Animal Symbolism Overview Animal symbolism is a rich part of the art and cultures of Himalayan Asia. This pre visit lesson explores this theme by comparing two different images of the elephant headed Hindu deity Ganesha, and encouraging students to design their own animal symbol. Goals Students will be able to: examine and decode Himalayan Hindu works of art iden fy the similari es and differences between two different depic ons of Ganesha make connec ons between these images and their own lives by designing a personal animal symbol Subject Areas Visual Arts, English Language Arts, World History Grades Elementary School, Middle School, High School Key Vocabulary Symbol: something that represents or stands for something else, usually by conven on or associa on Deity: god or goddess, celes al being, divine figure Obstacle: something that stands in the way of literal or figura ve progress Hinduism: a complex compila on of belief systems from India (as opposed to a codified religion), rooted in sacred texts known as Vedas, that celebrates a mul plicity of dei es Materials Needed Visit rmanyc.org/pre visit for downloadable lesson plans and class handouts. Handouts with map of Himalayan Asia (p. 6) and fullpage art images of Ganesha (p.7) and (p. 8) Blank paper Pencils, colored pencils, or crayons Common Core Standards: ELA & History 1. College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening, including comprehension and collabora on, and presenta on of knowledge and ideas. 2. College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language, including conven ons of standard English, knowledge of language, and vocabulary acquisi on and use. Na onal Standards 1. Visual Arts: Choosing and Evalua ng a Range of Subject Ma er, Symbols, and Ideas 2. Visual Arts: Understanding the Visual Arts in Rela on to History and Cultures 3. English Language Arts: Communica on Skills 4. English Language Arts: Mul cultural Understanding 5. English Language Arts: Applying Language Skills New York State Standards Arts, Social Studies, Global History, and English as a Second Language 1. Crea ng, Performing and Par cipa ng in the Arts 2. Knowing and Using Arts Materials and Resources 3. Responding to Analyzing Works of Art 4. Understanding the Cultural Dimensions and Contribu ons of the Arts 1
Animal Symbolism About Ganesha Ganesha is the son of the Hindu god Shiva and his wife, the goddess Parva. He is one of most popular Hindu dei es, and although he is recognizable by a range of symbols, his elephant head makes him par cularly easy to iden fy. Ganesha is widely revered as the Remover of Obstacles and more generally as Lord of Beginnings, patron of arts and sciences, and the god of intellect and wisdom. These two sculptures of the deity were created at least 600 years apart in two completely different parts of Himalayan Asia. In both images Ganesha wears a crown, the symbol of royal authority, and carries a range of symbolic a ributes in his hands including an axe to cut away obstacles and a pile of ladu (round Indian sweets) to feed his abundant round belly. In the bronze Nepalese sculpture on the le, he has four arms, and also holds a string of japa beads, a tool used to keeping track of the repeons of mantras (divine words of power). His open hand makes a gesture of gi giving, and sits on the back of his animal mount, a rat. In the stone Indian sculpture on the right, he boasts a variety of arms while dancing, including two which hold a snake over his head in triumph. Because of Hinduism s incredible geographic and cultural diversity, there are many versions of the story of how Ganesha has his elephant head. One of the most common is that while Shiva was away, Parva grew lonely. She created her son Ganesha to keep her company, using clary and dirt to sculpt the figure of a boy, and then breathing on it to give it life. Parva and her new son were very happy together. However, when Shiva came home Ganesha would not let him through the doorway. In anger, Shiva beheaded the boy, not realizing who he was. When he realized his mistake, Shiva replaced Ganesha's original head with that of an elephant. Nepal; 17th century Copper alloy 8.875" h. x 6.125" w. x 2.75" d. India; 11th century Sandstone 49 h. x 27.5 w. x 10 d. (See p. 6 and p. 7 for full page images of these sculptures.) 2
Animal Symbolism crown axe Elephant head pile of ladu Where are they? You ll find these sculptures on the 2nd floor of the museum, in the exhibi on, Gateway to Himalayan Art and in the Colonnade 3
Animal Symbolism Lesson Flow (40 minutes) Use map of Himalayan Asia (p. 6) to iden fy the countries and geography that make up this region. Briefly introduce Hinduism, if appropriate. Invite students to quietly examine the image of the bronze Nepelese Ganesha (p. 6) before engaging in a group discussion of the following ques ons. 1. What details do you see in this sculpture that make you curious? 2. What kinds of animals do you see in this sculpture? 3. What do you no ce about this figure s face? How about its hands? 4. Look closely at the texture on the surface of this sculpture. How do you think the ar st made it? A er 5 10 minutes of discussion, share some informa on about Ganesha with students, but save the story of his elephant head for later. Note his animal mount, the rat. Define the words obstacle and symbol. Now, invite students to quietly examine the image of the stone Indian Ganesha (p. 7) before engaging in a group discussion of these ques ons. 1. How does this sculpture of Ganesha compare to the first? 2. What details do you see in this sculpture that make you curious? 3. What kinds of animals do you see in this sculpture? 4. What do you no ce about this figure s face? How about its hands? 5. Look closely at the texture on the surface of this sculpture. How do you think the ar st made it? A er 5 10 minutes of discussion, share the story of how Ganesha got his elephant head. Ask students how they think Ganesha s elephant head might help him with his task of removing obstacles. Ac vity Ask students to imagine their own personal animal helper to help them with an obstacle they live with today. What would it look like? Would it be one animal, or would it combine elements of two? How would it help? Ask students to draw their idea, using Ganesha as inspira on. If students need some inspira on, share the Animal Symbolism Ideas handout found on p.9. Get crea ve! Remember to refer back to these images of Ganesha when students share out their work. Assessment In what ways did students demonstrate familiarity with the Himalayan region? What aspects of animal symbolism did students iden fy in discussions? How did students use the animal symbolism in tradi onal Hindu sculpture in their own personal helpers? 4
owerful Animal Symbolism Protec on Online Resources for Further Learning www.rmanyc.org/schools School Programs at the Rubin Museum of Art Browse and learn about the different programs the museum has to offer for K 12 students and teachers www.rmanyc.org/masterworks Masterworks: Jewels of the Collec on Explore exhibi on resources related to the museum s permanent Masterworks exhibi on www.rmanyc.org/gateway Gateway to Himalayan Art Explore exhibi on resources related to the museum s permanent Gateway exhibi on www.exploreart.org Explore Art Journey behind works of Himalayan art on this site, learning about the stories, ideas and beliefs that inspired them. h p://interac ve.rma2.org/ Educa onal Interac ve Library Explore the museum s in gallery interac ve so ware on this website. www.himalayanart.org Himalayan Art Resources Search a virtual museum of high resolu on images, essays, ar cles, bibliographies, and ac vi es for children. Reading Resources for Further Learning Blurton, T. Richard, Hindu Art. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1993 Jansen, Eva Rudy. The Book of Hindu Imagery. The Netherlands: Binkey Kok Publica ons, Inc., 1993. Kapur, Kamla K. Ganesha goes to Lunch: Classics from Mys c India. San Rafael, CA: Mandala Publishing, 2009. Patel, Sanjay, The Li le Book of Hindu Dei es. London: Penguin Books Ltd., 2006. 5
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Ganesha Nepal; 17th century Copper alloy 8.875" h. x 6.125" w. x 2.75" d. 7
Ganesha India; 11th century Sandstone 49 h. x 27.5 w. x 10 d. 8
Animal Symbolism Ideas 9