Mortality, the Spirit, and Fantasy

Other Worlds – Mortality, the Spirit, and Fantasy

Humans use art to capture ideas about worlds outside our own. Art is often a vehicle for myth: how we understand and explain concepts of a spirit world. Cultures use iconography to symbolize abstract ideas like dreams, love, power, and emotion, and societies call on the artist to create them. Art also plays a significant role in ritual and ceremony. This week we will learn how human thought, belief, and imagination are materialized through art.

Myths

Myth is defined as a usually traditional story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the world-view of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon. They offer us explanations about the mysteries beyond the physical plane of our existence and that resonate within our own reality. Diverse examples of myth include the Christian story of David and Goliath Links to an external site., the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast Links to an external site. and the genesis of the Asaro Mud Men in New Guinea.Asaro Mud Men Links to an external site.

In another example, Antonio Canova's Links to an external site. statue Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss (below), commissioned in 1787, exemplifies the Neoclassic Links to an external site. devotion to love and emotion. It represents the god Cupid Links to an external site. in the height of love and tenderness, immediately after awakening the lifeless Psyche Links to an external site. with a kiss. A masterpiece of its period, it appeals to the senses of sight and touch, but still alludes to the Romantic interest in emotion co-existing with Neoclassicism.

Eric Pouhier, Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss, Antonio Canova, 1787-1793, marble. Louvre, Paris

The myth associated with Saint Michael and the Dragon (below) is symbolized with the personification of goodness and evil represented by a winged serpent or reptile. St. Michael clearly has the upper hand here as he triumphs over Satan. In this remarkable sculpture the unknown artist uses classic triangular composition to reinforce the power of good over evil.

 

Adrian Fletcher, Saint Michael and the Dragon, stone bas-relief with traces of polychrome. Early Christian period. Louvre, Paris

 

Dreams

In western culture, the dream’s place in art is most associated with the Surrealist movement in the early 20th century. But dream imagery was part of a larger frame of reference in the Romantic period beginning in the late 18th century. This style is characterized by its emphasis on emotion, dramatic composition and allegory Links to an external site..

Henry Fuseli’s The Nightmare (below) is a famous example of a Romantic painting that uses a dream as its subject. Fuseli shows both the dreaming figure sprawled on her bed and the visual contents of her dream in the form of an incubus Links to an external site. sitting on her chest, a ghost – eyed horse (literally a nightmare) looking in on the scene and a mysterious object – perhaps a domed building, behind a red curtain in the background. All of this takes place within dramatic light and dark areas in the painting’s composition. The artist paints a hideous scene with overtly sexual overtones.

Henry Fuseli, The Nightmare, 1781, oil on canvas. The Detroit Institute of Arts

 

The Surrealist movement mentioned above was first centered in literature, expanding to the visual arts later on. The French poet and writer Andre Breton (1896-1966) was instrumental in the development of Surrealist ideas. Looking for new avenues to written expression, he investigated the subconscious mind’s ability to generate steams of ideas, words and phrases without necessarily making order out of them. The result was the use of automatic writing, or automatism Links to an external site.. In the 1920’s artists Jean Miro, Hans Arp and Yves Tanguy began to use automatism as a means to generate visual ideas.

The Surrealist artists used dreams in a different context than the Romantics. Though a few Surrealists did use dream images as subject matter, the real emphasis was on automatism and the resulting image it helped create.

Surrealism was influenced in large part by new ideas in psychiatry and the clinical work of Sigmund Freud. The idea of repressed feelings, reflexive movements and past experiences interested the Surrealists very much. In the opening line of Breton’s Surrealist Manifesto Links to an external site. he writes “Man, that inveterate dreamer, daily more discontent with his destiny…” and defines Surrealism as “psychic automatism in its pure state”.

In particular, Yves Tanguy’s paintings summon both automatism and dream-like imagery. In The Satin Tuning Fork Links to an external site. from 1940 he sets precise biomorphic figures within a foggy, vacant landscape. The painting’s title has no apparent relation to the objects in the work, and itself is probably a result of automatism.

A ‘dream’ can also be a highly sought after goal or objective. Pablo Picasso alludes to this characterization in a series of etching prints titled The Dream and Lie of Franco Links to an external site. from 1937. The artist’s portrayal of Franco as self-absorbed, tubular and abstract strengthens our view of him as monstrous. Together, the prints illustrate a narrative of the fascist Spanish general in scenes of battles and destruction during his rule in the Spanish Civil War. Some of the individual prints in the series are studies for Picasso’s protest mural 'Guernica; from the same year.

In a final example, Australian aboriginal culture relies on the dreamtime Links to an external site. to provide explanations about the origins of the earth, their ancestors and the significance of ritual in their lives. These ideas are manifest in dream paintings Links to an external site.: conventional abstract symbols painted on fields of color that signify connection to the dreamtime. This is part of the culture’s mythic foundation.

 

Spirituality

Christianity

Jan Van Eyck’s The Adoration of the Lamb (below) from the 15th century uses a variety of iconographic symbols to present the idea of Jesus Christ. Foremost is the lamb on the altar in the middle of the panel. Jesus proclaimed he is the “Lamb of God”, referring to the innocence and vulnerability of an infant sheep, but also to the one who will be sacrificed. Angels surround the lamb, the two in front swinging incense pots towards the altar. Blood gushes from the pierced breast of the animal, falling into a golden chalice. This reference is to the body and blood of Christ taking the form of bread and wine in the Christian Eucharist Links to an external site..

To the left of the altar is the cross, another symbol of Christ’s sacrifice. On the right is a column, signifying that he is the pillar of the church. The fountain in the foreground represents both the baptismal font and the symbol of Christ as the water of life. All of this plays out within a pastoral landscape replete with meadows, orchards, forests and, in the distance, a church steeple and town on a hill beyond. The circle of light at the top of the painting is generated by the Holy Spirit, which takes the form of a dove. Can you find more symbols? The symmetry of the composition is striking, and gives a strong sense of stability to the entire picture. The Adoration of the Lamb is one of the central panels from the twenty-four-panel Ghent Altarpiece.

 

Jan Van Eyck, Adoration of the Lamb, detail from the Ghent Altarpiece, 1432, Oil on panel

Islam

Because of our human imperfections, Islamic religious belief considers it a sin to present God (Allah) in human form. Instead, Islamic spiritual images use fluid calligraphy and extensive decoration. Below is a 17th century illustration with the name of God written within the middle circle, surrounded by gold flowers and ruby colored leaves in symmetrical geometric patterns. The whole image takes the form of an open flower or bright sun.

Hans Osman, Name of God, 17th century, Arabic calligraphy

We see this tight geometric pattern again in a tile mosaic from the main façade of a contemporary Islamic mosque (below). Here are floral and star motifs surrounding the central 'Name of God' in gold tiles within a starburst of its own. It’s significant to note that Arabic culture also gave the world its concepts of mathematics, geometry and astronomy. This style of illustration and embellishment has been used for centuries in Islamic cultures. You can refer back to Week Six: Architecture to see the decorative designs on the 5th century Dome of the Rock Links to an external site. mosque in Jerusalem.

Faqscl, View of the facade of the Shir-Dor Madrasah with use of Bannai (writing of the name "Allah" in square Kufic on glazed brick)

 

Buddhism

Buddhist spiritual iconography has comparisons and differences in relation to both Christian and Islamic styles. The main compositional format in Buddhist spiritual images is the use of a central mandala or circle. Tibetan mandala paintings Links to an external site. show detailed decorative patterning similar to Islamic imagery, but anthropomorphize Links to an external site.their gods and spirits much like Christianity does. The paintings are hierarchal, with each figure taking a place of status in relation to another.

You can see the striking visual effects Buddhist mandala paintings have in the example below. In the Five Deity Mandala, complementary color sets of green and red, blue and orange create a visual tension that is balanced by the symmetry of the composition. In the center is Rakta Yamari, a Buddhist deity idealized with a fierce look, large eyes and flame-like hair. He embraces his consort Vajra Vitali. To the left and right of the large circle are four other gods, each embracing their own consort. They take the positions of the four directions: at the top right (west) is the red Raga Yamari. The bottom right (north) is green Irshya Yamari. The bottom left corner (east) is the white Moha Yamari and on the top left (south) is yellow Matsarya Yamari. Figures of lesser gods and gurus are placed throughout the composition. Notice the mandalas surrounding their heads. The Christian halo shares this significance.

 

Five Deity Mandala, Tibet, 17th century

 

The propensity for color and pattern in Buddhist spiritual art extends to the embellishments of their temples. The Sarnath Temple below is an example. Built in honor of Buddha, its architecture and landscape design shows Asian influences, with colorful paper lanterns, columns festooned with serpents and dragons and large statuary symbolic of Buddhist gods and bodhisattvas.

Ekabhishek Links to an external site., Buddha statue inside a Tibetan Buddhist temple, Sarnath. 

 

Spirituality in African Art

African cultures symbolize many spirits through costumes and masks used in ceremonies and rituals. The Ogbodo Enyi, or Elephant Spirit mask below, has specific meaning to the Igbo people of northeastern Nigeria. The Ogbodo Enyi is often described as a harsh, violent spirit mask of unusual power. Men and boys from different age groups wear the mask and a heavy knit costume in highly charged performances. The masker, accompanied by musicians playing gongs and drums, “works himself into a frenzy, shaking and trembling. He suddenly bursts forth, running with long strides… charging through the village*”.

The mask’s form is extremely angular and stylized. You can see the tusks at the bottom of the mask in the image below. The conical eyes and the elephant trunk (ilolo) jut out from the forehead. The ilolo is also a charm that protects the masker from his enemies. A human head (ntekpe) is carved in relief or fully round at the top of the mask, usually at the side or facing the back. This acts as a calming agent against the ferocious-looking elephant mask.

For all the ferocity and energy that goes into it, the Ogbodo Enyi performance is really a community exhibition of cohesiveness - a public demonstration that different age groups can work towards common goals*.

A short movie from a similar ceremony in Burkina Faso Links to an external site. shows another spirit running and swirling through a crowd wearing a Bwa Plank Mask Links to an external site..

Link Links to an external site.

 

Brooklyn Museum Links to an external site., Horizontal Headdress in Elephant-Human Composite Form (Ogbodo Enyi) Links to an external site., CC-BY  Links to an external site.

The human/animal form seen in 'Ogbodo Enyi' is repeated in the Manua mask from New Guinea pictured below. A carved figure with a mask face stands on the head of a second larger mask. Surrounding them is a grid of fish, snakes and birds. The mask is believed to harbor spirits of local legends or ancestors and is used during a Malanggan, a ceremonial gathering associated with group funerals and initiation rites. The mask is worn at the end of the Malanggan to clear ceremonial grounds of taboos.

Manua Mask, Papua New Guinea. c. 1890. 37” x 18” x 10”, wood, sea sponge, snail apercula, pigment. Los Angeles County Museum of Art