Three Plank Masks, Buffalo Mask, and Serpent Mask performing in Town of Dossi, BurkinoFaso, Bwa, 1984, wood, pigments and raffia.
I love the painted wooden masks in the Bwa culture and their performance in the ceremonies. The mask provides a way for them to communicate with the gods. I really like the animal features on these masks, such as the beaks of birds and the patterns that represent reptiles. During the performance, they wore clothes made of straw and imitated some of the behavioral characteristics of animals. These straws are like the beautiful feathers on birds, and they fly very beautifully with their dance moves. These are closely related to nature. The color pattern on the mask is also very simple and full of impact. Black, white and red are impressive. And even their subject matter is different in image, which reflects the superb artistic level and bold innovation spirit of African artists. These masks with unique artistic expression lead the viewer into a psychedelic and mysterious world so that we can communicate naturally and live with the gods. This imitation and communication of the natural world has benefited me a lot.
Tugra of Sultan Suleyman, from Istanbul, c. 1555-60, ink, paint and gold on paper MMA 38.149.1
The official signature of Sultan Suleyman, ruler of the Ottoman Empire, is very beautiful. The space of strokes is full of complicated images. Flowers and vines of different colors bloom inside. And the strokes of the words, like delicate knots, are intertwined. I have never seen such calligraphy works before. I thought that writing works like calligraphy are very monotonous and simple. I never thought that words and pictures could be closely linked in this way to form a new and complete one. Art work. The text forms in these Qurans are also very interesting.
Follower of Bernard Palissy, Platter, last quarter 16th century, France, earthenware. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
I think this ceramic work is very lively and interesting. In this circular ceramic plate, the artist depicts a small pond and the ecological environment around him. In the center is a snake and there are various shell fishes around it. There are different kinds of plants on the shore and there are frogs, shrimps, lizards and other various plants hidden in the gaps of the plants. I think the most special thing is that they are all three-dimensional, rather than images made of pigments in ordinary ceramic paintings. These three-dimensional sculptures make these animals come to life. We seem to be observing all sorts of interesting things happening in this small piece of land from a bird’s-eye view. The effect of this three-dimensional form in the picture is very interesting, and I will try it in my paintings later.
