Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Week 2 Lecture Analysis

In this week’s lecture we were shown a giant overview of art history dating back to prehistoric times.

The interesting thing about the lecture was that you could trace both similarities and distinct differences from the art from many different cultures at many different times. An example of this is how the ancient egytian art is more stylized, flat, and angular or “perfect” Whereas the artwork of ancient Greece seems more natural, flowing, and three dimensional. Just as it was pointed out in class, it is not that the ancient Egyptians lacked the tools or skill to make statues like the Greeks had but rather their brains had not thought of it.
I think that this is very similar to how art is influenced in modern times as well. When you are surrounded by something (and I’m not just speaking art here) I think it is natural to be influenced by that first while things that you are not accustomed to just seem strange or out of place. Unlike in the ancient past, however, nowadays we have these not-so-newfangled inventions called the computer or rather the internet that exposes us to more diverse ideas, cultures, and art styles.

Also, on a more random note, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the Column of Trajan and how the letters engraved on it influenced Carol Twombly to create the Tajan font which, as we learned, is one of the most widely used font today.

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