MiddlEvolent Times

Comparing and contrasting the Last Judgement architectural designs requires a look into each era to examine just how the art forms came to be.  Focusing in on the first portrait, which is on the west portal of the Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy, Conques, France, there are many disturbing and grotesque constructs.  It is from the Romanesque era (1065), and this piece of art describes just how those times seemed as though they were unenlightened due to the images portrayed here.  The image is the lower right-hand corner of the portal.  It is displaying Satan giving out punishments and displaying the sad state of his kingdom and the people that reside there.  The bigger picture actually shows the entire portal with Jesus sitting in the middle, while the left hand side shows the damned people in disarray  and the right hand shows organization and conformity.  This explanation of such describes the fear that people were being given, and thus their lives were to be liven with fear of God in their hearts, knowing that if they were to mess up, they would end up on the left hand of Christ.  The manner in which this anxiety is portrayed directly is reflected upon the development of art from an ignorance, to the 'light' of the news that Christ brought, which in turn had the people in power focusing upon the darkness of a life without Christ, and that is shown throughout the churches for the people to have a constant reminder.  The difference is then noted with the art that is on the west portal on Notre Dame in Paris, France; this coming 200 later than the judgement displayed at Sainte-Foy.  It shows Christ at the center, which is similar, but this one is more reverent in its portrayal.   Not only is the stone lighter, but the overall mood of the sculpture is as well.  The 'lighter' display can easily convey the stark difference of thought processes between the two eras.  This later development, in my opinion, can point to a more rational and peaceful path of following Christ, versus displaying the dark, unorganized view from Conques.  They viewed the world as though it was more of Christ is a governor rather than a dictator and executioner.  Life seemed to the people as more free flowing and bubbly rather than the previous distressed and despaired living in fear.

Romanese if you please

The multi stories structures in China served many of the same purposes as the domus houses did in Rome. They are both housing structures and had a distinct show of architecture that conveyed the occupants' standing or class in the culture. The domus was designed with an atrium in the center, which was used as an opening in the roof and a pool below on the ground to catch rainwater. They also incorporated a peristyle courtyard that was used for growing edible plants and trees such as lemon, cherry, and pear trees.  The Chinese structure used the 1st floor of 4 to house livestock such as pigs, chickens, and sometimes oxen and horses. This is a similarity showing that the two cultures used some of their housing for other purposes than just for living and dwelling. This multi-faceted usage demonstrated by both the Romans and the Chinese goes to show that they both were concerned with efficiency. They wanted to maximize the structures and architecture to the fullest utility possible, thus evidenced by their designing of multi-purpose living quarters. The Roman domus was owned by the wealthier class. It also can be determined by the size of the Chinese dwelling that it too was owned by people with financial stature in the culture's economy. The Great Wall, near Beijing, shows a defining characteristic of protection and honor towards family and nation. It also showed an impressive unification of an empire, which, in today's world, would be near impossible to amass such a unification in comparative terms. In a more diluted comparison, the Roman triumphal arches were more of a ceremonial or celebratory structure, and not so much for keeping people out (hard to do with a big open doorway). Yet they did in similar ways commemorate the honor of family, pertaining to leadership in the empire, just like the wall did in China. 

Epic though....

Odysseus and Antigone have many qualities, characteristics, and display emotion quite similarly in their own spheres. Antigone uses herself as a typification of honor in her own right as she goes back to bury her dead sibling. This, in turn, puts her at risk in giving her life for this honor and pure reverence to her brother, even to the point of her own death. She goes above and beyond, in my eyes, the normal human capacity of self preservation and uses self sacrifice to override it. On this very premise does Odysseus display courage in the same manner. He indeed risked his life to honor, respect, and save others' lives by going back for the people that were trapped. Comparatively, each displayed a kind of knowledge they possessed that allowed them to see above and beyond their own lives and personal needs/desires. These individuals portrayed a sense of honor and courage that directly reflect the virtues that the Greeks payed homage to. Also, viewing that loved ones, close friends, and relatives alike were worth fighting, and if necessary, dying for. The honor is spoken of by Pericles, which is evidence of such virtues being present in that very societal structure. Though Creon could be looked upon as an antagonist, he displays very similar courage in his own way. Yet, his goals and purposes along with his inner motives might be drastically different, how he arrives to those things is very similar(through courage) to the aforementioned two individuals. 

The belief arising from these epics and plays is, to me, that tyranny, betrayal, and wrongdoing do prevail more than they don't, but through all of it, these characters displayed and evidence of being true to self, no matter what that true might mean to them. Regardless of the chaos in the world surrounding them and within themselves, they held on to the attributes that were most important to them, and it showed a refining theme throughout.

MeSoBrEwYpTiAn

The view of death and how it was handled in the Sumerian and Egyptian cultures have varying degrees of similarity and a few stark differences to note.  The pyramids in Egypt are tombs that represent the resting place of the gods.  The human society, to them, was an integrated part of a larger society of the entire universe that was governed by these said gods.  These beliefs are the focal point to the culture.  Many burial chambers were found, suggesting that these people had rituals and ceremonies for their dead ones, possibly, one can infer that they were sending these people to the next part of that big society, maybe even in the families, or groups that they were buried with.  This is tied in with the painting found in Ur titled, "The Royal Standard of Ur", which was a painting of peoples on three different levels, could explain this family type, burial, or in other words, they believed to be joined together in the life hereafter.  This painting could show the importance they placed upon the role of family in society, and the role of the entire culture in the universe (as their beliefs state).  Very similarly, the story The Epic of Gilgamesh displays a similar fashioned hierarchy of the importance of family and being very heartbroken over the death of a close person.  The underlining of the story shows a trickle of how death is an expansion of life, even though the human perspective makes it bleak and somewhat misunderstood.  Simultaneously, the Egyptian culture was displaying similar structures integrated value systems nearly 1,000 miles away.  They surprisingly both display a surety of life after death, but do not regard death as a human experience, rather it is a godly experience and moves them further down the path of destiny.

DoC UtAh

I recently ventured into the abstract environment of the critically acclaimed "Doc Utah".  It is a compilation of documentary films on display for the world to see in St. George, Utah. I brought a hot date with me to see the featured Prima, directed by Tatyana Bronstein.  It is a portrait film of the Prima Ballerina of the Boston Ballet, Larissa Ponomarenko.  It shows her triumphant transition into the American society from growing up in the Russian ballet training scene.  It explains her climb to the top, mixed in with the human struggles and transitions through life's dynamics.  It was an excellent portrayal of the intimate and personal emotions of human life.  That, to me, is the major issue being shown in this very film.  She grew to be the best, and once her ride was over, she felt extremely lost.  The struggle and reality of human displacement was, in my belief, the director's canvas and target for conveyance to the audiences.  The director seems to be an extreme advocate for individuality, and not being afraid to let that individuality show in its brightest colors during the hardest times of life, especially when humans feel as though they do not have an identity or lack association.  It shows an ambiance of timelessness in how humans overtime, though technology has advanced, have relatively stayed the same when it comes to expressing emotions and coping with loss and distress. The filmmaker infers that without individuality and the freedoms of America, the world would stay in a lost and displaced state.  Bronstein makes a great point to that argument with the very life of Larissa Ponomarenko. The film acknowledges the bleakness and detainment of opportunity in her life in Russia, thus portraying the value system in that part of the world a sort of hand-me-down attitude and civil structure.  Compare that to the second half of the film where it shows that she can and does have a life out of dance because America afforded that to her, which was subliminally given to the viewers by showing her and her happiness in life after dance that only America, not Russia.  The very tactic of displaying her way of dance and how it is a symbol of her freedom by choosing to stay in America after her career was over.  The filmmaker also shows her dancing in very public places such as subways, the beach, a sidewalk in downtown Boston, and other places that she wouldn't have been able to do if she wasn't in such a place.  The viewer was always up close and personal with her facial expressions when she would talk about Russia, which were very solemn and tight, versus loose and jubilant when she spoke of her life now.  A counter could be raised as to the colonialist view of the filmmaker.  It can be noted that using the colonialism paradigm to view inside the reality of the film making process would show a very different side, a very much darker side of the film.  By using that lens to look through, one would see just how much pride, arrogance, and ignorance was used to base this film as a propaganda of sorts to be painted on all of the at-ease minds of the audience.

bLoG p 1

My name is Andrew Herrin.  I am twenty three years old, and have red hair.  I love clothes, food, shoes, cars, puzzles, helping others smile, and people watching.  I am here at DSU because of an inner feeling.  As I was deciding what school to attend after my church service mission, i pondered many options, but Dixie State wasn't one of them.  As I looked into Dixie, my heart burned within me, and a feeling of belonging came into my chest and my mind.  It felt so good.  Thus I followed that feeling and wouldn't you know it I met my future wife here.  I don't have many anxieties towards this course, other than I want to work towards receiving an A.  I hope that I can accomplish the needed tasks, and absorb the information to become a better person, and overall, become more well-rounded in the arts this world has to offer.  As an instructor, you might want to know that I want you and myself to be a team, a successful team that compliments the environment of learning.