Injustice to Non-European Artworks in Textbooks

Thesis                                                                                                                                                                                                        

  In this article, we will be discussing the lack of equality in descriptions of art pieces whenever the art is not European or Colonial. The textbook is unjustifiable as it is focused on European-originated artworks while other cultures such as the Mayans have small and overlooked descriptions. The textbook itself tried to be inclusive but didn’t so far as it still focused the majority of the history on Europe while giving smaller sections to the rest of the world. We will dive into what changes we would have made had we the chance to make our own history books and what other things that we could say about other artworks around the world for better informational value to any audience that desires it and to thoroughly teach those curious minds.

Author's perspective:

In the textbook, the authors Stokstad & Cothren merely write about what is happening in the relief sculpture and go on about how the ritual happening involved bloodletting and that it happened at night or in the dark. they also quickly went over how the ritual was made to be a way to show power or to show dominance through religious rituals to show commitment. this textbook fails to go over why the rituals are so important to the people, which is to show that those in political power are godlike and have been using the ritual to make connections with Mayan religious beliefs. I would have added more history behind these rituals and talked more about why these rituals came to be. I would also talk about why these rituals were so important for the people to see as a religious necessity and go into better depths as to why it's so important. many of the positive things about the way they described everything though is that there are lots of details in factual evidence within the relief sculpture that they go over instead of leaving the audience ultimately unsure about what's going on in that historical time period and making sure to cover the fact that there was some importance of this piece in this culture. that would be the only good thing about the way they went over this piece though.

This painting of Thomas Mifflin and Sarah Morris (Mr. and Mrs. Mifflin) serves as a good example of how the textbook decides to go more in-depth about the artwork’s historical background, more specifically its political and social background since Stokstad & Cothren only talk about who is being represented in the painting and describe what their social value was. They did a good job explaining the composition of the painting by analyzing what things were being shown to us and what those things mean. For example, they mentioned how “the gorgeous satins, silks, and laces of the women’s dresses and the expensive polished furniture… were the signs of [Mr. and Mrs. Mifflin’s] wealth and status” (Stokstad & Cothren, 453). It is important to highlight that Stokstad & Cothren took the time to explain Sarah’s relevance in both the purpose of the painting as well as during The American War of Independence. This was demonstrated mainly by the way her husband is displayed “interrupting his reading to look admiringly at his beloved Sarah” (Stokstad & Cothren, 453). She’s described in a respectful and almost admiring manner to the point where she’s perceived as an equal, or even of more importance, to her husband. It was also very enlightening to know a little about the artist’s background and the way it relates to the context of the painting. On the other hand, the authors really went into detail when they decided to fully relate what was happening in the United States politically, which even though it helps the reader better understand the context in which the painting was made and what is being represented, it can seem to be not as relevant as other elements that are crucial to know. For example, the most noticeable thing this description lacks is the breakdown of the materials and techniques used to make this artwork. In the image’s footnote, it is just mentioned that it is an “oil on canvas” (Stokstad & Cothren, 453) though there is no mention of what style of art it belongs to. Although the readers can probably figure this out on their own given that the authors mentioned when and where the painting was made, not everyone has enough knowledge to decipher this by themselves. This information can be beneficial for the readers to further understand the purpose of this painting and the circumstances in which it was made.

Comparison

Although these two art pieces demonstrate different stories, how they are told or described implies a preference for certain cultures. The diction used for Figure 1 is factual and unnecessarily straight forward while Figure 2 has a more praiseful, uplifting storyline. For example, in Figure 1 when regarding the rulers the author states them as “actors” and dressed in “elaborate costumes” (Stokstad & Cothren, 410). The usage of these specific words brings to light that they aren’t respecting their culture and are seen more as a show rather than participating in their culture. On the other hand, in Figure 2 the author describes the woman’s dress in the painting as “gorgeous stains, silks, and laces” (Stokstad & Cothren, 453). The fabrics are a sign that they have money, therefore their clothing is more special and speaks for itself. Even though both of the artwork's stories are made as a remembrance of that time, one is seen as more of an artifact of the past while the other is seen as a sophisticated memory for embracing and showing off one’s own wealth in the time period. A way that the two women in the figures relate to each other, is how they were helpful in supporting their husbands in an event. In Figure 1, “Lady Xok pulls a rope of thorns through her perforated tongue in a bloodletting ritual, and her husband stands with a flaming torch to illuminate the scene” (Stokstad & Cothren, 410) and in Figure 2, “Sarah shared his conviction for the cause of American Independence…weaving a homespun fringe on a portable loom to support the Colonial boycott on British imports” (Stokstad & Cothren, 453). They both have their own way of providing support through the beliefs that they have. Additionally, without the impact that the women have on their husbands, they would not be able to move forward in their lifestyles due to how meaningful they are to their reign. Overall, from these two figures, we see the relationship between what matters in appearances and women's impact during different eras.

Conclusion

After reading and skimming through the textbook, we came to the conclusion that the authors have a tendency of favoring White and Western cultures over others, expressing themselves in a manner that might seem like the Others or the non-Western cultures are uncivilized and almost backward. Earlier we demonstrated in the painting of Thomas Mifflin and Sarah Morris (Mr. and Mrs. Mifflin) how Stokstad & Cothren seem to only focus on the political background, for the most part, talking about the historical context in which the painting was made and who is being represented in the artwork. As a reader, seeing this much text about historical background can be perceived as boring and even unnecessary at times. 

Art Detectives

 

#1  For my art detective, I decided to use a church that I visited last year in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. This is a neo-Gothic parish church which was built in the 17th century and is one of the most famous in Mexico for its pink appearance and spiky look. - Darianna Sanchez

#2

This picture was taken while I was in Boston and it’s a bit unclear as I took the photo using my film camera. Based on the structure and how it looks you can see that it is an older chapel. There are two portals that are visible with jambs on each side of the portals. There is a cross at the top which could mean that it has something to do with Christianity or could be a subgroup made from Christianity. At the third section of the church near the tip, there are many different clerestories of different shapes. As well as stringcourse which almost makes a divide between the first and second half of the building. Based on these observations, I think this church incorporated certain aspects that come from Gothic churches. - Keiry Reyes

#3

In this art detective piece, we see lots of vibrant coloration and I took this photo while on a trip to UC Santa Cruz. From what I learned while viewing this piece is that it is supposed to represent Black women in the STEM field and how it is so spiritually and culturally close it is to them despite what the modern public may think of them. nonetheless, it is an economic and sociocultural piece. In this art detective piece, we see lots of vibrant coloration and nature being part of the women's bodies in the photos implying that there is fertility represented in the art pieces leading back to lots of African cultures and feels as though if it were a sculpture this would be a fertility statue like the one we see of the Woman of Willendorf from Austria in 24,000 BCE. - Kye Ponce