Week 10 Video Reviews - Steve Teller

1.    Explain why you selected each of the FOUR videos you choose from the selection listed above.

African Art – Legacy of Oppression – I chose this video because it has an interesting title.

African Art – I chose this video because I don’t know anything about African art other than what was read in the text this week.

Buddhism – I chose this video because I am interested in learning more about this topic

Hinduism - I chose this video because I am interested in learning more about this topic as well.

2.    For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
African Art – Legacy of Oppression

In this video I learned that the single most major exhibit most famous African art collection is kept in Belgium at the Tervuren Museum. I thought that was odd; why not keep it in Africa. It was also interesting to learn that people felt African art deviated from the Naturalistic perspective, which was an oversight.

African Art – I learned that African art is a part of everyday life in Africa, and that is has always been an important part of African rituals. They combined art with dance. Masks were created with wood and straw and because of this and their ability to rapidly deteriorate, most of the African art on displays worldwide is less than 200 years old. Cast Bronze statues were created around the 9^th century.

Buddhism – I learned that Buddhist split after Buddha’s death, into 2 groups. The 4 gateways do no show Buddha as a person, but have disappeared into symbolism.

Hinduism – This video was amazing. The burning of the dead? Wow. How horrific, and symbolic. The epic and ordinary are side by side in Hindu works of art.

3.    How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

African Art – Legacy of Oppression This video relates to the book text for this weeks’ reading, in that shows hoe Naturalistic perspectives are really not removed from African art, but are the basis for which it is created, their art is created with spiritualistic principles, like that of the Zen.

African Art – This video related to the readings as it re-emphasizes the fact of migration through Africa and the influences of African art on the West. It was a basis to stray away from the Realistic approach. It was more of conceptual art, focusing on ideas rather physical likeness.

Buddhism – This video relates to the readings in much the same way that I discussed above in regards to African art. Symbolism became the forerunning aspect of art.

Hinduism – This video relates to class work simply because it tells how Hinduism utilizes symbols in their art work rather than naturalistic and immediate meaning.

4.    What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

I like all the 4 films I watched for this section. The Hinduism video made a pretty substantial impact on me; I can’t get over the burning of the dead in public. I think all the videos show how Humanistic and Realism have been refined in works of art. They further detail how symbolism is a primary focus. An example of this is the symbol of the cow for Hinduism.