Self-Discovery
Tibetan
Mandala of Samvara (1600-1649) painting: gouache, cloth UMFA1977.253
About the art! A mandala is a teaching and meditation tool used by Buddhist monks, or holy men, all over the world. What is meditation? Why do people meditate? Mandalas are drawings or paintings made with paint or colored sand that show a temple, or a holy place. Monks meditate for hours on end while making these detailed mandalas. This exercise, or ritual, helps the monks feel closer to Buddha and takes them on a journey through life. Extension
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Ronald Lee Brown
Potato Head (1998) 60″ x 39.5″ photography SMA2002.038 About the artist! Ronald Lee Brown’s work takes traditional meanings of images and recycles them. The use of color, shape, value, texture, and variety are composed in a neo-surrealistic way creating a relationship between unrelated things. Vocabulary Surrealism is a style of modern art in which images are based on fantasy and the world of dreams. Discussion Read and discuss the definition of Surrealism, then ask the following questions: Why do you think the potato has eyes? What could the potato represent? What do you think the eyes are looking at/looking for? Do you think the potato is coming from somewhere or going somewhere? What do you think the road represents? How does this work reflect who we are and the journey we are on? Extension Choose a part of your body and create a surrealistic self-portrait using collage, photography, or any medium you choose. Write a paragraph about your work and include why you chose that body part and what it represents. |