Et à la fin...

  Well I think we can all agree that this has defiantly been a wonderful class! I really loved reading The Cave Painters and learning about the cave paintings! (Seriously, now I want to go study in caves in France for the rest of forever!) But really, this class was awesome. I never thought the seemingly simple question of "What is Art?" would be so hard to answer! Now I feel like I can touch the surface of this question, but I don't think it can ever be fully answered. Having this blog was a great experience as well! I loved reading everyone else's throughout the semester and this was so much more motivating to work on compared to Moodle posts.

   This is it for me, but I hope everyone has a fantastic break and a great spring semester!

               -Holly

This is Jean-Claude, my octopus cake :)

Research

  This semester, I chose to do my research project on the path of classical mythology in art. I've always had a fascination with classical mythology and the art that is inspired by it. Classical mythology is one of the most common inspirations in art and has been for nearly 2,800 years. I think it is one of the subjects that has been most apparent since it was introduced in Ancient Greece.

  I had used the HSU data bases a few time before this semester, but now I feel like I could be racking up frequent flier points I use JSTOR so much! Between my 3 anthropology classes, JSTOR has seen a lot of me this semester. Between some really fabulous articles I found on said database, and using some books I had myself and the library was so kind to lend me, I was pretty golden on information materials. I thin the most difficult part of my research process was that after I was done with part one, I put it on the back burner for a few weeks. When I finally went back to it, I had to go over everything again, so I guess it wasn't too difficult per say, but more tedious (but that was my own fault, of course).

  I think the most surprising thing I discovered was the representation of classical mythology in Medieval Times. I wasn't sure what I would find, but it was interesting how the portrayal of classical mythological figures altered, like the example in my presentation of Hercules and how he went from classical to arabian to saint-like and then back to classical-- all within a span of a few hundred years.

  If I was to continue my research on classical mythology, I would probably focus on its influence in one era, like just in Medieval Times or the Twentieth century. I think it would be really interesting to focus deeply on one time period and go into further detail. A question that may be interesting to continue with would be, "What influence did the rise of Christianity have on how classical mythology was interpreted in Medieval Times?" Maybe one day I will have the opportunity to answer this question or other relating to classical mythology.

-Holly

American Pop Culture

  Over Thanksgiving break, my friend and I went to Los angeles for a concert. When trying to figure out how I was going to consume art this semester, I decided that this concert was perfect, with examining how pop culture has exploded in America, and many eccentric artists are born from it. So don't laugh but the concert we went to was Katy Perry.

  The concert was held at the Staples Center, and it was completely packed! There were so many people there, it was insane. Many of the people dressed up like in ridiculous outfits (which all seemed to have had much time and effort put into them). Just observing the different dynamics of people there was fascinating. The ages ranged from 8 or 9 up to couples in their 50s. I find it always intriguing the difference in crowds at concerts. I've been to my fair share of concerts and what I've observed is that the more flamboyant or "poppy" the performer is the bigger the age range. Some of the other concerts I've attended, such as Mumford & Sons or Keane, the crowd is more college aged and up, virtually no children. Interesting point...

  Anyway, back to Katy Perry...

  Katy's entrance was another unique aspect to this concert. It started with a pre-filmed movie that prefaced the performance with a story line of her in some kind of "candy land" place. Through out the concert (during costume changes), the film would continue and then lead into the next set of songs. It all seemed to correlate one way or another which I thought was a rather clever idea. The film aspect made the concert seem much more like a show rather than just a performer singing their songs.

 
  Overall the concert was filled with a really high energy level. It was really amazing to see such a mass of people who don't know each other to be having a great time all together. Even though the thousands of people in the audience weren't involved in the actual performance, tons of people were dancing around and singing, which made it much more interactive feeling, like the energy form the songs and Katy herself was flowing into everyone there.

  I went to this concert not expecting much, but coming out of it I'm glad I was able to experience it. It is a great example of American pop culture and I really think this kid of performance is one of the few truly modern American art forms.

(We were in the second to last row in the whole place so I didn't get any good pictures so here are the sources of the pictures I found online.)

Picture Sources:

http://www.picowl.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Katy-Perry-Los-Angeles-Concert.jpg

http://celebshut.com/wp-content/uploads/celebrities/katy-perry/concert-photos-from-salt-lake-city/Katy%20Perry%20Concert%20Photos%20from%20Salt%20Lake%20City-09-520x812.jpg

http://marieclaire.media.ipcdigital.co.uk/11116%7C00004dbc7%7Cab6d_rexfeatures-1288922v.jpg

Ballet is Ethnic!

  I really enjoyed this week's reading, "An Anthropologist Looks at Ballet as a Form of Dance" by Joanne Kealiinohomoku (what a name!). The main point of this article to me was how to view ballet as a form of ethnic dance. Kealiinohomoku states that "... in the generally accepted anthropological view, ethnic means a grouo which holds in common genetic, linguistic, and cultural ties, with a special emphasis on cultural tradition. By definition, therefore, every dance form must be an ethnic form." (39) This statement seemed to stick out the most for me, because she is essentially proving her point that just because ballet is a dance form stemming from western culture, doesn't mean its not ethnic (or then superior to other dance forms from non-Western cultures). Ballet is very much so an ethnic dance.
 Another part of this article I found interesting was Kealiinohomoku's discussion on the false idea of "primitive dance." She is very insistent on the fact that there is no such thing as "primitive dance" (and I would have to agree with her) and her reasoning for this is that many Westerners view "primitive" cultures as reflective to what preceded our own culture. Kealiinohomoku completely rejects this idea with the statement, "... let it be noted that no living primitive group will reveal to us the way our European ancestors behaved" (37). This leads to the argument that every culture is equally ethnic to each other, and so are their art, and in this case, dance forms.
  Towards the end of the article, Kealiinohomoku goes into detail on the "ethnicity of ballet." She describes how culturally revealing it is to see stylized Western customs on the stage, such as the age of chivalry, weddings, mourning customs, etc. (40) and how Western culture has become accustomed to the tradition of stage usage, three part structured performances, curtain calls, etc. (40). She also described Western aesthetic values which consist of slender bodies, lifts, and revealing of the legs. All of these components contribute to the "look" of ballet, and if something were to break from this form, Westerners would jump to deem it exotic or even wrong. This leads to Kealiinohomoku's question of "Why are [Westerners] afraid to call [ballet] an ethnic form [of dance]? (41) She even is so kind as to answer this question for us with, the fact that Westerners refrain form using the word ethnic in reference to themselves because they, themselves, use the word ethnic to describe "savage" or "exotic" cultures, so of course they would never use it to describe their civilized culture!
  In the end, I have come to agree with Kealiinohomoku, that ballet can indeed be seen as an ethnic dance, just as Westerners have and will view dances form other cultures as ethnic.

"Primitive Dance" (according to Google Images)

"Ethnic Dance" (according to Google Images)

"Ballet" (according to Google Images)

Picture Sources:
http://www.dancer.com/u_media/MariaRiccettoLiftFullSize.jpg
http://www.siliconeer.com/past_issues/2008/may2008/CC-dance.jpg
http://www.freewebs.com/pangabriel/BUSHMEN%20DANCNG%20III.jpg

El Día de los Muertos

  Ethno-aesthetics is the study of art within cultural context. When studying art, one must take into great account the culture in which it was produced. Whether the art has been produced for ritual purposes or just for pleasure, the cultural context must be looked upon to begin understanding the art. In the case of José Posada, he was greatly influenced by politics of his time. He was an artist of and for the people, producing pieces easily assessable to citizens and pieces that reflected how many people felt about the government situation of the early 20th century. 
  An ethno-aesthetic analysis is a study of a piece of art through it's cultural context. In the José Posada analysis, everything from his history to the functional, cultural, and art world contexts are discussed. A strength of ethno-aesthetic analysis is depth on a single piece of art that is presented. Learning about the artist and the time the art was created, greatly helps understand the art itself. I think it would be interesting to have another art piece compared and contrasted to it, form the same time and culture to be able to evaluate the differences and similarities.

  As we discussed in class, The Day of the Dead is an example of hybridization and globalization for ethno-aesthetics. The fusion of Catholic practices and indigenous Mexican culture has resulted in one of the biggest holidays in Mexico. And now, The Day of the Dead is not limited to Mexico, but is being celebrating in other countries, such as the USA, as well. 

-Holly

Picture Sources:
http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/images-1/141_19_2.jpg
http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/041/5/e/day_of_the_dead_russian_dolls_by_paulorocker-d3985wo.jpg

Art as a Language

   In chapter 3 of Anthropology of Art by Robert Layton, art and visual communication are discussed. Layton speaks of Durkheim, Lévi-Strauss, and Saussure's ideas about language and symbolism. According to Lévi-Strauss 'art can be understood as a system of signs, like language in some respects but not in others.' And Durkheim says that 'without symbols, social sentiments could have only a precarious existence... social life, in all aspects and at every period of history, is made possible only by a vast symbolism.' Layton reminds us that Durkheim was mainly speaking of ritual in this view, but because art and ritual are so closely related, they can be viewed similarly. Saussure mentions that, paintings or carvings (art) are the signifiers and 'the sense of the social group's internal unity within the wider society is the real signified concept.'

  These three men seem to complicate what I feel art and visual communication is. I think that art truly is the universal language. Every piece of art, or performance of art, is communicating something to the audience. Even if interpretations vary, there is still communication occurring. It begins with the artist, and their intention; whether that intention is understood, or comprehended, its there. Isn't that why we can feel so emotionally overwhelmed by one piece of art compared to another. As human, we have the desire to connect with each other, and art seems to be a universal way of achieving that connection.

-Holly

Sources:

Layton,Robert. Anthropology of Art. 1981.

http://getfantasticdeals.com/library/Monet-Chrysanthemums.gif

Waiting for Harry

In  the film Waiting for Harry, we are taken through the Anbara people's process of a ceremonial funeral for a dead man. The process of this funeral is very ritualistic, similar to some of the rituals we've discussed in our class this semester. This ceremony takes place over many weeks, and includes painting the bones of the dead man and his two deceased children, painting the coffin (which is a hollow log for the bones), making a sand sculpture, and performing many dances and singing many songs. They discussed the painting of two wind spirits who are trading partners, like the peoples themselves and their neighbors, these both were painted on the log coffin. At one point a neighboring tribe visited to inspect the coffin, and decided to add a bit of their own flair to it. At the end of the ceremony, the log coffin is erected and the souls of the deceased join the community of the dead under the sea. The narrator and anthropologist, Les Hiatt, is referred to by the people as a brother. This situation is similar to another documentary made about the making of the film, Ten Canoes, where the director is referred to as 'father' and is involved in the process of making the ten canoes. Back to the Anbara, I found it interesting that even though some people in the tribe live in the cities, some still live in the bush, and this funeral ceremony is a ritualistic tradition that has continued for hundreds of years.

-Holly