Compare And Contrast The Augustus Of Gudea And The Augus Of Primaporta

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The Ancient Middle East the Roman time periods brought about many different works of art. The Votive Statue of Gudea, an Ancient Near Eastern work, and the Augustus of Primaporta, a Roman work, are good representations of art from their respective time periods. The two works have many similarities and differences within their formal elements, iconography, and historical significance to the time periods in which they were crafted.

The Votive Statue of Gudea and the Augustus of Primaporta have similar formal elements through their subjects and differ through their styles and size. The Votive Statue of Gudea is a statue of Gudea, a ruler in the Ancient Near East. The work was constructed in 2090 BC. It was made from diorite and stands two and
The Votive Statue of Gudea depicts the ruler in his youth standing straight up with his arms holding a vessel of water in front of him. Two streams of water are flowing out of the vessel and down the statue while fish are depicted facing towards the vessel, promoting life and peace. Gudea wears a long garment that does not cover one of his shoulders and contains inscriptions written by Gudea himself. In the inscription he dedicates the statue to Geshtinanna, a goddess who interpreted dreams. Because the garment leaves on shoulder bare, viewers are able to see Gudea’s well-defined muscles. His eyes are wide open, symbolic of intense concentration, and he wears a wide brimmed hat. In the work, Gudea is seen as an amicable, strong, and righteous leader. The Augustus of Primaporta depicts the emperor standing with his arm raised and with all his weight shifted into one foot. This is slightly different than the Votive Statue of Gudea, both positions are symbolic of the way a rule from each time period would have addressed troops. Augustus along with his youthful features, is exactly how Augustus would have wanted to be remembered. This is also true to The Votive Statue of Gudea. There are many other symbolic details that relate to mythology and history incorporated into the statue of Augustus. The torso armor that Augustus wears
The statue of Augustus, like many others at the time, is a work used to glorify Augustus. The same can be said for The Votive Stature of Gudea, it was crafted in a way that made Gudea seem like a better ruler than he may have actually been. Both works have a great significance in their respective time periods because they are in remembrance of great leaders. While the works may exaggerate the roles each men played, both accomplished many great things for their countries. Augustus DID THIS and Gudea rebuilt many temples. The pieces differ because of their historical contexts. In roman art, propaganda was huge. The Augustus of Primaporta serves as a reminder and justification of some of the things Augustus did as a ruler, all the while incorporating the religious and peaceful themes that were so used by Roman artists. The work communicated Augustus’s connection to the past, to the military, and to the gods in a propagandistic way. While the Votive Statue of Gudea may not have been crafted for a propagandistic purpose, the statue of Gudea presents a lot of the same ideals as the Augustus of Primaporta. The work presents Gudea as a strong and peaceful leader who was worthy of divine favor. This is a common theme for depicting rulers throughout art history and in modern times today. Rulers want to seem god-like, or at least prove that God

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