Culture, Dreams, And Artwork
Dreams and artwork are two things that seem to provide an invitation for interpretation, and cultural perspective is almost always going to influence that interpretation. At first blush, this statement may seem to fly in the face of Jungian interpretation, since the collective unconscious and the enduring interpretation of symbols might suggest that symbols would not vary across cultures. However, such an interpretation ignores the fact that Jung acknowledges the impact that individual culture has on the interpreter. While symbols may retain a broader overall meaning across cultures, the details of those symbols are certainly influenced by the surrounding culture. Moreover, some symbols may be culturally specific. In fact, this paper will discuss the veil and its relation to Islam, and how the surrounding culture can color interpretations of the veil in art and in dreams.
Because the symbols in dreams and artwork are influenced by culture, it is important to understand the cultural background of the person dreaming and creating the artwork. Western art underwent a dramatic change in the Renaissance. "The world of religious feeling, of the irrational, and of mysticism, which had played so great a part in medieval times, was more and more submerged by the triumphs of logical thought" (Jaffe, p.243). However, Islamic art did not undergo the same transformation at the same time. Muslim nations experienced a scientific and cultural renaissance before Europe, and Muslim art had a different approach than European art. Muslim art, being strongly religious, always retained an element of the mystical. This is reinforced in the idea that dreams, which, like artwork, have a subconscious element, are considered to be mystical by many Muslims.
While both dreams and art can have universal meaning, understanding the cultural context can be critical to understanding the more specific intended. In this paper, the author's dreams and artwork will be critically examined. Therefore, it is important to understand my cultural background. I reside in the United States, but come from Iran. As an Iranian woman, I would be expected to be veiled while in Iran, and, that expectation would not be a matter of choice, but a matter of coercion. This is a significant cultural detail, which varies among cultures; in non-Muslim countries most women are not veiled, and women are certainly not pressured to be veiled. Therefore, even if veils might have a greater over-arching symbolic meaning across cultures, it is important to recognize that veils may have specific meanings for Iranian women. One of these meanings may be a feeling of enforced silence or gender-based oppression. However, an equally valid meaning may be as a form of intentional religious expression. It is important to keep in mind that this cultural-specific symbolism may enhance or compete with traditional ideas of what the veil may symbolize.
It is also critical to recognize that in Iranian culture, dreams and dream interpretation are an important part of daily life. Dream interpretation is not something left to discussions with psychologists or other professionals, but something that is part of daily life. In fact, this is something that permeates much of the Muslim world. There is an inconsistency in much of the Muslim world, where there are conflicts between Imperialist influences and traditional culture. Moreover, these conflicts require resolution. As people, "strive to resolve the conflicts generated by such inconsistencies, they employ those strategies which are culturally available to them. Dreams are one such strategy" (Ewing, p.59). Understanding dream messages is important for Iranians because of a cultural belief that dreams are a signal of the future. This is a significant contrast to the Western view of dreams, which can be very dismissive. Westerners tend to ignore dreams, and label them as merely dreams. The idea that dreams can be prescient provides a critical underpinning to the cultural differences between Iranian culture and the prevailing western attitudes. Moreover, Muslim culture gives women a certain authority in dream-life, which they lack in daily life in much of the Muslim world. "At the level of public or mass consciousness, Johansen and Gilsenan indicate another theme of Muslim dreaming, both traditional and contemporary, that of the empowerment of women as dreamers. The modern example is the cult of the saints in Egypt. While women's dreams of saints commanding them to attend shrines are disparaged by scripturalist male religious authorities, such dreams...
This work of art depicts a struggle between two ancestors, the Bungalung man and a Tingari man, the latter of whom was trespassing on sacred land (No author). The copious quantity of dots, particularly the white ones, evinces the full force of the elements invoked by the Bungalung Man to beat his opponent into submission. The power of the Bungalung man is evinced by the fact that he leaves
Culture of Interest: Japan Theoretical foundations of cultural and cross-cultural analysis: Japan and America Japan: Mildly collectivist culture American culture American: An individualistic culture Similarities and differences in Japanese and U.S. culture Potential biases of researcher Appendix I- Hofstede four Dimensional Theory Edward Tylor (1832-1917) defines culture as a collection of customs, laws, morals, knowledge, and symbols displayed by a society and its constituting members. Culture is form of collective expression by groups of people. Since the dawn
Bauhaus After World War I, the nation state of Germany under the direction of architect Walter Gropius created a "consulting art center for industry and the trades" (Bayer 12). Called Bauhaus, "house for building," the school combined the role of artisans and craftspeople and included everything from architecture to theater to typography. When the school was forced to close during the Nazi regime in 1932, many of its artists moved to
Art Analysis: Art21 After reviewing the artists from Art21, the artists chosen are Pierre Huyghe and AI Weiwei as the subjects of this paper. The pieces the paper will be "This is not a time for dreaming" by Huyghe and "Forever" by Weiwei. Both pieces are installation pieces although the artists are not classified under the same grouping on the Art21 website. Weiwei is listed as "Featured in Change" and Huyghe
Laid on its side, Rauschenberg's "Bed" contains the same visual and tangible objects as a real bed. "Bed" seems like more than a representation of a bed; it could just as well be one especially given the use of actual bedding. The expansion of the visual plane and the reworking of the canvas paralleled expansions of consciousness. Those transformations in consciousness and their impact on the art world were a
Abstract Expressionist Painting Artistic and Aesthetic Value in American Modernist Art during the Cold War Era Defining American Expressionism American modernism is perhaps one of the most difficult artistic periods to define. Modernism refers to a trend that affirms the power of human beings to create, shape, and make improvements to their environment. Modernism is aided by technological advances and is considered both progressive and optimistic in its approach to defining society. American
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now