This is quite stunning, when compared with the Western painting and music of the same time. Makes one wonder whether the effect of the Dark Ages is still with us, infecting everything. Why was central Africa so far behind in accomplishment than Egypt? Why has it remained so?
The utube art w/Baez video was also quite captivating. I had no idea that she performed stuff of that nature.
I’m so very glad you liked it. The art is simply stunning in these periods. I’ve captured 131 artists and I’m sorting them into dynasties to give an overall view of ancient Chinese art. They’re incredibly different from ours because they have a different purpose - they’re expressing the character of the artist and that of the person examining them. Major nuance just on how light or heavy the ink is stroked onto the paper. I remember being taught that the ideal person to rub the ink stick was a 13 year old virgin because they had the right strength to get the ink rubbed smoothly and the patience to not leave chunks.
There were almost more art critiques written than paintings created, I’m starting to think. MAJOR sophistication. Another point of confusion is that we see copying done in European art during an artist’s learning period. In ancient China, famous artists copied older artists’ work to spread it through the country. So you’re looking at Sung paintings of Tang artists.
Never took a class in African art. Zip knowledge. I had classes in Roman/Greek and Middle Eastern. Iranian art up to the time of Darius. That sort of thing.
I don’t know that Baez did all that many pieces that were so strangely operatic, but that’s where I first heard that song and I’ve loved it ever since. It had the right strangeness to go with the surrealists.