Early Art of the Americas and Africa
Choose 3 questions to answer from the following list, type them out in a word processing program, spell check them, and then submit the document to the Dropbox. Please remember to write your name and unit number at the top of the paper. The assignment is due by the date listed in the schedule. A superior contribution will also have all four elements of DICP: Description, Iconography, Context, and Personal Opinion.
1.Discuss the environmental challenges posed to the ancient peoples of the American Southwest and explain how they responded to them. Contrast this set of circumstances with that of another ancient people from Mesoamerica or South America, and explain how the respective circumstances impacted their art and culture.
2.Explain the original function of two ancient American objects from two different cultures. Discuss these objects within their larger socio-cultural context.
3.Compare and contrast urban planning at Tikal and Teotihuacan. In your answer, make sure to give consideration to the issue of natural topography.
4.Explain how the Maya writing system functions, and discuss the impact this system had on the visual arts.
5.What is the spiritual role of the oba in Benin? What is his relationship to the spirit world, and how is that relationship represented in one work discussed in the chapter?
6.Consider a representation of African royalty. How was this artwork used in the context of its culture? Explain differences between African portrayals of royalty and those of the West, such as the imperial portraits of ancient Rome studied in Chapter 6. Are the African heads portraits?