Stage Sisters and Yellow Earth directed by Xie Jin and Chen Kaige respectively present the dynamicity of the Chinese film productions. The two producers have done extremely well to illustrate various social and cultural issues within their writing and production contexts of the films. Stage Sisters is a story about two female practitioners attached to Yue Opera productions.
Dealing with life of the same troupe, the story illustrates how two sisters decide to take different paths in life. On the other hand, Yellow Earth is a love story between a soldier and a girl from a peasant family which fails to materialize at the end. It is important to note that the production of both films exhibit certain similarities and differences that are necessary for consideration and discussion.
These Chinese films are similar in terms of character development. Both producers attempted to use strong-willed characters in the literary works. The use of powerful female characters in both films is evident through the plots of both films. In Stage Sister, Jin modeled the character traits of Chunhua as a resolute lady, who is focused on and unwilling to compromise her moral and cultural standards.
Chunhua’s confidence and agility are demonstrated through her decision to stand against her false accusers in the courtroom. This is further illustrated by the producer when Chunhua begins to perform revolutionary operas signifying her desire to fight for revolution in a society where only male dominate (Marchetti 34-39).
On the other hand, Kaige has also done well to present strong-willed characters such as Qiao. This is a girl from a peasant family who is forced to marry an elderly man because of tradition. Finding out about the possibility to gain her freedom by joining CPP, Qiao decides to fight for her rights (Kuoshu 57-68). These illustrations indicate that both producers have exploited the use of powerful characters to enhance their goals in their respective literary works.
There is also similarity in terms of the acting style adopted by both producers. The actions of the protagonists in both films are characterized by the ability to withstand opposition in a bid to achieve success in life. Both Chunhua in Stage Sisters and Qiao and Yellow Earth are willing to fight against injustice amidst the opposing culture that dictates the certain rules to the people around them. As a result, it can be deduced that both authors have adopted a similar acting style in the film productions.
Lastly, the two films have been produced using a similar cinematic style. Both films are characterized by a sad ending, thereby depicting a tragedy at the end. The use of a tragic ending for both movies depicts the use of a similar cinematic style of both producers (Semsel 45).
However, there is a difference in terms of thematic presentations in both films. In Yellow Earth, the producer’s intention is to present themes of discrimination against women (the society is male dominated and women are victims of the culture and traditions), disillusionment (Qiao and Qing’s plans of developing their relationship are ruined when the two fail to meet at the end of the story), and revolution in the society (the existence of CPP movement that aims at creating a revolution in the culture of the society).
On the other hand, Two Sisters presents themes of betrayal (Chunhua is betrayed by her sister Yuehong), determination (the two sisters are determined to achieve their goals in their career), and moral decadence in the society (the existence of scenes of bribery and betrayal in the film).
Works Cited
Kuoshu, H. Harry. Celluloid China: Cinematic Encounters with Culture and Society. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2002. Print.
Marchetti, Gina. Two Stage Sisters: The Blossoming of a Revolutionary Aesthetic. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1997. Print.
Semsel, George. Chinese Film: The State of the Art in the People’s Republic. New York: Praeger, 1987. Print.
The Korean sense of aesthetic revolves around melodramatic and immense suffering to achieve success in life as the movie depicts. For those who cannot endure suffering, nature or the world has no place for them. In a modern world, a traditional family of a singer would find it difficult to make a living. Yu-bong, the father who adopted the girl, Oh Jung-Hae and the boy, Kim Kyu-Chul, believes that a true artist seeking success, must suffer.
He subjects the boy and the girl to suffering in order to achieve greatness. This is a traditional belief that only suffering can bring success in the future. The boy cannot take it anymore and runs away from home. The girl endures the suffering subjected to her by Yu-bong, the “pansori” artist and eventually achieves success.
“Seo-Pyon-Jae” also depicts the power the elderly members of the society have over young people. Yu-bong expresses his patriarchal powers over her adopted daughter. Critics argue that this is his attempt to restrict her daughter’s expression of her sexuality. She remains loyal to her father. It is the responsibility of the father to ensure that they bring up their children to learn their old ways. This is the Korean way of upbringing children.
“Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring”
Kim Ki Duk, the director of the movie portrays aspects of life in four seasons. He depicts that the aesthetic sense of life is only possible when one is close to nature. He shows us the pleasure, joy, anger and sorrow of life when one turn against nature.
The old monk instills discipline of Buddhism in the young monk during spring. Spring is the season of spiritual discipline. This is the first contact the young boy has with aspects of Buddhism which are witty and sometimes harsh. They show us the surprising nature of understanding human experience. The old monk punishes the boy harshly when the boy punishes animals. He tries to instill a severe and straightforward sense of responsibility to the boy towards. He warns the boy that nature is unforgiving.
During the summer, the old monk warns the younger monk about lust, the desire to possess which ends with the intent to murder. This is when the young monk experiences life of sexual lust with a lady seeking treatment. The younger monk and the lady eloped. True to the old monk warning against lust, the younger monk eventually kills his wife. The detectives are after the young monk for murder. He returns to the old monk where he was contemplating suicide. The old monk beats him severely. The detectives arrest the young monk for murder.
The master dies later. When the younger monk returns from prison, he found everything just as the old monk had left them. A woman comes to the monastery with a baby boy, which she eventually leaves. She dies in her attempt to escape. The middle-aged Buddha now lives with the boy, which is now his young monk. Just has he had mistreated the animals the boy repeats the same thing. Spring comes again.
This movie shows that life is like seasons of nature. What goes round always comes round. Koreans consider their old men wise and should always be obeyed. Those who disobey their warnings end up suffering.
The two movies are full of melodramatic scenes amidst pleasure, joy, pain and suffering. Some of these teachings may be influenced by Confucius about the relationship between the father and their children. The aspects of Buddhism reflected in these movies may not always be acknowledged by people in the West. Their aesthetic sense may be reflected in personal talent and desire to be one’s own.
The performance of Stanley Jordan in “stairway to heaven” was reminiscent of Andy Mckee’s song “drifting” in that both musicians utilized a two handed strumming style when playing yet in the case of McKee he uses a classic wooden guitar while Jordan uses electrical based one.
Overall the performance was truly fascinating, it possessed a dynamic sound that was soft and soulful yet brought about thoughts of happier times rather than the moments of deep reflection soul music brings about. Its timbre was somewhat soft and mellow with what was apparently a quadruple meter with the chords harmoniously coming together to produce a soft yet stimulating sound.
What is notable about the song itself is that it seemed to possess a rather even “Grave tempo” that was maintained from start to finish with only a slight decrease towards the end of the song itself. Interestingly enough the song seemingly alternated between “Piano” and “Mezzopiano” with the individual notes having an interestingly long duration. It was actually this duration of the individual notes that gave the song its characteristic soulful quality.
I would have to say that the reason Jordan chose to utilize an electric guitar for this particular type of song was due to the fact that electric guitars have the ability to increase the duration of particular notes through amplifiers attached to them. By using the amplifiers combined with the “Piano” and “Mezzopiano” characteristics of the song this created a distinct note duration that was absolutely heavenly to hear.
Interpreting the Song
When listening to the song the audience cannot help but imagine a scene of walking down a country road and thinking about the happier times they had throughout their life. In a way the song is appropriate in that it expresses the idea of what a person would think while walking toward heaven in that they would remember their life for what it was.
They would remember both good and bad experiences and how it culminated into them going to heaven. As for me the music can be described as being similar to bittersweet chocolate in that the sweet tonal qualities apparent in several instances is combined with a deep and somewhat bitter soulful melody.
The song itself seems to embrace the positive and negative aspect of a person’s life and brings it to the forefront of the mind. It possesses a melody that charms yet saddens and as such one cannot help but feel both happy and sad at the same time.
It is at this point that I would like to point out the similarity in playing style and music quality between Jordan and McKee in that the beats in the songs they create as well as the melodies and tonal qualities are somewhat similar with the only difference being one prefers to utilize an electric instrument while the other prefers one made of wood. Both types of music though seemingly speak to ones soul.
It creates happiness and regret, sorrow and delight and the feeling that despite all that have happened within life things will get better in the future.
Conclusion
Based on what I heard I would have to say that Stanley Jordan is a remarkable artist with a great future ahead of him. His distinctive two handed playing style creates an absolutely beautiful melody that based on the audience reaction alone is deeply emotional and helps to sir pleasant feelings in others. On the other hand I would like to mention that I would like to see if he can create music with a more upbeat tone. It would be rather interesting to see this considering how well he played “Stairway to Heaven”.
Rani Singam is a famous vocalist in Asia and one of the most respected jazz singers. Her first album which was recorded in Los Angeles with Jeremy Monteiro as the producer is found in many places in the US and Asia. According to the US Jazz Newsletter of 2008, the album scored 4|4.
The recording of her second album entitled ‘Contentment’ took place in 2011 at Bennett studios in the US. The question that arises is whether this album is a new approach to jazz vocals. Definitely, it is an album that portrays her skills in song writing and the ability to compose original songs.
This article reviews ‘Contentment’ which is the latest album to be performed by Rani Singam. The performance remained one of the greatest highlights of the singer and her fans.
In her own words, Rani described contentment as one of the albums that was driven by her desire to become a singer. On 16th November 2011, she held a performance at Esplanade Recital Studio which was aimed at promoting the album. The fans treated the concert like early Christmas for them. The show was attended by more than 160 fans including her son and husband.
As Rani made her way to the stage, it was evident that the fans were filled with enthusiasm about her performance due to the anxiety they portrayed. They applauded and shouted jovially as she took the stage. On stage, she was accompanied by Chok Kerong playing piano, Christy Smith playing the bass, Greg Lyons on saxophone while the drums were played by Soh Wenming.
She took a period of one hour and 15 minutes as she performed a set of 10 songs from her second album contentment. When she started the performance, she demonstrated her unique capabilities in music and performance by creating a compelling musical atmosphere. Her performance quickly convinced the audience that the music was her own composition.
During the performance, she maintained an entertaining rhythm with each of the movements she made during the performance leaving the audience thrilled. She made the performance lively through constant physical movement on the stage as the audience clapped and cheered.
In composing the lyrics in the new album, Rani portrayed great effort as she did while doing live performances. All the ten songs in the album were created with the support of her musical partners. Blended with classical sounds, the lyrics were quite simple but undoubtedly touching.
Rani connected well with the audience through her stories in the songs and this created unforgettable memories of the performance in the minds of the fans. For instance the song ‘My Muse’ talked about her first crush in school while ‘Day Break’ was a story about her endearing memories in Switzerland.
As the concert approached its end, it reached its highest point as the crowd applauded Ran’s performance and requested for more songs. It was amazing that Rani managed such a performance considering that her earlier ambition was to become a lawyer. She changed her mind and decided to get into jazz music after attending Raffle Girl’s school. It was incredible that she had been a vocalist/composer of jazz music for only 10 years.
When the show ended, Rani Singam gave her fans a chance to sign on a table outside the studio. There was a long queue of people who wanted to meet her and talk to her. She embraced the love showed by her fans by smiling to them and initiating conversations with them. It was a good concert since all the fans left satisfied and hoped to attend her concerts once more.
This is a term that was once used to describe someone who learnt and developed slowly. It is a negative word that hurt many people. Instead, people use “intellectual disability” or “developmental delay”. Mental retardation has various categories; mild mental retardation, moderate mental retardation, severe mental retardation, and profound mental retardation. Mental retardation has many causes. The following are the causes: low IQ scores, genetic complications, childhood illness and injuries.
The media portray disabled people as the same with others. It also portrays people who succeed with disabilities while others live with them. The media make people feel better about the condition of this disabled people without having to accommodate them. Media improves people’s understanding of the disabilities.
Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump is a man who has low brain activity but he has devoted intention. He struggles throughout his childhood. He has one and only friend whose name is Jenny. He has a mother who teaches him the ways of life. She then leaves him to choose his destiny. She believes that her son has the same opportunities as anyone else and nothing can hold him back.
Forrest Gump chooses to join the army for service in Vietnam. This is where makes new friends by the names Dan and Bubba. He wins awards and starts a ping pong craze. Forrest creates a famous shrimp fishing fleet and inspires people to jog. He writes bumper stickers and songs.
He also meets the president several times. Despite all these, everything is irrelevant to him since he can only think about his childhood best friend-Jenny. At long last, he wants to prove to everyone that anyone can love anybody. A low IQ man gives his life’s story to people waiting in a bus station. A man with low intelligence has accomplished great things, which nobody could imagine is possible. “Forrest Gump” is a story of a man who rose above his challenges and proved that ability is less significant than courage, love, and determination.
This story covers the life of Forrest Gump and his meeting with the love of his life Jenny. Also, the film covers his accidental experiences with some of the most famous people and events in America including the meeting with Elvis Presley. He becomes a representative of the baby boomer generation having walked through life blindly.
Ways in which Forrest Gump was portrayed
The portraying of Forrest Gump is either in a positive or negative light. He has limited IQ and at the same time seems to have unlimited love and devotion for the love of his life Jenny (Robin Wright).
Gump’s color-blindness makes him involve himself with all black church, showing obedience to his loving mother and to the authorities around him. Gump’s film is off children due to the fallen world around him. Forrest did not have many friends. For example, during his first day in school, he could not board the school bus since no one could allow him sit next to him.
Depiction of intellectual disabilities
People with intellectual disabilities or learning disabilities are not able to give narrative about them. Many people do not know the meaning of intellectual disabilities. Therefore, it all depends with how this condition is culturally accepted and how it is known medically.
Name given to Forrest in the Movie
Children in school call him “stupid” and throw stones at Gump. His sweetheart Jenny tells him to run away. He miraculously breaks off his braces and runs extremely fast as if he did not have them previously. This name “stupid” brings about his meeting with many celebrates. For example, Elvis Presley comes to see him in his house while the president honours him with a medal.
Better understanding of mental retardation
People would get a better understanding of mental retardation in some cases like when Forrest becomes a celebrant and receives a medal of honour in all American football.
Many people cannot have a better understanding of mental retardation. They believe that mental retarded people do not have any ability to do anything. Others despise these people. They do not accept the in their families and look at them as a burden to them. Most of these retarded people end up begging throughout their lives. This is because they lack financial support from their families (Zigler 202).
The biggest advocates in the film
Forrest’s mother is an advocate who believes that her son is capable of doing what other people can. She tells her son that nothing can hold him back. Also, Jenny helps him by keeping him company to and from school. She helps him stop feeling out of place.
She loves him while others despise him although she then realises that she does not deserve his love. Also, the president who honours him with a medal is a leading advocate. He motivates him through awards. Through doing this, he makes him feel recognised in the society just like any other person.
Works Cited
Zigler, Edward, and Robert M. Hodapp. Understanding mental retardation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986. Print.
The aim of horror films and books is to cause fear and trepidation while at the same time entertaining and fascinating the viewers and readers. This discussion will look at two works of horror fiction, the film White Zombie by Victor Halperin and the tale The Thing on the Doorstep by H.P. Lovecraft. The discussion will explore the similarities and differences between the two works, with regard to the plot, characters, themes, and how these are used to bring about the effect of horror.
Discussion
White Zombie is the story of a girl’s conversion into a zombie. The film is set in Haiti, the originators of the voodoo culture. Voodoo culture involves the use of black magic to bring the dead back to life as zombies.
Neil Parker and Madeleine Short plan to get married, but an affluent Charles Beaumont sees Madeleine and falls in love with her. Murder Legendre is a master of voodoo cults who with the assistance of his zombie bodyguards steals dead bodies from graves for the cult purposes.
Charles seeks Murder’s assistance in order to win Madeleine’s love. Murder tells him that the only way is to turn Madeleine into a zombie through the use of a portion. Charles takes the portion and gives it to Madeleine, who dies shortly after her wedding to Neil. Charles and Murder go to her grave where they resurrect her, but as a zombie. Neil, on finding his wife’s empty grave, seeks help from a missionary, Dr. Bruner, who reveals that Murder has been using black magic to convert many of his enemies into zombies.
Charles’ plea to have Murder return Madeleine back to life falls on deaf ears. The portion begins to act on Charles too and he starts transforming into a zombie. Neil and Bruner defeat the zombies at the cliff and when Murder dies, Madeleine leaves her zombie state and returns back to life.
On the other hand, The Thing on the Doorstep is a horror tale that tells a zombie story about how Daniel Upton, the narrator, killed his friend Edward Derby, but he claims that he is not a murderer and hopes this story will prove his innocence. Daniel talks about his friend’s life, including his wedding to Asenath Waite. Edward tells Daniel odd stories about his wife and he believes that Ephraim Waite, her dead father, might still be alive.
Edward starts having seizures and illogical speech, and in one of these moments, he tells his friend Daniel that Ephraim lives in the body of his wife. Edward visits his friend Daniel and starts ranting about Asenath and Ephraim. Daniel takes him to Arkham Sanitarium, an asylum for insane people. Daniel is called and informed that Edward has been restored to health but he can see that it is not true.
His friend’s behavior looks different. Later, a weird looking creature visits Daniel with a letter from Edward. In the letter, Edward explains that he killed and buried his wife but she possessed his body at the Sanitarium. The messenger on Daniel’s doorstep was actually Edward living in his wife’s corpse. The letter urges Daniel to go to the Sanitarium and kill Edward, which he does. The Thing on the Doorstep was modified into a modern story and a movie produced in 2005.
In The Thing on the Doorstep, the story is narrated in first-person. The author creates suspense and tension by divulging scanty details of the terrifying story and leaving the rest to imagination. People are usually scared the most by the unknown because they keep imagining the worst possible scenarios. The readers get the details only through the narrator’s perspective, a mere onlooker, and not the one going through those experiences. Therefore, he can’t be able to tell the complete details (Giunta par 4).
There are several similarities between the two works. Firstly, both works apply the character traits of zombies to create fear. Zombies are imaginary beings, which are portrayed in horror fiction as walking corpses that are senseless. In White Zombie, zombies are portrayed as submissive creatures that are being controlled by human characters.
The zombies have a master, Murder Legendre. In The Thing on the door, zombies are beings with power and that control and torment human characters. When Asenath and Ephraim become zombies, they torment Edward. White Zombie and The Thing on the Doorstep are similar in that they are both successful in applying various devices to create the intended motive of horror fiction, which is fear.
Another similarity is the element of the voodoo culture of using black magic to bring the dead back to life as zombies. In White Zombie Murder uses black magic to bring Madeleine back to life. In The Thing on the Doorstep, both Ephraim and Asenath come back to life and reside in Edward’s body.
The director of White Zombie uses horrifying imagery and creepy shadows to cause fear to the viewers. He uses music to create a somber mood to rhyme with the ghostly scenes. In addition, it uses some sounds like the cry of a vulture and squeaking of the grinding mill to frighten the audience (Rhodes and Turner 20). On the other hand, in The Thing on the Doorstep, the author’s description of the messenger at Daniel’s doorstep is very frightening.
The creature has peculiar features and it stinks. Also the revelation that that creature was actually his friend Edward is horrendous. The urgency with which the letter implores Daniel to go and kill his friend Edward, who was actually Asenath, is spellbinding. It leaves the reader anxious and thinking of the possible danger that may befall the world if Daniel does not act according to Edward’s instructions.
Another clear similarity is that both works of fiction were produced in 1930’s, a time at which zombies were beginning to be featured in works of fiction. During this time, zombies were portrayed as brainless creatures that were subject to a master, unlike in the present day films where zombies are depicted as more powerful than human beings and actually eating human flesh and causing a lot of havoc and distress to them.
Conclusion
The above discussion has done a comparative analysis between White Zombie and The Thing on the Doorstep, two distinctive works of horror fiction that were done in the 1930’s. The discussion has sought to highlight the similarities between these two exceptional pieces of work. Despite the fact that one is a film and another book, these works are analogous in numerous ways, including bringing the effect of fear and horror through the use of zombies.
Sytangmatics could be defined as the element within a musical presentation, dealing with construction of sentences and phrases in original languages. The analysis of syntagmatics seeks to establish the usage of language within an audio presentation. A paradigmatic analysis, on the other hand, seeks to analyze the paradigms embedded onto a presentation. The paradigms within a film present the core from where syntagms become created.
Numerous discrepancies exist between the production of the film and the original stage performance of Rent. The presentations contain syntagmatic and paradigmatic discrepancies within the elements contained in the presentation. Though the fill could be identified as an adoption of the musical, there exist several syntagmatic and paradigmatic differences between the two presentations.
The setting for the original presentation occurs in the nineteenth century, essentially displaying the existing elements of the time. While the original presentation indicated Mimi (a character in both presentations) as suffering from tuberculosis, the adoption presented the sickness as HIV/AIDS.
The setting for these presentations could be accredited with the different presentation of the sickness. While tuberculosis might have been common in the nineteenth century, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the twentieth century presented a surmountable challenge.
While presenting a similar paradigm in sickness, a syntagmatic difference occurs through presentation of different sickness from the original presentation. The timing of the presentation necessitated the change as majority of the characters, presented in the adoption, suffer from HIV/AIDS infection.
Several songs within the theatre presentation do not appear in the film. The length of the original theatre script became an element that required numerous changes in production of the film. Several versions of the script continued to be presented through the years before completing the motion picture.
Numerous productions continued to be created through the years in seeking to compose a final script containing the desired elements of the developed film. In making the motion picture, numerous changes became imminent to the structure of the theatre presentation. The success achieved from the theatre release appeared to entice the producers to work on the desired elements of the presentation.
The background music used in the theatre presentation became transformed to spoken words in the film. The theme song for the motion picture became “Seasons of Love”, composed by Stevie Wonder. The motion picture contains fewer songs than the original Rent presentation.
Majority of the original soundtracks used in the theatre presentation became eliminated from the final motion picture presentation. The words presented in the songs used became spoken by the characters in the film. The theatrical presentation was performed in numerous languages within different countries. The film, however, only appeared in English language presenting a major language discrepancy between the presentations.
The conversion of the script into a film included omission of several parts of the acts contained. While the theatre presentation contained countable number of characters, the film included numerous minor actors who were not present in the theatrical presentation. The characters of the film represented the diverse cultures present in the New York population.
While the original presentation continues to be adopted in different versions, the film has maintained its features, including the language. The message contained in these presentations continues in similar modality within both of these presentations. The prevalent discrepancies, however, continues to distinguish these presentations from each other.
The painting under consideration entitled ‘The Adoration of the Shepherds’ was created by Andrea Mantegna in 1450. The dimensions of the painting are 40 x 55.6 cm. The medium is tempera on canvas. Notably, the painting was transferred from wood. The painter used rich and bright colors.
The picture reveals images of Christ, Maria, Joseph, two shepherds in the foreground and two figures of poor people in the background. It is necessary to note that the painter used lighter and brighter colors when painting the figures of Christ, Joseph and Maria. Thus, the painter makes the three figures stand out against the rest of the objects depicted (making them special). Maria is depicted in the center of the painting which hints that the Virgin is central to the painting.
Mantegna was famous for his precision. The painting under consideration justifies this fame as the painting is full of thoughtful details. The painter revealed facial expressions and clothes in detail. He also paid much attention to the background. For instance, the hill and the rock in the background are really stunning. The artist was also precise when depicting the sky. Perhaps, this precision makes the picture so lively and appealing.
It is important to note that the picture depicts one of the central stories in Christianity. Notably, at that time people were religious and there was no other religion than Catholicism in Italy and other western European countries. People followed all the conventions ‘prescribed’ and they regarded with profound reverence major figures, such as Christ, Maria, Joseph.
This deep reverence is manifested in the picture where the figure of Maria, Christ and Joseph stand out against the other images. The central figure of the painting is Maria. Her posture reveals her resignation and dignity. These two qualities of the Virgin were appreciated the most at the time when the painting was created.
It is also important to note that the artist was also precise when depicting the figures of shepherds. The viewer can understand the position of poor people at that time. They were wearing rags. They were accustomed to their position of suppressed people (the posture of these people suggests that they hardly ever stopped bowing).
They were dirty and miserable, but they had great faith in their hearts. This faith is what the artist portrayed perfectly well. However, the central theme of the painting is the story of the Christ’s birth. The painter depicts the jolly event using really bright colors.
As far as I am concerned, the painting is a great work of the Age of Renaissance. Mantegna exploited one of the central stories of Christianity. Obviously, the painter was raised in the epoch when religion was the only possible rule. The painting reveals this importance of Christianity in life of people who lived in the Age of Renaissance.
Notably, painters were not suppressed by conventions of the Middle Ages anymore and they could reveal the beauty of their religion. The painting makes me feel the beauty of Christianity as well. I start thinking of my own faith and the role of religion in my life. As for me, this is one of the best proofs that the painting is worthy.
I believe that paintings should make people think of really important things. The Adoration of the Shepherds is one of such evoking pictures. This is one of those pictures that make people attempt to become better than they are.
The paintings on Nefertiti and Shabtis are both renowned Egyptian paintings. They are both ancient paintings and had different significance to the Egyptian culture. These paintings differ in terms of size, symbolism and other functions.
One of the paintings is a full painting, while the other is only the bust. Shabtis according to the Egyptian culture were made of simple material such as single molds with little details. However, the shabtis shown on the painting is made of limestone, which means that it was an indication that it was from the tomb of a wealthy person.
Many differences can be drawn from the two paintings
Nefertiti is an Egyptian art painted on limestone, 1’8’’ in height and is found in the Egyptian Museum in Berlin. Nefertiti represents a prominent wife. She is portrayed as an elegant beauty. She has a pensive expression and delicate long neck. The first unfinished portrait of this elegant beauty was first found in Thutmose’s workshop (Kleiner, p47).
This painting is done on a limestone and it represents Akhenaton’s beauty queen. The name of this beauty queen means that the beautiful one has arrived. It exhibits a similar expression of entranced musing, mannered sensitivity, and the delicacy of its curved contours. The left eye socket lacks the inlaid eyeball, which makes the portrait look like a kind of a demonstration piece.
The portrait has an elegant bust, which means that it may have be comparing to a flower, which is still on its stalk that is slender, but is embroidered by the weight of the crown that is laid on the head of the sculpture. The bust is outstanding in that it is used for illustrating the Ancient Egyptians had regarding realistic facial proportions it is also exaggerated by the length of the serpentine neck.
The sculpture is adjusted to fit the actual likes of the ancient era portrait standard of a spiritual beauty. Nefertiti was an influential woman who frequently appeared in decorations of the temple and she not only equals her husband in size but also sometimes wore the pharaonic headgear.
The family portraiture of this portrait represents the sunken relief stele of the royal family, which perhaps is from the private shrine. The style used in this portrait is familiar with from the colossus of Akhenaton. The undulating curves represent the rigid lines and the figures possessed by the prominent bellies that were seen in the kings (Margaret, p123).
Shabtis Sennedjem is an Egyptian piece of art whose painting is done on limestone with polychrome. Its height is 9.75 inches. The shabtis were of varying sizes, and the majorities were ornate, with symbolic statements. It represents a miniature servant figures who are placed at the tombs and are supposed do any hard labours.
The name means servant who is in the place of truth. It has a Height: 28.3 cm, Width: 9.95 cm and a Depth: 8.8 cm. Shabtis functioned as substitutes for the deceased, their masters, and were expected to take their owner’s place. They were used in carrying out physical work in the afterlife. This finely painted limestone shabti of Sennedjem indicates a mummiform stature holding agricultural apparatus.
The inscription is skilfully painted in an eight parallel lines of black colouring on white environment around the mummiform’s body and legs. The hieroglyphs bear the name of the owner. Sennedjem represented the prospect on the wall of his compartment, in order to magically identify his property with regard to the gods and the other deceased. However, they actually work there, that is something else. Ushabtis made for the rich were often small works of art; the great mass of cheaply made ushabtis became standardized made from single molds with little details.
In the New Kingdom of Egyptians, some of the old funeral customs have over time transformed. For instance, an anthropoid tomb shape became consistent, and the dead were provided with a petite Shabti statue. The Egyptians alleged that the statue would perform work for the dead in the afterlife.
Elite funerals were often filled with stuff of daily use. They believed that during the time of the dead in the tomb some of the equipments that they had disappeared. This was a proof of the existence of the afterlife.
Therefore, all daily life objects disappear from tombs (Farida, Abeer, Farid, and Mathaf, p67). They most often only were limited to a selection of items especially made for the funeral. Also, in later funerals, the figures of shabti statues augmented. This increased such that in some funerals, records more than four hundred statues were placed.
To augment these Shabti statues, the departed could be buried with many different types of mysterious figurines to guard them from damage. Although the types of funeral goods transformed and altered all the way through prehistoric times in the Egyptian history. Their functions to protect the dead and provide nourishment to the afterlife remained a universal purpose.
Unlike Shabtis, the bust of Nefertiti is about 47 centimeters, which is approximately 19 inches tall. It weighs about 20 kilograms. It is based on the limestone core. The face of the painting is entirely symmetrical. It is almost intact under scrutiny. However, it can be observed that the inlay presented in the right eye is evidently more that it is present in the left eye.
Through close observation of the pupil of the right eye, it can be seen that it is made of inserted quartz that is highlighted with black paint. This inserted quartz is fixed to the eyehole using beeswax. The disappearance of the eyeball can be attributed to the age of the queen and it can also mean that the eyeball was lost during the ruins.
However, a close search has been made which has seemed to have futile results. The locale of the eye-socket is plain limestone. Nefertiti wears the distinct characteristic azure crown, which is known as the Nefertiti top crown. This crown has a golden diadem band. The band is looped in the region of the head forming horizontal like ribbons. These ribbons are joining at the back of the crown, which makes look like a feminine fashion.
Close study of the face, a cobra from the Uraeus origin can be seen over the brow of the face, which is broken in this painting. There is an interesting wide collar presented on the sculpture. This collar symbolizes the attire of the queen that is of royal origin. The ears of the sculpture have also been spoiled a little bit. One of the ears of the sculpture appears old and the texture looks rough.
Prominent artists have suggestions that with this painting of this elegant and well-designed bust, Thutmose may have been indicating and referencing it to a weighty flower on its trim sleek stalk by overstating the weight of the crowned head. This is also superimposed by the length of the almost serpentine neck.
Most of other Egyptian paintings had horizontal shoulders. For example, the painting of the Ushabtis had horizontal shoulders. Nefertiti had vertical shoulders, which was not common with the Egyptian artisans. Analysts have stipulated that the new approach seen in the Nefertiti ruined, is part of changes introduced by Akhenaten during his reign. Akhenaten is the renowned husband of Nefertiti.
According to literature, Nefertiti bust is a solemn reflection of the classical Egyptian art style. “It indicates the deviation from eccentricity and strangeness of the Amarna art style, which was developed and during Akhenaten’s reign” (Margaret, p123). Till the present times, no one knows the initial function of the bust. According to the theory, it is possible that the bust could be a model.
In conclusion, there are many differences between the sculpture paintings. Thought they are both similar in that they are both made of limestone and that they were both used by the rich people. Ushabtis unlike the Nefertiti is a piece of art with little details as it represented the servant.
The painting has folded arms, which is a sign of submission. They are small and are made of cheap material which is significant for its use. The headgear that is on Nefertiti’s head is a sign of superiority and it is portrayed by the Pharaonian golden headgear. Both paintings are different in terms of texture the measurements and size as well as their use and significance to the Egyptian culture. From the above differences and similarities observed, it can be concluded that the two paintings are different.
Works Cited
Farida. A., Abeer E., Farid S. A., and Mathaf A. The Egyptian Museum in Cairo: a walk through the alleys of ancient Egypt. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2005.
Kleiner S. F. Gardner‘s Art Through the Ages. Stamford: Cengage Learning, 2009.
Korean fine art entails different forms of art that originate from Korea such as pottery, calligraphy, literature, painting, music among other genres, which are characteristically identified by their bold colors, surface decorations, and natural forms. The history of Korean art spans back to the Stone Age period with the introduction of votive sculptures and petro glyphs, which can be dated back to the Neolithic art, Bronze Age art, and the Iron Age art eras (Cavendish 961; Armstrong 92).
Subsequently, different styles of art were introduced during the reign of different kingdoms and dynasties (Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla, Gaya, Unified Silla, Goryeo Dynasty, and the Joseon Dynasty) whereby the Chinese culture is credited for influencing the development of different styles of art that displayed elegance and spontaneity (Mayo, Rimer, and Kerkham 134).
However, contemporary art scholars note that the Korean culture, both traditional and modern, consists of a unique style of art that transmits the Chinese culture while assimilating its own unique art culture.
Therefore, it is apparent that Korea particularly South Korea offers vibrant art scenes characterized by creativity and innovation in different art genres (Cavendish 961). This paper explores the development of different genres of fine art such as traditional and contemporary dance, music, paintings, sculpture, and drama in Korea from 1950 to present.
The History of Fine Arts in Korea
Visual Arts
The fall of different Korean kingdoms and dynasties coincided with the development of Korean art from the ancient Chinese-influenced forms of art to more distinctive and unique styles of Korean art. During the 20th century, Korean calligraphy, painting, animation, comics, wood-blocks, and printing were influenced by the transition from Korean Shamanist art through Buddhist art, and finally, to Confucian art.
During this period, brush-strokes were used to communicate the artist’s personality through calligraphy, which also enriched the subject matter of the painted works.
Moreover, fabric arts as captured through Choe Eun-sun’s work involved embroidery in screen-work, wall decorations, weaving, and designing costumes. Fabric art was also represented through the works of carpet and rug weavers who produced different saddle blankets, imperial dragon carpets, saddle covers, and tiger rugs for different occasions and personalities.
In addition, paper artistry included the use of hand-made paper-works in designing window screens, floor covers, paper fans, paper figures, and for printing. In fact, the use of paper derived from mulberry roots dates back to thousands of years according to studies conducted in 1960, which revealed that the paper could last about 1000 years (Cavendish 961-963; Connor 265).
Painting is another form of visual art, which has been used to celebrate nature and religious themes over the years. However, beginning the 18th century to the present, many artists use painting to depict daily life and different landscapes.
For example, the Japanese occupation (1910-1945) is credited for the introduction of western oil-painting, which has since influenced the contemporary South Korean paintings most of which are housed in the National Museum of Contemporary Art (Mayo, Rimer, and Kerkham 135). Through these 20th century art paintings, it is evident that the South Korean artists have continued to employ the western oil-painting styles with a redefined mixture of classical Korean themes, which demonstrate their originality.
Moreover, the contemporary painting styles used in Korea demand that the artist understands the Korean ceramics, pottery, and textures considering that brush-strokes weigh more in judging the Korean artist’s work. Notable Korean artists who combine the contemporary western and distinctive Korean painting styles include Suh Yongsun, Tschoon Su Kim, and Junggeun Oh among others (Cavendish 963).
As opposed to South Korea, which still embraces the socialistic art styles, North Korean artists have introduced completely different forms of visual arts exemplified through the production of patriotic films that have dominated the North Korean culture from 1949-1994.
These patriotic films have revived the use of architecture, neo-traditional painting, and fabric art to communicate political statements and represent various dramatic landscapes. This revolution has seen the emergence of politically-charged revolutionary posters, documentary films, visual crafts, realistic paintings, and exportable needlework by renowned North Korean painters such as the Fwhang sisters whose painting style is a mixture of western and Far East techniques (Armstrong 92; Cavendish 900).
Ceramics, Sculpture and Metal Crafts
The production of different forms of ceramics spans six centuries since the introduction of the celadon vases (blue-green in color) production techniques by the Chinese. Since then, the Korean people have owned the techniques with a few changes such as the introduction of the inlaid designs, which represent different natural motifs.
Currently, pottery that combines the traditional and modern techniques is the most famous activity taking place in Inchon whereby artisans are involved in producing quality ceramics. On the other hand, the introduction of sculpture dates back to the Buddhism era whereby stone, bronze, and wood were the main raw materials used to carve images of Buddha and pagodas as exemplified by the Buddhist sculpture at the Sokkuram Gotto Shrine (Kyongju).
Despite the decline of Buddhist sculpture with the emergence of Confucianism, modern sculpture has been widely practiced since the 1960s in different places including plazas, streets, and parks across South Korea (Cavendish 961-969). Metal craft is another form of ancient art exemplified by the ancient decorated bronze structures that can be found all over South Korea.
Furthermore, history has it that the ancient Shilla artisans are well known for the use of gold and jade in cramming tombs and producing bronze bells such as the Divine Bell of King Songdok. Many other ancient handicrafts such as gilt crowns, ornaments, and pots have been excavated and are now available at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul.
Currently, handicrafts are uniquely designed for specific purposes as opposed to their aesthetic value. Furthermore, there has been a sporadic change from the traditional techniques of using metal, fabric, and wood to the modern techniques employing glass, paper, and leather (Cavendish 970).
Korean architecture and interior design has a long history, which can be seen through the traditional Korean gardens and palaces. In these gardens and palaces, ancient ideographs can be seen. The ideographs display various geometric, animal, plant, and nature patterns (motifs), which offer an aesthetic value to different architectural structures. Some of the most famous geometric designs and patterns, which have stood the test of time, include squares, triangles, concentric circles, and diamonds among others.
Conversely, some rock carvings were designed to represent animal patterns, and in most cases they coincided with the food-gathering seasons. However, the current use of different architectural and interior design patterns involves the decoration of doors, temples, shrines, spoons, furniture, and other objects to add an aesthetic value (Cavendish 965-970; Connor 265).
Performing Arts
Performing arts in Korea encompass the art of story-telling/comedy, tea ceremonies, musical arts and theatre, dance, literature, and poetry. The tea ceremony is usually held in a specific house characterized by its own unique architecture within the garden. In the tea house, ritualized conversations, pottery, traditional costumes, and poetry are important aspects of art that offer an artistic and cultural experience for the attendees.
On the other hand, musical arts and theatre have had a long history in South Korea with a few changes, which have led to the emergence of different categories of music in Korea including traditional, western, and a mixture of Western and Eastern styles. Traditionally, music was categorized into folk music and p’ansori (a musical narrative involving folktales and novels).
These categories of traditional music have been preserved and classically developed into new music since the establishment of the Korean Traditional Performing Arts Center in 1951 (Cavendish 961-980). Contemporary music in Korea has the same test of audiences as other forms of western music despite that most Korean artists perform using various stringed instruments while some are well known for their prowess as symphony directors.
World music has also influenced Korean music despite efforts made to differentiate it from other Western and Eastern forms, and currently, the Korean musicals is a representative of various innovations and revivals of Korean music in the 21st century. Conversely, post 1945, the Korean masks have found extensive use in folk-art dramas and as tourist artifacts (Cavendish 976-981).
Dance and Theatre are other important forms of performing arts, which have been rediscovered in South Korea as early as the 1980s with the declaration by the government that the few remaining dances should be preserved and protected by the Intellectual Property protection laws.
Furthermore, the establishment of the Korean Culture and Arts Foundation has also accelerated the development of performing arts and the preservation of traditional dramas. Currently, contemporary dance and ballet thrives in the presence of many companies and ballet troops housed in the National Theatre in Seoul, which is basically dedicated to promoting traditional music, drama, and dance.
Moreover, the Sejong Cultural Center in Seoul is also dedicated to the development of orchestras, choirs, and dance. Despite narrative storytelling based on dramatic songs or physical comedians thriving over the years, it is still dominated by male performers (Connor 265-270; Cavendish 990). Moreover, South Korea and Korea in general has not seen the emergence of Stand-up Comedy due to the underlying cultural considerations, and thus, more needs to be done to promote performing arts from this perspective.
Works Cited
Armstrong, Charles, A. The North Korean revolution, 1945-1950. New York: Cornell University Press, 2004. Print.
Cavendish, Marshall. World and its Peoples: eastern and Southern Asia. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Corporation. Print.
Connor, Mary, E. The Koreas. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO Publishers, 2009. Print.
Mayo, Marlene J., Rimer, Thomas J., and Kerkham, Eleanor, H. War, occupation, and creativity: Japan and East Asia, 1920-1960. United States of America: University of Hawaii Press. Print.