The Way of the Shinto Shrine - Tuan Tran

General discussion
When skimming through the encyclopedia to choice my sacred space, only one name and picture really caught my eyes. That special name with its picture was the Shinto Shrine. I knew that this was going to be an assignment that was going to be related to the Japanese’s culture, and I myself love just about everything about the Japanese. Everything from their technology to their food is amazing, and I would not mind exploring their way of religion and their place of worship, which is what the Shinto Shrine is all about. Shinto is the native religion for the people of Japanese, and Shinto Shrines is a place of where the kami reside.

Architectural design
In ancient times, a single Shinto Shrine was pretty much a single house, it was intended to house spirits and food offerings. These early shrines where made entirely of wood. The Japanese stuck poles into the ground which held up the thatched roof and walls, and the walls was not even made of mud, clay, plaster or mortar. The thatching of the roof and walls of the shrines where made of bark from the hinoki tree. This type of bark was good because it formed the roof into a delicate curve to withstand heavy rain. Other types of wood that supported these shrines were chigi and the katsuogi. After the introduction of Buddhism from China and Korea, accessory structures and corridors where added to these shrines. Many shrines were painted with Chinese red and metal and wood ornaments were also added. And through considerations of cost and fire prevent, cement was starting to replace wood as a building material.

Harmony with nature
Nature was what the kami was all about. So it was critical where these Shinto Shrines were built. Shinto shrines were traditionally built near unusual “concentrations” of nature such as caves, waterfalls, mountain tops, rock formations, or forest glens. Rituals were held outdoors, with the natural environment surrounding the shrines. A common ritual that was performed with the aid of a Shinto priest was a “harai”. Harai was a purification event, it was usually held with the presence of a natural water source, like a waterfall, hot spring, or river.

Symbolism and sacred objects
Some interesting things about the Shinto were the use of symbolism. The word kami means a god or spirit that stands for a concept like food, rocks, the suns, rivers, trees, and fertility, or it could simply represent an object. Shinto celebrations and rituals stress harmony between deities, man, and nature, which is a key feature of Japanese religious life and art to the present time.

How it is used by worshippers
After a human dies, the Japanese believe that they turn into kami, and are remembered by their families. To honor, pray, and to pay respect to these kami, the Japanese communities visit them at these Shinto Shrines. At these shrines, there are sacred objects that stands for these kami. The most common architectural aspect of the Shinto shrine is the torii. The torii is a symbolic gate that represents the entrance to the sacred area surrounding the shrine.

Sources
1.Office of Resources for International and Area Studies (ORIAS) and Bay Area Global Education Program (BAGEP). (2000). Retrieved November 1, 2007, from http://ias.berkeley.edu/
2.Sacred Destinations. (2005). Electronic reference. Retrieved November 1, 2007, from http://www.sacred-destinations.com/sacred-sites/shinto-shrines.htmrias/visualsflyer.html.

Ziggurat of Ur (Etemennigur)

The Ziggurat at Ur was constructed during the Third Dynasty of Ur(21st and 20th century BC) by King Ur-Nammu and completed by his son Shulgi. This ziggurat was built in honor of the moon god Nanna(Sumerian for “illuminator”) and Sumerians called it “Etemennigur,” which meant “a house whose foundation creates terror.” Nanna is described here, “Nanna, great lord, light shining in the clear skies, wearing on (his) head a prince’s headdress, right god bringing for day and night, establishing the month, bringing the year to completion.” Its location was considered the center of the city of Ur.
As you can see from the picture its shape was that of a stepped platform, in similar shape as an Egyptian Pyramid, with the temple being on top and three converging stairways meeting at right angles to get there. Inside the temple would be a likeness of Nanna, “a wise and unfathomable old man with a flowing beard and four horns”. Remarkably this was one of the first ziggurats to built, but at 200 by 150 feet in size is the most well preserved temples from the Ur III. It is not very tall though coming in at 64 feet. Ziggurats were symbols of mountains where it was believed that the gods lived and they came to visit. It was built using baked bricks measuring about 30 x 30 x 7 cm and weighed up to 15kg. In all because the lower level of “Etemennigur” is solid it would be made up of more than 700,000 bricks. In the sides of the walls (that tilt slightly inward) you can see small gaps that were left between the brickwork on the sides of the ziggurat. The purpose of such holes was to allow evaporation of water from the core of the structure. These holes are called weeper holes and were lined with baked bricks. A vertical drain was built on the top layer on either side of the temple to carry away rain water. The corners point in each of the major directions as a compass.
Ziggurats were built as sanctuaries and temples. The sanctuaries were placed of public worship, however only the “clergy” visited them. The best agricultural and the best animals were brought to the temple to serve three purposes; first daily food to the divine image, second income or rations for the temple staff, and finally accumulation for future trade. The temple was Nanna’s house and managed like a worldly establishment. It was the administrative epicenter of the city. Trading and merchanting were done in and around it. It served as a medium for judicial proceedings, as well as the taking of oaths. Even human sacrifice was practiced, not necessarily at the ziggurat but the archaeology has discovered sixteen Royal Tombs in which after the king died his personnel did too.
The Ziggurat at Ur, according to scholars, was eventually abandoned due change in course of the Euphrates river. All knowledge of the Sumerian was lost until its excavation in the 19th century.
The link below will take you to video of the Ziggurat at Ur, I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the narration, this is strictly for viewing purposes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnWpBwmi6_o

Sources:

Nemet-Nejat, Karen Rhea. Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1998.

Roaf, Michael. Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East. Oxfordshire: Andromeda Oxford Limited, 2002.

Oliphant, Margaret. The Earliest Civilizations. New York: Simon and Schuster Young Books, 1993.

Basilica de San Vitale

General Description

The Basilica de San Vitale is located in Ravenna, Italy. Construction began in 527 AD commissioned by the Archibishop, Ecclesius, but was not completed until 548 AD under the Bishop of Ravenna, Maximian. It contains some of the most celebrated Byzantine mosaics in the western world. The construction of the church was sponsored by a Greek banker, Iulianus Argentarius. It was also the design used by Charlemagne for his Palatine Chapel at Aachen in 805 AD. Legends say the church was built on the site of the martyrdom of Saint Vitalis, but it is unknown if it is Saint Vitalis of Milan, or the Saint Vitale.

Architectural Design

The Basilica de San Vitale was built combining both Roman and Byzantine elements. The Roman elements include the dome shaped ceiling, the arch shaped doorways and the stepped towers. The shape of the San Vitale is two octagons that have a common center. Byzantine art is exhibited by the polygonal apses, capitals, narrow bricks, and the colorful mosaics. As far as Byzantine art is concerned, the Basilica de San Vitale is extremely important because it is the only major church from the period of Emperor Justinian to remain standing until the present day, and it assumed to reflect the design of the Byzantine Imperial Palace Audience Chamber, from which nothing at all survives.

Symbolism and Sacred Objects

The Basilica of San Vitale is in the shape of an octagon; eight and the octagon represent resurrection and rebirth. The mosaics carry depictions of biblical, symbolic and historical themes. The mosaics are complete and express with great clarity the ideology and religiosity of the Justinian era which has been defined by the historians as the First Golden Age of Byzantine Art. Also, there is an arch near the presbytery, on each side there is an angel holding a disc with a representation of the cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem; these symbolize the human race. There are mosaics everywhere, mainly in rich greens and golds; some of the specific mosaics are of Christ, San Vitale, Bishop Ecclesius, Maximian (the Archbishop of Ravenna), Empress Theodora (courtesan, actress, and wife of Justinian) and her court, just to name a few.

How It Is Used by Worshippers

The Basilica of San Vitale was used as a place of worship, specifically a Catholic church of worship. Currently however it is used as a tourist attraction where people purchase a ticket to see and explore the church.

Sources

Geoimages: Basilica of San Vitale. accessed Nov 7 2007.

http://geoimages.berkeley.edu/worldwidepanorama/wwp604/html/ClaudioLanconelli.html

Paradox Place: Basilica di San Vitale. accessed Nov 7 2007.

http://www.paradoxplace.com/Perspectives/Venice%20&%20N%20Italy/Ravenna/San%20Vitale.htm

Sacred Destinations: San Vitale Basilica, Ravenna. accessed Nov 8 2007.

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/ravenna-san-vitale.htm

Altar and Temple of Heaven - Lauren Smith

General Description
The Altar and Temple of Heaven are part of a complex. This complex is located in Beijing, China. The temple is a Buddhist temple. The temple was built between 1406-1420 during the time of the emperor Yongle. The temple is shaped like a tree. “The complex is located south of the palace and is surrounded by a four mile wall”(Lazzari 258). The complex where the temple and altar are located also consists of three of structures called the hall of prayer for good harvest, imperial vault of heaven and the earthly mount. The complex was built for the use of political and religious ceremonies in regards to “offering sacrifices to heaven and pray for good harvests. (Kinabaloo)” The temple and altar complex was originally called the Temple of heaven and Earth. The temple of heaven was built first back in the early 1400’s and then during the 16th century, the emperor Jiajing built the complex.

Architectural Design
As stated earlier, the Temple was originally built is the early 1400’s and restored in 1754. “The temple is a three-tier pagoda, a cone shaped structure distinguished by its layers of eaves and gilded orb on top” (Lazzari 258). The temple is said to be 125 feet high and 100 feet wide. Shelter is said to be provided from the sun and rain by the wide eaves in the temple. The roof has 28 posts that support it from the interior. The roof consists of blue tile that curves. The walls on the outside of the temple are red with bands of gold. The interior of the temple has many different warm colors decorated throughout. There are four central posts also within the temple. The center of the temple has a stone floor that is made of marble that depicts a design of a dragon and a phoenix. The 3 terraces that provide a greater appeal to the large ornate temple surround the outside of the temple. The Altar of Heaven is located at the southern end of the complex and was constructed in 1530. “It consists of three tiered plinth that rises 5 meters from a square yard” (Kinabaloo). It was rebuilt in marble in 1740.

Harmony with Nature
The round shape in Chinese society symbolizes the heavens and the square shape represents the earth. This articulates they built why the temple round and the complex in a square shape. The direction the temple and altar face are south which represents “temperature of the weather and abundance”, which is very important to the Chinese in regards to their harvests and fortune in life. (Lazzari 258) The direction of the north represents to the Chinese as evil. All the structures in the altar and temple are symmetrical. They are enclosed by some sort of walls or railing that reflects the Chinese values of “seclusion and order” (Lazzari 258).

Symbolism and Sacred Objects
The temple is viewed as heaven on earth. The temple had four central posts that represent the four seasons of the year. There are also columns that depict the month of the year as well as the representation of night and day. The blue tiles on the roof of the temple depict the heaven and the sky. It is said that the temple of heaven helps link the emperors to the religious as well as the political aspects of their dynasties. The symbolism seen in the altar of heaven is seen by the strong influence of numerology that the Chinese have. This reflected in the number of stones in the tiers of the altar. They have to be multiples of 3 or 9.

How it is used by Worshippers
Originally, the altar and temple of heaven was not open to the public and Chinese citizens. It was only open to the emperor and his dynasty. The emperor would worship the many gods like the god of earth, water, and agriculture. The emperor also performed rituals and sacrifices. The outcomes of these rituals and sacrifices weighed a lot upon Chinese society in regards to if the had good harvest and fortune after each ritual or sacrifice. In the early 1900’s, the citizens of China were finally a loud to visit the altar and temple and see the procession of the emperor that took place. The altar and temple of Heaven, today, is used as a park and a popular tourist place.

Sources

Lazzari, Margaret and Schlesier, Dona. Exploring Art. A global, thematic approach.
2nd ed. Belmont, Ca: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005.

www.kinabaloo.com/temple of heaven

Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/altar_of_heaven

Amber Tucker - Museum Assigment

     I chose this piece of artwork because at first glance it looked so simple and the more I looked at it the more I realized that there was much more to it than what initially meets the eye. It seems to be a big screen television in an empty room, but as I searched the photograph I saw multiple art elements and principles in use. My favorite part of the picture is air duct on the ceiling. The more visual elements I found the more captivated I became with the photo.
     There are several art elements that are presented in this photograph. There are various types of lines; some are bold and others are thin. The lines are used to emphasize multiple directions. There is a curved line used to arch the ceiling and lots of horizontal lines that are short giving depth to the room. The main line is the air duct that is a very thick straight line leading to the back of the room. The main shapes in this photograph are rectangles. The shapes are all geometric in this artwork. The space is formed by the flat lines for the side walls and the ceiling is curved to make it feel more open. The space visually projects outward and draws the audience into the photo. Depth in this photo is created by the gradually narrowing of the room and the rows of chairs. The light in this photo is depicted from the television screen and it is implied from behind the t.v. through the lines of shadows on the back wall. Both light sources are artificial. The colors in this photo are black and various shades of white. I think the mood the artist was trying to create was a calm, almost seductive mood. The tones vary throughout the photograph. There is also a slight blue hue coming from the television and glaring on the air duct. I think that the television is filled with warm colors that lead into the room. The room fades from warm whites and beiges to dark cool shades of black and grey. The actual texture of this photo was glossy and smooth. The texture portrayed in the picture appears to be smooth as well, smooth walls and a smooth screen displayed on the television.
     The artist used selective elements of art to produce design principles. The artist has balanced this room in an asymmetrical manner. The only thing that is different if you divide the room in half is that there are windows lining the left upper wall and no windows on the right side. The emphasis of this work is in two locations. I fell that the television in the center of the room and the air duct lining the ceiling. Both of these create interest and pull the audience into the artwork. Rhythm in this photo is created by the rows of chairs. Also, rhythm is shown by the repeating patterns of the coloring on the walls and the lines on the air duct. These repetitions are used to create a subtle pattern. I think that these patterns separate all the different parts of the photo by bringing different elements to the art work. The object is two-dimensional; I do not feel that this medium creates any limitations for the artist. I feel that the angle with which this photo was taken pulls the audience into the room and makes you feel as if you are actually there.

Sammy Siada - The Shepherd Faustulus Bringing Romulus and Remus to His Wife

	Selected Piece: The Shepherd Faustulus Bringing Romulus and Remus to His Wife (1654) by Nicholas Mignard (French, 1606-1668)

Mignard’s painting is typical of Roman mythical themes that dominated 17th-century France. The subject of the painting comes from the Roman myth of the twins Romulus and Remus who founded the city of Rome. Mignard’s painting can be broken down into its individual elements, to help understand the meaning behind the beautiful painting.
Line is one of the major elements in this painting. Apart from the obvious lines in the painting, there are more subtle psychological lines. All of the figures; the three women, the she-wolf, and the shepherd; are all gazing at the twins, Romulus and Remus. These psychological lines create emphasis, or a focal point, to draw the viewer’s attention to the twins.
The primary shapes depicted in the painting are the people. The people themselves are depicted as volumetric and organic, to make the image appear as realistic as possible. The figures in the painting are all proportional, as would be in real life. The twins are very small, the women are about the same size, and the man is slightly larger than the women. In addition to the people, there are two doves portrayed at the top of the painting. These are birds of omen, symbolizing peace between the two brothers. This symbol comes from when Romulus and Remus were quarreling and the argument was settled by the flight of birds of omen.
There are also two birds on top of the house in the painting. These birds are recurring symbols in Romulus and Remus myths. They symbolize peace between Romulus and Remus because when the brothers were quarreling, these two birds of omen flew by to settle this argument.
The space of the painting is visually projected into the viewer’s space. This is done by creating depth in the image. Mignard does this through the layering of figures and atmospheric perspective. The woman who appears to be in the shade is placed behind the women in the blue dress, and the woman in the blue dress is behind the women in the red, creating successful layers to give depth to the image. Also, Mignard uses atmospheric perspective to create depth by making the landscape appear less contrasted with the atmosphere.
In Mignard’s painting, the source of light is implied and it is a natural light source. The shadows that are created are true to life and are depicted through color. In addition, Mignard uses different gradations of shadows and highlights to great depth. For example, the woman inside the house has a much darker shade than the women in the foreground, making her appear farther away than the rest of the figures, creating depth. The lighting also creates emphasis. Everything in the background is dark, and the figures in the foreground, including the two white women, the twins, and the shepherd are much lighter, allowing the viewer to focus on these characters.
The dominant colors are blue and red, and these are the most intense colors. For the most part, the colors are very dull, except where Mignard wants the viewers to focus. The twins are enwrapped in an intensely blue sheet. This immediately attracts the viewer’s attention to the twins and uses them as a focal point in the painting. Mignard also uses an intense red color on one of the women to create balance in the painting. That is, the babies on the right are accentuated through a bright blue, and this is balanced out by the woman on the left wearing a bright red sheet. In addition, a cool blue color is used in the foreground to create atmospheric perspective in the landscape.
The selected piece is a two-dimensional oil painting, which was the perfect medium for Mignard to use. Oil paints dry very slowly, allowing the painter to make any necessary changes. They also allow for extreme detail to be depicted creating a very realistic image. Oil paints also last for centuries, so the painting looks the same today as it did in 1654.
To conclude, the selected piece is one that utilizes many elements of art to produce emphasis and balance. This allowed Mignard to successfully portray a very realistic image that encapsulates the beauty of the myth of Romulus and Remus and the founding of the city of Rome.

Tuan Tran - The Ark

     On the Friday day morning of 10-26-07, I got a chance to visit the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth, which is located at 3200 Darnell St. There, I scanned through many sculptures, art setups, drawings, and paintings. But only one piece really caught my eye, which made me took time to analyze it and write about it for this assignment. The piece was called “The Ark”, by Melissa Miller, painted in 1951. I would have probably figure out the name of the piece myself because of how the painting looked. It was mainly a large group of animals migrating towards one direction. Furthermore, the piece did not really emphasize shape, all though every animal was well proportioned with each other as how they would be in reality. All the figures in the painting seemed to jump out at you, especially when the artist did not add any animals in the foreground. For space, the painter overlapped most of the animals, creating a lot of activities amongst the animals. One thing that really stood out in the painting was the lighting. The setting of the piece was when it was about to have a big storm, so shadows was heavily used. The atmosphere of the painting had a dark and kind of chilly feeling because the use of dark colors to emphasize the big storm. The figures were painted with great detail, this resulted in the painting having a rough texture with all the layers upon layers of paint that was added. Balance in the painting was pretty simple by the use of a “house-like” symmetry. The very middle top portion of the painting was the highest point, and middle left and right sides where the lowest points. Though there was balance and symmetry, there was a lot of activity in the piece. Therefore, the viewer’s eyes will not find a particular place to rest their eyes on, especially with a large painting like this one. The viewer’s eyes will tend to start to move from the left and gradually move up and down the piece, while slowly moving towards the right. The pattern of how the viewer’s eyes may move would probably be similar to a musician reading their notes. This massive two-dimensional painting probably took a lot of patience to create, mostly because of the size of the painting. The dimensions would be somewhere around 20 feet long and 7 feet tall. I’m sure the reason why she had such a large painting was to fit all the variety of animals into the painting, and she would have extended the size even more if she could. Obviously, Miller painted this piece to remind us of the days before the world ended. I think this is a great piece to show off, especially to Catholics such as myself. Miller did a really good job of incorporating a lot of characteristics into this piece to make a painting a great painting. Such characteristics as balance, shadows, and detail were the main ones.

Jarod Shaw - DisCONNEXION

     I visited the Austin Museum of Art. The one piece of work that caught my attention was that of photographer Danwen Xing. Her untitled 2003 chromogenic color print (b3) in the DisCONNEXION series, hailing from South China’s Guangdong province. These intricate images of electronic components dazzle the eye while illuminating the disjunction between global consumption and environmentalism. The visual representation of structure via the rectangular shape of the boards is predominant. The cluttered mess of boards seems to fill wherever they are, whether they are just in a big pile or in some bin. In the actual blown up image part numbers, company logos, and even people’s names can be made out. The overwhelming use of the “circuit board” shades of green and brown combined with the rectangular shapes offer a very intense rhythm. The picture helps records and documents the mass quantities of “e-trash” that is currently shipped to China to recycle. The tiny dark shadows created by the piling of boards indicate a lot more underneath. The texture is very sporadic due to the nature of circuit boards with old solder, small wires, capacitors, resistors, transistors, integrated circuits, relays, switches, leads, and cords. All the electrical components that make up what we call our luxuries are ripped out and thrown in a pile to be forgotten about. This is a two-dimensional chromogenic color print. A chromogenic color print is made from a color negative or a color transparency. The etymology is Greek, chroma meaning color forming. The process was invented by Leopolde Mannes (1899-1964) and Leopolde Godowsky in 1935. The process was then acquired and perfected by Kodak. Kodak first marketed under the name under the name kodachrome, chromogenic prints are composed of light-sensitized assimilated in at least three layers of gelatin silver emulsion. The primary colors of light red, green, or blue are used to sensitize each of the three principal layers with a corresponding dye and developing agent sandwiched in between, the dyes within the layers act together to produce a color print. At the time of exposure through a negative, a gelatin silver image is formed in each layer. That colorless image unites the dye couplers with chemicals in the emulsion layers to form the appropriate combination of colors of the object photographed. Any remaining silver is bleached out of the image and dissolved during the fixing process. The layers appear as a single, full-color image, when the emulsion is seen against white background paper. Chromogenic prints, while not as stable as prints from other color process, tend to have the most naturalistic color. I think for the most part people would probably past by this and not think twice about it. Being in the industry and having built some circuit boards and thrown away a few myself this piece intrigued me. I always wondered what happened to all the stuff, after I built up a replacement board what happened to the old boards, now I know. A picture of the artwork may be seen below.

Lauren Smith - The Cheat with Ace of Clubs

     The work I chose for my essay is a painting by George de La Tour French. The painting was created in the late 1620’s. The Name of the painting is The Cheat with Ace of Clubs. The outlines in the painting are of the four people in the painting. These outline defines these four characters. Their emphasis is on the cards in the male player’s backhand. There is outline of a martini glass, cards in player’s hands, a table, and money. The important lines are curved. I think the artist used lighting to show emphasis on the player’s cards and the faces of the people in the painting. I would say that the artist creates a psychological line with the direction of the queen’s eyes. I would say that the lines in the painting do not have an expressive quality. The painting consists of human body like shapes, circles, and squares. The objects in the painting are volumetric and organic. The representations of the people in the painting become life like by the clothing and facial expressions the artist gives each character. The queen is portrayed as proud and strong but has a look of suspicion on her face. The maid, standing up by the queen, looks timid. The male card player looks sneaky and dark. The female card player looks reserved. All the people in the painting are proportional to each other. The queen stands out the most because of the lighting that is used in regards to her. The people in the painting, I would say, are the foreground and the middle ground. The artist placed the people in the foreground and middle ground with a black background to allow the viewer to fully focus on the people in the painting and what they are doing in the painting. The space of the painting is well utilized and remembers me of looking a still life or a photo. It captures the essence of what is going on at that exact moment in time. The painting is proportional and the people in the painting reflect the size of typical human beings.

     The artist creates depth to the painting by using an all black background so that the images easily stand out to the viewer. I would say the painter used atmospheric perspective. The lighting used in the painting is depicted as natural lighting. The shadows are created and depicted by the light true to life. The light colored table between all the card players emphasizes the shadows. The shadows are depicted through reflection of color. The black background with the colorful clothing and the light colored table play off each other to articulate the contrast and emphasis the artist painted in certain areas of the canvas. The colors used in the painting are black for background. Reds, gold’s, and other warm colors for the player’s clothing, and a neutral creamy-taupe color for the table on which the player’s play on. I think the colors chosen by the artist reflect wealth among the card players and nobility in regards the queen. The artist seems to use analogous colors in his painting. The painting texture is one that is smooth and flawless. No patterns are created in the use of texture. Balance is created by how the four characters are positioned on the painting and how their eyes are looking in a circular direction. Having a dark, solid background, allows the characters, table, cards, and money balance out the black background. My eye is initially drawn to the queen because of where she is positioned in the painting and the light that is used in regards to her. The artist creates tension and other focal points by the eyes of the characters, the hands of each character, and what each character’s hands are doing in the painting. I would say though, depending on the person, the painting could be afocal. The psychological focus could be seen as the tension with the eyes of the player’s and the hand behind the male player’s back holding two cards secretly.

     The painting seems to have intensity and tension instead of repetition. The painting is 3 dimensional. The paint does not seem to affect the strokes of the artist. The painting is an oil canvas. The type of paint used seems flat but has sheen to it. The medium used by the artist seems to allow the viewer to think of it as life like. It was as though I was standing in the room of where the card game was played in the painting. The work does look the same today as when it was painted.