Ancient_Art

Museum Paper A work of Art that really caught my eye was the Loving Couple (Maithuna) India, Orissa 13th Century. The artist Sculpture is Ferruginous Stone, Brown Gneiss, which is 69 x 28 inches, can be seen at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena California. India, Orissa has done a sculpture with a man a female making love, To me it shows that the couple really doesn’t care on were there making love. The couple looks very successful and happy like they just had accomplished something in life and there celebrating by making love towards each other. I also see that there’s a lot of jewelry worn in the sculpture. I think that may symbolize that the couple are wealthy. The artist was detailed with the sculpture it really shows that there relationship is very joyful. There both smiling, looking in each other eyes and the couple really doesn’t care were to have sex. As a late 20th century viewer to me personally doesn’t really effect me by seeing this. I really don’t think you would be seeing this around the 20th century I think its disrespectful for the public, But I feel like if you want to be happy and have sex anywhere I think you have to the right to do so. India, Orissa showed a lot of skill in the sculpture shows everything that’s going on so well. When I saw this sculpture I knew it was somewhere in the northeast just by how there ear holes were stretched out and the jewelry they were wearing just looked so realistic, but I didn’t know it was in India. I think during the 13th century in the Northeast of India there was a lot of celebrating, couples falling in love everyday, loving couples that were happy, basically just being wealthy and having a successful life. I really think It was intended for private consumption just cause the couple is making love outside there temple in a private area, but to me it seems like it was for the public also, because in India they would celebrate all the time and make love towards each other during the 13th century. At this time in Northeastern everyone was celebrating and had a couple they were all happy, eager to make love with there spouse. By looking at my sculpture it just seems like India is a happy and wealthy place for couples, and by being there I don’t think you could have any private consumptions at this time because everyone is joyful and excited by everything that’s going on. The label next to loving Couple (Maithuna) states, The depiction of affectionate couples, symbolizing both fertility and desire (kama) is a common occurrence in Indian temple art. Some of the boldest representations, both thematically and sculpturally, such as this example, were carved for the great Sun temple at Konarak in Orissa. Their full bodies and broad, detailed features are characteristic of architectural sculptures produced in thirteenth-century Orissa, a region in northeast India that was noted for its temples, particularly those built from the tenth through the thirteenth century, often distinguished by figures in astonishingly acrobatic and erotic poses. Couples such as this pair are understood to have multiple meanings, ranging from an obvious celebration of life's pleasures to the more metaphorical symbolism of a human soul's longing for union with the divine. In closing going to the Norton Simon Museum was a great success because I had never been there. I was amazed at all the fantastic artwork, seeing these paintings/sculptures really opened my eyes. I felt like this piece of art intrigued me because I look at my relationship and its so loving and happy. I’ve learned that sculptures sometimes don’t have a serious inner meaning to them. You need to explore deeply into trying to figure out what the artist had in mind when constructing their art. My particular art sculpture is showing you that India, (Orissa) liked to celebrate when something successful had happen to them. There celebration was making love to there spouse. Constantly! Going to the museum and observing all this art just opens up my mind and makes me think harder into what I’m actually looking at, making me figure out something more deeper than just what’s on the outside and focus more of the meaning and the inside of objects, including myself, and I absolutely thank art for that. I recommend that people should visit Norton Simon Museum.