Our final educational visit as Effin-Loo-ahs was a tour of the IU Art Museum led by the museum curator Mr. Ed Maxedon. We first began our tour by observing two German panel pieces of the birth of Christ and Christ’s crucifixion, with careful attention to the differences between the Kings that came to bestow gifts to Christ at his birth. We also looked at the two similar alter pieces that differed quite significantly in style because they had separate countries of origin. We spent a considerable amount of time analyzing what appeared to be a simplistic Dutch still-life but in actuality alluded to an abundance of religious imagery. This painting, along with others previously mentioned can be found in Europe on our map. The Dutch painting illustrated to us that a culture could subtly integrate dominant themes of a period in an unusual way to appear unique without dismissing popular interests.

After viewing human representations of the four parts of the world, we traveled upstairs (and across the world) to look at Polynesian and South American art. This art greatly differed from the European art in its materials, utility, and craft. The Polynesian, Mayan, and Incan art consisted not of flat paintings but of bowls, spears, drums, masks and various other objects that appear far more useful though somewhat less contemplative. The details and designs of the objects, however, (such as the drum with hundreds of tiny figures carved into it) show great technical skill and the sense of community and homage to the gods that are central to their cultures.

While as Effins we were often intrigued and impressed by these demonstrations of precision and the nuances that emerge from the images, we found that the most comically interesting (and disturbing) of the objects was a South American enema bowl used for overindulging in hallucinogenic mushrooms. That’s Effins for you!