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Art conveys the values and beliefs of a culture, including prevailing attitudes toward death and the afterlife. Often imagery associated with death and the afterlife will contain religious symbolism or iconography, because religions tend to be occupied with questions related to human mortality and the nature of the soul. Some cultures were preoccupied with preparations for death and the afterlife, and have left behind a panoply of objects testifying to their beliefs and practices. For example, Egyptian art includes richly decorated tombs, mummies, sarcophagi, and urns. Other cultures like Christianity link death directly with the role of God. European Christian art from the medieval period onwards stresses the central image of Jesus dying on the cross, and that death is either depicted in a bloody and vivid fashion or it is depicted as a spiritual transition from the mundane world to the world of the spirit. Finally, some works of art personify death itself, revealing the fear or ambivalence surrounding mortality.
For instance, a piece that appears in the Jensen book is French medieval painting called Denise Poncher before a Vision of Death, which shows three women: one is kneeling on the ground and the other two...
Before them all is the skeletal scepter of death personified as the "grim reaper." Death occupies the primary focus of the composition and his figure stretches from top to bottom of the canvas, his scythes from side to side. The two completely prone girls have a look of utter fear and horror on their faces, whereas the woman in the foreground appears more peaceful or even as if she wishes to appease death himself. The painting shows the different ways human beings think about death.
In the Philadelphia Museum of Art, a 14th century Italian painting rendered in gold tooling depicts two distinct panels: one with Mother Mary holding baby Jesus and the other with the dead or dying wounded Christ. The composition juxtaposes birth and death, the two poles of human life. Moreover, the artist suggests that death and birth are closely connected concepts. The dead and wounded Christ is bleeding and appears to be in pain with his furrowed brow, showing that death is known to be a painful experience even for a deity. Unlike the French medieval work, this work does not personify death.
The Penn Museum collection houses several examples of Egyptian…
References
"Canpoic Jar." Penn Museum. Retrieved online: http://www.penn.museum/collections/object/301556
"Egyptian Mummy." Penn Museum. Retrieved online: http://www.penn.museum/collections/assets/201402_300.jpg
"Funerary Plaque." Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved online: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/54.11.5
"Virgin and Child." Philadelphia Museum of Art. Retrieved online: http://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/101841.html?mulR=1695477908 -- 11
Art Museum Visit This particular piece of art is a limestone statue, which in all likelihood, originally was a painted piece. Limestone was a precious mineral, and would have most likely been honed and by prepared by a servant or slave for the artisan to work with. This statue is considered to be sculpture in the round as there are no additional supports required (Barnet 113). A great deal of detail
Death and Dying 'My new body was weightless and extremely mobile, and I was fascinated by my new state of being. Although I had felt pain from the surgery only moments before, I now felt no discomfort at all. I was whole in every way -- perfect," (Eadie "Embraced" 30). In her groundbreaking book Embraced by the Light, Betty J. Eadie writes about her own near-death experience to help dispel the
Art Fashion Ever since fashion has evolved, we have an observed a significant relationship with art and fashion. It is seen that both the disciplines encourages, inspires and somewhat competes with each other. (Duggan, 2001) It is observed that artists and fashion designers creativity is exchangeable and their main objective is somewhat the same. Duggan (2001) also emphasized on the role of media and education in blurring up the boundaries between
As one performs their dharma, they earn karma, which is the cause and effect aspect of Hinduism. Karma explains good actions bring good results, and by obeying this principle and dharma, one can experience rebirth into a "better" life that puts one in a stronger position to achieve moksha. The ultimate goal for any Hindu soul is to achieve moksha, which is the liberation from samsara, the cycle of
Art in Cultural Context Cybele is an ancient figure who represented the mother goddess and in her was granted the ability to create and populate the world according to her desires. She was both the most powerful of the gods and also an amalgamation of the most powerful of the goddesses. In both Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, cults which worshipped Cybele were established and elaborate temples were constructed in her
African-American Art The art of African-Americans became a powerful medium for social and self-expression. Visual arts including sculpture carried with it political implications related to colonialism, oppression, and liberation. Along with other forms of creative expression, African-American visual arts particularly flourished during the Harlem Renaissance. Three exemplary pieces of art that represent the character, tone, and tenor of African-American art during the Harlem Renaissance include Meta Warrick Fuller's "Ethiopia Awakening," Palmer