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Statues and sculpture: an art form that depicts human history
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AHIST 1401 - AY2018-T2, Written assignment Unit 1
Christiana Obaro
University of the People California
Introduction
Comparison of two separate statues Gudea and Memi and Sabu
Back in the years before the advent of the print media and lettering in general, statues and symbols like this were one of the primary ways of storing and passing down information through time. We are in this paper going to be taking a look at two statues one of Gudea and the other Memi and Sabu. We will be making comparisons of them and then draw conclusions.
A statue can be defined as a work of art that is two three dimensional representing forms generally made with stones, cements, woods etc. the Cambridge dictionary (n.d) defines statue as ‘‘an object made from a hard material, especially stone or metal, to look like a person or animal’’
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The statue can be seen wearing a head band that can be taken for a crown at that era or a symbol of royalty. He is seen adorning clothing that looks expensive and probably something that only the wealthy would have been able to afford at that time. He can also be seen sitting down with his feet not touching the ground which can also be a sign of leadership and accorded respect. The color of the statue is dark, it could have been brighter at the time of production and have darkened more over time but one cannot be so sure.
Memi and Sabu on the other hand is a statue comprising of two people, most likely a husband and a wife the statue of Memi and Sabu are dated to be more than 400 years older than that of Gudea. The statue was from the old Kingdom Period, in Dynasty 4. The date of the statue is estimated to be around ca. 2575–2465 B.C. The statue was from Egypt; Probably from Memphite Region, Giza, Western Cemetery. It has the dimensions of h. 62 cm (24.7/16 in); w. 24.5 cm (9 5/8 in); d. 15.2 cm (6 in) and it is made of limestone. (The Metropolitan Museum of Art
In this paper I am exploring “Portrait of Augustus as general” and “Khafre enthroned”. From exploring and getting to know the Statues in my Art History Book I have compared these statues (Kleiner, 2013). The first and most obvious similarity between the two is in the artists’ idealization and immortalization of their subjects. Both Khafre and Augustus are portrayed in an idealized manner, designed to give the impression of nobility, timelessness, and divinity. The two statues were the political advertisements of their times that showed the public images of reliable leaders who one
The difference between an archaic statue such as Kroisos (fig. 5-11) and a classical statue such as Doryphoros (fig. 5-42) may not seem very great in a single glance. In fact, you may not notice any differences in that one glance. Yet, if you were to look at them closely, you can see that these two statues actually have very little in common.
The Ancient Egyptian sculpture, “Statue of Nykara and His Family”, was sculpted during the late fifth dynasty. The sculpture is a depiction of Nykara, his wife, Nubkau, and son, Ankhma-Re. The statue is in poor condition with pieces of limestone missing and chips on the three subject’s faces and bodies. The painted limestone shows the conventional colors for the male and female subjects. There is a clear discoloration among Nykara and his son’s bodies. The brownish red color they once were has eroded to a light yellowish color, which resembles the purposeful color of Nykara’s wife. The hieroglyphs on Nykara’s seat insinuate that the sculpture is meant to be viewed from the front view. This is also evident by the way the three subjects are facing forward in frontal view. There are hieroglyphs on both the chair and base of the statue near Nykara’s wife and son’s feet.
The process by which this particular statue was created involved using a method developed by Kaikei, a Japanese sculptor. It was a groundbreaking process that involved carving different pieces of wood separately and then joining them together (“Amida”). Instead of using a single object for creating a sculpture, multiple parts could be used to make the statue easier to construct and put together. After the parts were all joined together, the statue was covered in a lacquer finish and gilt was added to the face to give it the golden look.
The Egyptians created Ramesses’ statue 1279-1212 B.C. using granodiorite. The statue is currently being exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Its dimensions withouts a base are 59 3/4 x 23 1/2 x 30 inches (seems bigger than life-size). One must look at the statue from various sides in order to see its entirety. Ramesses II, known also as Ramesses the Great, ruled Egypt for over sixty years. there are thousands of statues made in his honor to proclaim his power and divinity.
The marble Statuette of Youthful Dionysos stands about 30 inches tall. The arms, legs, nose, and
The Statue of a kouros and the Portrait statue of a boy both depict similar subjects, however are greatly different in how they accomplish this task. Through detail, or lack there of, the Greeks and Romans are able to display a certain value they have in its members. These two statues were made about 500 years apart and approach the sculpting process quit differently. The Greek statue seems to use geometric exaggerated lines to form the body while the Romans use a more realistic approach and sculpt the body with a more rounded finish. Statue of a kouros, from about 590 B.C and Portrait of a boy, from about the first century, do not share any great technical aspects and are basically nothing alike.
In regards to subject matter, both pieces of sculpture are of leaders, Mycerinus and Kha-merer-nebty II were the pharaoh and queen of Egypt around 2500 BCE., and Caesar Augustus was the Emperor of Rome from September 23, 63 BCE to August 19, 14 CE., shown in this work as a general from Primaport, Italy.
The statue is made of marble, instead of the bronze statue. This statue is one of the earliest marble statues of a human figure carved in Attica. The statue is a kind of symbol; he does not in any way a likeness. This is my first expression when I saw the statue: the statue is showing me a simple, clear action that was used by Greek youth sculptures throughout this period. Looking at this statue, he expanded into 3D space, because he is standing straight and facing forward without any exaggerated movements, thus the post makes him look closed-off and a column his limbs are locked in space. Therefore, the standing posture, the decorations on his body, his hair and knee’s texture and how the Egyptians impact Greek art, is what makes me interested in it. A question that has always been in my mind is
The block statue is a unique form of Egyptian statuary which first appeared in the Middle Kingdom, but which continually grew in popularity throughout the Second Intermediate period and and the New Kingdom. This particular example depicts Mentuherkhepeshef, the fifth son of the the New Kingdom King Rameses Meriamum (Rameses II). Few biographical details are known about the prince, other than the presence of military titles inscribed on the statue and that he died before being able to succeed his extremely long-live father. The statue was placed among a procession of statues depicting the children of Ramesses II, located in the city of Bubastis at the temple of Bastet, a protective goddess. Despite the subject’s relative anonymity, his statue
The votive statues were created by worshipers of the ancient Mesopotamian gods. They were crafted out of materials such as limestone, alabaster, gypsum, and other such materials (Votive Statues). These statues were created around 2900 to 2350 BCE at the Square Temple at Eshnunna. The creators of these statues created them in their own likeness to be held at the Square Temple, a place of worship to their gods. It was the worshipers belief that the gods would bless these statues and in turn, bless the creators (Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art, 2004). Worship of the gods was a huge part of the culture of Ancient Mesopotamia, as such these votive statues played a major role in that culture.
This woman was most likely a freeborn, although lower class, woman. Based on the known trends of Syrian art at the given period, it is likely that the woman had vey little monetary wealth upon her death, explaining the lack of any jewlery besides the headress being depicted in this statue. The woman was probably born in Syria of Arabic descent, and her age at the time of death was somewhere between thirty-five and forty. There are deep lines in her cheeks depicting this aging process, but the lack of other facial wrinkles gives the assumption that she died rather young. Based om the sunken cheekbones and large eyes, as well as the fact that she was most likely poor, it can be assumed that had been in relatively poor health at the time of her death, probably heightened by meager food and strenous activity.
This is a copy of the sculpture of Athena Parthenos, dressed in battle attire, that was originally created by Phidias during the period of 447-39 B.C. The statue of Athena Parthenos was to be constructed, not of bronze, but of gold and ivory. The face, arms, and feet of the statue were to be made of ivory and the clothing, of thickly plated gold. The statue was an enormous size that towered thirty-three feet tall. The costly nature of the materials out of which it was designed was intended to overwhelm the viewer, creating a sense of religious awe.
This stone sculpture is a naked human-like figure standing six feet tall. The body is in chiasmos stance with the left leg slightly bent and the left foot slightly behind the right. The head is turned slightly downward and to the right, and its size is approximately 1/6 of the body. The hair is cropped closely to the head with no part. The body has a defined musculature, however the forearms appear to be missing. There is an object behind and to the right of the right leg that is about 2 feet tall and 10 inches wide.
Sculptures of heroes and emperors was a common way of displaying greatness in the society of ancient Rome. Throughout history there are several sculptures of emperors and heroes dresses in royal clothing or posing in a powerful stance. People looked up to emperors and heroes for their strength, bravery, and ability to lead which is why many sculptures were created to honor them. The Roman hero Hercules is one in which appears often in art history. The Marble statue of a youthful Hercules embodies to ideal image of power, and strength of Roman heroes that continues to stay the same.