Week 8 Video Blog

From the More Human than Human video explained how our hunter and gathering ancestors had a natural stimulation to parts of the body that they deemed most important. The work shown of the woman had no distinct face but her womanly parts were over exaggerated. These artists created works that showed what was most important to them including women and animals. This relates to the text because we read that the artists represented many animals in most of their art because they drove survival of humans.


Late Gothic Art and Architecture

In this video I learned that like gothic architecture the flying buttresses and such were integral pieces to sustain structural stability. In the Gothic churches the same concept applied but to the works of art that filled the inside of the church. There were representations of saints that were supposed to bring upon good luck finding an item lost, or a saint that would protect over safe travels. The video also explained how churches were focal points of societies, where people would come from any distance to take part in the service and gathering of parishioners. I chose this because my favorite time period is the late gothic period.

A World Inscribed: The Illuminated Manuscript

This video showed how during ancient times every book that was created was by hand. A single individual would spend countless hours transcribing a work or idea into a book. These individuals were the first publishers. An individual would devote his entire life to being a scribe. In the time it took to master this art the printing press was invented which was able to replace this profession. We have already read about how the printing press was able to produce books and documents without errors and in a much more efficient manner. I chose this video because of the title. Manuscripts were created by individuals and were one of a kind. Being able to handwrite a book with minimal errors is quite a task.

Beyond the Classical: Byzantine and Later Greek Art

The ideas of classical art were developed thousands of years before during the Renaissance. During the 19th century architects looked back at ideas and designs of classical Greece to develop what we know as the modern world. Of all created works architecture as some of the biggest impacts. The Renaissance was a rediscovery of Greek art. Just about every modern city has elements of Greek architecture. Usually banks and public buildings show these characteristics.

Each of the videos that I watched touched on many of the ideas that were discussed in chapters 14 and 15 as well as others chapters we have already read. Each of these videos furthered understanding of the chapter and proved to be good supporting material for the assigned reading.