Egypitan Art- formal styles
The first portion of this Art Survey I class deals with work ranging from the Paleolithic Age to the works of Ancient Egypt. The subject matter that is being depicted is a wide array of major concepts or issues of that particular time.As art observers we try to really understand the art we are looking at. What does it represent? What is the meaning of it? Does it serve a purpose? To answer these questions we need to look at the iconographic elements as well as the formal conventions of each of the pieces. Early on in the history of art it is virtually impossible to know the true meanings of certain pieces because there was no such thing as written records at that time. All we can do is gather up enough information of what we do know to be true to make the most valid assumptions as to the meanings of the work as we possibly can. However, once we are introduced to the Mesopotamian civilization things start to become much clearer. The reason behind this is that the Mesopotamians had invented a type of writing called "cuneiform" which was made by pressing a wedged stick into a soft surface to make symbols that represented different things. The Egyptians also had a type of writing called "hieroglyphics." This is a series of p
Some examples that will be discussed later on in this essay are the wall painting of "Queen Nefertari Making an Offering to Isis," the freestanding "Votive Statue of Gudea," and the relief-sculpture called the "Banquet Plaque. Usually all sculptures show the subjects hands down at their sides, in an offering position, or a prayer-like clasp. Nefertari is shown with her upper body facing the observer and her lower body in profile. These formal values and iconographic elements of Egyptian and Mesopotamian art have immensely helped us learn about the art and culture of our past. As seen in the Egyptian paintings and reliefs, the more important figure is larger. " Instead of carving the background out, the Egyptians decided to cut the image into the stone. In the middle register there is a sacrifice of an animal going on. We can tell that he is an important person because royalty in Mesopotamia wore brimmed hats. A good example of this is the "Trial Piece of Akhenaten. The size of the person or their placement (such as a throne) indicates the importance of the individual. The second piece I chose to examine was also involving a Queen. Finally the water flowing from the jar that Gudea is holding represents the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
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Acceptance Essays
