Final

Question 1

Vishnu as Varaha rescuing Bhudevi

Answer 1

India, Gupta period, early 5th century
Pilgrimage site for many religions
Depicts Vishnu as his one of ten fursonas (a boar) rescuing Bhudevi underwater from a sea monster/serpent thing

Question 2

Vishnu Narayana with Brahma

Answer 2

India, Early 6th century
Animal guardians present, pilgrimage site
Earliest known temple to worship 5 deities instead of 4
On the side of the temple marks the transition from vadic(?) Hinduism to temple Hinduism, where there are murtis and artworks and bhakti and darshan
Vishnu reclining on the serpent
Vishnu supporting/protecting Brahma during creation

Question 3

Dancing Shiva

Answer 3

India, Tamil Nadu; Chola dynasty, (990)
*Incorporate Murti vocab word
Usually in a temple, paraded during festivals

Question 4

Rasalila of Krishna

Answer 4

India; early-mid 19th century
Multiple Krishnas represents individuality and having a different relationship with each person you meet and how everyone can have an intimate relationship with Krishna (baby Krishna = parental, romantic, intimate)
Transcends desire!
An epic in the Puranas*** (traditional lore) about Hinduism

Question 5

Arjun and Charioteer Krishna in Final Battle
of the Mahabharata

Answer 5

India, 1820
Originally written in sanskrit, it is the longest poem in history and written in the Mahabharata, one of two major Hindu epics (other being Ramayana). Discusses duty, war, life, etc.
Vishnu/Krishna is the charioteer

Question 6

Sita sits upon the Earth’s Throne
(from the “Freer” Ramayana, Vol. 2)

Answer 6

India; Mughal dynasty (big border = mughal)
Artists are actually listed! (Rare). *Gold used
Story of Sita, wife of King Rama, who was kidnapped by the demon king (after RamaF called is sister ugly and chopped off her nose) and had rumors spread about her while she was away, though she was refusing him. Upon her rescue by Rama, she proved her purity over and over until she just peaced out into the Earth like a badass.
Story from Ramayana, one of the two epics.

Question 7

The Shore Temple (two tower pic)

Answer 7

India; Pallava period, early 8th century
Dravidian style Hindu temple, not a mosque. It has a shrine for Shiva and one for Vishnu, but mostly Shiva.
Statues and architecture worn down by the nearby ocean.
Lots of depictions of cows bc Shiva rides a cow, called “Nandis’.”
Port city was utilized for religious imagery and rituals, bringing trade and exchanging of ideas.

Question 8

Lakshmana Temple (three tower pic)

Answer 8

India; 954 CE
First of several Hindu temples built by the Chandela, a Rajput clan that ruled India for many centuries.
Sexual imagery inside and out; indoor is for worship.
Nagara (north indian/dome) style of Hindu temple.
Have to journey to get there because it makes it more holy.

Question 9

Bhamarananda Raga

Answer 9

India, 1700
Part of a ragamala (manifest musical moods) series.
Shows a dance being performed.
Supposed to induce a specific emotion from viewers that scholars were educated to be able to identify. (ratatouille strawberry and cheese moment)
Flat color, minimal shading and 2 dimension = rajput style

Question 10

Heroine Rushing to Her Lover

Answer 10

India, late 18th century
Rajput romance piece, a common theme with rajput art. The trees are even hugging!
The snakes represent danger.
Example of an epic, which commonly shows the path of devotion, that being love, devotion and worship.
Two different loves: Pakti (profound spiritual love) and Kama (romantic and sexual love). This is an example of KAMA***.
Flat color, minimal shading and 2 dimension = rajput style

Question 11

Maharana Jawan Singh of Mewar worshipping a Murti

Answer 11

India, about 1830
Mewar = Rajput court kingdom (where Maharana Jawan Singh ruled)
Rajput, with Persian and Indian influence.
Flat color, minimal shading and 2 dimension, everyone in profile = rajput style

Question 12

Qutb Minar & Alai Davarza (5 tier pillar tower)

Answer 12

India, began 13th century and 1311, respectfully
**Islamic architecture
Sandstone
Tallest minaret of the time, too tall to use
Five pillars of Islam (faith, prayer, charity, fasting, and pilgrimage)
Ghorids and others reshaping society and art (with Persian influence)
One of the most visited sites

Question 13

Melancholic Woman and Attendant

Answer 13

India, Mughal period, 1590 (border added later)
Realism + border = Mughal
European influence (in the trees), style learned in workshop, merging of styles
One point perspective and shadow!
Arabesque florals
Romantic and sad subject

Question 14

Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaykh to Kings

Answer 14

India, Mughal Dynasty (Jahingir era)
Realism + border = Mughal
Arabesque florals
Artist name in the piece
Muslim form of Bhakti (devotion between god and worshipper)
A Sufi named Shaykh is sitting on the hourglass, representing overcoming time by basking in the light of a holy being (position of sitting there shows power, artist is at the bottom with the king)
(more clothing on angels than in european art)

Question 15

Darbar of Jahangir

Answer 15

India, Mughal period, about 1624-28
4th Mughal emperor and his court
Artists’ names are on the heads
Realism = mughal (switch to documentation instead of storytelling)
3/4 profile view instead of regular profile
European and middle Eastern influence
Ghengas Khan fanclub

Question 16

Folio from the “Late Shah Jahan Album”

Answer 16

India, Mughal period (folio, borders, calligraphy added later)
*Calligraphy = holy art form / word of god
Akbar documented lots of realistic animals and arabesque/realistic florals
Passed from Jahangir to Shan Jahan

Question 17

Taj Mahal

Answer 17

Agra, India 1631-43
***Arabesque flowers, minarets, domes, floated/heavenly building, NOT a mosque but a tomb, diamond at the top stolen by British
Commissioned by Shah Jahan, made for wifeyyy
Mughal with Indian, Persian, and Islamic influences of architecture
Symbol of love and wealth
White marble, intricate inlay work and symmetrical design makes this a monumental masterpiece
Fake tip (og stolen by British)

Question 18

Pleasure Pillars

Answer 18

2001 by Shahzia Sikander (PAKISTANI)
Trained by one of the last miniature painters of the south asian tradition
Rajput and Mughal style inspo (no perspective)
Modern feminist perspective on sexualization of women in Indian culture
9/11 and Islamophobia references

Question 19

Under the Wave off Kanagawa
(Katsushika Hokusai***)

Answer 19

Edo period, Japan c. 1830
36 views of Mount Fuji series
Woodblock print

Question 20

Folio from Description of the Holy Cities

Answer 20

Turkey, mid 16th century
Blueprint of the mosque built around the rock in the center
Used for prayer/worship towards Mecca

Question 21

The Night Flight of Muhammad on his Steed Buraq

Answer 21

Present-day Uzbekistan and Afghanistan
1525-35
Depicts the heavenly journey that brought the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Jerusalem, to God, atop his horse, Buraq, which the archangel Gabriel gave him.
**Rare to depict Muhammad’s face
Loophole for depicting religious imagery
**Iconoclasm

Question 22

The Dome of the Rock

Answer 22

Jerusalem, 685-692
Built by Abd al-Malik
Golden dome
Palestine architecture, but many commissioned styles, giving it many different influences
Arabesque florals, stained glass
Surrounds a big rock
One of the first Islamic buildings ever created

Question 23

Great Mosque of Kairouan

Answer 23

Tinisia, 836-75
Courtyard, prayer hall, and divided by pillars
On the coast of Africa
Many different stylistic influences

Question 24

Mihrab (prayer niche)

Answer 24

Iran, 755/1354-55 CE
Located in either a small mosque or someone’s house
Inscriptions show who commissioned it and the prophets (important)
(Commissioned religious art was a good look)
Essential part of a mosque

Question 25

Folio from a Qur’an

Answer 25

Qur’an = literal word of God, written by Muhammad who received the teachings of God from the archangel Gabriel
**Calligraphy, to gold or not to gold
Spoken in Arabic, always Arabic
Contains prayers, moral guidance, promises of paradise, etc.
For decorative and recitation purposes
Small ones used as talismans
Gold commonly used in Qur’an folios

Question 26

Sepeleshk

Answer 26

Iran, 2014
Made by Iman Safaei
Calligraphy (holy art form)
Geometric, simple, made to look reflective
Means “no way” in Persian (slang)
Writing it not in arabic is kindof a loophole/commentary on religious calligraphy

Question 27

Archer

Answer 27

Mali, 13th-15th century
Terracotta
Brought onto the battlefield to protect soldiers/ was a battle shrine that either depicted or was associated with a war god
Strategic theft, a more psychological thing to take it than a punitive one
Ended up in France/The Louvre

Question 28

Queen Mother Waist Pendant Mask

Answer 28

Ivory
Benin artist, Portuguese influence because of immense trade with Portuguese which brought prosperity to Benin City
Stolen during Europe’s punitive siege of Benin City
Made to represent a sea monster that shows how Portuguese came over the sea to trade
***Repatriation vocab word tied strongly to Benin City