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Reasons for Studying Art
The existence of art in many regions and countries in the world has made it easier for people to understand its importance. Art, by definition, is the application of creativity or imagination in the transfer of abstract ideas into paintings, objects or sculptures. Art has been used by various artists since time in memorial to convey different messages. The people who study art can get an in-depth understanding of art as a medium to disseminate information. The knowledge acquired from studying arts plays crucial roles in the provision of the necessary skills that the art students and graduates need in making critical decisions. Art graduates understand that sound decisions are usually based on facts and evidence from the different sources of information. Art, therefore, helps the art students and graduates in the proper utilization of the various sources of information in support of their arguments.
The study of art helps in the improvement of the student’s intellectual structure. The art student or graduate is equipped with knowledge from the different art such history, culture, religion, and the existence of the human race. The knowledge acquired from studying art can create a professional platform for the art students and graduates. The art students can earn a living by becoming art lecturers or tutors. Art students can also make a living by making and selling their art (Kleiner, 30). Learning art enables the art students to identify and appreciate the efforts of the artist in their various pieces of work. This directly translates to the common norm of how many artists’ work are molded by other artists. The study of art helps the art students in coming up with positive criticism while discussing the various art. This is crucial in appreciating the efforts of the artists and motivating them to work better. Art students also enjoy the benefits of studying art by getting the opportunity to improve their artistic talents.
Themes in Art
Religion
Every piece of art has its theme and message, and it can be either in an abstract or clear form. Artists use themes to convey various messages in their work and capture the intended audience. Most of the themes depicted in the various art are religion, culture, history, human development, and politics. This paper will seek to provide an in-depth discussion of religion as a theme in most of the art around the world especially from Egypt, Greece, Gothic Europe, and Africa before 1800.
The art from ancient Egypt shows how the Egyptians believed in religion, more so the worship of the Egyptian gods or Pharaohs. The ancient Egyptian mural paintings and sculptures were highly used to show how the Egyptians believed in deities. Paintings of Sun god Ra and Anubis the god of death is evidence that the ancient Egyptian art conveys a message about the ancient Egyptian religion. The Egyptian art also includes paintings and sculptures of animals which symbolized a representation of the Egyptian gods. One of the primary examples of this is the painting in the tomb of Irinefer which has a person worshiping Phoenix, a representation of Heliopolis, the god of the sun. The ancient Egyptian art also depicted their belief in an afterlife as evident from the paintings in the tombs and pyramids.
The Greeks used art to show their firm faith in their religion and the worship of many gods. The use of sculptures and statues in the Greek temples and Roman sanctuaries played significant roles in the preservation of the Greek religion. There are over three hundred Korai in different places in the Athenian Acropolis. The Korai are statues of women giving their offerings with one hand while the other remained upstretched (Platt, 13). The Archaeological Museum of Heraklion in Greece, has among many others, the picture of the Snake Goddess which gives a clear hint of the ancient Greek religion (Kleiner, 128).
The African art before 1800 was mainly based around religious themes. This is primarily evident from the cave paintings and stone sculptures found in the different regions of the African continent. A key example is the running woman stone painting in Algeria which indicates ritual practices. Most of the ancient African kings and leaders were seen as gods living among men. This factor that pushed many ancient African artists to make art based on the kings as clearly seen from the existence of the Ikegobo sculpture from Nigeria. The European arts also took part in the portrayal of religious themes in their art through the availability of gothic Europe (Kristiansen, 33). The Jamb statues at the entrance of Chartres Cathedral in France show the king and queens who were Jesus' ancestors. These statues dated to 1400 when the European artists were more concerned with the already established Christian religion. The Chartres Cathedral also has a stained-glass window which comprises of colored glass combined with images of sculptors and masons. It is believed that this form of art was created between 1200 and 1220 (Kleiner, 375).
Art plays a major role in not only educating people about the past events, but also informing them about the different culture, political views, and ideas across the world. It is, therefore, crucial for art students to play attention to the different forms of art to capture the intended message from the art.
Works Cited
Kleiner, Fred S. Gardner’s Art through the Ages: A Concise Western History. Nelson Education, 2016.
Kristiansen, Kristian. "Rock art and religion: the sun journey in Indo-European mythology and Bronze Age rock art." Adoranten (2012): 69.
Platt, Verity Jane. Facing the Gods: Epiphany and Representation in Graeco-Roman Art, Literature and Religion. Cambridge University Press, 2011.