Art History Through Time: REBIRTH : 3D Gallery

Art History Through Time: REBIRTH

Curatorial Statement

Rebirth:Its not only about when you die and come back to life, but when you start a new beginning When one becomes new, whether it be in this world, in the next, or in a completely new place.

The theme of rebirth has been evolved over time as you can see in the prehistoric times, rebirth meant, connecting to the spirit world and being in a state where you would be able to talk to spirits, during christian/byzantine times it meant going to either heaven or hell in the afterlife by being reborn, to the present day. Where it means that when there is destruction, a new beginning can be made, a new way and means for life,

The evolution of rebirth all connects to one definition, and that is to be made new, as you are new in a new place, and a new beginning can be made.

Prehistoric period

Artwork Title/Source

Horses

Artist

unknown

Date

20,000 BC

Location

Pech-Merle France

Media

Red paint on the cave

Subject Matter/Story

The black spots in the horse were put in there because of a belief that they increase the animal fertility and they call this knocking the spirit power out of the stones.

Sources

Lommel, Andrease. Prehistoric and primitive man, McGraw-Hill 1966

Egyptian Period

Artwork Title/Source

1st picture: Sennedjem, Iyneferti & The Lady of the Sycamore

2nd picture: Egyptian Afterlife

Artist

Unknown

Date

1,200 BCE

Location

Deir el-Medina, near Thebes

Media

fresco

Subject Matter/Story

Egyptians believed in the afterlife. When they died, they believed that if they followed the rules and lived a good life, they would be reborn in another realm called “The Field of Reeds”. However, this was only possible if the gods allowed it. They believed that if your heart were to be judged by the god Osiris and found guilty, your heart would then be eaten by ammut. However, if you were free of sin, you would go and continue the path towards the field of reeds. Here in the first artwork, it displays and Egyptian Craftsmen with his wife with a tree goddess named The Lady of the Sycamore who opens the door for souls towards the afterlife. In the second image, it showcases the two same people but in the afterlife (ie. reborn in another place), who are harvesting their fields in the field of reeds.

Sources

https://www.ancient.eu/article/877/egyptian-afterlife---the-field-of-reeds/

https://www.ancient.eu/image/4788/sennedjem-iyneferti--the-lady-of-the-sycamore/

https://www.ancient.eu/image/4787/egyptian-afterlife/

Classical Period

Artwork Title/Source

Scene of Rebirth on the Gundestrup Cauldron

Artist

Unknown

Date

Sometime between 200 BCE until 300 CE or more specifically, 150 BC and 1 BC during the Roman Iron Age

Location

This piece of art was found in in Jutland, Denmark but had materials from Celtic, Thracian, and Asian cultures. It is currently kept in the National Museum of Denmark.

Media

Gold: 3%

Silver: 97%

Subject Matter/Story

This artwork’s scene is thought to show rebirth. This is because at the bottom, there are Celtic men going towards a figure who is thought to be a war god. The war god is shown to be dipping a soldier into what is believed to be cauldron of rebirth. This may be interpreted and supports the belief that when one dies, they can be reborn with high status in the afterlife.

Sources

https://www.ancient.eu/image/10812/scene-of-rebirth-on-the-gundestrup-cauldron/

https://www.historicmysteries.com/gundestrup-cauldron/

Early Christianity/ Byzantine Period

Artwork Title/Source

Jonah Vomited from the Whale

Artist

Unknown

Date

Third century

Location

Rome

Catacomb of Sts. Marcellinus and Peter

Media

Fresco

Subject Matter/Story

This artwork was painted on a catacomb, where christians buried their loved ones and at times decorated them with symbolic paintings. Here it displays Jonah, who was eaten by a whale due to the fact that he disobeyed God. The consequence of this was getting eaten by a whale, where he stayed for three days and three nights. He asked for forgiveness, and was later vomited out. This biblical scene represents salvation, as in the way Jonah was saved from the belly of the whale after asking for forgiveness and so, he was reborn and made new. This was also said to represent as a visual litany which said “Save me Lord, as you have saved Jonah from the belly of the great fish.”

Sources

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_commissions/archeo/inglese/documents/rc_com_archeo_doc_20011010_cataccrist_en.html#Arte

http://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/arth/smarthistory/early_christianity_smarthistory.html

Artwork Title/Source

Opening Page for the Office of the Dead

Artist

anonymous

Date

1460 in the 15th century

Location

Recent Gilbreath-McLorn Museum Fund and

Gift of the Museum Associates

Media

Ink, tempera, gold paint and gold leaf on vellum

Subject Matter/Story

These four pieces of art display death and the afterlife during medieval times. The first one shows a priest blessing a dying man. The second image showcases the dead man who is buried, above him lay a demon and an angel who “fight” for his soul. The third image shows four men who are speaking to the “Old Testament figure of Job”. Then the fourth image shows three living beings, and three dead. In all of this, you can see that this shows rebirth because you are either reborn in one of two places, heaven or hell, and the outcome “depends” on who wins your soul, as shown in the second image. This artwork also has a text in the center of the page which translates from Latin “I have loved because the Lord will hear the voice of my prayer”

Sources

https://maa.missouri.edu/media-gallery/detail/247/819

Islamic period

Artwork Title/Source

The Prophet Muhammad’s Ascent to Heaven

Artist

Unknown artist

Date

1584

Location

Shiraz/Iran/Middle East

Media

Ink, opaque watercolour and gold on paper

Subject Matter/Story

The story of The Prophet Muhammad’s Ascent to Heaven and to the furthest mosque was that in one night he traveled both places and explored both places as said in Quran (17:1, 53:1–18, and 81:19–25).

Sources

https://www.harvardartmuseums.org/art/149491

Artwork Title/Source

Amiens Cathedral West Facade. Central Portal Tympanum

Artist

Unknown

Date

13th century

Location

Amiens, Somme, Picardy, France

Media

albumen prints

Subject Matter/Story

This image represents the last judgment. If you look in the middle you can see Christ’s as a judge. On the right side you can see st. John and on the left side you can see Mary. Just at the bottom you can see the people that are blessed and the ones who are cursed. The people who are cursed are on the right naked, they are being pushed into hell by angels. On the left side, we can see that the people that are blessed are going to heaven while getting crowns on their heads. At the bottom, we can see four angles awakening the dead by blowing trumpets. In the middle of the awakening souls, you can see st. Micheal who is weighing souls. At the top, it shows the third representation of Christ. There are also two angels, one who holds the Sun (on the left side) and one who holds the Moon (on the right side) this depicts the Last Judgment when there’s a division between the blessed and cursed, leading to where you will be reborn either heaven or hell.

Sources

https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/ss:3875059

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/medieval-world/gothic1/v/amiens-cathedral

Renaissance Period

Artwork Title/Source

Last Judgment

Artist

Giotto di Bondone

Date

After 1305

Location

Arena Chapel (Cappella Scrovegni), in Padua

Media

Fresco

Subject Matter/Story

This piece of art shows as if the heavens are opening up to show Christ as a judge with his Apostles by his side. Here it also displays many levels, some of which have angels in the celestial world, and others which have the devil and demons in the inferno. Besides this, it also showcases the current world of the devoted, and the world beyond time. There are people here as shown, who are awaiting for the answer as to where their place of rebirth will be, either the heavens, or hell. The saved are ascending towards heaven above, and the doomed are being yanked towards hell by demons below.

Sources

http://www.travelingintuscany.com/art/giotto/scrovegnilastjudgment.htm

http://www.travelingintuscany.com/arte/giotto/album/scrovegnilastjudgment000.htm

Hart, Fredrick. History of Italian Renaissance Art- painting sculpture, architecture, Harry N. Abrams, Inc 1987

Today (Art from the last 50 years)

Artwork Title/Source

Rebirth

Artist

Manabu Ikeda

Date

(took 3.5 years) July 2013 - November 2016

Location

Chazen Museum of Art in Madison, Wisconsin

Media

Pen and acrylic Ink drawing

Subject Matter/Story

This piece of artwork was inspired by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan, it depicts the disasters which occurred. However, If you look closely, not only does this artwork show the disasters which were caused, but you can see the struggles and actions of each individual being to survive. The reason the artist named this piece “Rebirth” was because although disasters do happen, and it did destroyed man-made structures, the outcome was that it gave way for nature to be reborn. Something like “Life and Death”, they come and go. The artist explained this in a way that was really interesting, he said that out of nothing, something new can be made. That is rebirth.

Sources

https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2016/11/rebirth-manabu-ikeda/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8avlyScfSs

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Art History Through Time: REBIRTH