Lesson video

Hello everyone.

How are you today? I hope you're feeling good.

My name is Ms. Afsal and I'll be your art teacher for this lesson.

I'm feeling excited about that because today's subject is religion and belief in art.

That's the title of our lesson, and I'm very interested in religions and beliefs at how they inspire art.

So I'm looking forward to this lesson, I hope you are too.

Our lesson comes from the unit of work, personal identity.

So if you are ready to explore religion and belief in art, if you've got some energy, focus and enthusiasm, we'll begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can make an artwork inspired by religious practise.

We have some keywords in our lesson.

Let's go through them.

Religion, meditation, and ephemeral.

So what do these words mean? Well, religion is a system of beliefs and practises about the meaning of life and the universe.

Meditation, meditation is a practise in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness.

And ephemeral, lasting for a very short time, something temporary or not meant to last.

These are our three key words, religion, meditation, and a ephemeral.

Let's look out for them, let's listen out for them.

They'll be coming up in our lesson today.

A lesson is called Religion and Belief in Art, and it has two learning cycles, exploring religious and meditative art and create an artwork inspired by religious practise.

Let's begin by exploring religious and meditative art.

So what is religion? Pause here and share with someone.

What do you think? Thanks for sharing, religion is a set of beliefs, practises and traditions that help people understand the world and answer questions about life, death and meaning.

Most religions include stories or teachings that explain values, creation or how to live a good life.

Symbols and rituals that are used in ceremonies or daily practises.

Places, objects or clothing that are treated with respect or considered sacred.

People follow many different religions or none at all.

Some may pray, meditate, attend services or celebrate festivals.

Pause here and share with someone.

Do you follow a religion or maybe not.

Do you pray, meditate, attend services or celebrate festivals? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing, I like to meditate.

It's one of my favourite things and I love a good festival.

Some people may find spiritual meaning through nature, community or personal reflection.

Although beliefs vary, religions around the world often share common goals.

To bring people together, to offer comfort, to explain the unknown, to help guide how we treat others, across the world and throughout history, humans have used art to express their beliefs, values and connections to something greater than themselves, whether through a ceremonial mask, a prayer flag, a sacred vessel or a decorated temple, people have created art to mark important moments, including birth, death and marriage.

And here we can see a statue of Vishnu, a principle deity of Hinduism.

While religions differ in stories and traditions, many use symbolism.

Pause here and share with someone.

Do you know what religions these symbols represent? Thanks for sharing, on the left through Hinduism, this is Om a sacred sound and spiritual icon.

On the right to represent Islam, we have the star and crescent, and then we have Sikhism, the Khanda, double-edged sword in the centre, and two cross swords on the outside.

Other examples of religious symbols include Christianity, the cross, which represents the Crucification of Jesus, and the idea of salvation.

In Judaism, a star of David and in Buddhism, the lotus flower, a symbol of enlightenment.

Artists both religious and non-religious, often use symbolism to express emotions like hope, grief, or strength, life events like birth, coming of age or memory, personal beliefs or wishes, the idea of something bigger than themselves.

Many artists use religion as inspiration, including Toyin Ojih Odutola, makes highly detailed drawings of Yoruba, people found primarily in West Africa traditions.

Marc Chagall makes dreamlike paintings with floating figures and stained glass windows for cathedrals and synagogues.

Ceija Stojka, whose work sometimes included crosses, prayer figures or symbolic skies used not to preach, but to express suffering and hope from a deeply personal and cultural place.

And I Nyoman Masriadi whose large acrylic paintings themed on heroism, mythology, morality and human struggle are often humorous or dramatic.

So we can see many artists using religion as inspiration.

Craftspeople across cultures have long played essential roles in creating artworks that hold spiritual or symbolic meaning.

These artworks are not only decorative, but are deeply tied to beliefs, community identity and ritual practises.

These artworks are tools for focus, prayer, transformation and connection.

And include Mihrab, Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Turkey, Bosnia.

A decorated niche in a Mosque wall indicating the direction of Mecca.

Again, hot works that are tools for focus, prayer, transformation, and connection include prayer flags, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, hung in high places so the wind can carry blessings and prayers and more artworks that are tools for focus, prayer, transformation and connection include altar pieces, Christian Europe, Latin America used to tell sacred stories and guide worship, often showing saints, biblical scenes or miracles.

And more artworks that are tools for focused prayer, transformation, and connection include ceremonial masks, Africa, indigenous Americas, Oceania to represent spirits, ancestors and animals.

Let's have a check for understanding, true or false? Religious art is only found in churches.

Pause here and decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected false.

And now I'd like you to say a little more about your answer.

Pause here while you do this.

Perhaps you said something like this.

Religious art exists in temples, mosques, synagogues, shrines, homes and within communities across different religions and cultures.

Many religions include meditation as a way to connect with something greater, whether that's a God, spirit or universal energy, including Buddhism, mindfulness, silent sitting, walking meditation to achieve inner peace and enlightenment.

Hinduism, chanting mantras, breath control, pranayama, to unite the self with the divine.

Christianity, contemplative prayer, silence, repeating sacred texts to listen for God's presence and reflect.

Islam, repetitive chanting, dhikr, and breath awareness.

So what is meditation? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing, here's Laura.

Isn't meditation about lying on the floor and relaxing? Andeep, there's much more to it than that.

Meditation is when you focus your mind like on your breathing or a sound so you can calm down or clear your thoughts.

Laura and Andeep are discussing meditation.

"When I'm making a doodle, I don't think about anything other than the creative process.

I guess that could be a form of meditation." And Andeep, "I never thought about art being a kind of meditation, but now I think about it, I can see why it could be." Many religions create artworks, including paintings, sculptures, icons, mandalas and stained glass to help people focus during prayer or meditation.

And we can see a mandala on a screen there.

So detailed, so colourful, so intricate.

These artworks often contains symbolic elements, including shapes, colours and figures that invite viewers to reflect on spiritual themes.

And we can see a Christian stained glass window.

Looking at or even creating this art can serve as a form of contemplative meditation where the mind gently focuses on the image instead of distractions.

Examples of artworks used in prayer or meditation include Japanese zen ink paintings, simple black ink paintings of nature, bamboo, mountains, waves, created mindfully with controlled brushstrokes, Islamic geometric patterns, repeating patterns made from circles, stars and tiles that encourage contemplation and spiritual focus without figurative images.

Enso circle, Zen Buddhism, a single brush stroke forming a circle expresses the present moment, mindfulness and completeness.

Let's have a check for understanding what is the main purpose of meditation? Is it A, to relax and fall asleep more quickly.

B, to make amazing drawings and sculptures, or C, to focus your mind and calm your thoughts.

Pause here while you decide.

Well done if you selected answer C.

Indeed, the main purpose of meditation is to focus your mind and calm your thoughts.

Art and meditation might seem like two different things, but they actually go hand in hand.

Both help us slow down, focus and connect more deeply with our thoughts, feelings or something greater than ourselves.

For the next part of the lesson, you'll need A5 paper, a marker pen in a colour of your choice, you'll be making a doodle using an art technique called neurographic art, which is a form of meditative art.

So pause here while you gather what you need.

Okay, good to be back with you.

Hope you have everything you need.

There are many ways that you could create a meditative artwork.

Sit comfortably, rest your hand gently on your paper.

Take a deep breath in and then slowly out, let your shoulders drop.

Close your eyes for a moment if you like.

Try to slow down thoughts, focusing on your breathing.

When you're ready, pick up the marker pen.

Let your pen move slowly from one side of the paper to the other, aiming for curves and avoiding straight lines.

Start where you want on the paper.

We can develop your meditative artwork by creating intersections, cross lines to create sharp points.

And then rounding off all the sharp points we could round off all sharp points to soften the lines, doodling patterns into the shapes or adding more lines, extending from the intersections.

Rounding off all new lines, and now it's time for your task.

I would like you to create a meditative artwork using the neurographic technique.

You should choose a marker pen colour.

Sit comfortably and focus on breathing deeply.

Let the pen move across the paper slowly in a controlled but natural way.

Round off the intersections, add lines, extending from the intersections and round off any new pointed sections.

Pause here while you have a go at creating a meditative artwork.

It's good to be back with you, how did you get on? There are many possible outcomes.

A green market pen was used to draw the initial line and then round off the intersections.

Here's Sofia, "I used a different shade of green to add further lines, which I extended from the intersections.

I enjoyed making this artwork and I didn't think about anything else whilst making it." That sounds lovely.

And now we're onto our next learning cycle.

Create an artwork inspired by religious practise.

What is meant by ephemeral art? Pause here and share with someone.

Ephemeral art is an art form that is temporary, short-lived or made to eventually disappear.

It isn't meant to last forever.

It exists for a moment, a ritual, a season, or an experience.

Many cultures create beautiful, detailed artworks that are not meant to be permanent.

These temporary pieces aren't just about decoration.

They're acts of spiritual practise, celebration or meditation.

Examples of cultural ephemeral art include Tibetan sand mandalas are created by monks over days or weeks using coloured sand.

When finished, the mandala is ceremonially swept away and the sand is released into a river, symbolising impermanence and the idea that nothing lasts forever.

Ofrendas are colourful, layered, altars or shrines created during Dia de los Muertos, day of the dead.

Decorated with marigold, sugar skulls and food to honour the dead.

Flower altars or offerings in Bali and other parts of Asia are created fresh daily and left to return to nature.

Have you ever made an ephemeral artwork? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Here's Lucas.

"I once made a sand sculpture of a dolphin whilst on holiday, it didn't last long as the tide came in and washed it away.

I took photos though." And Aisha, "My mom, let me draw all over the outside of our house with chalks.

My artwork lasted for weeks until it rained." Some artists choose to work with temporary materials or moments as part of their creative practise, including Jim Denevan, who makes giant drawings in the sand on beaches using rakes and natural tools.

Nils-Udo, who creates poetic natural installations using sticks, berries, blossoms, snow, and even birds nests.

Chiharu Shiota who uses thread, personal objects and space to create haunting, immersive installations, which are in galleries for a short time, then removed.

And Rana Begum, whose installations respond to natural light and space, changing throughout the day.

So let's have a check for understanding, true or false? Ephemeral art is meant to last forever.

Pause here and decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected false.

Now I'd like you to say a little more about your answer.

Pause it while you do this.

(music whirring) Perhaps you said something like this.

It's designed to be temporary, often disappearing after a short time.

Rangoli is a traditional Indian art form where colourful patterns are created on floors.

Rangoli is deeply rooted in religious and cultural traditions, particularly with Hinduism and are made to welcome deities, gods and to bring good fortune.

Rangoli is often created during festivals, celebrations, and religious events like Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights.

How is Rangoli created? They are traditionally made using coloured powders, rice, flower petals, sand or chalk.

Artists use their fingers, sticks or small sieves to sprinkle the coloured powders.

The repetitive patterns and symmetry encourage a meditative state.

Rangoli designs are rich in meaning and are often inspired by nature, religion, tradition and symbolism.

Motifs inspired by nature, flowers, lotus and marigold.

You can see some beautiful marigolds on the screen, leaves, peacocks, sun, stars, and fish.

Rangoli designs are rich in meaning and are often inspired by nature, religion, tradition and symbolism.

Motifs inspired by religion, om, sacred sound symbol, lotus, purity and divine beauty.

Footprints of goddess Lakshmi, welcoming prosperity during Diwali.

Rangoli designs are rich in meaning and are often inspired by nature, religion, tradition and symbolism.

Motifs inspired by geometry circles, spirals, mandalas, and grid based designs.

And we can see a Spituk Monastery sand mandala on the screen there.

Let's have a check for understanding.

When is Rangoli must often created, A, during weddings only.

B, every full moon or C during festivals and celebrations.

Pause here while you decide.

Well done if you sectioned answer C, indeed, Rangoli is most often created during festivals and celebrations.

For the next part of the lesson you will need A3 paper pencil, ruler, fine liner and compass.

It's advisable to draw the design onto A3 paper in preparation for the next stage of the lesson.

So pause here while you gather what you need.

There are many ways to make a design inspired by the Indian tradition of Rangoli.

Use a compass or draw around circular objects onto A3 paper.

Divide the circles into segments using a ruler and pencil.

Draw symmetrical shapes using the pencil guidelines.

Add further design elements, ensuring symmetry.

Complete the design and erase pencil lines.

And now it's time for your task.

I would like you to create a design inspired by the Indian tradition of Rangoli.

If you could start by drawing inner circles.

Divide the circle into equal portions to help with symmetry.

Whose pencil guidelines to draw the symbols.

Take inspiration from nature, geometry or religion.

Pause it while you have a go at this task.

Good to be back with you.

How did you get on? Here's Jacob, "I began by drawing the circles and I drew some guidelines in pencil to help with symmetry.

I drew my geometric shapes first.

I chose to use geometric shapes combined with flower petal shapes in my design." And now I'd like you to use your design to create a Rangoli artwork, working with calm and meditative focus.

You could choose to make your Rangoli with flower petals, painted rice, painted salt, sequins, lentils or dried beams, powdered paint, coloured spices, coloured sand, cut up pieces of felt or paper.

So pause here while you have a go at creating your Rangoli artwork, working with calm and meditative focus.

It's great to be back with you.

How did you get on with that task? Here's Jacob.

"I chose to use flower petals and started with blue ones.

I positioned them carefully and added layers for height." I love that.

"I continued adding coloured petals within the shapes, being careful to keep the colours separate.

I took a photo of my completed Rangoli and then brushed the petals away.

This made me think about ephemeral art and letting go." That's just beautiful on all levels.

In our lesson, Religion and Belief in Art, we've covered the following.

Artworks within a religion serve various roles, including illustrating sacred texts, creating places of worship, aiding in ceremonies or rituals and providing a connection to the divine.

The imagery and symbols in historical religion-based artwork becomes a visual language which modern artists can employ in their work.

Designing a Rangoli pattern can be a calming creative process that combines meditation with art, helping students focus their minds while exploring cultural symbolism and symmetry.

Well done everyone for joining in with this lesson.

It really is one of my favourite things is to practise meditation and mindfulness.

So to do that together while we created art was a very big treat for me.

I hope you had a good experience too.

I look forward to seeing you at another art lesson soon.

Until then, stay creative.