It was quite hard to choose an image that "relates to my everyday world." Many of the images were very interesting and I enjoyed understanding more about how they came in to existence. My favorite image was by far Stonehenge. It fascinates me the precision and effort used to create the monument. However, I think the House Interior at Sakra Brae is the most applicable to my life today.
I am an interior decor addict. I changed the layout of my room a small bit even today as I procrastinated on this assignment. (photo 2) I subscribe to four magazines each month with a variety of renovation themes. I modi
fy and "edit" my house, specifically my bedroom, constantly. This one of seven rooms at Skara Brae reminds me of me:) Though the inhabitants of this dwelling were most likely thinking functionality over decoration, there is no question some design and aesthetics were considered when creating this room. Attention to the placement and functionality of the storage inlets and bookshelves shows care and precision. The rocks used to make the wall, tho varying in sizes, are smoothed down and visually pleasing to the eye.
The placement of the beds seems to show a separation of either sexes or families. Unlike some Native American dwellings I have seen, each bed has a set space. The rocks were most likely used to hold the mattresses in place, but they also provided separation. There was no easy way for
a person to "roll" around in their sleep and end up in the other person's bed.
This pre-decided space seems to reflect an individualistic character aspect for the tribes people. I have never taken an anthropology class, but people fascinate me! And I generally tend to think of people "from the olden days" as being family oriented and close knit. Mostly due to the necessity to live in clans and to use other people for support (like parents living with married children to all work together for the common goal of survival). This Image at Sakra Brae eluding to independence, is such a contradiction from my thoughts.
I share my room with my sister. My other sister is home only on holidays and summer when she is not attending school in Southern California. And as three very independent people, conflict often arises. I marvel that people could live in such close quarters with individual personalities and survive!
As a person who has spent a lot of time studying the old testament, I am fascinated to see artifacts from the same time periods. Everything is more real when you can put a picture with some thing you have read about.
This ziggurat is a very interesting "invention." Built like a pyramid with each layer being slightly more narrow, it is very structurally sound and easy to construct. And it can vary in size with out altering the general building plan.
Imagine riding across the desert on your camel from your tribe's tents about half a mile away from this "temple." and suddenly you see it. It blends into the sand from a distance, but stands out like a shark in a fish tank as you approach it. All that man could create architecturally at the time is incorporated in this ziggurat. It was indeed something to marvel at.
Imagine again with me if what the Bible says is true: that God created man and put them on the earth. About 2090 the bible tells the story of Abraham (sound familiar?) and how he left his family and friends in Ur (location of Nanna Ziggurat) and started out into the desert with no set destination because God told him he would lead him. Abraham had tremendous faith in God. He is called the "Father of all Nations" because he was the first person to have faith in God so strongly and all others who also did came from his descendants. Later, when Abraham's offspring rejected God (the old tribe of Israel), God decided to allow the rest of the world to be included in his blessing if they would trust him (which was always his plan). Too bad that Abraham's faith did not remain with all his decedents.
All this Bible history is totally not art history :) But it allows us to better understand what was happening during this time period and what the people may have been thinking.
The Bronze sculptures always fascinate me. The detail and reality portrayed in the The Head of a Man (Knows as Brutus) looks almost like an actual mask. I always study the hair because of how intricately they shape it. The symmetry is well done. And no only are the anatomical features correct, but the emotion and presence of this man are clearly obvious. If the head is not of a real man, the ideal characteristics and personality of the god (?) or hero (?) created in this sculpture are still classic.
The above bronze head is a sharp contrast to this stone sculputre of Pompey the Great. The Bronze Head is bold and strong, casting out all fear and faults. Pompey is shows with soft, fleshy skin. His warts are even left clearly visible on his face to emphasize the realism demanded by the Roman people. He seems more approachable and human compared to the regal, immortality of the bronze head.
