...Art History I December 17, 2012 The Influence of Different Religions into the Development of Art The development of the relation of religion to life has been parallel to the development of art. Art always and everywhere has been a medium through which people have sought to express their religious beliefs, or a vehicle through which societies have sought to have their religion represented. Most part of the artworks produced in the past thousand years and more have had a massive religious content, whether, celebrating or representing Biblical narratives or seeking to express a human sense of the divine (Pateman, 1991). Much of it is the work of artists laboring to church commissions - artists who themselves may have had no particular religion and who would execute a religious commission in no different a spirit than a secular one. In the same way, religious art continues to interest and move people who think of themselves as non-believers in the existence of God or the immortality of the soul (Pateman, 1991). Several religious were/are practiced around the globe and the fundaments of these religious can be find and traced through significant artworks of the past that has been exclusively (religiously) committed to pass their beliefs to the next generation trough paintings, sculptures , architecture and etc. Unlike art in modern cultures, most ancient art was not created out of an impulse for self-expression of the artist or as a vehicle for casual entertainment. Instead...
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...Beliefs of Ancient Egyptians with Medieval Christians This paper compares and contrasts the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians with those of the medieval Christians, particularly as those beliefs found expression in the art of each time. The ritual mysticism of Egypt's worship of the sun gave way to a more egalitarian view of the present world and a less literal conception of the next. Christianity offered a broad vision of life after death, promising the possibility of salvation to commoners as well as to the kings, who could expect it as their right in Egypt. The art of this newer religion also allowed for individual expression and interpretation, giving a glimpse of the sweeping historic changes that would eventually transform the world of antiquity into a more complex dialogue between humanity and its gods. The religion of the ancient Egyptians grew out of their connection with the earth and their surroundings. Early beliefs followed those of other peoples whose lives were dictated by the elements and the seasons; Joseph Lindon Smith (1956) describes Egypt's early religion as a "simple agricultural pantheon of earth, rain, and sky" (p. 316). More than any other developing culture of antiquity, however, the Egyptians began to concentrate their attentions on the single most prominent feature of their landscape, the sun. The religion of the builders of the pyramids became the most striking example ever seen of sun worship. Ra, the personification of the sun, was identified...
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...decline in art, learning, advancements, and much more. The Renaissance was a period in Europe that brought about many changes to Europe. It lasted from around 1300 until 1600. The French word “renaissance” translates to “rebirth” or “revival” in English. During the Middle Ages, people were focused on religion and going to heaven in the afterlife. Life on Earth was full of suffering and sadness, and people believed anything that the Church said, even without the evidence. However, the late Middle Ages caused new attitudes and ways of thinking to spread across Europe. People regained interest in Greek and Roman art. The focus of art was no longer religion, and it displayed the beauty of man....
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...believe that art has an important role in society and artists have a freedom of expression. However, when it comes to public funding of Arts, majority of people would question to support and not voluntarily give their money to some particular artworks and artists who have a strongly different opinion, and try to express what they think is offensive. Ambiguously defined obscene and the fact that there’s no general standards of “proper art” has made many artworks and artists to be attacked. Chris Ofili’s The Holy Virgin Mary is the example of controversies over public funding and “offensive” art. In 1999, the Brooklyn Museum of Art exhibited The Holy Virgin Mary, the work includes many collaged images and materials include pornographic photographs of female genitalia and elephant dung....
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...sailors, soldiers, Marines, bikers and occasionally the rebellious teenager. Why were tattoos only popular with these few? Social taboos looked down on those with tattoos. However, through tattoos a person can show self expression, be self creative, and be identified with a certain belief or interest through the art, design or message. It is for these simple reasons their popularity over the last twenty years has grown at an incredible rate, and people of all ages, sexes, ethnic groups, and social classes have begun to get tattoos. Self expression is one reason tattoos have become so popular due to the fact that an individual can make an expressive statement that will speak forever by getting a tattoo. Many young people find this as a way to express their anger or sadness. Tattoos have a way of speaking for an individual when that person doesn’t want to say anything. It is very important that the individual knows for sure that they want a tattoo. Unless taken off by a doctor in a very costly and painful procedure, the tattoo is permanent (Maloney-Hawkins, 2004). It used to be that adults would say that getting a tattoo was a teenager’s way of being rebellious. Now, the adults are getting tattoos, also. Some of the most popular tattoos are expressions of one person’s love for another (this is called partner marking), the joy of a new baby, or special dates like anniversaries, births, and even deaths (Gustafson, 2004). It can be said that love lasts forever, but a tattoo...
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...their gods and to their pharaohs who were gods on earth. This obsession with higher power is shown very abundantly through Egyptian art. As an artist myself I feel very connected to this form of expression. If I had been born in Ancient Egypt around the year 2000 B.C., I feel like I would most certainly have been an artist of their culture as well because it is part of who I am and who I was born to be. Egyptian art and architecture developed independently and revolved around the concept of immortality. Pharaohs recognized that their nobility and eternal spirit depended greatly on the masons, painters and sculptors they chose to reflect their lives and carry on their legacy. Therefore artisans were treated with great respect and were considered middle class. Respect and a sense of value are very important to me, and had I lived in Egypt during this age they would have been imperative also. Egyptian artisans were instructed in the proper techniques to carry out their work in a very specific genre and style. I believe this is where the challenges would lye for myself. I feel like art is a personal expression and would find it very difficult to conform to a social standard. My personally opinion is that art should be used to express abstract thoughts, religious views, cultural beliefs, life, fantasy and personal beliefs. It seems to me that Egyptian art was far to controlled to be personally...
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...religions have gained a better understanding of people in other areas of the world and where they originated. In religion, we all have our own definitive beliefs and sets of rules and guideline regarding the human...
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...January 2011 What is expression? When I sit back and actually think about all the things that people do to express their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, it really amazes me at the things people will do. It all starts when you are a young kid and you just have to tell everyone how you feel or what you saw. When you are young you will say exactly what is on your mind even if it is not in the best interest of others. Even though it seems to only affect young children it also affects teenagers as well as adults. Fashion, art, and religion are three of the most significant and effective ways to truly express ones thoughts and feelings on the world. What a person wears says a lot about who they are, where they are from, and can also tell how they view certain social, political and religious topics in today’s world. What most people do not want to reveal about themselves is that when they see someone the first thing they do is judge them by what they are wearing. When a person wears rainbow print clothing they are judged and viewed as being gay or acceptable of it, it is a rising topic that is viewed as being somewhat taboo. Style can do more than just tell about how you view certain topics, it can tell a lot about where you come from. Different regions of the United States have unique styles, as well as well as the entire world. Fashion is more than just what you wear to keep you warm or to keep cool it is also a form or art. When talking about expression one of the biggest factors...
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...Ferguson 4/20/2014 Abstract This paper is going to comparing and contrasting the two Gothic Cathedrals Art Works from different times so as to lay out the key differences in their styles, time, societies and characteristics. Difference and similarities of the two artists’ stylistic will also be highlighting with their ideas, thought patterns and relativity according to the society which they belong. Thesis Statement This paper aims to explain various differences between the three designers and the painters the two Gothic Cathedrals. The artwork design and their work occur at the different times. The paper is strive to explain and detail the more about the works of art being done by three Artist and how they are importance to the society they belong, their stylistic and cultural significance, and how they act as windows into the era to which they belong. Introduction The paper is going to explain and discuss the two Gothic cathedrals the Notre Dame de Chartres cathedral and the Bourges cathedral. Both cathedrals have very beautiful structure and they were located at two different places. The Notre Dame de Chartres cathedral was built in France between 1145 and 1513 and it is also the Gothic architecture. Another Gothic cathedral architecture is the Bourges and it is located in Bourges France .the Gothic architecture Style is one of the most beautiful works of art the man had ever made. The Gothic cathedral was originated from the Romanesque building architecture style...
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...Take-Home Final Literature, arts and culture are viewed as, by some, not as important as the sciences and/or math. The prominent STEM movement across America is a testimony to this belief: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Some places include the Arts and call it STEAM, however, most do not. These right- brained people often ignore the value of the arts. The left side of the brain, on the other hand, compliments the creative side of the world, which includes the arts and culture of today’s age. In this class, I have read about 10 short stories, a Shakespearean play and a novel. I have not always been an enthusiastic reader, since my strengths lie in the math area, but I have begun to see the value of the humanities. Throughout this course, my analytical perspective of ‘the text’ changed through the realization that literature is interrelated with culture and art; these three things can be one and the same....
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...Debating Speech This motion is the death of equality. First, I would like to specify the title of this motion and the opposition’s take on it. We believe that a ‘secular society’ refers to each religion being equal and respected within a society rather than the discrimination of those who hold religious beliefs. Second, I shall set out the main reasons why equality should come ahead of prejudice against people who cannot help the way they were born whilst my partner will tackle the outcry of ‘freedom of belief’, which will be the main argument from the proposition. We, the opposition, believe that as long as a person keeps their anti-equality beliefs to themselves, they should be allowed to have them so if a person in Ireland was against the Gay Marriage bill, they may of course keep this belief as long as they don’t use it to discriminate against others. Now, I would like everyone to think of a time about seventy years ago when, as a shop keeper, it was perfectly reasonable to discriminate against homosexuals, ethnic minorities and even women. Now that racism and sexism are openly criticised, we have become a more equal and fair society, so why was there any controversy over a homosexual couple wanting a shop to bake a cake with an anti-discriminatory message on it? I would like to emphasise that this service was offered by the baker and so refusing this couple and damaging emotional effects on the couple as they strove for equality and the recognition of their position in a...
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...Origins of Religion • The First Civilizations • Early Religious Patterns • Religion was centered around capricious entities that needed to be appeased – The Phoenicians: • Baal Hammon (male storm god) and Tanit (female fertility figure) • Tophets (walled cemetries) excavated reveal that often children were sacrificed • Prehistoric Communities • Paleolithic and Neolithic Settlements • Life in Neolithic communities led to the development of art and religion. There was a belief in a higher power. Mother Earth (source of all new life) and Father Sky (all powerful). There is also evidence of burial of the dead. • Neolithic Religion • Led to reverence of ancestors – Old persons often received elaborate burials • Religious worship of early farming communities were centered around Mother Earth (source of life)and Sky God(all powerful male) • Megaliths were erected to relate to religious beliefs • Megaliths included burial chambers, calendar circles, or marking celestial occurrences – Rising sun, solstices, equinoxes • Neolithic goddess • Life in New Towns and Villages • Religious shrines could be found (2 per household) – A goddess was the venerated central deity • Metalworking became a predominant activity around 6400 BC – Abundance of copper and lead in the area – Gold and silver also appear • Farmers had to produce...
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...form of art is a representation of the “nihilistic protest against all aspects of Western Culture mainly due to a direct result of revulsion and rebellion against the horrors of war” (Shemool). However, what these artists really wanted was to open the minds of society to a new world of illogicality and endless possibilities without the limitations of moral and religious belief. The purpose of this artistic movement is to challenge the conventional principles of morality and establishment of laws by portraying its unique incongruous form of art. Its bizarre and inimitable ways depict some of the basic principles of existentialism, which is “a modern philosophical movement that stressed the importance of personal experience as an individual who are seen as a free agent in a deterministic and seemingly meaningless universe” (Collins English Dictionary). This concept aroused controversy in society since such eruptions of “absurd” terminology were never before seen or accepted. Although some of the works of Dadaism meddled with the tolerance of human society, its true intentions were to re-establish the values of romantic practices and indispensable morality of humanity when uncorrupted by societies’ taboo beliefs. Many of the people during the 20th century were not ready for the absurd world of free expression, and more so considering this artistic movement derived from the disagreement in beliefs over World War l. Dadaism not only freely expressed its anti-war beliefs, but it...
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...Censorship should not interfere with freedom of expression in the arts Whether in ancient Rome or in the modern United States, censorship has existed in every society at every age. Art that challenges the strongly held beliefs of any society – whether those be political, ideological, religious, or otherwise – causes offense and creates pressure for censorship. At the same time, almost every society has found value in the existence of visual art. What limitations on censorship should be made for the sake of artist value, or more broadly freedom of expression? “Artistic merit” and “offensiveness” are nebulous concepts lacking in objectivity, shifting with the tastes of society at any given time. Yet the value of art to society, both positive and negative, cannot be doubted. In modern American society, with its heterogeneous tastes, the tension between the two concepts becomes especially vivid. Given the divergent and unpredictable tastes of society, the fact that destroying a work permanently removes it from future generations, and considering censorship's dreadful history, the decision to censor is one appropriately made with caution. But neither can it be said that a work should never be censored, for art can and does cause offense, and even a society as diverse as ours will find consensus at the extremes. Rather, striking the appropriate balance calls ultimately for good judgment. In making this judgment, what is the appropriate role of the law and the courts? Those who think...
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...Reflection Essay DeVry Comparative Religion 448 Reflection Essay Religion has been viewed as one of the most controversial topics in society. There are many different religious groups worldwide with even more subcategories within each religion. I would consider myself to be a part of the Jewish faith, but I do not practice my religion. Therefore I interviewed my girlfriend who is a part of the Christian belief system. Although she doesn’t claim to be a devout Catholic who attends mass every Sunday, she respects and acknowledges the traditions of her religion and observes the many holidays. When belonging to a specific parish, it involves being an active member of the Catholic community. This entails attending mass on Sundays, as well as the holidays throughout the year. It also means partaking in activities, and donating money and services to a specific church. Often, a parish will have a school for children to grow academically as well as spiritually. My girlfriend growing up attended a private Catholic school from the age of 4-18. Throughout her fourteen years, she was actively involved in her parish, including receiving all of her sacraments. My girlfriend considered receiving the sacraments to be an emotional experience as well as a ritual. There are seven sacraments in the Catholic Church that are not mandatory, but considered to be necessary for salvation. Many Catholics do not receive all seven. This could directly be an example of some...
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