Iconography

powerful visual imagery created a void in distinctive royal portraiture beginning from the time of their father’s passing. Henry VIII was portrayed as a fearless Warrior King and to much of the public was seen as such. This level of engrained iconography would not be present again until the reign of Henry VIII’s second wife’s daughter, Elizabeth I. When Queen Elizabeth I ascended the throne, she was succeeding an unsuccessful regime led by her half-sister Mary I. Flattery was a key purpose of…

The altar of Zeus, which is usually referred as the Pergamon altar, is a giant monument constructed under King Eumenes II (Campell, “Pergamon”) on one of the terraces of the Acropolis in Pergamon. It is one of the numerous sculptural monuments that the Pergamenes aim of commemorating their military achievements (Pollitt 81). The altar is a part of the Acropolis that includes the library and the sanctuary of Athena on the sides (Fig. 1), which was built to worship their patron goddess Athena and…

Jan Van Eyck, one of the most famous painters from the Renaissance era, is a man of mystery; no one knows anything about his childhood, birth, or family. The documents from his time were most likely lost, didn’t survive, or were never documented. He is known for his paintings in the courts, religious art works, portraits of famous figures, and himself. There aren’t many records of his early life. It is unknown about his birth because it was never documented by his mother and father or lost.…

Part 1: Dallas Museum of Art “Power Play” 1. Spiritual. Mesoamerican peoples (artist unknown). Dog with human mask. Late Formative period, c. 100 B.C.E – C.E. 200. Ceramic. Dallas Museum of Art. Hollowed ceramic statue depicting a hairless dog wearing a mask. Gifted to the DMA by the Eugene McDermott Foundation and the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated. The dog is thought to be a tepescuintli, which was raised for food in Mesoamerica. Dogs are known to be used for spiritual reasons in the state…

The emergence of empires has led to the emergence of many wonderful things, which to this day continue to amaze us and has helped us unravel the past. All the wonderful things that occurred during the duration of these empires are displayed in artifacts in all sizes and shapes. The Roman empire demonstrates their leaders as powerful warriors, who created a vast empire by defeating their enemies in battle and then conquering the surrounding area. The Egyptian empire illustrates an empire with…

Religion is prevalent in many aspects of Japanese culture, even in pop culture. Specifically, religious themes and aesthetics are common in manga, Japanese graphic novels and comic books, or anime, which are animated movies and television shows commonly based on manga. Religion can be weaved into these mediums in various ways to create different effects. For example, religion can be used solely for cosmetic effect, or the story itself could be centered around religion as a plot device. Depending…

It was a Saturday morning like no other. I was going to attend my high school’s prom and enjoy the last few days of school with my friends. I am a fairly quick dresser so that morning after I was ready I went to my prom date’s house hoping we could leave early and meet up with all the other guys. When I first saw her I thought she looked amazing. Her dress looked awe-inspiring and she had mastered walking in those pesky heels so I thought we were ready to go. Little did I know that she was still…

“The idea that community or faith based charity were more efficient, effective and capable than the government of addressing ecological stringency hasn’t been true since the industrial revolution transformed the US from agrarian to an urban nation” (LA Times). When I was 14 years old, my mother, brother and I were evicted from my mothers then boyfriend’s house and forced to share a one bedroom apartment with no furniture. I would drink water to feel full and when we did get groceries, we would…

The Starry Witness The ancients that came before us lived most of their lives looking up. They looked to the sky to tell time, to determine what the weather will be like, and to seek the face of their God. Scripture is filled with examples in which God speaks to humanity through the wonders displayed in the heavens. Psalm 19:1 tells us that the heavens declare the glory of God, that the skies proclaim the work of God’s hands. Job learned this lesson directly from God in the midst of the most…

long special on HBO. For that hour, the world sat transfixed as they saw a film that was quite unlike anything they had come to expect from the artist, Beyonce. Many people struggled to characterize the fim in modern terms. Some pointed to the iconography in the film such as the many signifiers of the struggles of the black community. While others focused on the archetype of the film. An argument was made for the mythic qualities of the film. The argument proposed that the film was essentially…