British Museum, Asian exhibit
This piece of art intrigued me because it was a piece of Asian artwork. I am normally drawn to Greek art because of its fluidity and it’s portrayal of the natural body. I would consider myself a feminist when it comes to body positivity and the idea that the human body should not be something to hide or be ashamed of. That is the main reason that I appreciate Greek sculptures, because they represent the natural human body and present woman as full bodied, with curves and fat. This opposes the current ideal woman which is typically seen as thin and skinny with little body fat. After venturing out of the Ancient Greek exhibit, I entered the Chinese/Japanese culture area. It is here that I found the sculpture that I decided to sketch. This sculpture was very curvy and appeared as an erratic woman. I have not studied much Asian art, but I was very interested in a sculpture that had so many familiar qualities of the Ancient Greek artwork, but was originated from a very different culture. This is why I chose to sketch the woman statue. I was able to contribute my interest in the art of the human body while viewing it from a different culture which offered slight differences in how human sexuality is view across cultures.
Casey, I very much appreciate your honesty and vulnerability not only in this post, but also in your sketch itself. While it is true that yes, Classical Greek sculpture long presented an idealized, if not romanticized, portrayal of the human form based on their culture; those of eastern cultures did just the same. Due to the fact we live in a western society, we have not fully been educated on the historical beauty standards of eastern cultures, but I respect your appreciation and recognition that the statue you found is in fact a beautiful homage to the female human form. This is evident in the shading and line work of your sketch, which very much accentuates the voluminous and buxom curves of the female body. Keep up the good work! I look forward to your future insightful sketches.
I also found myself drawn to this sculpture, and the take on beauty norms and ideals that people are presented with in media today, and how something like that can be traced back to ancient figured art setting a “perfect” standard. Beauty differences between cultures of course changes through time due to styles and periods, yet a figure like this could be seen as ideal today. I feel art depicting a body whether realistic or abstracted becomes a way to appreciate all types of figures due to the beauty and appreciation stemming from the ornate details or time spent crafting an item to be displayed and awed.