Please add your one-paragraph summary as a comment to this post. Your paragraphs are due by December 1. Remember to revise, review, and proofread. Include the most important references.
ARTH 303: Methods of Art History
Just another WordPress site
Please add your one-paragraph summary as a comment to this post. Your paragraphs are due by December 1. Remember to revise, review, and proofread. Include the most important references.
World War II was a major shifting point in art history. Thousands of pieces were lost or destroyed. My paper focused mainly on the “collection” of Cornelius Gurlitt. He was a man who, two years ago when investigated for tax evasion, officials found 2180 pieces of art in his small apartment. The majority of these pieces were collected by his father, Hildebrand Gurlitt. Hildebrand was one of four “degenerate” art collectors for Adolf Hitler. Cornelius Gurlitt kept the pieces hidden in his flat, and lived a solitary life among them. Now there is a controversy surrounding what to do with the art. Cornelius died this past year and left everything to a museum. Do the works belong there, or should they be stored for descendants of the original owners to claim? It is a debate that likely will continue for many years.
The Bamiyan Buddhas were once the largest statues of Buddha in the world. Located in Afghanistan, unfortunately, the Taliban blew up the ancient statues in March 2001. Despite their beauty and signifigance to the history of the region, this was the farthest reach of the religion, I don’t think that the statues should be rebuilt. I believe the cost is too excessive and the Taliban’s beliefs are so intensely based in their religion, they will most likely be destroyed again.
Art in Iraq was often used by leaders to show their dominance and victories. Saddam Hussein used monuments to commemorate Iraq’s victory in the Iran-Iraq War. The Victory Arch was large monument built in 1986 to celebrate Iraq’s victory. Saddam Hussein commissioned the work. The Statue of Saddam Hussein was also built during his regime. Many controversies have been brought up about whether or not these monuments should be destroyed. While many wanted Saddam Hussein’s memory destroyed, others wanted to keep the monuments as a symbol of Iraq’s history. Today, the Victory Arch is restored but the Statue of Saddam Hussein is destroyed.
The Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan were constructed over a century ago and served as symbol of a spreading religion, a Universal Buddha, and a place of refuge for travelers. In the early 21st century, the Taliban destroyed these great monuments. Just a few years later, after the Taliban was overthrown in Afghanistan, the debate to rebuild the Buddhas arose. The recent consensus was to preserve what is left of the site, rather than rebuild the Buddhas themselves. However, many people, specifically the Hazara people of Bamiyan, insist that the sculptures should be rebuild with the argument that Buddhists are not idolaters and that it would otherwise be an insult to their religion and their culture.