Folk art around the world

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Europe, and elsewhere, Middle Age artwork was often depicted as murals inside churches. Numerous examples of such artwork are shown on the pages Religion: Christianity, and Culture: Wall paintings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Until recently, this animal was considered conspecific with the Columbian white-headed capuchin (C. capucinus), which is found in coastal areas from eastern Panama southwards to Ecuador.

The great curassow (Crax rubra), of the family Cracidae, is a large, pheasant-like bird distributed from eastern Mexico eastwards through Central America to western Colombia and north-western Ecuador.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later, at Christmas time, it became a widespread custom to decorate your home with small cardboard nisser, popularly called kravlenisser (‘crawling nisser’), as they were often placed on picture frames.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The eider is described on the page Nature: Snow and ice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This dance is a complicated pantomime, in which not only the dancing movements, but also facial mimic and eye movements are important elements. The dancers are clad in fantastic costumes, and the facial painting, which often takes hours to make, is in vivid colours. The dance is accompanied by drums, and the plot is conveyed through a singer.

The pictures below, from Kochi, Kerala, show a Kathakali dance, relating Keechaka Vadham (‘Keechaka is killed’), an episode from Mahabharata. The Pandava brothers (more about these on the page Religion: Hinduism) have sought asylum at King Virada’s court. The king’s brother-in-law Keechaka falls in love with Malini, one of the Pandava wives, and courts her. She complains to Bhima, who kills Keechaka.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The popular name of this thin layer is desert varnish. Around the world, various prehistoric peoples have created artwork by scraping off a part of this ‘varnish’, leaving white images on a black or reddish background.

Near Saspol, Ladakh, many boulders are lying helter-skelter, some of which have been decorated with images, carved into the desert varnish. Subjects include hunters, Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica), birds, and stupas – testimony to bygone hunters and to Buddhists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hindu gods and the concept of avatar are dealt with in detail on the page Religion: Hinduism.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Ubud, a local artist has created a number of rather anthropomorphic sculptures, depicting these monkeys.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pictures, depicting the Batak people, may be seen on several pages on this website, including People: Children around the world, Culture: Musicians, and Portraits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Medusa is presented in depth on the page In praise of the colour yellow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the village of Saint Rhémy, Aosta Valley, southern Alps, this house wall has been adorned with a carving, depicting an edelweiss and a Saint Bernard dog. This dog breed is dealt with on the page Animals: Animals as servants of Man.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Along many trails in the Himalaya, interesting information boards, painted by local artists, are displayed, showing hiking trails, mountains, rivers, villages, and a selection of the local wildlife. The boards below were all encountered in the Modi Khola Valley, Annapurna.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Construction of a fortress atop Sigiriya has often been ascribed to the Sinhalese King Kasyapa, or Kassapa (ruled 473-495 A.D.) – a terrible man, who killed his own father and tried to kill his brother Moggallana, who was the rightful heir to the throne. Moggallana escaped to India, but later returned to Sri Lanka with an army. A huge battle ensued, during which Kasyapa was killed.

Archaeological excavations have revealed that parts of the fortress were built long before Kasyapa’s reign. (Source: Roloff Beny & John Lindsay Opie 1970. Island Ceylon. Thames & Hudson, London)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The term Hittite is modern, taken from the Bible, and has nothing to do with this people. They called themselves the ‘People of the Land of Hatti’.

The carvings illustrated below are modern, bought at Hattuşa in 2006.