Mythic art of today - recommendations

Discussion of Joseph Campbell's work with an emphasis on the personal creative impulse as well as the sociological role of the artist in today's global community.

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Aristeus
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Post by Aristeus »

One art form that I've been getting alot of mythological stimulation from is anime, or Japanese animation. The Japanese tend to consider animation as more an art form than just kids entertainment. They also tend to use their vast mythological tradition as elements in their stories. But what's really trippy is when they use mythologies that were more recently introduced to them such as Christian, Jewish, Celtic, Greek, and etc. Their enterpretations of these myths don't follow the well used and worn ways that we tend to use in the West.

One show that stands Western tradition on its head is "Neon Genesis Evangelion". From its animation to story to theme this animated TV series truly transcends mere entertainment into art. Where as Westerns would think of God (Yahweh) as the ultimate embodiment of "good" this show regards God in a more biological sense. God is not judging humans using morality but natural selection. I think this has something to do with the fact that Shinto is a premoral religion, just like ancient Greek and Celtic religions, which is concerned with natural order and not so much morality. While Shinto is no longer the sole religion of Japan it still is the basis of their thinking.

I just thought I'd mention anime as a gateway into Japanese contemporary mythology.

Aristeus

Mark O.
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Post by Mark O. »

Image

This is one of several amazing street paintings by Kurt Wenner. Check out the rest of the gallery.
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Post by Psyche »

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Myrtle
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Post by Myrtle »

This is a fun topic. Here are a few contemporary movies with mythic structures:


The adventures of Harry in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann in Pirate’s of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl have an underlying hero’s journey form. The story of Will and Elizabeth is also reminiscent of The Frog Prince in that they save each other.
“A fairy tale is the child’s myth. There are proper myths for proper times of life. As you grow older, you need a sturdier mythology.” – Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth

Titanic – a heroine’s journey. Young Rose’s experiences and the Titanic can be interpreted to symbolically represent her inner transformation from immaturity to maturity and her authentic self. It’s an interesting way to watch this movie.
“That’s the basic motif of the universal hero’s journey – leaving one condition and finding the source of life to bring you forth into a richer or mature condition.” – Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth

Cast Away – a night-sea journey. Chuck is ruled by time, technology and commerce. He is swallowed into his unconscious and the island between the tick-tock of time, connects with his humanity, is transformed and returns.
“The tick-tick-tick of time shuts out eternity. We live in this field of time. But what is reflected in this field is an eternal principle made manifest.” – Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth
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Last edited by Myrtle on Thu Dec 27, 2007 4:42 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Clemsy
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Post by Clemsy »

Take a look at this!
Ancient Indian Tales Inspire a Modern Indian Art

Morning Edition, December 13, 2007 · Bangalore, India: To many Americans, the name evokes call centers and colorless office parks, anonymous places to which U.S. companies export work. But in a building on a quiet residential street downtown, an army of Indian animators is working to export their culture to the rest of the world. Their source material: The elaborate pantheon of Hindu mythology.

"In every state of India we've got, like, about a hundred different gods," says Neha Bajaj, an editor at the fledgling Virgin Comics. "'Cause everybody believes in a different god; they've got their own idol, and every idol is given its own name in every village. It's vast — and it's amazing!"

Less than two years old, Virgin Comics has already published dozens of titles, with names like Sadhu, Ramayan, Uma and Kali. All of them are classic figures, and the staff here knows these stories from childhood...
Click HERE for the comic's website.

Thanks to NPR for putting this out there.
Give me stories before I go mad! ~Andreas

Bhagavan Das
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Post by Bhagavan Das »

Distinction between modernism and postmodernism:
“Symbolism – Dadaism
Form- Antiform
Hierarchy- Anarchy
Finished work- Process
Creation/Totalization – Decreation/Deconstruction
Synthesis- Antithesis
Presence-Absence
Centering- Dispersal
Depth- Surface
Interpretation/Reading – Against Interpretation
Metaphysics- Irony
Transcendence- Immanence”
Ihab Hasan “Toward the Concept of Postmodernism” (Postmodern Reader- Natoli,Hutcheon, pg280)
Most of us intuitively know right away what is good artistically , but “why is it good “ is analytical aspect of it and requires broader base of history of art , history itself and what is out there today, what is Zeitgeist. For example Quentin Tarantinos postmodernistic randomness, organized chaos, marginal tragi-comic serendipity has underneath modernistic undeniable depth and immediate mass appeal to collective mind as something that is taping in collective.
Contemporary Abstract Expressionism is more, or depicts even more, disorder and chaos

ALOberhoulser
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Post by ALOberhoulser »

This guy's amazing!!
james turrel
a sculptor of light

LIGHT MYSTICISM

Initially, Turrell understands his preference for transparent light in purely artistic terms - in terms of medium - as the counterpart to the reflecting light of traditional painting, sculpture and architecture. But, increasingly, he is talking about the union with light, if not with the cosmos. In the beginning, he comes to refer to the neurological and psychological aspects of seeing. Gradually, Turrell stresses the fascinating character of the transparent light, especially that of fire and the blue sky of sunsets. These phenomena borrow their appeal from the fact that they seem to release us from the customary visual world, where we are surrounded by limited, tangible and material objects which mercilessly confine us in the equally limited, tangible and physical body in which we so unwillingly descended (see: The infant in the mirror). Our last resort is the construction of an inner world behind the surface of our skin, where we hope to find refuge as a soul or a spiritual being. The sight of transparent worlds seems to dissolve that material envelope, so that our immaterial body seems to expand and submerge in an outer-worldly ether, where we seem to be released, not only form disease, decay and death, but above all from the role that our individuated body has to play amongst the countless malicious or indifferent and scarce benevolent players in the sublunary theatre below.

Like most mortals, Turrells prefers another approach. We hear about another state of being induced by staring into transparent light and about the transparent light in lucid dreams and near dead experiences. Katy Beinart even refers to Shamsoddin Lahiji, a 15th-century Sufi. And finally, Turrell is talking of feelings of transcendence and the Divine, and of disclosing a new, spiritual dimension of existence. This trend is sealed with the exhibition in Berlin 2001: 'On the Sublime: Mark Rothko, Yves Klein, James Turrell'. This approach has its bearings on the display of the works: they often are disposed like altars in a church (with benches in front of it).
James Turrell
'Within without' 2010

Be sure to check out the video on that link...I've got to go to one of his installations! It's definately on top of my "to do" list!

CarmelaBear
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Post by CarmelaBear »

Clemsy wrote:Take a look at this!

Ancient Indian Tales Inspire a Modern Indian Art
Way cool stuff. 8)
Once in a while a door opens, and let's in the future. --- Graham Greene

ALOberhoulser
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Post by ALOberhoulser »

Oh, the Places You'll Go at Burning Man!
Based on Dr. Seuss's final book before his death, this is a story about life's ups and downs, told by the people of Burning Man 2011.

Directed by:
Teddy Saunders ( www.tedshots.com )

Clemsy
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Post by Clemsy »

Just saw Charlie Bethel's complete performance of Gilgamesh at the Study of Myth Symposium. Absolutely amazing! Here's a taste:

http://www.charlie-bethel.com/video_gil ... sample.htm
Give me stories before I go mad! ~Andreas

Cindy B.
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Post by Cindy B. »

I wanna' be there, too... :cry:

Awesome. Please share more as you can along the way, Clemsy. 8)
If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s. --Jung

CarmelaBear
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Post by CarmelaBear »

Clemsy, while you're in Santa Barbara, will you have a chance to go to the wharf or see the gardens?

I've never been there, but I knew someone who took a vacation there, and it is a spectacular place to be, especially this time of year.

8)
Once in a while a door opens, and let's in the future. --- Graham Greene

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