Assignment 5C

Briefly remind us what MoLAA is and tell us how the knowledge you learned this semester enhance your understanding of the artwork found at the MoLAA?

This semester I have learned a lot about the how much the culture influences that the artist make their art so relative to what is going on in that time period. We have learned about a few different eras in Latin America in each one we were able to view the differences in cultures and how the history of a certain group of people was being expressed through art. We were able to observe and study that art and get a better understanding of how people lived during that time. The MoLAA has a variety of pieces of art from different eras but there goal is just to let people see the amazing art that Latin America has to offer. Their art represents more than just the artist themselves but it also exemplifies their identity, history, and culture. The best way I can describe our learning this semester is that as we studied another artist, art piece, piece of history, or culture we were able to more puzzle pieces together in the large understanding of latin america culture. We did not finish the puzzle but we definitely finished the border.

Revisit any one item of art found at the MoLAA past or present. Do a search on that artist and tell us how his/her work relates to the topics we studied this semester.

I researched the “El hombre elemento agua” by Laura Hernandez. Her art relates to our class because she does pieces that are inspired by the past, this is best described in this article that I found on her: “Her passion for ancient civilizations has taken her to explore in depth the Pre Hispanic world, whose cosmogony, based on the concept of duality, has been a constant source of inspiration”.

(http://www.laurahernandez.com/expos/the_eternal_femenine/Female_cosmos.html)

Find an example of his/her work. Include the following elements:
Contains a title:
El Cristo Mudo

Contains a web link to the actual piece (art, photo, architecture, pottery, etc.):
http://www.laurahernandez.com/galeria/cristo_mudo_a/index.php#

Contains a brief paragraph of reference to components A and B, how you came across this piece, how it connects to your study of humanities:
Well when I was looking through the video from assignment 2b I stopped at Laura’s piece of art because it was so strange and it really stuck out to me. I researched her art further and found a ton of photos of her work, this one that I chose was really interesting to me. I thought the colors were just absolutely stunning and that peeked my curiosity. This piece of art connects to our studies because Laura’s work is inspired by ancient civilizations in latin america and that is exactly what we have been studying.

Contains the following analytical elements:
Observation: What do you see in the artwork? What is the subject of the work? What is the work made of? What techniques (colors, lines, shapes, textures)does the artist use? This painting is showing the person who had taken Jesus down after his crucification. I am not sure if that person is female or male but it is obvious that they are in emotional pain. The subject of the piece is Jesus I think, they show him laying on top of the person and in the back a huge cross with a latter going up to the top to tell the viewer that that person had just got Jesus and brought him down. They are in a position that looks like the person just took him down and laid with him in disbelief because they are very close to the latter. This piece of art is watercolor on paper. The colors in this painting is absolutely amazing, it was what drew me to this piece. The artist uses color to distinguish very boldly between different subjects. For example; Jesus’s body is blue, the sky is red, the latter is blue, and the other person all brown except for the hair. I don’t think there is very much texture in this because it is just watercolor but the lines of separation between subjects I think are important. I’m not really sure though about any of this because I don’t know very much about critiquing art but this is just what it looked like to me.

Interpretation: In one sentence, what is the artwork about? Give specific examples to support this statement.
This painting shows the person who had taken Jesus down after his crucification and their remorse for his death.

Judgment: What led you to choose this work of art? What do you think or feel about this work? Why do you feel this way? Support your thoughts with specific observations.
As I said before I chose this piece of art because when I was going through photos of Laura’s art this one practically screamed out at me with its color. I’m not a very religious person and do not know very much about what happened to christ after the crucification. In saying that I don’t know if this is a painting of something that the artist believed happened she just believes in a theory that it did. I am not very sure about much of anything when it comes to the meaning of this painting but what I feel like when I look at it is just a rush of emotions. The colors grab me in some weird way and makes me feel every emotion almost. I feel upset in that he had to just go through so much pain, so with that I feel sad, angry, and remorseful. Then with knowing that that man went up the latter and got him down and has such pain in its face I feel thankful that he wasn’t just left there. Its hard to explain but this painting just brings out a lot of emotions in me.

Questioning: What would you like to know about this work? What would you like to know about its history, its subject, or about the artist?
What strange about this assignment is that I usually get to learn a lot about the meaning of the piece and not a lot about the artist but in this one it was reverse. I got to learn a lot about Laura Heranandez and her life and inspirations but what I didn’t get to see was anything explaining this painting. I would like to know what the meaning was behind her painting it and if it was actually something that happened. I have a lot of questions about the meaning of this piece and my research didn’t really explain very much but I guess I can do more on my free time. Overall I enjoyed all of Laura’s work and am glad I get to go through some of MoLAA’s exhibits again in that video.

Assignment 5B

Contains a title:
La Virgen de Guadalupe

Contains a web link to the actual piece:
http://www.utpa.edu/dept/lrgvarchive/virgen.html

Contains a brief paragraph of reference to components A and B, how you came across this piece, how it connects to your study of humanities:
Well I said before in the last assignment I actually chose to do “The Virgin Guadalupe” first but after researching for a while and just coming up with all this other information on Juan Diego I decided to switch my research towards him. Although I did come across a lot of different kinds of paintings and different interpretations of the virgin, that wasn’t enough to do my last assignment on. This one in particular that stuck out to me because it was very forward and simple and actually talked about the painting itself and not just the story the Virgin Guadalupe is the one I am going to talk to you about. This painting relates to our studies because it is symbolic of a story that took place during the independence era of Latin America.

Contains the following analytical elements:
Observation: What do you see in the artwork? What is the subject of the work? What is the work made of? What techniques (colors, lines, shapes, textures)does the artist use?
The simplest way to describe what you see in this piece of art is just the Virgin Guadalupe. To go into more detail though you see the virgin in very specific and symbolic pieces of clothes and around her she has the golden rays of the sun pointing towards her and she is stepping on the moon and beneath that there is an angel. The subject of this piece is obviously the Virgin Guadalupe. I am not sure what this piece is made of but I would guess that it would be paint because I think anything else would not have been able to be this detailed (Example: On the dress there is symbolic "writings" that tell a story to the Nahuatl people). The artist used different colors to make certain parts of the painting catch your eye. Also the artist use colors to symbolize things, for instance, the mantle is blue-green, the color reserved for Onecihuatl who are the divine couple considered the creator and unifying force of all creation. I am not sure about the texture of this piece but I do think that the shapes that the artist used were symbolic as well (Example: The mantle is covered with stars and these reflect the eras of this civilization and the relationship to Ometeotl the god of all duality).

Interpretation: In one sentence, what is the artwork about? Give specific examples to support this statement.
I think the article says it best “The Virgin of Guadalupe...is the symbolic mother of Mexicans everywhere, the symbol of Mexican identity, history, and culture”.

Judgement: What led you to choose this work of art? What do you think or feel about this work? Why do you feel this way? Support your thoughts with specific observations.
The image of the virgin has been all around me my whole life but I have never known the meaning of why she was so important or what she symbolized. To now know and understand her undeniable significance in mexican history and culture I feel kind of stupid to not have researched it sooner. Knowing the story now I see her significance and appreciate the many different images that everyone has of her much more. This particular piece of art I like because it is more detailed than a lot of the others I have seen and also I liked reading about the particulars of this piece and what they symbolize.

Questioning: What would you like to know about this work? What would you like to know about its history, its subject, or about the artist?
Well as much as I did learn about the actual painting in this assignment and all of the symbols used by the artist I didn’t actually get to learn anything about the artist. I think if I would have been able to know why that person made this painting and how much they had researched before they did it because it is obvious that they knew a lot of stuff that is not just common knowledge. Also I would like to know how they were inspired to do this painting, I mean have they always looked up to the Virgin Guadalupe and finally decide that they wanted to make something great in her honor or what? I think just in general learning more about the artist and what the feelings were behind making this I would have a deeper appreciation for the piece as a whole.

Assignment 5A

In a paragraph, tell us what "Independence Period' means.
The Independence Period is after the Colonial Era in Latin America and is around 1810-1830 for most countries. This was when the countries gained their independence from Spain. This time period was also known as the Latin American Revolutions. After the revolutions, Haiti, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay, Venezuela, Peru and Brazil were recognized as independent countries in Latin American.

Tell us why you chose the topic:
I actually chose to do “The Virgin Guadalupe” first but after researching for a while and just coming up with all this other information on Juan Diego I decided to switch my research towards him. The reason why I chose the Lady was that I had always heard about her and know many people who were necklaces and bracelets that are dedicated to her. I thought it would be interesting to learn what she stood for and I think that I did accomplish that in my research.

Tell us 3 interesting facts about your topic in 3 separate paragraphs:
The reason why Juan Diego is known is because of one day in his life that changed his life forever. On every site that I look at this story is pretty much the only thing they talked about. The story starts out on December 9, 1531 when Juan was walking to mass he passed Tepeyac Hill and heard heard music and saw a glowing cloud encircled by a rainbow. A woman's voice called him to the top of the hill. She said she was the Virgin Mary and asked Juan to tell the bishop to build a church on that site. The bishop was kind but skeptical so he told him to bring some proof. When Juan met up with the Lady again she told him to climb to the place where they had first met. Juan did that and was amazed to find that there were flowers growing in the frozen soil. He gathered them in his cloak and took them to the bishop. Juan told the bishop what had happened and opened his cloak. The flowers that fell to the ground were Castilian roses (which were not grown in Mexico at that time). But the bishop's eyes were not looking at the specific flowers they were on the image of the Lady imprinted inside Juan's cloak. Soon after, a church was built on the site where our Lady appeared, and thousands converted to Christianity. Lady of Guadalupe was declared the patroness of the Americas.

Another interesting fact that I found was in the middle of the story that I talked about above but I left it out because I thought it was interesting by itself. After the Bishop had told Juan to go find proof Juan got distracted from going to meet up with the Lady because his father was very ill. The Lady cut him off in his path and told him that his father was cured and that he should go back up to the place where they had first met to find his proof.

There was also some interesting things that I found about what happened to Juan Diego after the church was built. He deeply loved the Holy Eucharist, and by special permission from the Bishop he received Holy Communion three times a week, a highly unusual occurrence in those times. Also Pope John Paul II praised Juan Diego for his simple faith nourished by catechesis and pictured him as a model of humility for all of there people.

Cite your sources used for this component and tell us why these sources are credible:
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=73

I thought that the source that I found on catholic.org was very credible. Just from looking at the website you could see it was very professional and with a link like that I couldn’t help but believe what they wrote they must believe to be true.

Assignment 4C

I found a few definitions all on the same site and I think that if you put them all together you have a pretty good definition of culture as it relates to this class. Culture is defined as a particular society at a particular time and place, for example: "early Mayan civilization". It can also be defined as the tastes in art and manners that are favored by a social group or acculturation (all the knowledge and values shared by a society). This pertains to our class and these projects in particular because we have been looking at different eras of latin america and there society and art.

wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

For assignment 3a I chose Gabriella Tessum’s writing because I liked the way she formatted it and the information was very interesting. I learned more about the Mayan history which was cool for me because I had done them for my assignment. I learned that the Mayans main sources of economy was agriculture and that they grew maize, cotton, beans, squash and cacao. This assignment is just another example of Freire’s theory because we are learning in different ways about our subjects. Also we get to chose our own topic out of a group so we were able to use or own minds and knowledge of the groups to decide what we wanted to learn more about. Gabriellas writing on the Mayans related to our studying of the Pre Columbian era in Latin America.


For assignment 4a I chose to review Melanie Hall’s work because she had a lot of interesting information on Junipero Serra that I had not found in my research. I learned that when the Spanish empire sought to control the indigenous people and use them as a workforce the priest's mission was to bring salvation to as many non-Christians as possible. Father Junipero Serra confirmed 5,309 people who were mostly Indians. As I said before in the last assessment I did of a similar assignment, our ability to chose our own topics to research as long as they pertain to the era we are studying is a good example of Freire’s theory. A student should want to learn about what they are studying and make their own choices when it comes to their education. Also it increases there learning the information when they are interested in their subject and with our assignments it is up to the students to chose what best suites them to learn about.

Assignment 4B

Contains a title
La Malinche by Rosario Marquardt

Contains a web link to the actual piece (art, photo, architecture, pottery, etc.)
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://projects.gsd.harvard.edu/appendx/dev/issue2/marquardt/5.jpg&imgrefurl=http://projects.gsd.harvard.edu/appendx/dev/issue2/marquardt/index5.htm&h=420&w=307&sz=21&hl=en&start=8&usg=__ytXUPvLA-h2dD_P8H4gdkJsVazs=&tbnid=JFduoTEJQ_E5DM:&tbnh=125&tbnw=91&prev=/images%3Fq%3DLa%2BMalinche%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

Contains a brief paragraph of reference to components A and B, how you came across this piece, how it connects to your study of humanities.
Well I didn’t come across this piece in my research of the the previous assignment but I went back and did some image searches for the subjects we were looking at last week and this image came up. This painting relates to our studies because it is a portrait of La Malinche who we learned about and some students chose to study more intently about last week.

Contains the following analytical elements:
Observation:
This piece is a portrait so you see just La Malinche from her chest up. The subject of this piece is La Malinche and the artist interprets her in his own way. This painting was made from oil pastels and it is on paper. The colors are earth tones and the artist uses red to boldly show the difference from her lips and shirt to her skin. All of the colors are realistic which makes the painting that much more interesting because her faced is not realistic, it is morphed.

Interpretation:
This painting is about the split of La Malinche and how she was the one person communicating and merging the divide between many cultures.

Judgement:
I just thought it was really strange looking and different than a lot of the other pieces I had seen. It really intrigued me and made me want to learn more about the story behind it. Also all of the other pieces of art were so complicated and this one was so simple but so bold at the same time. All it really is is the face and shoulders of a women with a lizard in her hands and her facial features a little screwed. It is just so simple but intriguing and strong at the same time.

Questioning:
I have learned that she mastered the Mayan and Aztec languages, and in only a few months she learned to speak perfect Castillian. Also that she was the figure in whom all communication between the opposed cultures was concentrated. But what I would like to know is if in the painting the small white clouds that appear to coming out of her mouth were to symbolize the languages she spoke and the communication she was known for or if there was some deeper meaning that I don’t know. La Malinche was a crucial figure in the conquest of New Spain and I don’t know if this is remotely relevant but she looks so average in this painting. It makes it more obvious to me that even though she was this great help to the cultures she was still just an average women. Another thing I would like to know about is why she has a lizard in her hand? What does that symbolize? Overall I enjoyed during this research and hopefully after a little more research I can find some of these answers.

Assignment 4A

In a paragraph, tell us what "Conquest/Colonial' means.
The Colonial Period was from 1492-1810 and it stands out as being the era that did the most to shape what Latin America is today. From the source that I found there was six major points that should be known about this era. The native population was wiped out, native culture was forbidden, the Spanish system promoted exploitation, existing power structures were replaced, native history was rewritten, and the colonists were there to exploit, not develop. This era in their history has made their evolution as a country very hard and they are just now starting to see some change.

Tell us why you chose the topic, tell us about the sources you used (eg if video, what can you expect to see on the video clip you viewed)
I chose this topics because out of the 4 videos we watched this one was the most interesting to me. Nothing in particular stuck out to me but for some reason I like it in the best. This video’s speaker has a monotone voice that is not that intriguing but the information that he is giving is very interesting. The speaker talks about Junipero Serra of Mallorca and it gives the listener a very brief biography of his life. Mostly he talked about his work, and what he did before and after he founded the first mission in California. In my other sources, they pretty much just gave short biographies of his life and tell the reader what they think is most interesting or important to know about Junipero Serra.

Tell us 3 interesting facts about your topic in 3 separate paragraphs. (organize into 3 separate, delineated paragraphs for reader ease)
In the video I learned about Juniperos deeply reverent, persuasive, and dramatic speaking style and how that made him a sought after speaker. He had an oratorical style of speaking that was extremely dramatic and included chest beating, flaming torches to the bare skin, and hitting the back with whips. The endurance of pain and shedding of blood exemplified piety.

Another interesting fact I found was that it was Junipero’s second trip to California when he founded his first mission here. The first mission was in San Diego and then after he founded San Carlos Barromeo he remained there as president of Alta California missions. Over the years, under his presidency there were many missions founded by his people in California. Those missions were San Antonio de Padua, San Gabriel Arcángel, San Luis Obispo, San Juan Capistrano, San Francisco de Asís, Santa Clara de Asís, and San Buenaventura.

In the last source that I found I found some very random facts but I thought they were interesting to share. Junipero was widely recognized for his strong will. He suffered from severe asthma, yet he walked the entire distance from Vera Cruz to Mexico City when he first came to California. He later traveled up and down the California coast on foot or on the back of a donkey, and coming from a person who has severe asthma that is insane. I cannot imagine what he went through.

Use two sources for your work. Cite your sources used for this component and tell us why these sources are credible.
http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/coloniallatinamerica/p/colonialera.htm
Junipero Serra clip 2

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Serra-Ju.html
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h304.html

I know that the video that we saw in class was credible because our professor assigned it to us and for the other sources I typically go off whether they sound legitimate or not. Also if I find a lot of the same information in more than one source I tend to think it is true. All of my sources sound like very credible and legitimate websites and I did truly believe they were all factual.

Assignment 3C

When reading Matthews first assignment I couldn’t help but think how clear and concise his writing was. I thought he did a great job of explaining his points without going into too much detail which I tend to do. Mrs. Guerrini’s comments as do mine are extremely positive for Matthew’s writing. I thought that the first paragraph was a perfect example of who Freire was. I think that if that paragraph was on its own it would give people the exact right perception of who he was. As Guerrini said that first paragraph was very crucial in explaining Freire’s life philosophy. That through a domino affect of having people be educated is key to having them vote effectively which is the only way that you can create change. Also I thought Matthew did a good job of explaining in his second paragraph how Paulo exile helped him get a broader sense of how the things he saw in his home country were happening other places too. Overall I think Matthew did a great job on this assignment!

I also read Tara Gibson’s assignment and I thought she did a great job in organizing her paper. That was the one thing that stuck out to me most and then when I read Mrs. Guerrini’s comment and it was clear it had to her as well. Tara did a great job of giving her information to the reader very clearly. It had a very good flow and it was easy to follow. Guerrini also commented on Taras last paragraph where she talks about all the lives Freire has influenced and how many people he has inspired. That was a perfect conclusion to her writing because it gave the reader the bigger picture of Freires work and how it effects people today and in a subtle gives reason to why us students are learning about him.

Freire’s ideas relate to this class because he had a strong influence on Latin America and are studying Latin America. We are being educated by using his technique of interdisciplinary studies and not just reading and writing but using different sources and ways of thinking about what we are learning and how we learn. Also one of Paulo’s main points was the more people are educated the more they can ultimately make a change and who better to learn from than a strong willed and minded man like Paulo Freire.