ESSAY #3c
COMPARE & CONTRAST – All Together
Now!
INSTRUCTIONS: Find and post the images
of the artwork(s) mentioned in the Topic Essay Question.
QUESTION: Would you describe the
building of the Egyptian pyramids and the Cathedral of Our Lady of
Chartres as a community or, a public works project? If yes, why and
can you find other similarities. Research and select one other
example of architecture from another culture, time period or
geographic location and compare and contrast it to the other two to
and describe why you selected it.
Part
One
Summary:
I had trouble writing this one mostly because I didn't have much time
since I had no idea it was due until the day of.
Reason:
The reason this question was created was to get the writer to think
about different cultures and the way they lived and compare them.
Purpose:
The purpose of this question is to get the writer to think
differently about other societies and cultures.
Direction:
Answering this question has sparked an interest for me about the way
other societies lived.
Impressions:
My impressions are that cultures all lived very different lifestyles
but in a similar fashion.
Part
Two
The
Egyptian pyramids and the Cathedral of Our Lady Chartres seem like
two very different structures with two very different purposes, but
they were both built with the intent of serving the community. I
wasn't quite positive of what a public works project entailed so I
looked it up online: “works constructed
for public use or enjoyment especially when financed and owned by the
government”
(http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public+works).
Community is defined as “a unified body of individuals”
(http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/community). It would seem
that the Egyptian pyramids and the Chartres Cathedral could easily be
defined as such. The third example I chose is the Temple of the
Inscriptions.
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“These were built
by three successive Fourth-Dynasty kings: Khufu (r.c. 2551-2528 BCE),
Khafre (r. 2520-2494 BCE), and Menkaure (r.c. 2490-2472 BCE) (Art
History, Marilyn Stokstad, Michael W. Cothren, Pg. 56). The pyramids
were built by these kings over such a long period of time, therefore
it was an important project in the community. Very elaborate and
important ceremonies took place at the pyramids when they entombed
their dead- which mainly consisted of kings. They believed once you
left this earth you moved on to the afterlife and this was a very
important transition for them that they truly believed was sacred and
true. “Teams of workers transported them [2.5 ton blocks] by sheer
muscle power, employing small logs as rollers or pouring water on mud
to create a slippery surface over which they could drag the blocks on
sleds” (Art History, Marilyn Stokstad, Michael W. Cothren, Pg. 57).
I already find this extremely hard to believe because based on prior
knowledge a very large truck sized vehicle would weigh about one ton,
so for them to lift 2.5 times that is amazing, so they must've been
very determined. For such work to go into just a tomb for their dead-
it must have really meant something to them. It took them almost a
century to build the entire complex, so it was very important.
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“Chartres was the
site of a pre-Christian virgin-goddess cult, and later, dedicated to
the Virgin Mary, it became one of the oldest and most important
Christian shrines in France. Its main treasure was a piece of linen
believed to have been worn by the Virgin Mary when she gave birth to
Jesus...The healing powers attributed to the cloth made Chartres a
major pilgrimage destination...” (Art
History, Marilyn Stokstad, Michael W. Cothren, Pg. 498). Chartres
Cathedral was obviously a large part of the community based on its
size and its huge importance during that time and still to this day.
It is where people in the community congregate to celebrate a belief
that they all share together, and this is a unifying feeling, sharing
that faith together. “Such a project required vast resources-
money, raw materials, and skilled labor. A contemporary painting
shows a building site with the masons at work. Carpenters have built
scaffolds, platforms, and a lifting machine.” (Art History, Marilyn
Stokstad, Michael W. Cothren, Pg. 500). The way I see it is- how
could it not be a public works project? This building is massive,
consisting of many different sections. “Thousands of stone[s] had
to be cut accurately and put into place” (Art History, Marilyn
Stokstad, Michael W. Cothren, Pg. 498). They put time and care into
the creation of this building, so it must have had importance and
meaning. “To support this work, the bishop and cathedral officials
usually pledged all or part of their incomes for three to five, even
ten years” (Art History, Marilyn Stokstad, Michael W. Cothren, Pg.
501). This also shows how important and meaningful this building was
for the community. Both the Pyramids and the Chartres Cathedral were
based on a unifying belief that a community shared together.
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The Temple of the
Inscriptions also seems like it was a very important structure during
the Mayan civilization. “...The buildings of Palenque are terraced
into the mountains with a series of aqueducts channeling rivers
through the urban core. The center of the city houses the palace, the
Temple of the Inscriptions, and other temples” (Art History,
Marilyn Stokstad, Michael W. Cothren, Pg. 386). Based on it's
location in the city of Palenque, it was definitely an important
place. “Next to the palace stands the Temple of the Inscriptions,
Pakal the Great's funerary pyramid” (Art History, Marilyn Stokstad,
Michael W. Cothren, Pg. 386). The temple is similar to the Egyptian
pyramids because they were both used as a tomb for the community's
leader(s). The temple is also similar to both the pyramids and the
Chartres Cathedral because all three were based around the
community's beliefs. All three of these amazing examples of
architecture show how important religion was to each of these
civilizations.
