ARTAPP103

Module 9- Myths, Dreams, Spirituality

OVERVIEW
In this module we see how art makes tangible things that inhabit the realm of human
thoughts, beliefs and imagination. These things include:

 Myths
 Dreams
 Spirituality

OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

 Describe ways that art expresses ideas of the spirit

 Discuss costume and decoration as vehicles of spirituality
 Explain the ways that art is an avenue for myth
 Describe the role of art in ritual and ceremony
 Describe connections between art, magic and the idea of the fantastic
 MYTHS
Myth is defined as a usually traditional
story of ostensibly historical events that
serves to unfold part of the world-view of
a people or explain a practice, belief, or
natural phenomenon. They offer us
explanations about the mysteries
beyond the physical plane of our
existence and that resonate within our
own reality. Diverse examples of myth
include the Christian story of David and
Goliath (Links to an external site.), the
Fairy Tale Beauty and the Beast (Links
to an external site.) and the genesis of
theAsaro Mud Men (Links to an external
site.)in New Guinea.
In another example, Antonio
Canova (Links to an external site.)'s
statue Psyche Revived by Cupid's
Kiss (below), commissioned in 1787,
exemplifies the Neoclassic (Links to an
external site.) devotion to love and
emotion. It represents the
god Cupid (Links to an external site.) in
the height of love and tenderness, Antonio Canova, Psyche Being Revived
immediately after awakening the by Cupid’s Kiss, 1793. Marble. The
lifeless Psyche (Links to an external Louvre, Paris.
site.) with a kiss. A masterpiece of its Image source Eric Pouhler, Wikipedia,
period, it appeals to the senses of sight Licensed through Creative Commons.
and touch, but still alludes to the
The myth associated with Saint Michael
Romantic interest in emotion co-existing
and the Dragon (below) is symbolized
with Neoclassicism.
with the personification of goodness and
evil represented by a winged serpent or
reptile. St. Michael clearly has the upper
hand here as he triumphs over Satan. In
this remarkable sculpture the unknown
artist uses classic triangular composition
to reinforce the power of good over evil.

St. Michael and the Dragon, stone bas-
relief with traces of polychrome. Early
Christian period. Collection: The Louvre,
Paris.
Image by Neuceu. Licensed through
Creative Commons.
DREAMS
The influence of dreams in art is
significant. Shakespeare’s A
Midsummer Night's Dream (Links to an
external site.) is an example in classical
literature. Dreams provide creative
subject matter for visual artists too, and
play an additional role in art through
ceremony and ritual.
In western culture the dream’s place in
art is most associated with the Surrealist
movement in the early 20th century. But
dream imagery was part of a larger
frame of reference in the Romantic
period beginning in the late 18th century.
This style is characterized by its
emphasis on emotion, dramatic
composition and allegory (Links to an
external site.).
Henry Fuseli’s The Nightmare (below) is
a famous example of a Romantic
painting that uses a dream as its
subject. Fuseli shows both the dreaming
figure sprawled on her bed and the
visual contents of her dream in the form
of an incubus (Links to an external
site.) sitting on her chest, a ghost – eyed
horse (literally a nightmare) looking in
on the scene and a mysterious object –
perhaps a domed building, behind a red
curtain in the background. All of this
takes place within dramatic light and
dark areas in the painting’s composition.
The artist paints a hideous scene with
overtly sexual overtones.
Henry Fuseli, The Nightmare, 1781. Oil
on canvas. The Detroit Institute of Arts.
Image is in the public domain.
The Surrealist movement mentioned
above was first centered in literature,
expanding to the visual arts later on.
The French poet and writer Andre
Breton (1896-1966) was instrumental in
the development of Surrealist ideas.
Looking for new avenues to written
expression, he investigated the
subconscious mind’s ability to generate
steams of ideas, words and phrases
without necessarily making order out of
them. The result was the use of
automatic writing, or automatism (Links
to an external site.). In the 1920’s artists
Jean Miro, Hans Arp and Yves Tanguy
began to use automatism as a means to
generate visual ideas.
The Surrealist artists used dreams in a
different context than the Romantics.
Though a few Surrealists did use dream
images as subject matter, the real
emphasis was on automatism and the
resulting image it helped create.
Surrealism was influenced in large part
by new ideas in psychiatry and the
clinical work of Sigmund Freud. The
idea of repressed feelings, reflexive
movements and past experiences
interested the Surrealists very much. In
the opening line of Breton’s Surrealist
Manifesto (Links to an external site.) he Susan Skilling, Broken Dream, 2009,
writes “Man, that inveterate dreamer, Watercolor on paper. 10 ¾” x 8 ½”.
daily more discontent with his destiny…” Courtesy the artist and Greg Kucera
and defines Surrealism as “psychic Gallery. Used with permission.
automatism in its pure state”. A ‘dream’ can also be a highly sought
In particular, Yves Tanguy’s paintings after goal or objective. Pablo Picasso
summon both automatism and dream- alludes to this characterization in a
like imagery. In The Satin Tuning series of etching prints titled The Dream
Fork (Links to an external site.) from and Lie of Franco (Links to an external
1940 he sets precise biomorphic figures site.) from 1937. The artist’s portrayal of
within a foggy, vacant landscape. The Franco as self-absorbed, tubular and
painting’s title has no apparent relation abstract strengthens our view of him as
to the objects in the work, and itself is monstrous. Together, the prints illustrate
probably a result of automatism. a narrative of the fascist Spanish
A more contemporary example of dream general in scenes of battles and
as subject matter is Susan Skilling’s destruction during his rule in the
watercolor Broken Dream from 2009 Spanish Civil War. (This work can also
(below). Here she uses an abstract be seen within the context
format and light washes of color to of War discussed in module 10). Some
create a central form – ethereal as a of the individual prints in the series are
dream, floating like a soap bubble until it studies for Picasso’s protest
breaks apart. mural Guernica from the same year.
In a final example, Australian aboriginal
culture relies on the dreamtime (Links to
an external site.) to provide explanations
about the origins of the earth, their
ancestors and the significance of ritual
in their lives. These ideas are manifest
in dream paintings (Links to an external
site.): conventional abstract symbols
painted on fields of color that signify
connection to the dreamtime. This is
part of the culture’s mythic foundation.
SPIRITUALITY
distance, a church steeple and town on
a hill beyond. The circle of light at the
top of the painting is generated by the
Holy Spirit, which takes the form of a
dove. Can you find more symbols? The
symmetry of the composition is striking,
and gives a strong sense of stability to
the entire picture. The Adoration of the
Lamb is one of the central panels from
the twenty-four-panel Ghent Altarpiece.

The art historical record is filled with

works from many cultures that refer
directly to spirituality. The following
seven images are examples that help us
understand how this connection is
made.
Christian
Jan Van Eyck’s The Adoration of the
Lamb (below) from the 15th century uses
a variety of iconographic symbols to
present the idea of Jesus Christ.
Foremost is the lamb on the altar in the
middle of the panel. Jesus proclaimed
he is the “Lamb of God”, referring to the
innocence and vulnerability of an infant
sheep, but also to the one who will be
sacrificed. Angels surround the lamb,
the two in front swinging incense pots
towards the altar. Blood gushes from the
pierced breast of the animal, falling into
a golden chalice. This reference is to the
body and blood of Christ taking the form
of bread and wine in the
Christian Eucharist (Links to an external
site.).
To the left of the altar is the cross, Jan Van Eyck, Adoration of the
another symbol of Christ’s sacrifice. On Lamb, detail from the Ghent Altarpiece,
the right is a column, signifying that he 1432. Oil on panel.
is the pillar of the church. The fountain St. Bavo Cathedral, Ghent. Image in the
in the foreground represents both the public domain.
baptismal font and the symbol of Christ Islamic
as the water of life. All of this plays out
within a pastoral landscape replete with Because of our human imperfections,
meadows, orchards, forests and, in the Islamic religious belief considers it a sin
to present God (Allah) in human form.
Instead, Islamic spiritual images use
fluid calligraphy and extensive
decoration. Below is a 17th century
illustration with the name of God written
within the middle circle, surrounded by
gold flowers and ruby colored leaves in
symmetrical geometric patterns. The
whole image takes the form of an open
flower or bright sun.
Hans Osman, Name of
God, 17th century. Arabic calligraphy.
Image in the public domain.
We see this tight geometric pattern
again in a tile mosaic from the main
façade of a contemporary Islamic
mosque (below). Here are floral and star
motifs surrounding the central Name of
God in gold tiles within a starburst of its
own. It’s significant to note that Arabic
culture also gave the world its concepts
of mathematics, geometry and
astronomy. This style of illustration and
embellishment has been used for
centuries in Islamic cultures. You can
refer back to Module 9: Architecture to
see the decorative designs on the
5th century Dome of the Rock (Links to
an external site.) mosque in Jerusalem.
Islamic Name of God and Geometric
Decorative Design. Mosaic. Mosque
exterior, Mountlake Terrace,
Washington.
Used with permission. Image by
Christopher Gildow
Buddhist
Buddhist spiritual iconography has
comparisons and differences in relation
to both Christian and Islamic styles. The
main compositional format in Buddhist
spiritual images is the use of a central
mandala or circle. Tibetan mandala
paintings (Links to an external
site.) show detailed decorative
patterning similar to Islamic imagery,
but anthropomorphize (Links to an
external site.) their gods and spirits
much like Christianity does. The
paintings are hierarchal, with each figure
taking a place of status in relation to
another.
You can see the striking visual effects
Buddhist mandala paintings have in the
example below. In the Five Deity
Mandala, complimentary color sets of
green and red, blue and orange create a
visual tension that is balanced by the
symmetry of the composition. In the
center is Rakta Yamari, a Buddhist deity
idealized with a fierce look, large eyes
and flame-like hair. He embraces his
consort Vajra Vitali. To the left and right
of the large circle are four other gods,
each embracing their own consort. They
take the positions of the four directions:
at the top right (west) is the red Raga
Yamari. The bottom right (north) is
green Irshya Yamari. The bottom left
corner (east) is the white Moha Yamari
and on the top left (south) is yellow
Matsarya Yamari. Figures of lesser gods
and gurus are placed throughout the
composition. Notice the mandalas
surrounding their heads. The Christian
halo shares this significance.
Five Deity Mandala, Tibet. 17th century.
Pigment on cloth.
Collection: Rubin Museum of Art, N.Y.
Image in the public domain.
The propensity for color and pattern in
Buddhist spiritual art extends to the
embellishments of their temples.
The Dia Tang temple below is an
example. Built in honor of the
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, its architecture
and landscape design shows Asian
influences, with colorful paper lanterns,
columns festooned with serpents and
dragons and large statuary symbolic of
Buddhist gods and bodhisattvas.
Dia Tang Buddhist Temple (exterior),
Lynwood, Washington.
Used with permission. Image by
Christopher Gildow
African
African cultures symbolize many spirits
through costumes and masks used in
ceremonies and rituals. The Ogbodo
Enyi, or Elephant Spirit mask below, has
specific meaning to the Igbo people of
northeastern Nigeria. The Ogbodo Enyi
is often described as a harsh, violent
spirit mask of unusual power. Men and
boys from different age groups wear the
mask and a heavy knit costume in highly
charged performances. The masker,
accompanied by musicians playing
gongs and drums, “works himself into a
frenzy, shaking and trembling. He
suddenly bursts forth, running with long
strides… charging through the village*”.
The mask’s form is extremely angular
and stylized. You can see the tusks at
the bottom of the mask in the image
below. The conical eyes and the
elephant trunk (ilolo) jut out from the
forehead. The ilolo is also a charm that
protects the masker from his enemies. A
human head (ntekpe) is carved in relief
or fully round at the top of the mask,
usually at the side or facing the back.
This acts as a calming agent against the
ferocious-looking elephant mask.
For all the ferocity and energy that goes
into it, the Ogbodo Enyi performance is
really a community exhibition of
cohesiveness -- a public demonstration
that different age groups can work
towards common goals*. Ogbodo Enyi (Elephant Spirit) mask,
A short movie (Links to an external Igbo culture, Nigeria. Wood and
site.) from a similar ceremony in Burkina pigment.
Faso (Links to an external site.) shows Collection of Simon Ottenberg. Used
another spirit running and swirling with permission. Image by Christopher
through a crowd wearing a Bwa plank Gildow
mask (Links to an external site.). The human / animal form seen in
Ogbodo Enyi is repeated in
the Manua mask from New Guinea
pictured below. A carved figure with a
mask face stands on the head of a
second larger mask. Surrounding them
is a grid of fish, snakes and birds. The
mask is believed to harbor spirits of
local legends or ancestors and is used
during a Malanggan, a ceremonial
gathering associated with group funerals
and initiation rites. The mask is worn at Mask (Manua), Papua New Guinea. C.
the end of the Malanggan to clear 1890. 37” x 18” x 10”. Wood, sea
ceremonial grounds of taboos. sponge, snail apercula, pigment.
Collection: Los Angeles County
Museum of Art (LACMA). Used with
permission of LACMA.
Humans use art to capture the form of
ideas about worlds outside of our own.
It’s often a vehicle for myth or how we
understand and explain concepts of a
spirit world. Cultures use iconography to
symbolize abstract ideas like dreams,
love, power and emotion, and call on the
artist to create them. Art has
significance in ritual and ceremony.