Cultural Artifact Review

Cultural Artifact Review

Introduction

We have a vast history that presents a multidimensional culture. Through humanity, we gain an understanding of all range of emotions and behavior that have taken part in modeling the shape of our current realities. The artifacts represent a vast history revolution illustrating hierarchy, power, deceit, injustice, compassion, love as well as rebellion. Taking up the process of evaluating the artifacts deles one into understanding some myriad stories on events that people have worked and lived in history. The range of emotions represented by the paintings reverberates different feelings to different people depending on one’s culture (Appadurai, 2005). In a way, the sculptures help confront some of the human dilemmas, irrationalities as well as institutions that led to the development of some political and cultural lives. Below is an analysis of two cultural artifacts as well as a comparison of the similarities existing between them.

The Oath of the Horatii

Artist: Jacques-Louis David

Date: 1784

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Location: Louvre Museum, Paris

Jacques-Louis David did the painting in 1784. The picture represents an era of a cultural movement. The picture illustrates people in some Roman hall. Also, the setting has been done in the hall. On the left side of the painting are three standing Roman soldiers who appear to be reaching for some swords being handed to them (Carrier, 1988). A man is standing directly opposite of the soldiers lifts some three swords – directly proportional to the number of soldiers in front of him. One of the soldiers who happens to be close to the viewer is holding a spear behind him. There is an arm around the man holding a spear. The arm appears to be from the man at the center of the three soldiers.  The three soldiers appear to be in similar outfits, which incorporate sandals, short tunics, capes, as well as helmets (Carrier, 1988). Also, the man handing them the swords is in sandals, a short tunic as well as a cape. Behind him are three women who sit on some benches. One of the women appears to be comforting some small children. The other two women seem to be comforting each other.

The Four Horsemen, from the Apocalypse

Artist: Albecht Durer

Date: 1498

Medium: Woodcut

Classification: Prints

The artifact depicts four horsemen. The representation has been executed on a black-and-white woodcut print. The arrangement has been made from the top right to the lower left across the painting (Cunningham, 2000). Above, the painter has depicted clouds as well as an angel who appeared to be flying above the horsemen. The horsemen seem to be ridding while trampling on people without much concern. The horses appear to be in scurrying as if they are after something (Cunningham, 2000). With a look at the horsemen, it becomes evident that they are headed for war. One of the horsemen close to the viewer holds a trident spear, the next one holds a scale of justice the other a sword and the last holds a bow and a spear – they all appear to be well fed.

The two artifacts depict the theme of devotion/commitment. In the first artifact (Oath Horatii), three men reach out for swords implying that they are ready and are going to war. This picture represents the French revolution, where the three brothers decided to take action and fight for the city to cater to the common interest of people. The women behind the man illustrate devastation. Research indicated that the three men were soldiers heading for war with a neighboring city (Higgins, 2006). The second artifact also depicts the theme of devotion. The four men appear to be headed for war with their horses. They carry weapons fashioned for war. The people seem to be running away while those caught on the way are run through without any mercy. The men appear to be devoted to their course.

Almost every aspect of life demand devotion and commitment. For a person to commit themselves to a given course, they have to engage their body and mind. In the world we live today, devotion is a word that has lost coverage. The theme is characterized by taking action toward a point of no return. So many activities in life demand commitment and devotion – taking action to go forward despite the odds lying ahead (Higgins, 2006). Almost every profession in life is affected by the theme. Professionalism demands commitment. Any individual who appears decides to be committed in life always tends to stand out from the crowd or collogues. They are considered to be doing things weirdly. Others identify such people as people with a sense of purpose. Devotion is an ingredient required in daily life.

Some of the human resources that could be useful in the process of investigating themes and artifacts include—absolute arts, Art culture as well as World artist directory. Absolute art illustrates all the buyable perfect architecture forming a database that depicts more than 30,000 contemporary visual arts (Linnen, 2001). On the other hand, the art culture represents the work of art as well as the artists involved in bringing the art alive. Through art, one can connect, discover the art, and learn. The last humanity would be the world artist directory that acts as a spotlight and browser for some of the most accomplished artists around the world. The similarities existing between the arts include the interpretation of skill in the form of ethics and history. Through the humanities, it becomes possible for one to reflect on the diverse heritage as well as the concurrent conditions in life.

Medium refers to the substance used in the fashioning of a piece of art. The Oath of the Horatii utilizes oil and canvas as a medium while the Four Horsemen, from the Apocalypse, utilizes woodcutting. Printmakers use the use of woodcuts to describe their medium, while most sculptors utilize the use of marbles or clay (Linnen, 2001). Artists utilizing the use of some multiple media are said to have utilized mixed media. In this case, the work of art represented defines a specific period of time as well as events that took place, leading to a glorious moment. An audience that would be interested would incorporate literature students or those who love literature. The message would be conveyed to the audience using the most straightforward language to facilitate their understanding.

References

Appadurai, A. (2005). Diversity and disciplinarity as cultural artifacts. Race, identity, and representation in education, 427-438.

Carrier, D. (1988). Gavin Hamilton’s Oath of Brutus and David’s Oath of the Horatii: The Revisionist Interpretation of Neo-Classical Art. The Monist, 71(2), 197-213.

Cunningham, A., Grell, O. P., & Andrew, C. (2000). The four horsemen of the Apocalypse: Religion, war, famine and death in reformation Europe. Cambridge University Press.

Higgins, J. M., Mcallaster, C., Certo, S. C., & Gilbert, J. P. (2006). Using cultural artifacts to change and perpetuate strategy. Journal of Change Management, 6(4), 397-415.

Linnen, C., Tatar, M., & Promislow, D. (2001). Cultural artifacts: a comparison of senescence in natural, laboratory-adapted and artificially selected lines of Drosophila melanogaster. Evolutionary Ecology Research, 3(8), 877-888.