Art Institute of Chicago Part VI: Early Modern European Arms and Armor

It can be considered strange to see a portion of the Arts Institute focus on weapons and armor. In fact, I was more than little surprised to see this suit of armor when I ventured to the second floor. While armor design can certainly be construed as a form of art, it doesn't automatically register as such by many people. Perhaps part of the reason why weapons, and to a lesser extent armor do not receive the artistic attention has to do with morality of admiring the tools of killing. People may fear that an appreciation of the artistic merits of fine armor and weapons would be reflected negatively on by society. However, I think when taken into isolation, there is much to learn in terms of art from armor and weapons.

This was the first suit of armor that I encountered.  All of these armors were created after the introduction of the first muskets. This fact meant that these are some of the first post-medieval armor designs geared for the new type of warfare. Just observing this suit of armor, it's clear that the plate armor has been significantly toned down. There was no chainmail on this cuirass at all. After all, chainmail are ill-suited for muskets. Instead, plate armor was implemented at this time because muskets were still rather ineffective at penetrating plate armor. The reduction of plates meant greater mobility, whether infantry or cavalry. After the Spanish Tercio tactics and the genius of Gustavus Adolphus, infantry began to play a much larger role than the medieval era.

Indeed, this one continued the general functionality of the previous one, offering similar levels of protection. Also, both suits of armor have gold accents that work well to highlight the different sections of the armor and the parts that connect the suit of armor. In particularly, I am a fan of the way the center fold on the breastplate curves downwards to provide a unique aesthetic. The shape of the helmet is also best remembered as the type worn by Spanish conquistadors. Of course, the steel forgery is excellent, as there appears to be little to no rust of even scratches on the armor. The ability of the armor to remain in pristine condition can be attributed to both the blacksmith and modern preservation ability.

Because I had little time to explore this vast museum, I'm going to postulate that this suit of armor was not of medieval origins. For example, there appears to be no extraneous decorative elements, feather holder or reasonable visor. In addition, as plate armors began to reduce in effectiveness (especially after Agincourt), full suit armors became increasingly ceremonial. Again, much like the previous suits of armor, this one is kept in excellent condition; the shine remains pristine and the overall integrity of the armor remained intact. Of course, suits of armor remain expensive to produce, and it is entirely possible that this suit of armor was a form of heirloom, a family treasure. It may explain the careful quality of each of these armors. Regardless, I must say that the decline in the efficacy of knights in combat meant new combatants would be spared the misery of fighting in a heavy oven on a scorching day.

I can't help but look at these weapons and think somewhat of Chinese weapons. In particular, the fourth pike may have some semblance to it Chinese counterpart. The European bardiche and the spear with the red tassel share striking similarities to the older, Chinese counterparts. I wonder if this was the result of the Silk Road trade, or because of the possibility for two spheres to develop similar weapons with vastly different war tactics. By any means, these pike demonstrates an open approach to weapon design. By experimenting with different tops, these pikes have seen various degrees of action throughout the conflicts of early modern Europe. The ingenuity to create these designs, regardless of origin is by itself a form of artistic expression. While there may be some functional component to each of these designs, I feel that the designers had aesthetics in mind too when they designed these weapons.

Finally we get to this armor here and I am immediately stricken by how similar this is to the corsets that women wear. Indeed, the restricting waist guards is an astounding departure from the relative lax shape of the first three armors that I saw. I also must admit that I observe the most golden accents on this cuirass. Of course, the thing is that this armor gives you the illusion that it restricts the waist. With a cursory knowledge of human anatomy, a man would have to have an abnormal waist line for this to be feasible. This is compounded by the fact that at the end of the cuirass waistline are two flower like prongs that extends itself out a bit. This is the primary contributor to the illusion of thin waist. Most importantly, the sharp shape of the cuirass projects the power and grandeur of the high ranking and nobility offices. It is often said that men who have accumulated great masses of muscles tend to have a inverted triangle body structure. If anything, the shape of this cuirass only serves to emphasis that aspect, thus contributing to wearer's perceived strength.

I throughly enjoyed this section, as it allowed me to take a look at some firsts in my life; I was able to explore real 16th-17th century armor and weapons. Art history classes never focus on the armor and weapons, but I find these to be every bit as artistic as other forms, if such evaluation can be isolated from the malicious purpose of the weapons. Unfortunately, as guns and rifles began to make their debut, all of those armors was render obsolete and combatants were reduced to wearing nothing but coats. Ironically, infantry armors made a comeback during parts of WWII and modern warfare without all the artistic elements that these have. Therefore, I believe these armors should be appreciated for its artistic merit.

Art Institute of Chicago Part V: African Art

After visiting the Native American section, the next part of the museum was the African arts section. Because there are simply so many African tribes, the sheer diversity meant that examining these Africa arts meant to focus on the individual aesthetic values. 

The faces depicted in this part of the gallery illustrate the various facial expressions that African artists were capable of. These human head carvings also show an emphasis on facial paint and other face markings. even though the heads were not anatomically correct, the unique form gives these carvings special aesthetic value. The ability of the white paint to obscure the fourth carving's face meant that from far away, it was not easy to discern the carving from the face of a real hunter. These masks/carvings remain significant testament to a celebration of the human form. With the relative sophistication of ancient tools, these carvings are well centered (faces look equal) and demonstrate skill.

African art is somewhat special in this continual abstract portrayal of the human anatomy. These two clay figures illustrate an important artistic technique. Namely, by tweaking certain parts of the creation, the visual image of a human could be immediately conveyed. African artists demonstrates a certain sense of spirit when they decide to discard traditional human proportions. In essence, those artists could have conveyed the idea that humans aren't perfect beings. To show this androgynous forms is to admit that innate weakness. Overall, I was impressed not only because these two figures survived, but also by the novelty of it's existence. Most of the world's civilizations during these periods tend to glorify the ideal perfect human body and shun imperfection. It is notable that these figures did not have the sexual implications of archaic pieces like the Women of Willendorf. The imperfection in these figures have nothing to do with reproductive assets. When contemplating these figures, it is truly remarkable.

This piece appears to be some form of giant wooden carvings. But the complexity of this piece is what makes it a very intriguing showpiece. Without considering any symbolic significance, this carving have arguably three faces. Unlike Totem Poles, this carving is unique in it's three dimensional property. There is a certain depth lacking from Totem Poles. Yet, like Totem Poles, this piece consists of a series of faces. Regardless of time period, carving such a complicating piece by hand using old tools speak for the technical brilliance of African wood carvers. In addition, the complex interlacing faces gives this piece a rather mysterious background. All of those ingredients fuse together to create a striking wooden piece.

Overall, much like my experience with Native American art, walking through the African art section allowed me to open my eyes towards many of the fine nuances of these art pieces. In fact, the skill demonstrated throughout both sections is exemplary. A dedicated mind and willingness to adapt are what makes these fantastic art pieces the pride of humanity.

Art Institute of Chicago Part IV: Native American Art

After traversing the East Asian Art section, I was able to come across the Native American art section. The room had strong beige accents and L shaped floor tiles to give it a distinct look. The first thing that greeted me when I entered this section was this:

This Native American crest is one of the first things that occur to the casual person when they think of these indigenous Indians. Indeed, to see an ancient feather crest is amazing. This is not just an aesthetic marvel, but it also a fascinating example of human craftsmanship. Imagine, trying to put together an entire crest by hand, carefully arranging the feathers into harmonious shapes. Not only that, to find features that have nearly equidistant length is no small feat.  There is a fine attention to detail, such as the different colors on the crest. There is a pleasant blue, red, black and white motif going on here. This demonstrates that Native Americans have cultivated a sense of color theory. The classic black borders on white is prominently displayed on the headdress. To add red accents to the ends of the feathers provided another dimension to the visual look. This headdress also represent the essence of Native American lifestyle; it's very much based around nature, without emphasis on worldly materials like gold or silver. Indeed, this headdress is likely given to a chieftain or high ranking person in an Indian tribe. The headdress not only demonstrates the sovereignty of the chieftain over the people, but the natural source of the headdress also signify an authority over the rights to the land around their tribe. I think, to closely examine these kinds of artifacts is understand some of the context of Native American art. I very much enjoyed looking at this amazing artifact.

It's rather amazing to see bright, vibrant colors on this coloring of a skin. The presence of various amounts of colors indicates that the artists who produced this had knowledge of different chemicals that produced certain colors. In addition, the relatively consistency and ordered manner of the horses also show how disciplined the artist was. Of course, while there aren't any blue horses, I believe the artist was attempting to convey the importance that horses were to the Native Americans. Because of the depiction of horses, it's certain that this occurred after the Spanish arrived in the Americas, as there were no horses in the Americans before European exploration. The shapes of the horses seem to indicate an artistic form of shape abstraction. Even though the shapes aren't real to life, it's enough to convey to us that these were horses. In a way, when I think about it designers today tend to practice shape abstraction to simplify UI and other types of design. To this artist though, the abstraction of the horses also reflect the emphasis on symbolism in Native American religion. Overall, this work of art was very interesting.

It's rather difficult to point out exactly what makes this to be a Mayan/Aztec art, but the intricate boxy swirls on this clay tablet is consistent with other Mayan art. The characters and shape of the person depicted seemed to indicate this. The ironic thing is that I know this because Mayan/Aztec gods tend to have elaborate headdress and are often depicted in false profile. It's ironic because without archaeology, art historians wouldn't be able to know that fact either. Regardless, I'm impressed by how distinctive these Mesoamerican design are, which certainly contributed to cultural preservation. 

This one is a tricky beast. At first, I would have attributed this pottery to the ancient Greeks because of the similar colors and overall shape. Other than the fact that I'm currently at the Native American and African Art section, the subjects portrayed are not orderly and the overall shape is unlike anything the Greeks produce (they like their handles). The depiction on this pottery show various androgynous faces, which is unheard of on Greek pottery. In addition, the lack of any exterior protrusions signify that this pottery was likely very old. Indeed, I would surmise that this pottery exists on a functional basis only. But the presence of decorative elements certainly demonstrate it's relative position on the chronological timeline of pottery.

I must say that being in a museum meant that I could stand in front of these artworks and ponder it's many merits. Pieces of art that are reduced to abstraction are often viewed only in terms of it's initial aesthetic output. For example, if I was to see the Native American headdress again, obviously, the first thing that would pop to my head would be Native Americans. Rather than discounting the simplistic context of the art, it's sometimes wise to understand the cultural context behind it. That, is why I believe museums exist. When people take things to an simplistic context, that is where stereotypes and other popularly defined context affect the intended purpose of art.

Design in Motion: IBM Design Homepage overview

I'd like to bring attention to the brilliant excellence of IBM Design's website. IBM Design have created a new frontier for 2D design. As of early August 2014, when you visit the front-page, you are treated by transparent turquoise blue squares. Underneath the blue squares is something amazing: you can see the people at IBM Design studios moving about! There is no static picture underneath the layer! When I saw this in motion, everything makes sense: This is what IBM coins "Design in Motion". Indeed, to see IBM utilize this effect is amazing. To draw an Apple design analogy; it's like taking Apple store footage and putting that underneath an transparent gray canvas. However, it's not Apple that pulled this effect off; it's IBM. And that's where I get intrigued. This is some revolutionary techniques!

Of course web-page design is not without function, especially for one of IBM Design's caliber. This webpage uses the tried and tested method of using scrolling slides because people are inherently more comfortable with scrolling. Now here's where it gets interesting. As you transition to the next "slide", the menu bar also changes. The pane that says "Studio, Work, Career, Blog" changes both color, font and transparency to blend in with the dominant yellow background of the second slide. Because only using color and fonts are boring, IBM Design brought in some nice photographers and aesthetic sense to convey design (rulers, pencils, erasers, mac keyboard) to bring in the requisite design schema for this particular slide. Not only that, they integrated the bee motif into the lower right hand area. This is what inspires the color yellow in this particular slide. Finally, the turquoise-blue to yellow transition works because those colors compliment each other, so the color transition is not jarring.

The usage of red on the next pane are not purely based on aesthetic sense; IBM Design brings the first two slides with claims of "redesigning space". Well, they added something little more concrete: On the red slide, they put emphasis, with large font to convey that IBM Design also "craft great experiences". Combined with the red color, it is meant to convey a change in tone using color shifts. So not only does yellow contribute to a liberating feel, the red color emphasizes the special key point about "crafting great experiences". Because white is such a powerful color, the menu bar's background color stays consistent until...

The final pane suddenly shifts from red to white in such a manner as to create a lighter atmosphere and integrating the white menu pane into the white background seamlessly. IBM Design introduces itself on the first blue pane and then transitions to yellow and red and then reaffirms it's mission by asking potential designers join the movement. The changing people on the final pane is yet another tribute to the notion of design in motion. In addition to the non-formal text, this page is a perfect splash page for cursory visitors. The consistent inclusion of the menu bar means that more advanced visitors can access those functions anytime. Finally, at the top of the page, there is a changing master IBM menu pane that connects to the rest of the organization's websites. if you hover your mouse over that very top pane, it expands itself to include more information so that the user is not bombarded with unnecessary links. At the top and bottom ends of the page, the black background serves as a corporate reminder that IBM means serious business - that the IBM Design department is only one segment of the entire company. This increases the contrast between IBM Design's homepage versus the other corporate pages. In fact, this revamp of the IBM Design homepage also demonstrates a demographic shift. The bright colors and minimalism along with the young faces all pander to the young adult population. Because the general population are unaware of IBM Design, the people who view this homepage are likely young design hopefuls. This homepage successfully appeal to that group of people while promoting their design tenets. This is truly one of the most surprising webpages I've visited. 

Art Institute of Chicago Part III: East Asian Art - China and Korea

After strolling through the South Asian section, I came across the East Asian section of the museum. I was instantly greeted by the light turquoise colors of the Korean Celadon. This signified to me that I was at the East Asian section of the museum. I've only ever recognized Korean Celadon from the textbooks; essentially they are vases and eating ornaments that are crafted in such a way that they give off a light jade green glaze. Obviously, the technique to produce celadon originated in China, but the Koreans were the ones to really proliferate the usage of the unique pottery technique. Especially considering the time period, the only significant celadon production during the the 3rd century AD occurred in Korea. Even though Korea produced other forms of celadon, such examples were not on display at the first part of the exihibit. There are two striking characteristic of these Korean celadon. First is the amazing consistency in color, reflectiveness and the overall smoothness of the porcelain. The second is the remarkable condition in which it was presented. These pottery appeared to be extraordinarily well preserved. When confronted with these realizations, I come to better appreciate the qualities of the pottery.

Chinese section:

These are some of the most iconic bronze ware of the early Shang/Zhou Dynasty of China. Preceding even Buddhism, the ability to craft these fine wares using primitive molds was a major Chinese artistic innovation. In fact, these artifacts represent the first implementation of aesthetics into everyday items. There is a sense of style that is incorporated into these designs. With the usage of Bronze, these forms also carry a new permanence and wear resistance. In fact, the cup in the middle would serve as template for future Chinese cups in future dynasties. The greenish tint on these bronze wares illustrate the relative age versus the Buddhist sculptures. However, different manufacturing techniques may also make a difference. Bronze production was not controlled, thus may lead to impurities that affect the coloring process. Overall, in the context, these are very significant contributions to art and material engineering.

These clay/earthen models give incredible insight into the relative shape and structure of ancient Chinese dwellings. While the cutout of a house doesn't reveal too much, the white model on the right hand side tells us that Chinese houses are probably rectangular, with simple accented gable roofs. There are cutouts on the upper floor to serve as windows. This model shows us that ancient Chinese buildings aren't too different from the replicas that exist today. What's interesting about this depiction is that it was an approximate white depiction of houses. To create miniature models of houses in any ancient society is rare because these little models don't serve a functional purpose. Perhaps to enhance its aesthetics, the white house model on the right was painted white to blend in with the other ornaments in an home. These were not used as architectural models either; ancient Chinese architects did not use scale models. The models are too informal to serve as a building guide. It can also be speculated that these houses serve as relics of destroyed buildings. Most ancient Chinese buildings are wood-based which meant that constant warfare and fires can often obliterate entire sections of cities. Which is also why China's ancient architectural profile are dominated by places commissioned by the government or religious orders.

One of the most enduring characteristics of Chinese porcelain is the blue and white lacquer that was responsible for drawing European interest. This one in particular is not only well preserved, but it is also remarkably round and detailed. The circular shape is unique amongst Chinese porcelain. the side hands appear to be similar to the handles on Greek Amphoras. It can be surmised that this may be a wine container because the head is narrow. It may also not be a wine container; it could be just a display item to decorate homes. The shine on this lacquer is also exemplary, showing no signs of grime and dust. I was delighted to observe this fine piece of Chinese craftsmanship.

This may appear to be some sort of container, or treasure box to the uninformed eye, but this is actually an intricately designed pillow. Now though, these pillows aren't stuffed with cotton, instead this pillow is made of a type of hardened clay. What I liked about this pillow was the green colorings on the pillow patterns. Especially in contrast to all the beige, white items surrounding this pillow, the color used makes it stand out. While I have a hard time imagining sleeping on these, these probably served as status symbols for the ancient Chinese aristocracy.

Overall, I was surprised by the monotony in the Chinese and Korean section. Much like the Southeast/South Asian section of the Museum, the Chinese and Korean section focused nearly exclusively on pottery and everyday items. There little tapestry, clothing, painting and other forms of art. Even still, the bright color and exquisite detail panders to the technical excellence of Chinese and Korean Art.

Art Institute of Chicago Part II: Southeast and South Asian Art

After visiting Koudelka's photography exhibit, I came across the Southeast Asian exhibit, where I explored the unique aesthetics of ancient Southern Asian Art. The exhibit was held on an open floor with red accents. Also of note was the fact that the exhibit floor was constructed in such a way that also serves as an intermediary between two different sections of the museum.

This was the largest statue in the exhibit. It was an Indian relief of the Buddha. The most remarkable thing about this statue (sculpture) of Siddhartha Gautama is the amazingly flat back that this sculpture has. this flat back represents the tenets of meditation. It demonstrates great ability to maintain posture. When believers observe this particular statue, it may motivate them to achieve the same standards of rigidity. While the usage of a white base is not uncommon in museums, it gains new significance when placed underneath the Buddha sculpture. This is actually more of a bronze sculpture, likely created using a mold. The ability of the sculptor to create the details on this sculpture is meticulously brilliant. Obviously, close attention was paid towards the material - much of the details remains intact after hundreds of years. Overall, this sculpture really only served as a starting point for Buddhist bronze sculptures.

This one has many of the same elements as the previous large Buddha sculpture, but this one has far more detail. Because bronze cannot be carved, the amount of detail present in this bronze panel of the  Buddha and his followers are astonishing. It requires the artist to make a mold for this. Considering the age of this panel, it reflects the remarkable ability of the artist to create fine details. Another artistic mechanism is present in this sculpture: namely the juxtaposition of size to indicate relative importance. Even though the human form of Buddha is human sized, his importance to Buddhism meant that he is the largest figure present in this sculpture. Another thing that is also notable was the sense of hierarchy present in this sculpture. The Buddha not only sits on the upper level, but he is also centered. This dutifully lays out the order of importance. These two artistic techniques would remain relevant for years to come.

This is the emblem of the Hindu god Shiva.  This may be the most simplistic sculpture in the entire gallery, but it conveys something deeper. Namely, it can be interpreted as the amazing power of the god Shiva. From some infinite circle, it evolves into the octagon and then finally takes a concrete shape as the object created. Without religious implications, this sculpture demonstrates a very nice progression between different shapes. It invokes sense of transfiguration in a stationary object.

This is interesting, because the statues in question are not placed at eye level. Instead these heads were elevated to what I believe represents the height of the sculpture as if it retained the body. This is a masterstroke on part of the museum, not only for security purposes, but also for aesthetic purposes. I really like this implementation.

This is probably the most well known sculpture in the entire gallery. I've seen this in the art history textbooks before. This is a surprisingly symmetrical bronze sculpture featuring the God Shiva triumphing over demons. The graceful pose of this sculpture can be reflected in many traditional Hindu dances. I was surprised by how small this sculpture seemed. I was expecting this to be slightly larger. Considering this sculpture's size, I'd imagine it to be used to mark an small scale altar. To see it in person is truly different from seeing it from a textbook. This was certainly the highlight of this gallery so far.

I liked the South/Southeastern Asian gallery because it represents the earliest Buddhist artwork. In addition, I got to see bronze sculpture skills truly diversify from only utility purposes. In other words, bronze working was confined to utensils, weapons, ornaments, tools until the expansion to religious motifs. However, as I've mentioned, this entire gallery was almost exclusively based on bronze sculptures; There was one tapestry with everything else made of bronze. I'd like there to be more diversity in this gallery, but the quality is certainly stupendous.

Art Institute of Chicago Part I: Josef Koudelka Nationality Doubtful

I've been in Chicago for the last the couple of days. In these days, I've been exposed to a variety of different Architecture and other art styles. Yesterday, I went to visit the Art Institute of Chicago, where I went through an exhibition of art from different time periods. I'd like to start a multiple part series about the different parts of the museum and the requisite art periods and my own analysis on them.

I'd first stopped to observe Josef Koudelka's photographs. This was the first exhibit that I went to. Josef Koudelka was a Czech of French descent. The name of the exhibit was Nationality Doubtful, which serves to illustrate the contrast between freedom and Soviet Occupation experienced with Koudelka's respective countries, France and Czechoslovakia. Though his initial photos did not focus on the Soviet Occupation of Czechoslovakia, he did dabble in a new photographic effect. He appears to be a pioneer of extreme soft focus. These first couple of photographs best illustrate his pioneering abilities.

Through these photographs, you can see the rough outline of the subjects in the photographs, but it is not distinct enough to make out the individual details. Incidentally, this also gives the illusion that his subjects may appear as ghosts. His compositions also show a degree of balance, as in these three photographs, there are two subjects that balance each other out on both sides. These are what makes Koudelka's early works so unique.

The resulting Cold War period was certainly an anomaly and Koudelka realizes the potential of photographs to successfully capture the struggle of the Czech people against the Soviet excesses. These are the resulting photographs that occurred as a result:

Josef Koudelka's ability with photography is further enhanced with these shots. These photographs must have been rather difficult to take. First, these photographs are almost exquisitely taken, with no motion blur. All of the subjects in the photographs appears to strike the perfect gestures. Second, Koudelka was taking these photographs using older camera technology, which has longer photo processing than modern point-and-click cameras. Third, Koudelka was attempting to take these photos in a rather volatile area, so it demonstrate his personal bravery in taking these pictures. While it was never explicitly stated, these photographs may be used to demonstrate the contrast in freedom between Czechoslovakia and his adopted France. These photographs are also notable for being some of the forerunners of a style of photographs suited for journalistic motives. These photographs have the angle, perspective and emotional setting to find it's way on the front of newspapers. These photographs are the beginnings of similarly constructed photographs of armed conflicts.

Josef Koudelka was also a pioneer of strange but picturesque landscapes. These photos illustrates his ability to capture amazing landscapes.

These photographs, especially the first one create a sense of mystery. It appears to be at the base of some form of mountain, but it isn't clear where it was taken just form looking at it. Indeed, it looks rather otherworldly. The prevalence of black and white photographs in the past certainly gives everything an aura of uncertainty. His panoramic shots are amongst the first of his generation; he was able to combine these photographs so seamlessly. These photographs also reflect the changing political landscape; he no longer have an obligation to take photographs involving the Soviet Union any more. Instead, he is able to devote his talents to exploring the various peaceful constructs of nature. After I saw Koudelka's gallery, I am indeed impressed with the vision and ability of this man. I did feel that the exhibit did not do a very good job of making the concrete connection between his nationality and his vision of photography. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this exhibition in the Art Institute of Chicago.