Study Notes for ART 2313: Introduction to Fine Art Discussion on Power in Art

Introduction to Fine Art (ART 2313) - Discussion on Artworks and Power

  • Date: January 30, 2025
  • Course Title: ART 2313: Intro to Fine Art
  • Discussion Theme: How do the artworks in this week’s discussion symbolize, reflect, or criticize power?

Narmer Palette

  • Period: Early Dynastic period
  • Date: ca. 2950 B.C.E.
  • Material: green schist
  • Dimensions: 25" h

Description

  • Sides:
    • Recto: Front side with iconography and details.
    • Verso: Back side which complements the Recto.

Key Characteristics

  • Form:
    • Composite Pose: Represents figures in profile with clear recognition of essential features.
    • Registers: Horizontal bands that delineate scenes.
    • Hierarchic Scale: Larger figures signify greater importance.
    • Bas-relief Carving: Sculpture technique used to create depth and detail.

Iconography

  • Elements Represented:
    • White Crown of Upper Egypt: Symbol of authority and reign over Upper Egypt.
    • Sandals: Indicate the status of the wearer, often representative of royal figures.
    • Kilt and Bull’s Tail: Traditional attire symbolic of nobility.
    • Bare Feet: Signify purity or divinity.
    • Ground Line: Indicates the base or foundation of the scene.
    • Horus (falcon god): Represents kingship and protector of Egypt.
    • Papyrus: Symbol of Lower Egypt, often serves as a geographical marker in Egyptian art.
    • Enemies: Depicted as captured foes to signify conquest.
    • Beheaded Enemies: Illustrate victory in battle.
    • Fortified City: Represents the locations of conquest.
    • Long-necked Lions: Associated with strength and royalty.
    • Sandal Bearer: Symbol of high status and royal processions.
    • Red Crown of Lower Egypt: Contrasts with the White Crown representing duality in governance.

Relief of Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II

  • Period: Middle Kingdom
  • Date: ca. 2010—2000 B.C.E.
  • Material: limestone, paint
  • Dimensions: 14 3/16 in. h x 38 9/16 in. w

Iconography and Symbolism

  • Mentuhotep II: Pharaoh associated with the unification of Egypt.
  • Goddess Hathor: Represents motherhood and fertility, often depicted alongside rulers.

Model of the Giza Plateau

  • Description:
    • Temples and Pyramids of Pharaohs: From left to right, the structures belonging to Menkaure, Khafre, and Khufu are included.
Khafre
  • Period: Fourth Dynasty
  • Date: ca. 2520—2494 B.C.E.
  • Material: Diorite-gabbro gneiss
  • Dimensions: 5’6 1/8”
  • Location: Egyptian Museum, Cairo; Found at Giza, valley temple of Khafre

Hatshepsut

  • Statue Description:
    • Title: Hatshepsut Kneeling with Offering Jars
    • Date: ca. 1473—1458 B.C.E.
    • Material: Red granite
    • Height: 8 ft. 6 in.
    • Location: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Akhenaten

  • Colossal Figure:
    • Date: 1353—1336 B.C.E.
    • Material: Sandstone with traces of polychromy
    • Height of remaining portion: 13 ft.
    • Location: Egyptian Museum, Cairo; From Karnak

Akhenaten and his Family

  • Artwork Type: Painted Limestone relief
  • Date: 1353—1336 BCE (Eighteenth Dynasty)
  • Dimensions: 12 ¼ in. x 15 ¼ in.
  • Found at: Tell el-Amarna, Middle Egypt.
  • Figures Depicted: Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and children, emphasizing familial bonds and divine grace.

Triangular Trade

  • Description:
    • Regions Involved: North America, Caribbean Islands, Africa, Europe, South America, and Asia Minor.
    • Key Components:
    • Enslaved People: Integral to labor on plantations, producing valuable goods.
    • Exports from the Americas: Included sugar, tobacco, cotton, molasses, rum, rice, silver, gold, whale oil, lumber, furs, and more.
    • Imports to the Americas: Included cloth, guns, metals, alcohol.

Ethical and Historical Implications

  • Slavery and Labor: Discussion on the inhumane practices surrounding the acquisition of labor and resources used in production.
  • Economic Impact: How materials traded influenced the economic structures within the Americas and Europe, reinforcing systems of inequality.

Contemporary Artists

  • Simone Leigh:

    • Artwork: Sphinx, 2020
    • Medium: bronze
    • Dimensions: 48” h x 38” w x 24” d
    • Location: Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, D.C.

  • Kara Walker:

    • Artwork: A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar Baby
    • Description: Mixed-media installation (35 ft x 28 ft x 75 ft)
    • Location: Domino Sugar Refining Plant, Brooklyn, NY
    • Homenage to: “Unpaid and Overworked Artisans who have refined our Sweet Tastes from the Cane Fields of the New World to the Demolition of the Domino Sugar Refining Plant”

Required Viewing

  • Links provided for significant installations and exhibitions related to themes of power and identity in art.