Found in our text:
Art, A Brief History by Stokstad and Cothren p. 38
Subject:
The front and back of a box known as the Standard of Ur
Date: c. 2600 - 2500 BCE
What's in your essay?
1.
i. Where did it come from? What is it? And what is it used for? What are its materials? (5%)
ii. And, finally, explain its cultural significance (15%)
#1 Assessment worth > 20%
2. Explain a number of the formal elements operating and what are their outcomes?
i Line
ii Space
iii. Color
iv. Texture
v. Repetition (each element worth 10%)
#2 Assessment worth > 50%
3. Connect this work with another visual work that appears similar from our text that we have already looked at in class.
Pages XV >103 (only)
Why are they similar? Explain thoroughly.
Place the image example in your paper and give thorough details, and provide the page #
#3 Assessment worth > 20%
4. Construct your 1,500-word essay with excellent mechanics of writing (4 pages of informative text).
#4 Assessment worth > 10%
STUDENT WRITING SAMPLES below...
The Standard of Ur box originates from ancient Mesopotamian age, now modern day Iraq. This box is an ancient artifact considered by some as a standard and by others as simply a case for a musical instrument or possibly part of the furniture. This box is intricately decorated, consisting of panels covered with inlaid mosaics of shell, limestone and lapis lazuli. The scenes created on the sides of the box represent both peace and war. It is still unknown as to what the Standard of Ur box was used for, but it was found in Ur in a royal tomb around the year 1920 beside the skeleton of what appeared to be a ritually sacrificed man. This box is well known because of its depiction of both war and peace and the cultural significance behind this phenomenon.
When looking at the side of the box that portrays war, the bottom panel is where this story begins. The intensity of the battle starts to increase across the panel (left to right), creating a chaotic composition as the soldiers and their horses speed up and trample over enemy soldiers. In the middle panel, the composition of the Sumerian soldiers is more regular and balanced. They can be seen walking in war-like formation, taking all armor off the enemy soldiers as the defeated soldiers walk away to the right of the scene, stripped of their gear. In the top and final register on this side, the Sumerian army can be seen on the left, the defeated army on the right, and the Sumerian ruler in between the two. On the other side of the box, the peace side, in the bottom and middle panels, servants can be seen carrying materials and food that are needed in order to have their victory feast. The feast is shown between a king and his guests. To the far right of this scene, women can be seen entertaining the guests with music and song.
Along with many pieces of ancient art, the Standard of Ur was culturally significant in many ways. The scenes that appear on this box involve both those of peace and war. These two concepts are shown through the depiction of some of the most important messages in Sumerian culture. The war side represents their successes in battle while the peace side displays the celebratory feast that underwent in times of victory. On the side considered to be the “war side,” a scene is shown representing the defeat of an enemy unknown to modern times. Soldiers, dead and alive, are seen armed and taking enemies captive after the battle. The ruler shown on the war side is at the very top. The hierarchical scale is at work here, like we’ve seen in Ancient Egypt, as the king is taller than all others and surrounded by those who protect him. Unlike the war side, the peace side represents the bounty of the land. People are seen carrying produce, and leading domesticated animals to show what occurs in order to make the banquet depicted in the top panel possible. The ruler on this side is once again shown as the center of attention, creating a reason to believe people in this era and region thought very highly of their ruler as if he were above all else.
Formal elements are always an important concept to consider when viewing artwork. On the Standard of Ur, certain elements in particular work together to create stories that flow throughout the panels on the box. Lines in this workpiece together in many different aspects to establish a flow to the story. Three large borders act as horizontal lines, creating panels that tell different parts of the story but are still within the same lines in the bigger picture. This shows that even though each panel is a different piece to the puzzle, they come together to create one large scene. Implied lines create direction, showing which way the people and livestock are moving. In the Standard of Ur, there seems to be a lot of negative space. Space is shown between each figure and in some cases, negative space can be seen between the legs of people and livestock, allowing the eye to see movement in the piece. The amount of space used to create the ruler on both sides of the box shows anyone looking upon this artwork that the ruler is significantly more important given the amount of space that is used to represent him. The mosaics in the Standard of Ur consist of quite a few different colors. On the peace side, dark and light blues can be seen behind the figures, receding into the background, possibly representing the sky. All of the people are shown as very pale and the darker colors can be seen in the goat’s fur. On the side representing war, there is a burst of color. The background still consists of blues but these are much darker than the blues on the side of peace, possibly representing night or anger. The hot color of red is in abundance on this side in the soldier’s chariots and can even be seen on some of the people in the scenes, representing blood and death. The diamond-shaped patterns along the borders are also red, allowing attention to be drawn to the scenes within. The mosaics on the box create actual texture. Though I’m sure the box itself has texture, the way the mosaics have been inlaid provides a sense of raggedness or contour around the edges, creating the appearance of rough terrain that the people are walking and riding on. The texture is shown through the way the mosaic in the background is laid with different colored blues bordering each other, creating dimension, as if it were a sky.
Repetition in artworks can add to the way the story is visualized. The repeating diamonds within the borders of the panels add flow to the story, allowing consistency in order for the eye to focus on the scene itself. There is also repetition among the sizes and shapes of the people, creating the idea that they aren’t much different than each other and creates a sense of community.
The Judgement of Hunefer Before Osiris (p. 66) is an ancient Egyptian work of art illustrated in a Book of the Dead. Portrayed in this tomb painting is an Egyptian practice when the dead would undergo the last judgment of two tests lead by Osiris and supervised by Anubis. Reading the scene from left to right, Hunefer was brought into the judgment area by Anubis, where he would be questioned about their behavior in life. Hunefer’s heart was then weighed against a feather to see if the balance was equal between them if the scale was tipped Hunefer would have been eating by the “Eater of the Dead,” condemning him to non-existence in the afterlife. However, that was not the case as Hunefer is seen on the far right of the panel having been brought into the presence of Osiris as justified.
The Judgement of Hunefer Before Osiris has many similarities when compared to the Standard of Ur. Like most Ancient Egyptian artworks, the Judgement of Hunefer displays a scene from Egyptian afterlife. Similar to the Standard of Ur, the Judgement of Hunefer Before
Osiris is bordered off by lines, creating a flow for the story. The way in which some of the people’s legs are painted with one foot in front of the other and the use of overlap implies movement across the panels, creating the illusion that one foot is behind the other. Repetition can be seen with different patterns in between the registers of the Standard of Ur and can also be seen on the roof of the canopy Osiris is seated under. This use of repetition allows the eye to focus on the stories and for attention to be drawn to certain aspects of the scene, such as Osiris himself. Color is seen in both works while being the most frequently used possibly to show purity or peace. While the blue in the Standard of Ur allows us to draw our attention to the figures themselves, the color blue in the Judgement of Hunefer Before Osiris is painted into the heads of mystical creatures and Osiris generating emphasis on them as they are seen differently than the rest in the painting. A ruler or hierarchy figure is established in both pieces through the use of exaggeration or positioning. The ruler in the Standard of Ur can be easily spotted as he is larger than those around him while in the Judgement of Hunefer Before Osiris, the hierarchy figure can be seen in the bottom right and is distinguished from all others by the use of white clothing.
The Standard of Ur box incorporates many visual elements to convey the ancient times of Ur. Visual elements used in bringing this story to life include line, space, repeating shapes and texture. The dynamic of these elements working together to create stories of peace and war, both culturally significant ideals in early Mesopotamia. When compared to the Judgement of Hunefer Before Osiris, the two pieces are very similar in that the elements mentioned above work together to produce a scene or story. The cultural significance of the Standard of Ur is shown through the story of success in war and the peace of the victory banquet that follows.
Reference
Stokstad, Marilyn, and Michael W. Cothren. Art a Brief History. 6th ed, Pearson, 2014.
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The Judgement of Hunefer Before Osiris (p. 66) is an ancient Egyptian work of art illustrated in a Book of the Dead. Portrayed in this tomb painting is an Egyptian practice when the dead would undergo the last judgment of two tests lead by Osiris and supervised by Anubis. Reading the scene from left to right, Hunefer was brought into the judgment area by Anubis, where he would be questioned about their behavior in life. Hunefer’s heart was then weighed against a feather to see if the balance was equal between them if the scale was tipped Hunefer would have been eating by the “Eater of the Dead,” condemning him to non-existence in the afterlife. However, that was not the case as Hunefer is seen on the far right of the panel having been brought into the presence of Osiris as justified.
The Judgement of Hunefer Before Osiris has many similarities when compared to the Standard of Ur. Like most Ancient Egyptian artworks, the Judgement of Hunefer displays a scene from Egyptian afterlife. Similar to the Standard of Ur, the Judgement of Hunefer Before
Osiris is bordered off by lines, creating a flow for the story. The way in which some of the people’s legs are painted with one foot in front of the other and the use of overlap implies movement across the panels, creating the illusion that one foot is behind the other. Repetition can be seen with different patterns in between the registers of the Standard of Ur and can also be seen on the roof of the canopy Osiris is seated under. This use of repetition allows the eye to focus on the stories and for attention to be drawn to certain aspects of the scene, such as Osiris himself. Color is seen in both works while being the most frequently used possibly to show purity or peace. While the blue in the Standard of Ur allows us to draw our attention to the figures themselves, the color blue in the Judgement of Hunefer Before Osiris is painted into the heads of mystical creatures and Osiris generating emphasis on them as they are seen differently than the rest in the painting. A ruler or hierarchy figure is established in both pieces through the use of exaggeration or positioning. The ruler in the Standard of Ur can be easily spotted as he is larger than those around him while in the Judgement of Hunefer Before Osiris, the hierarchy figure can be seen in the bottom right and is distinguished from all others by the use of white clothing.
The Standard of Ur box incorporates many visual elements to convey the ancient times of Ur. Visual elements used in bringing this story to life include line, space, repeating shapes and texture. The dynamic of these elements working together to create stories of peace and war, both culturally significant ideals in early Mesopotamia. When compared to the Judgement of Hunefer Before Osiris, the two pieces are very similar in that the elements mentioned above work together to produce a scene or story. The cultural significance of the Standard of Ur is shown through the story of success in war and the peace of the victory banquet that follows.
Reference
Stokstad, Marilyn, and Michael W. Cothren. Art a Brief History. 6th ed, Pearson, 2014.
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The Standard of Ur
The Standard of Ur is estimated to be from around 2600-2500 B.C.E. and was found it's found in Mesopotamia. The three-dimensional piece of art is 8” x 19” rectangular wooden box coated with, “shell, lapis lazuli, and red limestone inlaid in bitumen”(Stokstad Cothren 38). All of the color applied to the box are not painted on with pigments, but rather are actual stones that have been cut and adhered to the wooden panels in a mosaic process. Making a mosaic, the artist or artists would use small pieces of stone and shell additively, in this case, to create the overall illustration. Back in 2600 B.C.E., the culture had an abundance of these natural resources which gave pieces of their art beautiful color schemes. This piece of art can now be found in the British Museum in London, England.
Culturally, the piece tells stories of the Sumerians in Mesopotamia through the use of figurative images. On the first side of the box, it shows symbols of a defeated army marching towards the Sumerian ruler of the time. The main reason we can distinguish the Sumerian ruler from the other characters in the image is that of his larger size, adhering to the rules of the Hierarchical scale of importance we have seen in use in Ancient Egypt. The ruler or king is much larger and is placed in the middle of the row making him the center of attention or the focal point. Still on the first side of the box, within the second row of images, it has a representation of the Sumerian army disarming the defeated enemy. The bottom row of visual narrative shows a group of Sumerian military members in chariots running over the enemy in a battle. This bottom row is composed diversely, figures are in many different energetic gestures, chaotically making the narrative seem more visually alive and exciting. On the opposite side of the box, it also contains three rows of the visual narrative telling a story of a large gathering in which the ruler is in attendance. Again the ruler is distinguishable because of his hierarchical scale in comparison to all of the other people around him. Within the bands, we can also notice symbols of animals, instruments, and tools of the time period. Which gives you a sense of the culture in the Sumerian empire at the time.
Through the entire piece, the sense of line is apparent in different forms. For example, the sense of line is seen when first glancing and noticing the piece is split into three flat horizontal rows. Surrounding the entire trim of the box there is a border full of geometric shapes which also play into the idea of a line that visually runs in repetitive format adding more optical interest. Most of the lines within the work of art are either straight horizontal or vertical lines for geometric shapes.
The idea of negative space is represented throughout the background with the beautiful color blue also known as lapis lazuli. As a primary color, blue also recedes into background space, whereas the red limestone advances. The only positive space seen on the two surfaces on the box are the characters and the content that are holding or using. The use of color throughout the work of art stays very simple. Due to only having rock as the mosaic forms that compose this composition and having to create the work’s color scheme, it stays simple and visually impacting. With the few colors, the piece contains the colors are just so beautiful. Between the lapis lazuli and the red limestone, they give the piece a good balance of hue and saturation. The off-white color used for the humans in the foreground in the piece has a good sense of contrast with the blue color in the background.
Another formal element of art that can be seen throughout the front and back of the piece is texture. Whoever the artist, or artists, were who created the wooden box made it evident that texture was implied. For example, when you look at the leader and warriors there is through the physical detail in their clothing that makes it obvious to distinguish them from other civilians. I believe it is due to age, but the cracking in the lapis lazuli color in the background of both the pieces give off a textured appearance. All of the geometric shapes along the border of all the rows of images make it have many different types of textured appearances. The use of both actual and implied texture is seen the best when looking closely at the animals represented in the work.
Another formal element of art that can be seen multiple times throughout the Standard of Ur is repetition. First and foremost, the wooden box has two sides of the same size and the same layout is seen on both sides only with a different context in the stories themselves. Another attribute of repetition can be seen within the format of having three different stories on both larger sides of the box, as well as having every part of the cultural story in each row be different. The borders along the edges of have the same pattern running constantly in the same areas of each side. The blue and off-white goldish color run through the top border as well as underneath the second story and above the third story. The human-like figures represented on both sides of the box contain the same attributes and characteristics which make it easy to believe that whoever made this piece did both the front portion as well as the back. It looks like whoever made this piece tried to keep the colors scheme constant, but it appears that over time the colors have faded on one side. Each person within the same social status or position look identical and make it look as if it's the same person repeated. For example, all of the warriors represented and are positioned in facing the same way and in the same clothing as well as weapons in their hands. All the animals that are seen more than once look identical to each other making the stories within the pieces repetitious. The idea of repetition is most apparent, because of the box being a four-sided object with pairs of even sides, that was most likely intended to be symmetric.
The Standard of Ur is very similar to many pieces of art of the time period as well as art from pre-Mesopotamian civilization. The piece is very similar to the concept of the “Stele of Naram-sin from Sippar (found at Susa [present-day Shush, Iran])” (Stokstad, Cothren 32). The 6 and a half foot carving into a segment of a piece of limestone. This piece can now be found in Musee du Louvre in Paris, France. One of the first similarities that jump right out is the hierarchical scale of which looks to be the ruler or someone of this highest class being bigger in size than the rest of the individuals in the piece. With the Stele of Naram-sin it was a carving while with the Standard of Ur it was an original piece with different types of materials added to it. With that being so, both pieces have portions or small parts that extrude from the original limestone media by using the subtractive carving process into this detailed relief. Throughout both of the pieces, the people of the same social status or job title are in the same position of motion throughout the piece. They also have the same attire and tools or weapons with them. Both works of art also depict stories of different sorts that play into their culture and belief system. In both of the works, they also depict a dead human body being stepped on, but they are depicted in different ways. It is harder to see, but in the Stele of Naram-sin they are set into rows somewhat. You can see groups of people lined up on top of the next group which gives it an element of the organization similar to the rows of the Standard of Ur. Another similarity that is evident is the type of weapons they are holding in both of the pieces of art. Each piece of art also contains a portion where it looks to be weathered and aged. With that being said, it's hard to recognize both portions and does not allow the story to fully comprehensible.
Within the Stele of Naram-sin it looks as if they are looking upward towards the sun which would most likely be a god of their culture. The story depicts one of the Empire’s most important victories in battle. It also depicts the scenery of where the battle took place. For example, it shows the terrain of the mountain and the tree towards the lower portion of the image. It also shows the fallen soldiers that they lost in the battle, as well as the soldiers from the opposing side that they were fighting. Even though it is an ancient piece of art it shows a detailed depiction of the story which plays towards the idea of its importance.
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