Wrapped in Tradition

“Wow,” is what I said when entering the museum. “What cool photos, blankets, and glass work!” I think anyone can appreciate the photos, trade blankets, and glass works of Dale Chihuly that can be found in the Wrapped in Tradition: The Chihuly Collection of Native American Trade Blankets exhibit. I was amazed at the eighty vintage Native American trade blankets, the large black and white photos, and the numerous pieces of original artwork from Chihuly’s Blanket Cylinder series. I was particularly interested in the trade blankets. The multicolored blankets with breathtaking designs can be universally appreciated for the craftsmanship and overall appearance. Each blanket had unusual, complex designs. It seems like each blanket probably took a year to make. For these reasons alone, I really enjoyed viewing and analyzing each blanket. However, I further appreciated the trade blankets after learning the importance of the trade blankets in Native American culture. The Native Americans found inspiration in the natural and spiritual world around them. They incorporated their surroundings in these multi-colored blankets. Most of them have a lot of red in them. I’m not sure what that meant, but I am interested if someone could tell me. In the 1800s, these blankets were objects of power, prestige, and potential for Native Americans. The blankets could also be used as symbols for peace. “…Handling of a blanket became a signal for peace,” Meriwether Lewis (an American settler) wrote in his expedition journal in 1805. American trade blanket companies began using Native American design elements in new combinations and colors, and their blankets became part of Native American ceremonial life. It is interesting that commercial enterprises began recreating and changing the Native American blankets for profit. I think the contingent factors of the blankets are necessary to fully appreciate the importance of these trade blankets. The blown glass collection was also spectacular. Chihuly crafted these pieces of art from 1975-1995. The blankets on the glasses portray the unique colors, patterns, and textures found in the Native American trade blankets. Putting the blankets and the blown glass in the same room creates and interesting dialogue between Native American traditions and contemporary art.

Francisco Goya's The Colossus (1808-1812)

(I searched everywhere for information on the Bird Walker, but was unsuccessful. I even emailed Doug Cockell, but did not receive a response. Without this information, I feel I could not give a full explanation of the painting. I have found another painting and will share my analysis.)

Francisco Goya’s The Colossus (1808-1812) is an exceedingly interesting painting. The painting is occupied by a colossal sized man who is among the mountains. His legs are hidden up to his thighs so it cannot be determined if the giant is walking or standing. Clouds surround him which gives an estimate of how tall he is. His fists are raised in a boxing stance and his eyes are closed. The giant occupies the upper two thirds of the painting. The final, lower third is occupied by a valley where people and cattle run in all different directions. What was Goya trying to say when he painted this? The answer to this question is the reason for my appreciation of this painting.

Goya painted The Colossus some time from 1808-1812. The Peninsular War was being fought during this time. The French invaded Spain in 1808 and the war continued until 1814. Goya used this painting to voice, as a Spaniard, his view of the war. The giant is in an aggressive, fighting stance, and represents the Spanish population emerging to confront the Napoleonic invasion. Why is the giant’s eyes closed? The closed eyes represent blind violence. The giant looks almost inhuman with his eyes closed. He will attack anyone and harm anything with the goal of spreading death and destruction. The scattering people and animals in the valley help emphasize the giant’s power. They are all fearful which proves to the viewer that this giant means business. This idea is exactly what Goya was trying to emphasize when painting this. In painting this image, Goya was basically saying, “Watch out Napoleon! Spain is like this colossal giant. We will destroy and kill anyone who opposes us and act with blind violence. Beware!”

My interest in this painting is grounded in the ‘universal’ idea of using a painting or image to illustrate an idea. Goya used this painting to explain his view on The Peninsular War. He wanted to show his Spanish people what he thought of his country, and how they could rise up against the French. One must research the contingent factors in order to fully appreciation this painting. Without knowing that this painting was completed during The Peninsular War, the viewer would not recognize that Goya used his art to illustrate his view of the time.

(On an unrelated note, art experts have recently questioned whether The Colossus was actually painted by Goya. It may have been painted by one of his assistants. Please read this article if you are interested: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/is-goya-masterp.html-just-a-colossal-mistake-808645.html .)

Doug Cockell's Bird Walker

I have searched everywhere for the year of this painting and the media of the painting. I do know it was painted within the last couple decades and it is most likely acrylic as most of Cockell's paintings are. Let me know if you would like me to find a different image where this information can be found. However, I do feel like I can analyze this painting effectively and even connect it to Laterna Magica.

Eirik's Saga

Eirik’s Saga contains a lot of information on the Nordic expeditions to North America. How much of it is actually true? This question kept popping into my mind while reading these adventures. However, I feel this question is not important when analyzing the literary style and history of this saga.

One conclusion I immediately came to was the importance of family lineage in Norse culture. The first two chapters set up the characters and explained who is whose son and who is married to whom. These family lineage breakdowns were extremely confusing to me, “Eirik was supported by Styr Thorgrims- son, Eyjolf of Svin Island, Thorborn Vifilsson, and the sons of Thorbrand of Alptafjord….” (77). Who? What? Come again? It makes sense that I do not understand these first chapters as I was not alive during this time. This saga was not written for people today to read. The literary style shows that these adventures were written for people of the fourteenth century. They explain the characters as if the reader already knows them. The importance of family lineage is a universal idea that can be seen in cultures today. However, the specific characters and lineage in the saga are hard to identify with.

There was a lack of character development in these stories. Each story focused on the specific action or event instead of the depth of the characters. Character descriptions were often brief with few adjectives used, “Karlsefni was a sea-going merchant and was considered a trader of great distinction” (91). The character development consisted of the character’s family, occupation, and how the character was perceived by society. Much of recent literature uses a good amount of dialogue to develop characters. This saga has little dialogue and is mainly used to drive the action. It is not used to reveal the inner quality of a character. I argue that the character development in this saga is a polar opposite to Jane Austin’s character development in Pride and Prejudice. I felt no connection with the characters in this saga.

No matter how hard I tried I could not help but doubting the accuracy of these tails. The accounts in this saga are historical fiction. They are based off some historical fact, but have been embellished and altered. I still think it is important to examine this saga to reveal some history of these early European explorations of the New World.