Part 1:

Ancient Egyptian Art

Torso of Dionysos, 2nd- 3rd Century C.E

In this figure of Dionysos he is appeared to us standing with his left arm over on an archaistic female figure identified as Spes, the personification of hope. He is shown wearing a panther skin over his chiton and a cloak wrapped around his upper right arm and shoulder. The panther skin was a great symbol to identify this God just like wine would have been. In order for a support a part of the cloak flows around the back and over the head of the God. This sculpture stuck out to me because it represents the ideal man during that time period. It made me think about the different representations of gender characteristics that are shown through cultures of different eras.  I was also drawn in by the techniques used to make this sculpture look real. The shadowing and the cravings illustrate the hip bone and the abs of the male. The belly button and the crevices around the breast area show an enormous amount of detail. This relates to the material we covered in class because it shows that the human body was exhibited during that period in time. Also the depth of the detail illustrates a mysterious image. The only thing that allows us to differentiate between whether this sculpture is of a male or female is the prostate and breast area. During this period of time human art was highly presented, nude sculptures filled the exhibit of ancient sculptures.

Part 2:

The Flag Is Bleeding

From the Soul of a Nation exhibit I chose to write about, Faith Ringgolds, “American People Series #18: The Flag Is Bleeding” (1967) . This painting is illustrates that the true meaning of the United States flag is not being represented. The meaning of the United States flag is freedom and peace. While in reality especially during the period of time this artwork is representing, there was a high rate of racial segregation and racial discrimination. This piece of artwork shows that we are all equal as humans yet people of color are targeted. This relates to the rest of the exhibit because it shows the discrimination people of color have been surviving over the years. I chose to write about this artwork because the different elements used by the artist allowed me to actually see a clear image. The red streaks running down with the red stripes of the flag display the image of how actual blood runs down. The knife that the African American male is holding represents the hurt and harm that was being afflicted to him during this period in time. The way that all three of the people are locking arms shows that they are equal, yet the African American male is the only one suffering or being harmed. This illustration truly brings the exhibit together and locks in the time period of segregation and racial discrimination. The artist portrayed a clear and descriptive piece, the colors and shadowing of the image bring it to life.