German, Japanese, Russian, Chinese: Four Education Week lectures to bring you closer to these cultures.
Total Art
by Kira Christensen
From languages as widespread as Mandarin to ones as localized as Cornish, artists from every language create art that reveals something about the human experience. In her presentation “The Language, Art, and Beauty of German” on August 23, 2024, Professor Teresa Bell (German Language and Culture) highlighted some of the unique contributions that German artists and creators have added to the world, including paintings, music, and gesamtkunstwerk—or in translation, Total Art.
The concept of gesamtkunstwerk began in the 1800s and became popular during the art nouveau movement in the early 1900s. Bell explained that this type of art incorporates several forms of art into a single, comprehensive experience. As an example, she discussed the 14th Vienna Seccession Exhibition’s tribute to Beethoven in 1902, in which they constructed a distinctive building where guests could listen to the 9th Symphony while contemplating paintings, statuary, and written lyrics from contemporary artists. Bell said, “[The exhibit] was created to help viewers see the importance of loving everyone in the world and striving to create unity.”
Considering the richness of German art and human insight, Bell urged her audience to maintain their connection to it through keeping up their language skills. She provided language study tips, including reading, writing, listening to podcasts, watching movies, and speaking aloud in German—even if you’re just talking to your dog. “When I can communicate with people and make new friends and establish new relationships professionally, in the community, or at church, it really changes lives,” Bell said. “Being able to use your language can help you in a lot of ways.”
Touching Hearts across Continents
by Emma Poulsen
After living in Japan for a short time, a 14th-century Jesuit priest said that Japanese culture “. . . may be opposite from the world in Europe.” Emeritus professor and former dean of the College of Humanities, Van C. Gessel, disagrees. In his presentation, “The Language, Art, and Beauty of Japanese” on August 21, 2024, Gessel aimed to not only showcase Japan’s cultural beauty throughout history but to highlight similarities between what Japanese and Western people hold dear.
Two prominent religions in Japan (Shinto and Buddhism) prescribe to a religious concept called kami. Vessel explains that kami pertains to “. . . the divine nature of everything.” This means that many Japanese people might believe that rocks, trees, and rivers have divine origins—a notion that Christian Westerners would be familiar with from the Creation story found in Genesis. Gessel also pointed out that those who practice Shinto and Buddhism have a profound reverence and respect for their ancestors—many even pray to deceased family members. Gessel admires this particular part of Japanese culture the most and finds that it directly connects with Latter-day Saint temple work. He said, “The key to touching the spirit of the Japanese people is to assure [them] that we, too, have a great reverence for those [who] have gone before us.”
Outside of acknowledging the religious similarities between the West and Japan, Gessel also highlighted many different time periods that produced culturally important art pieces, including the Court Period (798–1185) and the Medieval Period (1185–1603). Throughout these time periods, Japanese artists have consistently depicted fragile cherry blossoms to represent what Gessel called a “gentle melancholy.” Gessel explained that this aesthetic came from a keen awareness of the imperfections in life and how fleeting life can be—a sentiment that most people from the East or West can relate to.
The Four Transcending Values
by Emma Poulsen
In light of the war in Ukraine, Associate Professor Katya Jordan (Russian Literature) acknowledged the mixed sentiments surrounding Russia right now. But in her lecture on August 22, 2024, titled “The Language, Art, and Beauty of Russian,” she professed hope that the beautiful parts of “Russian culture [can] transcend political boundaries.” In her lecture, Jordan highlighted four different values that define Russian culture, literature, and art: isolation, compassion, humility, and authenticity.
Though not immediately recognized as a value, Jordan thinks isolation may be important to learn about, and 19th-century Russian artist Ivan Kramskoi knew a lot about it. Jordan says he veered from the highly stylized Christian art of the day and painted a Christ that depicted more human emotion—especially loneliness and sorrow. Jordan asserted that representations of Christ like this allow us to connect with Him more deeply and asked the audience to ponder how “Christ’s humanity put into effect [their] divinity.”
Along with Russian art, Jordan feels Russian literature contains a variety of important values, like the compassion in Crime and Punishment, which depicts a murderer coming to terms with his crime. Likewise, Jordan mentioned the humility in A Living Relic, a book about a disabled girl who has every right to complain and still only thinks of others. Jordan highlighted the value of authenticity with the book Anna Karenina, a tale about a woman who tried to emulate the kindness of another but only ends up becoming disingenuous.
Though Jordan gave detailed explanations of the literature she covered, she said, “You’ll have to read it yourself.” She encouraged the audience to consider the values she presented during her lecture and expressed hope that they would seek out any literature that they felt drawn to during her presentation—especially if it would allow them to connect to God and others.
Understanding China with Religion
by Emma Mafi
Though thought to be a predominantly atheist country, China’s main religions and ideologies have played a large role in the development of modern-day Chinese culture—especially Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. In his August 23, 2024, lecture titled “The Language, Art, and Beauty of Chinese,” Professor Steve Riep (Asian Literature and Film) shared three of the most common religions in China to give attendees a glimpse of the culture behind it.
Confucianism is most commonly associated with China, and for good reason. Riep explained that the belief system of Confucianism emphasizes organization and structure, leading to many traditional aspects of Chinese culture—including an emphasis on familial relationships, a focus on academia, and a sense of community. Daoism, on the other hand, focuses on nature and passive action. Riep explained that the popular yin-yang symbol originates from Daoism and symbolizes balance in all things, another pillar of Chinese culture.
He concluded by discussing Buddhism, which was adopted from India more recently than the other ideologies. Riep explained, “A core element of Buddhism is getting rid of desires and attachments,” an action said to relieve suffering. This religion provides Chinese traditions with an understanding of the afterlife and, more specifically, reincarnation.
Overall, Riep hopes that by understanding more about Chinese religions, others will recognize similarities and differences between Chinese culture and their own. He said that understanding another culture “helps us to learn about something new that enriches and adds to what we already know . . . [and] helps us foster greater love for all of our Heavenly Father’s children.”