Ancient Art Videos

1.     Explain why you selected each of the three videos you choose from the selection listed above.

A World Inscribed: The Illuminated Manuscript

·         I chose this film because I find the history of writing and reading to be fascinating and I love the details that were used in handwriting in the Middle Ages.

Cairo Museum

·         I was interested in learning more about Egyptian art, it’s so different from what we have around here and I think it’s beautiful.

2.     For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

A World Inscribed: The Illuminated Manuscript

·         In the Early Middle Ages only the elite and monks knew how to read and write.

·         Monks wrote to spread the word of the bible and ward off demons.

·         “For every line, letter and point a sin is forgiven.” This was a common inscription used with monks in the Early Middle Ages.

·         Illuminators got paid by the length of the work.

·         Printing presses eventually replaced scribes.

More Human than Human

·         The human body has been of interest to artists for many many years.

·         The Venus of Willendorf started off an obsession with humans unrealistic views of humans in art.

·         The Egyptians of the Nile did not use the exaggerated features when depicting the human body in art.

·          The Greeks depicted their gods in human form and placed them inside their temples so they could hear the peoples’ prayers.

·         Greeks expanded on Egyptian sculptures and focused on more detailed representations.

Cairo Museum

·         5,000 years of history is included inside the museum.

·         The basement of the museum has thousands of art pieces and artifacts that have never been visible to the public.

·         The process of restoring and putting back together ancient pieces of art is overwhelmingly painstaking and takes a great deal of effort from multiple people.

3.     How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

A World Inscribed: The Illuminated Manuscript

·         It elaborated on the information given on page 352 of the book, and showed more examples of how illumination is done, and how the scribes worked.

More Human than Human

·         By starting from the beginning and showing how art has evolved and especially the art of the human body and including the history that goes along with it.

Cairo Museum

·         This video told the stories behind what is written in the book. The textbook has many facts but the video provides more of a history and examples of stories of archaeologists.

4.     What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

A World Inscribed: The Illuminated Manuscript

·         This film added a deeper understanding of what was given in the book. The actors portrayed the people of the Early Middle Ages that used to work as scribes and illuminators.

More Human than Human

·         I enjoyed this film. I especially enjoyed the story of the man who found two Greek bronze statues under the sea. The videos go into a deeper understanding of art history. This video also added interesting stories to add to the understanding of how art in regards to the human body evolved.

Cairo Museum

·         This video was very interesting, and probably my favorite of the three videos. The human foot with the plastic toe was very interesting. All of the mummies are so interesting, they are creepy but the preservation of the mummies is amazing. The intricate details of the museums basement are crazy, it must be amazing to be able to go down there and look through everything.