video review

African Art
I chose this video because it was something I would like to see. We read about it in the book but it would be nice to actually see things not just paint a picture in my mind. It started about the sub-Saharn African culture. THey talked about dress, hair styles, rituals etc. I learned that the African rock art is the oldest form of African art that still exists. I also learned African art also influenced some works by Picasso. I found that very interesting because when I think of Picasso, African art doesnt really come to mind. Europeans thought of African art as childlike so it is surprising that Picasso was influnced by it. The video also talked about their rituals and the importance of masks and spiritual things. Although we did read about this in the book, it was nice to learn a little extra from the video.

Chinese Art
I chose this video for the same reason I chose the first one, to put a picture with the readings. Most Chinses art is contained in the Nation Palace Museum. This video goes into talking about some of the art that is containeed in the video. It talked about China as a pottery culture. Chinese pottery consisted of pots bowls and vessels. The most interest one I thought was the bowl from the Ming dynasty. I liked the colors and the chickens and roosters. They also used bronze to make vessles that date back to 2,800 years ago. It is mind boggling to think back that far in time! I found it very interesting all the different materials they used to make different pieces of art. The video ended with showing works of calligraphy. This video taught a lot that the book didnt.

The Great Wave
I chose this video because it was a title I have never heard of and wanted to watching a video on something that might be new. The Great Wave is an image in Japanese art by Hokusai. It epitomized Japans culture and art. It was very controversial and confusing. Is it depicting real life? or is depicint something in our minds? It actually was a print and the actual image doesnt exist. The video then goes into the life of the artist, Hokusai. It then tells the process of block printing. I thought it was cool to see a little of how block printing works. I also find it interesting that the ooriginal copy of the art has not survived. The video ends with how the great wave influenced later work by Warhol and other artists. I enjoyed this video because it was new material and not really talked about in the book.

Buddhism
I chose this video because I have learned about Buddhism so many times in my school career and wanted to see if they mentioned new things. I also have forgotten a lot along the ways so it was nice to bring back the memories. Thie video starts in Budh Gaya, a place where fact and legend intertwine about Buddhism. It talked about Buddha and where itae from and showed some art from that era. The video also talked about the spread of Buddhism. I enjoyed the part about the Stupas. I loved how the stupas were so detailed and every stone had a story. There were so many symbols and characters carved into them that it must have taken so long to build. The Great Stupa, in Sanchi is somewhere I would like to visit after watching this video. The video also talked about the spread of Buddhism to Caramel, NY. The Chuang Yen Monastery is located there and still exists today.