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LaMonica Curator's avatar

I find this all very interesting! Thank you for presenting the interesting contrasts and your thorough observations.

I was not familiar with the concept of lingam. The first thing I thought of was its similarity to ‘lingers’ as a word, encouraging prolonged contemplation, and the presence of the thing itself lingering low to the ground. I can honestly say I do not quite get ‘the capture of fluids’ trough which to me looks like a yoni, as being anything but the compliment to the other. Then the thought of capturing fluids… well I think you get where I am on this one.

Needless to say, my overall sense of Hindu deities and worship observes a greater sense snd identification with sex, the sexes, inclusion of the two forces in a balancing act appearing much less patriarchal than Christianity. Though culturally I am aware of caste and the most likely very designated roles of the sexes, and don’t doubt the power of that lingam thrust is, for a moment, not always the last word when it comes to hierarchy.

There is a sense of elevation I believe the Christian art of the High Renaissance strives toward unlike that achieved in most other. Rogue’s recent posts exploring mosaic, the art of the apse, the evolution of human v mathematic representation in subject all brought together a kind of wave for me. A sin/cosin of the periods moving toward more conservative rigorous patriarchal representation and then away from it. A pendulum swings over the centuries shifting human relationship to the ‘Divine’ as needed. We also saw some distinct relationships to politics and policy, if you knew what to look for. The council of Nicaea in 325 effectively nullifying what was left of any pagan ritual left in consideration of consolidation, also turning Christ into a form of non-man while adding the storyline Mary must be a virgin because Jesus was begotten, not ‘made.’

As I listened to her (they require listening considering the length) I could hear the schism occur in the art as well. From there, humanity was removed and dictate reigned. All this to say that politics and policy ordained what we perceive as the goals of the art you flinchingly respond to. Not force, nor nature, nor humanity.

Your distaste for doctrine is well founded. The organic nature by which Hinduism and its representational practices have evolved over time is in its way, more attractive in spirit, while the extraordinary achievements in representational art backed by tremendous monies is quite astounding as visual achievement. Spiritually, I lay in the realm of rose windows if I must loiter in cathedrals. There, for me, lies the true spirit 😉

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