Week Six: Video Review

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

I chose the film “The Birth of the Middle Ages” because I have always enjoyed that time period because of the tales of knights and the glory of castles(even though most smelled like human excrement).  I chose “Cataclysm: The Black Death Visits Tuscany” because the black death is associated with the Middle Ages and during this time period a lot of people had denounced god because how could such a god bring such misery upon so many people.  Finally, I chose “The Greek Awakening: Art from the 5th Century BC” because this is another time period that I am fascinated with.

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

The Birth of Middle Ages-  

The 7th century heralded Islam as a relentless force in Europe. Islam's expansion during the 10th 11th centuries met little resistance. Descendants of warriors who fought against Islam collect venom from snakes living among the ruins of a fortress in Rajasthan.

Japan's feudalism extends to the mid-19th century. Ancient Zen monasteries still follow religious and military traditions. After its first contacts with European explorers in the 16th century, Japan closes its doors for the next three centuries.  As Rome fell and gloom descended, the civic organization, standards of law and ethics, and the glories of ancient learning disappeared into the Dark Ages (476-1000 A.D.).  In modern Pisa, participants re-enact a crucial historical battle called "The Battle of the Bridge." The Middle Ages is not a block of time, but an accretion of attitudes and events that were named and interpreted centuries later.  When the world did not end in the year 1000 as predicted, Europe exploded with life in the Renaissance--commerce grew, cities became powerful and productive, and art and architecture flourished.  For 800 years, the Roman Empire is the center of the world, the focus and source of all political, military, and civil activity.  Rome falls because of internal decay and external pressure from outsiders and invaders, particularly the Huns.  As the 5th century dawns, the Roman Empire is tottering.  Great Roman houses become fortifications and as they grow, the architecture of the Roman city gives way to fortified, medieval towns, symbols of the Middle Ages.  Fortified monasteries offer a measure of protection and hope during the Middle Ages.  Springing up all over Western Europe, monasteries become centers of work and prayer. In 530 A.D., Benedict founds the order of Benedictine monks.  Benedictine and Dominican monks dedicate their lives to preserving the knowledge and culture of classical antiquity. They laboriously copy the ancient books letter-by-letter. Monks from the East bring the Cyrillic alphabet and Christian unity to Eastern Europe.

Cataclysm: The Black Death-

Until 1348, people in Sienna and Florence enjoyed the richest, safest, and most comfortable lives in their history. But almost overnight, their certainty of life—and even any hope of a good death—was gone. This program assesses the aftermath of the ferocious damage unleashed by the bubonic plague on the two city-states. Historians Alexander Nagel and Nicholas Terpstra, from the University of Toronto, and professional artisans—chief among them, sculptor Marcello del Colle, from Opera del Duomo—comment on how dazzling works of architecture went unfinished, artisans became more intrigued with the divine world than the natural, and how from the ashes a new spiritual inquiry would spring, paving the way for the High Renaissance. (49 minutes).  In the first decades of 1300s, Tuscan society flourished. Sienna and Florence competed with each other in their architectural achievements. Business and multinational banking then failed. Florentines were wary of Sienna’s interest in real estate.  The Plague is carried from China to Europe. Florentine banks collapse in mid-thirteenth century. The plague reaches Tuscany in 1348. Death is everywhere. The Plague lasts seven months and kills up to one-half of Europe's population.  In "Decameron," Boccaccio describes the Black Plague. Many survivors move to the countryside to escape the harrowing scenes in the city. The Sienese build a small cathedral in thanks to the Virgin Mary when the Plague is over.  The plague physically changed cities. Christian mosaics depict heaven, hell, and other Christian motifs such as the second coming of Christ. The final judgment shows gruesome images of hell.  A good death in Medieval times was the focus of a good life. Care for the dead and dying held great meaning. Suspicions about the Plague fell upon Jews who were thought to be poisoning Christians. Consequences for the Jews were catastrophic.  Suspicion and fear ruled Europe. Cities no longer welcomed travelers or outsiders for fear of the Plague. The Christian view of God changes to the vengeful god of the Old Testament.  Flagellants travel throughout Europe to expiate their sins and bring an end to the pestilence.  Painting changed in significant ways after the Plague. Figures emerge flatter than in the previous century. Taddeo di Bartolo paints gruesome images of hell. Post-Plague art is less realistic than the earlier masters such as Giotto.  Giotto treats art as a service to mankind, depicting figures with human emotions that tell their stories. The great Renaissance painters depict three-dimensional depth with the use of the vanishing point.  The Cathedral Foundation for the Duomo spans five hundred years in Florence. Modern art restorers use Renaissance tools to repair great works of art. Many Renaissance crafts are alive and well in Florence today.  The Renaissance period left many legacies: rise of the modern city, modern banking, literature, arts, Arabic numerals, eyeglasses, charities, paved streets, and underground water systems.  A spirit of inquiry catalyzes new developments in government, the arts, and science. The greatest innovation after the Plague is a new way of thinking about ourselves. St. Francis of Assisi sees the greatness of god in nature. Naturalism changes the way we see the world.

The Greek Awakening: Art from the 5th Century BC-

During the sixth and fifth centuries B.C., a revolution occurred in Greece in the areas of art, theater, architecture, and philosophy.  Sculptures appeared more realistic and less stylistic.

Pericles, who ordered the construction of the Parthenon, took Athens from a city of wood to a city of marble.  Doric columns and perfect symmetry are "distilled perfection."  Time and pollutants have eaten away at the original marble of the Parthenon.  Workmen continue to restore the building. Ancient fragments are mixed with newly sculpted additions.  There was no building to compare to Pericles' Parthenon in ancient Greece.  A frieze ran along the top of the building. Many treasures of the Parthenon are now displayed in the British Museum.  Many of the pediment sculptures are in the British Museum and the Acropolis Museum, safe from pollution. The western and eastern pediments depict stories of the gods.  Modern-day Athens boasts some very fine architecture. The Greeks built huge theaters for dramatic presentations of comedies and tragedies. The theater at Epidavros is the largest of all.

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

The videos bring a different aspect to the learning experience.  Some people learn better when they are visually stimulated and have auditory stimulation as well, while some people learn better through reading a book.   The videos also build upon what was already taught in the book.  While the subject is still the same the details used in the video presentations were for the most part different from what we had read in the text.

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

I have said this before but I am not really a fan of these videos because they are very old and dull to watch.  While some people may argue that history doesn’t change to much so what was true 15 years ago is still true today may be correct, however with the new technology that is available to us I am surprised no one has created videos of this nature only with some added computer animation to make the videos a bit more flavorful.