The Color Black

Black hasn't always been known as a color you know? Before Newton's discovery of the color spectrum, black and white were not considered as colors. Throughout history, black has been known to be used only as the color for underground spaces such as the prehistoric caves. In Egypt, black was associated with death while in Europe during the Middle Ages, it symbolized demons, evil, the devil, or ill omens. Until the Romanesque period, black began to be used as a color not associated with evil. It began to be used as the color for robes in the monastic order. Today, black is used all over especially in fashion. It is now considered one of the six major hues even though it may not be as liked as other bright colors.

Why is it that black was considered evil or death? Why didn't yellow become associated with evil? Do we attach symbols or meanings to colors? Is it cultural or something else?

The first paragraph is a summary of the article The Color That Wasn't a Color by Ann Landi.

Stolen Painting Returned to Germany

A U.S. University returned a painting that was stolen more then six decades ago from Berlin during World War II. The Flagellation of Christ was among many that were stolen from a Berlin museum from British and Russian soldiers. 

“One of the many tragedies associated with World War II was the loss of countless works of art that were stolen, confiscated, looted, pillaged or destroyed,” Michael McRobbie, the president of Indiana University, said during a handover ceremony at the German capital’s Charlottenburg Palace.

Art is often stolen during war. Do you think that art should be returned to where it was created?

Source: The Washington Post

NY museum galleries refocus gaze on Islamic art

By By Ellen Freilich

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fifteen renovated galleries offer fresh perspective on the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection of more than 12,000 Islamic works of art spanning 13 centuries and an area ranging from Spain to India.

About 1,200 pieces of art will be on view at any one time with displays of textiles and works on paper changing frequently due to the sensitivity of these materials to light.

A re-thinking of the Islamic art collection, developed alongside the museum's years-long renovation project, led to the new galleries being named to reflect the range of nations and empires that produced the art.

While the collection was once succinctly termed Islamic Art, the museum now describes the works inhabiting the galleries as "Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and Later South Asia."

The new emphasis on geography grew out of the view that while religion unifies the collection, region diversifies it.

For the whole article: Islamic art
Hopefully with more museum galleries like these, we get to look up to countries like Islam for their art and culture. What do you think?

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DNA Reveals Leopard Spotted Horses

What exactly are those spots on the horse in this cave painting? I know that in class I have learned one possible explanation of these spots found in cave paintings, but here is another. 

Researchers at the University of York along with a team of fellow scientists from all over the world have run cutting edge DNA analysis on bone specimens from horses dating back as far as 35,000 years ago. They found that four of the samples originating in Europe carried the gene associated with modern leopard spotting, strongly suggesting these markings existed back then and cave painters were accurately capturing the horses they saw.

Here is the link for the full article: Gizmodo

Ancient Art: Skulls

The other day I was thinking about how the ancient people of Jericho decorated their skulls and placed them in their homes for display. Why is it that we find that disturbing? We admire the Dia de los Muertos art; it includes decorated candy skulls and many little figures dealing with skeletons of the dead. Most of them represent people with the use of cloth. We do not find this disturbing, but a skull that is decorated from Jericho is. Maybe it may be the fact that the skull is from the deceased person itself and decorated to look life-like. Imagine having a skull of a close relative on the living room shelf! How disturbing!

Why do you think?

Metropolis II

"an intense and a complex kinetic sculpture, modeled after a fast paced, frenetic modern city."

This exhibition is unique in the fact that it uses small scale RC cars to portray its fast-paced 21st century environment.

"Miniature cars speed through the city at 240 scale miles per hour; every hour, approximately 100,000 cars circulate through the dense network of buildings. According to Burden, "The noise, the continuous flow of the trains, and the speeding toy cars, produces in the viewer the stress of living in a dynamic, active and bustling 21^st Century city."

LACMA does not give an exact date of its release as they state "Coming soon Fall 2011"

See for yourself at: http://www.lacma.org/art/exhibition/metropolis-ii

I'm curious to know how loud all these vehicles really are!

Sculpture of Ai WeiWei Corpse Spooks German Town

BERLIN (Reuters Life!) - A mock corpse of Chinese dissident artist Ai WeiWei in an art gallery has caused commotion in a small German town, leading some panicked residents, mistaking the statue for a real body, to alert the police.

The life-size sculpture of a dead-looking Ai -- which lies face-down on the floor in front of large glass windows -- has shocked passersby on the street.

"Several people had already called within days of the exhibition going up," said Peter Steger from the police office in Bad Ems, the town where the work can be seen.

The Chinese artist He Xiangyu said he intended to praise Ai WeiWei's efforts to criticize corruption and censorship in the Chinese government despite the threat of imprisonment.
Ai was detained without charge for 81 days earlier this year, a move by China that drew heavy criticism from Western governments.
Ai said on Tuesday that China's communist government had ordered him to pay 15 million yuan ($2.4 million) in taxes and fines allegedly due from the company he works for.
He Xiangyu used actual human hair hand-knotted onto plastic and fiberglass to create the statue's realistic qualities. The statue in Bad Ems is one of three copies. ($1 = 6.355 Chinese Yuan)
(By Natalia Drozdiak, editing by Paul Casciato | Reuters – Wed, Nov 2, 2011)

Would you have mistaken this piece as a real corpse?