Converging Cultures

I saw a good example of converging culture in architecture when I visited the Downtown Presbyterian Church.  The Church is designed after ancient Egypt artistic conventions, which were revisited during an Egyptian revival period.  This Church mixes strong Egyptian influences with Christian ideas.  Crosses are shaped in a way to fit with the Egyptian style.  The logo printed on the bibles also has a ancient hieroglyphic feel.  However, the pillars with papyrus depictions and the geometric patterns used throughout the Church are very Egypt specific, with no Christian influence.  Overall, the building is a mix of artistic styles, but most importantly the experience is a mix of two very different cultures.  In many ways, I would never have guessed the two would have been mixed so deliberately, especially in a Church setting.  (one God vs. polytheism)

Summary of In-Class Exercise

I learned that art is almost always communicating something and that many paintings have historical or cultural importance.  By observing and interpreting a piece, we are able to break an image down into parts or elements.  When viewing these elements separately, we can more fully understand what is being depicted in a work of art.  Sometimes the smallest details are the most important to realizing the context.  Because of this,  we can be sure that viewing a piece of art at face value will almost always leave us with a poor understanding of what was created and why.  Many pieces of art are full of symbolic meaning and draw upon historical and cultural events.  These elements in a work of art (the one's trying to communicate something) are extremely important, if not the most important elements in art.