week 12

I enjoyed the Hughes reading this week. The Greek's are an excellent jumping off point for any discussions concerning the factors that might influence an artist. Phidias definitely illustrates the Greek's mastery of art and sculpture. Besides Phidias' contribution to the frieze of the Parthenon, he is responsible for creating one of the seven ancient wonders of the world: the statue of Zeus at Olympia. At any rate, the Renaissance, which drew its humanistic inspiration from the Greeks and Romans, was another culturally rich period of time that offers a plethora of ways to contemplate how factors like economy, society and values shape an artists' work. "It was the involvement of the entire community in the creative process that made the Renaissance possible. And it was not a random event, but a calculated conscious policy on the part of those who had wealth and power" (Csikszentmahalyi quoted in Hughes 101).

On the other hand, the Pearce reading this week was not particularly enjoyable. His discussion in previous chapters concerning human knowledge, ignorance, and narrow-mindedness were all topics worthy of consideration and further reflection. However, Pearce's discussion on Jesus, once again, gives me pause. His standpoint is one molded from an entirely subjective conceptual construct, and he systematically construes aspects of Christianity to suit the purposes of his argument, an all too common characteristic shared by the pious of various religious affiliations. Without trampling on the religious beliefs of any persons that might be reading this blog, let's just say that it would be an understatement to note that the substance of chapter nine is entirely debatable.