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AP ART HISTORY GALLERY: Interpretations of Chaotic, Humanist Reality

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The Great Hall of the Bulls ​at Lascaux Cave


calcite, charcoal, ochre on rock, 15000 BCE, Lascaux (France)
These cave paintings depict the migratory herds of bulls, horses, cows, and deer sought after by
prehistoric humans for sustenance. The use of differing pigments suggest an attention to detail
and focus on artistry rather than merely displaying the shape of each animal. The twisted
perspective of the animals, consistent for prehistoric figures, add to the vivid emotionality of the
paintings. Many theories of the paintings’ purpose exist, though all exhibit a common wish for
humans to understand or influence the wild animals that ensured their survival, which was never
guaranteed.
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East Pediment Sculpture ​of the Parthenon


Phidias, marble, 438 BCE, Athens (Greece)
Though classical Greek sculpture is known for its well-ratioed contrapposto and ideal
geometrical architecture, this depiction of the gods watching the birth of Athena is at its heart
deeply human, and therefore chaotic in nature. The deities all face in conflicting directions,
notably Dionysus is yet to even notice the miraculous birth at the center of the original
composition. Oppositely, another goddess leans back and points, awed at the birth. The
sculptures express the confusion and variety of human responses, even though they are deities,
and ideally meant to be above emotionality. Phidias ultimately chose to depict his fascination
with his own human experience of feeling over reverence to the Greek ideal of divine apathy.
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Bayeux Tapestry
embroidered wool on linen, 1070 CE, Canterbury (England)
This embroidered textile celebrates the military strategy of the Norman army during the Battle of
Hastings, though despite its reverence to William the Conqueror does not glamorize or
romanticize the struggle. A majority of the 230 foot long tapestry is not the battle itself; rather, it
depicts in great detail the training, preparation, and travel undergone by the Norman troops
before even meeting with their opposition. The focus placed on all this preparation is the
opposite of the glorification of a miraculous victory; the Norman troops had to put physical effort
into their endeavor. Thus, the embroiderers chose to depict reality, and the preparation humans
do to ensure against chaos, rather than a sudden superhuman victory which no viewer could
personally relate to. But the most visceral depiction of chaos in the textile is the battle itself.
Once again, the style of storytelling is upfront and depicts dying troops and horses bleeding out
on the battlefield. The top and bottom decorative registers are even affected by the tragedy of
these scenes, with the corpses uncontrollably spilling out of the center register. The Battle of
Hastings, as interpreted in the Bayeux Tapestry, was a story of humans struggling and suffering
for hard-earned victory.
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Liberty Leading the People


Eugène Delacroix, oil on canvas, 1830 CE, France
This depiction of a people’s revolution exhibits, through its smokey, obscured background and
dying subjects, the horrific chaos which preludes the beautiful and stoic outcome of liberty.
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The Coyolxauhqui Stone​ at Templo Mayor, Tenochtitlan


volcanic stone, 1500 CE, Aztec Empire (Mexico)
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Lukasa​ (memory board)


Luba peoples, wood, beads, metal, 19th-20th century, Mbudye society (Congo)
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Basin o​ r ​Baptistère de Saint Louis


Mohammed ibn al-Zain, brass, gold, silver, 1320-40 CE, Egypt or Syria
Hunting and battle scenes cover the bowl, in the medieval tendency for ​horror vacui,​ though the
true chaos of this piece lies in the transition of cultures, from Islamic ceremonial piece to French
baptism basin.
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Night Attack on the Sanjô Palace


handscroll (ink on paper),​ ​Kamakura Period (second half 13th century), Japan
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Nan Madol​ in Pohnpei, Micronesia


basalt boulders and prismatic columns, 700-1600 CE, Saudeleur Dynasty (Micronesia)
This site proves the creators’ intention to quell and organize the chaos of the physical world
around them, from the seawalls acting to protect against waves to the structuring of the social
classes within the walls. The king wished to keep the chaos of the lower classes away, but also
keep the chaos of the untrustworthy elite under his eye.
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Electronic Superhighway
Naum June Paik, video installation, electronics, neon lighting, steel, wood, 1995, USA
Viewing video clips from each of the fifty states of America intentionally gives the audience an
overload of information, referencing the overload of content in a modern America. The neon
lights symbolize the interstate highway system, with the neon medium alluding to the signage of
motels and restaurants, providing a distanced perspective on the overwhelmingly bright and
ever-present consumerist culture connecting the United States.

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