ISU Media Message Episode #7

hello and welcome to ISU media message I'm Bob Linda Meijer so shi'ite director of the media resources center here at Iowa State and the program is you media message provides you an opportunity to see a number of the interesting films and videotapes that have been produced here at the University and normally not seen by the wider television audience my guest today is Professor Distinguished Professor Richard William of the animal science department Richard welcome to the program thank you the the art about livestock exhibition is really an interesting experience for an animal scientist to be involved as the curator in it's not about that it certainly was we had this art exhibition over at the Bruner gallery for three months in 1990 and started it off with the American Society of animal science meetings that we're here it kicked off those meetings is that it it did yeah it was big in ascent for Iowa State and then ran for us and during that time how many people saw the extra 16 thousand four hundred and forty-one people it kind of triggered a response in the state of Iowa and among other things one of the responses was the videotape that we produced about the exhibition it was let's introduce it now and give our audience a chance to see it and when we come back we'll talk some more with Richard will hem here it is ladies and gentlemen art about livestock from campfires of old to the urban noise of today livestock are an integral part of our cultural inheritance this video presents visual images of an art exhibition staged in the Bruner gallery and museum of Iowa State University it opened in conjunction with the national meetings of the American Society of animal science in the late summer of 1990 welcome to centuries of fascination art about livestock the theme of the exhibition is to share the contribution of livestock to humanity over 200 centuries it begins with livestock is the hunted and revered and moves to livestock in agriculture and conquest and the last section involves livestock in industry and technology from the centerpiece of the exhibit to the remote artifact in the corner the symbiotic bond of centuries is celebrated you are greeted at the entrance by bronze sculpture created by Victor Peter in 1901 sometime after the Romantic Age of art and the infatuation of dellacroix with the noble Arabian horse this work celebrates with singular clarity the bond between humans and livestock do ME translated as two friends clearly states the idea behind the art exhibition first his livestock as the hunted and revered guarding the entrance to this area stands the bull in defiant stance it is a large bronze sculpture by Isadora bond who were the brother of Rosa the majestic beast embodies all the character of the ferocious bull protecting his harem that caused ancient hunters who were at the apex of the food chain in a fierce ecosystem to hold the bull and great all and emulate his spirit by making him the totem animal of many clans great awe and admiration of the hunted was recorded on cave walls deep in the womb of mother earth this admiration for the hunted appeared in the art that surrounds the worship mythology and icons of humans the legions of Rome worshiped the bull and the Mithraic religion an Old Persian myth the statue depicts the primordial fertility Rite whereby Mithra gave new life to the world while the bull received divinity and became the guardian of the herds this soldiers religion was supplanted with the Christian that used the Greek Good Shepherd statue to visualize the parable of the lost sheep and when he had found it he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing the bond between the flock and their stoic Shepherd described the essence of being responsible animal sacrifice probably started as a ritual to judiciously apportion animal products from the kill to the entire clan in a timely fashion only later was the aroma found pleasing to the gods the bronze sculpture of lips egde sacrifice relates to this early use of livestock in the mythology of Western culture livestock added dimension of understanding to the distilled wisdom that explains nature and defines human relationships as understood by the particular culture the myths of many cultures in the near East make reference to the Garden of Eden before the agricultural bondage to seeds soil and the seasons these cultures also had versions of the Great Flood no exhibition about livestock would be complete without a work like Noah and the animals by bonnez own engraved in 1544 philandering is defined in the rape of Europa by Liz sewer the myth is prophetic since Europe which received her name has been raped by near continual war the myth of the Golden Fleece sought by jason and the argonauts probably relates to the use of pelts to trap gold in the streams of lydia media sacrificing a ram Bible ven relates part of the myth the idea of the Golden Fleece will reoccur the volcanic island of Crete may at times have sounded like the bellows of enraged Bulls Minoan culture involved cattle worship and as the toreador fresco shows bull leaping was practiced in the palace of kenosis also young Greeks were sacrificed to the dreaded Minotaur half bull and half man until thesis slated at canosa's Pablo Picasso in blind Minotaur led the girl with fluttering dove and in many other works uses the symbolism of the Minotaur and other bull to make his commentary early Christian beliefs needed to be taught to an illiterate peasantry and icons involving livestock could be understood the ox of Saint Luke the Lamb of God and the cock of st. Peter all medieval symbols come down to us in silver crosses of James Avery given the extent of country life enjoyed by the British the use of livestock in nursery rhymes enhance both the education and enjoyment of children Linda Emerson created a series of Sharon's myths that include the house the Jack built complete with a cow with the crumpled horn second his livestock in agriculture and conquest the transition to settled agriculture conscious food production was not easy as the Cain and Abel story in the Torah succinctly record as the last glaciation receded human clans were faced with a warmer and drier climate in which the herds of the hunted were reduced some clans began to follow the herds and transhumance following the forage they represented animals and themselves on rock shelters thus the herdsmen was born but survival demanded a more innovative solution clans in the Near East began to use the grape fields of grass with seed in the Fertile Crescent bulky grain protection of fields and later planting demanded they settle both plants and animals were domesticated it is a form of symbiosis in which both parties depend on each other both humans and animals adapted one to the other then a critical event took place people settled on the alluvial floodplains of great rivers where irrigation was coupled with primitive agriculture the surplus food sustained a managerial class to irrigate this surplus led to the division of labor so that art writing and government could evolve to sustain vast empires the cylinder seal of bullfighting lion with people represented dating back to 2600 BC denotes that civilizations were beginning to keep records of themselves civilization rests squarely on some producing food for others the synergism between plants and animals in the production of food and fiber especially when the byproducts of cereal agriculture are used is characteristic of most successful agricultural systems of the world the alabaster votive object of a ram dated at 2500 BC reflects the reliance on livestock in their beliefs around 3000 BC the ox was yoked to the scratch plow the most powerful invention of Agriculture besides increasing the surplus it expanded the geography of Agriculture to rain watered lands the use of the moldboard plow to turn the heavy soils of europe enhanced food production the actual emphasizes the contribution of livestock to humanity as a power source for agriculture dellacroix in his lithograph of sheet of four antique metals one of which depicts a bull denotes the slow transition from manorial to commercial agriculture in Europe it also reminds us of the fact that the generic word for cattle the mobile food reserve used his money by the pastoralist has been used in many languages as the word from as tradin cities developed in Europe two nations England and Spain rose to power on the wool of the lowly sheep innovations in sheep husbandry occurred through the Cistercian order of monks from their Abbey's they shared their practices and became the first Extension agents rose upon who are in her sheep study Pei sheep their due credit but it was Edward the third the Royal wool merchant who laid the foundation for the sheep and woolen industry that made England the Empire of wool a woolsack placed in front of the throne in the House of Lords became a constant reminder this woolen industry gave England the basis from which to initiate the Industrial Revolution in later years the medieval guilds symbol for the woollen trade was the Golden Fleece which is now the logo of Brooks Brothers for fine wool ins it goes back to the Greek mythology mid day by John Linnell of English sheep production is in sharp contrast with the bronze statue of merino sheep by Manya the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors was essential because the fine wool marinos were Trancy man's the monopoly on these sheep and the production of this industry was accomplished by the master of shepherds the first livestock protection organization the importance of world to Europe is indicated by the golden fleece hanging around the neck in the portrait of Emperor Maximilian by juror but Spain did not develop a woollen industry and stands in stark contrast to England medieval manuscripts use sheepskin and even today one graduates with a sheepskin or a diploma the Charter of Phi Kappa Phi for Iowa State College is a sheepskin umpires are sometimes represented by livestock images the end of the Great War by Duffy used the tri-colored cock to depict France Joan of Arc by Huntington is the introduction piece to conquest and the role of livestock in it one species of livestock was not subservient to agriculture in fact the horse became a threat to the food supply because the horse was used almost exclusively in Wars and conquests after 1700 BC cosmopolitan civilizations were also interacting with the Eurasian steep nomads because they had yoked horses to light two-wheeled chariots and thus revolutionized warfare the Mongol hordes continued to influence civilization until the 14th century mares milk horse blood and horse steak carried under the saddle until it was salted constituted the commissary the air above the desert by grass shows that the Arabs as well used mares milk new technology affecting the use of livestock has altered the course of history stirrups were used extensively only after 500 AD England became Norman in 1066 in part because stirrups allowed the Norman cavalry to effectively use the Lance as seen in the Bayeux Tapestry in 1415 at the Battle of Agincourt French chivalry was beaten by the Welsh longbow and even though Joan of Heart standing in her stirrups rallied the French the era of the invincible night was over the conquest of frontiers has been important in history horses cattle and swine contributed to the conquest westward but Edwin Blash field speaks to the glories of the frontier the mural hangs in the capital of the state of Iowa the Spanish conquistadors as centaurs of conquest in wise Coronado traversed the state plains of West Texas in search of the Cities of Gold British Colonials came later but stock-raising was a frontier activity John Steuart curry in hogs killing rattlesnakes depicts the fact that swine came to each other's rescue as they did on the frontier John falter in a night on the North Platte shows the circled wagons a legacy of the Mongol hordes of centuries before after the Civil War the age of empire swept the United States the opening of the Great Plains for the cattle Baron's and the linking of product with demand for meat for the millions as our nation industrialized produced the most enduring folk legend of modern times the cowboy both Charles Russell in Knight herder and Frederick Remington in the bronco buster give us the romance of the cowboy third is livestock in industry and technology the Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain and built upon the woolen into tree urbanization created vast markets for livestock products Josiah Wedgwood who produced low-cost cream where for the masses as well as the Pegasus plate exemplifies the industrial giants of the age opening up 400 million acres of farmland for livestock and grain production on the Great Plains appears in grant woods breaking the Prairie sod a mural in the parks library of Iowa State University railroads after 1830 changed livestock agriculture Thomas Benton in the race notes the analogy of the iron horse but the work of Joseph Bernal of trains coming in and going out of the largest stockyards in the world Chicago shows the stock cars coming in and the refrigerator cars going out just prior to the Industrial Revolution in Britain country gentlemen following the lead of Robert baked wool began to weld breeds of livestock together Wood gave us a portrait of long horn cattle of the dish Lee estate we're baked will worked but Thomas B wick an artist of the time lost portrait commissions because he depicted the stock exactly as they were not as the breeders wished them to be the standing bow by Isadora bono who was the last judging team trophy at the International the sculptor created the first trophy the Bullen defiance dance and the last scientifically formulated feed fill the sacks used by Robert Rauschenberg in his collage titled hog chow the first industry logo the checkerboard square represents the farmers wives checkerboard tablecloth and all that is good about rural life and by analogy to the feed sold by mr. Danforth at Purina Mills consider now the centerpiece of the exhibition these three works composed the essence of art about livestock baked wool on his cob again expresses the central idea of the bond between humans and livestock they quill toured England on his horse the cob to select breeding animals phrase programs of improvement in horses cattle sheep and swine none of the breeds he recorded in the dish Lee society that he founded in 1783 are popular today but he is the father of conscious livestock improvement since he initiated the pedigree breeding system which was used to well together all the British breeds of livestock on the eve of the industrial revolution that began in England the blue horse is rearing yet there is no fear registered Marc Chagall was raised in a Russian peasant community before moving to France the blue horse recognizes the memories of growing up with livestock but the blue horse can be the start of fresh memories of encounters with livestock and those who are responsible for them the bronze bull is powerful as he strikes out toward the unknown this work speaks to the relationships between humans and the ferocious guardian of the herd from the caves of the hunter to the times ancient herdsmen worshiped him and onward to today this bronze sculpture was one of the three bronze bulls that were the coveted livestock judging team trophies over the largest livestock cakes position in the world the arch you have just experienced speaks for itself just as a very close-mouthed bay quote once said about the livestock he bred although livestock agriculture contributes synergistically to our global food production system it has been our urge to create that has given us such a rich cultural heritage on which to build within our diverse humanities resides a beautiful account of the bond between humans and livestock of centuries it has been shared with us in this art exhibition well you've just seen art about livestock and here to discuss it with me his distinguished professor of animal science richard wilhelm vic the experience of producing that art exhibit must have been lots of fun really well it really was yeah we had help from all over the university you know they aren't InDesign and and all of the other colleges helped us put this song you brought in artwork from all over the country ah so almost half of the art was was from the injury the livestock industry itself and then that was mixed with with art from museums and and these were never put into you know together and in the same sort of a collection so it was very unique I find one of the most interesting things about art exhibits just the catalogues that produce and I know this catalogue has has an essay on livestock history and in the art in the exhibition he's used to to give the whole thing a historical perspective now also I think you did a special catalog we did a really special catalog for the youth that came to this and besides having pictures of the art that was in the exhibit we had children draw pictures so that we left big parts of the blank page for them to be a participating artists in the in the livestock show and this this really was very effective tell me a little bit about the tape now how is the tape being used are you using it in your your history class yes I mean it's one of the first things we show it's used in beginning animal science it's it's used wherever the college student needs you know an introduction to the to the whole scope of livestock production over the ages I think it's really an interesting resource and I appreciate your being here with us tonight my guest Richard Wilhelm this is ISU media mess I hope you'll join us here next week you