of the art I’ve seen in their apartments and wanted some more information on what I had seen.  African Art: Legacy of Oppression caught my attention as soon as I read the title.  I was very interested in seeing how some of the atrocities committed in Africa affected their artists and their work.  The first African Art video was pretty short and left me wanting to see more African artwork.  That is why I decided to watch the second African Art video.  I chose the Hinduism video because Hindi art has so many Gods and Goddesses and statues and paintings of spiritual and mystical creatures have always been interesting to me.   

2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
Islamic Art had several interesting concepts in the video.  The architectural style for the great mosques consisted of the same basic ideas present in Muhammad’s first mosque, yet gradually became more ornate and decorative.  Much Muslim architecture, namely arches, became a huge influence in gothic styles.  Muslims do not use portraits or statues in much of their artwork, but instead use geometric patterns, flowers, calligraphy of Koran passages and mosaics of an “atmosphere of paradise” in much of their work.  Even their buildings, walled in with large open areas for worship are geometrically perfect in their pursuit of serenity.
Legacy of Oppression focused mostly on the abstract.  While European cultures valued realism in sculpture and art, African cultures made masks, and sculpture rich with symbolism and hidden meanings.  African art also showed that artists reflected their current conditions in their work and even sculpted women and men carrying large loads while emaciated due to lack of food and being overworked.
African Art further expounded on the full breadth of African Art.  The part I found most interesting was how much work African artists put in to daily, functional tools.  Hair brushes and spoons were made to look absolutely beautiful while still being used on a daily basis.  I spoke to the point that African cultures lived art everyday.  Head dresses, clay work, dance, rock art and statues were a part of everyday life.
Hinduism took place at the Ganges River.  Hindis, much like the Africans, had art everywhere.  Shrines were decorated beautifully and exist all over.  Statues were built right into boulders and showed images of their Gods and Goddesses.  The architecture was also beautiful and displayed some arches similar to Muslim architecture.  An interesting characteristic in Hindi art is the fact that their carvings place fantasy and reality together at every turn.  Gods are placed above peasants milking goats and near farmers harvesting crops.  Their art reflects their feelings that every spirit is the same and that each being is moving toward the same end goal.

3. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
The videos related to the text because it took me on a journey through several different civilizations and showed me how forms of art influenced their societies. It helped to review information already read and further my understanding through observation and expansion on examples and regions.

4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?
I feel as though every video I watched was both entertaining and informative.  The Islamic Art video really illustrated the beauty of the architecture as well as the precision with which Islamic artists operated.  It also gave a reason for why some of the preciseness developed, i.e. being able to locate Mecca from anywhere and the fact that since they were not painting people they came up with beautiful ways to write and stunning geometric patters.  The African Art videos showed just how ingrained art was in the day to day lives of the Africans.  Everything was art and even the mundain could be made beautiful.  The ideas they expressed in their artwork left room for interpretation and transcended the real world and spoke to their imagination.  Hinduism and their carvings in stone were astounding.  Their cave art spoke to their beliefs of interconnectedness and oneness with everything else on earth.  The sheer beauty of their sculptures and shires are breathtaking.
These videos serve to bring art to life as they showed the driving forces behind the way art developed in these vastly different places.