1 The picture here shows a Mayan temple and as such would have been built between 250 B.C.

E and 900 C.E. It can be found on the Yucatn Peninsula as this was where the Mayans chose to build there great cities. The Mayan temples are built atop pyramids so that their ritualistic blood sacrifices would be done in the open air. They had a very strong sense and link with mathematics and astronomy. Everything they did and believed was based on their 52 year calendar, which is actually a combination of a 365 day farming calendar and a 260 day sacred calendar. The levels of the pyramid on one face (though difficult to see in this picture but not impossible) have slightly protruding rectangles, 52 to be exact, that represent that 52 year cycle. The Mayans believed in three layers to the universe, the Upperworld or heavens, Middleworld or human civilization, and the Underworld which was linked by a great tree or Wacah Chan. When the calendar was positioned for the time of a blood sacrifice, the king would climb to the top of the temple. There, he became the personification of the Wacah Chan and linked the three layers of the universe together. He would then cut himself, allowing his own blood to appease the gods and give sustenance to the spiritual world. 2 Judging by the torn edges of the medium, this piece of art is probably from a manuscript and comes from the ancient Islamic civilization as is evidenced by the presence of three out of four of the basic characteristics of Islamic art. The first of those characteristics is the calligraphy that is the dominating feature of the piece. Islamic artists used calligraphy in all forms of art, including pictures, buildings, pottery, and textiles. Though I do not read Arabic, which is most likely the language written here, as it was the most common to the Islamic people, called Muslims, it is probable that it speaks of Muhammad. Islamic art does not depict the ideas of one particular group of people or nation, but rather it all centers around their greatest prophet, Muhammad. The second characteristic that marks this piece as Islamic are the geometric patterns that can be found throughout. The straight lines, the uniformity, the symmetry are an essential part of any Islamic art piece from architecture to manuscript paintings. The third characteristic displayed here is that of vegetal patterns. They are harder to see within this painting than some, but if you look closely you can make out the small flowers and vines that adorn most of the yellow space. The characteristic that is missing and makes me believe that this piece was created prior to the 7th century is figural representation. The Muslims believed that only God could create life, and drawing of sculpting anything living was trying to imitate God and strictly taboo. In the 7th century Islam began to spread into many parts of Africa and Europe. This quickness with which the religion spread and the vastness opened the way for new ideas, including the use of images to help aid a particular text. 3 This image is one of a portal, or door, of a pilgrimage church built in the Romanesque style. The Romanesque culture was popular during the early to mid Middle Ages. To express their faith, the people of the Christian world would travel long distances to visit churches which were said to contain relics from the lives of Jesus, Mary, the apostles, and some of the saints. In addition to confirming their faith, these pilgrimages allowed an otherwise mostly illiterate world to

experience and learn of different cultures, which also came to worship. Because they housed the relics these churches were called pilgrimage churches and tended to be rather large in nature to accommodate the masses. The architecture of the buildings of the Romanesque style are in great part similar to those of the ancient Roman basilica. Most of the similarities between the two can be seen on the inside rather than the out, but the rounded arch over the door, shown here, is one of the key characteristics. Also common to Romanesque architecture is the tympanum (semicircle located over the door). It is found just above a lintel that is supported by a central trumeau (post) that divides the doors, as well as two capital engaged columns. The tympanum here depicts Jesus in the center surrounded by a mandorla (glory of light shown in the shape of a pointed oval). Also depicted in sculpture around the outside of the church are worshipers, as well as saints and apostles and various animals meant to not only protect and warn away those who would do evil, but to be symbols of power and authority. 4 This piece of art is Japanese in style and most likely from a scroll or screen. The Japanese style is very similar to that of the Chinese, which is understandable since it is from the Chinese that most of their artistic traditions began. There are some very substantial clues, however, that signify this piece to be from the Japanese culture. The first is that the lines are very defined and sharp. The rocks look jagged, the trees are full, and the houses are defined. Also there is no real depth to the picture. The artist did not go out of his way to create a picture that shows a lot of 3D image. There a few small attempts smudged in a lighter shade, but it is obvious the focus of the picture is what is right in front of the view. Another characteristic that marks this picture as Japanese is the architecture portrayed therein. The final point that characterizes this painting as Japanese is the length of the drawing. As mentioned before, this drawing is probably found on a hanging scroll or as a section of a larger picture painted on a screen. The Japanese used scrolls as decoration, often the only decoration in their homes, and the screens as moveable walls to divide their house, which usually contained only one large room. Furthermore, I believe this painting to be from the Muromachi period (between 1392-1568 C.E.) This style of drawing is a combination of Shinto religion (respect for nature and the land), literati (being one with a painting), and Zen Chinese ink-style painting. The picture shows reverence and respect for nature. The buildings are not in realistic dimensions nor are the people. This shows the humble place of humans within the grand scheme of the universe. The fact that the main focus of the picture is what the viewer can see here and now, suggests the Zen ideal of capturing the principle of things as they move on. 5 This building was built during the Gothic era of the Late Middle Ages and is most likely a cathedral or edifice of importance to the town in which it resides. The Gothic style was most popular beginning in the early 12th century and ending in the middle of the 16th century, though still used minimally until the 17th century in what are now Germany and England. The Gothic built in similar style to the Romanesque buildings of the previous century, but with a few marked differences. The first difference that marks this particular building is the height of the building. Gothic buildings tended to be taller than their Romanesque counterparts because of their construction. This increase in height is attributed mostly to difference number two, which are the flying buttresses. A buttress is a solid mass of stone that is placed so as to help alleviate some of

the stress caused by the natural lateral thrust of the weight of the walls and ceiling. The flying buttress, which was developed in the Gothic era, places the supports away from the building and connects them with an exterior arch. This innovation allows for differences three and four which are the greater number and size of windows. Romanesque buildings had to have thick solid walls in order to support the weight of the ceiling and roof. Thanks to the flying buttresses, all the weight of the ceiling and roof is concentrated away from the walls, allowing Gothic buildings to have a deal of large windows that they often covered with stained glass, though that cannot be clearly seen in this picture. The final difference that is visible in this picture and works in conjunction with the flying buttresses are the pointed arches above the alcoves and windows. These pointed arches further direct the weight of the building to the flying buttresses. 6 This statue is from the Indian culture and is a representation of a bodhisattva and is most likely from the Kushan empire during the end of the first century B.C.E. to the end of the third century C.E. It was during this time that Roman influence gave rise to the Buddha statues. The Buddha was the founder of the main religion practiced by the Indian people during this time, Buddhism. In the Greco-Roman style the Buddha was shown wearing traditional monks robe which resembled the toga of ancient Roman. He also had a cranial protuberance to signify his omniscient power (Ushnishna), a round mark in the center of his forehead to symbolize his power to illuminate the world (Urna), and elongated ears which were the result of the heavy earrings he once wore as a prince but now symbolize his renunciation of all things worldly. The ears of this statue are hard to see so that was not a determining factor in my identification. The statue does have the Ushnishna and Urna, however. The point that really makes think this is a statue of a bodhisattva, which a person who has achieved enlightenment but choose to stay on earth to assist others in their journey, and not a statue of Buddha are the clothes. This statue is not wearing monks clothing, rather richly draped material that flows as well as jewelry. These are characteristics that were common with the Kushan bodhisattvas. 7 This picture is Chinese in origin and as evidenced by the clear ending of the picture on the right side and not the left, I would have to say it is from a larger scroll work in which only a portion of it is shown here. Unlike Japanese scroll painting where the lines are sharp and distinct, this Chinese scroll has very blurred lines. It also has a depth not found in many Japanese paintings. The artist took great pains to show that the mountains he had painted were eternally going. In the background they do not seem like much, but as they get closer and the viewer is looking at the left side of the picture, it is obvious that the mountains are not insignificant. They are massive and majestic and it is the trees that are seen so far below the mountains that are insignificant in comparison. The viewer can then compare themselves to the trees, which are often grander than a human, and can begin to realize the enormity and power of nature. This belief is part of the Taoist and Buddhist religions. Both were greatly influential in ancient China, especially during the Song dynasty (960-1279 C.E.), which is the time period I believe this painting was commissioned. It was during the Song dynasty that Taoism and Buddhism were combined into a single system of thought, Neo-Confucianism. This painting represents those ideals in the vastness of nature and the absence of humanity.