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Description
Instead of writing a research paper for my Cultural Anthropology class, we were assigned to make a piece of artwork that somehow depicts aspects of cultures we chose to study. We turned in a one-page artist's statement to explain our piece, so I've included that here for those who are interested.

Acrylic on canvas, 24" x 8".

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Artist's Statement

For this project, I chose to use an impressionist-like painting style that is common in depicting nature scenes. Nature seems to be the link between earthly people and their gods in the three belief systems I studied: Japanese Shinto, Mapuche, and Nepalese Hinduism.

The left side of the painting illustrates a medium-sized Japanese Shinto shrine, or jinja. The jinjas are simple yet elegant wooden structures that are usually set into a forested area. To get to the jinja, one must pass through a torii, or gateway. Even in urban areas, the pathway to the jinja traditionally is lined with trees. This reverence for nature is very important in the Shinto belief system, as well as respect for the gods and respect for what they have created.

The center area of the piece depicts a rewe, which is an altar from the Mapuche culture. The rewe is carved from wood and it resembles a staircase, which is symbolic as a stairway to the gods. It is also a symbol of the social status of the machi, who often times has the rewe in front of her home. She is very important to the Mapuche community as a healer and spiritual leader. The Mapuche people live in Chile and some areas of Argentina. The mountains in the painting reference the Andes as well as function as a bridge to the next culture of this study.

The Himalayan Mountains are very important geographical and cultural features to the people of Nepal. The vast majority of Nepalese are Hindu, although the rest are mainly Buddhist. There are hundreds of gods in the Hindu religion, some more widely followed than others. Even so, the Himalayas are said to be the home of the gods and are specifically associated with Shiva, one of the major Hindu gods. Nepal is also the birthplace of Lord Buddha, so this land is just as special of a place to the Buddhist Nepalese. The designs of the Hindu temples differ so much that it made much more sense to depict the virtual birthplace of both major Nepalese religions: the Himalayas.

Description
Instead of writing a research paper for my Cultural Anthropology class, we were assigned to make a piece of artwork that somehow depicts aspects of cultures we chose to study. We turned in a one-page artist's statement to explain our piece, so I've included that here for those who are interested.

Acrylic on canvas, 24" x 8".

---------------------------------------

Artist's Statement

For this project, I chose to use an impressionist-like painting style that is common in depicting nature scenes. Nature seems to be the link between earthly people and their gods in the three belief systems I studied: Japanese Shinto, Mapuche, and Nepalese Hinduism.

The left side of the painting illustrates a medium-sized Japanese Shinto shrine, or jinja. The jinjas are simple yet elegant wooden structures that are usually set into a forested area. To get to the jinja, one must pass through a torii, or gateway. Even in urban areas, the pathway to the jinja traditionally is lined with trees. This reverence for nature is very important in the Shinto belief system, as well as respect for the gods and respect for what they have created.

The center area of the piece depicts a rewe, which is an altar from the Mapuche culture. The rewe is carved from wood and it resembles a staircase, which is symbolic as a stairway to the gods. It is also a symbol of the social status of the machi, who often times has the rewe in front of her home. She is very important to the Mapuche community as a healer and spiritual leader. The Mapuche people live in Chile and some areas of Argentina. The mountains in the painting reference the Andes as well as function as a bridge to the next culture of this study.

The Himalayan Mountains are very important geographical and cultural features to the people of Nepal. The vast majority of Nepalese are Hindu, although the rest are mainly Buddhist. There are hundreds of gods in the Hindu religion, some more widely followed than others. Even so, the Himalayas are said to be the home of the gods and are specifically associated with Shiva, one of the major Hindu gods. Nepal is also the birthplace of Lord Buddha, so this land is just as special of a place to the Buddhist Nepalese. The designs of the Hindu temples differ so much that it made much more sense to depict the virtual birthplace of both major Nepalese religions: the Himalayas.