Evolution of Christian Art

In my visit to the Timken Museum of Art in Balboa Park, there was an exhibition of Christian art ranging from the Dark Ages to the Late Renaissance and early 17th century. Both era in Europe have the Roman Catholic Church as main topic for their art especially with the two  Renaissance artists that I chose: Paolo Caliari and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. Caliari's oil on canvas, Madonna and Child, Saint Elizabeth, Infant St. John the Baptist, and Saint Justina emphasizes the importance in the aspect of virtue, and the innocence of infancy as these child are to be ones who change history. The halo above Mary's head evokes an essence of divinity as she is the mother of God. This also sets a stage for the earlier days of the life of  Jesus Christ. On the other hand we have a portrait of the Madonna and the Jesus as a child. Both pieces are similar regarding the essence of power the Madonna has due to the halo above her head in both pieces. These two pieces drew my attention with great interest due to the importance of the Roman Catholic Church in my culture, and especially the symbolism behind the Virgin Mary. 

       Two other pieces that I saw illustrate the fall of Jesus Christ and his Crucifixion establishing an end to his story. One was made in the 17th century called Christ on the Cross. The background behind Jesus invokes that the darkness and the tragedy that was his death.  The skull on the foreground may be a symbol for the angel of death and that all who live must die. It also reinforces the aspect of sorrow and pain of his followers witnessing who they believed to be god dying. On the contrary however, this piece from the Middle Ages places an emphasis on the resurrection of Jesus Christ and how it creates proof that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and divine power  over the universe seen through his halo on the top centerpiece. On his sides are the saints and angels that revere him as God. This piece differ from the former due to the positive tone it gives from the death of Jesus in contrast to the dreadful and sorrow tone of him on the cross.

For me this piece of street art in Chicano Park intrigued me the most at my visit to the site. To me almost all street art revolves around problem so regarding society and politics ranging from discrimination, to corrupt, to ecology, etc.. This particular piece gives an essence of the national identity of Mexican-Americans. The piece itself appears to picture of the Aztec goddess, "Coatlicue, Diosa de la Tierra - Earth Goddess" holding the sun on one hand and the earth on the other. The Earth on the god's left hand pictures the Americas emphasizing the Native American culture of Mexican Heritage. The sun on the other hand symbolizes the importance it had on the Mexica Culture. How the goddess stands also prompts the idea that not only was the Aztec culture filled a palette of colors and the differences they had from European Culture, but also the evocation of power these gods had possessed over their people, as the goddess stands in  totem-like design which was very common in Native American art.

Coatlicue also appears as if she was the main subject of hierarchical scale as she herself is placed at the top, having lesser gods who revere this mother goddess, as she a patron goddess to motherhood and to women who die in childbirth. To me it embraces he importance that mothers have in our society as they are the ones who sacrifice everything possibly their lives in order for their child to live a better life then they had.

Coatlicue connects well with the revered Virgin of Guadalupe, an iconic symbol for the great influence Catholicism has had on Mexican Society and thus creating a syncretic blend between Native and European culture. The variety of colors used in the portrait of the Virgin Mary encapsulates the adoption of Aztec art and its wide range of colors. The Virgin herself represents not only the virtue of motherhood, but also the beauty and greatness of innocence as she herself was a pious and sinless girl as so the Bible claims. All in all the overall theme of these two pieces is motherhood and its importance in every society in both halves of the globe.

Mesopotamian Art

Mesopotamian Art

By Omar Ceron-Santiago

      I've always had a fascination with the ancients, ranging from the Christian Roman Empire to as far back as ancient Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia etymology defines it as a "country between two rivers" in Ancient Greek. Mesopotamia is the land in which human civilization was to said to have began in. Even some sources claim the land to be where the Garden of Eden was located. Mesopotamia is the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers located in modern-day Iraq and Syria.

   In these lands came the rise of settlements known as city-states which are largely populated cities with their surrounded territory that make an independent state. Well known Mesopotamian city-states include Uruk, Ur, Kish, Adab, and Eridu. However as populations began to grow, the philosophy of a new system of governing began to emerge and especially the concept of empire building. Mesopotamia brought in also a device that is always used in everyday, a writing system. Their writing system helped develop literature and folklore such as the Epic of Gilgamesh that could final be recorded. They also brought in the idea of taxes which to me somewhat comical due to fact the it created a certainty, the first be death. 

   As the concept of empire began to grow a great new nation emerged new temples and architecture was innovated, in particular was the Ziggurat. Ziggurats emphasized the concept of power and were used as shrines for the Mesopotamian Gods. I especially appreciate the fact that these structures were solely made by hand and would have taken decades and possibly centuries to construct as way to pledge loyalty to their king. The Assyrians became especially famous for their construction of the Assyrian Empire representing their status above others in these engravings they had on walls showing and practically giving us their history. I especially love the Lamassu which was a protective deity for the Assyrians and was depicted of having a human head and beard of a man with the body of an ox or a lion and having bird wings. Not only does it appeal to me because of its appearance but also the fact it was worshiped by humans as a guardian to the empire and invokes

power and a sense of regal because these statues were commonly placed in front of palaces and temples as a way to ward off evil.

  What saddens me however is the fact that these colossal, ancient, historic masterpieces are being destroyed by the Islamic State as a method to eradicate the region's polytheistic past in order to strictly preserve as Islam as its sole religion and destroy any history that existed prior to the rise of Islam and its caliphates. These monuments symbolize as simpler past and the achievements mankind has been able to accomplish by using mostly our bare hands and the weak bronze tools used to carve the fascinating sculptures and temples thus driving us to accomplish greater achievements that humans have yet to encounter.