Blog #3 - Can We See Through Time?

This week I really gained some new insight into the clash of cultures occurring as the Spaniards encountered the Aztecs and the indigenous people as well as the responses in this historical maelstrom. The lecture on the use of different elements in art that allowed cultures to co-exist bringing in symbols in the terms of juxtaposition, syncretism and convergence were enlightening. They have triggered thoughts about the world of art over all and how much of these types of elements that exist. It makes me want to go back and look closer at other pieces of art to try to discover more of what artists incorporate with a hidden meaning. It also makes me realize that even though I try my best I will always be impaired by having a cultural lens opaque from the impact of the time that has passed and the culture blends that have been embedded in my own mind and perspective. How does one break through such barriers to see the hidden meanings? Is this what brings the mystery and the ever changing perspective as one tries to view pieces of art in the context of their own culture, times and places. How do we build a lens of clarity that allows us to see across the gap of time and to understand such art?

Blog#2 - The Conquest of the Aztecs

It is sobering to take in the culture and art of the people that lived in meso-America as represented by their art and mythology as well as the first-hand accounts of the Spaniards that encountered the civilization during the 15th century. I am struggling with trying to take in the time line, the different people living throughout the current area as well as the complex pieces of art that represent them. I sense that the monumental architecture is relatively well preserved, but I wonder, and suspect, that the numerous pieces of art we are taking in is but a fraction of the ones that existed five hundred years ago. I wonder what powerful pieces of art that have forever disappeared into the cracks of time? Regardless, one of the things I am picking up in this segment in the class is my own difficulty in relating to the religious, ritualistic and symbolic aspects of the art. It is beautiful and intricate, but gives me a sense of incomprehensibility. I would like to learn more of the daily life of the Aztecs as well as their mythology in order to understand their art better.


As I was watching the film of the Aztecs I finally understood the impact of the politics of the Aztecs as they ruled over their neighbors. I had always wonder how Cortes and his men (even in the light of being perceived as gods) could manage to take over a whole culture so quickly. Even with the Machiavellian cleverness and brutality that Cortes represented it seemed as an impossibility to accomplish such a goal. However, with the hostility towards the Aztecs that had been brewing in the surrounding people it makes sense that allies were important. The numerous diseases that spread throughout the country is a known entity as this has been put forward very strongly in studies on populations of native Americans in North America. It has been stated that population levels fell strongly in tribes far away from the Europans, so it is understandable that these European germs had such a strong impact on the Aztecs and the surrounding people. It it is mind numbing to consider how a civilization of this caliber fell as a small cohort of Spaniards entered its capital.


My mind wandered towards the beauty that must have been Tenochtitlan as a city surrounded by water, marshes and canals. I wish we could step into a time machine just for a moment....

Blog#1 - Three Pieces of Art

'Nike': I fell in love with this piece the first time I saw it. To me the sculpture pulsates with beauty and mystery. The delicate movement of her hand; the ripples in her cloth so skillfully made giving rise to shadows playing over her body; the active movement in her body almost makes it a snapshot that has lasted through time. As I gaze at this wondrous sculpture the absence of her head makes me wonder about her face, who she was. I wonder about the people that has passed by this sculpture back in Greece when it still had a head and most likely was painted in bright colors. It is simply beautiful and I must admit that I have loved the piece since the first time I saw it. It brings out the mystery of life and the immensity of time. Both of these aspects bring out wonder in me and perhaps represent my wish to immerse myself in the mystery of time itself?

'Lady of Shallot' by William Hunt. This painting has been in my mind's eye for many years. My perception of the image represents the weaving of life - the power of making and fitting the pieces together in a complex web. The Lady herself is beautiful in her movement in the midst of the sparkling colors of the painting. Her hair is suspended in wild locks radiating the power of contemplation. I think it represents my belief in beauty as a force of life. There is also a touch of magic in the painting perhaps representing the wish for such invisible strings to exist in our scheduled modern lives?

'Birthday' by Marc Chagall. The painting represents the transcendence of a moment, of being happy of being two, of being both - moments that lift two individuals into a new realm. It reveals my own belief in that it is possible to build strength with another, to form bonds and bring forward a new reality together. There is much power in Chagall's image.