Midway Reflections

At the beginning of this class, I wasn’t entirely sure about studying the arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, in what I would see and how the process would be. The arts have been interesting, with many things that I didn’t expect to see. I have enjoyed some things, and others, while I can appreciate them, I don’t necessarily like from a personal and aesthetic perspective. I think I was equally interested in all of the areas we have seen thus far, and found and learned unexpected things about them and the cultures, especially since I didn’t know to much about them to begin with. I have, however, studied Native North American art somewhat in a past class,  with more of that coming up in the coming weeks. I was surprised to see the very naturalistic terra cotta Oni heads of the Ife in Nigeria, and the various canoes of Oceania, which I had never studied before and found very beautiful and unique.

The blogging experience has been fun, since it was something I had never thought I could or would do, and it is very different than what I have done in other classes. It seems helpful in finding things that I likely wouldn’t otherwise from the blogs of other people, and it seems like a unique opportunity that fits well with these societies’ art histories.  I can’t believe it’s already the middle of the semester, and I’m excited to see the art of the Pacific Northwest, in particular, because it seems very unique to the other regions of the Americas. I think I have been able to be objective in my study, and be appreciative and respectful of the arts and cultures when it is due, while maintaining my personal beliefs and tastes. In the past,  I think I felt like I had to “like” or agree with everything I saw, especially those things outside of western culture, in order to not feel or be seen as judgmental or intolerant.

I think there is a balance to be found between being objective and maintaining personal beliefs and tastes, with being open and receptive; recognizing both my own limited experiences and knowledge (on art and many other subjects), while acknowledging the validity of my opinions and point of view.  I think the ability to be more balanced, thoughtful, and objective, when studying and viewing art, and really anything else, is a very valuable skill to have, and one that I can credit to Art 1G.

10/6/13- From Bush Grass to Ocean Waves: Images of Oceania

The act of viewing and comparing the art of Oceania quickly reveals  the diversity of cultural societies that developed distinctly from one another in this part of the world. You can also see the influence of environment when comparing art objects from two different regions that make up Oceania: Aboriginal Australia and island Melanesia and Polynesia.

In the first example, a modern bark painting from Australia (image credit), reflects the Oenpelli tradition of x-ray rock painting, as well as bark-painting.  While the outline of the kangaroo figure is curvilinear, the majority of line and decoration is straight, with cross-hatching patterns.

Contrasting with that, is the more curved, circular, and flowing lines seen in the island regions, Melanesia and Polynesia. There is a general influence of ocean in this region’s decoration and objects, including in the Maori war canoe bow-piece (image credit). There are very few straight lines, and the overall impression is one of flowing, soft curves.

The sense of straightness and angles of the bark painting contrasts with the curvilinear, circular design of the canoe piece. One could easily relate the bark painting’s use of straight lines to the environmental influence of grass, and this type of straight patterning is seen in other Aboriginal Australia art as a common motif and style, including Yirrkala wooden figures, shell necklaces, and other 2-dimensional depictions. The scroll-like, curvilinear design of the canoe, on the other hand, is reminiscent of water and waves, and those curves are seen in the style of island art, throughout the diverse cultures. There is an distinctness to these examples and their use of straight or curving lines, that while somewhat opposing, makes them appealing as a pair, as well as illustrative to the diversity of Oceanic art.