I'm David

The pendant mask (Iyoba Pendant Mask, Edo people, Nigeria, Metropolitan Museum of Art)  This was a very important mask to the Edo peoples, it was created in the early 16th century; where an Oba named Esigie, made it to honor his mother Idia. This mask was used in many ways; sometimes it was worn to battle, other times to bring prosperity, as well as choose the next king, and the mighty mother, who would raise him. In which she is called the Queen of  Mothers , also known as Iyoba, the woman who would raise Oba's first son to become the future king. A tradition that continues today, although, for the purpose of annual ceremonies of spiritual renewal and purification (smarthistory.org). The materials used were just as important as what the mask represents, what was used for this mask was: ivory and iron inlays. Whereas the white ivory of the mask symbolizes ritual purity, which is associated with the god of the sea Olokun (smarthistory.org). The iron inlays are used to rein...

When viewing landscapes, either in real life or through paintings just seeing an open view of the world is always calming, relaxing, and enjoyable. Most of the time the view is of something simple and great.  Such is the nature of these two landscapes, where one was made on a handscroll and the other on a folding screen.  (Huang Gongwang, Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, 1350, National Palace Museum, Taipe) This shows a Chinese handscroll, called Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, a story about survival created by the painter Huang Gongwang from the Yuan dynasty. This 22 ft, long handscroll shows a vast landscape with many details and white space. Shown here is just a small piece of what the entire hand scroll looks like. The story behind this piece, is that this handscroll was nearly burned but was saved by the nephew of Wu Hongyu who adored this scroll indefinitely. Wu Hongyu adored this piece so much it would accompany him through his daily activities. Such as eating, sleep...

Two Portraits: Juan de Pareja & Self-Portrait Art often has a grand purpose for its creation, to tell a story; in some cases more than others, a story is hard to come by, or, understand. Except in these two paintings: "Juan de Pareja"- Diego Rodrigues and "Self-Portrait"- Judith Leyster; have multiple things in common. As most paintings and art, are all similar in one way or another; these two are more similar than you think. If you know the reason they were created. (Diego Rodriguez, Juan de Pareja, 1650, The Met Fifth Avenue)  This first painting is from the Baroque, but the one in Spain. This is an oil painting by the artist Diego Rodriguez, called Juan de Pareja from 1650 which is now housed in The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 617. When this painting was first introduced it was said to have, "received such universal acclaim that in the opinion of all the painters of different nations everything else seemed like painting but this alone like truth." T...

  Hello, everyone, my name is David Flores, I like to be called David. Recently I've been reading the manga for Attack on Titan, and it's pretty cool; still, can't wait to see what the final season has to offer. Other than that one exciting thing, I'm an art major, and I plan to go to UA (Universal Arts School) after I graduate. So I can work on video games and other cool things.  One of my favorite artists is Katsuhiro Otomo because of his amazing artwork called Akira, an anime and manga that inspired, and changed many things. Also here is what I look like.

(6th century, Classic Maya, Guatemala or Mexico) This carving is what is known as the Mirror-Bearer, a rear object that was used by the Maya. To hold a mirror, in between his folding arms and crisscrossed legs. The mirror that sits on his lap is either a square mirror or a rounded one. Made from either of these two materials, obsidian or pyrite. While the Mirror-Bearer is made from wood and was rubbed with red powder to give this piece the color it has. The Mirror-Bearer would have been brighter when first created, but there are still remains of this red color within the figure's cloth and jewelry.  Being made from wood, some of the material has either been destroyed or had deteriorated throughout the years from being made. Other details on the Mirror-Bearer show a necklace that could have been a replica of a jade stone necklace. Jade was important to the Mayans, as it had spiritual and religious significance. There are also earrings that show a reptile figure. As well as having an...

(Peru, Jequitipeque Valle, 15th-5th century B.C.E.)  This is the Feline-Headed Bottle, it's a ceramic vase that could've been used for rituals or ceremonies. When this bottle was discovered, they found it in Peru and thought it belonged to the Inka, who lived in Peru. Except that's not the case, this vase belonged to a tribe or a subgroup called Cupisnique due to its design. Thinking this vase originated from a culture called Chavin, as they both have similar aspects to their art.  The image below shows one of the Chavin Stirrup Vessels; if you look at both you can see they have many teeth in the same orientation. With both having one eye in the center looking up. For this reason, archeologists thought the Feline-Headed Bottle was created after this Chavin vessel.  But that's not the case, instead, those roles are switched. Even though it's so old it would make sense there is lots of information on this piece, sadly we don't know much. Only certain facts that ag...

(Golden llama figurine, Inka, left)  (Maize cobs, Inka c. 1440-1533, right) Gardens from everywhere, always have a certain glow to them, that make them unique, beautiful, and exciting. This one such garden takes the cake, this garden was made of gold and silver. Its name is Qorikancha (Golden Temple) in the Inca capital Cusco. This impressive garden held many items; such as miniature llamas, corn, flowers, and people all made of gold and silver (smarthistory.org). With some objects containing other metals like copper, while some were metal alloys. The image to the left shows a miniature 6cm golden llama. There were also other figurines that stood 6cm tall, made of gold or silver. The image to the right shows a  life-size piece of corn stock or  Maize Cob; being an alloy containing silver and copper. The corn cob is hollow, the ear of the corn is shown as if breaking through the husk, ready to harvest. Although these two works of art have survived along with some others;...