The White Buffalo Calf Woman

My analysis of how successful and how did this artwork affect the society and culture as its target

On the caves in Tassili n’Ajjer, Algeria, around 6,000-4,000 B.C.E of the Neolithic Period, an artist created an example of parietal art called The Running Horned Woman. Although the artist remains unknown, most historians believe that the Running Horned Woman emerged from the Tuareg, the nomadic indigenous people of the region who farmed and shepherded. Through the artwork and the Tuareg culture, many historians suspect the land of Tassili n’Ajjer transformed from a region full of grasslands to a desert. The artist of the Running Horned Woman creates this piece with a variety of elements of art, such as line, color, and space, and principles of design, such as movement, proportion, and emphasis. By selecting these elements and principles, the artwork focuses on the woman of the piece as the main subject.

Artworks have played an indelible work to the lives of humanity. The creative nature in Artists is a complex matter to define. The uncertainties in the intrinsic nature in art lay difficult aspects that can only be answered by values, themes and skills depicted in an artist artwork. Apart from playing the intricate psychological effect on humans, the artworks have been used as a tool of expression that has been revered and uniquely preserved for future generation. Among some of the most revered modern forms of artwork has included Chicano Art that had a core relationship to Las Carpas, Indigenismo, rascuachismo and other forms of performance art.

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

Sitting bull was born in the 1830s on the plains of North America that we know as South Dakota. His actual name is Hunkeshnee which means “slow”. The Sioux tribe moved from place to place for hunting buffalo.

In the story, “Man’s Dependence on Animals,” it is clear that the Native American culture understood the importance of the relationship that existed between man and animals. In keeping with the tradition of storytelling, the storyteller carefully uses his words to describe man as a helpless being, needing his animal friends to survive. “At birth man was helpless. Again it was the animals who assisted the spirit woman in nourishing the newborn infants by bring fruits, vegetables, berries, and drink, while the birds and butterflies brought joy” (Animal 62). This interdependence of man with his environment is clearly illustrated in this story. To further illustrate this interdependence, the storyteller talks about how the animals sacrificed their flesh to feed man. It is clear from the many passages in the story that the Native American understood the close relationship that exists between himself and his fellow animals. The message expressed by the storyteller in the story is clear, conservation of the resources provided by Mother Earth is key to the survival of man. This concept is now referred to as “Going Green” and it involves conserving our limited natural resources. The storyteller goes on to talk about the consequences of not being grateful for the gifts provided by Mother Earth. “At last, weary of service, the

I have chosen to select the book Orca Chief by Roy Henry Vickers and Robert Budd as an Aboriginal education resource for teaching in a Grade 4 classroom. I located this narrative text in the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) Authentic First Peoples Resources Guide. I choose this book because of familiarity with one of the authors, Roy Vickers. I have long admired this artists work. I have had the opportunity to visit his gallery in Tofino, B.C. and learn about the authors art and life. His use of vibrant colors was considered out of the box when I grew up. He pushed the boundaries and grabbed people’s attention and for that I admired him. I can easily identify his paintings which the non-artist in me enjoys. He has struggled through hardship and addiction and continues to be valuable member to his community and our country. Despite receiving numerous accolades, for his work, he appears to remain humble and continues on his mission to share and tell stories. Roy Henry Vickers, has a First Nation heritage of Tsimshian, Haida and Heiltsuk giving authenticity to this story and imagery.

Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun is a contemporary Indigenous artist from Kamloops British Columbia. (Griffin, 2016) He attended the Emily Carr School of Arts and Design, graduating with an honours degree in painting. (Yuxweluptun, 2016) Yuxweluptun’s paintings often deal with issues such as corporate greed, environmental destruction and colonialism in an abstract contemporary way. He was referred to in the Vancouver Sun as an artist who, “can speak truths many would rather not hear.” (Griffin, 2016) This is exactly what Yuxweluptun is trying to do with his artwork, reveal the brutal truth that is too often swept under the rug. Yuxweluptun believes that the passion he holds for all of the issues he bases his work on was influenced by his parent’s involvement in social activism while he was a child. In an article for Straight he shares: “they were

On Saturday, November 4th, I visited the Denver Art Museum in Denver, Colorado. The piece of art I decided to write about is called “A Mountain Symphony (Longs Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado)” This two-dimensional oil on canvas painting was completed in America in 1927 by Sven Birger Sandzén. This painting has not been on public view since 1927 and is located in the Denver Art Museum in Denver, Colorado. It was a “Free Day” at the museum, so I decided to attend by myself. I was unable to get a picture of myself in front of the work of art I decided to write about, but I did get several pictures of the artwork and a picture of myself with the “Free Day” sticker. I decided to write about this work of art because it was the only piece in the museum that really stood out to me and really caught my attention. A Mountain Symphony is a lively, beautiful landscape painting with a vibrant pallet filled with luminosity and broad brushstrokes. The sculptural quality of the paint surface reflect the influence of turn-of-the century modernist techniques. The balance of color and light brings happiness and joy to the viewer.

Cattle has a reliable significance by being the personification of the Native American people. Although white ranchers rejected the animals, Josiah has his faith and intuition that his cattle would be unique, not the ordinary which have lost touch with their lands. He demonstrates the animals as “any living thing” (Silko, 74), which illustrates that the cattle would lose their origins if they “separate from the land for too long” (Silko, 74). Silko highlights the dissimilarity of treatment of animals by the whites from the Laguna method of hunting animals since the Laguna people expresses their respects and appreciations for the prey through rituals and ceremonies. When the Herefords owned by the white ranchers are about to fall to death because of thirst, the spotted cattle can find water on their own. In other words, they are self-sufficient and close to the lands

The St. Louis Art Museum has many intriguing pieces of artwork, but my eyes seemed to navigate towards Thomas Cole’s pieces. Research has shown that Thomas Cole was best known for his landscape art, but through the portal of America’s wilderness and it’s association of God. Nature, human life, and mortality were the key viewpoints

Oscar Zeta Acosta was a powerful activist in East Los Angeles. In “The Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo,” Acosta describes his life after moving to East LA, where he attended law school in San Francisco and became an attorney and counselor in the Legal Aid Society, helping women who were abused by their husbands. Not finding himself in this daily routine he quit his job and eventually ended up in in East LA where he was greatly involved in the Chicano Movements. He described himself and along with his fellow Chicano race the “Brown Buffalos,” comparing his kind to a herd that meant no harm yet can kill with a stampede. Although, they were no threat they were still slaughtered for the pleasure of others, “hanged as trophies.”

Aboriginal art has many inspiring aspects such as the link that it has to the past of Aboriginal people, kinship the dreaming, land and reconciliation. Charlie Colbung is the artist behind a large beautiful acrylic painting exhibited in the Plantagenet community resource centre, in Mount Barker Western Australia. Colbung’s painting is called ‘Past to Present’ and represents the journey to reconciliation of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Full of depth, texture, colour and numerous artistic elements to entice audiences to engage and analyse his lovely art work as well as critically reflect on the art and the meaning behind the painting. Charlie Colbungs painting Past to Present is a beautiful example of Aboriginal art work.

The two works of art that I have chosen to analyze are 1) Jordan Casteel. Miles and JoJo. 2014. Oil on canvas, 54” x 72” and 2) Aaron Fowler. He Was. 2015. Mixed media, 134” x 165” x 108”. The themes that these works of art represent in regards to the exhibit are love, family, and pain. However, they also fall into other thematic categories. The main theme that seems to apply to both “Miles and JoJo” and “He Was” is Human Experience. Additionally, these arts differ in some ways.

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.