1. Translation Teaching Resources in the Galleries of the
The
images
contained
in
this
slideshow
are
provided
for
educa6onal
purposes.
Please
do
not
reproduce
without
the
permission
of
the
University
of
Michigan
Museum
of
Art.

2. VISUALIZING TRANSLATION AT THE UMMA
This slideshow suggests artworks from the University of Michigan Museum of Art
that can be used to develop teaching curricula for the LSA Translation Theme
Semester. To view online records for these objects go to the digital portfolio at
http://tinyurl.com/translationslideshow.
For more information on integrating the UMMA’s resources into your teaching or
research contact the Mellon Academic Coordinator, David Choberka
(dchoberk@umich.edu).
UMMA’s collection is open for gallery visits and for special viewing in the
Ernestine and Herbert Ruben Study Center for Works on Paper and the Object
Study Classroom.
To arrange guided or self-guided gallery visits for your classes contact Pam Reister
at umma-tours@umich.edu or call 734-764-0395. Please allow 2-3 weeks to plan
your class’s visit.
To arrange research or class visits to the Ruben Center for Works on Paper or the
Object Study Classroom contact Anne Drozd through the reservation links at
http://www.umma.umich.edu/education/research.html or via email at
crc-reservation@umma.umich.edu. Please allow 15 business days to process object
viewing requests.
----------
Teaching and Learning Programs at UMMA are supported by a generous grant from the
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

3. Transla6on
themes:
Ques6ons
about
transla6on:
event
=>
history
=>
myth
1) What
is
transla6on?
How
does
tradi6on
=>
new
prac6ce
transla6on
func6on?
object
of
use
=>
art
(assemblage,
found
art)
2) What
can
be
translated?
What
object
of
use
=>
art
(design)
might
be
difficult
or
impossible
to
ritual
object
=>
museum
object
translate?
What
cannot
be
translated?
Why?
language
=>
language
3) Is
a
transla6on
the
representa6on
gender
role
=>
gender
role
of
something
in
another
form,
or
marker
of
social
class/race
=>
social
class/race
something
new?
medium
=>
medium
4) What
is
gained
in
transla6on?
venue
=>
venue
5) What
is
lost
in
transla6on?
material
=>
material
6) What
can
we
learn
from
the
experience
<=>
representa6on
transla6on
about
the
translator?
concept
<=>
visual
representa6on
art
<=>
consumer
culture
iden6ty
<=>
visual
representa6on
Roni
Horn
(United
States,
born
1955)
Key
and
Cue
No.
1182
culture
<=>
culture
(hybridity)
1994
Aluminum
and
plas<c
animal
form
<=>
human
form
Gi?
of
an
anonymous
donor,
2009/1.470

4. Benjamin
West
(United
States,
1738–1820)
The
Death
of
General
Wolfe
1776
Oil
on
canvas
Gi?
of
William
L.
Clements,
acquired
1928,
William
L.
Clements
Library,
University
of
Michigan
(P-­‐2750)
Transla6on
themes:
event
=>
history
=>
myth
tradi6on
=>
new
prac6ce
medium
=>
medium
art
<=>
consumer
culture
iden6ty
<=>
visual
representa6on
Benjamin West and the Art of Empire (show opens September 22, 2012)
Perhaps
the
most
celebrated
pain6ng
in
eighteenth-­‐century
England,
Benjamin
West’s
The
Death
of
General
Wolfe
depicts
one
of
Great
Britain’s
most
famous
military
victories
(Cat.
1).
Completed
in
1770,
West’s
canvas
appeared
at
the
height
of
the
public’s
excitement
for
anything
associated
with
Major-­‐General
James
Wolfe,
whose
stunning
triumph
at
the
1759
Ba_le
of
Québec
gave
Britain
control
of
New
France
(present
day
northeast
Canada).
Although
Wolfe
died
in
the
brief
but
decisive
ba_le,
the
taking
of
Québec
became
the
pivotal
engagement
of
the
French
and
Indian
War
(1754–1763),
the
North
American
campaign
of
the
Seven
Years’
War
(1756–63),
and
signaled
Britain’s
ascendency
in
the
New
World;
Wolfe
instantly
rose
in
its
pantheon
of
heroes.
The
Wolfemania
that
followed
in
the
1760s
and
1770s
coincided
with
a
period
of
cultural
transi6on
in
which
newspapers
and
the
expanding
availability
of
consumer
goods
meant
that
Wolfe’s
exploits
at
Québec—par6cularly
his
death—could
be
commodified
and
disseminated
in
a
variety
of
media,
from
decora6ve
objects
to
prints.
It
was
in
this
cultural,
ar6s6c,
and
poli6cal
milieu
that
West’s
pain6ng
emerged
as
the
consummate
portrayal
of
the
na6on’s
most
iconic
hero,
one
that
helped
to
forge
a
dis6nc6ve
Bri6sh
imperial
iden6ty
that
galvanized
society
in
the
decades
before
the
American
Revolu6on.

5. Ouk
Chim
Vichet
(b.
Phnom
Penh,
Transla6on
themes:
Oct
13,
1981)
tradi6on
=>
new
prac6ce
Apsara
Warrior
metal,
decommissioned
weapons
object
of
use
=>
art
ca.
2004
(assemblage,
found
art)
Museum
purchase
made
possible
by
gender
role
=>
gender
role
Guy
and
Nora
Barron,
2007/2.79
concept
<=>
representa6on
Vichet’s
work
responds
to
the
Khmer
Rouge
period
in
Cambodia,
1975-­‐79,
under
the
rule
of
Pol
Pot.
Pot
and
the
Khmer
Rouge
Communist
party
renamed
Cambodia
Democra6c
Kampuchea.
This
four-­‐year
period
saw
the
death
of
approximately
2
million
Cambodians
through
poli6cal
execu6ons,
starva6on,
and
forced
labor.
Due
to
the
large
numbers,
the
deaths
during
the
rule
of
the
Khmer
Rouge
are
onen
considered
a
genocide,
and
commonly
known
as
the
Cambodian
Holocaust
or
Cambodian
Genocide.
Apsaras—from
Indian
and
Southeast
Asian
culture—are
female
spirits
of
the
clouds
and
waters
in
Hindu
and
Buddhist
mythology.
They
are
beau6ful,
supernatural
women,
youthful,
elegant,
and
proficient
in
the
art
of
dancing.
Khmer
classical
dance,
the
indigenous
ballet-­‐like
performance
art
of
Cambodia,
is
frequently
called
Apsara
dance.
Apsara
dance,
dis6nguished
by
stylized
hand
gestures
and
sinuous
body
movements,
dates
back
to
the
first
century
when
it
was
performed
for
royalty
to
honor
gods
and
dynas6c
ancestors.
Khmer
classical
dance
of
today
is
believed
to
be
connected
by
an
unbroken
tradi6on
to
the
dance
prac6ced
in
the
courts
of
the
monarchs
of
Angkor,
which
in
turn
drew
its
inspira6on
from
the
mythological
court
of
the
gods
and
from
its
celes6al
dancers,
the
Apsaras.
The
Khmer
language
has
a
complex
system
of
usages
to
define
speakers'
rank
and
social
status.
Under
the
Khmer
Rouge,
these
usages
were
abolished.
People
were
required,
on
pain
of
death,
to
avoid
tradi6onal
signs
of
deference
such
as
bowing
or
folding
the
hands
in
saluta6on.
In
consequence,
Apsara
dancers,
whose
very
movements
embodied
signs
of
religion
and
royalty,
became
one
of
the
first
groups,
along
with
many
tradi6onal
ar6sts,
to
be
targeted
for
extermina6on
under
the
Khmer
Rouge.
Rooted
in
and
born
out
of
Cambodia’s
recent
history,
UMMA’s
Apsara
Warrior
is
emblema6c
of
the
rebirth
of
the
Apsara
dance
tradi6on
following
the
Khmer
rouge
era
and
the
reclama6on
of
a
broad
range
of
cultural
tradi6ons
that
had
been
brutally
suppressed
during
the
bloody
years
of
Khmer
Rouge
control.

6. Mbangu
Mask
Central
Pende
Peoples
Transla6on
themes:
Democra6c
Republic
of
the
concept
<=>
visual
representa6on
Congo
ritual
object
=>
museum
object
circa
1930
tradi6on
=>
new
prac6ce
Wood,
pigments,
vegetable
fiber,
raffia
Gin
of
Candis
and
Helmut
Stern,
2005/1.200
The
twisted
face
and
drama6c
opposi6on
of
black
and
white
iden6fy
this
mask
as
an
Mbangu
mask,
which
represents
infirmity
and
sickness—condi6ons
that
are
onen
a_ributed
to
witchcran.
According
to
a
common
Pende
explana6on,
Mbangu’s
half-­‐white,
half-­‐black
face
represents
the
scars
of
someone
who
fell
into
the
fire
due
to
sorcery,
while
the
asymmetry
of
the
face
and
the
marks
on
the
black
side
are
an
indica6on
of
various
other
medical
condi6ons.
When
the
mask
appears
in
performance,
the
dancer
limps
on
a
cane
to
convey
the
physical
weakness
of
Mbangu,
and
he
wears
a
humpback
pierced
with
an
arrow
in
reference
to
sorcerers
who
shoot
their
vic6ms
with
invisible
arrows.
Mbangu
masks
have
a
long
history
among
Central
Pende
peoples.
While
examples
from
the
first
decade
of
the
twen6eth
century
do
not
have
pierced
eyes
and
were
worn
on
the
forehead,
aner
that
the
Mbangu
genre
became
a
facemask,
with
pierced
eyes
and
distor6on
of
the
facial
features.
Throughout
the
twen6eth
century,
from
the
era
of
Belgian
colonial
rule
(1885–1960)
into
the
period
aner
independence,
Pende
performers
also
invented
new
forms
and
genres
of
masks,
whose
popularity
has
waxed
and
waned
over
6me.
Today,
the
importance
of
masquerade
remains
strong,
although
the
Pende
have
largely
removed
masquerading
from
its
original
ritual
context
and
instead
stress
the
power
of
masks
to
“beau6fy”
the
village
and
bring
happiness
to
its
inhabitants.

7. Dan
Kvitka
United
States,
born
1958
Stones
from
the
River
2000
Afzelia
burl
from
Burma
and
Nigerian
black
ebony
Gin
of
Robert
M.
and
Lillian
Montalto
Bohlen,
2002/2.153A-­‐W
Transla6on
themes:
concept
<=>
representa6on
object
of
use
=>
art
(design)
medium
=>
medium
Dan
Kvitka
is
a
wood
ar6st
who
turns
hollowed
vessels
from
rare
exo6c
specimens.
Though
tradi6onally
vessels
are
func6onal,
here
they
become
sculpture—beau6ful,
polished,
shiny
smooth
“stones,”
the
surface
of
which
almost
denies
their
substance.
In
Stones
from
the
River,
a
collec6on
of
turned
wood
vessels
is
arranged
along
a
horizontal
support
in
a
sculptural
interpreta6on
of
the
Judaic
prac6ce
ofTashlich,
which
means
“cas6ng
away.”
The
word
is
derived
from
a
Biblical
verse,
“You
will
cast
all
their
sins
into
the
depths
of
the
sea,”
recited
on
the
anernoon
of
Rosh
Hashanah
(Jewish
New
Year).
The
custom
begins
with
a
prayer,
and
then
par6cipants
toss
crumbs
of
bread
or
stones
into
a
body
of,
preferably,
moving
water
as
a
symbol
of
ridding
themselves
of
the
previous
year’s
sins.
Dan
Kvitka
explains
that
“the
orange
‘afzelia
burl’
are
the
stones
in
the
river…The
‘black
ebony’
stones
are
the
Tashlich
stones,
the
stones
containing
both
dark
and
light;
they
are
us.”

8. Hunping
funerary
jar
Proto-­‐Yue
ware,
Zhejiang
province
Transla6on
themes:
Six
Dynas6es,
Western
Jin
dynasty
concept
<=>
representa6on
(165-­‐316),
3rd
century
tradi6on
=>
new
prac6ce
Stoneware
with
celadon
glaze
object
of
use
=>
art
(design)
Museum
purchase
made
possible
by
a
gin
from
William
and
Martha
Steen
medium
=>
medium
2000/1.39
This
charming
pot,
with
its
engaging
depic6on
of
musicians
and
flocks
of
birds
gathered
by
a
many-­‐roofed
structure,
bears
silent
witness
to
a
tragic
period
in
Chinese
history.
In
the
early
fourth
century,
invasions
by
nomadic
raiders
from
the
steppes
to
the
west
forced
tens
of
thousands
of
Chinese
to
flee
southward.
Aside
from
the
terrible
toll
of
lives
lost,
the
surviving
exiles
could
not
provide
proper
tombs
for
deceased
family
members.
Instead,
they
sought
to
appease
the
souls
of
the
departed
by
providing
a
res6ng
place
in
ceramic
containers
such
as
this
one,
known
as
a
hunping,
or
“jar
for
the
soul.”
The
structure
on
the
lid
presents
a
square
building
within
a
circular
enclosure,
reminiscent
of
an
ancient
Chinese
formula
using
a
jade
bi
and
cong
to
symbolize
the
joining
of
heaven
and
earth,
is
thus
a
fiyng
home
for
wandering
souls.
It
is
also
possible
that
the
hunping
form
may
have
been
inspired
by
Buddhist
reliquaries
or
containers
for
the
ashes
of
the
deceased;
the
gate
(the
two
roofed
pillars
at
the
base
of
the
tower)
would
then
symbolize
the
boundary
to
Buddhist
paradise.
The
two
overlapping
meanings
were
common
during
this
period
in
Chinese
history.
The
jar
is
made
of
grey
stoneware
with
a
coat
of
green
glaze
typical
of
Yue
wares.
The
glaze
is
an
early
form
of
celadon
that
is
thin,
lustrous,
and
evenly
vitreous.
It
is
the
precursor
to
the
later
renowned
translucent
celadon
glazes
of
the
Song
dynasty
(960-­‐1279).

9. Young-­‐Hae
Chang
Heavy
Industries
Special
Exhibi6on
at
the
UMMA
through
December
30,
2012
Transla6on
themes:
culture
<=>
culture
(hybridity)
medium
=>
medium
language
=>
language
This
exhibi6on
will
feature
an
original,
UMMA-­‐commissioned
work
by
the
Seoul-­‐based
duo
of
Young-­‐hae
Chang
and
Marc
Voge—YOUNG-­‐HAE
CHANG
HEAVY
INDUSTRIES
(YHCHI).
Blurring
the
boundaries
between
media,
technologies,
and
cultural
histories,
YHCHI
has
gained
interna6onal
acclaim
for
their
“net
art”
produc6ons—edgy
digital
poetry
presenta6ons
that
flash
to
the
beat
of
compelling
musical
scores.
Their
sophis6cated
and
seduc6ve
narra6ves
feature
a
plain
typeface
and
mesmerizing
pacing.
UMMA
has
commissioned
an
installa6on
work
drawing
on
UM’s
unique
intellectual
assets
and
mul6cultural
resources.
In
addi6on
to
the
gallery
presenta6on,
the
commission
will
be
added
to
their
website,
yhchang.com.
Crossing
borders
of
literature
and
visual
art,
popular
and
high
culture,
high
and
low
technology,
YHCHI’s
work
offers
an
exci6ng
opportunity
to
encourage
conversa6on
among
media-­‐savvy
college
students
and
humani6es
and
social
science
intellectuals
alike.
(The
piece
depicted
above
is
not
part
of
the
UMMA
commission.)

10. Copper
plate
with
Hanuman
Transla6on
themes:
India,
Rajasthan
ritual
object
=>
museum
object
18th
–19th
century
medium
=>
medium
Copper
concept
<=>
representa6on
Gin
of
Dr.
and
Mrs.
Leo
S.
Figiel
and
Dr.
and
Mrs.
Steven
J.
Figiel
1978/2.89
This
copper
plate
presents
a
profile
portrait
of
the
monkey–general
Hanuman.
His
contours
have
been
etched
into
the
plate
and
filled
en6rely
with
ornamenta6on
in
the
form
of
Hindi
le_ers.
The
resul6ng
object
is
not
merely
an
image,
but
a
yantra—a
func6onal
tool
or
instrument
believed
to
have
talismanic
proper6es.
In
India,
these
mys6cal
diagrams
are
typically
composed
of
geometric
and
alphabe6cal
figures
etched
on
small
plates
of
gold,
silver,
or
copper.
These
devices
serve
a
twofold
func6on:
to
invoke
a
par6cular
god,
and
to
help
the
devotee
focus
spiritual
and
mental
energies
upon
that
deity.
They
are
frequently
devoted
to
the
achievement
of
health,
good
fortune,
or
childbearing,
and
are
some6mes
installed
near
or
under
the
deity
in
the
temple.

11. Joseph
Wright
of
Derby
England,
1734–1797
The
Dead
Soldier
1789
Oil
on
canvas
Museum
purchase
made
possible
by
the
W.
Hawkins
Ferry
Fund
and
anonymous
individual
benefactors
2006/1.156
Transla6on
themes:
tradi6on
=>
new
prac6ce
concept
=>
representa6on
social
class
=>
social
class
social
class
=>
representa6on
Joseph
Wright
of
Derby,
a
member
of
the
industrial
and
crea6ve
avant
garde
in
the
north
of
England,
first
exhibited
this
pain6ng
at
London’s
Royal
Academy
in
1789
to
great
acclaim.
The
canvas
depicts
a
woman
cradling
her
child
with
a
drama6cally
foreshortened
cavalryman
crumpled
at
her
side.
Newly
widowed
and
des6tute,
the
mourning
woman
joins
the
hands
of
the
child
with
her
own
and
that
of
her
dead
husband,
linking
their
sad
fates
as
the
sun
sets
over
the
forest.
That
the
child
has
fallen
away
from
suckling
at
his
mother’s
breast
suggests
the
poverty
that
awaits
them
both
in
an
age
when
respectable
women
had
few
economic
opportuni6es.
What
was
most
radical
about
the
pain6ng
in
its
day
is
that
the
viewer
is
asked
to
empathize
deeply
with
an
anonymous
figure:
we
know
nothing
of
the
dead
soldier’s
iden6ty
other
than
what
his
uniform
tells
us
and
the
hint
from
the
date
that
he
may
have
fallen
in
the
American
Revolu6on.
It
is
the
infant
who
gives
us
entry
into
the
pain6ng,
looking
out
calmly,
even
sternly
to
meet
our
gaze.
The
emo6onal
intensity
of
the
pain6ng
together
with
Wright’s
astonishing
bravura
brushwork
place
this
long-­‐
lost
masterpiece
at
a
cri6cal
moment
of
transi6on
in
the
birth
of
the
modern
age,
when
the
ra6onalism
of
the
Enlightenment
began
to
give
way
to
the
emo6on
of
the
Roman6c
movement.

12. Joan
Mitchell
American,
1926–1992
Transla6on
themes:
White
Territory
experience
<=>
representa6on
1970–71
oil
on
canvas
tradi6on
=>
new
prac6ce
Purchase
assisted
by
The
Friends
of
the
Museum
and
a
grant
from
the
Na6onal
Endowment
for
the
Arts
1974/2.21
Mitchell
len
New
York
for
France
in
1955,
living
first
in
Paris
and
finally
se_ling
in
the
late
1960s
in
Vétheuil,
a
6ny
river
village
about
an
hour
northwest
of
Paris.
Like
the
winter
landscapes
Claude
Monet
(1840–1926)
painted
in
the
same
vicinity,
including
The
Breakup
of
the
Ice,
on
view
on
the
first
floor,
White
Territory
is
an
impression
of
a
landscape.
Mitchell
aimed
to
convey
the
landscape
as
affected
by
what
the
ar6st
called
“internal
weather,”
meaning
her
personal
associa6ons
and
poe6c
sensibility.
White
Territory
was
first
shown
in
an
upstate
New
York
exhibi6on
of
her
works
called
“My
Five
Years
in
the
Country,”
a
reference
to
her
self-­‐imposed
exile
in
this
6ny
French
village.
Joan
Mitchell
was
a
leading
ar6st
of
the
second-­‐
genera6on
New
York
School,
the
close-­‐knit
community
of
abstract
painters
who
were
profoundly
influenced
by
Abstract
Expressionism
and
followed
on
the
stylis6c
and
technical
innova6ons
of
this
first
genera6on,
especially
the
work
of
Willem
de
Kooning,
Arshile
Gorky,
and
Franz
Kline.

13. Felix
Gonzalez-­‐Torres
Transla6on
themes:
United
States,
1957–1996
object
of
use
=>
art
UnJtled
(March
5th)
#2
1991
(found
art,
assemblage)
40-­‐wa_
light
bulbs,
extension
cords,
venue
=>
venue
porcelain
light
sockets
concept
<=>
representa6on
Museum
Purchase
made
possible
by
the
W.
Hawkins
Ferry
Fund,
1999/2.17
experience
<=>
representa6on
When
people
ask
me,
"Who
is
your
public?"
I
say
honestly,
without
skipping
a
beat,
"Ross."
The
public
was
Ross.
Felix
Gonzalez-­‐Torres,
January
1995
Light
bulbs,
fixtures,
and
extension
cords
are
humble,
everyday
things,
but
in
the
art
of
Felix
Gonzalez-­‐Torres,
they
are
imbued
with
an
unexpected
emo6onal
charge.
The
date
March
5th,
referenced
in
the
6tle,
was
the
birthday
of
the
ar6st’s
lover,
Ross
Laycock,
who
died
of
AIDS
in
1994.
Created
shortly
aner
Ross’s
diagnosis,
this
is
among
the
first
in
a
series
of
pieces
Gonzalez-­‐Torres
made
during
that
period
using
strings
of
bare
light
bulbs.
Characteris6cally
for
the
ar6st,
the
work
is
open
to
a
range
of
interpreta6ons.
Hanging
against
the
wall,
the
installa6on
might
look
naked
and
vulnerable,
or
poignant
and
warm.
The
implicit
roman6cism
of
the
work’s
metaphor
of
two
luminous,
connected
bodies—evoking
those
of
Gonzalez-­‐Torres
and
Laycock—is
tempered
by
the
knowledge
that
at
any
second
one
of
the
bulbs
could
burn
out,
with
the
other
len
to
shine
on
alone.

14. Ewer
with
Silver
FiRngs
Ming
dynasty,
Yongle
mark
and
period
(1403–25)
Transla6on
themes:
Porcelain
with
underglaze
cobalt
object
of
use
=>
art
(design)
decora6on,
silver
spout
and
lid
Gin
of
Mr.
and
Mrs.
John
A.
Pope
for
culture
<=>
culture
(hybridity)
The
James
Marshall
Plumer
Memorial
Collec6on,
1968/1.50
Since
the
6me
of
Marco
Polo,
the
center
of
Chinese
porcelain
produc6on
has
been
Jingdezhen,
Jiangxi
province,
an
area
blessed
with
large
deposits
of
the
hard
kaolin
clay
that
is
essen6al
for
porcelain.
The
kilns
came
into
prominence
during
the
Yuan
period
(1279-­‐1368),
when
both
the
produc6on
of
pure
white
porcelain
and
porcelain
with
underglaze
cobalt
blue
decora6on
were
mastered.
The
succeeding
Ming
period
(1368-­‐1644)
con6nued
and
expanded
this
tradi6on,
as
seem
in
this
magnificent
ewer
that
once
belonged
in
the
collec6on
of
the
dis6nguished
ceramic
scholar,
John
A.
Pope,
who
catalogued
the
world-­‐famous
collec6on
of
Chinese
blue-­‐and-­‐white
porcelain
at
the
Ardebil
Shrine
in
Iran.
The
bright
blue
was
derived
from
cobalt
ore
imported
from
Persia
(Iran)
and
a
ewer
of
this
shape,
which
recalls
Sassanian
(Persian)
metalwork
prototypes,
would
have
been
made
for
an
Islamic
ruler
and
sent
abroad
with
Admiral
Zheng
He
(1371-­‐1433),
who
sailed
a
Chinese
fleet
to
the
Middle
East
from
1421
to
1423
on
behalf
of
the
Yongle
emperor
(r.1403-­‐1424).The
floral
scrolls
across
the
neck
and
body
of
the
vessel,
consis6ng
of
posies
of
different
blooms,
also
have
origins
in
ancient
West
Asian
art.
The
silver
spout
and
lid
are
later
European
repairs.

15. Transla6on
themes:
material
=>
material
object
of
use
=>
art
(medium)
Donald
Sultan’s
Smoke
Rings
seem
to
float
in
defiance
of
the
heavy
materials
with
which
they
are
produced:
black
tar
and
spackle,
the
substance
used
for
patching
holes
in
plaster
and
drywall.
Sultan,
who
began
using
these
kinds
of
materials
when
he
was
a
construc6on
worker,
paints
in
the
tradi6on
of
s6ll
life,
but
rather
than
reproducing
what
the
eye
sees,
he
draws
a_en6on
to
what
it
onen
misses,
revealing
the
abstract
visual
quali6es
of
commonplace
things.
His
use
of
unorthodox
media
and
manipula6on
of
scale
provokes
a
sense
of
strangeness
that
slows
recogni6on
of
his
subjects,
allowing
for
minute
examina6on
of
their
aesthe6c
quali6es.
In
Smoke
Rings
Sultan
arrests
and
monumentalizes
a
Donald
Sultan
transitory
phenomenon:
languid,
spiraling
United
States,
born
1951
curls
of
smoke.
At
once
abstract
and
Smoke
Rings
June
14,
2001
2001
hyperreaslis6c,
the
pain6ngs
are
as
much
Spackle
and
tar
on
6le
over
Masonite
about
the
graphic
gesture
of
white
on
black
as
Museum
purchase
made
possible
by
the
W.
Hawkins
Ferry
they
are
about
the
beauty
to
be
found
in
the
Fund
and
the
Friends
of
the
Museum
of
Art,
2006/1.159a-­‐d
ordinary
world
that
surround
us.

16. Power
Figure
(nkisi
kozo)
Vili
peoples
Republic
of
Congo
(Brazzaville),
Transla6on
themes:
Gabon
ritual
object
=>
museum
object
circa
1850
Wood,
mirrors,
resin,
kaolin,
tukula
venue
=>
venue
powder,
medicinal
substances
concept
=>
representa6on
2005/1.182
This
power
figure
probably
represents
a
dog.
In
Vili
and
other
communi6es
in
central
Africa,
dogs
live
in
villages
and
hunt
in
forests.
Thus,
they
were
thought
to
move
freely
between
the
worlds
of
the
living
and
the
dead,
their
keen
sense
of
smell
and
sight
gran6ng
them
vision
into
otherworldly
events.
Used
by
ritual
specialists
to
heal
or
to
detect
and
redress
misfortune,
the
mirror-­‐topped
medicine
pack
worked
like
a
window
into
the
ancestral
realm.
Spiritually
charged
materials
like
grave
Power
Figure
(nkisi
nduda)
dirt,
riverbed
clay,
shells,
and
herbs
emboldened
the
forces
Yombe
peoples
within
it.
The
coiled
tail,
curled
lower
lips
and
snout,
and
flexed
Democra6c
Republic
of
Congo
knees
give
this
6ny
figure
vitality.
Late
19th
century
Wood,
cloth,
fiber,
animal
-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐
hides,
feathers,
mirror,
glass,
Through
the
interven6on
of
a
ritual
expert
(nganga),
an
nkisi,
metal,
resin,
medicinal
or
power
figure,
becomes
imbued
with
the
capacity
to
heal,
substances,
pigment
Gin
of
Candis
and
Helmut
protect,
or,
conversely,
to
do
harm
to
one’s
enemies.
This
Stern,
2005/1.191
nkisi’s
stare
suggests
that
it
stands
guard,
and
the
mirror
on
its
torso
is
intended
to
deflect
subversive
forces.
Its
potency
is
increased
by
bundles
of
medicinal
herbs
contained
beneath
the
feathered
turban.
Strips
of
curling
hide
radiate
around
the
figure
and
extend
its
energy
into
the
surrounding
space.
Most
colonial
officials
and
missionaries
banned
power
figures
from
their
precincts.
The
large
number
found
in
art
collec6ons
throughout
the
world
speaks
to
the
undeniable
allure
and
charisma
of
these
objects,
as
well
as
to
the
vigor
with
which
they
were
removed
by
the
authori6es.

17. Charles
Ferdinand
Wimar
United
States,
1828–1862
The
AYack
on
an
Emigrant
Train
1856
Oil
on
canvas
Bequest
of
Henry
C.
Lewis,
1895.80
Transla6on
themes:
event
=>
history
=>
myth
iden6ty
<=>
representa6on
concept
<=>
representa6on
In
this
pain6ng
a
wagon
train
of
American
pioneers
crossing
the
prairie
is
a_acked
by
a
group
of
Na6ve
Americans
armed
with
tomahawks
and
bows
and
arrows;
as
the
men
in
the
first
wagon
take
up
arms
to
defend
themselves,
their
comrades
rush
forward
to
join
the
fight.
The
A_ack
on
an
Emigrant
Train
was
painted
during
the
height
of
westward
expansion
in
the
United
States
(1840s–1860s)
and
is
very
much
a
product
of
its
6me.
Its
drama6c
staging
of
two
cultures
clashing
reinforced
the
doctrine
of
Manifest
Des6ny—the
belief
that
European
Americans
had
a
right
and
even
a
Chris6an
duty
to
expand
throughout
the
North
American
con6nent.
According
to
this
theory,
Indians
were
literally
an
obstruc6on
in
the
path
of
American
progress.
Here
they
are
portrayed
as
ferocious
aggressors
arres6ng
the
forward
movement
of
the
peaceful
immigrants.
The
white
man’s
steady
aim
of
his
gun—taken
up
to
protect
women
and
children
who
take
shelter
in
the
wagons—is
contrasted
with
the
chao6c
mass
of
half-­‐clothed
warriors
armed
with
simple
weapons.
Images
such
as
this
reinforced
the
prevailing
no6on
of
the
Na6ve
American
as
primi6ve,
even
savage,
and
perpetuated
the
idea
they
were
another
element
of
the
untamed
landscape
that
needed
to
be
subdued
and
civilized.
Wimar’s
pain6ng
became
enormously
influen6al,
inspiring
and
establishing
a
stereotype
of
a_acks
on
wagon
trains
that
persisted
well
into
the
20th
century.

18. Mariano
Salvador
de
Maella
Spain,
1739–1819
Transla6on
themes:
The
AnnunciaJon
medium
=>
medium
About
1780
Oil
on
canvas
tradi6on
=>
new
prac6ce
Museum
purchase
(1967/1.37)
Contrasted
with
contemporary
scenes
of
everyday
life
from
northern
Europe,
Maella’s
pain6ng
speaks
to
the
con6nuing
impact
of
the
Catholic
Church
in
southern
Europe
during
the
6me
of
the
Enlightenment,
a
period
in
which
reason
ul6mately
came
to
hold
sway
over
religious
belief
in
much
of
Europe.
Maella
painted
this
scene
of
the
Annuncia6on
as
a
preparatory
study
either
for
an
altarpiece
or
a
much
larger
fresco
pain6ng
for
a
wall
or
ceiling
in
a
palace
or
church.
He
rendered
the
small-­‐scale
study
in
shades
of
gray,
a
technique
known
as
grisaille,
which
allowed
him
to
examine
the
overall
balance
of
light
and
shade
in
the
final
pain6ng
without
the
complica6ng
factor
of
color.
Maella
follows
established
conven6on
by
represen6ng
the
archangel
Gabriel
descending
on
a
cloud
toward
the
Virgin
Mary
to
proclaim
that
she
would
give
birth
to
Jesus,
while
the
dove
of
the
Holy
Spirit
flies
down
from
overhead
and
God
the
Father
looks
on.
Maella
uses
the
subtle
tonal
modula6ons
of
grisaille
to
explore
how
the
robust
forms
and
grounded
materiality
of
the
Virgin
and
the
surrounding
furniture
give
way
to
the
light-­‐filled
clouds
and
diffused
shapes
above;
through
experimen6ng
with
light,
Maella
seeks
to
bring
the
worldly
and
heavenly
realms
together
in
support
of
Catholic
devo6onal
prac6ce.

19. AnnunciaJon
Antwerp,
Belgium,
circa
1520
Oil
on
panel
Gin
of
Professor
and
Mrs.
Charles
H.
Sawyer,
1992/1.135
Transla6on
themes:
medium
=>
medium
tradi6on
=>
new
prac6ce
Painters
and
sculptors
outnumbered
bakers
and
butchers
in
mid-­‐sixteenth-­‐century
Antwerp.
This
surprising
sta6s6c
reveals
the
importance
of
ar6s6c
produc6on
to
the
economy
of
a
city
that
emerged
as
a
mercan6le
capital
of
Europe
during
the
1500s.
Many
of
the
ar6sts
in
Antwerp
were
employed
in
workshops,
where
they
produced
the
vast
majority
of
works
for
export
and
some
for
local
consump6on.
This
panel
depic6ng
the
Annuncia6on
shares
many
stylis6c
features
with
pain6ngs
made
in
Antwerp
from
about
1520,
including
the
composi6on
of
the
scene
and
the
embellishment
of
the
architecture
with
fashionable
Italian
decora6ve
elements.
Although
the
ar6st
of
this
work
remains
uniden6fied,
some
of
the
most
famous
ar6sts
of
the
period
also
trained
or
worked
in
the
city:
Joos
van
Cleve,
for
instance,
whose
pain6ng
of
St.
John
on
Patmos
hangs
nearby,
was
one
of
Antwerp’s
established
masters.

20. Juan
de
Valdés
Leal
(1622–1690)
The
AnnunciaJon
Seville,
Spain,
1661
Oil
on
canvas
Museum
Purchase,
1962/1.99
Transla6on
themes:
medium
=>
medium
tradi6on
=>
new
prac6ce
With
an
explosively
brilliant
light
illumina6ng
a
darkened
room,
the
Baroque
master
Juan
de
Valdés
Leal
captures
the
drama
of
Jesus’s
concep6on.
On
the
len,
the
Archangel
Gabriel
swoops
down
from
heaven
to
announce
to
the
Virgin
Mary
that
she
will
give
birth
to
Jesus,
as
recounted
in
the
Gospel
of
Luke
(1:26–38).
Mary,
interrupted
at
her
reading,
looks
downward
with
humility
and
submission
as
the
white
dove
of
the
Holy
Spirit
descends
from
a
glory
of
light
toward
her
womb.
On
the
balustrade,
the
white
lilies
symbolize
her
purity,
and
the
vase,
which
transmits
light
with
no
effect
on
the
glass
itself,
is
a
metaphor
for
how
she
became
pregnant
but
remained
unblemished
by
sin.
God
the
Father,
almost
dissolved
in
his
own
radiance,
presides
over
the
scene
from
the
cloudburst
above.
Valdés
Leal
augments
the
animated
poses
and
the
vivid
color
with
energe6c
brushwork,
invigora6ng
the
scene
with
an
exuberant
theatricality.

21. The
Han
imagina6on
was
simultaneously
down-­‐to-­‐
earth
and
preoccupied
with
immortality
and
other-­‐
worldly
spirits.
While
the
inexpensive
mortuary
po_ery
in
the
large
wall
case
opposite
tes6fies
to
Han
prac6cality,
this
carved
limestone
slab
illustrates
Han
flights
of
fancy.
This
magnificent
square-­‐shaped
frieze
was
originally
part
of
a
memorial
hall
or
tomb.
Its
seven
horizontal
registers
portray
the
ver6cal
ascent
of
the
soul
from
the
watery
netherworld
on
the
lowest
register
to
the
“Happy
Homeland”
or
heavenly
abode
of
the
Queen
Mother
of
the
West
at
the
top.
In
the
widest
register,
above
the
watery
netherworld
of
six
swimming
fish,
is
a
burial
procession
lead
by
an
ox
cart—an
accurate
depic6on
of
Han
dynasty
burial
prac6ce
for
the
elite.
The
central
three
registers
portray
groups
of
mourners,
performing
rituals
to
send
the
deceased
properly
into
the
anerlife.
The
Queen
Mother
herself,
shown
as
a
winged
creature
with
a
human
face,
dominates
the
top
register.
She
is
flanked
by
two
writhing
dragons
and
other
heavenly
immortals,
including
a
pair
of
rabbits
who
reside
on
the
moon
pounding
rice
cakes
of
immortality,
and
an
auspicious
Funerary
slab
with
the
Queen
Mother
of
the
nine-­‐tailed
fox,
associated
with
the
sun
and
magic.
West
Transla6on
themes:
Eastern
Han
dynasty
(25–220),
2nd
century
medium
=>
medium
Carved
limestone
slab
The
Queen
Mother
of
the
West
appears
in
Chinese
concept
<=>
representa6on
Museum
purchase
made
possible
by
the
texts
as
early
as
the
tenth
century
BCE
of
the
Zhou
Friends
of
the
Museum
of
Art
and
the
dynasty
(1027-­‐256
BCE),
but
her
cult
became
popular
Margaret
Watson
Parker
Fund,
in
honor
of
during
the
Eastern
Han
dynasty,
when
the
desire
for
Senior
Curator
Marshall
Wu
on
his
immortality
reached
a
feverish
pitch.
re6rement,
2000/2.1

22. Jenny
Holzer
United
States,
born
1950
Transla6on
themes:
SelecJons
from
Truisms
medium
=>
medium
1983
Electronic
L.E.D.
with
red
diodes
tradi6on
=>
new
prac6ce
Museum
Purchase
made
possible
by
the
W.
Hawkins
venue
=>
venue
Ferry
Fund
and
anonymous
individual
benefactors,
2006/1.151
Jenny
Holzer
is
an
installa6on
and
conceptual
ar6st
whose
primary
medium
is
words.
She
onen
uses
language
to
draw
a_en6on
to
and
undermine
habits
of
thought
that
go
unno6ced.
Her
Truisms
are
a
constantly
evolving
collec6on
of
several
hundred
phrases,
ideas,
and
asides—made
up
or
appropriated
from
diverse
sources—that
includes
such
provoca6ve
one-­‐liners
as:
“A
li_le
knowledge
goes
a
long
way;”
“there
is
a
fine
line
between
informa6on
and
propaganda;”
“money
creates
taste;”
and,
“freedom
is
a
luxury
not
a
necessity.”
The
Truisms
have
appeared
in
many
forms.
Their
first
incarna6on
as
a
public
art
project
was
in
1977–79,
when
Holzer
anonymously
posted
inexpensive,
commercially
printed
broadsheets
on
buildings,
walls,
and
telephone
booths
in
and
around
Manha_an.
Her
pithy,
ironic
and
acerbic
aphorisms
were
meant
to
be
provoca6ve
and
elicit
public
debate.
In
subsequent
years
they
appeared
on
posters,
billboards,
and,
as
here,
LED
(light
emi6ng
diode)
displays
and
have
been
exhibited
in
prominent
public
places
like
Time
Square,
as
well
as
museums
and
galleries.
Just
as
the
content
of
the
Trusims
onen
mimics
adver6sing
slogans,
Holzer
has
borrowed
from
marke6ng
prac6ce
and
emblazoned
them
on
coffee
mugs,
t-­‐shirts,
pencils,
baseball
caps,
and
golf
balls.

23. Display
figure
Ar6st
Osei
Bonsu
(1900–1977)
Transla6on
themes:
Akan
(Asante)
peoples
medium
=>
medium
Ghana
Wood
tradi6on
=>
new
prac6ce
Gin
of
Margart
H.
and
Albert
J.
ritual
object
=>
art
object
Coudron,
2001/2.33
venue
=>
venue
This
figure,
seated
on
a
royal
stool—considered
the
soul
of
the
Asante
people—with
an
egg
in
his
hand,
depicts
a
popular
proverb:
“To
be
a
ruler
is
like
holding
an
egg
in
the
hand;
if
it
is
pressed
too
hard
it
breaks,
but
if
not
held
6ghtly
enough
it
may
slip
and
smash
on
the
ground.”
This
mo6f
was
onen
used
to
decorate
the
tops
of
linguist
staffs
(emblems
of
authority
used
by
the
ruler’s
spokesmen
during
public
ceremonies),
but
this
figure
was
commissioned
from
Osei
Bonu—a
prominent
ar6st—by
a
local
Asante
or
expatriate
elite
to
display
in
a
home.
Osei
Bonu’s
naturalis6c
style
is
seen
in
the
egg-­‐shaped
head,
the
high,
sloping
forehead
rising
from
pronounced
eyebrows,
the
long
ringed
neck,
and
small,
delicate
hands
and
feet.
He
is
known
for
his
smooth,
carefully
finished
surfaces;
indeed
he
disdained
rough
finishes,
which
he
compared
to
“fufu
[pounded
yams,
a
staple
food]
that
has
fallen
into
the
gravel.”

24. Mark
Tobey
United
States,
1890-­‐1976
Transla6on
themes:
Broadway
Melody
medium
=>
medium
1945
Tempera
on
board
experience
<=>
representa6on
Gin
of
Mr.
and
Mrs.
Roger
L.
Stevens,
1949/1.152
The
theme
of
the
city
played
a
key
role
in
the
development
of
Tobey’s
hallmark
“white
wri6ng”
style
aner
his
return
from
an
extended
trip
to
China
and
Japan
in
1934.
New
York,
in
par6cular,
came
to
represent
a
“universal
city”
for
the
ar6st,
although
he
chose
to
live
at
a
remove
from
the
vibrant
art
scene
that
was
developing
there
in
the
immediate
postwar
period.
Tobey
con6nually
revisited
the
subject
of
Broadway,
a
popular
emblem
of
the
spectacle
of
city
lights
and
city
life.
His
fascina6on
was
not,
however,
simply
a
ma_er
of
roman6c
glorifica6on.
Of
his
first
Broadway
pain6ng,
he
wrote
that
it
“astonished
me
as
much
as
anyone
else.
Such
a
feeling
of
Hell
under
a
lacy
design—delicate
in
spirit
but
madness.”
This
feeling
is
characteris6c
of
Broadway
Melody
as
well.
Its
successive
overlays
of
rapidly
constructed
images
and
wri6ng
(the
evoca6ve
word
“tomorrow”
is
clearly
legible
in
the
upper
len
corner
of
the
pain6ng)
both
build
up
the
pictured
scene
to
give
a
sense
of
depth,
and
overwhelm
the
figures
interspersed
throughout.
The
dense
repe66on
from
one
end
of
the
canvas
to
the
other
of
similar
elements
without
strong
varia6on
would
become
a
defining
feature
of
the
Abstract
Expressionist
style
of
pain6ng,
which
Tobey
pioneered
along
with
his
New
York
counterparts.

25. Idangani
Mask
Transla6on
themes:
Sala
Mapsu
peoples
ritual
object
=>
museum
object
Democra6c
Republic
of
the
Congo
Early
20th
century
tradi6on
=>
new
prac6ce
Woven
fiber
concept
<=>
representa6on
Gin
of
Professor
and
Mrs.
Horace
M.
social
class
<=>
representa6on
Miner,
1983/2.184
These
formidable
masks
played
a
vital
role
in
the
Sala
Mpasu’s
warrior
society,
a
powerful
associa6on
through
which
men
increased
their
authority
by
securing
the
right
to
wear
par6cular
masks.
The
most
pres6gious
of
these
were
the
idangani
masks,
which
represented
a
married
couple
and
were
constructed
en6rely
from
fiber.
The
mask
on
view
here
is
female,
iden6fied
by
the
small
fiber
knobs
that
recall
a
popular
woman’s
hairstyle.
The
kasangu
mask
was
made
of
wood
and
represented
a
warrior.
Its
open,
rectangular
mouth
exposes
pointed
teeth—a
Sala
Mpasu
mark
of
beauty.
As
new
forms
of
authority
and
wealth
were
imposed
Kasangu
Mask
Sala
Mpasu
peoples
by
the
Belgian
colonial
state,
the
Sala
Mpasu
Democra6c
Republic
of
the
disbanded
their
warrior
society
and
destroyed
many
Congo
Early
20th
century
of
the
masks
associated
with
it.
However,
the
Wood,
kaolin,
fiber
resilience
of
Sala
Mpasu
ar6sts
remains
evident
in
the
Museum
purchase
assisted
by
new
forms
of
masks
they
con6nue
to
create
for
the
Friends
of
the
Museum
of
Art,
1971/2.44
entertainment,
boys’
ini6a6on
ceremonies,
and
the
external
art
market.

26. Aner
the
Tokugawa
shogunate
established
peace
in
the
early
seventeenth
century,
no
major
ba_les
were
fought
on
Japanese
soil.
Yet
swords
and
mar6al
arts
remained
a
vital
part
of
the
samurai
life.
Ruling
samurai
were
required
to
wear
swords,
training
in
swordsmanship
was
highly
encouraged,
and
swords
became
important
markers
of
the
hierarchical
samurai
class
system.
During
the
Edo
period,
the
symbolic
importance
of
swords
was
underscored
through
the
use
of
elaborate
and
decorated
scabbards,
guards,
sheaths,
and
a_achments.
This
scabbard,
for
example,
is
adorned
with
mul6colored
lacquer,
which
would
be
quickly
damaged
in
actual
combat.
Sword,
ornament,
and
scabbard
The
warrior
depicted
here
is
Kojima
Takanori,
a
Japan,
Edo
period
(1615–1868)
devoted
supporter
of
the
Emperor
Godaigo
1858
(1288–1339),
who
led
a
rebellion
against
the
Forged
steel,
lacquer,
and
gold
Gin
of
Mr.
and
Mrs.
Frederic
R.
Smith,
powerful
Hôjô
clan.
When
the
Emperor’s
a_empt
1973/2.88
failed,
Takanori
sneaked
into
the
inn
where
the
ruler
was
in
cap6vity
and
wrote
a
poem
on
a
piece
of
cherry
tree
bark
predic6ng
that
the
Transla6on
themes:
Emperor
would
surely
be
liberated
by
his
ardent
object
of
use
=>
art
(design)
vassal.
This
was
provoca6ve
subject
ma_er
in
tradi6on
=>
new
prac6ce
1858,
a
6me
when
the
pro-­‐Emperor
forces
and
social
class
<=>
representa6on
the
supporters
of
the
shogunate
were
engaged
in
fierce
struggles
for
power.

27. Giulio
Carpioni
Italy,
1613–1679
The
Death
of
Leander
About
1655
Oil
on
canvas
Museum
purchase
(1984/1.290)
Transla6on
themes:
medium
=>
medium
With
drama6c
contrasts
of
light
and
dark
and
swirling
brushwork,
Giulio
Caripioni
depicted
on
this
canvas
the
drowning
of
Leander,
a
young
man
who
was
the
lover
of
Hero,
a
priestess
of
Aphrodite.
Every
night
Leander
would
swim
across
the
Hellespont,
the
strait
connec6ng
the
Sea
of
Marmara
to
the
Aegean
Sea,
to
the
tower
where
Hero
lived.
During
one
of
his
nightly
crossings
Leander
was
caught
in
a
winter
storm,
evoked
in
the
pain6ng
by
the
turbulent
waters
and
malevolent
sky.
The
wind
ex6nguished
the
light
that
Hero
always
len
at
the
top
of
the
tower
to
guide
her
lover,
and
Leander
without
the
light
became
lost
and
drowned.
Four
sea
nymphs,
accompanied
by
a
merman
and
the
sea
god
Poseidon
in
his
chariot,
have
risen
from
the
dark
waves
to
mourn
over
Leander’s
body,
which
they
support
in
a
white
shroud.
Their
anguish
over
the
dead
lover
foreshadows
the
impending
sorrow
and
suicide
of
Hero,
who
waits
anxiously
on
her
tower
in
the
distance.

28. Vishnu
as
Varaha
Central
India,
Madhya
Pradesh,
Chandella
workshop
c.
10th
century
Sandstone
Museum
purchase
made
possible
by
the
Margaret
Watson
Parker
Art
Collec6on
Fund,
2002/1.167
Transla6on
themes:
medium
=>
medium
tradi6on
=>
new
prac6ce
animal
form
<=>
human
form
The
body
of
Vishnu’s
boar-­‐headed
incarna6on,
Varaha,
forges
a
diagonal
bolt
through
this
sculpture.
His
right
foot
is
planted
decisively
at
the
corner
of
its
projec6ng
base;
his
len
is
flexed
for
leverage
on
a
lotus
pedestal.
Against
these
roo6ng
forces
his
body
surges
upward,
culmina6ng
in
an
acutely
raised
snout.
The
magnitude
of
Varaha’s
gesture
and
his
rela6ve
scale
suggest
a
superhuman
strength,
and
his
feet
are
splayed
apart
in
a
posi6on
that
defies
human
physiology.
In
Hindu
image
making,
the
remarkable
form
of
a
god’s
body
reveals
his
or
her
boundless
capaci6es.
In
this
case,
Varaha’s
dis6nct
posture
depicts
a
well-­‐known
Hindu
episode
in
which
Vishnu
took
the
form
of
a
great
boar
to
rescue
the
world
from
a
demon
who
had
imprisoned
the
earth
beneath
the
cosmic
ocean.

29. A_ributed
to
Neri
di
Bicci
(1418–1492)
Cross
with
the
Dead
Christ
(Christus
paJens)
and
Living
Christ
(Christus
triumphans)
Italy,
circa
1470/71
Tempera
and
gold
on
wood
Gin
of
the
Baroness
Maud
Ledyard
von
Ke_eler,
1942.6
Transla6on
themes:
medium
=>
medium
riutal
object
=>
museum
object
venue
=>
venue
The
suffering
and
triumph
of
Christ
are
drama6cally
juxtaposed
on
this
rare
and
delicate
cross.
On
one
side
of
the
cross,
the
dead
Christ
slumps
forward,
flanked
by
the
mourning
Virgin
and
Saint
John
the
Evangelist
with
God
the
Father
looking
on
from
above
and
the
apostle
Philip
below.
On
the
other
side,
by
contrast,
Christ
stands
upright,
surrounded
by
the
four
Evangelists
who
witness
his
triumph
over
death
and
sin.
This
cross
was
carried
alon
on
a
staff
in
religious
processions,
and
the
depic6on
of
Christ
on
either
side
of
the
cross
would
ensure
that
an
image
addressed
spectators
no
ma_er
where
they
stood.
The
juxtaposi6on
of
the
living
and
dead
Christ
would
have
resonated
powerfully
with
many
of
the
church
rituals
for
which
the
cross
was
used,
notably
funeral
rites
and
the
Eucharist,
which
re-­‐enacted
Christ’s
sacrifice.

30. James
McNeill
Whistler
United
States,
1834–1903
Sea
and
Rain:
VariaJons
in
Violet
and
Green
1865
Oil
on
canvas
Bequest
of
Margaret
Watson
Parker,
1955/1.89
Transla6on
themes:
experience
=>
representa6on
During
the
late
summer
and
early
fall
of
1865,
Whistler
traveled
to
the
Normandy
region
of
France
to
the
resort
town
of
Trouville
and
painted
there
with
fellow-­‐ar6st
Gustave
Courbet.
Although
Courbet
later
claimed
Whistler
as
a
student,
Whistler’s
pain6ng
style
had
already
begun
to
depart
from
Courbet’s
signature
thick
applica6on
of
paint.
Sea
and
Rain
is
characteris6c
of
Whistler’s
understated
pale_e
and
thin
veils
of
paint;
this
view
of
the
sea,
sky,
and
beach,
inhabited
by
a
solitary
figure,
provides
no
narra6ve
content
and
scant
specifics
about
the
site
or
weather.
Nevertheless,
Sea
and
Rain
is
a
highly
nuanced
pain6ng
that
accurately
evokes,
rather
than
describes,
the
cool,
damp,
early
autumn
day
at
the
beach.
The
melancholy
figure,
partly
obscured
by
the
diaphanous
blue
area
of
a
6dal
pool,
becomes
a
precisely
placed
accent
within
the
composi6on.
This
tonal
and
lyrical
composi6on
does
not
seem
startling
to
viewers
of
the
21st
century
accustomed
to
abstract
art,
but
such
understated
minimalism
in
Whistler’s
pain6ngs
stood
at
odds
with
the
highly
finished
Academic
pain6ng
of
the
period.

31. Transla6on
themes:
medium
=>
medium
culture
<=>
culture
(hybridity)
In
the
fourth
century
BCE,
Alexander
the
Great
conquered
Gandhara,
the
area
from
which
this
sculpture
comes
now
part
of
Pakistan
and
Afghanistan.
Links
with
Greece
and
later
with
Rome
endured
for
centuries
as
Gandhara
lay
on
the
trade
routes,
known
as
the
Silk
Road,
that
connected
East
and
West.
This
con6nual
associa6on
with
the
West
greatly
affected
Gandharan
art
as
can
be
seen
in
the
facial
features,
wavy
hair,
and
draped
toga-­‐like
clothing
of
this
Buddha
and
the
one
to
the
right.
Both
these
sculptures
decorated
the
exteriors
of
religious
buildings
or
shrines
in
monas6c
complexes
and
were
painted
in
their
original
context.
Standing
beside
the
Buddha
is
a
figure
making
the
gesture
of
worship.
This
is
Indra,
king
of
the
Hindu
gods.
Brahma,
another
important
early
Hindu
deity,
is
likely
to
have
been
on
the
other
side
of
the
Buddha.
The
Buddha
flanked
by
these
Hindu
dei6es
—a
typical
subject
in
Gandharan
art—was
intended
Buddha
Shakyamuni
a_ended
by
Indra
Pakistan,
ancient
region
of
Gandhara
to
communicate
the
superiority
of
the
Buddha
in
2nd–4th
century
rela6on
to
the
Hindu
gods
that
were
most
Stucco
relief
with
traces
of
polychromy
prominent
at
that
6me.
Indra’s
contropposto
(hip-­‐
Museum
purchase
for
the
James
Marshall
Plumer
Memorial
Collec6on,
1961/2.83
shot)
stance
is
yet
another
visual
associa6on
with
Western
art.