Module 10

1. Explain why you selected each of the TWO videos you choose from the selection listed above.

I choose the Buddhism video first because I find Buddhism to be really beautiful. I wrote a paper on it in my freshman year of college and have been interested ever since. 

I choose the video about Chinese Art because well... Chinese Art... How could anyone not love Chinese Art? I love the colors and decoration in this style. I also love the background music in the video. 

2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

Enlightenment for Buddhism is to be in the human world but not of the human world. Buddhism was split into two groups. One group sees Buddha as a saint and the other sees Buddha as a savior. There are three levels of heaven in Buddhism; Nirvana being the highest level. Buddhism spread across Asia. There is also a temple in Upstate New York. I did not know about the temple in NYS so that's pretty neat. The architecture of this building is beautifully simple. It also is the home of the largest Buddhist statue in the western hemisphere. 

Tea cups were often dark, even black to emphasize a light colored tea. I usually think of Chinese Art as being very ornate, but there were quite a few pieces that were almost minimalist in design. Many of these pieces seem influenced by flowers as they have some kind of floral design. The Chinese have a beautiful grasp of vessels. Much of this art is functional, yet still very beautiful. 

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

The readings are about cultures in Africa, Asia, the East and so on. This was a rich reading, full of culture, art, and history. The videos relate to the other all theme and added more knowledge to the two areas I choose in the videos. This section could honestly be an entire text in itself. It is almost a shame to smoosh them all together.

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

This was a good video. I liked the imagery they showed. It was to the point, but still full of information. 

The video on Chinese Art was strange. At first I wasn't sure what I was watching. Then I realized they were literally just running through a collect of Chinese Art. It was sort of boring at times, and I felt that this could have been done just as effectively in photographs with information on a page. I did, however, enjoy the music though. 

The videos show more images than the text does so it gave me a bit more understanding of these art forms. The first video gave me more background knowledge of Buddhism as well.