Netsuke, Jomon pot and Do gu

Hello everyone. We had another spring day. In order to get recover, I didn't go to the studio today. Even a short dog walk made me tired. Mike and I have got some viral infection, and a GP told Mike to rest before he feels exhausted. Besides, final year undergraduates are back today. So the studio would be crowded. It is the time for me to start to create at home. But I have booked a reduction firing later this week, so I will need to prepare for it.

So this is the last part of our experience in the British Museum after seeing the Ice Age art exhibition. We kept seeing the themes and motifs that appeared in Ice Age had continued to modern age. There were Picasso, Brassai and other modern artists' works were displayed along side the Ice Age art in the exhibition. We also finding ancient civilization had same motifs like lion and deer as Ice Age art.

We went to see the Japanese section where Mike had never seen. They have a small collection but its quality is good. When I saw small Ice Age animal objects in the exhibition, I was thinking about netsuke. So I had looked at them in detail. Netsuke were made during Edo period, about 400 - 250 years ago in Japan. They were used to hang a little container with a string on a Japanese sash belt. They are mostly carved in ivory, but also in woods. Japanese, especially women, still hang little objects, often animals figures, on their wallets and purses, recently on their mobiles.

Tiger

 

Deer

Monkey

A part of roof tile

Horses

Lion dog

Kirin, mythical animal

I also wanted to see Jomon period (about 16,500- 3000 years ago) pot and Do gu (where my blog title came from). I love dynamic Jomon pots. I think they were used for special occasions. 

'Flame'

These figures are Do gu. They often have unusual large eyes. Apparently when I saw Mesopotamian eye figures, I immediately thought about them. 

Dogu

We also saw a small exhibition of African textiles. We had no knowledge about them. So it was really interesting.   

 'Textiles are the most obvious visible signifier of culture throughout the African continent.'

In 1995 after we got just married, we used to see African ladies in colourful fabric in a local supermarket. I used to think that they look wonderful in it. Each ;lady has different coloured textiles. But they wear same design from literally head to ankle. But I had never imagined that the fabric had so much meaning. There are political propaganda, wisdom or some witty description about wearers, or anything on them! We both liked this most.

'Mangos are ready'

  Mike said that they are like T-shirts. He is spot on!

This was something like, be careful with prickly outside

When we were ready to leave, we realised that it was raining steadily. I threw an empty water bottle into a rubbish bin at the main door. I saw a broken folding umbrella sticking out of the bin. I looked back the rain again. I told Mike that I was going to take the umbrella. Yes, from the bin! It had one broken arm, but it prevented me getting soaked whilst walking to the bus stop, and also in Canterbury, once we got off the train. I felt it was a god-send! (the museum shop had a folding umbrella with a price tag of £26! That's a rip-off!)

The rescued umbrella

   
 


 

The reminiscence of Ice Age art in Mesopotamia and Greek civilisation

Hello everyone. Suddenly spring came to Canterbury. It was 22C. We did a bit of gardening. We both have virus infection with dull back pain. So it was the day of rest today.

Continuing yesterday's story, after lunch we walked into Mesopotamia display. We kept finding the reminiscence of Ice age art there. It backs the assumption that Ice age people share the same brain with us. We both, therefore, have similar imagination, similar aestheticism and similar thinking process. Despite of the lack of tools except for flint stones, the homo sapiens who used to live in Europe during Ice age, made such beautiful objects to look at, to wear, to use, and to protect themselves with. And after 40,000 years, we are looking at the artifacts made by their hands, made me feel to connected to them in the deepest way.

My own inspiration comes from our memory from primeval time. Everyone has it, just they don't know they have got it. I follow my intuition when I make my art. I listen to myself and to the clay. Clay is one of the oldest material known to homo sapiens (another is stone). When I touch it, it brings back the old memory to me. I shut out the outside world, which is irrelevant to me. When I communicate with spiritual being, I will start making it. My art is my soul and philosophy. At Ice Age art exhibition, I realized that same thing did happen to those ancient artists in caves. It was my Eureka moment.

Pendants, from  late Uruk about 3000BC

Those fishes are similar to the Ice age pendants. In Ice Age, pendants were hung upside down. It is thought that wearers had them that way so that they could see animals the right way up.

Eye figurines from Eye temple foundation, late Uruk, 3000-3300 BC, Syria

This relief below reminded me of the sculptures I saw at Nemurt Dagi in Eastern Turkey. It was one of the most mysterious places I have ever visited.

Goddess Kubaba, 9th century BC, Neo-Hittites, Syria

 These are also form same area, about same time. You can see they had large noses.

This is one of female figurines. Ice Age art have lots of female figurines. And yes, we still make them, too. I was again interested in their eyes.

I like these figures because they are so simply stylized, yet full of character.

Lion and antlers are motifs frequently used in both Ice Age and Mesopotamia. This lion headed eagle is the symbol of the god Ningirsu.

God Ningirsu

 Next are female figures from south-western Turkey. You can't make humans simpler than this. Late Ice Age artists made lots of stylised female figures. They were displayed along side Brassai's sculptures. They didn't have heads; they just looked like thin violins.

Female figures, Bronze Age

One of my favourite displays in the British Museum is the Assyria wall reliefs. A half of section is closed right now. Mike had never seen them. When he saw this, he pointed 'It's Lion Man!'.

Lion man from Assyria wall relief. 

Replica of Ice Age Lion man

When we finished the section, we went to see ancient Greek section. Stylised female figures kept appearing. They are famous Cycladic female figures

Different versions

 Little animals figures reminded us of Ice Age animals carve in stone as well as Japanese Netsuke.

To be continued.

Ice Age art: arrival of the modern mind at the British Museum

Hello everyone.We finally made it! We saw Ice Age art: arrival of the modern mind at the British Museum. Today we arrived there 5 minutes before opening to buy tickets to avoid the repetition of the disappointment we had last week. It is so popular, and there are only 100 walk-in tickets every day.

The first known art homo sapiens made some ten thousand years ago still echoes to modern art due to the same process of thinking (they had a same type of brain as we do). It is truly amazing. My main focus and interest has been primeval energy and thoughts. This exhibition is, therefore, so relevant to my own work. I have taken lots of notes and bought a book about it. I am considering writing a essay on this, too.

Entrance to the exhibition

Taking photos was not allowed in the exhibition, but I share an image from the book with you.

From Ice Age art exhibition book

Our slot was 10:40, and we spent 1 hour and 40 minutes to see all. So when we finished, it was already

lunch time. We went to Court restaurant. It is only a proper restaurant in the British Museum. I ordered.... 

   

The glass roof is reflecting. 

Yes, steak. But this chunky heavy knife could be used as a real weapon, I thought.

Cranberry juice.

Those who know me would be surprised that I didn't order a glass of red wine. In fact, I was a bit feverish; so I had to restrain myself. Shame!

Marinaded steak.

 It was lovely, and quinoa salad was unexpectedly good. Desert was pannacotta.

Pannacotta with espresso

 Mike had pasta with chicken with rocket and courgette in a creamy basil sauce.

He said the sauce was really good.

 Then his true nature surfaced.  He had chocolate fudge cake and espresso. He loved it (he is chocoholic).

Chocolate fudge cake. very rich and really good, he said.

 After relaxing, and resting our tired feet, we went to see other parts of the museum. I will report you it another day.