To my mind, inspiration is a sudden break of creativity that a person can employ in the creation of a work of art. Literally anything can act as an inspiration, whether it is personally experiencing Michaelangelo's Universal Judgement of Capella Sistina or a casual chat with a friend.
niedziela, 21 października 2012
Presentation notes
My notes, taken during the 3 presentations about masks around the world
The first presentation shown in class was concentrating on masks originating from Africa. It was very informative, presenting both the types of masks and methods used to produce them, along with their main uses. Similarly to Europe, the occupation of a maskmaker was on of the most
sacred in Africa. The basic material for African masks was wood and
valuable examples also incorporated elements made of copper or ivory. Sometimes, sacrificial blood was also an important ingredient for symbolical reasons. The masks often were modelled for animals, so to symbolize a union with nature. Nevertheless, the main area of employment of masks in Africa was ritual purposes. Their ceremonial role was most often to control the lone spirits of a tribe's forefathers.
The subsequent presentation was about the appearance of masks in Europe. It was very interesting and attention-grabbing, despite the fact that the presentation contained very detailed information on the topic. It has shown that the first masks used in Europe were of pagan culture, where they were used for rituals and represented wild animals. Also, an important appearance of masks was in ancient Greek theatre, where they were used for theatrical role-play. Later, the presentation describes the significant role that masks played in Venice, mainly during the carnival. Masks of that period were made with wax cloth and plaster, although silver, gold or other valuable materials were not uncommon in more expensive examples (usually made for usage during the carnival).
The last presentation was the one prepared by my group, it featured masks in Asian culture. Similarly to African masks, Asian masks also found their main use in ritual undertakings and shamanism (for example in Korea or Indonesia). However, for instance Japanese masks were mainly utilized in various forms of art presentation. Other uses include war (the Korean army used masks on soldiers to introduce the factor of fear into the battle). And perhaps the most well-known usage is in the Chinese opera, where exceptionally colorful specimens were employed.
The subsequent presentation was about the appearance of masks in Europe. It was very interesting and attention-grabbing, despite the fact that the presentation contained very detailed information on the topic. It has shown that the first masks used in Europe were of pagan culture, where they were used for rituals and represented wild animals. Also, an important appearance of masks was in ancient Greek theatre, where they were used for theatrical role-play. Later, the presentation describes the significant role that masks played in Venice, mainly during the carnival. Masks of that period were made with wax cloth and plaster, although silver, gold or other valuable materials were not uncommon in more expensive examples (usually made for usage during the carnival).
The last presentation was the one prepared by my group, it featured masks in Asian culture. Similarly to African masks, Asian masks also found their main use in ritual undertakings and shamanism (for example in Korea or Indonesia). However, for instance Japanese masks were mainly utilized in various forms of art presentation. Other uses include war (the Korean army used masks on soldiers to introduce the factor of fear into the battle). And perhaps the most well-known usage is in the Chinese opera, where exceptionally colorful specimens were employed.
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