ART F200X: Faith's Blog

Over the course of this class, we have mostly focused on western art. However, today we are going to take a look at some art from a completely different culture and style: the Ming Dynasty of China, which lasted from the mid 1300's to the mid 1600's.  Ming dynasty art is among the most prized and sought-after Chinese work, mainly because of its elegance and quality, and because it represents an important time of revival in Chinese culture. This dynasty saw huge advances in skill and craftmanship, with artwork in all areas, including painting, ivory carving, metalwork, textiles, sculpture, pottery, and furniture.  ("An Easy Guide To Ming Dynasty Art And Ming Artwork - Marchant Asian Art")   Let's take a look at some of the best this time period has to offer! This piece is simply titled, Sutra Box with Dragons Amid Clouds. It is a highly ornate box measuring  H. 5 1/2 in.; W. 5 in.; L. 16 in.  and was made to hold a sutra, or holy text. It was designed to be used at

The Post Modern age of art is one of extreme variety and constant change. For the first time in the history of art, artists are no longer constrained by class, techniques, materials, or even the definition of what art is. Postmodern artists constantly challenge definitions and traditions, always pushing to do something unique. This has resulted in a surge of never before seen creativity in visual arts, ranging from the awe inspiring to the absurd. Today, everyone can be an artist, and they can do it any way they choose. A good friend of mine paints illustrations on book colors. Another friend embroiders. I create inks with pigments I find in nature, and write with a turkey feather quill (don't ask me about it, I'll talk your ear off). My mom hand makes furniture out of found items and scraps of wood. Almost everyone I know dabbles in photography, since modern phone cameras make it so easy. Artistic freedom is has led to artists all around the globe questioning how far we can re

     The Early Modern age brought upheaval and turmoil into the world on a level that had never been seen before. The first world war, lasting four devastating years from 1914 to 1918, saw a loss of over 16 million military deaths. Even worse were the civilian casualties, which tragically number at an estimated 37 million. To put that number in perspective, that's as if the entire population of modern day New York City was wiped out--eight times over.       This type of absolute carnage, pain, and suffering had never been seen in the world before, and delivered a fatal blow to the optimism of the Romantic period. Gone was the hopeful attitude of the Impressionists, instead replaced with the stark horror and emptiness brought by the reality of death. Faith in the goodness and nobility of humanity was quickly failing, as well as a belief in the importance of human life. After all, how important could life be if it was so quickly and carelessly discarded on the battlefield?       For