module 8

1. Explain why you selected the video you choose from the selection listed above.

I chose the video “The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figure” because I tend to be drawn to Greek art more than most ancient historical pieces. I like the Greeks interest in geometry and anatomy especially in athletics.   

2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figure: I already knew the Greeks were obsessed with human anatomy but I was interested to hear that fitness was a regular part of the Greek lifestyle. This obsession with the human body has been around since the Greeks inhabited the Cyclades and created simple geometric human forms. Beyond the obsession with the body came expression of emotion and movement. The Greeks began to focus more on realism and time moved forward. I was also surprised to find out that the traditional white statues (often votive offerings) were often painted in bright colors. I definitely prefer them white.  What I found most interesting however was the rise of humanism in Greek art and the study of the body expanding to the everyday person and not just the gods. This expanded beyond art with the creation of the Olympic Games in 776 B.C. I think it is amazing what the Games have evolved into today and how long this tradition has been held up.

BBC How Art Made The World 1 - More Human Than Human: This video brought up the point that human forms in art rarely are realistic, and decided to explore the reasoning why. A theory from the ancient Venus figurines was developed, saying that humans were preconditioned to highlight the most important parts of the human body. This could still hold true today on a more individual basis. The same holds true for the Egyptian ideal of the body. The Egyptian style stayed the same for hundreds of years, and the human body was depicted based off of a mathematical scale. This particular way of depicting the human body was not a predetermined human condition, but rather their culture. Finally, the Greeks come up, with their obsession in the human body and developing it through fitness and sport. The Greeks obsessively worked towards realism, eventually coming to Kouros figures, which are mathematically almost perfect figures. This did not last long however for the Greeks. The video concludes that humans have a hardwired desire to exaggerate, through features, body positioning, and more.

3. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

Both videos and the text dive into a bit of art history, exploring why ancient art was created. The text also brings up the Female Figure from Willendorf from 23,000 B.C.E. from the BBC video. However the text avoid speculation saying “The most we can say is that they (the steatopygous females) testify to a widely shared belief system that evolved over time.” The text also leaves a section for Greece, going into detail about the evolution of the Greek figure and the study of the human body. Both the text and the video focused on Greek athleticism. The text mentions: “Well-developed male bodies were on constant display and their beauty was celebrated and depicted in art”.  

4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figure was very interesting seeing how Greek art changed and grew throughout time. I’m glad that societal changes such as the movement of humanism and focus on individualism and the event of the Olympic Games was also discussed as they had a huge impact on the artwork.

The BBC video was very dramatic and the ads got very annoying. Other than that the details about the human figure in art were interesting and aligned with many of the details in the text.