Phase 1: Explore
STRUGGLES
I encountered a set of struggles during the inquiry:-
Division of work: We faced difficulty in finding the basic criteria of distribution. We initiated the inquiry by dividing it according to civilizations. Afterward, divided it according to cities. Later, after discovering a bit about the area and brief, we distributed our work according to the time period.
Abundant information: After setting my foot in the visual culture of Mesoamerica, I got exposed to so much information. I wanted to do in-depth research of every artwork so I was able to study a minimum number of outworks.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Compilation: By helping each other, we were able to compile the information systematically after a day or two.
Norms: During this time of digital learning, we were able to follow our group norms accurately. We were connected with each other for help. Along with that, we did our meeting according to the scheduled time.
Feedforward: Due to welcoming constant discussions and suggestions, we were able to move on forward in our project.
DISCOVERIES ABOUT MY OWN PROCESS OF WORKING
Usage of Digital media: I tend to use digital platforms according to my convenience and not as per the requirements of the particular activity. Eg: Initially I was working on Miro instead of google sheets.
Operating: I am afraid to operate in blurry areas. I only read the keywords of the essay if I think that the essay is not gonna help me. Due to that assumption, I miss a lot of important stuff.
ILLUSTRATED GLOSSARY
Artifacts
Objects
Philosophy
Expressions
Thematic
Phase 2: Extend
NOTES OF TALKS
Talk 1: Deepak Kannal
The Deterministic Evolution pattern of J.J. Winckelmann: Every art tradition or every tradition starts at a very rudimentary level. The intentions of the traditions are yet to be defined.
Archaic Period: Intentions are clear but no technology
Confused
Greek: not showing the naturalistic human figure but the the intention is there.
Early Classical: Intentions are fairly clear
High Classical: Downfall of Indian Art tradition
Hellenistic
Rococo
New Beginning
India, Ellora is the declining period because Gupta is considered classical.
"Evolution is inevitable but the evolution pattern may change"
Zeitgeist: Spirit of the Age
Indian Art
The parabolic pattern does not seem to be applicable in Indian art.
Development from Maurya and Gupta because Indian culture in does not isolate, it had external influences and within. The opposite traditions are interacting with each other. Play of Kalidasa. elites covering in Sanskrit and common interacting in Prakrit.
Therefore, development in Indian art is complicated.
Intentions change-changing circumstances-sense of fulfillment.
Not considered: The Mauryan sculpture had Persian influence
Beginning: Barut, earliest site in India
PICTURE/SCULPTURE
Satyachitra: Realistic Sculpture
Similarity with actual the world around, nature
Limbs developed, tender
Eg: Kushan Period
Right: Things are idealized. But anatomy is perfect.
Cave 21: Ellora caves-skeleton
Vainika Chitra: Well Balanced
Well composed within the form
Proportionate
Perfect plum/ Verticality
Eg: Katra Buddha: naturalistic and earthy, the common man
Middle: Govind Nagar, natural beauty is lost
Right, Gupta Period-personification of inner peace
Nagara Chitra: strong
well developed
not plumpish
limited ornamentation
sophisticated
Eg: Cave no20, Ellora: Dropping eyelids, concentrating within: introspective beauty.
Riti Vichara: poet and writer
formal training in visual arts
organizing expressions in a certain way
lyrical style: telling a story like Mahabharata story
The natural element is not sufficient
Vaidarbhi: mature, Restrained
Gaudi: loaded with emotions, intense, flamboyant, and Theatrical
Eg: Trivikaram: third carnation of Vishnu: the portrayal of the dramatic event but Vishnu is composed and self-confident- Nagar way of expression
Warfare between Krishna and Arjun: Theatricality
Proscenic Barrier: Invisible gap between the room of theatre and the offstage. People offstage are in different time periods as people on the other side.
Stage people are aware of audience presence.
Right: Proclaiming the trophy
Left: Warfare
Style and Riti
Talk 2: Archana ma'am
Clothing: An Overview
Costumes-past
Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people. encompassing language, religion, social habits, music, and arts, etc.
Culture: patterns of behavior and interactions
Eg: Parents tell us that women are not supposed to dress like this in our culture.
Clothes show their cultural group.
The physical, material, and tangible domain. Physical objects and spaces, , material resources and processes
Made by man for another man.
Cambodia: Marriage rituals are different. The boy lives with the girl's family for 3 months before marriage. Decides dowry price. Then marry. Bridegroom carries dowry. Matriarchal system of accepted societal norms.
Hindu perspective Self resides in the body, body resides in clothing.
The non-material or the tangible domain. Includes norms, beliefs, practices, language, religion.
Clothes of Islam, Indian bride, Christian bride will be different.
Cultural Object
Cultural Custom
'Dressed or Undressed' is a coded construct. People without clothes are highly primitive.
Culture is not static. It changes according to the interaction and people.
Demarcation of the waist because the girl used to tie weapons on the waist.
Goddess of fertility, multi-breast goddess. The society pattern is matriarchal because this goddess enhances the fertility of the soil. Eg: Kerala.
Modesty Principle: Masking sexual signals, the private parts had to be protected because of insects. Camouflage themselves with animals trying to look like animals to save themselves. They started painting on their body. The body is the first canvas,
Gender issue: Fertility from the private part. Slowly, men started getting more empowered by using weapons. They realized.
Eg: Burma: Girl has to wear necklaces
Africa: Duck mouth
India: MAleness in India is attached with hair, mustache
Status
The Environment and the climatic Factor
Natural and Material Resources
Scripted on the body and transferred on textile. Therefore older textile, the more appropriate.........
While understanding the Visual Language of the selected piece of art
STRUGGLES
Identifying the principles of design because I am interpreting and understanding the artwork. Instead of reading it on the internet. Therefore, I had slight difficulty initially.
Writing reflection
ACHIEVEMENTS
Understanding elements and principles of design with the help of recreation
Understanding the ways of making an abstract artwork.
Learn the things that need to keep in mind before or during making an artwork.
Able to understand the need for recreation and abstraction
While understanding the Visual and Material Culture of the assigned time period
STRUGGLES
Identifying the similarities in the works of that period
Figuring out the meaning of certain forms and designs
ACHIEVEMENTS
Recognizing the visual and material culture of that period
Understand the value and concept of the visual culture
ILLUSTRATED GLOSSARY
Elements
Visual and /material culture
Aesthetics
Visual Language
Phase 3: Realize
CHALLENGES DURING GROUP PRESENTATION
Compressing: It was challenging for us to reduce the 3-week long research of 5 memebers to 7 mins. With help of discussions, we selected the best works of each group member and divided our work accordingly.
Making the video podcast interesting but at the same time informative: People tend to lose their interest while watching a 7 min long video. We did not want it to be a presentation video and therefore struggled with making the podcast fascinating.
The determination of the group members was a major helping factor because we up with a new idea at the very last moment but everyone was so focused to achieve the desired video.
Making Connection: We divided the work, collaborated our research but we forgot to make a proper sequence of our time period. Our tutors guided us which made our journey more understandable.
ADVANTAGES OF WORKING IN A GROUP
Motivation: As a group, we are accountable for our actions.
Specialized skill of every person: We were able to generate a unique work with the combination of the different skill sets of each person.
Generating ideas: Due to discussions and criticisms, we are able to come up with different ideas.
Consistency: While working in a group we have to regularly coordinate with other people and keep on updating them. Therefore, it helps in working consistently.
Feedforward: We were able to improve our work with help of feedback from other members.
REFLECTION OF MY OWN PROCESS OF WORKING
I was more patient and confident since I was aware of the process of making a presentation
Did timely discussions with group members
REFLECTIVE NOTE
Art is a skill of creating something mindfully. The reason for creating art could be anything. Artwork is created to express ourselves. It could be our emotions, our superiority, our perspective, or our desires or fantasies. Some art pieces gain recognition because they are creating in an artist's own style consciously. The need of representing their current state of mind, their belief, to explain their philosophies, were some of the factors which contributed towards meaning-making of a creative visual expression.
Design is part of the bigger umbrella. Design has a desired purpose. It is made for problem-solving as well as for effective communication. Design is influenced by art, in the same way, art is influenced by design. Both of them are interdependent, share some of the identical tools and skillsets of drawing, creativity, aesthetics. Both of them take inspiration from each other. They have a lot of dissimilarities as well. Art is always open for interpretation because the artwork is not created for the people, it is created to express ourselves in any desirable manner. On the other hand, design is created for making a person's life simpler. Another major dissimilarity among both of them is their level of contribution to society. A design can have a major impact on any society such as designing a phone.
Art and design share a common trait of consciousness during the process. During the process of art, everything is done in a way that pleases the artist. In the process of design, the wishes of a client are is kept in mind. Technicalities are involved in both processes.
As a student of design, understanding the history and evolution of art has helped me a lot in exploring a new realm of inspiration. A dedicated art piece has so much to offer. It has so many interpretations as well as inspirations that can be used for designing.
ILLUSTRATED GLOSSARY
Art
Design
Creativity
PERIOD DRAMA
CONCEPT OF VISUAL AND MATERIAL CULTURE
Visual and Material Culture is a practice that should be followed.
Every area has its own unique culture and cultural identity. It needs to be remembered and always cherished. We also tend to learn and imbibe a lot from each other. Through this practice, we are able to know and understand our ancestors. Unknowingly, our culture reveals our history, the common history of a nation makes them feel connected and united. Therefore, visual and material culture holds a lot of value and memories which need to be preserved but at the same time evolve.
One should preserve its culture through art but also fuse it with the things going around the world. Otherwise, you will be stay restricted in your own region.
Consumerism is an issue nowadays. People want to buy unique and latest things.
Hemanshi ma'am showed us a video of Th se thathra. In that video, a community was Punjab was carrying the legacy of their traditional craft of manufacturing brass and copper utensils through molding and hammering. But due to a lack of design innovation, the traditional designs of the artisans could not thrive in the modern market. After the collaboration, few changes were made to the products like adding a clock in the plate or hanging shapes of the cup made them consumer-friendly bought them back to the market at a much higher price and respectful position. Thus. preserving their legacy.
Click here to see the story of Th se Thathra.
INTRODUCTION OF THE FILM
I saw the movie "Kings of the Sun" which has been made in 1963. This film is set in Mesoamerica during the time of the Maya civilization.
Trailer of the film
VISUAL LANGUAGE OF THE FILM
The movie began with the iconic architecture of that time, the pyramid of the Sun. A temple was situated at the top of it in which human sacrifices are performed.
Pyramid of Sun
These are the dresses of the people of Mesoamerica. Due to the intense heat, they did not use to cover their body.
Dressing
Their dwellings were made up of woods, and natural material. Due to the conquest from Chichen Itza, the people of Mesoamerica had to leave their land and created new territory in jungles.
Dwellings
Their weapons were made up of wood and obsidian which is the strongest natural material found in the forests and were available abundantly.
Weapons
Since their land was surrounded by sea, ships used to be their primary mode of transportation.
Ships
The story of settling on new land is depicted in the form of murals. Another kind of artwork is also depicted.
They are using the technique of carving to write their scripts.
Glossary
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