First glancing at this piece from the Chinese exhibit entitled, “Wine Jar with Eight Immortals,” I believed that this was a jar that was sculpted to hold something very valuable; however, I was unaware of what it was made to hold. After looking at the title, I realized that it was a jar made to hold wine and was made for everyday use. This was very surprising to me because the jar was made in such a high quality, and the “immortals” located on the jar seemed to be wealthy individuals of high power because they appeared to be fed well and were holding scrolls among other things. I presume that the person who owned this during the Ying Dynasty was of a high social status if they were using this much wine on a daily basis.
If you are in the Brooklyn Museum and get hungry, do not worry! The Brooklyn Museum Cafe offers a wide variety of food items, having something for everyone. They even have a quaint seating area where stories can be shared and memories can be made!
Before I even came to realize the title of this piece, “Likishi Dance Costume Leggings,” I thought to myself, If I didn’t know any better, I would think this figure was dancing! After reading the title, I discovered that that in fact was what she was supposed to be depicting. This figure is wearing a dance costume that includes a mask. The mask is only a part of the costume, which also includes musical aspects such as the bells that are located on her boots. Even though men dance the ritual that this costume is used for, Mwana Pwo, the masks of the costumes almost always depict women. The man is believed to marry the figure when he pays for it with a copper ring. This is a sort of pact to ensure that the man will take care of the mask in exchange for the ability to perform using this mask. It was a great surprise that African culture incorporates dance so greatly, and that entertainment in the form of dance is such a great part of their culture. I wish that the costume was a bit more colorful in order to complement the stance of the figure. Possibly the movements of the man behind the costume are meant to outshine the costume itself.
This is an African Funeral Ceremony. It includes dancing and smiles. It is very different from an American Funeral Ceremony where crying and mourning is expected. I think I like the African version better. What do you think?
Kehinde Wiley is well known for painting contemporary young black African American men in not so contemporary backgrounds. When looking at this mural I found that what should have been innocent, plump, angelic cherubs floating about, was replaced by buff, thuggish black men. I also found this mural to be very humorous and probably the funniest piece of art at the Brooklyn museum. I could not help but laugh at the image of gangster black men floating around in such gentle positions, resembling those of ballerinas. There is a great mixture of contemporary and traditional art in this piece. Perhaps this piece in a critique on what is considered beautiful or heroic in the art world.
