Religious Influence on Japanese Art Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Religious Influence on Japanese Art - Term Paper Example Japanese art spans a wide range of media and styles including ancient pottery, wood and bronze sculptures, silk and paper calligraphy, ink painting and performing arts (Nobutaka 52). Japan has historically been subjected to invasions by new and alien cultures, ideas and religions. As the Japanese assimilated and imitated the foreign cultural and religious elements, their forms of art also took a shape influenced by the changes (Tsutsui 104). Although a majority of Japanese people are not exclusively identified as adherents of a certain religion, the strongest indigenous religion is Shinto (Sokyo 89). Buddhism and Confucianism strongly influenced prehistoric Japanese art. It was a representation of nature in a spiritual perspective unlike the secular perspective of scientific realism (Abe 64). Shinto, a form of nature worship has existed from ancient Japan (Sokyo 89). It means the way of the gods. A kami is a Shinto deity (Sokyo 90). Through Shintoism, the Japanese worshipped spirits thought to inhabit in natural phenomena like waterfalls, rocks and mountains. The kami were not initially represented symbolically, but rather, their perceived habitats were demarcated. However, with the adoption of the developed Buddhism and Confucianism styles of art, the Japanese people were prompted to introduce art into Shintoism, creating Shinto sculptures and paintings (Sokyo 101). They also created artifacts used in worship that symbolized kami. These were mostly in the form of protective items and amulets. The protective items and amulets used in the ancient Shinto religion were also a form of art (Sokyo 101). They used small wooden plaques called Ema to write and draw pictures of their wishes and placed them in shrine grounds for the wishes to be fulfilled by the deities (Abe 55). Of uda were religious talismans curved out of wood or formed from paper and metal, with names of kami inscribed on them for delivery of good luck. Paper modeling may also be traced back to daruma, which are paper doll representations of Bodhidharma, an Indian monk (Sokyo 101). The Shinto faithful used them to forward wishes to the kami. Another form of paper modeling is the inuhariko, a paper dog used to pray for good births. The Shinto also molded earthenware bells in the form of zodiacal animals called dorei, for use in prayers for good fortune. In Shinto architecture, the earliest shrines constructed to house ancestral spirits are a suggestion of the outline of single dwelling homes in ancient Japan. Similar to the ancient Japanese domestic homes, the shrines were entirely wooden (Sokyo 102). Japan’s relationship with Korea and China paved the way for the infiltration of artistic techniques and styles (Tsutsui 111). As Buddhism moved from Korea to Japan with it came artistic influences such as Buddhist texts, architecture and icons (Sugimoto 230). Art and craft specialists also migrated to Japan from China and Korea and participated in creating the new arts. With the introduction of Buddhism in the mid 6th century, Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines began to incorporate the same architectural designs. The structure of the Shinto shrines got more elaborate under the Chinese and Korean influence (Sugimoto 230). Since shrines also reflected family dignity, the designs were commissioned by noble families and many more structures were built in Nara and Kyoto cities (Sugimoto 231). Buddhist art in Japan is categorized into periods or eras. It shaped Japanese art from the 6th to the 16th century (Tsutsui 109). The Amida sect of Buddhism laid the foundation of Buddhist art in Japan. Prince Shotoku encouraged Buddhist art in the Suiko period while Emperor Shomu encouraged it in the Nara period of 645 to 784. In these eras, indigenous Shinto arts were taking the shapes of Buddhist arts and architecture, and the demand for Buddhist paintings increased among the wealthy Japanese

Graffiti - The Unlawful Art :: Urban Art

One day in the afternoon while I was surfing on the Internet, one of my friends forwarded a really interesting website addressed www.stillfree.com to me. At the beginning, I thought it was some kind of shopping promotional website but after clicking on it, an interesting video popped up. I saw a man being video recorded while he was climbing up a fence of a military airport. Then, he ran quickly towards the Air Force One, which is the personal aircraft of the President of the United States, and tagged a graffiti drawing on the jet. It gave me a big shock after watching the video because that man actually sneaked in to the US military airbase and tagged the Air force One aircraft. The event was being broadcast on some major TV channels. After making everything clear, I realized that video was not really took place at the US airbase and it was actually made up by a prominent fashion designer Marc Ecko. The whole process of the video was so real, but it came up as a campaign video to promote the art of graffiti. There are many different points of view on graffiti and it has always aroused arguments on its legalization. Graffiti can be recognized as a form of art, or crime. Graffiti consists of inscriptions, slogans and drawings scratched, scribbled or painted on a wall or other public or private surface. According to The Dictionary of Art, the word "graffiti" is derived from the Greek term "graphein" (to write) and the word "graffiti" itself is plural of the Italian word "graffito." Graffiti is also a form of self-expression. It is the means used to express the artist's identity, feelings, and ideas. The art of graffiti is also a kind of communication that links people regardless their cultural, lingual, or racial differences. When graffiti was first becoming popular, the tools being used were mostly wide tipped markers and spray cans. Graffiti can also be analyzed according to the elements of lines, color, and structures that are present in the work in order to produce a narrative about it. The graffitist first does a sketch, and then he or she plans out characters and selects colors. Next, the artist selects his or her surface and does a preliminary outline, followed by a filling in of colors and ornamentation, and then the final outline is completed. However, graffiti is not readily accepted as being art like those works that are found in a gallery or a museum.

Music and Literature Essay

Music and literature have played an important role in our community and society since not only humans but the earth was born. It’s still a great mystery as to who invented or made music first. But first of all we shouldn’t focus as to when was music made but should see that what actually music is? How to define music has long been the subject of debate; philosophers, musicians, and, more recently, various social and natural scientists have argued about what constitutes music. The definition has varied through history, in different regions, and within societies. Definitions vary as music, like art, is a subjectively perceived phenomenon. Its definition has been tackled by philosophers of art, lexicographers, composers, music critics, musicians, linguists, sociologists, and neurologists. Music may be defined according to various criteria including organization, pleasantness, intent, social construction, perceptual processes and engagement, universal aspects or family resemblances, and through contrast or negative definition. Music is sometime said to be a branch of literature. Now the question stands that what is literature? Literature is the body of all written works; the collected creative writing of a nation, people, group, or culture; all the papers, treatises, etc. published in academic journals on a particular subject. Its particularly hard to understand but in simple words literature means a piece of work written deeply form the or whatever your experiences and brain say and to put that experience and the work of brain into a piece of writing. Literature comes from the Latin word literra meaning a piece of writing. Literature has many branches like narrative stories, novels, poems and etc. Music is also a famous branch of literature. There are many music lovers found all over the world. Music is further separated into many other branches e.g. jazz, pop and etc. Music has been with us since the start of our beautiful earth.

Racism A History Essay - 922 Words

RACISM: A HISTORY Name Course Date Abstract This essay will focus on the film Racism: a History. I picked the film over the other films offered, because it taught me many things about history of the Black Americans. It illustrates how race continues to justify economic misuse and injustices. It shows how people moved from their maternal land, bound in slavery, and killed. This happens when people view others as though they are not human beings. This film helps reveal the deception behind acquiring high culture and wealth in the powerful countries of United States and Western Europe. The artwork and palaces of the Flemish masters in Belgium were built upon the cut off hands of African citizens, often kids, and old people. If we look in horror at the dreadful events in most places of current Africa today, we must keep in mind that the world has a debt in blood. . Europe and the United States can never repay such debt. The central problem in this film is racism. The film explores racism on a worldwide scale. It considers how racist thoughts and practices appeared in the main religious world institutions and how European philosophers wrote them. If we review the scientific racism, inaugurated during the 19th century, we will understand how dishonored practices, such as phrenology gave an ideological explanation for slavery and racism. Another theme depicted in the film is torture and slavery faced by the Africans during the colonial period.Show MoreRelatedRacism and American History789 Words   |  3 Pagesone factor. What eventually led to the creation of racial barriers against working-class African American and Asian was not simply racism but the combinations of racism with other social, political and economic factors. 　　One of the most crucial factors that had contributed to racial barriers was definitely the racism among working class African Americans. The racism is best shown in the Plessy V. Ferguson case established in 1896.[ 100 milestone documents, â€Å"U.S. Supreme Court Plessy V. FergusonRead MoreHistory And Racism Of Canada1723 Words   |  7 PagesHistory of Racism in Canada My belief was that people of African descent were the only group that experiences racism, but when I migrated from the Caribbean to a multicultural country—Canada, I soon realize that my understanding of racism was inaccurate and did not reflect social reality. As a result of my new environment, I learnt that racism is solely based on supremacy where a person of a different background may justify their advantages/power by placing a negative meaning behind cultural differencesRead MoreHistory : Teachers, Textbooks And Racism1633 Words   |  7 PagesA Whitewashed History: Teachers, Textbooks and Racism. Textbooks can be wrong. Is it possible that watching the History Channel could be more informative than the average High School History class? 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Second, the films figurehead for racism, Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton), is not an unintelligent redneck racist as films often portray them, but is in fact well-spoken, charismatic and intelligentRead MoreRacism - A History : The Color Of Money1063 Words   |  5 PagesReflection on Documentary: Racism – A History: The Colour of Money Documentary: Racism – A History: The Colour of Money provides a powerful illustration of the historical origins and basis of institutionalized racism. The six short episodes explore and chronicle centuries of European attitudes and practices regarding race and the transatlantic slave trade of Africans. It underscores how economics served as the driving force behind slavery. 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Derek’s father, Dennis Vinyard, was a middle-class fireman who disagreed with many of the ideological changes–such as affirmative â€Å"black† action–happening in America at the time. His father died whileRead MoreA Brief History of Racism in America1039 Words   |  5 Pages It is unknown how long North America has been occupied. There were certainly people on the land far before Christopher Columbus alighted in 1492. However, the United States’ history shows a lucid feeling of dominance emanating from Europeans as they moved in to the New World. As time passed and the people who resided in North America change, it becomes evident that white Americans were exceedingly racist and not very accepting towards those who were not like them. Three groups in particular, NativeRead MoreRacism : A Very Broad And Deep History918 Words   |  4 PagesRacism is a word that has a very broad and deep history that is defined and interpreted in many different ways by many different people. According to dictionary.com â€Å"racism† is defined as â€Å"hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.† This word has been a part of my vocabulary ever since I was a little girl, my parents, grandparents, and extended family used to discuss this word often in very passionate conversations around the table at holidays. Racism was a word that was spat out of theirRead MoreRacism and Its Deep Roots in US History1688 Words   |  7 PagesRacism and Its Deep Roots in US History Throughout US history, white Americans often viewed the other races (or coloreds) as inferior. Even though slavery had been abolished, laws and practices inhibited the fundamental rights African Americans were entitled to. Thus the mentality of racism and prejudice thoughts had persisted in people’s minds. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is set in Maycomb County, Alabama during the timeframe of the 1930s. Citizens of Maycomb County abide by a