Video Reviews

1. Explain why you selected each of the three videos you choose from the selection listed above.
 I chose the videos randomly from the list, only based on their titles.  The ones I selected were Cairo Museum, The Measure of All Things:  Greek Art and the Human Figure, and A World Inscribed:  The Illuminated Manuscript.

Cairo Museum
2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
-the Cairo Museum has over 160,000 artifacts
-only half are on display
-some of the artifacts stored have not even been opened, even though they have been there for years
-tombs are still being discovered and each discovery will lead to more artifacts for the Cairo Museum
-it takes a long time, years even, to excavate tombs and preserve the artifacts before they are brought to the museum
3. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
The video showed us the process of how the artifacts we saw images of in the book were discovered and excavated, also we were able to see many more artifacts from ancient Egypt.
4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?
I really liked this film and was glad that I picked it because it showed how much work goes into discovering, preserving, transporting and displaying artifacts so that others can observe them today.

The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figure
2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
-the Greeks were obsessed with perfection
-the architecture of the Greeks serves as an example for architects still to this day for monuments and important political buildings
-the human body, movement, strength and beauty were very important to Greek sculptures
-the Greeks obsession with beauty is still seen in cultures that exist today
3. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
The videos were able to show us many more examples and much more detail to the Greek sculptures and architecture that have influenced almost all cultures since their existence.  
4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?
The video went into more detail about the Greeks obsession with beauty and strength and the human body, bringing in ties with the Olympic Games and how the athletes competed nude, and how that obsession still exists in societies today.


A World Inscribed:  The Illuminated Manuscript
2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
- the monks are greatly responsible for the survival of any written works from as far back as the fifth century
-many believed that transcribing the texts alleviated their sins 
-books were not as common because they were much more labor intensive to create
-the lack of books led to a lack of literacy with common people
- once the development of the printing press occurred books were available much more readily, and led to an increase of literacy
3. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
This video related to the text because in our readings this week we learned about the influence of the Catholic church in art and architecture.  Throughout the semester so far we have learned about how spirituality and religion are very important to art and how it has evolved; there is even a theme of art called the spiritual realm.
4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?
This video taught me that not only was religion important to how art has evolved into what it is today, but also education, and preservation.  Without the monks so many of the ancient transcripts we have today would be only guessed or wondered about, we would not have them to know what they are or what they said.

More Human Than Human
2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
-throughout history the human body has been portrayed in stylistic, idealized, and realistically
-although the way it has been portrayed has changed it has always been portrayed
-exaggeration of body parts by ancient artist may not have only been stylistic but they could also have been biological
-ancient artifacts are being studied by scientists in attempts to understand ancient cultures
3. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
This video took everything we learned in the text and brought it further.  It showed how there are studies going on today looking back at ancient art trying to understand trends in art and what was in the minds of the ancient cultures that created them.
4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?
This film explored the portrayal of the human body in much more detail than the text, showing just how it has changed over time (Greek) and how in some cultures it stayed consistent (Egypt) to how today it has changed yet again.