Entry 15: Political Art in the Present

Disclosure: This has nothing to do with my political stance

Our modern time has turned digital and our leaders are using that as a platform for their political art.

Good



Everything is balanced so well and the quote is good, because it describes what Bernie Sanders is doing.

Bad



Everything about this is bland. Rand Paul is shaded out, which doesn't make him the focal point. The quote doesn't explain how we are going to take our country back.

Entry 14: My palace

My house would be in the living quarters for the government officials. I was elected along with all the other officials and we don't live in luxury. The only building that looks like a "palace" is the government building.

Entry 13: Akhenaten

This is a statue of Akenaten, a Pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty of Egypt. He is most known for moving away from the Egyptian religion based on polytheism to a monotheistic religion. I picked this work of art, because the structure of the body doesn't represent what you would usually expect from a leader. It is more common for a sculpture to feature a muscular body and a sense of authority. Here Akhenaten has skinny arms, big belly, and almost women like curves. This drastic change in art probably launched from the change in religion. If you are bringing in a new program then everything needs to be changed. This shows a realistic portrayal instead of an unrealistic depiction of a hulking figure. It was probably an experiment to see how people would respond to something that showed what their leader really looked like. My response to this sculpture is that it gives an example of how we should act today. We need to stop having a fake persona around people and show our true self. Just like how Akhenaten wanted to show his true self through the sculpture.

Entry 12: Louis Zamperini Memorial

Louis Zamperini ran track in the Olympics before being a bombardier in the Army Air corps during War World 2. His plane crashed and he survived at sea until being captured by the Japanese . When the war finally ended he suffered PTSD, but eventually overcame it to become an inspirational figure until his death in 2014. The plane represents his service for the country as well as the American flag. The torches represent his time in the Olympics and overall love for running.

Entry 11: Relationship to Divinity

I drew a picture of me holding hands with a long line of people. There is a lot of thought and explanation to how this represents my relationship to divinity. I am a Christian and Jesus call us to love one another. Love is a difficult word and its meaning has been altered within our culture. I came up with a definition that says love is putting away our own desires to serve one another. So this picture represents me serving my friends and family, not to make myself look good, but for the simple act of serving without any selfish benefit. The way I threat the people that God has put in my life is how I show my relationship to Him. It is easy for my feelings to get the best of me and I lose that servant attitude. With that being said my relationship with God is pretty good ,but can falter from time to time.

Entry 10: Places of Worship in Nature

  Most people think of a church, as a majestically crafted building for congregations to gather and worship. There is a section in chapter 7 that discusses worship in nature. In this way people of all beliefs use certain elements of nature to worship, therefore challenging the traditional notion that you have to be in church to worship. Throughout history the elements of nature that we usually take at face value are used as divine entities. Some examples include mountains, rocks, and water. Mountains have been seen as the home of divine beings. Rocks have been seen as symbols of the Gods. Water has been seen as a gift to sustain life. This can also include not so simple things of nature. The ziggurat is a massive, flat mountain that is known to be sacred. Stonehenge could be constructed for religious rituals. All of this art that came from nature has been used for religious means, but how is this knowledge beneficial to us now? This goes back to something I stated earlier about challenging the idea that you have to be in church to worship. A lot of people just go to church on Sunday and forget about it until the next Sunday. Through the use of nature and religion in history, I believe it can teach us to worship outside of church. Every time we step outside we can use what we see as a means of worship. If you are not religious then this can also teach you to pay attention to the art that is all around you. We see all types of beautiful things in the world and we should stop taking it for granted. We need to embrace the things of nature like many religions have done in the past.

Entry 9: The relationship between art and religion

  It seems as though art and religion is interconnected. I say this because most of art in history depicts religious themes and projects. This can be a variety of art across a variety of religion. There is the ziggurat, which is one of the first religious structures, pieta, which is art based on Christianity, and depictions of a seated Buddha. This is just a few examples of the vast connection between religion and art in many forms. The only time art isn't connected with religion is when it is believed the aspects of that religion shouldn't be shown

  I see the relationship between art and religion as a very strong, necessary, and important element that helps people understand and talk about a difficult subject. I say this people people see things in a variety of ways. Everyone brings a different perspective on a subject. Images help to streamline those variety of thoughts and provide a deeper understanding. Religion is a hard thing to grasp and art can help alleviate that difficulty. Just like how teachers use images to help students achieve a better understanding of a subject. 

 There are many ways that art can affect religion. It can enhance religious experience. People feel more connected when they know what they are worshiping and have an image in their mind. It can also create a sort of timeline of religion. This happens by finding religious artifacts and paintings that can explain the effects of that religion in a certain historical period. In other words art brings us a way to understand the aspects of religion throughout history. Art can also cause a negative affect on religion by providing a false view of that religion. For example in Christianity Jesus Christ is usually viewed as a handsome white guy with a perfect beard and flowing hair when in actuality it is unlikely that He would really look like that. 

 Everything that art has accomplished through religion outweighs the negatives. Religion would look very different today if it wasn't for the art that has transformed it. I believe that the connection we have with religion couldn't have been possible without art. 

Entry 8: Two Sexually Controversial Works of Art in History

There was a variety of examples of sexuality and art in class. I want to explore some more examples and the controversies surrounding them.

Nude in a Black Armchair Pablo Picasso 



The controversy comes from its portrayal of women. It is said best by the former director of the Museum of Modern art: " a squishy, sexual toy." It makes the woman look as though her only purpose is sex, and highlights this inhumane idea. To add to the controversy this is the most expansive female nude paintings and was sold at $45.1 million. The idea that it was sold for so much illustrates that we are not trying to stop this portrayal of women but supporting it.

Gustave Courbet The Origin of the World

This is a huge controversy because it was released in 1866 and is still causing problems in 2011. The painting depicts a close-up of a very detailed women genitals. The women's sex was clearly Courbet's goal with the painting, since the head, arms, and legs are framed out of the painting making the genitalia the focal point. In 2011 Facebook took down the painting when someone posted it. This painting has so much controversy surrounding it, because it directly addresses women's sexuality without any questions about the meaning of the painting. Courbet does not try to hide his purpose for creating the work but embraces it.

Entry 7: Sexuality in Art is Disgraceful

  Edouard Manet's Olympia had the right idea, because it criticizes viewers for partaking in what is a disgusting practice. The work of art does this by slightly changing details to make the nude figure look intimidating instead of inviting. I applaud Manet for doing this, since art that is only used to be aroused is equal to that of watching porn.

 This style of art focuses only on the appearance and makes it seem like sex is based solely on that. It doesn't care about the person being portrayed and illustrates sex as a selfish act.

  I'm not attacking all works of art with a nude figure, only the ones that are specifically used to glorify the sinful desires of humans.

   In class we learn that erotic art uses techniques to move your eyes to genitalia. If this is what the artist wants their piece to show then it's clear that its only use is sexual arousal. Therefore it is just a replacement for porn.

 Some of these pieces are banned from public viewings or ignored all together. This should be the approach to all erotic art. I call us to stop using art only for selfish pleasure and to avoid art with that goal. We need to learn from Olympia and produce work of art that take a stand on this evil excuse for us to act on unhealthy desires. Desires that treat humans as objects for our selfish ways.