Category: Brooklyn Museum Assignment–Ancient World

Brooklyn Museum Visit

The entire Egyptian exhibition was really beautiful, it consisted of a lot of sculptures and models of Egyptian life and objects. The artwork that captured my eye immediately in the midst of all the others was, the Statue of Queen Ankhnes-meryre II and Her Son, Pepy II (author Unknown). The Sculpture is of a Queen (Ankhnes) holding her son, Pepy II. Immediately the size of both is noticeable as Queen Ankhnes is at least three times the size of Pepy II. Pepy II is on Ankhnes’ lap and facing East, as Ankhnes is facing North. The size could be a symbol of how powerful the mother-role was as she would serve as not only the domestic role but also as a protector of the future generations of Kings/Queens. Her role as a protector can be observed as Pepy II “clasps” her hand, clasping being a sign of reassurance and presence of one and their protection. Pepy II’s feet also are on a block almost half the size of his mother, this could further represent his King stature and how he will always be on some sort of pedestal in relation to the other Egyptians. The direction in which they’re facing can symbolize how they own have their own focuses or visions- the Queen ensuring that she’s fulfilling her role as a mother to nurse her child and still “act as regent” and Pepy II, facing his own direction can symbolize his priorities or focus of being “king as a small child”. The fact that he was king so young can also be another reason as for why he is so small in comparison to his mother, since he is not yet very powerful. It is made out of Egyptian alabaster which has a  yellowish-brown town. Alabaster is very easy for drawing and carving. The neutrality in color could show that maybe there was no large gap in importance nor dominance between the two at that specific time- in Egypt Red usually symbolized Males and their dominance, and Yellow was normally used for Women. Or the lack of color can simply show us that there may have been a lack of color resources for art when this was made.

 

In Soul of a Nation there were very colorful paintings, some very colorful some abstract, some very simplistic, but all with a very powerful message. The artwork that seized my attention was the mahogany sculpture, “Black Unity” by Elizabeth Catlett. The sculpture is very large and is simply a sculpted closed fist, which has been established for unity- especially Black unity. The size of the sculpture is very big, which could represent a unity in activism for Black rights as many have come together to stand up for and reclaim their rights, especially in the last 50 or so, years. The use of making the fist Mahogany, a very deep brown, can be a literal representation of a Black hand. The sculpture is placed on top of a white square base, which could be used for contrast- to make the fist stand out greatly amongst everything else, almost as negative space-  or simply for positioning, to re-imagine a world where Blacks are no longer subjected nor inferior to whites. The significance of this fist can extend largely, as it can be intended for an audience of whites as well, and make them feel powerless or serve as a reminder to make them remotely aware of racial injustices that have occured. When I was at the exhibit, I witnessed a lot of people, but a majority were white or tourists. Making this sculpture so big and noticeable, even the placement of it being in the middle of the floor with all the other artwork surrounding it can be a stamp or symbol for Black power and make everyone, especially the white people aware, as it is something you can’t miss nor ignore.  

Ancient World – Brooklyn Museum Pt. 1

The Ancient Egyptian Art exhibit was very fascinating. Upon entering, I saw a large coffin where wealthy ancient Egyptians would be mummified, and buried in with their personal belongings. There was also a large room that resembled a tomb because of how dark it was, as well as all the coffins, wall paintings, and artifacts that were inside. It was mesmerizing but in a way, frightening at the same time.

The artifact that intrigued me the most was the Cartonnage of Nespanetjerenpare. This is a large coffin made of cartonnage, pigment, glass, and lapis lazuli. It was made for priest Nespanetjerenpare in Thebes, Egypt, during the Third Intermediate Period circa 945-718 BCE. This interested me the most because it was the largest thing in the room, almost six feet to be exact. Applying formal analysis, the coffin had symmetry, and vivid colors throughout. Painted throughout the coffin were two people, and hybrids of people and animals on both sides. The back also had two large people that seemed to he holding up something in the middle. The coffin itself also symbolized the power and wealth that the priest had. In Ancient Egypt, only the wealthy could afford to be mummified and buried in a coffin with their personal belongings that they’d want to use in the afterlife. It’s very fascinating to know the culture and beliefs Ancient Egyptians had thousands of years ago. It also begins to make sense why people have tried to steal these coffins and the belongings inside throughout the centuries.

 

The Ancient World

As I walked through the museum’s ancient Egypt exhibit  I was in real amazement of the artwork and felt so privileged we are to study history through breathtaking artwork which was so carefully excavated. Throughout the Ancient Egypt exhibit the “Statue of Queen Ankhnes-merye ll and her son, pepy ll” really stuck out to me, mostly because of the beautiful stone used to make the sculpture. After doing research, I found that Egyptian alabaster is actually common because it’s easily sculpted and the light shines through it giving it added beauty.

While I analyzed the sculpture I noticed a few things. Firstly the female seems to be powerful due to her size which usually signifies power in ancient art, as opposed to other sculptures of the male being the main source of power. In addition, the smaller figure which is obvious is her son Peppy ll is wearing the head adornment of a pharaoh. Did the royal children wear royal head adornment as well? Why are the two figures sitting seemingly separate? Almost as if they are two different sculptures completely. What is the scripture written at the feet of both the female and the child on her lap? Why is there a hole in the head of the queen? it seemed to connect with etchings on the top of her head.

After visiting the exhibit I did research to answer my question on the sculpture. Firstly, the queen’s husband Pepy l died leaving his son Pepy ll the heir to the throne, which he ruled for 70-88 years. The figures are sitting in a 90-degree angle to signify equal importance. Yet the queen is significantly bigger because Peppy ll was still a small child and she held most of the power until peppy was old enough to rule on his own. The placement of the figures is also typical of a nursing mother to show that Peppy was still a child. He wears the typical Pharoh headgear because he was the ultimately the heir. The queen has a hole in the front of her head which is believed that a vulture’s head made of metal would have protruded connecting to the wings at the top of her head. The writing at each of their feet, “”Under Pepy II’s feet is inscribed: “King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Pepy II, beloved of the god Khnum, given all life, like Re, forever.” and under Ankhnes-meryre’s feet is written, “Mother of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, the god’s daughter, the revered one, beloved of Khnum, Meryre-anhknes.”” (taken from the Brooklyn Musem’s website).

Brooklyn Museum Visit: Ancient World

The Ancient World exhibit was very eye catching and very interesting. The one piece of artwork that I found so pretty and brilliant was Fred Wilson’s “Grey Area (Brown Version).“This artwork was made of paint, plaster, and wood. It consists of five medium portrait heads of Nerfertiti. All of these heads goes from light to dark shades of brown. Theres not much to say to these portraits but describe how beautiful they are. Nerferitit‘s face is very smooth and all her features are just as smooth and round. The head peace she has on in all five portraits is the only thing that has some sort of grainy texture. The eye immediately goes left to right, and the shades are very admirable. It stands out in the hall that it is in. They’re many elements that add to the artwork. The shadows that that these portraits cast is something that I am not sure was meant to be on purpose but it adds an extra dimension to the already three dimensional artwork. It makes it look more statuesque. The fact that it was put positioned higher than the rest of the artwork also is very admirable.

When I first saw this artwork I already knew what the message it was trying to send. On social media in particular, I remember there was a huge debate of Nerfertiti‘s skin color. People were saying she was of a very dark skin complexion and some were saying she was very light. Wilson deepens that ambiguity of her complexion by creating these portraits. 

In making these portraits, Wilson has said “I use beauty as a way of helping people receive difficult or upsetting ideas. The topical issues are merely a vehicle for making one aware of one’s own perceptual shift – which is the real thrill.” What he said captured what this artwork was trying to say. No matterwhat shadeshe was, she was beautiful either way. 

Brooklyn Museum Assignment: Parts 1 & 2

Part 1: Art from the Ancient World

 

The first exhibition I went to was artwork from Ancient Egypt. This exhibit mostly had statues/statues and sculptures of different sizes. The art piece that stuck out to me is known as Statuette of a Male Deity (Old Kingdom, Dynasty 5, circa 2500-2350 B.C.E). This medium-sized statue stuck out to me most because of the marble-looking detail. Marble is my favorite type of print. This male statuette is light grey with black spots making it look like a marble print. The figure has a large wig and unusual clothing, which includes a penis sheath attached to a tied belt. This indicates that he is a deity. The identity of the statuette is undetermined. It’s known to either be done for either a temple or king’s tomb. This statue was the result of a royal workshop. It’s made of a very hard stone known as gneiss, a metamorphic rock. Its structure is a god’s strong, youthful body with muscles by the upper arms and chest, which reflects the ideal of the male form in Old Kingdom sculpture. The deity is in a standing position. He has a conventional pose, with his left leg advanced, hands by sides, chipped knife clasped in right hand, and his other hand is closed. His wig is plain & covers almost his whole forehead, long beard by his chin, has eyes with the eyelids a little closed, wide nose, and thick lips. The figure is standing against round-topped, plain, upright stone column that looks like a gravestone (stela). The condition of this statuette is the body is only to the knees, his right hand is broken, and his left elbow is chipped.

Part 2: Art from Soul of a Nation

The next exhibition I went to was Soul of a Nation, which showed art in the age of black power in the 20th century. These works of art were made between 1958-1983 during the fight for liberation, where African Americans experienced discrimination and racial violence at the hands of white citizens and the state. This area had many paintings on canvases that portrayed a lot of meaning. Specifically, in the artists of New York, the artwork that stood out to me was was by Benny Andrews, Did the Bear Sit Under a Tree?, 1969. This oil painting has an image of an African American man wearing a black and yellow boxed pattern shirt holding up his fists to the red, white, and blue with star drawings American flag, which is made of a sheet of rolled-up rough-looking fabric. The figure is a skinny African American man, has a straight face, and his mouth is made of a zipper. His shirt also appears to be made of a fabric because it stuck out of the painting. The texture used is a burlap bagging sack. Black paint was used for shadowing by his arms, shirt, and face. The painter colored outside the lines and has splatters of paint by the arms and the face. I chose this art piece because the 3D from the roll from the flag and his shirt stood out to me, it’s a painting from my hometown, and it had an important figurative meaning from the looks of it. This painting relates to this exhibition because of the use of the flag and the fist symbolizes Black solidarity. This work reflected the Civil Rights protests of the 1960s and it portrays “a black person who is shaking his fist at the very thing that is supposed to be protecting him [the flag] and that he’s operating under” (Andrews). This painting really showed me what the blacks were going through during that era because of the detailed unhappy expression on the figure’s face. They couldn’t rely on the American flag to protect them.  

Brooklyn Museum Visit Part I & II

Part I

 

 

 

 

 

 

When looking at the section of Ancient Egyptian Art, many artworks were familiar to me from what we discussed and looked at in class. One piece I was drawn to was The Head of a Queen, which was made during the reign of Thutmose III. This piece is said to be from Lower Egypt. As we discussed in class, ancient civilizations loved making art pieces that depicted their rulers to demonstrate their power and reverence. This artwork shows how prominent the kingdom was in Egypt. The statue is made out of brown quartzite, which was probably used because of its availability and convenience. The queen is wearing a large headdress. As the description states, the headdress was designed to make it look like a huge vulture with spread wings were on both sides of her face. This symbolizes her importance and ruling over the area. Her big eyes symbolize how the queen will protect her people and should be revered. Lastly, I noticed the nose and chin are destroyed. This could be a sign of iconoclasm, when a person destroys others’ art, in this case, it could have been a foreigner from another country- showing their dislike for this ruler. In summation, this artwork is an excellent example of how ancient Egyptians respected their rulers.

 

Part II

When I strolled through the Soul Of The Nation exhibit, I realized that many artworks expressed the oppression faced by people of color. The artwork, Did The Bear Sit Under a Tree, by Benny Andrews, caught my attention because of its honesty and rawness so I, consequently, chose to analyze it. The first thing I realized was how rough, messy, and aggressive the lines were in the painting. Andrews said that he chose to use oil paint to retain rawness in the art piece. Furthermore, the rough texture symbolized the place he came from. From where he came, everything was rough – from the fabrics people used to the clothes they wore. That is why he chose to use a rough texture. The colors red, white, and blue were used to paint the American flag, and the color brown was used to represent the colored man. The man in the painting looks like he is rolling away the American flag. His firmly straight face and fisted hand give him an angry appearance. The caption next to the picture states that this painting is a representation of a colored man during the civil rights movement “shaking his fist” at the flag which was supposed to protect him. In conclusion, I think that the painting successfully conveys the painter’s message. It clearly illustrates that the man is not happy with how the United States is treating colored people.

Brooklyn Museum Assignment Part 1 of 2 (Ancient World)

While I was walking through the Egyptian Orientation Gallery I came across many fascinating pieces of ancient art work such as Female Figure and Amunhotep III but the one the really caught my attention was Fred Wilson’s Grey Area (Brown Version). After closely observing each and every one of the heads I was able to see that they were exactly identical, even the wooden bases they were placed on were exactly identical, the only thing that differed from each one was the color. From left to right, each head became darker in color. One thing that instantly came to mind after observing these traits of the art work is that Fred Wilson was trying to convey the idea that regardless of skin color, we are all humans. Wilson emphasizes this idea by placing the heads on identical wooden bases that are all at equal heights; this also shows that someone with light skin isn’t superior to someone with dark skin or vice versa, it instead shows that we are all equal therefore completely eliminating the concept of social class.

Although Fred Wilson’s artwork is not as old as the other artworks in the gallery it still relates to the Ancient World, more specifically Ancient Egypt. After doing a bit of research I was able to learn that all of the five identical portrait heads that Fred Wilson used were based on Queen Nefertiti. Queen Nefertiti was the wife of the Egyptian Pharaoh, Akhenaten, who ruled during the 14th century. I was able also to learn that Wilson didn’t make the heads, instead he purchased them and just painted them. Due to the fact that Wilson decided to purchase the heads of Queen Nefertiti instead of her husband, Pharaoh Akhenaten, he is able to tackle the issue of gender and politics using his artwork. Wilson chose to use the head of the Queen instead of the head of the Pharaoh to show that, although the Pharaoh is the one who is seen as the actual ruler of Egypt, the Queen of Egypt just as important as the Pharaoh when dealing with politics. By using a the head of a women instead of the head of a man in his artwork Wilson is also able to show that one gender isn’t superior to the other, he instead portrays that all genders are equal an important, not just in politics but in society as a whole.

 

Blog Post 6, Brooklyn Museum Ancient World

Part 1:

During my visit to the Brooklyn Museum I went to visit the Egyptian Galleries and I saw this piece of work that I thought was really cool because it didn’t look like it was complete and that mysterious aspect enticed me. This piece was carved onto stone and it looks to have a bunch of ancient Egyptian symbols. It seems to have 2 wealthy looking men or if not that seem to have 2 religious figures I figure that this might be the case because of the Headdresses  that they are

wearing on their heads. On the left there is a eagle  flying on top of the hat worn by the man. This is one of the parts that I think are interesting because there seems something that these guys are staring at that is not on this piece that makes me wonder if it is incomplete. Another thing that I noticed is that the 2 people on the left are look intensely at each other they are both holding these rods and holding them close to each other. The Symbols on this piece are also missing near the top it looks like this piece was breaking down before it was taken to the museum.

Part 2:

This piece really spoke to me because it really shows off the culture that we have grown accustomed to in America. The colors on this piece are really vibrant and they really pop out and that was one of the things that really caught my eye. The words in the background seem to be conveying a theme and message that we are free and we should be able to convey our feelings however we chose to.  This piece really relates to the rest of the exhibition because a lot of these pieces were really colorful and used a great variety of colors and they all seem to want to portray black culture for what it was and not what people said it was. This exhibition was great because I was able to see many different types of art they all had a different way of showing social aspects of black history and showed things from their perspective.

Rudolf Adis Brooklyn Museum Assignment

The Brooklyn Museum of Art assignment proved to be an extremely enlightening and insightful experience. Out of all exhibits, I chose the Ancient Egyptian exhibit. The Ancient Egyptian exhibit astounded me in a plethora of ways, and showcased the adept carving/sculpting abilities of the ancient egyptians. Specifically, the one piece that I chose to write about and formally analyze was “The Wilbour Plaque”. This artwork presented itself with a sense of mystique, as it exhibited the faces of Queen Nefertiti and presumably King Akhenaten facing each other with what appears to be line markings/scratches down the middle of the plaque, separating their faces. What specifically piqued my interest were the snakes sculpted on the top of both of their crowns, as well as the fact that only the ears were protruding pieces of the artwork. Through the use of formal analysis, I was able to define a significant amount of otherwise overlooked features of the plaque. Firstly, concerning the texture, the plaque sculpture was made using limestone, a commonly used material in sculpting. Furthermore, the color of the painting was monotone, as usually expected for ancient sculptures; a light colored shade of gray. In fact, it was noted that this artwork was initially used as a model-piece by ancient egyptian artists to carve offical images of kings and queens from the ancient kingdom of Amar. This explains why there is a hole on the top of the otherwise smooth surface of this plaque, as it was initially held on a wall via a cord inserted through this exact hole. Pertaining to concepts spoken about in class, it can be related to a plethora of other ancient egyptian paintings seen before, as it also idolizes kings and queens from that time, with snakes being a present object of symbolism.

The second exhibit I visited, The Soul of a Nation, did a wonderful job exhibiting the beauty of black history, as well as the works of art that were produced during the times of black history throughout the US. The one painting that truly piqued my interest was titled “The First One Hundred Years”. This artwork is emulating the dark, yet very real past of the US in which black americans were exposed to the cruelty of lynchings, slavery, the KKK, hate speech, and more. As done for the previously discussed artwork, I used formal analysis to give myself deep insight on the powerful emotional presence that this painting evokes. Firstly, the texture of the artwork is smooth, yet sensitive to the touch, leading me to decipher that the painting must be oil on canvas. Furthermore, the interesting color scheme presented within the painting is used in accordance with the message that the images within the painting are attempting to present. All red and bright colors used within this painting are used to represent the evil such as the time: the hanging confederate flag, the KKK member, and the vicious attack dog. Along with this, one can see the heads and bodies of black people hanging at the time, as well as a “whites only” sign with a policeman assaulting a black man right next to it. There is also a “colored only” sign in the painting, with the date “1863” engraved above it in order to symbolize the civil war. The more neutral gray and white colors used in the painting are used to symbolize the brighter side of an otherwise disgusting situation within America. In specific, in the back of the painting, the crosses under bright light are meant to symbolize the positive hope and success that black americans had in fighting for change and freedom within the US. This artwork is significantly different from all other paintings in this exhibit in that it contains more “objects” in it than any other artwork in the exhbit, as well as the use of only red, gray, and white colors, which differs from the other artworks in the exhibit in that they use a wide array of bright colors (namely orange, some blue, and red).

Brooklyn Museum: Ancient World

During my visit to the Brooklyn Museum, I decided to really take my time viewing the different sculptures in the exhibition of the Ancient World only because I knew these artifacts and sculptures all go way back in time and they all truly have a significance to it even if we aren’t sure what it may be, we all have  different perspectives in each piece of art which makes it a lot more interesting to some. What caught my eye the most was the Statue of Nykara and His Family, before reading the information below it I thought the statue was of a young king with two women besides him as if they were his protectors in some way. I also notice that he had a closed tight fist and the person on his left side had his finger on his mouth as if he was saying “silence”, while the person on his right seem to have their arm wrapped under his or behind since it wasn’t visible. After reading the information I learned that the statue depicted Nykara seated between the two figures whom were his wife and son. Each statue was head to head, on the same height but if Nykara was to stand he would probably be double their size but that the mother and son were the same height. I could also tell how the sculptor’s added much detail to the hair or wig on each one of them, the wife’s hair had both horizontal and vertical line, Nykara’s hair or wig was made of somewhat curves or curls and the young son’s hair was long and fallen over his shoulder in what seemed to be a braid. Each sculpture was also looking straight forward, which seemed as if they were all directing their attention to the same place. I could also tell that the wife kind of had somewhat of a smirk in her smile, and she was also wearing a dress whereas the son didn’t have any on and he also had his hand on his father’s shoulder depicting the respect and love he had towards him. Overall I think this sculpture was showing the strength, love and respect they each had for each other as a family and how each of them were equally important to each other.