Module Eight: Video Review

1. Explain why you selected each of the three videos you choose from the selection listed above.

The reason i selected to watch "The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figure," was because ever since I learned about Greek myths in high school I always had an attraction for Greek art. This is because their mythology, their scandalous gods, and their culture was revealed through their art. The tittle of this video attracted me to watching it. The reason I decided to watch the video "Cairo Museum" was because like the Greeks the Egyptians are also a very exotic and mystical place to learned about. My logic in picking this video was that through the Cairo museum I was going to learn more about Egyptian past culture. 

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

From the video "The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figure," I learned a lot about Greek art that I did not know about before. One of the things that I learned about ancient Greek culture that is very similar to our modern culture is that the Greeks took their physical image very seriously. They really enjoy going to the gym and also were obsessed  with their bodies. This addiction was very illustrated in their art, sculptures in particular. in their sculptures you can see the Greek obsession with the human body because they created it in such majestic detail. Something else that i learned from this video was about the Cycladic sculptures of the 5th century. What was interesting about these sculptures was that they were a silent proof and evidence of a time in history that there is no written record of. The sculptures of this century represent fertility because of the lines on the stomach of the figures. The Greek sculptures of the sixth century were very detailed and showed a 3D figure that had motion. the pottery that was discover also shows the ancient Greek way of life. There are not much paintings of the ancient Greeks.  In the second video "Cairo Museum" i learned a lot of things about the museum in Cairo. This museum is amazing it holds 160,000 relics and artifacts inside it, Which are all exclusively from Egypt's past. What is amazing is that only half of these objects is showed in the museum because the other half is on the basement. The basement of the museum is like a modern tomb that holds all the treasures of the past. When, people that are in charge of making new collections in the museum it is a challenge to find relics in the basement. The basement contains relics and object that have been there in the bigning of the museums history which was open on 1902. 

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

The videos are related to the text because some of the videos outs you in a narrative of what I have learned in the the text. Sometimes the text gives examples and explanations of certain art forms and art history of the times. It is hard to relate to some of the art just by reading about it on paper. However, the videos gives you a closer look at what you learn on the text and puts you inside the story of the art. The two videos I saw did just that for me.

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

I loved the two films that I choose. So far, they are the two favorite films that I have seen in this class. The reason being, that both films made me feel like I was there. The made me believe I was some what part of the story within the art. The video about the Cairo Museum sounded boring. Nonetheless, when i saw it I was shocked to see how good it was, They focused on the basement of the museum instead of the actual thing because the basement held so much history and culture. I really enjoyed watching the videos this week. Both, were nice and short and to the point. They also gave more meaning and dept to the readings.