Video Review

More Human than Human

This video discusses the image of the human body and its importance to our society today and thousands of years ago. A lot of artwork does not portray the body realistically, the Venus of Willendorf is the earliest example of this. Scientists realized that humans throughout the years have been prone to exaggerate features of the human body that are most desired. The features that are most desired can be different due to trends or lifestyles of the artist's civilization. However, the Egyptians did not create exaggerated features in their artwork of the human body. The culture of the Egyptians was prided on consistency, which is why they have portrayed the body from the clearest angles for 3000 years. These were the only images of the human body that they ever saw. In Greek culture, they held a different concept about the body. Due to their high intellect and religious beliefs, the Greek idolized perfected, realistic human forms. The more beautiful the human form, the more divine the being. Eventually, the Greeks found that the realistic image of the body became dull. This culture began to create movement within sculptures and exaggerated features such as muscles, producing interesting forms. People do not like realism, rather fantastical ideals of the body.

This film explains how people throughout history have conceptualized the image of the human body and projected in their artwork. The text describes many of these styles of sculpture as well. The film gives more understanding to how these works came into creation and their connection to changing societies throughout history. It was interesting to learn the theory behind why each culture valued certain traits and why each culture portrayed the body differently.

The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figure

I choose this film because it goes further into Greek artwork and how they idolized the human figure. I find this idolization interesting because it is something that dominates the media today. The video discussed how art styles were transferred throughout the trading routes. Differing from the Greek style, the Cycladic people created abstract figures. The Greeks began creating pottery that spread across the world. Sculpture and architecture started a revolution in Greek culture, which has carried over into our world today. The book also describes these styles of architecture, which are the orders. The orders have been stylized with statues and sculptures.


The Cairo Museum

I choose this film because I have always heard about this museum and its extravagant contents. The many royal artifacts are amazing in their detail and beauty, and the idea of their importance many years ago. This museum holds over 100,000 artifacts that were discovered in Egypt. This museum holds preserved mummies, tombs and their hidden treasures. There have even been animals in these tombs that the Egyptians viewed as important in the eyes of the gods. The artifacts have been gently cleaned so that they can be put on display for many to see. The book also discusses many ancient Egyptian artifacts, but the video elaborates on their discovery and meaning in Egyptian culture.


The Greek Awakening: Art from the 5th Century BC
This video describes Greece as the birthplace of western civilization, due to the great intellect of many philosophers and artists who began to view themselves as the center of the universe, rather than the gods. The describe the Greeks being idolized as gods, which is why such beautiful artwork was created in homage. Cities began being constructed with with such beauty in the materials and design.  The Parthenon is a great example of such a building. It holds such importance in Greek culture, which is why it is being so carefully restored. They are mixing ancient segments with new ones, to reflect the idea of the humanist movement. This film demonstrates the importance of these Greek constructions, which are also discussed in the text, that are still true today. This video intrigued me based on the reconstruction of the Parthenon. I like the way that they decided to add new contributions to this exceptional building.