Art History
Part A
Engraving of Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve’s engraving represents Durer’s (German) interest in Italian art and its cultural and theoretical significance. The art was the first of a kind for Durer since it was the first from the artist to represent human depiction (Noble, 2018). In the background, flora and fauna are typically found in a German forest. The landscape also contains four humors, symbolizing Adam and Eve’s disobedience of God’s directives. The primary message from the artwork is that after Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they became vulnerable to imbalances of body fluids that ultimately altered their temperament.
Despite the cold forest, the two standing human figures are nude. As shown in the picture, their bodies are frontal, and they stand counterpoise, with the entire body’s weight shifted to one leg. The apparent position of the shoulders and hips shows that the body can move but is temporarily at rest. Even with their visible naturalism, the heads of the two human figures are artificially twisted to the side to face each other. The mix of natural appearance and artificial adjustment forms the basis of the contradictions throughout the picture (Stokstad & Michael Watt Cothren, 2020). The image also shows a parrot perching on a tree from a distance as six other animals stroll around disinterestedly. Also, Eve is plucking an apple from the nearby tree. The artwork and accompanying contradictions represent the Renaissance, telling more about Durer’s knowledge and interest in Italian art, yet he is German (Noble, 2018). The artist sacrifices naturalism to showcase his knowledge of Vitruvian ideals.
The Founding of Tenochtitlan
The painting represents the foundation of the Aztec city. It is one of the most detailed images in Codex Mendoza. Tenochtitlan codex was created by native painters in the mid-16th Century (Stokstad & Michael Watt Cothren, 2020). The painting documents royal history, tribute lists, and the daily life of the pre-Hispanic people.
Tenochtitlan was an island city, and the rectangular representation that takes up most of the page represents the lake that separated the city from the mainland. Blue diagonals cut across the image to represent the canals that were in the town (Stokstad & Michael Watt Cothren, 2020). Besides, there is an eagle at the center of the picture. The eagle is perched on a cactus to signify the narrative of the city’s origin. One of the gods had directed that the town be located at the exact position where an eagle would alight. A shield supports the cactus upon which the eagle sits, and there are red-tipped arrows.
The shield and arrows are a representation of the city’s military prospects. Also, the image has burning temples, a sign of subjugation. As the Tenochtitlan image represents, the Aztec’s rise to power was quick and recent. Previously, the Aztecs led a nomadic lifestyle. However, they were to dominate Mexico later. Their military moves and civilization endeavors soon transformed Tenochtitlan into a glittering city.
The Hip Pendant
The Hip Pendant represents Iyoba (Queen’s mother), who was Oba’s mother. Even though women are rare in Benin’s art history, the king created this one to honor the mother of an Oba named Esigie (Clarke, n.d.). The mask is modeled softly to attain natural features akin to the shape of a human head. It contains four scarification marks, a number that is often associated with females. The mask was attached to a belt worn on the hip. It represented Idia, Oba’s mother, who ruled between 1504 and 1550. Oba commemorates Idia for having raised an army and using magical powers to help her son’s army defeat enemies (Stokstad & Michael Watt Cothren, 2020). Just like Idia, the Portuguese also played a role in assisting Esigie to expand his kingdom.
Further, there is a representation of military power in the art. Firstly, there are lid heads and a long straight nose. Also notable from the artistic presentation is the adorning of shorts and a chin-strapped military helmet. Besides, the iron is dominantly used in her eye pupils and within the depression in her forehead. The iron represents Idia’s military strength and gaze. Finally, ivory is significantly used in creating a facial representation. Ivory was the main trade item that attracted the Portuguese. On the other hand, the whiteness of the ivory is a sign of purity.
Tar Beach
Faith Ringgold uses the Tar Beach to represent her childhood memories while growing up in Harlem and her aspirations as she grows. In this case, the ‘Tar Beach’ means the rooftop of an apartment where the Ringgold family slept during summer (Stokstad & Michael Watt Cothren, 2020). The artist uses a little girl, Cassie, to portray the magical experience. The painting shows Cassie and her brother lying on a blanket in the right corner of the image. Their parents and neighbors play cards at the center while seated around a table. The little Cassie is flying over the Washington Bridge right above their parents.
Ringgold uses painting, fiction, autobiography, and African-American history to tell the story of freedom, which is everyone’s universal aspiration. As a little girl, Cassie aspires to be accessible to go wherever she wants (Stokstad & Michael Watt Cothren, 2020). The evening hangout atop their apartment’s rooftop allows her to live her dream, albeit fictional. The story is representative of the ideals held by black American children who aspire to get out of their poor state and attain the American goal.
Part B
Analysis: Comparing and Contrasting the Four Provided Artworks
Firstly, Durer uses the engraving of the Adam and Eve image to express personal and cultural concerns. He derives pride from his German descent but loves Italian and other classical traditions. It is a pure expression of self, and he derives joy from traditional art. On the other hand, the foundation of Tenochtitlan represents a 16th-century event never witnessed by any Aztec. Therefore, it has been retold many times, filtering out some facts. Many transformations took place but are not depicted in the artwork scene. It is a post-conquest document created for the European audience to remember some events of a takeover and the resulting civilization.
Thirdly, the Hip Pendant is a representation of real-life events. It tells the story of a mother who helps her son win battles while he is expanding his kingdom. Upon the end of the fight, the son paid tribute and named the mother the Queen Mother. To date, such pendants are worn at yearly meetings of spiritual purification. Finally, ‘Tar Beach’ tells the story of hope in the contemporary world. It highlights the events in a Black American community (Harlem). A little girl hopes to leave her locality someday and live her dream. It represents the real-world dreams of children living in poor social conditions who wish to one day achieve their goals.
Conclusion
Over the centuries, various symbols represented culture, spirituality, and political/social events, among other scenarios. However, that has changed over time. Symbols in the 21st Century, such as logos and marks, have universal interpretation and can be used universally. However, every community or culture has specific symbols to represent particular events.
References
Clarke, C. (n.d.). Queen Mother Pendant Mask (Iyoba) (Edo peoples) (article). Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-africa/west-africa/nigeria/a/queen-mother-pendant-mask-iyoba-edo-peoples
Noble, B. (2018). Dürer, Adam and Eve. Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/renaissance-art-europe-ap/a/drer-adam-and-eve
Stokstad, M., & Michael Watt Cothren. (2020). Art, a brief history. Pearson.
ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE
We’ll write everything from scratch
Question 
Directions: Make an electronic copy of your answer before submitting it to Ashworth College for grading. Answer in complete sentences and correct English spelling and grammar unless otherwise stated. Sources must be cited in APA format. Your response should be four (4) pages long; refer to the “Assignment Format” page for specific format requirements.
Art History
Part A In this first portion of the assignment, you are asked to analyze the iconography of the artworks listed below. Defined in the textbook, iconography is an understanding of the subject matter and symbols of a painting (Stokstad and Cothern, 2016, pg. 6). Based on your knowledge of the cultures and periods you have encountered over the past four lessons of textbook readings, analyze the following artworks in terms of their iconography.
- Adam and Eve, Albrecht Dürer, 1504. Engraving It is located on page 357 of the textbook.
- The Founding of Tenochtitlan page from the Codex Mendoza, Aztec, 1545 CE Is on page 411 of the textbook.
- The Hip Pendant Represents an Iyoba “Queen Mothe”), Nigeria, c. 1550 CE. It is located on page 433 of the textbook.
- Tar Beach, Faith Ringgold, 1988 Acrylic on canvas and pieced cloth Located on page 572 of the textbook.
Part B Compare and contrast the function of the above works. Focus your analysis on how each artwork functioned spiritually and politically in its original context. Your discussion should include the importance of the artwork at the time of its creation for the viewer at that time. For instance, you could address issues such as whether the artwork was used as visual teaching of a concept or a historical record to document an event. Compare and contrast the function of the four paintings and distinguish the connections that can be made, pointing out patterns you find.
Conclude your essay with a short discussion on using symbols in the 21st Century to communicate, applying what you learned regarding using symbolic imagery throughout the centuries of art studied in the past four weeks. (Consider advertising logos, emojis, etc., when considering 21st century examples.)