I was really excited about the Vishnu exhibit because I really enjoy Indian culture. However, I'm not very familiar with their main religion, Hinduism; so the trip was very informative. Most of the exhibit consisted of sculptures or stone carvings with a few other pieces such as small icons and paintings, but they were all so beautiful. The elaborate details, especially in the stone carvings, were so detailed and ornate. It made think of the illuminated manuscripts we studied in class earlier this year. The stone carvings were the equivalent of the hand-painted pages of the book. I couldn't take pictures and I don't remember the name of the one particular piece, but I remember seeing it and just thinking "Wow, someone actually carved all of this out hundreds of years ago probably only using primitive tools."It was a piece about two feet wide and consisted of a large group of people within a triangle (think the artwork above the columns on the front side of the Parthenon). The details on each person's face were so small, you could point out the eyes and each finger on every individual who were only a couple of inches tall.
There was a lot more to the exhibit, but I don't remember everything. Here are a few interesting facts that I randomly wrote down:
- Hinduism originated in India, however is practiced worldwide.
- There are multiple gods, but three of the most popular deities are Vishnu the Preserver, Shiva the Destroyer, and Devi the Great Goddess.
- Vishnu stands out from the other gods because he balances his behavior just as he balances the cosmos. He is the savior as well as the creator and destroyer of the of the universe. The story goes that Vishnu was dozing off on the serpent Shesha who floated over the ocean. While he slept a lotus flower grows from his navel, inside was the god Brahma and the universe was created.
- Vishnu is often depicted with his wife, Lakshmi. Sometimes he is depicted with two wives, Bhu Devi and Shri Devi, who are the two parts of Lakshmi.
- Men and women are often depicted together, such as Vishnu and his wife. By being placed together this encourages worshippers to acknowledge both sexes.
- The male represents intellect and spirit. The female represents emotional and physical energy.
The exhibit also had showcased some worship spaces/shrines. Although there are multiple public places of worship, many people choose to worship at home. The size of the room of worship does not matter, but the area is very symbolic to its worshippers. There are five objects symbolizing the earth's elements found in most rooms: fruit for the earth, flowers for space, incense for air, lamp for fire, and water.
The second exhibit I saw was all photography by William Eggleston. Unfortunately, I lost any notes I had on this exhibit. But the one thing I do remember was that I found out that the cover for one of my favorite bands, Jimmy Eat World, had photography by Eggleston. There were other bands had also featured his work, but again I don't remember. This is Jimmy Eat World's cover:
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