Art 101 - Wednesday, Period Four - 9/16
Today, the class walked out into a great grassy green city obviously high up in the Andes.
"I have," he announced as he walked out from behind one of the stone walls, "brought the mountain to you all today."
Oh, that was a terrible joke, Nick, but we love you anyway.
"Today, as you might have guessed, we're studying Pre-Columbian Art," and he gestured around the space with a sunny smile before turning to the cleared slate wall for yet another quick slideshow.
"Pre-Columbian, if you weren't sure, refers tothe art of Mexico, Central and South America in the time prior to the arrival of European colonizers in the 16th century. That's a period from about 1800 BC to AD 1500.
"Most of the art that modern historians and archeologists have found have been in tombs, though it's reasonably well established that art played a role in most parts of pre-Columbian life. For the Olmecs, one of the earliest societies, we have a great deal of sculpture. Much of it is naturalistic, such as this vessel, but there are other, more fantastical creatures to be found. Many of them bear the mark of a creature considered to be a 'were-jaguar' beast. Their art comes in four categories.
"Colossal heads which host gameshows on Nickelodeon that involve a lot of bungee cord, rectangular altars or thrones, free-standing in-the-round sculpture, and stelae. They are best known, however, for the colossal heads."
He grinned at them.
"If you need a little connection to the now, consider that these massive heads were thought to be ballplayers, though it's now speculated that they're actually rulers dressed as ballplayers. And you thought soccer fanatics were bad now."
He paused to let all of that sink in before moving on.
"Mayan art might be what you're more familiar with. The Mayans worked in ceramics as well as sculpture, and I'm sure you're all at least passingly aware of how their architecture looked. Unlike the Olmecs, however, they also ventured into painting, with mural work found in many temples, though usually in terrible repair due to the moist climate.
"It can even be argued that the Mayan writing system could be considered art, as it is a mixture of syllabic signs and logograms that consist of about 1000 characters. Art was a major part of their lives, as a way to record history, to pass on knowledge, to decorate homes and buildings. To make buildings.
"In contrast, inca art was spartan, utilitarian. Also, their vampires have a tendency to burn up or explode. Their architecture was plain, though they preferred trapazoidal to rectangular openings. That said, their precision is unmatched. They used no mortar; they simply cut their stones so precisely that they fit together perfectly. There is a reason this city, Machu Picchu, is considered one of the seven wonders of the world."
He looked around himself for a moment, smiling.
"If you want some color, though, you'll have to look in weaving, which is elaborately designed and colorful. They weren't just ornamental, however. They were used to bind political contracts and as a result, tapestries displayed political power."
Nick turned off the slide machine.
"Now, most of the crafts discussed today took quite some time and often, multiple people to make. If you would like to turn your hand to these processes, the hut to the side here has the totally moddable tools to give some of them a try. If you think that's a bit much, I have some traditional art supplies and a few easels on the other side where you can try your hand at something perhaps inspired by what you've seen today. Or even this fantastic view.
"Work in teams or alone, but I'll be walking around to see how you're doing and if you need anything, feel free to give a shout for myself or Shilo."
He spread his hands and looked at his students with a smile.
"And now... off we go."
[ocd up!]
"I have," he announced as he walked out from behind one of the stone walls, "brought the mountain to you all today."
Oh, that was a terrible joke, Nick, but we love you anyway.
"Today, as you might have guessed, we're studying Pre-Columbian Art," and he gestured around the space with a sunny smile before turning to the cleared slate wall for yet another quick slideshow.
"Pre-Columbian, if you weren't sure, refers tothe art of Mexico, Central and South America in the time prior to the arrival of European colonizers in the 16th century. That's a period from about 1800 BC to AD 1500.
"Most of the art that modern historians and archeologists have found have been in tombs, though it's reasonably well established that art played a role in most parts of pre-Columbian life. For the Olmecs, one of the earliest societies, we have a great deal of sculpture. Much of it is naturalistic, such as this vessel, but there are other, more fantastical creatures to be found. Many of them bear the mark of a creature considered to be a 'were-jaguar' beast. Their art comes in four categories.
"Colossal heads which host gameshows on Nickelodeon that involve a lot of bungee cord, rectangular altars or thrones, free-standing in-the-round sculpture, and stelae. They are best known, however, for the colossal heads."
He grinned at them.
"If you need a little connection to the now, consider that these massive heads were thought to be ballplayers, though it's now speculated that they're actually rulers dressed as ballplayers. And you thought soccer fanatics were bad now."
He paused to let all of that sink in before moving on.
"Mayan art might be what you're more familiar with. The Mayans worked in ceramics as well as sculpture, and I'm sure you're all at least passingly aware of how their architecture looked. Unlike the Olmecs, however, they also ventured into painting, with mural work found in many temples, though usually in terrible repair due to the moist climate.
"It can even be argued that the Mayan writing system could be considered art, as it is a mixture of syllabic signs and logograms that consist of about 1000 characters. Art was a major part of their lives, as a way to record history, to pass on knowledge, to decorate homes and buildings. To make buildings.
"In contrast, inca art was spartan, utilitarian. Also, their vampires have a tendency to burn up or explode. Their architecture was plain, though they preferred trapazoidal to rectangular openings. That said, their precision is unmatched. They used no mortar; they simply cut their stones so precisely that they fit together perfectly. There is a reason this city, Machu Picchu, is considered one of the seven wonders of the world."
He looked around himself for a moment, smiling.
"If you want some color, though, you'll have to look in weaving, which is elaborately designed and colorful. They weren't just ornamental, however. They were used to bind political contracts and as a result, tapestries displayed political power."
Nick turned off the slide machine.
"Now, most of the crafts discussed today took quite some time and often, multiple people to make. If you would like to turn your hand to these processes, the hut to the side here has the totally moddable tools to give some of them a try. If you think that's a bit much, I have some traditional art supplies and a few easels on the other side where you can try your hand at something perhaps inspired by what you've seen today. Or even this fantastic view.
"Work in teams or alone, but I'll be walking around to see how you're doing and if you need anything, feel free to give a shout for myself or Shilo."
He spread his hands and looked at his students with a smile.
"And now... off we go."
[ocd up!]