Zachary Philippe- Blog 3

When I went to the MFA, a space that attracted my attention again was the shrine-like room with Buddha statues. I have studied this room before, and again, I am attracted to it for the same reasons. It has a sense of hierarchy and importance the way it is aligned and oriented, with nothing on the white walls next to you to focus your vision on nothing but the dark room ahead. The lighting effects and materials of the room also add to its sense of importance and symbolic respect. It is a place of serenity and a place of spirits, and thus it is also shown through architecture. We have learned from many cultures that place such hierarchy on religion and symbolic importance in their temples and buildings. This part of the MFA is another reflection of such architecture and symbolic importance, the same architecture that's been practiced for thousands of years, no matter what culture, and no matter what religion, we see these same resemblance's everywhere.

Nick Strout- Blog 3

Whenever I enter the MFA I always find myself drawn towards the Egyptian artifacts. Maybe I just have trouble finding my way through the passages but when I get to the Egyptian artifacts I find myself fascinated by the fact that these pieces were created so long ago, yet I can still experience what the artists wanted to convey when they made them. This relief from the entrance to the tomb chapel of Nefer, who was a secretary for Cheops, really grabbed my attention. Learning that Pharaohs believed they were literally gods was very hard for me to comprehend, possibly due to lack of personal religion. This piece allowed me to get a bigger glimpse into how important the ordering of people/jobs was to Egyptians. The scale of Nefer, who is only a secretary, as opposed to the scribes pictured on the bottom right truly demonstrates his importance. I can’t imagine depictions of pharaohs themselves next to the scribes. I was also intrigued by the angle of the right edge, which is supposed to be the exact slope of the exterior wall of the tomb. I can only guess how powerful the sloped wall was to experience.

Kacy Cunningham Blog Response 3

We have been discussing a lot of tombs and funerary monuments in class this year. So when I came across a lion in the Greek section that had topped a funerary monument I was instantly inspired. Normally I associate the Egyptians rather than the Greeks with using cat imagery, but then maybe that’s where the Greeks got the idea. The Greeks were inspired by the Egyptians enough to start building their temples in stone, so why not be inspired by their sphinxes as well. In Egypt sphinxes guard the pyramids of Giza, in Greece lions top funerary monuments, even as far forward as today you can find lion statues and images on tombstones (or as tombstones) in local cemeteries. Beyond that lions are used to guard other buildings and statues as well. Could this have all been inspired by the Ancient Egyptians idea of a sphinx? Or did the Greeks themselves start the protective lion trend?

Nicole Wetherbee Blog Response #3

When I arrived at the MFA I found myself walking around aimlessly and ended at the Egyptian artifacts. I was really interested in the Egyptian seals. It showed the originality of each god/goddess. A seal for the Egyptians is like a signature for today’s time. It shows the uniqueness of each seal and whom the seal belonged to. The specific seal I focused on could be from a royal heir. We can come to that conclusion by looking at what each is wearing, for example his hairdo is significantly different from the rest. Making the seal from a royal background. Today the importance of a seal/signature is very important. We use it to sign a check or important documents. Another form of identification we have is the social security number, which is what the Egyptians used but instead in art form.

Paul Cacciola Blog Response #3

When I went to the MFA I was immediately drawn to the Greek section in which I found tones of status and coins of mythological gods and goddesses. The statues of Zeus, Athena, Aphrodite, and coin with Apollo in it caught my attention the most since we spent so long learning about them. I remembered how the origin of the temple supposedly took place between Zeus who represented oak, Aphrodite who represented myrtle, and Apollo who represented laurel. I also remembered how the temples where built to the gods and goddesses. So in fact even though Zeus, Aphrodite, and Apollo where related to the origin of the temple other gods and goddesses had temples named after them to like Athena who supposedly founded Athens. The gods and goddesses seemed to be what the whole Greek civilization was based around. The image shows how I depict the importance of the gods and goddesses in relation to the temple.

Blog Response 3:

After going to the MFA, I was most interested in the beautiful exhibit of Jewels, Gems, and Treasures Ancient to Modern. This exhibit had multiple pieces that represented different cultures of riches and valued possessions. The jewels, gems and treasures reminded me of the importance of riches to the Egyptians. Riches to the Egyptians symbolized power and wealth within the civilization. Today, the importance of riches is significant and can determine power as well. The Egyptians always carried their riches, including after being buried within a tomb. The tombs were filled with jewels, gems and treasures for them to take into the after life. I wonder if they Egyptians never buried their treasures or kept them so valuable would they be defined by their riches, or would they even have any to compare to today’s valuables.

Caitlin Pandolph Response 3

At the MFA I went to the Greek area and looked at the ancient coins they had there. I noticed that the coins had faces on them of the Greek gods and symbols on them. In class we talked about how the Greeks related everything back to the gods. They built temples to the gods and offered sacrifices to them. Clearly the gods were an important part of the civilization if they put their faces on their money. They also put symbols or animals that represented the gods on their money. I think they felt that this was a way to honor the gods.