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Art Museum Essay

The document discusses cultural statues from different parts of the world displayed at the Dallas Museum of Art. It describes a golden Buddha statue from India used for indoor decor and bringing luck, as well as smaller, blockier African statues used for contacting spirits or as substitutes for gods/goddesses. Both types of statues served religious and cultural purposes for their societies, such as requesting good fortune or communicating with otherworldly beings. The museum brings together various cultures and provides understanding of their artistic and spiritual traditions.

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Dylan Viguilla
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28 views

Art Museum Essay

The document discusses cultural statues from different parts of the world displayed at the Dallas Museum of Art. It describes a golden Buddha statue from India used for indoor decor and bringing luck, as well as smaller, blockier African statues used for contacting spirits or as substitutes for gods/goddesses. Both types of statues served religious and cultural purposes for their societies, such as requesting good fortune or communicating with otherworldly beings. The museum brings together various cultures and provides understanding of their artistic and spiritual traditions.

Uploaded by

Dylan Viguilla
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Cultural Statues

The Dallas Museum of Art is comparable to a kaleidoscope full of art in different colors

and varying vibrancies. The place is an exhibition of culture ranging from centuries ago to the

present times. With other media conveying certain types of art, the museum seems like a hotpot

full of old cultural influences that remind people of their ancestral origins. Cultural art gives

observers a sense of identity. Whether they came from the humid archipelagos of Asia or the

rainy forests of the Americas, the museum implies that early people used ancient figurines for the

same purposes.

In the early days, before world-renowned religions came to fruition and fragmented the

world, ancient indigenous people made up their gods and goddesses to praise. Buddha, named

Siddhartha Gautama initially, was a religious icon of past India. Currently, he is the central

figure of Buddhism, which bases its texts on what he has said. Buddha statues took over temples

located mainly in the Asian continent of the world. They are usually plated with gold because it

symbolizes good fortune, health, and a relationship with the sun (“Gold in Buddhism”). One of

the museum collections has a simple, small, golden buddha statue which might have been used

as an indoor décor that was believed to bring better luck and life. Additionally, they are known to

be sitting because it promotes a sense of meditation and teaching (“Seated Buddha”).

Likewise, to the purpose of the Buddha statue, humanoid statues of the ancient Africans

are assumed to have different uses, such as a medium for contacting the supernatural and idols to

act as substitutes to their specific god/goddess (“African Sculpture”). The small statues had

blocky appearances and were less refined than the Buddha figures. It was believed that specific

body parts of the African statistics were highlighted by enlargement or refinement.


Even though the appearances of the statues may seem different from each other, they

both have almost the same purposes for religious and cultural practices. From asking for more

excellent luck to having a call with beings beyond reality, they all satisfy the needs of the people

in specific societies. Overall, the museum perfectly composes an atmosphere that aims to bring

together the different cultures of the world, giving clarity and understanding to the masses,

Works Cited:

“African Sculpture.” Contemporary African Art,


https://www.contemporary-african-art.com/african-sculpture.html.

“Gold in Buddhism.” My Gold Guide, https://www.mygoldguide.in/gold-buddhism.

“Seated Buddha.” DMA Collection Online, https://collections.dma.org/artwork/3218339.

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