Luis Gonzalez
The work I found most interesting on my visit to the Rubin Museum was The Black Jambhala (portrayed above). He is considered to be the god of wealth. However the wealth is not meant to encourage a lavish lifestyle instead the Black Jambhala’s purpose is to help those in poverty. If you look at his left hand, he is holding a mongoose spitting out myriad jewels. As discussed in class, the elongated ears draped down by the heavy earrings signify wealth.
The two pieces I chose from the Met was the statue of Young Hercules and the Buddha of the Future. Although Hercules is Roman and the Buddha is from Pakistan you can see similarities in the build. For one their stance is incredibly similar. Although covered by a robe you can tell that the Buddha’s legs are in the same stance as Hercules’. This shows a roman influence. Both of their faces are relatively neutral, showing no emotion. Overall the statues both have a large amount of detail, for Hercules it is shown in the details of his body and hair and with the Buddha we see it in his robe and also his hair.
Beyond that there are obviously differences that reflect the culture they were created in. The Buddha wears a robe that covers his body. He is wearing a large amount of jewelry and his hair is in an intricate knot on the top of his head. With Hercules he is wearing nothing, the only thing that is on his body is the Nimean lion’s body.
I thought both statues were pretty interesting and even more so when comparing their similarities.
-Julianne Patrina
The piece I chose from the Rubin is the hand drum (damani). It was used for rituals and was depicted in many of the paintings that we saw. The hand drum had two sides which symbolized the oneness of two aspects enlightenment. The drumming was the sound of “bliss of realizing the true nature of reality.” I chose the drum because of the intricate details that were carved into it. You can see skeletons and people surrounded by incredibly detailed patterns. What makes it more interesting is that this drum specifically is made from bone. I think it’s interesting how there is a large amount of skeleton looking people carved into the drum but how it is used to respect deities and to give offerings to them. Overall what drew me to this piece was the incredible detail put into such a small object.
-Julianne Patrina
This was my second visit to the Met Museum. I love how each culture depicts the same item in the own way. It is interesting for example to see how each culture views animals such as the lion through their art work. The Greeks seem to view lions as fierce predators and as a symbol of strength and power. However, I found it very interesting that this marble statue of a lion was sculpted with fairly feminine features, although his posture suggests otherwise. It is not as masculine and “scary” as I expected it to be, but is rather lean and seemingly mane-less. On the other hand, the plaque originating from the Archaic Romans depict the man (Hercules) as the more masculine figure and the lion is carved very simply. This carving to me shows the lion as more of a man’s best friend than a terrifying creature. Hercules is muscular and his position seems to show dominance over the lion.
Kai Bakari
The trip to the Rubin Museum was very interesting. The Buddha exhibit had some very dynamic pieces, however, this Five-Leaf Ritual Crown stood out to me. I enjoyed the details on this crown; from the colors to the different depictions of Buddha on each leaf. I found it intriguing that Chinese, Tibetan and Mongolian traditions were incorporated in this piece, including the silk medium and the positioning of Buddha’s hands. I began to wonder who would wear such a crown; maybe a simple priest or maybe a more devoted righteous one. Also I wondered what each leaf represented. Could each represent a different prayer?
Kai Bakari
These two sculptures depict the Roman’s view of a youthful Hercules, bearded and not bearded (AD 68-98). One has a lions hide draped over Hercules arm while the other shows him wearing the hide over his head and tied around his neck. Wearing the skin of a beast shows the strength of Hercules; more powerful than a lion. These statues are inspired by Greek myths and art. The sculpted lion hide reminded me of the lion carcass brought up in the story of Samson from the Holy Bible. In this story Samson is strong like Hercules, killing a lion for getting in his way.
This sculpture shows the view of Hercules in the eyes of the Pakistani (the ancient region of Gandhara). The small size of this stone work can hardly be compared to the detailed statue created by the Romans. However, I found it interesting that in this depiction Hercules isn’t wearing the lion hide but we see him wrestling with the lion. Hercules hasn’t quite conquered him but we are still shown his bravery.
Sara Neher
Group: QIJIE.MO , Douglas Goon,..
Summary: Callimaco gets his night with Lucrezia. And he told Lucrezia the whole plan. Lucreiza accepted it …. In the end of the play , Callimaco has the object of his desire whenever he wants, Nicia will no doubt have an heir, Lucrezia has a new love, and Timoteo has his money and the satisfaction of knowing that
he outsmarted everyone else
Act V: Scene 4(pg. 56)
“‘Since you’re cunning, my husband’s stupidity, my mother’s foolishness, and the wickedness of my confessor have led me to do what I would never have done of myself, I’m ready to believe it was heaven’s will that it should all happen this way, and I don’t have it in me to reject what heaven wants me to accept.
-In this quote, Machiavelli shows how Callimaco interprets that Lucretia has fallen for him. It also brings about God being a strong figure back in the 1500s. Lucretia citing to heaven’s will is an indication of her honoring God by following his ways. It’s basically an internal battle between her morals and what God thinks is right. Lucretia wouldn’t normally involve herself in cheating on her husband, but it’s what God had intended. This, as result, has Lucretia fooling her husband and pursuing Callimaco in hopes of conceiving a child.
pg57
“Listen to her, the way she answers. she looks like a rooster.” In this quote, you can see the difference of Lucrezia’s personality. In the beginning of the play, she is the only one seemingly virtuous . But now, she becomes a totally different person. This is one of the result of the fraud.
Conflict: The fact that all of the deceptions lead to a happy ending. if this is saying that the fraud is acceptable when it attains a positive ending?
this marble statue is called Youthful Hercules. it is made in it is well-expressed the character of Herclues as young and powerful. on his right hand, he grab a club behind his hip. his hair is portrayed with curly hair, and muscles. Overally, he seems a hero as we read hercules story in the book in class and also handsome guy.
this is called limestone statue of herakles. it is made in the late 6th centruy BC. this statue is damaged on its face, arms, and legs. it looks weird and looks like a monster even though it is herakles. To compare this with previous one, it’s sort of miniature. it doesn’t look great and doesn’t show any strength and overwhelmed character. he is wearing lion skin and a short tunic.
taehyun nam
this is The Fire-God Agni and the Yaksha General Anila. This painting is combined two styles, tibetan and sophisticated Chinese embroidery. it looks red as it is painting of the fire god. he sits on the flower as usual as we find it from other buddhism artifacts. i could feel the difference between this and other buddhism artifacts that i usually saw. the Buddhism artifacts that i saw before were most likely influenced by Chinese culture. it was unique painting to me.
taehyun nam
These pieces has a major cultural influence. The top Buddha cultural influence is India, while the bottom Buddha has a Afghanistan influence. The India influence Buddha is standing up. It is different from the pieces that we saw in the Rubin museum as well. The way that it is standing up, shows how muscular it is. It has a cape that drops down to his feet. It also connects to the lines that are on the entire body. This Buddha doesn’t have a crown, it only shows the hair. But it does show wealth, since the ear lobe is low. It means that the jewelry is heavy. Also, the hands are up representing peace. But the Afghanistan influence Buddha is very different then the Indian influence Buddha. This one is sitting down. It has like a crown on the head it is not just showing the hair. It also has jewelry, representing wealth. And it also has the hands up. But it has this long thing that is wrapped around his arms and legs. While the top Buddha has a cape on. Between both of these Buddha’s, there are many comparisons as well as differences.