Module Eight - Blog: Video Reviews

1. Explain why you selected the video you choose from the selection listed above.

I selected Cataclysm: The Black Death Visits Tuscany video for my blog because the title caught my attention. I was curious how such a title related to what we have been learning about art history.

2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

More Human than Human Video: This video describes various cultures and their view of the human form. Throughout the video, various cultures are discussed and examples of how each culture captured the human form artistically are defined. The most interesting to me was Egypt and all that the culture was able to accomplish.

Cataclysm: The Black Death Visits Tuscany Video:  This video describes the Black Death within Sienna and Florence. The video focuses on the aftermath of the plague on the two city-states and how they dealt and were reborn though this tragedy. The spread of plague seemed almost impossible. People began to seek a higher power, which led into the higher renaissance. I enjoyed this video because it was very informative and interesting to understand how people survived during such a time.

3. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

These videos relate to the readings in the textbook by describing different cultures perceptions of the human body. Each culture had a different view of what the human body represented and how to capture it artistically. The videos focused on the progression of art throughout the world while the text focused on how individuals and art influenced change within society.

4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

I enjoyed the films, because they provided a different perspective based on various cultures throughout history. It was interesting to see how various cultures viewed the human body and to learn about Tuscany and the Black Death. I think that it would be beneficial for the students to discuss their finding with each other rather than us just posting a blog. I find the discussions to be very helpful in relating to the material, because I can read how other people view and define the text.