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A look into Japanese Shinto Shrines

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   As some of you may remember I started this blog briefly by speaking about my interest in Japan. So, I wanted to close my blog by touching on one of my favorite things about Japan, its shrines and the elements housed within. I have chosen three shrines to look over and discuss with you this time, and I have chosen these three as they were some of the favorites I visited during my brief stay in Japan.   Itsukushima Taisha Built: estimated at 593 CE Architect: Unknown Style: Shinden-zukiri Location: Miyajima (aka Itsukushima), Japan Painting: Illumination of Lotus Sutra Artist: Anonymnous Donated to shrine in 1164 CE (creation date unknown) Location: Japan  Images hosted by:  https://en.wikipedia.org/ Overview map hosted by: https://www.miyajima.or.jp/           The first shrine I want to look at is called Itsukushima Taisha. It is believed to have been built in 593 CE, and expanded upon by Taira-no-Kiyomori in 1168 CE. The layout of the shrine was built using the Shinden-zukuri style
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Digital Entertainment Creates a New Experience for the Audience

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   Digital entertainment is what I would like to discuss today. Throughout history, the art of the world has only ever been able to portray what the medium used could allow. Music could be recorded and played through one device while images could be captured from another device and replicated through yet another. This was common practice prior to the modern era. However. with the computer, the world of art changed once again. There existed a machine capable of collecting music, images, creating buildings, forms, etc. all in one place and compiling this data into its own unique creation. One of these creations is video games. Video games only came into existence because society became technologically advanced enough to combine all of this artwork into one place.      The following games were created using this technology. A computer used a program to craft the images, collect and edit the dialogues, record the music and voice acting, and lastly used another program to piece it all toget
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World War I's Impact on the World of Art

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    I have decided to look at three pieces of work that were clearly influenced by the tragedy of World War I. These paintings shook me as I was looking for different pieces from the early modern era. It was heart-wrenching to think about what the artist must have been going through as the images were created. I would like to share my thoughts on the following pieces with whoever reads this post.     The Menin Road Artist: Paul Nash Circa: 1919 Location: Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom Image hosted by: https://en.wikipedia.org/     The first thing I could see in this picture was the trees. Shattered and destroyed stumps where tall leafy giants would have stood five years before this painting. As I take a step back I start to see further tales of death and destruction on this stretch of land. The bottom left shows the remains of a bombed-out building buried into the earth and an empty helmet floating on top of the water amidst pitted earth from recent shellings. People were ru
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My Thought on Impressionism vs. Realism

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   I was surprised to see the introduction of so many new styles of art from the romantic period. I had a difficult time deciding which styles to compare because each style has many pieces that I enjoy. Some, for the emotional responses, and others for the techniques displayed. Ultimately, I decided to compare impressionism and realism because of how each style's subjects are portrayed on their canvas. Let me begin by looking at my preferred style, impressionism paintings and following up with two pieces of realism work. Water Lilies and Japanese Bridge  Artist: Claude Monet Circa: 1899 Location: Europe, France, Haute-Normandie, Giverny Image hosted by:   https://commons.wikimedia.org/    When I look at this painting the first thing that I feel is a sense of tranquility wash over me. It encourages me to break away from my electronics and indoor settings and explore the calming atmosphere of nature, such as a park or lakeside. I believe that was one of the reasons Monet was so inten
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