The wood stone carved statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara sitting upon a lion has gone through many depictions when passed down from India to China. One possible depiction can be representing the lack of identity for a woman while the opponent power, a male influence, restricts that. The sculpted art was created in the late fourteenth to fifteenth century exemplifying an exterior beauty supported by his high cheekbones and a rounded chin below the blushed red perked lips to shape a feminine beauty of the typical Chinese woman. Grounding the bodhisattva’s body to sit atop the lion was the masculine chest followed by the clenched bulky feet. This can demonstrate the suppressing of the woman’s abstract mind to the male’s physicality to be presented in a society as something further depreciated. Nevertheless, it is showing that the body of the bodhisattva to have an unstable gender identity. Observing male-female conflict, the lion sitting on the bottom is shown with a braid-like symbol on its neck that controls the way it can turn its head, such as a dog wears a leash to be in the boundaries of its owner. This is probably to neglect the sight of female intelligence being able to move forward as the mechanics of a human body does.
Furthermore, the position of the legs has one on the lion and the other leg that rests on the pedestal. This can mean one leg being forced to stay in this type of conformity while the other wants to walk towards something that enables it some type of freedom. In fact, “…, the raised right and pendant lower leg are often found in representations of the Bodhisattva Alalokiteshvara, who takes the well-known Water Moon form, in China the most popular manifestation of this bo...
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...der is that its varying messages from the sculpture have puzzled its viewers as to what its meaning can be. “For the myths tell us that from the mystical perspective the distinctions between male and female…-as between time and eternity, pluralism, and monism- are meaningless”(TECHNIQUES OF THE WORLD SAVIORS: Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, part two from The Myth of the Great Secret: An Appreciation of Joseph Campbell [Celestial Arts, 1990], Toby Johnson). Although both influences of a male and female have crossed together, the mythical stories of the goddess or god have represented the need for a stronger female aspect. To hold it as high of a position as a goddess can have and make its display for the entire world to see, this piece of evidence not only tells the tale of the Chinese woman’s adversity, but of the adversity of women everywhere.
When that room is entered all voices are hushed, and all merriment silenced. The place is as holy as a church. In the centre of the canvas is the Virgin Mother with a young, almost girlish face or surpassing loveliness. In her eyes affection and wonder are blended, and the features and the figure are the most spiritual and beautiful in the world's art.
As time kept passing, more and more magnificent sculptures were made by numerous artists. One of the most memorable sculpture was Aphrodite of Knidos, goddess of love and beauty. Back in the Late Classical Period, the civilians were only used to seeing ideal male nude bodies, but Praxiteles decided to make a different approach and sculpted the first female nude. Because he obviously had never seen a goddess before, he used his imagination and sculpted bathing Aphrodite as humanlike possible. He did not make it look idealistic, but instead made it beautiful with flaws.
The statue that will be the focus of this paper portrays the figure “Amida, the Buddha of Infinite Light.” Like many other statues of the Buddha, this Amida Buddha was portrayed to be deep in meditation, sitting cross-legged. A viewer could observe that the Amida Buddha is making a hand gesture while in deep meditation. These gestures, also known as “mudras,” are symbolic in the Buddhist religion, and they are used to convey certain ideas (O’Riley 70). In this case, the Amida Buddha is making the mudra of appeasement (“Amida”). More physical observations could be made by pointing out the “balanced form, divine features, and flowing drapery” (“Amida”) of the Amida Buddha. Those qualities represent the nature of the Buddha, revealing him as “transcendent, graceful, and compassionate” (“Amida”). Features common to other Buddha sculptures show up on this Amida Buddha, like the elongated earlobes, the mole on his forehead, and patterned hair. At first glance, the Am...
On the other side, I noticed a standing statue called “Quan Yin” that I have often encountered. It was an Avalokiteshvara from the Sui dynasty (581-618) made of limestone (Metropolitan Museum Plaque). Unlike the Quan Yin statue at home or any of the ones I have seen, it was difficult to pinpoint the gender of this Saint. I often hear people ask if “Quan Yin” was really a female, but throughout my learning experience it was mainly worshipped by women and given the status as female. Perh...
This carved schist shows Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of mercy and compassion. The divine statue is standing in front of a nimbus while clutching some sort of garment in his left hand. Most of his right arm seem to have fallen off. Only his lower body is is cover in clothes. He is also wearing several neck less that are attached to his ears as well. On the base of the statue four other Bodhisattva’s are carved surrounding someone who appears to be Buddha.
...ssion of Jizo Ceremony. This is where people confess the guilt they gained over the faults they made during the year in hopes to get rid of bad Dharma. They pray that Jizo will bestow them permanence and continue to protect their children. This is related to confession in the Catholic traditions. “In some vicinities, children believe that tapping their forehead against the beads will bring them luck.” (Schumacher) In many areas, children are allowed to paint the faces of the statues or dress them in new red hats and robes. Red lanterns are hung at Jizo memorials and youths eat red-colored food. This is a fun but also regaining time for many people and children. It gives adults the opportunity to try and make up for what they did and being aware in the present moment. It also allows children to participate in an event of actions of kindness, games, festivities, etc.
One of the most important differences between the classical Egyptian poem “My god my Lotus” and the Chinese poem “Fishhawk” is the representation of female sexuality. In terms of female sexuality, the ancient Egyptian poem “My god my Lotus” is clear, dramatic and visual. The physical appearance of women indicates freedom of sexual expression regardless of their gender. For instance, in the poem the girl is says “My heart longs to go down to bathe before you, that I may show you my beauty in a tunic of the finest royal linen.” here she is describing her technique of attracting her lover. She is also describing her desire for her loved one by saying “My heart desires you, Let us release it to...
Certain parts of her body are heavily exaggerated; she has overly huge breast, her stomach is large and as well as her butt. She appears to be smooth and her parts of her body I would consider to be very symmetrical. The artist that created her has chosen to exaggerate her breast and make them appear large and full. As well as they have done with her stomach, by making it appear overly large and to symbolize fertility or a late stage of pregnancy for women. The artist carriers, this plumpness and roundness of the female figure throughout out the stature. The artist has demonstrated plumpness of the female figure through her legs and carries it to her back side as well. The one aspect of this figure the artist had heavily rendered in detail, is the figures female genitalia. The genitalia is heavily rendered to show a female reproductive organs. It’s this aspect of the sculptural nature that makes me think that the artist had created her for fertility reasons.
Perhaps this is a direct response to the eroticization of owning a painting produced by a woman; the representation’s realism prevents the presumably male audience from viewing her face in entirety. Her body is shown in action and foreshortened, removing any possibility for it to be compared to the perfectly proportioned female figures so often used to
India has produced provocative (From Western standards) sculptures, from Mithuna the Hindu, representation of male and female sculpture locked in a passionate embrace. During the time period of 500 through the 1300 CE, Hindu temple architecture, and sculpture reached new levels of imagination and complexity. A great example would be the Mithuna couple showed in a tight hug with the female leg crossed over the males arms wrapped around each other, and what appears to be the couple kissing, which on western standards, would exhibit a state of an erotic pose. India’s artistic ability’s showed an advanced style, when it produced the marvelous Shiva Nataraja, Lord of the dance, from southern India, Chola period, eleventh century, Bronze height 5ft surrounded by a ring of fire, Shiva dances the eternal rhythms of the universe, birth , death, and rebirth. This sculpture too, not one of eroticism, just magnificent with a women dancing inside a ring of fire, the overall size, just added to the statue, and present of this piece of art. Hindu devotional practices elevate, and promote a sculpture, to an individual’s state of looking or gazing at God’s image; Hinduism holds that God is present in its representations, thus visual contact with a sculpture is like viewing the divine. This is referred to as darshan (Literally, “seeing and being seen by the God”) the very act of beholding the image is an act of worship. Gothic design with its flare, when thinking about sculptures it leads you to the grotesque’s gargoyles waterspouts, these were grotesque figures or hybrid beasts that adorn the rooftops or flying buttresses of the Gothic cathedrals, and were said to ward off evil. The one’s adorning Notre Dame , in Paris are astonishing , Whe...
Bodhisattva, a sculpture from the region of central Tibet, is now being displayed in the Rubin Museum in New York. It is a large-scale sculpture, standing at approximately 6 7/8 inches, that was made by craftsmen recruited in Tibet, whom were known for their artistic skills. Bodhisattvas are awakened beings who aspire to attain enlightenment and help others to achieve it by postponing nirvana and buddhahood. This sculpture is portrayed in a harmonious and compassionate state. The Bodhisattva is showcased as a mentor figure, seeking to help others achieve Enlightenment, through the presence of its physical elements.
Laura Mulvey’s argument of phallocentricism/voyeurism is also referenced in Chang’s “Shaved (At a Loss). Psychoanalysist Laura Mulvey says that the utilization of phallocentricism in all forms of art and media is the way in which men remain in a powerful position; therefore, keeping our society in a patriarchal state. Chang, and all women are disempowered by their lack of penis, and Chang’s lack is made particularly clear by the exposure of her genitalia she exhibits in her performance. The idea of a patriarchal society is furthered by the attention Chang brings to the power the male gaze truly possess over women as a gender, which is largely due to the heavy patriarchy in our many cultures. In “Shaved (At a Loss)”, Chang provides the her audience with the fulfillment of what the male gaze stere...
There are different styles to Lion Dancing and they are each represented in various ways. For example, the Buddhists believe this dance spreads courage, energy, and wisdom to people. This is because Lion Dancers use fighting tiger and crane poses to make themselves look powerful. In other lion dance troupes, their stances can represent specific animals just from the movements of their feet. The head of the lion also represents different animal forms by the symbols and decorations on it. For instance, the curved horn on top of the head represents a phoenix and the ears and tail represent a unicorn. Some may assumed lion dancing is only done on Chinese New Year and Harvest Moon, but this kind of dance is also used to bless people on special days such as birthdays, weddings, and grand openings for stores.
This piece is to go against what a typical outsider views an asian women and women in general. The piece is created using sharpie and graphite and it’s to challenge the norm of what a women typically does, which is the expectation to be a housewife and take care of everything to do with the house. In piece, the figure is simply relaxed on the chair, reading her daily newspaper, smoking and the alcohol on the floor is to indicate her freedom and how she does not give a single fuck about anything.
Rossetti shows us the woman being painted as many different things. Although she is just a painting, the woman symbolizes how the artist views women in real life: as objects. Irony is used when the woman is painted as “a queen”(5). She is put on a pedestal in a position of power, yet she is only described as being “in [an] opal or ruby dress”(5), cementing her role as an ornament. The ruby symbolizes passion and perhaps promiscuity. Opal is a white stone that reflects many colors. White symbolizes purity; while the different colors reflected symbolize how her meaning can change, and how the artist controls her identity and can make her fit any persona he desires. The woman is also depicted as a “nameless girl”(6), indicating her identity is not important to the artist. It also shows that he does not personally know the women he’s painting, but only their looks, affirming that he bases their value off of their appearances. Lastly, the artist portrays a woman as “a saint [and] an angel”(7) and compares her to the “moon”(11), an allusion to Artemis, the goddess of virginity. In this painting, she is established as a pure virgin, which was a requirement of the time period Rossetti lived in. However, because it is one of the fantasies the artist creates, and the poem antagonizes him, this line also expresses the idea that a woman’s purity should not define her. He makes the innocent virgin and the licentious queen the only ways women can be viewed. Yet, they are the same to him. Lacking depth, their physical description is the only thing giving them any meaning. Rossetti describing the portraits conveys the idea that no matter the position in society; or what their actual personalities are like, women are just blank canvases for men to project their fantasies onto. Uninterested in a real person, the artist worships the idea of a