Yama

=**Yama**= གཤིན་རྗེ།

==
 * ===Artwork Identification===
 * Title: Yama
 * Artist(s): unknown
 * Date: Mid-17th–Early 18th century
 * Period: unknown
 * Country of Origin: Tibet, China
 * Cultural/Ethnic Affiliation: Tibetan Buddhist
 * Medium: Distemper on cloth
 * Dimensions: 72 3/8 x 46 5/8 in. (183.8 x 118.4 cm)
 * Museum/Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
 * Accession Number: 69.71
 * Current Location and Manner of Display: New York, New York, USA
 * Provenance: unknown ||


 * Introduction **

A painting of Yama, the Indian God of Death, that dates back to the mid-17th – early 18th century. It was once part of a set representing the eight protectors of Buddhism: Mahakala, Yamantaka, Havagriva, Vairavana, Yama, Palden Lhamo, Tshangspa Dkarpo, and Begtse. Currently this piece is housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, along with another piece from the set, while the rest of the set resides in museums across the globe or has simply been lost.


 * Descriptive Analysis **

Yama, centrally located, is a monstrous and ogre-faced form of the God of Death. He appears to be emerging flames that swirl with wild aggression. His violent energy is carried out in his facial expression; his three eyes bulging and blood-shot, his open mouth reveling pointed fangs and flailing tongue. He carries a thunderbolt in one hand and a skull cup in the other. He stands adorned with a crown of skulls, a tiger skin, a garland of severed human heads, and other such jewelry. He is the Great Protector and guardian over hell; decides who enters and who leaves. The tiger skin wrapped around the God’s waist holds the heads of the defeated demons. Their eyes pop out of their sockets and tongues hang lifelessly. Intermixed among the severed heads is a mess of spilling brains, guts and all manner of gore. The God is trampling a human body that is contorted and near defeat laid across a bed of lotus leaves. Yama’s feet are red with the blood of his victims. As we move farther below the God we find a triangular sea of blood lined with a swirling fire and finally bordered by more severed heads of defeated demons. Surrounding him are miniature manifestations of Yama, each depicted in a different color; black, red, white and yellow and they are each surrounded by the same swirling flames. Along the upper boarder are four meditating Buddhist monks with yet another Yama located in the center of the monks. The serenity of the meditating monks incorporates tranquility and peace into a turbulent and agitated scene.


 * Formal and Contextual Analysis **

Yama is one of the eight guardians of the universe. Presiding over the southern quarter of the universe, Yama judges the wicked and reigns over the deceased. In early vedic texts, specifically the Rig Veda, Yama's image is much less threatening. In this text he had nothing to do with the punishment of the wicked, but rather is regarded as the founder of a place where the race of men may rest in the company of the pious dead (Sahai 1975). In post-vedic mythology Yama's image becomes more intimidating. It isn't until later mythology that Yama develops into the terrifying image as seen above. In this terrifying image Yama is shown having dominion over the deceased and is in the position of judging the wicked. Ancient Buddhist mythology describes Yama as the Lord of Death, who awaits the dead at the gates of hell. Yama lives in hell with his minions in the sixteen sealed-up cities of the underworld (Rhie, 1991). Although he is a fearsome god, he is tamed and can be called upon by Buddhists for protection. Death (Yama) is conquered by Yamantaka who takes the form of Yama, but in a complex multifaceted manifestation. Yama saw his own image mirrored back to him by the selfless Yamantaka and was terrified. “Death was literally scared to death; but the killing of death means the granting of endless life, even to him (Rhie, p.36, 1991). Yama was tamed and granted immortality. He is depicted in this image with a blue vajra on his head, symbolizing his subservience to Manjushri Yamantaka. Another prominent symbol (http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/symbols/eight_auspicious_symbols.htm) which can be found in this piece is the lotus flower that Yama sits upon. The lotus flower represents mental and spiritual purity. The roots of the lotus flower are in the mud, its stem rises through the water and breaks the surface as a heavily scented flower basking in the sunlight. This represents the progress of the soul from primeval mud of materialism, through the waters of experience, to the bright sunshine of enlightenment (Religion Facts, 2004)


 * Personal Interpretation **

I believe the intention of the artwork is to evoke fear in believers and to warn them of the consequences of immorality. Although the wrathful deity is portrayed in a terrifying manner; the vivid colors, the gore, swirling flames and the obvious intense emotion in each of the characters make the image mesmerizing and full of powerful beauty.

Building on what the previous person stated about this image being a warning of the consequences of immorality, I see a connection between Yama and the Christian shoulder angels and shoulder devils. While the latter are usually represented in a comical fashion and Yama is quite the opposite--a serious, demonic figure meant to instill fear--at the core they are meant to steer a person in the right direction, to follow the moral guidelines of their respective religions.

I agree that the artwork seems to be meant to evoke fear, but I also think that there is some importance in the inclusion of the four monks at the top. It seems as though the monks are there, in a way, to act as an example of what followers can do to overcome trials and obstacles. Showing the four monks in such a chaotic and turbulent environment makes them seem much more calm and peaceful in their meditative state. They are located at the very top of the image as if they are the title saying, "Mediation will provoke Yama to eliminate your emotion addiction."

Agreeing with the previous comments, I think that this painting is meant to cause fear by showing Yama with all the fire, the death, and gore. That even people who practice their religion and don’t follow the laws and disobey them will face the consequences in the end.

References


 * Churchward, Jack. "A Short Guide to Tibetan Buddhism". Tibetan Buddhism. 2006. 4/03/2009 < [] > - Great introduction to the main facts, deities, and symbolism. "Religion Facts". Religion Facts. 2005. 4/03/2009
 * Dreyfus, Georges. The Sound of Two Hands Clapping: The Education of a Tibetan Buddhist Monk. Berkeley: University of California press, 2003, pp.68-75 - This focused primarily on Buddhist monks and their lives however it was good at informing of important figures and giving another good overview of Tibetan Buddhism.
 * Harderwijk, Rudy. "Tibetan Buddhist Symbols". A View on Buddhism. 2006. 4/03/2009 < [] > - Helped with my understanding of Buddhism.
 * Haskett, Christian, "Identity, Ritual and State in Tibetan Buddhism: The Foundations of Authority in Gelukpa Monasticism", Buddhist - Christian Studies, Vol.27, 2007 - Mostly gave more information about Tibetan Buddhism's primary beliefs.
 * Powers, John. Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism. Ithaca: Show Lion Publications, 1995, pp.15-20, 40-50 - This was a good introduction to Tibetan Philosophy and how it relates to Buddhism. Not as in depth as some of the other books but great as, like I said, an introduction.
 * Rhie, Marilyn and Robert Thurman. Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet, New York: Thames and Hudson, 1991, pp. 30-38 - This was the most useful source of information I was able to find. The pictures and information were broken down within Buddhism as subcategories in a way that was easy to follow and understand.
 * "Religion Facts". Religion Facts. 2005. 4/03/2009 < [] > - Gave specific information on the deities in Buddhism.
 * Sahai, Bhagwant. Iconography of Minor Hindu and Buddhist Deities. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications, 1975 - This text gave about five pages of information on the deity. Although it was short, it was insightful and comprehensive. The text included the many different depictions of the deity throughout history and crossing over different faiths.
 * Silk, Jonathan, "The Many Canons of Tibetan Buddhism. PIATS 2000: Tibetan Studies: Proceedings of the Ninth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Leiden 2000", The Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol.125, 2005 - Used primarily for how Buddhism is represented in Tibetan culture today.
 * Watt, Jeff. "Buddhist Protector: Yama Dharmaraja". Himalayan Art. 2000. 4/03/2009 < [] > - Was very useful in describing subtle images within the piece.
 * "Yama [Tibet] (69.71)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. [] (October 2006)


 * Supporting Images **

=__**Title: Modern Day God or Goddess**__= Grade Level: 9th to 12th grade Time: Six one-hour class periods
 * [[image:teachartwiki/Screen_shot_2010-10-19_at_4.11.48_PM.png width="204" height="293" align="center" caption="Detail of the face of Yama" link="http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/69.71"]] || [[image:teachartwiki/Screen_shot_2010-10-19_at_4.15.13_PM.png width="268" height="263" align="center" caption="Detail of Yama trampling a human body" link="http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/69.71"]] || [[image:teachartwiki/Screen_shot_2010-10-19_at_4.13.05_PM.png width="304" height="197" caption="Detail of severed heads around Yama's waist" link="http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/69.71"]] ||
 * [[image:teachartwiki/Screen_shot_2010-10-19_at_4.10.34_PM.png width="238" height="265" caption="Detail of the juxtaposition of meditating monks and a violently energetic Yama" link="http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/69.71"]] || [[image:teachartwiki/Screen_shot_2010-10-19_at_4.13.42_PM.png width="216" height="256" align="center" caption="Detail of miniture Yama, bottom left" link="http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/69.71"]] || [[image:teachartwiki/Screen_shot_2010-10-19_at_4.14.31_PM.png width="219" height="203" align="center" caption="Detail of a serene meditating Buddhist monk, upper right." link="http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/69.71"]] ||
 * [[image:teachartwiki/hunter.jpg width="222" height="333" align="center" caption="Thangka depicting the wrathful Yama. Borrowed from the ARTstor Digital Library." link="@http://www.artstor.org/index.shtml"]] || [[image:http://imageserver.himalayanart.org:8087/fif=fpx/812.fpx&obj=iip,1.0&wid=296&hei=400&rgn=0.0,-0.0025125628,1.00000000,1.00502514&lng=en_US&cvt=jpeg width="231" height="336" align="center" caption="Yama Dharmaraja surrounded by bodhisattvas from above and dark, demonic figures below. Copyright © 2004 Rubin Museum of Art" link="@http://www.himalayanart.org/image.cfm/812.html"]] || [[image:http://imageserver.himalayanart.org:8087/fif=fpx/404.fpx&obj=iip,1.0&wid=298&hei=400&rgn=0.0,0.0,1.00000000,1.00000000&lng=en_US&cvt=jpeg width="243" height="345" align="center" caption="Enraged Yama Dharmaraja rides a top a bull clutching customary attributes, noose and staff. Copyright © 2004 Rubin Museum of Art" link="@http://www.himalayanart.org/image.cfm/404.html"]] ||

__**Key Concepts**__
1.) Polytheistic cultures often created gods or goddesses to help explain or react to events or ideas in their environment. 2.) These gods or goddesses often held attributes that explained death, such as Yama, while many others explained phenomena in nature. These figures usually had different symbolic items or actions that helped to explain these things. Paintings, sculptures and other relics are considered to be holy in many of these cultures. These figures are considered holy, along with the functions they are said to perform or represent. Symbolism is defined as the act of representing something using a symbol, or something used for or regarded as representing something. 3.) This polytheistic concept can be seen somewhat replicated in modern society in ways that are also nonreligious. Political figures, actors, musicians and other celebrities can sometimes hold a certain symbolism and represent a specific concept, event, object or worldly function. We attach symbolism to modern day figures in our society, much like the mythology or beliefs of different cultures.

**__Benchmarks/Standards:__**
__**Standard 1:**__ Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes. 2.)Students apply media, techniques, and processes with sufficient skill, confidence, and sensitivity that their intentions are carried out in their artworks
 * Benchmarks:** 1.) Students communicate ideas regularly at a high level of effectiveness in at least one visual arts medium

__**Standard 2:**__ Using knowledge of structures and functions 2.)Students demonstrate the ability to form and defend judgments about the characteristics and structures to accomplish commercial, personal, communal, or other purposes of art
 * Benchmarks:** 1.) Students demonstrate the ability to compare two or more perspectives about the use of organizational principles and functions in artwork and to defend personal evaluations of these perspectives

__**Standard 5**__**:** Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others 2.) Students correlate responses to works of visual art with various techniques for communicating meanings, ideas, attitudes, views, and intentions
 * Benchmark****s:** 1.)Students reflect analytically on various interpretations as a means for understanding and evaluating works of visual art

__**Standard 6:**__ Making connections between visual arts and other disciplines 2.) Students compare characteristics of visual arts within a particular historical period or style with ideas, issues, or themes in the humanities or sciences
 * Benchmarks:** 1.) Students synthesize the creative and analytical principles and techniques of the visual arts and selected other arts disciplines, the humanities, or the sciences

__**National Educational Technology Standards: **__
The "Modern God or Goddess" project meets the following National Educational Technology Standards for students in the following ways: Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes. c. use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.
 * __Creativity and Innovation __**

__**Communication and Collaboration**__ Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media. b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.

__**Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making**__ Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources b. plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project. d. use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions.

**__Lesson Plan__**
1.) Students will get in groups and discuss different popular figures in movies, art, music politics, etc. They will discuss the different attributes and characteristics of those figures. They will discuss their influence on society, and interpret what each figure symbolizes culturally. They will discuss the different influences they may have on their field of work, positive or negative. (day1)

2.) Students will create a written statement concluding the different characteristics of a public figure that they feel holds some sort of relevance to the concept, HOW this figure relates to the project, and a brief biography of the person. (turn in day 2)

3.) They will also research different images of this person that support their interpretation of the figure as a cultural symbol. This could be done as a physical collage or a Photoshopped image collage. This research portion will be part of their assessment. (turn in day 2)

4.) After discussing materials and scale, students will start their sketches. Also a part of their grade: students will create 3 small sketches in their classroom journals.

5.) For the final project, students will create an idealistic portrait of their public figure, referencing the Buddhist religious art of Tibet, such as Yama. This portrait does not need to be naturalized nor done in the same style as the Yama portrait as the concept holds the highest importance in this project. Along with being a portrait of this person, there must be symbolic gestures made to describe attributes of their character. Students will be sure to add 2-5 different symbolic items in their portrait, embodying the figure's function or actions in their society. (days 2-5, take home project over weekend, due day 6)

**__Classroom Art Website__**
Students will photograph their completed artwork, use Photoshop to "clean up" the photo for presentation, and post it on the classroom website. Along with posting their photos, the students will post a one page artist statement describing the process in which they made their piece and how they fulfilled the project requirements. The students will describe the purpose/meaning of their project, why they chose the public figure that they did, and how the symbolism in the portrait represents that person and their attributes. After all of the projects are posted, the students will chose three other classmates, and post a one paragraph critique in their column. (Day 6)

**__Materials__**
1.) 18x24 drawing paper or watercolor paper 2.) Pencils, colored pencils, markers, watercolors, tempera paint, ect. (materials based on classroom availability)

**__Assessment__**
Research day collages/Photoshop images20pts. Written proposals---20pts. Three 8x10 sketches in journal--20pts. Effective use of symbolism--50pts. Craftsmanship20pts. Composition--10pts. Originality-10pts. Website post-30pts. Online critique20pts
 * Total__200pts__**

__**References**__ <span style="color: #0400f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">[] <span style="color: #0400f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">[] <span style="color: #0400f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">[|http://dictionary.com]