Chapter 12 Arts of Ritual and Daily Life The following key topics and materials are covered in this chapter: Clay Glass Metal Wood Fiber Ivory, Jade and Lacquer Art, Craft, Design
Arts of Ritual and Daily Life This chapter explores the context of art as it is related to daily life. The religious ceremonies and ritual setting are what give definition to the everyday objects.
CLAY Ceramics is the art of making objects from clay. Dry clay has a powdery consistency. Plastic: When clay is mixed with water and becomes moldable. Firing the clay in a kiln between 1,200 and 2,700 degrees changes the chemical composition of the clay so it is no longer plastic.
Key terms for this chapter include: ceramics glaze plastic glass blowing slab construction stained glass coiling forging potter s wheel textile porcelain weaving felting
CLAY Slab Construction: A building technique where clay is rolled out into sheets and left to harden so it can be made into containers that will not distort. Coiling: The ceramists rolls out rope like strands, coils them on top of each other, and joins them together. (Native Americans used burnishing technique) Potter s Wheel: A rotating flat disk mounted on a vertical shaft that helps a ceramist shape vessels.
*Blackware pot, Maria and Julian Martinez, 1939
CLAY Porcelain: A ceramic made from mixing kaolin (fine white clay) with porcelain stone. Glaze: Consists of powdered minerals in water. When fired they fuse into a nonporous glasslike coating. Insert visual(s). Suggestion: 12.2 Vase
Vase, China 18 th century, porcelain Bottle in the shape of pomegranate, Sand core glass, Egypt, 1550-1307
GLASS Glass is a very versatile material that consists mainly of silica (sand). When heated, glass becomes molten and easily shaped. The chemical composition never changes. Insert visual(s). Suggestion: 12.4 Tree of Jesse
GLASS Glass Blowing: When an artists dips up a mass of molten glass at the end of a metal tube and blows into it creating an air bubble that can be shaped, thus hollowing the vessel. Glass was considered a luxury product in ancient civilizations.
GLASS Stained Glass: Made by cutting sheets of colored glass in various colors and fitting them together in a pattern; often the segments are joined by strips of lead. Stained glass has been used in cathedrals. The light passing through was viewed as a spiritually transforming substance. 2013, McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved
*Tree of Jesse, Chartes Cathedral, 1150-70
METAL Metal has been used to create art as well as it has being used for functional tools and everyday objects from throughout history. Forging: When metal is shaped by hammer blows. Insert visual(s). Suggestions: 12.5 pair of royal earrings 12.6 Lion Aquamanile
Pair of royal earrings, India, gold. Lion Aquamanile, Nuremberg, 1400
WOOD Wood is a renewable, available, easyto-work-with material. It has been used throughout history for ritual and daily purposes. Because wood is organic and vulnerable to heat, cold, water and fire, wooden objects from the past are rare to find. Insert visual(s). Suggestion: 12.7 Chair of Hetepheres
Chair of Hetepheres, Egypt, Dynasty 4, 2575-2551 Olumeye Bowls, early 20 th century
FIBER Fiber is a pliable threadlike strand. Most naturally occurring fibers are either animal or vegetable in origin. Basket weaving is a traditional women s art that has been used throughout the centuries. Insert visual(s). Suggestions: 12.9 Feathered basket 12.11 Ardabil carpet
FIBER Textile: An art used to create the clothing we wear daily. Felting: A technique where fibers are matted and pressed together. Weaving: Placing two sets of parallel fibers at right angles and interlacing them repeatedly.
Feathered Basket, 1877 Ardabil Carpet, Persia, 1539-40 Royal tunic, Peru, Inca, wool and cotton, 1500. (Draped statues with fine textiles)
IVORY, JADE, AND LACQUER Ivory, jade, and lacquer are considered rarer more precious materials and are often associated with wealth. Ivory: Traditionally came from the tusks of elephants. Today, the ivory trade is banned in India and restricted in Africa.
Arm ornament, Yoruba, 16 th century Lidded saltcellar, Sapi artist, 15-16 th century,
IVORY, JADE, AND LACQUER Jade: A common name for two materials: nephrite and jadeite. It ranges in color from brown to green, and is primarily found in Asia and Central America. Lacquer: Made from the sap of a tree originally only found in China. It creates a glasslike coating over wood and takes up to 30 coats to create a substantial layer.
Vase in form of two carp, China, 18 th century, Green jade.
Tiered Picnic Box, Japan, late 17 th century, lacquer, gold, silver powder, shell
ART, CRAFT, DESIGN Decorative arts were segregated from the fine arts (painting and sculpture) and for many years were termed as crafts. The Arts and Crafts movement flourished during the 19 th and early 20 th centuries. It heightened the public awareness of handmade objects and traditional skills.
Gustav Stickley s Craftsman Workshop, table, 1910-12, oak, leather and brass
Night Street Chaos, Toots Zynsky, 1998, Fused glass Shell Chest, Judy Kensley McKie, 2000. Carved and constructed.
Ini 3, Maria Nepomeuceno, 2009, nylon rope and beaded necklaces.
Sasa, El Anatsui, 2004, aluminum and copper wire Iago s Mirror, Fred Wilson, 2009, Murano glass,
OneShot, Patrick Jouin, 2006. Laser-sintered nylon
Arts of Ritual and Daily Life: SUMMARY Key Topics, Materials, and Terms: Clay: ceramics, plastic, slab construction, coiling, potter s wheel, porcelain, glaze Glass: glass blowing, stained glass Metal: forging Wood Fiber: textile, weaving, felting Ivory, Jade and Lacquer Art, Craft, Design