Red Fudo: Initial Reaction 

The colors used in this piece are all very warm tones, reds, golds and browns. This palate makes the figures and scenery blend together in a sense without much interruption.The definite focal point would be the imposing red figure in the upper left. However the eye seems to be directed towards the middle, where the red figure is holding a thin white rope in his left hand. The rope stands out in vivid contrast with the red of his skin and lavish robes. In his right hand he is holding a staff or sword with a golden dragon curled around it.Besides the impressiveness of the red figure himself, there are some very interesting things going on around him. He seems to be sitting on a pile of large stones with flames swirling around in the background. There are two presumably human figures standing down at the feet of the red figure. There is an odd facial feature that all three figures share. They all seem to have a set of large teeth or fangs. The two smaller men are still well dressed but they do not share the same ornate jewelry of the larger red figure. This might suggest they are servants or followers of red figure. 

Red Fudo
Peehyoro Acala 

Red Fudo: After Research

This painting is part of the Esoteric Buddhist art movement, in which traditional Buddhism spread into Japan. As it spread it began to grow and develop sub-sects of the practice. In this case the universal Buddha leads a group of different deities. The red figure  in this piece is called Fudo Myo-o, or the Immovable one. He is one of the minor deities that the Buddha rules over. Fudo Myo-o is one of five Wisdom Kings, they each represent a different aspect of the Buddha's teachings. Fudo Myo-o is one of the more fierce deities, the red hue of his skin, glaring eyes, fangs and imposing size represent his ability to slay demons. The objects he carries are also to aid in the spreading of the Buddha's teaching. The white rope Fudo Myo-o holds is in fact a lasso which he uses to guide lost souls towards enlightenment. His golden sword with the snarling dragon represents lightning which can sever any notion of delusion.The two men with him are indeed some of his faithful attendants. 

Photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/Peehyoro_Acala

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aka-fudo.jpg

References: Kampen O'Riley, Michael. "Japan and Korea", Art Beyond the West, 2nd           Edition. 164-165. 2006, Print.

Asia Society: the Collection in Context. Japan,                                       2007.http://www.asiasocietymuseum.org

Coyolxuahqui Monolith

Observation

This is a relief sculpture made from stone of an Aztec female who has been decapitated and dismembered.  The subject is very decorated which leads me to believe that she was an important figure.  She wears a large feathered headdress and ornate jewelry and sandals.  Snakes are tied around her waist and appendages.  Faces are also carved on her knees and elbows.  Although the composition is a bit chaotic there is still a circular movement and flow to the piece.

Researched Information

The figure in this work is Coyolxuahqui, an Aztec goddess featured heavily in the culture's mythology.  She can be identified by the dismembered body and the bells on her face, Coyolxuahqui translating to "Bells Her Cheeks".  The figure is displayed naked, which was seen as a sign of humiliation in this culture.  Her folded skin in the stomach area and sagging breasts suggest that she was a mother.  The scalloping shapes along the arms, legs, and neck represent torn flesh and pieces of bone can also be seen protruding from her appendages.  The stone was originally painted with vibrant colors which would have made the artwork much easier to read.  The background was painted red to represent a pool of blood, her skin would have been painted a shade of yellow, and her accessories would have been highlighted as well.  This stone was found at the Templo Mayor, the main temple of the Aztecs, in Mexico City.  The Templo Mayor is separated by two temples that are located on top of the pyramid.  The monolith was placed at the base of the stairs on the  side of Huitzilopochtli, an Aztec deity associated with warfare and the sun.  This artifact was so important to the Aztecs that as the temple grew and was expanded upon, the stone was buried and new versions were recreated and placed on top of the previous ones at the new base of the temple.  The Aztecs had a festival devoted to the myth of Coyolxuahqui where they would sacrifice war captives on the Huitzilopochtli side of the temple and roll the bodies down the stairs to symbolically reenact the killing of Coyolxuahqui. 

Myth

Coatlicue, the mother of Coyolxuahqui, was sweeping on top of snake mountain when a ball of feathers falls into her lap and she is miraculously impregnated.  Coyolxuahqui becomes furious and gathers her 400 brothers to storm the mountain and kill their mother.  Huitzilopochtli then springs from his mother's womb as an adult and fully armed and fights his siblings off.  He cuts the head off of Coyolxuahqui and tosses her body down the mountain where it breaks into pieces at the base of the mountain.

Photo Credit:  Miguel Angel Alvarez Bernardo  

Link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/miguelalvarez/4095977415/

References: 

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-americas/early-cultures/aztec-mexica/v/coyolxauhqui-monolith

http://www.famsi.org/research/pohl/pohl_aztec3.html

http://www.dellerae.com/tenoch/Coyolxauhqui.html

Initial Reaction

This statue from the Japan and Korea section of the book really stood out to me because it was very beautiful and intriguing. There is a lot of details in some places, such as the crown and the object the figure is sitting on, but there are also many parts to this that have very little line work and detail showing, such as the torso, face, and arms. It seems to have been carved out of jade. The crown is very detailed with many little bits of filigree and complex designs. The face is in a very peaceful and meditative state and the skin that is shown is very smooth with very little detail, besides the bands around the arms and the wrist. The figure appears to be sitting on some sort of leaf-like object and a pedestal of some sort, like something you might find in a temple of some sort. The carving is incredibly detailed at the bottom of the pedestal and there are tiny rectangles carved completely through the stone where you can see through the figure. The figure has it's hand touching it's cheek while the hand rests on it's leg, which is crossed over the other and suspended. 

After Research

The sculpture is actually gilt-bronze. The pose it sits in represents the "pensive pose" and they are usually called Maitreya. They are not exactly Buddha, rather they are called "bodhisattava" and are said to be from the "cosmic era." They are referred to as the "future Buddha" who are said to descend from the Heavens and bring forth the teachings, or the "law," when the teachings of Buddha have decayed entirely. The name Maitreya means many things such as "friendliness," "kind," and "loving." I think after researching it, my reaction changed in the way that it makes more sense for it to be called Maitreya, because it's face looks very kind, friendly, and loving. I feel like I understand the piece a lot better, it gives in a much needed back story that I didn't know before. 

References

Image Source:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pensive_Bodhisattva_(National_Treasure_No._78)_01.jpg

Photographer: Lawinc82

Research Sources: 

http://www.britannica.com/topic/Maitreya-Buddhism

http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-museum/now-at-the-met/features/2013/pensive-treasure

Gilt-bronze Maitreya in Meditation

     I was initially attracted to this piece because it reminded me of the elegance of Etruscan art. The smooth, sensual curvature of the form and the content of curvilinear lines throughout it create a sense of calmness, but solidity simultaneously. My first reaction upon viewing the sculpture was--It is beautiful! I then pondered the question, who does the form represent? what is its meaning?

    The Gilt-bronze Maitreya in Meditation is a guilt-bronze statue of what is believed to the Maitreya, the future Buddha, in a semi-seated contemplative pose. It is commonly referred to as the Contemplative Bodhisattva or Gilt-Bronze Seated Maitreya in English. It is the National Treasure of Korea No. 83

 

    The statue is widely acknowledged to be one of the finest Buddhist sculptures ever produced and is a masterpiece of Korean art. It is now housed at the National Museum of Korea and is one of the most popular exhibits there.

 

    The statue is believed to have been made in the early 7th century. Recent scholarship consensus indicates that the statue is probably from Silla because of its drapery fold studies although some believe that this was a Baekje piece. It is 93.5 centimeters tall and is therefore incredibly valuable because few large bronzes survived fro that period. It is made of bronze, and at one point was plated in gold. The figure is perfectly proportional and the sensuality of the draping  both suggest that the sculptor based this work on a real model.

   
   

    

Mvuala Description

Figure 1 Mvuala (staff handle). Angola/Democratic Republic
of Congo, Solongo. 19th or 20th century CE. Ivory, height 41/4"
(11 cm). Private Collection, Brussels

The Mvuala is carved ivory that is meant to be a handle for a staff. This type of staff would belong to a chief from Central Africa. This staff would be passed down from generation to generation and would suggest a political power. It is not the reasoning behind the ceremony, but rather the initiation ceremonies are symbolized by a staff similar to the one pictured.  If the ancestors did not pass down their reign there would be no staff.

The staff appears to be a woman because of fertility. The staff is passed from one generation to the next and new generations would not be produced if it weren't for women. Central Africa cares vastly about fertility and appreciates their women and their ability to bestow children.  The figure on top of the staff has its hands resting on its thighs to represent obedience. It's texture is smooth in order to capture the softness of human flesh. Also, the head is turned over the shoulder to signify watchfulness. These attributions are claimed by the staff's new owner. 

References

Kampen O'Riley, Michael. "Africa. In Art Beyond the West, 245. 2nd ed. 

       Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006

The image is from the book described above.

Throne of King Nsa'ngu Description

                                                       Throne of King Nsa'ngu Description

        While going through Art Beyond The West, I had came across a very interesting figure that was in the African section. After I had read through more of the description of this wonderful piece, I soon found out that this piece is a sculpture of the king's throne. This wonderful African piece is made out of wood, different kinds of glass beads, and cowrie shells. This sculpture is almost a full 6 feet tall. The artist for this piece is still unknown to this day. There are two figures at the top of this piece, one has a flute or horn of some sort in his hands, the other figure has a offering bowl in their hands as if they are offering something to their king.There are snake like figures right underneath the top two figures that almost seem as if they represent a binder of some sort. They represent how close the people are with their king. There are two more figures that are close to the bottom, that seem like they have a weapon of some sort in their hands as if they are guarding the kings throne. At the very bottom of this piece, there are five different figures, they appear to be everyday people of the king, they seem to be holding up the kings throne, as if they are the life of the king. 

                             Throne of King Nsa'ngu

        The artist used some very light toned blues on the red-faced figures clothing. The other figure at the top has more of a very-saturated blue for their clothing. The artist most likely has them with  different colors to tell the difference of the two. The other seven figures that are on this piece are painted with a very dull green. The snake-like figures on this piece are painted with the same two blues that the top two figures are painted with. There are many geometric shapes throughout this piece. For example, the top two figures have many triangles within their clothing and their headdress. The other two figures below the top two figures have these zig-zag patterns along their sleeves and more of the triangle patterns. The objects they seem to be holding in their hands have these checkered pattern in them. The box the two are standing on seems like it is made out of very dull tan beads. The five figures at the bottom all have many geometric patterns, such as the triangle pattern and the zig-zag pattern. This piece would be set up outside of his palace so he would be able to sit during events.

Picture:                                                                   http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tr%C3%B4ne_Bamum-Mus%C3%A9e_ethnologique_de_Berlin.jpg

Refrence:                                                                                                                                       Kampen O'Riley, Michael. "In Africa." In Art Beyond the West, 260-261. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ:Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006.

Figure: 

7.24 Throne of King Nsa'ngu. Cameroon, Bamum. Late 19th century. Wood, glass beads, and cowrie shells; height 68 1/2'' (1.74m). Museum fur Volkerkunde, Berlin. Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.

Kongo Rikishi Description

Kongo Rikishi Description

While looking through Art Beyond the West, I came upon a very interesting statue in the Japan and Korea section. At first sight this statue resembled a demon-like figure. After further observation and reading, I soon discovered that this statue is actually a guardian for Buddha. This magnificent sculpture is made out of wood and was hand crafted during the kamakura Period, 1203. This piece is 8.07 meters tall (26'6" feet). The amount of detail in this sculpture is incredible. Starting with the head, the definition in the face is very protruding and detailed. The lines of the eyes are very defined and smooth which develops a very defined facial expression. The ear lobes on this sculpture are quite long which can be compared to Buddha, but this figure is not Buddha, but merely has a relationship to Buddha as a guardian from demons. When building this sculpture, the artists must have spent a great amount of time and effort to maximize the detail and shape of the teeth. With much difficulty, the artists managed to put extreme amounts of detail within the rest of the body as well.

Kongo Rikishi

The upper body of the statue is carved with greats amount of detail with a sense of hyper reality in the defining of the arm muscles, and the abdomen muscles. On the chest is an amulet of some sort that has multiple protrusions and indentations which ultimately defines a very detailed amulet. In the right arm of the statue is a weapon of some sort. The weapon shows similarity to a staff or javelin like weapon. Within the weapon, is a great amount of detail through the entirety of the weapon  and on the top of the weapon is a spherical top piece which has openings that are curved into one another. The only piece of clothing that the statue is wearing is a skirt piece that resembles a samurai outfit with a headband. This part of the statue is very impressive, because it is carved into the wood and it still manages to have a flow appearance to it. Because every crinkle and wave of the fabric is seen in the carving, the amount of detail in the skirt is extreme. When observing the legs of the statue, there is a sight of hyper reality in the muscles of the legs and much detail resembling the arms. The overall appearance of the structure is a very masculine and muscular piece with very detailed carvings. 

References

Riley, Michael. "Africa." In Art beyond the West: The Arts of Western and Central Asia, India and Southeast Asia, China, Japan and Korea, the Pacific, Africa, and the Americas, 171. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006.

Image Credit: Tatsurus

Link: Kongo Rikishi