You are asked in this project to view the objects listed below and briefly respond to the attached questions. Please remember that there is no single "right" answer to any question. Your answer will be judged on its thoroughness, soundness of your argument, and evidence of close observation of the work of art. If you need help in finding a particular object, ask the student attendants at the museum desk for guidance.

1. Shiva. (Hindu, India)

Shiva (shee'-vah nah-tah-rah'jah) represents ideas of both Death and Life.

"The story begins with the Shiva who has been asleep for millions of years; he awakens, shakes the drum in his right hand, and begins to dance. The dance causes the universe to come into being. He tires after aeons of dancing and destroys the universe with the fire in his left hand. He returns to sleep and the universe perishes until he awakens again. This story represents an important Hindu conception of how change and creativity occur, or Death/Life...." (Phipps and Wink, Invitation to the Gallery).

In this small bronze of the Dance of Shiva, how is this story conflated (combined) and told in one single image?

1a.  The Death of of the Prophet Muhammad [Muhammad and Angels].  

This portrayal of the death of the Prophet Muhamamd characterizes the so-called "provincial" Persian Safavid dynaty Shiraz style [Safavids governed Iran in the 16th century and were the dynasty which imposed Shi'ism on the Iranians.  A majority of Iranians had been Sunni before that century.  This style includes the following elements: a focus on a main theme with surrounding elements arranged in a decorative rather than naturalistic way; decorative rather than naturalistic color choices with a preference for strong colors; and an overarching theatrical sense of a stage set.  Figures often break the margin and expand into the outer edges of the pages.

While figurative paintings [of humans] in Islam aren't frequent until the 11th - 12th centuries C.E., from the 14th to the 16th centuries there was a particular interest in illustrating religious literature including depictions of the life of Muhammad.

The Krege page is important for questions of Islamic art and figural representation as well as the depiction of religious figures.  Robert Irwin in his Islamic Art in Context: Art, Architecture and the Literary World, NY 1997, pointed out that one of "the commonest misconceptions" about Islamic Art ...[is] "the one 'fact' that people who know little in even general terms about Islamic art know, that representational art is forbidden in Islam."  Here it becomes clear that this dictum is a more comlex issue than appears on the surface -- that indeed for certain times and places, figural representation was acceptable.

What can one learn about Islam from this painting?  

2. Thanka (Buddhist, Tibet)

Several of the objects in the Kresge Art Museum depict ideas and practices connected with Buddhism.

"[The] search for enlightenment eventually led Prince Siddhartha Gautama to reform Hinduism. He preached a simple message of salvation, which was to meditate, give up worldly attachments, and do good works. Buddha, or "The Enlightened One", as he became known, taught his followers that coountless rebirths in the cycle of reincarnation were not necessary. All beings would eventually reach Nirvana and be relased from the wheel of life." (Phipps and Wink, Invitation to the Gallery, p. 119).

A thanka is a rolled-image or painted scroll (the word literally means "something rolled up.") They are hung in temples or homes, or carried to protect the traveller. Parts of the thanka are painted following strict rules while other parts allow freer expression. Which parts look more structured to you? Which don't? Why do you believe this might be?

It is thought that the thanka contains the shapes of a rectangle, circle, triangle, crescent, and flame to make the Tibetan symbol for stupa, or "receptacle of worship." Find these forms and draw them in the order they appear in the thanka.

The positions of the Buddha's hands are called mudras (moo-dras). Each mudra has a special meaning. Here are three mudras and their meanings. Can you locate any in the thanka? Which ones. How does this add to the meaning of the thanka?

*If you need more information concering this object, or the Gandharan Buddha head, you can consult Love, Selections from the Kresge Art Center Bulletin available at the museum desk.

3. Kresge Art Museum Buddha Heads

In much of Buddhist sculpture, specific symbols of "signs" are used to illustrate ideas connected with the Buddha.

"The urna (uhr'-nah), or third eye, in the middle of the forehead, looks within the Buddha. The "bump" or ushnisha (oosh-nee-sha) on top of the head symbolizes wisdom and enlightenment. The long earlobes were caused by the weight of heavy jewelry and indicate that the Buddha had once been a prince of the Sakya clan. The circular, halo-shaped disc, later adopted as a Christian symbol, was originally a 6th-century B.C.E. Persian symbol for the god known as Ahura Mazda (ah-hoor'-ah mahz-dah), whose spirit represented rays of light. These rays were used to symbolize the Buddha's enlightenment" (Phipps and Winks, Invitation to the Gallery).

Compare and contrast the Kresge Buddha heads. What do you see that is similar and different in them? What ideas are visually depicted?

4. Ketubbah (Jewish, Persia)

More information is contained in the object label and also in the Kresge Art Museum Bulletin, vol. V, available at the museum desk.

What is a ketubbah and why is this one so important?

What is the most important art form used in this object made for the Persian Jewish community?  Why do you feel this form might have been chosen?

How many styles of calligraphy can you locate on this piece and how would you describe the differences between them?  Why do you think this variety might have been used?

5. Qur'an Page (Muslim, Middle East)

Important information about this page may be found in the object label as well as in the Kresge Art Museum Bulletin, vol. IV, available at the museum desk.

This page from the Muslim holy book, the Qur'an, talks about concepts of heaven and hell.  What forms of decoration have been used to indicate the importance of this manuscript page?  What is missing?  What hints might this give you about Islamic art?

For the Muslim world, calligraphy was the most important art form.  What is the name of the calligraphic style used here and how would you describe it?  What is your best guess about why the calligrapher might have used this style instead of some of the others in evidence in this exhibition case?

It is often said that the human form is never used in Islamic art. Based on what you see in this exhibition case, do you agree or disagree: Explain. IF you disagree, where do you think that it was used?  Explain.

6. Triptych, The Crucifixion, Paolo di Giovanni Fei (Christian, Italian, 15th century)

A lot of information about this object can be found in Kresge Art Museum Bulletin, vol. II, at the museum desk.

A triptych (trip-tik) is a set of three painted panels hinged together and often used as an altarpiece. This triptych, painted with tempera (opaque watercolor paint) was probably a family's private altarpiece.

A language of symbols (signs that stand for an idea -- such as a red stop light or a McDonald's Golden Arches today) was used during medieval times. During the middle ages, for example, gold was used as a symbol of holiness or special importance. What other religious symbols can be found in this triptych?

7. Vision of St. Anthony, Francisco de Zurbaran (Christian, Spanish 16th century)

Zurbaran was the painter used by the Catholic church to spread their message in the counter-Reformation (opposing the Protestant movement) and by Jesuit missionaries in the Americas. Here Zurbaran tells the story of St. Anthony's vision of the Christ child by both figures and symbols. Do you see any religious symbols in the painting?  What might they be and how do they add to the meaning of the painting?  (If this painting and the triptych are not of your religious tradition, it may be helpful to consult a book on religious symbols available in the art Library on the 4th floor of the Main Library, or to discuss this with a fellow classmate.)

8. Greek and Roman small sculptures

Now let's return to the ancient world. Go to the Greek and Roman section of the museum and find the small statues of the gods and goddesses Demeter, Zeus, Apollo, etc. How did the Greeks and Romans visualize their gods and goddesses?

9. African masks

When you see the "smiley face" symbol   in American writing, what do you think of?

The drawing is a reduced representation, i.e. the person doing the drawing has reduced it to the essential features needed to "read" it as a face.

Locate the African section of the museum and briefly describe the masks you find in this area. How are they similar or different from masks with which you are more familiar?  Are there any reduced representations here?  Which ones?