Module 8: Video Review

1. Explain why you selected the video you choose from the selection listed above.

I watched Cataclysm: The Black Death Visits Tuscany. I chose this video because I wanted to learn more about this time period and how it influenced the beginning of The Renaissance. 

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

Cataclysm: The Black Death Visits Tuscany discusses the time period in Tuscany before, during and after the Plague arrived. Florence & Siena had been at war with each other for centuries, and once there was peace, the city states flourished; art was being made, streets were being paved, city walls built and expanded, as well as construction. Then, the economy collapsed. The plague then made its way to Tuscany and decimated the city. The plague began in China, and was carried to Tuscany via merchants on the trade routes and was transmitted by fleas carried by rats. In 1348 the Plague reached Tuscany, and between a third and one half of the country died. The arrival of the Plague changed the way of life in this area in many ways. It changed the way funerals were carried out, movement of society halted, and the city was a bleak, sad place.  Cities also became angry, and feared outsiders. As the Plague slowed, art starting being made again, yet it was different than before; it seemed more cynical, as well as flatter, and focused on the doubt of God. This then paved the way for Giotto who the video claims is the "first dawn" of the Renaissance period. Painting had changed, and perspective had been developed in the artists works; specifically the development of the vanishing point. This time period also influence the development of the modern city, government, underground water systems, science, universities, banking, eyeglasses,  and spiritual practices.

How Art Made the World 1: More Human Than Human discusses the representation of the human figure throughout history, and how the society we live in and the culture in which we come from affect how we represent it. The video begins in Austria in the early 1900's where a worker discovered a statue of a woman that was 25,000 years old; it was the Venus of Willendorf and how the figure was always represented at this time with exaggerated features.  It then moves on to how the Egyptian portrayed the figure with all features in correct proportion, but shown in the most attractive angle. The video then discusses how the Greek represented the figure with idealized features, and used statues most commonly in their temples. All of these forms of the human figure have influenced how we idealize the human figure today and what we, as a culture, find attractive.

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

The videos directly relate to the readings in the text in multiple ways. Cataclysm: The Black Death Visits Tuscany explains the time period of the Middle Ages and how the plague led to a rebirth of sorts leading to The Renaissance. The reading expands further upon the history of this time period- specifically with the growth of architecture from the Romanesque period to the Gothic period. The reading also discusses the importance of the works of Giotto and Duccio; two artists who made strides to pave the way to The Renaissance through the incorporation of psychological and emotional representations in their work. 

The reading also expands upon How Art Made the World 1: More Human Human and discusses the evolution of how the human figure has been represented in art throughout history. It expanded upon how as societies and cultures changed, so did the representations of the human figure as well as architecture. 

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

Both of the films were enjoyable. I found Cataclysm: The Black Death Visits Tuscany a bit more engaging, as I am interested in that time period and it was neat to learn more about The Middle Ages. I felt How Art Made the World 1: More Human Than Human somewhat harder to stay engaged with. I think it may have been because of the commercial breaks. However, after reading the text, I felt it expanded a great deal more on the subject and it was interesting to see all of the different time periods and how representation of the figure evolved over time.