Other than the first required video, the videos I chose to
watch for this blog post were The Measure
of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figure and Cairo Museum.
I chose the Cairo video because I’ve always been fascinated
with the Egyptian culture and art. For the Greek Art video, I chose that
because of my love for Greek mythology. I saw “Greek art” in the title and
figured it must have something to do with mythology.
The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figure:
The video showed how much Greek artists made figures of
human much more idealistic than realistic. Compare that to the Roman artists
who, according to the book, would make their pieces realistic to be more
associable with the viewer. The Greeks focused on, and idealized, the Olympic figures
which influenced the imagery they created and the architecture they designed.
More Human Than Human:
The video really showed me how much imagery truly dominates
our lives and the world we live in. The statement that images tell us how and
what to think and how and work to feel really made me think about what imagery
affects me in my life. For me, nothing beats a perfect picture of an in-action
sports photo. Getting that shot at the perfect time…there is nothing better.
It also, primarily, shows how the human body has been
depicted over time in art and imagery in both the art world and more natural world.
The one piece the video touches on in regards to the human body depicted in art
is Venus of Willendorf which
exaggerates the woman’s stomach and breasts in the form of a fertility
sculpture. The book (page 319) said that exaggerated pieces like that would be
created in hopes of a child being delivered to the person in possession of it.
I learned in this video that cultures all over the world
have their own unique take on what the human body should look like. Some are
more realistic than others.
Cairo Museum:
What I found fascinating in this video is the fact that a
lot of the artifacts are not on display. They are kept in the basement away
from the casual eye. The fact that the artifacts have survived all these years
give people interested in ancient Egyptian culture a chance to look into the
past. So much has been preserved by the people of Egypt, it makes you wonder
what other countries have artifacts that are being locked away from visitors. The
idea of things are being held from you just makes you want to see them more. It’s
such a great look into the history of Egypt.
Overall, I enjoyed the Cairo Museum video the most because I
felt it taught me more in a shorter amount of time. The More Human Than Human
film was actually pretty boring to me. Still, it’s always helpful to have a
visual image of what you’re learning rather than just reading it in a text
book.
