HUM2020 BLOG
Blog: Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art. (Good Life Tour)
The first piece of art is called Old Man’s Cloth by El Anatsui, it is a collection of flattened bottle caps fashioned together to make a “Cloth”. It is about eight feet long by six feet tall with a collection of smattered bottle caps bound together by wire to create a beautiful 3-dimensional wall. To fully understand this piece, you must first understand its creator. El Anatsui is an African artist who much like Vik Muniz uses materials for his artwork that most would consider nothing more than ordinary garbage. He was born to a British colony in 1944, in what is today Nigeria. He lived there through the materialization of the state of Ghana and felt the sting of British colonialism. Being brought up in such a time period, he reflects on his harrowing experiences through his art. By commonly using materials that others would simply throw out, he exposes the attritions of colonialism and slavery during his youth. The piece presents the worlds view of such matters, as most would not bat an eye to thought of such things. By being swept under the rug as most matters of Africa commonly are, its inhabitants have began to feel unwanted or unworthy. So to set free to the world that truth, Anatsui uses for his art what he feels best describes how the people of Africa are treated, garbage.
The second is of Indian origin and is a hand carved statue of the Hindu god Ganesh. In the 13 century (1200’s), the statue was carved out of a single piece of volcanic stone. Being over 800 years old, the artisanship and handiwork of the stone are still in immaculate condition. The statue is a traditional representation of the god Ganesh down to the tee. Pot bellied and with the head of an elephant, the statue stands around 2 feet tall and rests on a large rat, which is actually the god’s noble steed whom he rides to and fro. Amidst the common paraphernalia of the god, he brandishes an axe, representative of Hindu belief that you should cut ties to material objects, as they are not needed in your next life. The viewer will quickly note that the statue seems to have been broken; however, Ganesh is generally portrayed with a broken tusk, portraying the differentiations between things that should be kept and done away with. Ganesh is portrayed with about 10 notable items that all have significant religious value to the Hindu culture. Overall, the statue is a simple reflection of religious symbolism.
Lastly is the House Post of the Great Shelter, also hand carved but is of African origin, created by the Dogon people. In the center of Dogon villages lies a small round hut know as “Togu Na” or “House of Words”. The houses are male only gathering places with very low ceilings, large enough only to sit under. The Dogon are a peaceful people and spare no expense on keeping the peace. The Togu Na are designed accordingly, the close quarters arrangement surrounded by colorful curiosities and beautifly carved wood statues makes for a peaceful meeting place where matters can be discussed without worry of danger. The posts commonly express themes of fertility and procreation. The Dogon hold women to a special regard and it is because of this that they carve women onto the posts that support the Togu Na as women are the supporters of the Tribe. The posts are about 3-5 feet tall, depending on the size of the shelter that they are supporting. The posts generally feature women’s breasts’ and a carved inscription of “The breast is second only to God”. The posts stuck out to me not because of immaculate beauty but because of their shear simplicity and ingenuitive design. For over 5000 years, with nothing more than sharpened rocks and wood, the Dogon have transformed plain architecture into works of pure beauty.