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1.
Apollo 11 Stones UNIIT 1
Nambia. c. 25000-25300 B.C.E. Charcoal on stone
The earliest history of rock painting and engraving arts
in Africa. The oldest known of any kind from the African continent.
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2.
Great Hall of Bulls
Lascaux, France. Paleolithic Europe. 15000-13000 B.C.E.
Rock Painting
represents the earliest surviving examples of the
artistic expression of early people. Shows a twisted perspective.
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3.
Camelid sacrum in the shape of a canine
Tequixquiac, central Mexico. 14000-7000 B.C.E.
Bone.
The shape was created by using subtractive
techniques and utilizing already apparent features in the bone, like the
holes for eyes. It was a first look at how people began manipulating their
environment to created what they wanted.
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4.
Running horned women
Tassili n'Ajjer, Algeria. 6000-4000 B.C.E.
Pigment on rock.
The painting shows great contrast between the
dark and light mediums used. There is also great detail put into the
decorations of the woman. Most interestingly, though, there is a transparency
to the larger woman and the figures behind her show through.
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5.
Beaker with ibex motifs
Susan, Iran. 4200-3500 B.C.E. Painted terra
cotta.
One of the first ceramic pieces, made from
clay and intricately designed with mineral and plant paint in painstaking
detail. The vessel portrays a Ibex, a type of goat native to the area, and
also canine figures along the rim. At the time, dogs were used to hunt
animals like Ibexes. The painting might have been done with small brushes
made from plant material or human or animal hair
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6.
Anthropomorphic stele
Arabian Peninsula. Fourth millennium B.C.E. Sandstone.
Very stylized representation of a human figure, carved
from stone. Has a make image and carries knives in sheaths across the chest
and a knife tucked
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7.
Jade cong
Liangzhu, China. 3300-2200 B.C.E. Carved jade.
Like one of many, this was a jade piece with decorative
carvings, unique shape, and symbolic purpose. The stone might have held
spiritual or symbolic meanings to the early
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8.
Stonehenge
Wiltshire, U.K. Neolithic Europe. c. 2500-1600
B.C.E. Sandstone
Stonehenge is a famous site know for its large
circles of massive stones in a seemingly random location as well as the
mystery surrounding how and why it was built. The stones are believed to be
from local quarries and farther off mountains. There is also evidence of mud,
wood, and ropes assisting in the construction of the site.
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9.
The Ambum Stone
Ambum Valley, Enga Province, Papua New Guinea.
c. 1500 B.C.E. Greywacke
This is a sculpture of some sort of
anteater-like creature made from a very rounded stone. With intense use of
subtractive sculpting, this piece achieves a freestanding neck and head while
still maintaining much of the original shape of the stone. It still uses
natural materials and depicts a natural animal.
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10.
Tlatilco female figurine
Central Mexico, site of Tlatico. 1200-900 B.C.E. Ceramic
The piece also stands as foreshadowing of the great
civilizations that develop in south and meso-america and the art that is
produced.
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11.
Terra Cotta Fragment
Lapita. Solomon Islands, Reef Islands. 1000 B.C.E. Terra
cotta (incised)
One of the first examples of the Lapita potter's art,
this fragment depicts a human face incorporated into the intricate geometric
designs characteristics of the Lapita ceramic tradition.
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12.
White Temple and its Zuggurat UNIT 2
Uruk (modern Warka, Iraq). Sumerian. c. 35000-3000
B.C.E. Mud Brick. Rooms for different functions. Cella (highest room) for high class
priests and nobles.Very geometric (4 corners of structure facing in cardinal
directions) Platform stair stepped up
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13.
Palette of King Narmer
Pre-dynastic Egypt. c. 3000-2920 B.C.E Greywacke
Egyptian archelogical find, dating from about the 31st
century B.C, containing some of the earliest hieroglyphic inscription ever
found.
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14.
Statue of Votive figures from the Square Temple at Eshnunna
Sumerian. c. 2700 B.C.E. Gypsum inland with shell and
black limestone. Surrogate for donor and offers constant prayer to deities.
Placed in the Temple facing altar of the state gods
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15.
Seated Scribe
Saqqara, Egypt. Old Kingdom, Fourth Dynastic.
c. 2620-2500 B.C.E. Painted limestone. the sculpture of the seated scribe is
one of them most important examples of ancient Egyptian art because it was one
of the rare examples of Egyptian naturalism, as most Egyptian art is highly
idealized and very rigid.
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16.
Standard of Ur from the royal tombs
Summerian. c. 26000-24000 B.C.E. Wood inlaid
with shell, lapis, lazuli, and red limestone.
Found in one of the largest graves in the
Royal Cemetery at Ur, lying in the corner of a chamber above a soldier who is
believed to have carried it on a long pole as a standard, the royal emblem of
a king.
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17.
Great Pyramids (Menkaura, Khafre, Khufu) and Great Sphinx
Giza, Egypt. Old Kingdom, Fourth Dynasty. c. 2550-2490
B.C.E. Cut limestone.
The Great Sphinx is believed to be the most immense
stone sculpture ever made by man.
(stone, tombs, statues, animal symbolism)
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18.
King Menkaura and Queen
Old Kingdom, Fourth Dynasty. c. 2490-2472
B.C.E. Greywacke
Representational, proportional, frontal
viewpoint, hierarchical structure.
They were perfectly preserved and nearly
life-size. This was the modern world's first glimpse of one of humankind's
artistic masterworks, the statue of Menkaura and queen.
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19.
The code of Hammurabi
Babylon (modern Iran). Susain. c. 1792-1750 B.C.E.
Basalt.
In this stone is carved with around 300 laws, the first
know set of ruler enforced laws. (Stone, carved, laws, inscriptions)
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20.
Temple of Amun-re
and Hypostyle Hall
Karnark, near Luxor, Egypt. New Kingdom, 18th
and 19th Dynasties. Temple: c. 1550 B.C.E.; hall: c. 1250 B.C.E. Cut
sandstone and mud brick.
The Hypostyle Hall is also the largest and
most elaborately decorated of all such buildings in Egypt and the patchwork
of artistic styles and different royal names seen in these inscriptions and
relief sculptures reflect the different stages at which they were carved over
the centuries. As the temple of Amun-re is the largest religious complex in
the world.
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21.
Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut
Near Luxor, Egypt. New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty.
c. 1473-1458 B.C.E. Sandstone, partially carved into a rock cliff, and red
granite.
It sits directly against the rock which forms
a natural amphitheater around it so that the temple itself seems to grow from
the living rock. Most beautiful of all of the temples of Ancient Egypt.
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22.
Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and Three Daughters
New Kingdom (Amarna), 18th Dynasty. c. 1353-1335 B.C.E.
Limestone.
This small stele, probably used as a home altar, gives a
seldom opportunity to view a scene from the private life of the king and
queen.
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23.
Tutankhamun's Tomb, intermost coffin. New
Kingdom, 18th Dynasty. c. 1,323 B.C.E. Gold with inlay of enamel and
semiprecious stones.
The king’s gold inner coffin, shown above,
displays a quality of workmanship and an attention to detail which is
unsurpassed. It is a stunning example of the Ancient goldsmith's art
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24.
Last judgement of Hu-Nefer, from his tomb
New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty. c. 1,275 B.C.E.
Painted papyrus scroll
In Hu-Nefer's scroll, the figures have all the
formality of stance,shape, and attitude of traditional egyptian art. Abstract
figures and hieroglyphs alike are aligned rigidly. Nothing here was painted
in the flexible, curvilinear style suggestive of movement that was evident in
the art of Amarna and Tutankhamen. The return to conservatism is
unmistakable.
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25.
Lamassu from the citadel of Sargon II, Dur
Sharrukin
Neo-Assyria, Iraq.. c. 720-705 B.C.E.
Alabaster
The Assyrian lamassu sculptures are partly in
the round, but the sculptor nonetheless conceived them as high reliefs on
adjacent sides of a corner. The combine the front view of the animal at rest
with the side view of it in motion. Seeking to present a complete picture of
the lamas from both the front and the side, the sculptor gave the monster
five legs- two seen from the front, four seen from the side.
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26.
Athenian agora
Archiac through Hellenistic Greek. 600 B.C.E.-150 C.E. Athens,
Greece. Plan. It
is the most richly adorned and quality of its sculptural decoration it is
surpassed only by the Parthenon. the sculptural decoration and certain
sections of the roof were made up of Parian marble.
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27.
Anavysos Kouros
Archaic Greek. c. 530 B.C.E. Attica, Greece.
Marble
with remnants of paint
Geometric almost abstract forms predominate,
and complex anatomical details, such as the chest muscles and pelvic arch,
are rendered in beautiful analogous patterns. It exemplifies two important
aspects of Archaic Greek art—an interest in lifelike vitality and a concern
with design.
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28.
Peplos Kore from the Acropolis
Archiac Greek. c. 530 B.C.E. Marble, painted details
Greeks painted their sculptures in bright colors and
adorned them with metal jewelry
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29.
Sarcophagus of the Spouses
Etruscan. (Italy) c. 520 B.C.E. Terra cotta
The Sarcophagus of the Spouses as an object
conveys a great deal of information about Etruscan culture and its customs.
The convivial theme of the sarcophagus reflects the funeral customs of
Etruscan society and the elite nature of the object itself provides important
information about the ways in which funerary custom could reinforce the
identity and standing of aristocrats among the community of the living.
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30.
Audience Hall of Darius and Xerxes
Persepolis, Iran. Persian. c. 520-465 B.C.E.
Limestone
It was the largest building of the complex,
supported by numerous columns and lined on three sides with open porches. The
palace had a grand hall in the shape of a square, each side 60m long with
seventy-two columns, thirteen of which still stand on the enormous platform.
Relief artwork, originally painted and sometimes gilded, covered the walls of
the Apadana depicting warriors defending the
palace complex.
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31. Temple of Minerva and sculpture of Apollo
Master sculptor Vulca. c. 510-500 B.C.E. Etruscan- from Veii, Near Rome, Italy
Original temple of wood, mud brick, or tufa; terra cotta
sculpture
The Temple of Minerva was a colorful and
ornate structure, typically had stone foundations but its wood, mud-brick and
terracotta superstructure suffered far more from exposure to the
elements. Apollo Master sculpture was a completely Etruscan innovation
to use sculpture in this way, placed at the peak of the temple roof—creating
what must have been an impressive tableau against the backdrop of the sky.
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32.
Tomb of the Triclinium
Tarquinia, Italy. Etruscan. from Tarquinia, Italy. c.
480-470 B.C.E. Tufa and fresco. He
considers the artistic quality оf the tomb's frescoes tо be superior tо those
оf mоst оther Etruscan tombs. The tomb іs named after the triclinium, the
formal dining room whіch appears іn the frescoes оf the tomb.
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33.
Niobides Krater
Anonymous vase painter of Classical Greece known as the
Niobid Painter. c. 460-450 B.C.E. Greece (necropolis Crucifissio del Tufo in Orvieto)
Clay, red-figure technique
By bringing in elements of wall paintings, the painter
has given this vase its exceptional character. Wall painting was a major art
form that developed considerably during the late fifth century BC, and is now
only known to us through written accounts. Complex compositions were
perfected, which involved numerous figures placed at different levels. This
is the technique we find here where, for the first time on a vase, the
traditional isocephalia of the figures has been abandoned
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34.
Doryphoros
Polykleitos. Original 450-440 B.C.E. Roman
copy (marble) of Greek original (bronze) Pompeii, Greece.
Doryphoros was one of the most famous statues
in the ancient world and many known Roman copies exist. The original was
created in around 450 BC in bronze and was presumably even more tremendous
than the known copies that have been unearthed. Doryphoros is also an early
example of contrapposto position, a postion which Polykleitos constructed
masterfully (Moon).
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35.
Acropolis
Athens, Greece. Iktinos and Kallikrates. c. 447-410
B.C.E. Marble
The most recognizable building on the Acropolis is the
Parthenon, one of the most iconic buildings in the world, it has influenced
architecture in practically every western country.
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36.
Grave stele of Hegeso
Attributed to Kallimachos. c. 410 B.C.E. Athens, Greece.
Marble and paint. In the relief sculpture, the theme is the treatment and portrayal of
women in ancient Greek society, which did not allow women an independent
life. A contemplative seated
woman picks jewellery from a box held for her by a standing slave-girl. The
jewellery would have been painted on to the marble surface. Most
likely sculpted by Callimachus
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37.
Winged Victory of Samothrace
Hellenistic Greek. c. 190 B.C.E. Marble. Samothrace,
Greece. (Aegean).
The
winged goddess of Victory standing on the prow of a ship overlooked the
Sanctuary of the Great Gods on the island of Samothrace. This monument was
probably an ex-voto offered by the people of Rhodes in commemoration of a
naval victory in the early second century BC. The theatrical stance, vigorous
movement, and billowing drapery of this Hellenistic sculpture are combined
with references to the Classical period-prefiguring the baroque aestheticism
of the Pergamene sculptors.
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38.
Great Alter of Zeus and Athens at Pergamon
Asia Minor (represents-day Turkey) Hellenistic
Greek. c. 175 B.C.E. Marble
The alter of Zeus with its richly decorated
frieze, a masterpiece of Hellenistic art. It's a masterful display of
vigorous action and emotion—triumph, fury, despair—and the effect is achieved
by exaggeration of anatomical detail and features and by a shrewd use of the
rendering of hair and drapery to heighten the mood.
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39.
House of Vetti. Pompeii, Italy. Imperial
Roman. c. second century B.C.E.; rebuilt c. 62-79 C.E. Cut stone and
fresco
The House of the Vettii offers key insights
into domestic architecture and interior decoration in the last days of the
city of Pompeii. The house itself is architecturally significant not only
because of its size but also because of the indications it gives of important
changes that were underway in the design of Roman houses during the third
quarter of the first century C.E.
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40.
Alexander Mosaic from the House of Faun,
Pompeii
Republican Roman. c. 100 B.C.E. Mosaic
The artistic importance of this work of art
comes at the subtle and unique artistic style that the artist employed in the
making of the mosaic. The first major attribute of this great piece of
artwork is the use of motion and intensity in the battle and the use of drama
unfolding before the viewer's eyes to further the effect of glory in the
mosaic.
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41.
Seated boxer (Terme Boxer or Boxer of the Quirinal)
Hellenistic Greek. c. 100 B.C.E. Bronze. Rome, Italy.
The sculpture shows both body and visage to convey
personality and emotion. He is still wearing his caestus, a type of
leather hand-wrap. It shows transformation of pain into bronze, a
parallel of recent photos of our contemporary Olympic athletes after their
strenuous competitions.
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42. Head
of a Roman patrician
Republican Roma. c. 75-50 B.C.E. Marble. Rome, Italy.
the physical traits of this portrait image are meant to
convey seriousness of mind (gravitas) and the virtue (virtus) of a public
career by demonstrating the way in which the subject literally wears the
marks of his endeavors.
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43.
Augustus of Prima Porta
Imperial Roman. Early first century C.E. Marble. Prima
Porta, Rome, Italy.
This statue is not simply a portrait of the emperor, it
expresses Augustus Caesar’s' connection to the past, his role as a military
victor, his connection to the gods, and his role as the bringer of the Roman
Peace.
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44.
Colosseum (Flavin Amphitheater)
Rome, Italy. Imperial Roman. 70-80 C.E. Stone and
concrete
The Colosseum is famous for it's human characteristics.
It was built by the Romans in about the first century. It is made of tens of
thousands of tons of a kind of marble called travertine.
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45.
Forum of Trajan
Rome, Italy. Apollodorus of Damascus. Forum
and markets: 106-112 C.E.; column completed 113 C.E. Brick and concrete
(architecture); marble (column)
It is an amazing work of art for each detail
of each scene to the very top of the Column is carefully carved. It is
astounded by the artistic skill it displays.
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46.
Pantheon
Imperial Roman. 118-125 C.E. Concrete with stone facing
One of the great buildings in western architecture, the
Pantheon is remarkable both as a feat of engineering and for its manipulation
of interior space, and for a time, it was also home to the largest pearl in
the ancient world.
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47.
Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus
Late Imperial Roman. c. 250 C.E. Marble
Change the ideas about cremation and burial.
Extremely crowded surface with figures piled on top of each other. Figures
lack individuality, confusion of battle is echoed by congested composition,
and Roman army trounces bearded and defeat Barbarians.
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48.
Catacomb of Priscilla UNIT 3
Rome, Italy. Late Antique Europe. c. 200-400 C.E.
Excavated tufa and fresco
The wall paintings are considered the first Christian
artwork.
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49. Santa
Sabina
Rome, Italy. Late Antique Europe. c. 422-432 C.E. Brick
and stone, wood
The emphasis in this architecture is on the spiritual
effect and not the physical. Helps to understand the essential
characteristics of the early Christian basilica.
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50.
Rebecca and Eliezer at the Well and Jacob Wrestling the Angel, from
the Vienna Genesis
Early Byzantine Europe. Early sixth century C.E.
Illuminated manuscript
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51.
San Vitale
Ravenna, Italy. Early Byzantine Europe. c. 526-547 C.E.
Brick, marble, and stone veneer; mosaic
Beautiful images of the interior spaces of San Vitale,
these images capture the effect of the interior of the church.
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52.
Hagia Sophia
Consantinople (Istanbu). Anthemius of Tralles
and Isidorus of Miletus. 532-537 C.E. Istanbul, Turkey.
Brick
and ceramic elements with stone and mosaic veneer.
The
interior of Hagia Sophia was paneled with costly colored marbles and
ornamental stone inlays. Decorative marble columns were taken from ancient
buildings and reused to support the interior arcades. Initially, the upper
part of the building was minimally decorated in gold with a huge cross in a
medallion at the summit of the dome
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53.
Merovingian looped fibulae
Early medieval Europe. Mid-sixth century C.E.
Silver gilt worked in filigree, with inlays of garnets and other stones.
It is
normal for similar groups to have similar artistic styles, and for more
diverse groups to have less in common. Fibulae is proof of the diverse and
distinct cultures living within larger empires and kingdoms, a social
situation that was common during the middle ages.
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54.
Virgin and child between Saints Theodore and
George
Early Byzantine Europe. Six or early seventh
century C.E. Encastic on wood.
The composition displays a spatial ambiguity
that places the scene in a world that operates differently from our world.
The ambiguity allows the scene to partake of the viewer's world but also
separates the scene from the normal world.
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55.
Lindisfarne Gospels: St. Matthew,
cross-carpet page; St. Luke portrait page; St Luke incipit page
Early medieval (Hiberno Saxon) Europe. c. 700
C.E. Illuminated manuscript (ink, pigment, and gold)
The variety and splendor of the Lindisfarne
Gospels are such that even in reproduction, its images astound. Artistic
expression and inspired execution make this codex a high point of early
medieval art.
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56.
Great Mosque
Córdoba, Spain. Umayyad. c. 785-786 C.E. Stone
masonry
The Great Mosque of Cordoba is a prime example
of the Muslim world's ability to brilliantly develop architectural styles
based on pre-existing regional traditions. It is built with recycled ancient
Roman columns from which sprout a striking combination of two-tiered,
symmetrical arches, formed of stone and red brick.
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57.
Pyxis of al-Mughira
Umayyad. c. 968 C.E. Ivory
The Pyxis of al-Mughira, now in the Louvre, is
among the best surviving examples of the royal ivory carving tradition in
Al-Andalus (Islamic Spain). It was probably fashioned in the Madinat al-Zahra
workshops and its intricate and exceptional carving set it apart from many
other examples; it also contains an inscription and figurative work which are
important for understanding the traditions of ivory carving and Islamic art
in Al-Andalus.
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58.
Church of Sainte-Foy
Conques, France. Romanesque Europe. Church: c.
1050-1130 C.E.; Reliuary of Saint Foy: ninth century C.E.; with later
additions. Stone (architecture); stone and paint (tympanum); gold, silver,
gemstone, and enamel over wood (reliquary)
One can
see some of the most fabulous golden religious objects in France, including
the very famous gold and jewel-encrusted reliquary statue of St. Foy. The
Church of Saint Foy at Conques provides an excellent example of Romanesque
art and architecture
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59.
Bayeux Tapestry
Romanesque Europe. c. 1066-1080 C.E.
Embroidery on linen
The
Bayeux Tapestry has been much used as a source for illustrations of daily
life in early medieval Europe. It depicts a total of 1515 different objects,
animals and persons . Dress, arms, ships, towers, cities, halls, churches,
horse trappings, regal insignia, ploughs, harrows, tableware, possible
armorial changes, banners, hunting horns, axes, adzes, barrels, carts,
wagons, reliquaries, biers, spits and spades are among the many items depicted
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60.
Chartres Cathedral
Chartres, France. Gothic Europe. Orignal
construction. c. 1145-1115 C.E.; reconstructed c. 1194-1220 C.E. Limestone,
stained glass
The
Chartres Cathedral is probably the finest example of French Gothic
architecture and said by some to be the most beautiful cathedral in France.
The Chartres Cathedral is a milestone in the development of Western
architecture because it employs all the structural elements of the new Gothic
architecture: the pointed arch; the rib-and-panel vault; and, most
significantly, the flying buttress.
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61.
Dedication Page with Blanche of Castle and
King Louis IX of France, Scenes from the Apocolypse from Bibles
moralisées.
Gothic Europe. c. 1225-1245 C.E. Illuminated
manuscript
This
13th century illumination, both dazzling and edifying, represents the cutting
edge of lavishness in a society that embraced conspicuous consumption. As a
pedagogical tool, perhaps it played no small part in helping Louis IX achieve
the status of sainthood, awarded by Pope Bonifiace VIII 27 years after the
king's death.
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62.
Röttgen Pietà
Late medieval Europe (Germany). c. 1300-1325
C.E. Painted wood
The statue's bold emotionalism in Mary and
Jesus's face. If we focus on Mary's face, there is a mix of emotions in her
gaze. The artist humanizes Mary by giving her strong emotions. Mary's face
looks appalled and anguished because of her son's death, and there is also a
sense of shock, and awe that anyone would kill her son- the Son of God. The
artist had exaggerated Mary's sorrow in attempts to make it seem she was
asking the viewer.
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63.
Arena (Scrovengni) Chapel, including
Lamentation
Padus, Italy. Unknown architect; Giotto di
Bonde (artist). Chapel: c. 1303 C.E.; Fresco: c. 1305. Brick (architecture)
and fresco
Giotto painted his artwork on the walls and
ceiling of the Chapel using the fresco method in which water based colors are
painted onto wet plaster. Painting onto wet plaster allows the paint to be
infused into the plaster creating a very durable artwork. However, since the
painter must stop when the plaster dries it requires the artist to work
quickly and flawlessly
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64.
Golden Haggadah (The Plagues of Egypt, Scenes
of Liberation, and Preparation for Passover)
Late medieval Spain. c. 1320 C.E. Illuminated
manuscript (pigment and gold leaf on vellum)
The book was for use of a wealthy Jewish
family. The holy text is written on vellum - a kind of fine calfskin
parchment - in Hebrew script, reading from right to left. Its stunning
miniatures illustrate stories from the biblical books of 'Genesis' and
'Exodus' and scenes of Jewish ritual.
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65.
Alhambra
Granada, Spain. Nasrid Dynasty. 1354-1391 C.E.
Whitewashed adobe stucco, wood, tile, paint, and gilding
The Alhambra's architecture shares many characteristics,
but is singular in the way it complicates the relationship between interior
and exterior. Its buildings feature shaded patios and covered walkways that
pass from well-lit interior spaces onto shaded courtyards and sun-filled
gardens all enlivened by the reflection of water and intricately carved
stucco decoration.
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66.
Annunciation Triptych
Workshop of Robert Campin. 1427-1432 C.E. Tournai,
Belgium
Oil on
wood. It consists of three hinged panels (triptych
format): the left panel depicts the donor and his wife; the central and most
important panel shows the Annunciation itself, and its two main characters,
Mary and Archangel Gabriel; the right panel portrays Joseph in his workshop.
The triptych is unsigned and undated, and only since the early 20th century
has Robert Campin been identified as its creator, albeit with help from his
assistants, one of whom may have been his greatest pupil Roger van der Weyden
(1400-64).
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67.
Pazzi Chapel
Basilicia di Santa Croce. Florence, Italy.
Filippo Brunelleschi (architect) c. 1429-1461 C.E. Masonry
Pazzi chapel as a perfect space with
harmonious proportions. He could achieve this result by including in his
project-plan the knowledge gained during his stay in Rome when he focused
primarily on measuring ancient buildings, for instance the Pantheon. The
central dome is decorated with round sculptures and the coat of arms of Pazzi
Family
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68.
The Arnolfini Portrait
Jan van Eyck. c. 1434 C.E. Burges, Netherland.
Oil on wood
Van Eyck used oil-based paint as the medium
for his artwork. This type of paint is manufactured by adding pigment to
linseed or walnut oil. Oil based paint dries slowly allowing the painter more
time to make revisions and to add detail, and it has a luminous quality that
allows the artist. Van Eyck was not the inventor of oil-based paint, but he
is recognized as being one of the first to perfect its use
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69.
David
Donatello. c. 1440-1460 C.E. Florence, Italy. Bronze
Nearly everything about the statue - from the
material from which it was sculpted to the subject's "clothing" -
was mold-breaking in some way. Scholars and artists have studied David for
centuries in an attempt to both learn more about the man behind it and to
more fully discern its meaning.
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70.
Palazzo Rucellai
Florence, Italy. Leon Battista Alberti
(architect). c. 1450 C.E. Stone, masonry
It uses architectural features for decorative
purposes rather than structural support; like the engaged columns on the
Colosseum, the pilasters on the façade of the Rucellai do nothing to actually
hold the building up .Also, on both of these buildings, the order of the
columns changes, going from least to most decorative as they acend from the
lowest to highest tier.
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71.
Madonna and Child with Two Angels
Fra Filippo Lippi. c. 1465 C.E. Fllorence,
Italy. Tempera on wood
Mary's hands are clasped in prayer, and both
she and the Christ child appear lost in thought, but otherwise the figures
have become so human that we almost feel as though we are looking at a
portrait. The angels look especially playful, and the one in the foreground
seems like he might giggle as he looks out at us.
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72.
Birth of Venus
Sandro Brotticelli. c. 1484-1486 C.E. Florence,
Italy.
Tempera
on canvas
Botticelli broke new ground with his works,
including the Birth of Venus. He was the first to create large scale
mythology scenes, some based on historical accounts. In the era that Birth of
Venus was painted, minds were open to new ideas and religion no longer needed
to be the main subject of artistic work. If such mythological pieces had been
painted 100 years earlier, they would not have been accepted by the church
because they were so different to traditional depictions.
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73.
Last Supper
Leonardo da Vinci. c. 1494-1498 C.E. Oil and
Tempera
The Last Supper is remarkable because the
disciples are all displaying very human, identifiable emotions. The Last
Supper had certainly been painted before. Leonardo's version, though, was the
first to depict real people acting like real people.
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74.
Adam and Eve
Albrecht Dürer. 1504 C.E. Nuremburg, Germany. Engraving
Dürer became increasingly drawn to the idea
that the perfect human form corresponded to a system of proportion and
measurements. Dürer's placid animals signify that in this moment of
perfection in the garden, the human figures are still in a state of
equilibrium.
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75.
Sistine Chapel ceiling and altar wall
frescoes
Vatican City, Italy. Michelangelo. Ceiling
frescoes: c. 1508-1512 C.E.; altar frescoes: c. 1536-1541 C.E. Fresco
The paintings depict nine stories from the
Christian Bible's Book of Genesis, including the most famous image, the Creation
of Adam (right). Taken together, the paintings are considered one of the
world's greatest art masterpieces. Their realistic and extremely detailed
depictions of some of Judaism's and Christianity's most famous moments are a
wonder to all who see them.
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76.
School of Athens
Raphael. 1509-1511 C.E. Fresco
Its pictorial concept, formal beauty and
thematic unity were universally appreciated, by the Papal authorities and
other artists, as well as patrons and art collectors. It ranks alongside
Leonardo's Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, and Michelangelo's Vatican
frescoes, as the embodiment of Renaissance ideals of the early cinquecento.
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77.
Isenheim altarpiece
Matthias Grünewald and Nicolas Haguenau. c. 1512-1516
C.E. Colmar, France. Oil on wood
Emphasizing the suffering and anguish of Christ and his
mother's angst. With intense colors and dramatic lighting throughout,
Grunewald included a Lamentation in the predella and Saints Sebastian and
Anthony on the fixed wings.
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78.
Entombment of Christ
Jacopo da Pontormo. 1525-1528 C.E. Capponi chapel,
Santa Felicita, Florence,
Italy. Oil on wood
They inhabit a flattened space, comprising a
sculptural congregation of brightly demarcated colors. The vortex of the
composition droops down towards the limp body of Jesus off center in the
left. Those lowering Christ appear to demand our help in sustaining both the
weight of his body (and the burden of sin Christ took on) and their grief.
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79.
Allegory of Law and Grace
Lucas Cranach the Elder. c. 1530 C.E.Germany. Woodcut and letterpress
The practice of imbuing narratives, images or figures
with symbolic meaning to convey moral principles and philosophical idea
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80.
Venus of Urbino
Titan. c. 1538 C.E. Florence, Italy. Oil on canvas
Thanks to the wise use of color and its contrasts, as
well as the subtle meanings and allusions, Titian achieves the goal of
representing the perfect Renaissance woman who, just like Venus, becomes the
symbol of love, beauty and fertility.
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81.
Frontispiece of the Codex Mendoza
Viceroyalty of New Spain. c. 1541-1542 C.E.
Ink and color on paper
The artist emphasizes the military power of
the Aztecs by showing two soldiers in hierarchic scale: they physically tower
over the two men they defeat. The Codex contains a wealth of information
about the Aztecs and their empire
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82.
Il Gesù, including Triumph of the Name of
Jesus ceiling fresco
Rome, Italy. Giacomo da Vignola, plan
(architect); Giamcomo della Porta, facade (architect); Giovanni Battista
Gaulli, ceiling fresco (artist). Church: 16th century C.E.; facade: 1568-1584
C.E.; fresco and stucco figures: 1679-1679 C.E. Brick, marble, fresco, and
stucco
The
interior accentuates the two great functions of a Jesuit church: its large
central nave with the laterally placed pulpit serves as a great auditorium
for preaching, and the highly visible and prominent altar serves as a
theatrical stage for the celebration of the Real Presence in the Eucharist.
the fresco blends seamlessly into the architecture of the ceiling. It almost
looks like there really is an opening in the ceiling.
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83. Hunters
in the Snow
Pieters Bruegel the Elder. 1565 C.E. Netherland. Oil on
woods
This Bruegel oil painting - which is, incidentally the
world's most popular classical Christmas card design - evokes the harsh
conditions and temperatures of winter. The composition is ideal as the first
in a frieze of pictures covering the full year, and the painting is filled
with detail. Commissioned 4 seasonal panels.
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Filename not specified.
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84.
Mosque of Selim II
Edrine, Turkey. Sinan (architect), 1568-1575 C.E. Brick
and stone
It is one of the most important buildings in the history
of world architecture both for its design and its monumentality. It is
considered to be the masterwork of the great Ottoman architect Sinan.
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85.
Calling of Saint Matthew
Caravaggio. c. 1597-1601 C.E Rome, Italy. Oil
on canvas
Caravaggio depicts the very moment when
Matthew first realizes he is being called. This was Caravaggio's first
important job and the completed work would win him the highest of praise as
well as the harshest of criticism for its shockingly innovative style.
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86.
Henri IV Recieves the portrait of Marie de'
Medici, from the Marie de' Medici Cycle
Peter Paul Rubens. 1621-1625 C.E. Luxembourg Palace in Paris, France.
Oil on canvas
The cycle idealizes and allegorizes Marie's
life in light of the peace and prosperity she brought to the kingdom, not
through military victories but through wisdom, devotion to her husband and
her adopted country, and strategic marriage alliances—her own as well as the
ones she brokered for her children. This, at least, is the message she wished
to convey and she worked closely with her advisors and Rubens to ensure her
story was told as she saw fit. 22 panels.
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87.
Self-Portrait with Saskia
Rembrandt van Rijn. 1636 C.E. Netherlands. Etching
Rembrandt stand out among his contemporaries
is that he often created multiple states of a single image. This etching, for
example, exists in three states. By reworking his plates he was able to
experiment with ways to improve and extend the expressive power of his images.
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88.
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane
Rome, Italy. Francesco Borromini (architect)
1638-1646 C.E. Stone and stucco
He was much criticized as an architect who
ignored the rules of the Ancients in favour of whimsy. However it is his
clear knowledge of those rules, and the facility and ingenuity with which he
manipulated them, which has ensured his reputation as one of the great
geniuses in the history of architecture.
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89.
Ecstasy of Saint Teresa
Cornaro Chapel, Church of Santa Maria della
Vittoria Rome, Italy. Gian Lorenzo Bernini. c. 1647-1652 C.E. Marble
(sculpture); stucco and gilt bronze (chapel)
Bernini used the erotic character of the
experience as a springboard to a new and higher type of spiritual awakening.
It is one of the most important examples of the Counter-Reformation style of
Baroque sculpture, designed to convey spiritual aspects of the Catholic
faith.
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90.
Angel with Arquebus,
Asiel Timor Dei
Master of Calamarca (La Paz School). c. 17th century C.E. Cornaro
chapel, church of Santa Maria Della Vittoria, Rome, Italy
Oil on canvas
As the Angels was one of the topics most characteristic
of the painting from the Viceregal in America, this kind of art and
characters are found in different villages of Peru, Argentina and even in
other departments of Bolivia. Calamarca is one of the most complete
collections, including Angels holding arquebuses, swords, holding keys or
spikes of wheat or a bundle of fire in his hand.
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91.
Las Meninas
Diego Velázquez. c. 1656 C.E. Spain. Oil on
canvas
The painting represents a scene from daily
life in the palace of Felipe IV. The points of light illuminate the
characters and establish an order in the composition. The light that
illuminates the room from the right hand side of the painting focuses the
viewer´s look on the main group, and the open door at the back, with the
person positioned against the light, is the vanishing point.
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92.
Women Holding a Balance
Johnnes Vermer. c. 1664 C.E. Netherland. Oil
on canvas
the small, delicate balance is the central
feature and focus of the picture, which is all about the weighing of
transitory material concerns against spiritual ones. It is a more explicitly
allegorical work than usual, but some elements remain obscure. The work
exemplifies Vermeer's style of Dutch Realist genre painting with its blend of
painterly technique, moral narrative and, above all, intimacy
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93.
The Palace of Versailles
Versailles, France. Loius Le Vau and Jules
Hardouin-Mansart (architects). Begun 1669 C.E. Masonry, stone, wood, iron,
and gold leaf (architecture); marble and bronze (sculpture); gardens
The
gigantic scale of Versailles exemplifies the architectural theme of 'creation
by division' - a series of simple repetitions rhythmically marked off by the
repetition of the large windows - which expresses the fundamental values of
Baroque art and in which the focal point of the interior, as well as of the
entire building, is the king's bed. Among its celebrated architectural
designs is the Hall of Mirrors, which is one of the most famous rooms in the
world. The palace and its decoration stimulated a mini-renaissance of
interior design, as well as decorative art, during the 17th and 18th
centuries.
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94.
Screen with the Siege of Belgrade and hunting
scene
Circle of the González Family. c. 1697-1701
C.E. Spain. Tempera and resin on wood, shell inlay
Throughout both sides, the artists embedded
thin layers of mother-of-pearl, but not in any pattern, nor within the
images' contour lines. Their purpose was to reflect light from the candles
that would have shone in the screen's surroundings
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95.
The Virgin of Guadalupe
Miguel González. c. 1698 C.E. Based on
original Virgin of Gaudalupe. Basilica of Guadalupe, Mexico City. 16th
century C.E. Oil on canvas on wood, inlaid with mother-of-pearl
Our Lady of Guadalupe holds a special place in
the religious life of Mexico and is one of the most popular religious
devotions. Her image has played an important role as a national symbol of
Mexico.
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96.
Fruit and Insects
Rachel Ruysch. 1711 C.E. Netherland. Oil on wood
This luscious sample of life on Earth represents at
least two passions of its time: categorization and still-life, which
emphasize the pleasure of the senses and their qualities
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97.
Spaniard and Indian Produce a Mestizo
Attributed to Juan Rodríguez Juárez. c. 1715 C.E. New
Spain (Spanish colonial Mexico)
Oil on canvas
The painting displays a Spanish father and Indigenous
mother with their son, and it belongs to a larger series of works that seek
to document the inter-ethnic mixing occurring in New Spain among Europeans,
indigenous peoples, Africans, and the existing mixed-race population. This
genre of painting, known as caste paintings, attempts to capture reality, yet
they are largely fictions.
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98.
The Tête à Tête, from Marriage à la Mode
William Hogarth. c. 1743 C.E. London, UK. Oil
on canvas
First Western artist who worked in series,
that is, a group of paintings with a common thread, a common theme. Now many
contemporary artists work in series to explore different styles and
approaches to their art, but this was not usual in the 18th century. 6
Panels.
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99.
Portrait of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz UNIT
4
Miguel Cabrera. c. 1750 C.E. Latin America. Oil
on canvas.
Considered the first feminist of the Americas,
sor Juana lived as a nun of the Jeronymite order (named for St. Jerome) in
seventeenth-century Mexico. Renown of Sister Juana as one of the most
important early poets of the Americas. The inscription identifies the image
as a faithful copy after a portrait that she herself made and painted with
her own hand.
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100. A
Philosopher Giving a Lecture on the Orrery
Joseph Wright of Derby. c. 1763-1765 C.E.
Derby, England. Oil on canvas
That responsibility falls on the paintings
strong internal light source, the lamp that takes the role of the sun. Wright
inserted strong light sources in otherwise dark compositions to create
dramatic effect. Most of these earlier works were Christian subjects, and the
light sources were often simple candles. Wright flips the script with his
scientific subject matter. The gas lamp which acts as the sun pulls double
duty in the painting. It illuminates the scene, allowing the viewer to
clearly see the figures within, and it symbolizes the active enlightenment in
which those figures are participating.
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101. The Swing
Jean-Honoré Fragonard. 1767 C.E. France. Oil on canvas
The Swing, rich with symbolism, not only manages to
capture a moment of complete spontaneity and joie de vivre, but also alludes
to the illicit affair that may have already been going on, or is about to
begin.
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102. Monticello
Virginia, U.S. Thomas Jefferson (architect).
1768-1809 C.E. Brick, glass, stone, and wood
By helping to introduce classical architecture
to the United States, Jefferson intended to reinforce the ideals behind the
classical past: democracy, education, rationality, civic responsibility.
Jefferson reinforced the symbolic nature of architecture.
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103. The Oath of the Horatii
Jacques-Louis David. 1784 C.E. France. Oil on canvas
Designed to rally republicans (those who believed in the
ideals of a republic, and not a monarchy, for France) by telling them that
their cause will require the dedication and sacrifice of the Horatii.
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104. George Washington
Jean-Antoine Hudson. 1788-1792 C.E. United
States. Marble
The statue, with all of its elements,
skillfully combines ancient and modern styles to illustrate both military and
civilian virtues. When Houdon completed the statue, he inscribed the base
simply with "George Washington" and his own name and a date.
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105. Self-Portrait
Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun. 1790 C.E. France.
Oil on canvas
The painting expresses an alert intelligence,
vibrancy, and freedom from care. This, dispite the fact that Vigée-LeBrun had
been forced to flee France in disguise and under cover of darkness during the
early stages of the Revolution
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106. Y no hai
remedio, fromo Los Desastres de la Guerra, plate 15
Francisco de Goya. 1810-1823 C.E. (publised
1863). Spain.
Etching,
drypoint, burin, and burnishing
The artist was sent to the general's hometown
of Saragossa to record the glories of its citizens in the face of French
atrocities. The sketches that Goya began in 1808 and continued to create throughout
and after the Spanish War of Independence and other emphatic caprices.
Focused on the widespread suffering experienced in wartime and the brutality
inflicted by both sides during periods of armed conflict.
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107.
La Grande Odalisque
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. 1814 C.E. Rome, Italy.
Oil on canvas
Ingres' sensual fascination with the Orient was no
secret. He displayed his attraction for this foreign eroticism in many of his
works but his most famous paintings on this theme are La Grande Odalisque.
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108. Liberty Leading the people
Eugène Delacroix. 1830 C.E. France. Oil on canvas
Delacroix wanted to paint July 28: Liberty Leading the
People to take his own special action in the revolution and his color
technique combined his intense brushstrokes to create an unforgettable
canvas.
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109. The Oxbow (View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton,
Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm) Thomas Cole. 1836 C.E. Oil on canvas
The artist juxtaposes untamed wilderness and pastoral
settlement to emphasize the possibilities of the national landscape, pointing
to the future prospect of the American nation. Cole's unmistakable
construction and composition of the scene, charged with moral significance,
is reinforced by his depiction of himself in the middle distance, perched on a
foreland painting the Oxbow.
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110. Still Life in Studio
Louis-Jacques Mandé Daguerre. 1837 C.E. Daguerreotype.
1837 C.E. France. Daguerreotype
He developed the daguerreotype process, produced
pictures remarkable for the perfection of their details and for the richness
and harmony of their general effect.
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111. Slave
Ship (Slavers
Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, Typhoon Coming On) Joseph Mallord William Turner.
1840 C.E. England.
Oil on canvas
Slave Ship is a perfect example of a romantic landscape
painting. His style is expressed more through dramatic emotion, sometimes
taking advantage of the imagination. Instead of carefully observing and
portraying nature, William Turner took a landscape of a stormy sea and turned
it into a scene with roaring and tumultuous waves that seem to destroy
everything in its path. Turner's aims were to take unique aspects of nature
and find a way to
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112. Palace
of Westminster (house of Parliament)
London, England. Charles Barry and Augustus W.
N. Pugin (architects). 1840-1870 C.E. Limestone masonry and glass
Its stunning Gothic architecture to the
19th-century architect Sir Charles Barry. The Palace contains a fascinating
mixture of both ancient and modern buildings, and houses an iconic collection
of furnishings, archives and works of art.
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113. The Stone Breakers
Gustave Courbet. 1849 C.E. (destroyed in 1945). France. Oil
canvas
He attempts to be even-handed, attending to faces and
rock equally. In these ways, The Stonebreakers seems to lack the basics of
art (things like a composition that selects and organizes, aerial perspective
and finish) and as a result, it feels more "real.”
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114. Nadar Raising Photography to the
Height of Art
Honoré Daumier. 1862 C.E. Paris, France. Lithograph
Nadar, one of the most prominent photographers in Paris
at the time, was known for capturing the first aerial photographs from the
basket of a hot air balloon.
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115. Olympia
Édouard Manet. 1863 C.E. France. Oil on canvas
Olympia and the controversy surrounding what is perhaps
the most famous nude of the nineteenth-century. Olympia had more to do with
the realism of the subject matter than the fact that the model was nude.
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116. The
Saint-Lazare Station
Claude Monet. 1877 C.E. France. Oil on canvas
The effects of color and light rather than a
concern for describing machines in detail. Certain zones, true pieces of pure
painting, achieve an almost abstract vision. An ideal setting for someone who
sought the changing effects of light, movement, clouds of steam and a
radically modern motif.
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117. The
Horse in Motion
Eadweard Muybridge. 1878 C.E. English- American. Albumen
print
Muybridge spent the rest of his career improving his
technique, making a huge variety of motion studies, lecturing, and
publishing. As a result of his motion studies, he is regarded as one of the
fathers of the motion picture. Muybridge's motion studies showed the way to a
new art form.
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118. The
Valley of Mexico from the Hillside of Santa Isabel
José María Velasco. 1882 C.E. Oil on canvas
The Valley of Mexico from the Hillside of Santa Isabel
represents an important period in the development of Mexico's national
identity and an important chapter in the history of Mexican art. Velasco's
landscapes became symbols of the nation as they represented Mexico in several
World Fairs.
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119. The
Burghers of Calais
Auguste Rodin. 1884-1895 C.E. Calias, France. Bronze
He accomplished this by not only positioning each figure
in a different stance with the men's heads facing separate directions, but he
lowered them down to street level so a viewer could easily walk around the
sculpture and see each man and each facial expression and feel as if they
were a part of the group, personally experiencing the tragic event.
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120. The
Starry Night
Vincent van Gogh. 1889. St. Remy, France.
Oil on
canvas
It is this rich mixture of invention,
remembrance, and observation combined with Van Gogh's use of simplified
forms, thick impasto, and boldly contrasting colors that has made the work so
compelling to subsequent generations of viewers as well as to other artists.
Inspiring and encouraging others is precisely what Van Gogh sought to achieve
with his night scenes. The painting became a foundational image for
Expressionism as well as perhaps the most famous painting in Van Gogh's
oeuvre.
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121. The
Coiffure
Mary Cassatt. 1890-1891 C.E, American. Drypoint
and aquatint
The straight lines of the mirror and wall and
the chair's vertical stripes contrast with the graceful curves of the woman's
body. The rose and peach color scheme enhances her sinuous beauty by
highlighting her delicate skin tone. Cassatt also emphasizes the nape of the
woman's neck, perhaps in reference to a traditional Japanese sign of beauty.
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122. The
Scream
Edvard Munch. 1893 C.E. Norwegian. Tempera and
pastels on cardboard
Edvard Munch portrayed pure, raw emotion in
this artwork was a radical shift from the art tradition of his own time, and
he is therefore credited with beginning the expressionist movement that
spread through Germany and on to other parts of the world. Most of Edvard
Munch's work relates to themes of sickness, isolation, fear and death.
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123.
Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are
We Going?
Paul Gauguin. 1897-1898 C.E. France. Oil on
canvas
A huge, brilliantly colored but enigmatic work
painted on rough, heavy sackcloth. It contains numerous human, animal, and
symbolic figures arranged across an island landscape. The sea and Tahiti's
volcanic mountains are visible in the background. It is Paul Gauguin's
largest painting, and he understood it to be his finest work.
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124. Carson,
Pirie, Scott and Company Building
Chicago, Illinios, U.S. Louis Sullivan
(architect). 1899-1903 C.E. Iron, steel, glass, and terra cotta
With its elaborate decorative program and
attention paid to the functional requirements of retail architecture,
Sullivan's design was a remarkably successful display for the department
store's products, even if it diverged from the wholly vertical effect of his
earlier skyscrapers.
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125. Mont Sainte-Victorie
Paul Cézanne. 1902-1904 C.E. France. Oil on canvas
Displays less precise brushstrokes allowing the shape of
the mountain to emerge from the canvas like an apparition. It's the painter's
intention to show nature as it is, without omitting to convey an emotion.
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126. Les
Demoiselles d'Avignon
Pablo Picasso. 1907 C.E. Barcelona, Spain.Oil
on canvas
Marks a radical break from traditional
composition and perspective in painting. These strategies would be
significant in Picasso's subsequent development of Cubism, charted in this
gallery with a selection of the increasingly fragmented compositions he
created in this period.
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127. The Steerage
Alfred Stieglitz. 1907 C.E., New York, NY. Photogravure
The Steerage is considered Stieglitz's signature work,
and was proclaimed by the artist and illustrated in histories of the medium
as his first "modernist" photograph.
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128. The Kiss
Gustav Klimt. 1907-1908 C.E. Vienna, Austria. Oil and
gold leaf on canvas
This one employs intense ornament on the embracing
couple's gilded clothing, so thoroughly intertwined that the two bodies seem
to be one
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129. The
Kiss
Constantin Brancusi. 1907-1908 C.E. Romanian. Limestone
Marked a major departure from the emotive
realism of Rodin's famous handling of the same subject. This 1916 version is
the most geometric of Brancusi's series, reflecting the influence of Cubism
in its sharply defined corners. Its composition, texture, and material
highlight Brancusi's fascination with both the forms and spirituality of
African, Assyrian, and Egyptian art. That attraction also led Brancusi to
craft The Kiss using direct carving, a technique that had become popular in
France at the time due to an interest in "primitive" methods. These
sculptures signify his shift toward simplified forms, as well as his interest
in contrasting textures - both key aspects of his later work.
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130.
The Portuguese
Georges Braque. 1911 C.E. France. Oil on
canvas
In this canvas, everything was fractured. The
guitar player and the dock was just so many pieces of broken form, almost
broken glass. By breaking these objects into smaller elements, Braque was
able to overcome the unified singularity of an object and instead transform
it into an object of vision.
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131. Goldfish
Henri Mattisse. 1912 C.E. France. Oil on
canvas
This painting is an illustration of some of
the major themes in Matisse's painting: his use of complimentary colors, his
quest for an idyllic paradise, his appeal for contemplative relaxation for
the viewer and his complex construction of pictorial space.
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132. Improvisation
28
Vassily Kandinsky. 1912 C.E. Russian. Oil on
canvas
His style had become more abstract and nearly
schematic in its spontaneity. This painting's sweeping curves and forms,
which dissolve significantly but remain vaguely recognizable, seem to reveal
cataclysmic events on the left and symbols of hope and the paradise of
spiritual salvation on the right.
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133. Self-Portrait
as a Soldier
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. 1915 C.E. German. Oil
on canvas
Documents the artist's fear that the war would
destroy his creative powers and in a broader sense symbolizes the reactions
of the artists of his generation who suffered the kind of physical and mental
damage Kirchner envisaged in this painting.
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134. Memorial
Sheet for Karl Liebknecht
Käthe Kollwitz. 1919-1920 C.E. German. Woodcut
Created in 1920 in response to the
assassination of Communist leader Karl Liebknecht during an uprising of 1919.
This work is unique among her prints, and though it memorializes the man, it
does so without advocating for his ideology.
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135. Villa
Savoye
Poissy-sur-Seine, France. Le Corbusier (architect). 1929
C.E. Steel and reinforced concrete
This was a radically new view of the domestic sphere,
one that is evident in his design for the Villa Savoye. The architect has
created a space that is dynamic. This design concept was based on the notion
of the car as the ultimate machine and the idea that the approach up to and
through the house carried ceremonial significance.
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136. Composition
with Red, Blue and Yellow
Piet Mondrain. 1930 C.E. Netherlands. Oil on
canvas
Represents a mature stage of Mondrian's
abstraction. It seems to be a flat work, but there are differences in the
texture of different elements. While the black stripes are the flattest of
the paintings, in the areas with color are clear the brushstrokes, all in the
same direction. The white spaces are, on the contrary, painted in layers,
using brushstrokes that are put in different directions. And all of these
produce a depth that, to the naked eye, cannot be appreciated.
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137. Illustration
from The Results of the First Five-Year Plan
Varvara Stepanova. 1932 C.E. Russian. Photomontage.
There is a sharp contrast between the black
and white photographs and the red elements, such as the electric tower, the
number 5, and the triangle in the foreground. Our eyes are attracted to these
oppositions and by the contrast between the indistinct masses and the
individual portrait of Lenin, as an implicit reference to the Soviet
political system.
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138. Object (Le Déjeuner en
fourrure). Meret Oppenheim. 1936 C.E. German. Fur-covered cup, saucer, spoon
In doing so, she said she wanted to transform items
typically associated with feminine decorum into sensuous tableware. It also
provoked the viewer into imagining what it would be like to drink out of a
fur-lined cup.
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139. Fallingwater
Pennsylvannia, U.S. Frank Lloyd Wright
(architect) 1936-1939 C.E. Reinforced concrete, sandstone, steel, and glass
It's a house that doesn't even appear to stand
on solid ground, but instead stretches out over a 30' waterfall. It captured
everyone's imagination when it was on the cover of Time magazine in 1938.
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140. The Two Fridas
Frida Kahlo. 1939 C.E. Mexico. Oil on canvas
She typically painted self-portraits using vibrant
colours in a style that was influenced by cultures of Mexico as well as
influences from European Surrealism. Her self-portraits were often an
expression of her life and her pain.
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141. The
Migration of the Negro, Panel no. 49
Jacob Lawrence. 1940-1941 C.E. New York. Casein
tempera on hardboard
Broad in scope and dramatic in exposition,
this depiction of African-Americans moving North to find jobs, better
housing, and freedom from oppression was a subject he associated with his
parents, who had themselves migrated from South Carolina to Virginia, and
finally, to New York.
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142. The
Jungle
Wifredo Lam. 1943 C.E. Cuban. Gouache on paper
mounted on canvas
The work, "intended to communicate a
psychic state," Lam said, depicts a group of figures with
crescent-shaped faces that recall African or Pacific Islander masks, against
a background of vertical, striated poles suggesting Cuban sugarcane fields.
Together these elements obliquely address the history of slavery in colonial
Cuba.
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143. Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in
the Alameda Park
Diego Rivera. 1947-1948 C.E. Mexico City, Mexico. Fresco
The artist reminds the viewer that the struggles and
glory of four centuries of Mexican history are due to the participation of
Mexicans from all strata of society.
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144. Fountain
Marcel Duchamp. 1950 C.E. (original 1917). New York. Readymade
glazed sanitary china with black paint
It was unexpectedly a rather beautiful object in its own
right and a blindingly brilliant logical move, check-mating all conventional
ideas about art. But it was also a highly successful practical joke.
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145. Woman, I
William de Kooning. 1950-1952 C.E. New York. Oil on
canvas
Woman, I reflects the age-old cultural ambivalence
between reverence for and fear of the power of the feminine.
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146. Seagram
Building
New York City, U.S. Ludwig Miles van er Rohe
and Philip Johnson (architects). 1954-1958 C.E. Steel frame with glass
curtain wall and bronze
This
building epitomizes the importation of modernist ideals from Europe to the
United States. In its monumental simplicity, expressed structural frame and
rational use of repeated building elements, the building embodies Ludwig Mies
van der Rohe's oft-repeated aphorisms that "structure is spiritual"
and "less is more." He believed that the more a building was pared
to its essential structural and functional elements, and the less superfluous
imagery is used, the more a building expresses its structure and form.
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147. Marilyn
Diptych
Andy Warhol. 1962 C.E. USA. Oil, acrylic, and
silkscreen enamel on canvas
Marilyn Diptych he has produced effects of
blurring and fading strongly suggestive of the star's demise. The contrast of
this panel, printed in black, with the brilliant colors of the other, also
implies a contrast between life and death. The repetition of the image has
the effect both of reinforcing its impact and of negating it, creating the
effect of an all-over abstract pattern.
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148. Narcissus
Garden
Yayoi Kusama. Original Installation and
performance 1966. Japan Mirror balls
Her work as emerging from her mental illness:
she says has had hallucinations since she was a child. She also says that her
ability to produce artistic works is a therapy for her. has often revisited
mirrored forms in her work, exploring notions of infinity, illusion, and
repetition in discrete sculptures and room-size installations.
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149. The
Bay
Helen Frankenthaler. 1963 C.E. New York (Detroit, MI.) Acrylic
on canvas
The colors on the canvas don't have to represent
something in particular, but can have a more ambiguous, emblematic quality
for the viewer. The basic act of responding to color, the way one would
respond to a sunset, or to light from a stained-glass window, simplicity and
pure emotion through clarity of color and form.
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150.
Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks
Claes Oldenburg. 1969-1974 C.E. Yale University,
New Haven, Connecticut
Cor-Ten steel, steel, aluminum, and cast
resin; painted with polyurethane enamel.
Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks
claimed a visible space for the anti-war movement while also poking fun at
the solemnity of the plaza. The sculpture served as a stage and backdrop for
several subsequent student protests.
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151. Spiral
Jetty
Great Salt Lake, Utah. U.S. Robert Smithson.
1970 C.E. Earthwork: mud, precipitated salt crystals, rocks, and water
coil
The wind alters the intensity of the water's
changing colors, as does the quality of the light and the density of the
overhead cloud-cover. As you start to walk the spiral, you enter a
kaleidoscope of moaning wind, relentless light, and mercurial water colors.
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152. House in
New Castle County
Delaware, U.S. Robert Venturi, John Rauch, and
Denise Scott Brown (architects). 1978-1983 C.E. Wood frame and stucco
While the Vanna Venturi house is widely
considered to be the first postmodern building, Robert Venturi insists he
wasn't trying to create a new movement. With his Vanna Venturi house widely
considered to be the first postmodern building design Robert Venturi showed
us that sometimes, rules are meant to be broken.
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153. Chavín
de Huántar UNIT 5
Northern highlands, Peru. Chavín.900-200
B.C.E. Stone (architectural complex); granite (Lanzón and sculpture);
hammered gold alloy (jewelry)
Over the course of 700 years, the site drew
many worshipers to its temple who helped in spreading the artistic style of
Chavín throughout highland and coastal Peru by transporting ceramics,
textiles, and other portable objects back to their homes.
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154. Mesa Verde cliff dwelling
Montezuma County, Colorado Ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi)
450-1300 C.E. Sandstone
The cliff dwellings remain, though, as compelling
examples of how the Ancestral Puebloans literally carved their existence into
the rocky landscape of today's southwestern United States.
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155. Yaxchilán
Chiapas, Mexico. Maya. 725 C.E. Limestone (architectural
complex)
Yaxchilán is located on the south bank of the Usumacinta
River, in Chiapas, Mexico. It was a significant Maya center during the
Classic period (250-900 C.E.) and a number of its buildings stand to this
day. Many of the exteriors had elaborate decorations, but it is the carved
stone lintels above their doorways which have made this site famous. These
lintels, commissioned by the rulers of the city, provide a lengthy dynastic
record in both text and image.
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156. Great Serpent Mound
Adams County, southern Ohio. Mississippian (Eastern
Woodlands). c. 1070 C.E. Earthwork/effigy mound
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157. Templo Mayor (Main Temple)
Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico). Mexica (Aztec). 1375-1520
C.E. Stone (temple); volcanic stone (The Coyolxauhqui Stone); jadeite (Olmec-style
mask); basalt (Calendar Stone)
The most spectacular expansion of the Templo Mayor took
place in the year "1 Rabbit" (1454 A.D.) under the ruler
Motecuhzoma I when impressive art works and architectural elements were
added.
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158. Ruler's
feather headdress (probably of Motecuhzoma II)
Mexica (Aztec). 1428-1520 C.E. Feathers
(quetzal and cotinga) and gold
The headdress was probably part of the
collection of artefacts given by Motecuhzoma to Cortés who passed on the
gifts to Charles V. The headdress is made from 450 green quetzal, blue
cotinga and pink flamingo feathers and is further embellished with gold beads
and jade disks.
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159. City of
Cusco, including O0rikancha (Inka main temple), Santo Domingo (Spanish
colonial convent), and Walls at Saqsa Waman (Sacsayhuaman)
Central highlands, Peru. Inka. c. 1440 C.E.;
convent added 1550-1650 C.E. Andesite
Cuzco, which had a population of up to 150,000
at its peak, was laid out in the form of a puma and was dominated by fine
buildings and palaces, the richest of all being the sacred gold-covered and
emerald-studded Coricancha complex which included a temple to the Inca sun
god Inti.
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160. Maize
cobs
Inka. c. 1440-1533 C.E. Sheet metal/repoussé,
metal alloys
While many ancient Andean art traditions
favored abstract and geometric forms, Inka visual expression often
incorporated more naturalistic forms in small-scale metal objects. This
silver alloy corncob sculpture is one example of this type of object.
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161. City of Machu Picchu
Central highlands, Peru. Inka. c. 1450-1540 C.E. Granite
(architectural complex)
The site contains housing for elites, retainers, and maintenance
staff, religious shrines, fountains, and terraces, as well as carved rock
outcrops, a signature element of Inka art.
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162. All-T'oqapu tunic
Inka. 1450-1540 C.E. Camelid fiber and cotton
The All-T'oqapu Tunic is an example of the height of
Andean textile fabrication and its centrality to Inka expressions of power.
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163. Bandolier bag
Lenape (Delaware tribe, Eastern Woodlands). c. 1850 C.E.
Beadwork on leather
This is an object that invites close looking to fully
appreciate the process by which colorful beads animate the bag, making a
dazzling object and showcasing remarkable technical skill.
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164. Transformation
mask
Kwakwaka'wakw, Northwest coast of Canada. Late
19th century C.E. Wood, paint, and string
The masks, whether opened or closed, are
bilaterally symmetrical. Typical of the formline style is the use of an
undulating, calligraphic line. The ovoid shape, along with s- and u-forms,
are common features of the formline style.
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165. Painted
elk hide
Attributed to Cotsiogo (Cadzi Cody), Eastern
Shoshone, Wind River Resservation, Wyoming. c. 1890-1900 C.E. Painted elk
hide
Cotsiogo began depicting subject matter that
"affirmed native identity" and appealed to tourists. The imagery
placed on the hide was likely done with a combination of free-hand painting
and stenciling.
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166. Black-on-black
ceramic vessel
Maria Martinez and Julian Martinez, Tewa,
Puebloan, San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico. c. mid-20th century C.E.
Blackware ceramic
They discovered that smothering the fire with
powdered manure removed the oxygen while retaining the heat and resulted in a
pot that was blackened. This resulted in a pot that was less hard and not
entirely watertight, which worked for the new market that prized decorative
use over utilitarian value. The areas that were burnished had a shiny black
surface and the areas painted with guaco were matte designs based on natural
phenomenon, such as rain clouds, bird feathers, rows of planted corn, and the
flow of rivers.
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167. Conical
tower and circular wall of Great Zimbabwe UNIT 6
Southeastern Zimbabwe, Shona peoples. c. 1000-1400 C.E.
Coursed granite blocks
In some places, the walls are several meters thick, and
many of the massive walls, stone monoliths and conical towers are decorated
with designs or motifs. Patterns are worked into the walls, such as
herringbone and dentelle designs, vertical grooves, and an elaborate chevron
design decorates the largest building called the Great Enclosure
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168. Great
Mosque of Djenné
Mali. Founded c. 1200 C.E.; rebuilt 1906-1907.
Adobe.
As one of the wonders of Africa, and one of
the most unique religious buildings in the world, the Great Mosque of Djenné,
in present-day Mali, is also the greatest achievement of Sudano-Sahelian
architecture. It is also the largest mud-built structure in the world. We
experience its monumentality from afar as it dwarfs the city of Djenné.
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169. Wall plaque, from Oba's
palace
Edo peoples, Benin (Nigeria). 16th century C.E. Cast
brass
It was the first of three exceptional masterpieces from
the Kingdom of Benin acquired under Goldwater's guidance that dramatically
transformed the collection.
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170. Sika dwa
kofi (Golden Stool)
Ashanti peoples (south central Ghana). c. 1700
C.E. Gold over wood and cast-gold attachments
The Golden Stool has been such a part of their
culture for so long, with so much mythology around it, that we can't be sure
exactly when it was made. The color to represent royalty changes between
times and cultures. Many of the brighter colors simply weren't available
throughout Africa until Europe began to colonize
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171. Ndop
(portrait figure) of King Mishe miShyaang maMbul
Kuba peoples (Democratic Republic of the
Congo). c. 1760-1780 C.E. Wood
The ndop of Mishe miShyaang maMbul is part of
a larger genre of figurative wood sculpture in Kuba art. These sculptures
were commissioned by Kuba leaders or nyim to preserve their accomplishments
for posterity. Because transmission of knowledge in this part of Africa is
through oral narrative, names and histories of the past are often lost. The
ndop sculptures serve as important markers of cultural ideals. They also
reveal a chronological lineage through their visual signifiers.
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172. Power figure (Nkisi n'kondi)
Kongo people's (Democratic Republic of Congo). c. late
19th century C.E. Wood and metal
Nkisi nkondi figures are highly recognizable through an
accumulation pegs, blades, nails or other sharp objects inserted into its
surface.
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173. Female
(Pwo) mask
Chokwe peoples (Democratic Republic of the
Congo). Late 19th to early 20th century C.E. Wood, fiber, pigment, and metal
Chokwe masks are often performed at the
celebrations that mark the completion of initiation into adulthood. That
occasion also marks the dissolution of the bonds of intimacy between mothers
and their sons. The pride and sorrow that event represents for Chokwe women
is alluded to by the tear motif.
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174. Portrait
mask (Mblo)
Baule peoples ( Côte d'Ivoire). Early 20th
century C.E. Wood and pigment
The mask
is exceptional for its nuanced individuality, highly refined details,
powerful presence, and considerable age. It is especially appealing for its
unusual depth that affords strong three-quarter views. The broad forehead and
downcast eyes are classic features associated with intellect and respect in
Baule aesthetics. The departure from a rigidly symmetrical representation
suggests an individual physiognomy. The expression is one of intense
introspection. Its serenity is subtly animated by two opposing formal
elements: the flourishes of the coiffure and beard at the summit and base.
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175. Bundu
mask
Sande Society, Mende peoples (West African
forests of Sierra Leone and (Liberia). 19th to 20th century C.E. Wood, cloth,
and fiber
The
masks are worn by women who have a certain standing within the society, to
receive the younger women at the end of their three month's reclusion in the
forest. The different elements that compose the masks of this type, the
half-closed and lengthened eyes, the delicate contours of the lips, the slim
nose, the serenity of the forehead, the complexity of the headdress and the
presence of neck and nape refer not only to aesthetic values, but also to
philosophical and religious concepts.
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176. Ikenga
(shrine figure)
Igbo peoples (Nigeria).c. 19th to 20th century
C.E. Wood
The shrine reflects the great value the Igbo
place on individual achievement. Personal shrines are created in the form of
figures known as ikenga to honor the power and skills of a person's right
hand, as the right hand holds the hoe, the sword, and the tools of
craftsmanship. The basic form of an ikenga is a human figure with horns
symbolizing power, sometimes reduced to only a head with horns on a base.
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177. Lukasa
(memory board)
Mbudye Society, Luba peoples (Democratic
Rpublic of the Congo). c. 19th to 20th century C.E. Wood, beads, and
metal
More
detailed information is conveyed on the front and back of the board. On the
lukasa's "inside" surface (the front), human faces represent chiefs,
historical figures, and mbudye members. The rectangular, circular, and ovoid
elements denote organizing features within the chief's compound and the
association's meeting house and grounds. Its "outside" surface
displays incised chevrons and diamonds representing the markings on a
turtle's carapace.
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178. Aka
elephant mask
Bamileke (Cameroon, western grassfields
region). c. 19th to 20th century C.E. Wood, woven raffia, cloth, and beads
The
elite Kuosi masking society controls the right to own and wear elephant
masks, since both elephants and beadwork are symbols of political power in
the kingdoms of the Cameroon grasslands. Masked performances have a variety
of purposes. Both of the masks displayed here were performed to support
political authority, but in different contexts. The mask may have exerted the
will of village elders by imposing economic prohibitions or organizing
hunting parties to provide for and protect the village.
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179. Reliquary figure (byeri)
Fang peoples (southern Cameroon). c. 19th to 20th century
C.E. Wood
The Fang figure, a masterpiece by a known artist or
workshop, has primarily been reduced to a series of basic shapes—cylinders
and circles.
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180. Veranda post of enthroned king
and senior wife (Opo Ogoga)
Olowe of Ise (Yoruba peoples). c. 1910-1914 C.E. Wood
and pigment
It is considered among the artist's masterpieces for the
way it embodies his unique style, including the interrelationship of figures,
their exaggerated proportions, and the open space between them
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181. Petra,
Jordan: Treasury and Great Temple UNIT 7
Nabateen Ptolemaic and Roman. c. 400 B.C.E -
100 C.E. Cut rock
These elaborate carvings are merely a prelude
to one's arrival into the heart of Petra, where the Treasury, or Khazneh, a
monumental tomb, awaits to impress even the most jaded visitors. The natural,
rich hues of Arabian light hit the remarkable façade, giving the Treasury its
famed rose-red color.
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182. Buddha
Bamiyan, Afghanistan. Gandharan. c. 400-800
C.E. (destroyed in 2001). Cut rock with plaster and polychrome paint
The cultural landscape and archaeological
remains of the Bamiyan Valley represent the artistic and religious
developments which from the 1st to the 13th centuries characterized ancient
Bakhtria, integrating various cultural influences into the Gandhara school of
Buddhist art.
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183. The
Kaaba
Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Islamic. Pre-Islamic
monument; rededicated by Muhammad in 631-632 C.E.; multiple renovations.
Granite masonry, covered with silk curtain and calligraphy in gold and
silver-wrapped thread
Cubed
building known as the Kaba may not rival skyscrapers in height or mansions in
width, but its impact on history and human beings is unmatched. The Kaba is
the building towards which Muslims face five times a day, everyday, in
prayer. This has been the case since the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him) over 1400 years ago.
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184. Jowo
Rinpoche, enshrined in the Jokhang Temple
Lhasa, Tibet. Yarlung Dynasty. Believed to
have been brought to Tibet in 641 C.E. Gilt metals with sempirecious stones,
pearls, and paint; various offerings
The Jowo
Rinpoche statue, Tibet's most revered religious icon, was made in India by
Vishakarma during Buddha Shakyamuni's lifetime. At the time of the Buddha,
there were only two statues of this type. The other one is still at Bodhgaya.
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185. Dome of
the Rock
Jerusalem. Islamic, Umayyad. 691-629 C.E.,
with multiple renovations. Stone masonry and wooden roof decorated with
glazed ceramic tile, mosaics, and gilt aluminum and bronze dome
The Dome
of the Rock is a building of extraordinary beauty, solidity, elegance, and
singularity of shape... Both outside and inside, the decoration is so
magnificent and the workmanship so surpassing as to defy description. The
greater part is covered with gold so that the eyes of one who gazes on its
beauties are dazzled by its brilliance, now glowing like a mass of light, now
flashing like lightning.
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186. Great
Mosque (Masjid-e Jameh)
Isfahan, Iran. Islamic, Persian: Seljuk,
Il-Khanid, Timurid and Safavid Dynasties. c. 700 C.E.; additions and restorations
in the 14th, 18th, and 20th centuries C.E. Stone, brick, wood, plaster, and
glazed ceramic tile
The
Great Mosque of Isfahan in Iran is unique in this regard and thus enjoys a
special place in the history of Islamic architecture. Its present configuration
is the sum of building and decorating activities carried out from the 8th
through the 20th centuries. It is an architectural documentary, visually
embodying the political exigencies and aesthetic tastes of the great Islamic
empires of Persia.
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187. Folio
from a Qur'an
Arab, North Africa, or Near East. Abbasid. c.
eighth to ninth century C.E. ink, color, and gold on parchment
The
Qur'an is the sacred text of Islam, consisting of the divine revelation to
the Prophet Muhammad in Arabic. Over the course of the first century and a
half of Islam, the form of the manuscript was adapted to suit the dignity and
splendor of this divine revelation. However, the word Qur'an, which means
"recitation," suggests that manuscripts were of secondary importance
to oral tradition. In fact, the 114 chapters of the Qur'an were compiled into
a textual format, organized from longest to shortest, only after the death of
Muhammad, although scholars still debate exactly when this might have
occurred.
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188. Basin
(Baptistère de Saint Louis)
Muhammad ibn al-Zain. c. 1320-1340 C.E. Brass
inlaid with gold and silver
The
Mamluks, the majority of whom were ethnic Turks, were a group of warrior
slaves who took control of several Muslim states and established a dynasty
that ruled Egypt and Syria from 1250 until the Ottoman conquest in 1517.The
political and military dominance of the Mamluks was accompanied by a
flourishing artistic culture renowned across the medieval world for its
glass, textiles, and metalwork.
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189. Bahram
Gur Fights the Karg, folio from the Great Il-Khanid Shahnama. Islamic; Persian, Il'Khanid. c. 1330-1340 C.E. Ink
and opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper
This
folio is from a celebrated copy of the text known as the Great Ilkhanid
Shahnama, one of the most complex masterpieces of Persian art. Because of its
lavish production, it is assumed to have been commissioned by a high-ranking
member of the Ilkhanid court and produced at the court scriptorium. The
fifty-seven surviving illustrations reflect the intense interest in
historical chronicles and the experimental approach to painting of the
Ilkhanid period (1256-1335). The eclectic paintings reveal the
cosmopolitanism of the Ilkhanid court in Tabriz, which teemed with merchants,
missionaries, and diplomats from as far away as Europe and China. Here the
Iranian king Bahram Gur wears a robe made of European fabric to slay a
fearsome horned wolf in a setting marked by the conventions of Chinese
landscape painting.
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190. The
Court of Gayumars, folio from Shah Tahmasp's Shahnama
Sultan Muhammad. c. 1522-1525 C.E. Ink, opaque
watercolor, and gold on paper
His painting combines an ingenious composition
with a broad palette dominated by cool colors, each element minutely and
precisely rendered in a technique that defies comprehension. Though the
painting is large and even spills out into the gold-flecked margins, Sultan
Muhammad populates the scene with countless figures, animals, and details of
landscape, but in such a way that does not compromise legibility. The level
of detail is so intense that the viewer is scarcely able to absorb
everything, no matter how closely he looks
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191. The
Ardabil Carpet
Maqsud of Kashan. 1539-1540 C.E. Silk and wool
The Ardabil Carpet is exceptional; it is one
of the world's oldest Islamic carpets, as well as one of the largest, most
beautiful and historically important. It is not only stunning in its own
right, but it is bound up with the history of one of the great political
dynasties of Iran.
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192. Great
Stupa at Sanchi UNIT 8
Madhya Pradesh, India. Buddhist; Maurya, late
Sunga Dynasty. c. 300 B.C.E. - 100 B.C.E. Stone masonry, sandstone on
dome
It was probably begun by the Mauryan emperor
Ashoka in the mid-3rd century bce and later enlarged. Solid throughout, it is
enclosed by a massive stone railing pierced by four gateways, which are
adorned with elaborate carvings (known as Sanchi sculpture) depicting the
life of the Buddha.
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193. Terra
cotta warriors from mausoleum of the first Qin emperor of China
Qin Dynasty. c. 221-209 B.C.E. Painted terra
cotta
One of the most extraordinary features of the
terracotta warriors is that each appears to have distinct features—an
incredible feat of craftsmanship and production. Despite the custom
construction of these figures, studies of their proportions reveal that their
frames were created using an assembly production system that paved the way
for advances in mass production and commerce.
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194. Funeral
banner of Lady Dai (Xin Zhui)
Han Dynasty, China. c. 180 B.C.E. Painted silk
In the mourning scene, we can also appreciate
the importance of Lady Dai's banner for understanding how artists began to
represent depth and space in early Chinese painting. They made efforts to
indicate depth through the use of the overlapping bodies of the mourners. They
also made objects in the foreground larger, and objects in the background
smaller, to create the illusion of space in the mourning hall.
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195. Longmen
caves
Luoyang, China. Tang Dynasty. 493-1127 C.E.
Limestone
The aesthetic elements and features of the
Chinese cave temples' art, including the layout, material, function,
traditional technique and location, and the intrinsic link between the layout
and the various elements have been preserved and passed on. Great efforts
have been made to maintain the historical appearance of the caves and
preserve and pass on the original Buddhist culture and its spiritual and
aesthetic functions, while always adhering to the principle of
"Retaining the historic condition".
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196. Gold and
jade crown
Three Kingdoms Period, Silla Kingdom, Korea.
Fifth to sixth century C.E. Metalwork
The general structure and imagery of this set
echo the regalia used by rulers of the many nomadic confederations that
roamed the Eurasian steppes for millennia, and, to a lesser extent, pieces
found in China. However, Silla tombs such as Hwangnam Daechong have yielded
larger quantities and more spectacular gold adornments.
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197. Gold and
jade crown
Three Kingdoms Period, Silla Kingdom, Korea.
Fifth to sixth century C.E. Metalwork
The general structure and imagery of this set
echo the regalia used by rulers of the many nomadic confederations that
roamed the Eurasian steppes for millennia, and, to a lesser extent, pieces
found in China. However, Silla tombs such as Hwangnam Daechong have yielded
larger quantities and more spectacular gold adornments.
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198. Borobudur
Temple
Central Java, Indonesia. Sailendra Dynasty. c.
750-842 C.E. Volcanic-stone masonry
The
temple sits in cosmic proximity to the nearby volcano Mt. Merapi. During
certain times of the year the path of the rising sun in the East seems to
emerge out of the mountain to strike the temple's peak in radiant synergy.
Light illuminates the stone in a way that is intended to be more than
beautiful. The brilliance of the site can be found in how the Borobudur
mandala blends the metaphysical and physical, the symbolic and the material,
the cosmological and the earthly within the structure of its physical setting
and the framework of spiritual paradox.
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199. Angkor,
the temple of Angkor Wat, and the city of Angkor Thom, Cambodia
Hindu, Angkor Dynasty. c. 800-1400 C.E. Stone
masonry, sandstone
Angkor
is one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia. There
were many changes in architecture and artistic style at Angkor, and there was
a religious movement from the Hindu cult of the god Shiva to that of Vishnu
and then to a Mahayana Buddhist cult devoted to the bodhisattva
Avalokiteshvara.
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200. Lakshmana
Temple
Khajuraho, India. Hindu, Chandella Dynasty. c.
930-950 C.E. Sandstone
Though
the temple is one of the oldest in the Khajuraho fields, it is also one of
the most exquistely decorated, covered almost completely with images of over
600 gods in the Hindu Pantheon. The main shrine of the temple, which faces
east, is flanked by four freestanding subsidiary shrines at the corners of
the temple platform.
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201. Travelers
among Mountains and Streams
Fan Kuan. c. 1000 C.E. Ink and colors on silk
Fan Kuan's masterpiece is an outstanding
example of Chinese landscape painting. Long before Western artists considered
landscape anything more than a setting for figures, Chinese painters had
elevated landscape as a subject in its own right. Bounded by mountain ranges
and bisected by two great rivers—the Yellow and the Yangzi—China's natural
landscape has played an important role in the shaping of the Chinese mind and
character. From very early times, the Chinese viewed mountains as sacred and
imagined them as the abode of immortals. The term for landscape painting in
Chinese is translated as "mountain water painting."
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202. Shiva as
Lord of Dance (Nataraja)
Hindu; India (Tamil Nadu), Chola Dynasty. c.
11th century C.E. Cast bronze
It combines in a single image Shiva's roles as
creator, preserver, and destroyer of the universe and conveys the Indian
conception of the never-ending cycle of time. Although it appeared in
sculpture as early as the fifth century, its present, world-famous form
evolved under the rule of the Cholas.
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203. Night
Attack on the Sanjō Palace
Kamakura Period, Japan. c. 1250-1300 C.E.
Handstroll (ink and color on paper)
The
scene appearing here, entitled "A Night Attack on the Sanjo Palace"
is the property of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and provides a rare and
valuable depiction of Japanese armor as it was worn during the early Kamakura
era (1185-1333). By contrast, most surviving picture scrolls showing warriors
date from the fourteenth century and show later styles of armor.
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204. The
David Vases
Yuan Dynasty, China. 1351 C.E. White porcelain
with cobalt-blue underglaze
These
vases are among the most important examples of blue-and-white porcelain in
existence, and are probably the best-known porcelain vases in the world. They
were made for the altar of a Daoist temple and their importance lies in the
dated inscriptions on one side of their necks, above the bands of dragons.
The long dedication is the earliest known on Chinese blue-and-white wares.
These vases were owned by Sir Percival David (1892-1964), who built the most
important private collection of Chinese ceramics in the world.
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205. Portrait
of Sin Sukju (1417-1475)
Imperial Bureau of Painting. c. 15th century
C.E. Hanging scroll (ink and color on silk)
The
importance of this painting is represented in its location sat the Imperial
Bureau of Painting. Silk was one of Asia's main trade goods during the time;
the popularity of this soft material was evident in the formation of the Silk
Road. The high demand and value of this material indicates thus a high value
of this artwork.
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206. Forbidden
City
Beijing, China. Ming Dynasty. 15th century
C.E. and later. Stone masonry, marble, brick, wood, and ceramic tile
It
stands for the culmination of the development of classical Chinese and East
Asian architecture and influences the development of Chinese architecture.
The largest surviving wooden structure in China is surrounded by 7.9 meters
(26 feet) high walls and 3,800 meters (2.4 miles) long moat.
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207. Ryoan-ji
Kyoto, Japan. Muromachi Period, Japan. 1480
C.E.; current design most likely dates to the 18th century. Rock garden
Kyoto's most famous Zen garden is Ryoan-ji.
Its raked gravel and 15 carefully placed stones make it the world's most recognisable
garden image. I love Ryoan-ji, which, despite the hoards of visitors adding
their own snaps to the image load of the garden, still manages to instil a
mood of mystery and quiet reflection. It was made by an unnamed monk in the
15th century and was the template for a dry stone Zen garden for four
centuries - until Mirei Shigemori brought the Zen garden into the 20th
century and introduced it to modernism.
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208. Jahangir
Preferring a Sufi Shaikh
Bichitr. India c. 1620 C.E. Watercolor gold, and ink
on paper
Jahangir's artists begin to create allegorical
portraits with symbolic references. This painting, for example, asserts that
Jahangir favors the spiritual over the worldly. He hands a book, the most
respected of objects in both Islam and the Mughal court, to a Sufi shaykh (a
religious scholar). Below (and therefore implicitly less important than) the
shaykh stand an Ottoman sultan and King James I of England. Bichitr's
self-portrait in the lower left corner conveys the respect that Jahangir accorded
to painters.
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209. Taj
Mahal
Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. Masons, marble
workers, mosaicists, and decorators working under the supervision of Ustad
Ahmad Lahori, architect of the emperor. 1632-1653 C.E. Stone masonry and
marble with inlay of precious and semiprecious stones; gardens
The Taj
Mahal is an excellent example of the golden age of Muslim architecture. The
design of the complex incorporates Iranian features such as octagonal shape,
Indian features such as the bulbous dome and Asian features such as
cylindrical minarets. Muslim decorative arts include calligraphy, geometry
and flower forms. Most important was the ideal of symmetry as a major element
in the design of the Taj Mahal
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210. White
and Red Plum Blossoms
Ogata Korin. Japan. c. 1710-1716 C.E. Ink,
watercolor, and gold leaf on paper
This
painting is one of his most famous works. The composition is rather
startling. The white plum tree's trunk is mostly outside of the screen, and
one major branch comes back into the screen horizontally. All of these
elements are combined to yield a stunning decorative effect which makes this
pair of screens one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of Japanese
art.
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211. Under
the Wave of Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura), as known as the Great Wave,
from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji
Katsushika Hokusai. Japan. 1830-1833
C.E. Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper
The Great Wave has become one of the most
famous works of art in the world—and debatably the most iconic work of
Japanese art. Initially, thousands of copies of this print were quickly
produced and sold cheaply. Despite the fact that it was created at a time
when Japanese trade was heavily restricted, Hokusai's print displays the
influence of Dutch art, and proved to be inspirational for many artists
working in Europe later in the nineteenth century.
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212. Chairman
Mao en Route to Anyuan
Artist unknown; based on oil painting by Lui
Chunhua. c. 1969 C.E. Color lithograph
Chunhua Liu used the ideals of the Cultural
Revolution and Socialist Realism to create his masterpiece. This poster is a
lithographic reproduction of a painting in the style of Socialist Realism.
the ideas conveyed in artworks were meant to permeate other cultures and to
spread their philosophies
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213. Nan
Madol UNIT 9
Pohnpei, Micronesia. Saudeleur Dynasty. c. 700-1600 C.E.
Basalt boulders and prismatic columns
The megalithic architecture that characterizes the site
consists of long, naturally prismatic log-like basalt stones which were often
built up over foundations of large basalt boulders to form high-walled
rectangular enclosures. This type of architecture occurs only sporadically on
the main island which suggests that the people who used these structures were
of very high status.
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214. Moai on platform (ahu)
Rapa Nui (Easter Island). c. 1100-1600 C.E. Volcanic
tuff figures on basalt base
Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island (a name given to
it by Europeans), is located in the southeast Pacific and is famous for its
approximately 1,000 carvings of moai, human-faced statues.
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215. Ahu 'ula
(feather cape)
Hawaiian. Late 18th century C.E. Feathers and
fiber
Cloaks and helmets were beautiful in colour
and design, intricately crafted, and of unusual materials. To add to their
appeal, stories could be told of their effectiveness as armour in battle
helmets strong enough to ward off blows to the head, cloaks that acted like
flak jackets against sling stones and other weapons.
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216. Staff
god
Rarotonga, Cook Islands, central Polynesia.
Late 18th to early 19th century C.E. Wood, tapa, fiber, and feathers
A standing semihuman figure having claws, a
feline face with crossed fangs, and a staff in each hand. Above his head,
occupying two-thirds of the stone, is a towering, pillarlike structure
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217. Female
Diety
Rarotonga, Cook Islands, central Polynesia.
Late 18th to early 19th century C.E. Wood, tapa, fiber, and feathers
A standing semihuman figure having claws, a
feline face with crossed fangs, and a staff in each hand. Above his head,
occupying two-thirds of the stone, is a towering, pillarlike structure
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218. Buk (mask)
Torres Strait. Mid-to late 19th century C.E. Turtle
shell, wood, fiber, feathers, ad shell
Turtle-shell masks in the western Torres Strait
reportedly were used during funerary ceremonies and increase rites (rituals
designed to ensure bountiful harvests and an abundance of fish and game).
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219. Hiapo
(tapa)
Niue. c. 1850-1900 C.E. Australia. Tapa or
bark cloth, freehand painting
Tapa traditions were regionally unique and
historically widespread throughout the Polynesian Islands. Eastern Polynesia
did not experience a continuous tradition of tapa production, however, the
art form is still produced today, particularly in the Hawaiian and the
Marquesas Islands.
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220. Tamati Waka Nene
Gottfried Lindauer. 1890 C.E. New Zealand. Oil on canvas
Smooth brushstrokes, painted to show kind nature of the
chief, compassionate, similar portrait style to the Mona Lisa, painted with
tribal face paint to reinforce culture
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221. Navigation chart
Marshall Islands, Micronesia. 19th to early 20th century
C.E. Wood and fiber
Slopped lines that indicate wave swell show
technological advancement in society, intricate weaving
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222. Malagan
display and mask
New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea. c.
20th century C.E. Wood, pigment, fiber, and shell
To serve as visual part of ceremony in which
the dead are celebrated and assisted in their transition to the spiritual
realm, the ceremonies length can be from months to years so sturdy materials
for elaborate structures can withstand long time frame.
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223. Presentation
of Fijian mats and tapa cloths to Queen Elizabeth II
Fiji, Polynesia. 1953 C.E. Multimedia
performance (costume; cosmetics, including scent; chant; movement; and
pandanus fiber/hibiscus fiber mats), photographic documentation
To show respect and gratitude towards Queen
Elizabeth II for visiting Tonga and for commemorating the war memorial. Also
I believe this served as a way of the two countries signaling their alliance
and partnership.
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224. The Gates UNIT 10
New York City, U.S. Christo and Jeanne-Claude. 1979-2005
C.E. Mixed-media installation
The Gates remains a complex testament to two
controversial topics in contemporary art: how to create meaningful public art
and how art responds to and impacts our relationship with the built
environment.
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225. Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Washington, D.C., U.S. Maya Lin. 1982 C.E.
Granite.
The strength of the granite contrasts with softness of
the grass and brings a balance to both nature and architecture.
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226. Horn Players
Jean-Michel Basquiat. 1983 C.E. New York. Acrylic and
oil paintstick on three canvas panels
Honed his signature painting style of obsessive
scribbling, elusive symbols and diagrams, and mask-and-skull imagery by the
time he was 20.
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227. Summer Trees
Song Su-nam. 1983 C.E. Korea. Ink on paper
He wanted to show appreciation for the ancient Asian
brush techniques and to redisplay/re-envoke the Asian landscape. This
painting blends traditional subtle brush techniques with modern day style
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228. Androgyne
III
Magdalena Abakanowicz. 1985 C.E. Polish. Burlap,
resin, wood, nails, and string
The creases, ridges, and veins of the
hardened-fiber surface assume organic characteristics, reminiscent of the earth's
rough surface or the cellular composition of human skin. The artist felt that
it was these characteristics and manifestations that make fiber the base unit
of the universe.
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229. A Book from the sky
Xu Bing. Beijing, China. 1987-1991 C.E. Mixed-media
installation
The book's characters were carved into individual pieces
of movable type made from pear wood, in a style slightly squatter than that
of Song typefaces.
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230. Pink
Panther
Jeff Koons. 1988 C.E. New York. Glazed
porcelain
This piece is a part of his Banality series.
It is a reflection of pop culture, juxtaposing the namesake popular
children's' cartoon character with Jayne Mansfield, a sex symbol. Four
essentially identical Pink Panther sculptures exist. They are an example of
kitsch, meant to appeal to the masses. This piece later grew to be considered
high art due to its popularity.
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231. Untitled (#228), from the
History Portraits series
Cindy Sherman. Rome, Italy. 1990 C.E. Photograph
She draws attention to the staged and often mannered
nature of historical portrait paintings, while also playfully mocking the
discipline of art history.
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232. Dancing
at the Louvre, from the series The French Collectiom, Part I; #1
Faith Ringgold. France, Europe. 1991 C.E.
Acrylic on canvas, tie-dyed, pieced fabric border
To break boundaries and combine a multitude of
artistic techniques. Combines Modern art, African-American culture, and
personal experiences
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233. Trade (Gifts for Trading Land
with White People) Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. Virginia. 1992 C.E. Oil and
mixed media on canvas.
Illustrates historical and contemporary inequities
between Native Americans and the United States government.
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234. Earth's Creation
Emily Kame Kngwarreye. Utopia Australia. 1994 C.E.
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas. Dump dot technique - using the brush to pound the
paint onto the canvas and create layers of colour and movement.
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235. Rebellious
Silence, from the Women of Allah series Shirin Neshat (artist); photo by
Cynthia Preston. 1994 C.E. Ink on photograph.
Photograph, Farsi decorates the artists face,
black and white, image shows a veiled woman with the barrel of a gun pointing
straight up dividing her face. Her gaze looks directly at the viewer with
unwavering confidence.
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236. En
la Barberia no se Llora (No Crying Allowed in the Barbershop)
Pepon Osorio. 1994 C.E. Mixedmedia installation.
Challenges definitions of masculinity, it also brings up
in a more subtle way—the relationship between machismo and homophobia,
violence, and infidelity, and the ways in which popular culture, religion,
and politics help craft these identities and issues.
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237. Pisupo
Lua Afe (Corned Beef 2000)
Michel Tuffery. New Zealand. 1994 C.E. Mixed
media
The meaning of this work is to raise questions
about the effects colonial economies have had on Pacific peoples and whether
foreign intervention actually encourages independence or fosters dependency.
The way in which it is presented is very different and shocking.
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238. Electronic Superhighway
Nam June Paik. 1995 C.E. Mixed-media installation
(49-channel closedcircuit video installation, neon, steel, and electronic
components).
It is an enormous physical object that occupies a middle
ground between the virtual reality of the media and the sprawling country
beyond our doors.
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239. The
Crossing
Bill Viola. 1996 C.E. US. Video/sound
installation
To evoke the viewer's senses and create a
feeling of spirituality. His work focuses and sensory perception and tries to
take viewers on a trip to the spiritual realm. The videos are able to
accomplish this through slow motion, contrasts in scale, shifts in focus,
mirrored reflections, etc.
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240.
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Spain. Frank Gehry (architect). 1997 C.E. Bilbao, Spain.
Titanium, glass, and
limestone.
A museum to challenge assumptions about art museum
collecting and programming with its inventive design. To showcase great fine
art exhibitions and further the redevelopment of the city Bilbao.
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241. Pure Land
Mariko Mori. Tokyo, Japan. 1998. C.E. Color photograph
on glass
To create a meditative environment that provides the
audience with a sense of tranquility and transcendence. Allow the viewer to
transport to Nirvana, as well as to represent a personal journey
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242. Lying
with the Wolf
Kiki Smith. New York. 2001 C.E. Ink and pencil
on paper
Featuring an act of bonding between human and
animal, reverence for the natural world. ther domestic piece of fabric. The
depiction of a woman and dangerous animal so easily coexisting is a powerful
visual message, one that reminds us of Biblical characters, figures from
Greek myth, and even eastern deities.
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243. Darkytown
Rebellion
Kara Walker. 2001 C.E. Cut paper and
projection on wall.
Black
silhouettes against colorful background, sharp lines, distinct and defined
shapes. The actual subject of the work is meant to reflect the antebellum
South during the time of slavery. Many southern African-American stereotypes
are still present today and Walker hoped to make viewers realize how
subconsciously they had these premeditated ideas about the figures and the
assumptions about race they automatically made because of popular culture.
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244. The
Swing (after Fragonard)
Yinka Shonibare. Sheffield. 2001 C.E.
Mixed-media installation
Meant to be seen straight on but due to 3
dimensions viewers can walk around the installation and view from different
points, like the original subjects in the painting. The work depicts a
summary of the scene in the original painting but leaves out some elements of
the painting.
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245. Old
Man's Cloth
El Anatsui. Southern Nigeria. 2003 C.E.
Aluminum and copper wire
A statement piece to remember his regions
history and culture through using elements related to the most influential
and culture-shaping events. This piece specifically is meant to serve as a
reminder of the uneasy history of trade between Europe and Africa.
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246. Stadia II
Julie Mehretu. New York. 2004 C.E. Ink and acrylic on
canvas
Stadia II is meant to portray a large stadium, A sports
arena. Country flags, confetti, and the eruption of the crowd are prevalent.
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247. Preying Mantra
Wangechi Mutu. 2006 C.E. Mixed media on Mylar
The function of this piece is to invite viewers to
explore the stereotypes about the female African body as explicitly sexual,
dangerous, and aesthetically deformed in relation to those of Western lands.
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248. Shibboleth
Doris Salcedo. Turbine Hall, London. 2007-2008
C.E. Installation
She uses this giant crack on the floor of
ceremonial hall as a symbol of racism, discrimination, and colonialism that
separated one being from each other. Through this art piece she addresses
that the modernity is a result of colonial exploitation of the
"stronger" from the "weaker".
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249. MAXXI National Museum of XXI
Century Arts
Rome, Italy. Zaha Hadid (architect). 2009 C.E. Glass,
steel, and cement.
The building is repetitive in that the architecture is
supposed to mimic movement to depict the progressiveness of the future of
architecture and building.
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250. Kui Hua Zi (Sunflower
Seeds)
Ai Weiwei. 2010-2011 C.E. Sculpted and painted
porcelain.
The material used, the way it was produced and the
narrative/personal content make this work a powerful commentary on the human
condition.
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