Module Ten- Video Reviews

1.)

There are many important concepts I learned from the video African Art: Legacy of Oppression.  This video covered some of the artwork in Belgium’s tevuren Museum, which contains the world’s largest collection of Central African Art, approximately 250,000 pieces.  It is said that Tevuren collected this body of art because when Belgium’s King Leopold II colonized and brutally exploited this territory during the late 1800s, these pieces of art are likely to have been taken.  African masks were created with contorted features to frighten enemies, the Westerners.  The shocking expressions and body positions of African art leads to abstract art.  Their art glorified motherhood, chief hood, and the ordinary.

            The video entitled Buddhism also shared an immense amount of Buddhist art and architecture.  As stated in the video, Buddhism began in India and it spread to other lands where it has flourished.  The key to Buddhist teaching is “tanha,” the extinguishing of all desires and all things that feed the ego and obstruct enlightenment.  During the Golden age of Buddha, Buddhist art and architecture flowered across India.  Examples of this architecture include; The Mahabodhi Temple, The Great Stupa at Sanchi and The Borodur Temple.  These religious monuments are said to truly be “heaven on earth.”

2.)  I selected both of these videos because I was interested in expanding my knowledge on both the religious aspect of Buddhism in art and the impact that African culture had on its artwork.

3.)  Both of these videos offered information that was presented in the book.  However they also gave a deeper perspective and analysis on African art and Buddhist architecture.

4.)  Overall, I found the videos very informing.  I wish that the video on Buddhism gave a little more examples of artwork in particular rather than just Buddhist architecture.