Color is light.  It gives off emotion as well as feelings of excitement to fearful thoughts.  Color is what light is let through.  Black gives us the sense of mystery and death because light can not go through, and light represents life to many of us.

 

Visual artists employ various combinations of color to create affects as well a musicians.  Complementary colors are the colors opposite one another on the color wheel.  When used together or put together in a painting they give off energy and excitement.  The colors green and red clash giving off a sense of motion and confusion.  In music, color is represented in how and what notes are played together.  When dissonant notes are played, it clashes and has the same affect as complementary colors.  Dissonant notes do not mix well together like complementary colors.  Triad colors are used to give off a sense of peacefulness and calmness.  Consonant colors are every other color on the color wheel in groups of three.  Such as blue, blue green, and green.  They fit or go together quite nicely.  In music, consonant notes are played giving off the same calm and peaceful feeling as the Triad colors.  Consonant notes are every other key on the piano just like Triad colors are every other color on the color wheel.

 

In the illuminations of Hildegard of Bingen, a lot of red was used to symbolize the burning Hildegard felt within while having these visions.  She was awake during these visions and felt almost a burning inside her.  Hildegard=s illuminations represent her message as well as symbolize her burning emotion.  Red and orange are very powerful colors that grasps people's attention and interest.

 

Yoruba, a bead work, is very time consuming and difficult.  Tiny multicolored beads were used to make things such as chairs, rings, shoes, and clothes.  There are three main color groups in the Yoruba culture that comes out of West Africa.  Fun-Fun is white cold colors.  Pupa is red, fiery color.  Dudu is brown dark earthly colors.  These colors represent different emotions.  Fun-Fun is very quiet and to oneself.  Pupa is a loud opinionated person with self-confidence.  Dudu represents down to earth qualities.  Wholeness and very connected together earth and one emotions.  When people of the Yoruba culture make things, they are very careful in selecting what colors go where, how much and what it is making.  These artworks or tools can be powerful if made with the right color pattern.

 

All colors serve a purpose or function in Hildegard and Yoruba bead work.  The color gives the piece life.  It adds emotion and feeling.  The color symbolizes the true meaning of it all.  If the illuminations of Hildegard and the Yoruba bead work were black and white it would almost be impossible to get the true story and feeling out of every piece of art.

 

In music color is represented by how and what notes are played together, like dissonance and consonant.  How is a key factor is music, either forte, forte/piano or piano.  Forte is loud and gives bright color off or dark colors.  Forte/piano is almost like your every day colors.  Medium values and shade not really any exciting, but it gives the music piece a stable feeling and place to come back to.  The piano is soft and light.  It gives of light pastel energy.  A light rain or a sweet baby crying if consonant is played in piano.  If dissonance is played in forte, it seems fiery and intense.  Dark colors-blue, purple, and reds.  Staccato is when the notes are played very fast and close together.  This gives off energy whether it is played in forte or piano.  The intensity changes but it gives off a lot of energy and color.

 

Color is life.  Color gives any piece of art or music life.  It breathes life into it.  Color is what emotions are made of.

 

Group II Essay

 

Functionalism is the theory that if a piece of art does not serve its purpose then it has no value and is not art.

 

Cave Art was produced by the first artists of this world that we know of.  The Cro Magnon Age, the caveman is responsible for these giant paintings made up of charcoal and spit.  These paintings are well hidden and were painted one layer after another.  It is believed that the artist would believe it was a spiritual place that gave them good luck.  It is believed because of the spare marks on the walls from the artist throwing his spear against/at the animals in the paintings.  This art fits the functionalism theory quite well.  It gave the hunters a place to go to practice before the hunt, it gave the people a spiritual place, and it gave them a place to leave their stories.  Cave art is art.

 

The Venus women are one of the most beautiful artifacts left.  These women have no faces, but have big hips and breasts.  They represent the fertility god Venus very well.  The Venus statues are for the fertility gods and to be prayed to.  These statues also fit the functionalism theory.  Venus statues serve their purpose to represent the god to be worshiped.

 

The pyramids were built for many different reasons:  A burial site, to look at the stars; to glorify the gods; and to perform rituals.  The pyramids were great works of art at one time.  They were beautiful and served every one of their purposes fully.  But now they do not.  I do not believe that pyramids are still believed to be great works of art when it comes to functionalism.  They have been blundered and are rapidly decaying.  The bodies of the pharaohs are gone along with all the riches and other artifacts.  No one really knows how to look at the stars anymore with the use of the pyramids.  Everyone has good ideas but no one is sure of the stars and rituals.  The pyramids were to keep everything safe which as we know did not happen.  But the pyramids are wonderful priceless artifacts.  They have taught us a lot about the old kingdom of Egypt and their religious views.  They are like story books with some of the pages missing.  The pyramids were once filled with beautiful art works and pieces but now it is all gone.  They might be able to still be considered art if we looked at it from how did they build them and that is a true art form.

 

The Islamic religion of the Muslims are full of art.  Their mosques are beautiful with calligraphy of the Arabic language of the Koran.  Their prayer rugs are pretty but have one flaw put into them to show only Allah is perfect.  The mosques are very carefully planned out from where geographically it is going, the architecture to the colors and shapes used.  Geographically it has to be a holy special pure place.  The architecture is amazing.  The arches represent the four sided human coming to the center point of God.  The Dome is held up by four sides again that symbolizes God being above men.  The Dome is in a circle shape and which could represent the everlasting on going of Allah/God.  The wholeness of God.  Also the colors are full of holy pure energy that mosque need to be pure and holy. 

 

One could almost think of Fun-Fun and Dudu colors from the Yoruba heads.  Fun-Fun, the whites and pastels, and Dudu, the dark and earthly tones.  All God loving and down to earth.  The mosques do not have paintings or pictures in them only Koran writings in calligraphy.  The mosques are definitely art!  They serve their purpose of being a house of prayer, school, and housing for monks.  They are kept pure and holy.  They are decorated in beautiful Koran quotes.  The gold on top of the Dome is bright like the sun or light.  Light is life.  Allah created life, therefore the Dome is shiny like light/sun.

 

All of the works I have mentioned from cave art: Venus statues, pyramids, and mosques could all be art, but functionalism leaves pyramids out.  Pyramids failed their duty/protection for eternity, but all the others are beautiful and priceless works of art.