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After our delightful artisit journey from last session, Dr. Sung began today’s class with another enriching exploration about Egyptian art. She warmly revisited our discusssion about the beautifully balanced masterpiece, The Hunting of Nebamun. Dr. Sung suggested that the symmetry in this painting might actually reflect how the Egyptians thought about life and death, or day and night—as two sides always striving to remain in harmony. Her thought-provoking insight encourages us to look at any artwork throught a creative and historical lense, learning the people of that specific period of time. The ancient egyptians believe that chaos of the nature was inevitable, and that restoring order was essential. Much like a garden without a gardener, left untended, life could easily fall into neglect and disorder. This idea is beautifully refelcted in our painting of focus, which is filled with natural beauty—birds, plants and a sense of movement everywhere. Yet the human figures in the center seem to convey something deeper: that people had an important role in keeping everything connected and in balance. It is a soft and quiet reminder that Harmony requires care and attention, just like the world around us. Moving on to our second session, Dr. Sung gracefully wove in insights from Project Zero and Artful Thinking as she introduce of the Book of Hours. Drawing from the artful thinking palette developed by Harvard, we began with delight to observe carefully and reason deeply, searching for clues with our curious mind.  As we delve deeper into the artwork, more and more details began to unfold through our discussions. Jewelery, plants, colors, lighting and fabric textures all delicately complement one another, creating a harmony whole. Together, these elements brought the stories of the lady in the foreground and the lady in the background to life, weaving a rich tapestry that invited us to imagine their world and experience - a prayer to Lady Mary and Infant Jesus. The painter skillfully used various details to honor Lady Mary of Burgundy as a pure and holly lady.  Perhaps Mary of Burgundy in this painting was praying for a prosperous future of her Duchy as she prays along with her book of hour. Or maybe she was expressing the worries that came with her impending marriage, praying for happiness with her soon-to-be husband, Archduke Maximillian I. Either way, the artwork offers a temder glimpse of her hopes and inner world, connecting with her emotions and personal journey.
This is one of the lesson series organized by Cosmic Light, with Dr. Sung Pei. Dr. Sung commenced the speech with a brief but thought-provoking introduction of the book “Artful Thinking,” - a pedagogical framework derived from Project Zero at Harvard. These strategies aim to foster reflective, curious, and open-minded thinking through the lens of art. Throughout the entire speech, Dr. Sung skillfully applied this approach by guiding us to explore our own reasoning, consider divergent perspectives, and revisit our ideas from a broader and more inclusive point of view - all by simply observing a single image.  In the first task, we were asked to observe and share what we noticed from a small part of a painting called Nebamun. While seemingly straightforward, the task proved unexpectedly demanding to me. Having shaped by the traditional Asian educational paradigm - one that prioritizes accuracy, I felt hesitant to voice my own interpretation. The ingrained fear of error of social embarrasssment loomed large. After the discussion, Dr. Sung provided more details about this imagery, starting with the geographical background of the river Nile and where the painting was found. The reiver Nile and the flooded area symbolized life and death for the Egyptians and where the order of life was resotred. The tomb, where the painting was discovered, was naturally located on the west side of the river - the direction of the setting sun, symbolizing the end of life and the beginning of the soul's journey after death.   As we engaged deeper with the artwork, we noticed how our thoughts sometimes aligned with, and sometimes differed from, the philosophical lens of ancient Egyptian culture. The entire process feels like a dialogue between us and the those ancient fellows dwelling along River Nile. By making the conversation personal, we were brought closer to each other and the exchange of worldviews more intimate.
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Winnie ChiuAn enthusiastic ELT/CLIL teacher, passionate educator, researcher, teacher trainer, Apple Teacher. Seesaw ambassador and curriculum developer. Archives
June 2025
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