Lecture Notes for Jan 26, 2010

Header 1 Village Life Today ? Art making is a part of everyday activity ? Kolum ? Takes about an hour ? done in front of house, even modest ones ? not for aesthetic, but for ritual, an offering ? Women mainly produce works ? no formal training ? passed from mother to daughter ? LANGUAGE ? Central region - mostly Indo-Aryan ? South - Dravidian ? North - Tibeto-Burman Early Peoples & Cultures of South Asia ? ca. 4000-500 BCE ? Late Neolithic - Late Stone Age ? People starting to settle into communities Vessel with Humped Bull ? Domestication of animals ? Wheel thrown vessel, fired ? Functional purpose, simple form ? Symbols: ? BULL ? Brahma Bull ? India was agrarian culture, bulls for plows ? Sacred, represents fertility, auspiciousness, regeneration ? Heart-shaped leaves Female Figure, Terracotta ? Does not look realistic ? Female traits are emphasized ? hips ? breasts ? small waist ? Head dress - Implies spiritual purpose ? Females are usually depicted with nude torso, and lower body covered by a toti INDUS CIVILIZATION - Ca. 2500-1700 BCE ? River valley is now dry & arid ? Discovered in 1921 ? Mohenjo Daro ? ca. 2000 BCE ? organized city-state ? grid pattern, aligned North-South ? fairly large roads ? large public baths, in center of city ? usually associated with a temple, for ritual purification ? acropolis ? fired bricks ? wells - sophisticated water system ? The "Great Bath" at Mohenjo Daro ? Probably public ? associated w/ ritual purification ? water is sacred for cleansing both body and spirit ? continuity (what?) ? Bust, Priest King (many names) ? 7" ? limestone ? only a handful of sculptures found at excavations b/c stone was not from area ? CONTENT ? bearded male ? beards are rare in later art ? head dress - symbolizing status ? jewelry ? eyes are half closed - suggests meditation ? robe on one shoulder - religious significance/Buddhist? ? STYLE ? red ochre - indicates religious purpose ? pattern on robe from Mesopotamia ? Male Nude Torso ? 3.5" ? Naturalistic ? Weird depressions, removable head ? Attention to stomach suggests yoga and a connection to controlled breathing ? Dancing Girl from Mohenjo Daro, metal ? 11 cm high ? inorganic, not voluptuous ? jewelry seen in tribal regions today