Art has always been an interesting and creative way for people to express themselves and what they believe in. Through art, people’s actions speak louder than their words and they are able to communicate so many thoughts and feelings simply through painting or drawing. Dating back to prehistoric times, mural paintings on cave walls were a major piece of Indian history. Typically found on the face of a mountain, people would both carve and paint on the cave walls, depicting designs ranging from portraits, scenes from their lives or animals, to Buddha and his teachings. While many chose to base their creations off their personal belief, some stuck to oriental designs. The Jogimara Cave for example did not include religion but rather paintings of dancing humans and animals(Wondermondo). There was however an overarching religious theme as religion was a major part of people’s everyday lives. Unfortunately, many of these paintings and creations have been destroyed, left with only small remains. These remains are still very useful as they allow us to get a glimpse into what our ancestors lives were like. After all, these paintings were the catalyst to Buddhist paintings all across Asia(Frontline.in). Today, we can still pull inspiration from these and chose to follow the tradition, creating art based off of our beliefs and our daily lifestyle. Indian mural paintings are a significant historical artifact because they allow us to see the beliefs and lifestyles of our ancestors.
Two sculptures, among others, lie in the outskirts of the Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden at UCLA. One of them, The Walking Man, is a bronze sculpture created by French sculptor Auguste Rodin in 1905. The other, made more than 100 years later, is T.E.U.C.L.A., a large scale steel sculpture made by minimalist sculptor Richard Serra. Although it may seem like these works have more differences than similarities, both emphasize the processes of their creation and are major movements away from the classical tradition of sculpture. However, The Walking Man and T.E.U.C.L.A. also differ in several aspects that reflect their respective artists’ personal portrayals of modern sculpture. These aspects include: mode of production, composition and the arrangement of volumes, the play of light and shadow, and visual experience. Together these elements of formal organization work together to convey meaning in both of these works. Rodin’s deliberate rejection of refinement and disregard for the direct translation of the unformed to formed in The Walking Man represent the process and spontaneity of reality, while Serra’s use of curvature and aperture in T.E.U.C.L.A. models the spaces people move through and the perceptive skills they use in life and nature.
Painting is an art for as old as the history of humans. There have been activities, like cave paintings, to those which involved the paints of hunters and gatherers as well as those that represented the gods. This form of interior decoration has been useful to humankind. In the 1700s we have seen examples of such paintings in Europe, Africa, and Australia. Paintings convey messages, like a sensual act in various nude paintings.
In her text, Armstrong continuously analyzes the similarity between religion and art. In fact, she initially starts her chapter with an in depth discussion of images painted in an underground labyrinth dated back from 30,000 BCE. She talks about paintings of different animals, such as an ox, deer, and a jumping cow, that must have had some religious meaning to the
In ancient times there was always a main focus or theme to art that was created. Majority of the time this focus was on religion. Religion has inspired many artists to create great paintings, sculpture, and architecture. In this paper, I will focus mainly on religious architecture, beginning with Greece, reflecting on Rome, traveling to Tunisia, and ending in India. Though the structures being covered are different in religion and time period, they all have one thing in common, they are spaces that create a spiritual experience for an individual.
This anthropologist and archeologist have discovered the existence of this fascinating connection between culture and art among hunter-gather societies dating back to the 19th century. For anthropologist, culture is the foundation that many societies are built on; it is recognized as a community shared values, religions, traditions, sense of communication and behaviours (Creese, 2011 pg. 5). The knowledge and understanding a society culture is beneficial for determining the motivation or actions of a particular group and can be used to discover the communities’ way of living. Cultural aspects of life are critically important for hunter-gathers particularly the Native Americans and are the inspiration for many forms of art. Art is closely related to culture, as it is universal characteristic and behavior of humankind. For the Native American the use of art moved past the aesthetics and became a reflection of their culture brought into reality through painting, drawing and carvings. These exceptional forms of art became a heavily respected element of aboriginal’s ceremonies, traditions, religion, and social behaviors (Creese, 2011 pg. 5). The theory of a close relationship between art and culture is currently by supported by multiple archeologists who are continuously discovering caves covered in
For thousands of years, the use of art through paintings, drawings, pictures, photographs have been used in religions for many purposes. Religious groups and sects have used art to protest, idealize, and tell stories about their religion. They have used art to express their beliefs and thoughts to the world. According to the dictionary, art is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. This emotional power inserted on each piece of art was meant to inspire and teach each believer about their religion. We can see this in different religions such as the Chinese religion, Confucianism. Confucianism believes in the adoration of the ancestors and diverse powers being the greatest of all the heavens, the lord from above. People in Confucianism must understand that the ancestors and the cosmos, determine their life and existence and therefore they must maintain a good harmony. This is achieved through study and meditation to self-perfect. Therefore, like other religions, Confucianism through art represents their beliefs. Each work of art seeks that when observed can convey the idea and concept of the artist who will always seek inspiration from his beliefs.
Since the dawn of society, religion and art have been intertwined with the purpose of conveying a message. Religious artwork allows individuals to come together under one cause and share a meaningful relationship with one another. For
Art can be used to express a specific understanding of the supernatural, the values, the universe, human body and life, and the environment of a culture. To Buddhists, the sand mandala’s represent the universe and human life. Mandala’s represent the world in its heavenly form on the outer level, a map of the human mind being transformed into an enlightened mind and a secret level showing the perfect balance of energies in the body and mind. The art in Buddhism reflects the idea that art can be used to express deeper meanings such as the universe and human life. Art can affirm cultural values are the next aspect of culture. The sand mandalas are an accurate example of this as they use them to represent some of their cultural values about life,
Although the diffusion of cultures have allowed for belief systems to evolve and grow in influence, important aspects of those religions get lost in translation and misinterpreted. Buddhism is one of many religions that is often misunderstood and watered down in contemporary American culture. There exists a stereotypical idea of Buddhists: mostly males wearing orange robes, baldheads, and fasting for many days while meditating. Because it is not that prevalent in the western world, many are unfamiliar with the multitude of philosophies Buddhism teaches. Though the transmission of Buddhist ideas might not seem apparent, contemporary artists make work that seamlessly incorporates this religion’s teachings and beliefs.
The relationship between art and religion has different contents in different periods of history. Art and religious express human spiritual activities in their own
Art is not just a picture on a wall or in a museum, art comes in many forms. It can be a song you just heard, a video you watched, or a painting you saw in a gallery. Also, art can be just text. All forms of art grasp you in different ways and make your thoughts evolve to new distances. Art can bring you feelings you did not think you had. You can perceive the art in many ways and the creator wants it to influence you. I believe that yes, at can truly influence society and inform human behavior. While it may seem to some that pictures, songs, and videos influence you the most, it is actually true that books are the most influential and informative because they get in touch with your mind and emotions.
Creating art is one of the single defining factors that set humans apart from animal species. Through art, humans are able to express their innermost ideas and feelings, without having the difficulty of trying to find the correct words to accurately describe their thought processes. Works of art can help us to understand the people who have come before us. This is evidenced by the knowledge humans have discovered of prehistoric men and their symbolic cave paintings. The expression, style, and meaning vary and archaeologists put in much effort to uncover these works.
Religious stories and scientific theories have tried for thousands of years to accurately date the formation of man. However, in the 1860s, a new art was discovered that changed the view of human creation forever. This new insight was cave painting. Cave painting is a form of prehistoric art that dates back hundreds of thousands of years. Analysts are unable to specify the reasoning behind these paintings of objects on cave walls, but many theories have been formulated to surmise the rational behind the art. Questions arise like, “why did man find a need to paint the walls of caves” and is this part of the foundation of the origin of human life as we know it? (Beacon) The ecumenical belief is rooted at history, cave paintings are
Art and Design are important because they both make the world more sensible and a better place, they also bring a sense of enjoyment and make it easier to understand everything around us even more. Here we will discuss the role played by Art and Design in modern advertising.
“Painting today is pure intuition and luck and taking advantage of what happens when you splash the stuff down. “- Francis Bacon. However when I learnt more about history of art and the way each movement and happenings in the world inspired artist to make new works, I was able to see much more than just a canvas with random paints and sketches. The interesting part about this concept is that each piece of art could be interpreted in many different ways. In contemporary art there isn’t right and wrong, each of us view and find different meanings and connections with artworks.