Abstract The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast two works of Ancient Art from two different museums.
This paper will explore the materials used, the style, the meaning, the symbolism in the techniques used in creating the artworks. Ancient Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, the Louvre, Paris, France, and the Smithsonian Institute's Freer Gallery and Sackler Gallery in Washington, DC have some of the most impressive examples of ancient art in the world. This paper will look at works from two of these museums for comparison.One of the pieces of art that I have chosen is located in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. It is entitled Seated Harp Player and was created ca. 2800–2700 B.
C. E. , in the Early Cycladic period. It is a three dimensional work of art, possessing height, width, and depthhighly. It is approximately 11.
5 cm tall. The material it is made of is marble and the technique is considered a sculpture in the around, because it can be viewed from all sides. The texture of the marble appears to be unpolished. The value scale of the marble is white in color, although it is discolored with age.
The form and line of this sculpture is a depiction of a man seated in a high back chair playing the harp. The molding of the arms and legs of the man distinguish this work. The hands are depicted as strong, but sensitive. The elbow joints, fingers, and ears are carefully articulated and molded with sensitivity.
Through the look on the face of the man and his position in the chair, the artist is this telling us that this man and the people of that era loved music and the arts in general. The attention to detail in this sculpture is remarkable in the fact that this sculpture is 5000 years old.One can only imagine what the artist had to do to get this amount of detail into his work using the tools that were available at that time. Even the belt or penis strap around his waist is a good example of the intricate details of this work. This representational work of art depicts one of the earliest known representations of a musician. The artist is showing us in this sculpture that even 5,000 years ago, man was embracing the arts.
The head of the waterfowl on top of the harp indicates that, man was sensitive to nature, even 5,000 years ago.The other piece of art that I have chosen is located in the Smithsonian Institute's Sackler Gallery in Washington DC. It is entitled Anthropomorphic Vessel and was created ca. 1400-800 B. C. E.
, in the Iron Age I – II, in Northern Iran. It too is a three-dimensional work of art, possessing height, width, and depth. It is 47. 0 cm high, 15. 5 cm wide and 12.
5 cm deep. This vessel is earthenware (clay type material), and since it can be viewed from all sides, the technique would be considered full round. The texture of the sculpture appears to be polished. The value scale of the earthenware vessel is off-white/beige.The form is that of a human female, however, with the lines of the extended hips and the emphasis on the buttocks, pelvis, and breast would indicate that it represents and Iranian fertility goddess. Since this artwork is in the likeness of the human female, this would be considered representational art.
Most of these types of sculptures were placed in the graves of the dead person's family. The detailed workmanship of this piece of sculpture indicates that it was made by a professional artist, and not by the deceased person’s family. These types of vases were quite common in the Southwest region of the Caspian Sea area of northern Iran.An interesting item about this piece of sculpture is, that if you look closely at the ear, you will see a hole in the ear where there is thought to have been a wire earring inserted.? References Metropolitan museum of art. (2012).
Retrieved from Http://www. metmuseum. org/toah/works-of-art/47. 100. 1 Sackler gallery. (2012).
Retrieved from http://www. asia. si. edu/collections/singleObject.
cfm? ObjectNumber=S1987. 68 Frank, P. (2011). Preble’s artforms: An introduction to the visual arts (10 ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education
