The art piece is “Fragment of a Floor Mosaic with a Personification of Ktisis. The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds this marble and glass mosaic in gallery number 301. The fragment of a floor mosaic comes from around 500-550 CE and has been restored by modern techniques and copied from a picture (“Fragment of a Floor Mosaic with a Personification of Ktisis”). The artist is unknown and originates from the Byzantine Empire. The method is from the classical tradition of personifying abstract ideals and went on throughout the Christian era in a multitude of places around the basin of the Mediterranean (“Fragment of a Floor Mosaic with a Personification of Ktisis). A Greek inscription by her head establishes her as Ktisis and the personification of being a generous donor. Her role is indicated by her holding the rod, a measuring tool for the Roman foot (“Fragment of a …show more content…
The women are adorned with jewels; which shows a higher status in life. The fragments used are geometrical in shape and give the appearance of being shiny. In this mosaic, the forms are distinct and formed on a flat plane. This appears to be multicolored especially in the boarding of the neckline of her dress that is created by the black and white tesserae that appears to resemble pearls (“Fragment of a Floor Mosaic with a Personification of Ktisis”). The face of the women seems to have an olive complexion with shades of pink arranged asymmetrical with her large staring eyes that is typical of Byzantine art in this time (“Fragment of a Floor Mosaic with a Personification of Ktisis”). The text from the online collection states that blue glass added to the mosaic represented sapphires and the red and green glass is a sixth –century Byzantine style. The hair style and eyes that are seen in this mosaic was seen in a bust of the “Lady or Rank,” from mid- sixth century Constantinople (“Fragment of a Floor Mosaic with a Personification of
Throughout the history of art, the human body and figure has captivated both artisans and their audiences. This can be said especially of the Greeks and their sculptures. Even from the earliest periods, Greeks motivation for the search of the ideal human body can be seen through the sculpture Metropolitan Kouros (c 120-50 BCE), created in the Archaic period and said to be found in Attica, Ancient Greece (Richter 1931, p. 220). However, it is not until High Classical period that they truly achieve their goal with Polykleitos’ The Spear Bearer (c. 120-50 BCE) or the Doryphoros (its Greek name). The sculpture, found in a Palestra in Pompeii, Italy is said to be the epitome of perfection during its period. Although there is exquisite rendering and beauty in both sculptures, there are also a vast number of differences that make each work unique.
This particular statuette represents the Virgin Mary and her child (Barbier). It is sculpted with gilded silver and has basse-taille reliefs on the pedestal, embellished with various stones and pearls. The statuette is approximately 2 feet tall and the Virgin is standing on a rectangular pedestal that rests on four small lions (Kleiner). The
This sculpture is comprised of marble, and due to its large size it was easier for me to develop an impression about the piece because I can focus on specific parts in more detail. To understand the piece, a very visual and detailed perspective is needed. Judging by the way the thighs are represented, it appears as though she is striking a contrapposto pose, which makes her appear static. She has most of her weight shifted on her left leg, but not all of it The focal point of this piece I believe is her robe. It skillfully falls down her left side, while leaving other parts exposed, drawing the main attention of this piece. Few different types of shapes are displayed, except the shape of her legs and the form of the robe. The physical texture was smooth throughout the entire piece, partly due to the material it is made of. There is only this one texture, as her robe and body parts all feel the same.
She is placating the Egyptian king with stories of how she wishes to honor the passing of Menelaos. She is portraying the qualities most commonly considered to be agathos in a female. She is
The subject of the artwork is Nefertiti, who was the wife of Akhenaten. In addition to being a wife, Nefertiti was also a queen of Egypt. Nefertiti is posed in a very graceful stance. She looks very calm and put together. Due to the curvature of the very elongated neck, the Bust of Nefertiti is poised into a relaxed pose, while maintaining her eternal beauty at the same time. These features are also noticeable when moving the focus towards the eyes, which are slightly closed enough to see her eyelids in addition to her actual eyes. Her eyes are composed into a very natural state; they aren’t widened as if they are portraying a specific facial expression. Her entire face has a peaceful and very naturalistic look. Although often times portraits in Egypt were made to be exaggerated and never depicted what the person actually looked like, this piece
This piece of art depicted the interaction between Dionysus and Pan in a form of sculpture. The sculpture was created from beautiful marble in A.D. 50 – 150. The work is three
It has been speculated that the woman that the portrait depicts was in fact a vestal virgin, however one particular feature seems to dispute this theory. Vestal virgins were typically shown with an infula, a frontlet or headband, around the hairline just above the forehead. While from the frontal angle the portrait appears to have a similar band, closer observation shows that the woman's hair has been braided and wrapped around the forehead in similar style, and that the veil she wears appears merely to be of the style generally shown in funerary monuments. All other representations of vestal virgins we have studied generally have a very apparent infula, so in this case it seems that while the features may appear similar, the fuller veil and knotted hairstyle of the portrait, lean more toward matron than vestal virgin (Johansen 246-7).
Starting with Bastet, this free-standing statue hails from Late –Ptolemaic Period (664–30 B.C) from Egypt. Medium used was bronze, precious metal and black bronze inlays. The dimensions are H. 5 cm (4 1/8 in.); W. 3.2 cm (1 1/4 in.); D. 3.9 cm (1 9/16 in.). This statuette was donated to the Museum by George and Florence Blumenthal in 1934 and is on view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 134.
The piece is a red-figured, wine bowl that is attributed to the Niobid Painter. It was made in Athens, Greece around 460-450 BC, and found in Altamura. Puglia, Italy (British Museum). There are two scenes on top of one another that occur in the piece. The top scene is the creation of Pandora. She is standing rigid while five of the gods are standing around her. Athena is about to put a wreath on her head. The scene below displays a frieze of dancing and playing satyrs. Because the vase is round it isn’t possible to see all the figures in the piece. But looking at the piece from the front, six gods are portrayed in the top scene. The gods in the scene from left to right are: Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, Pandora, Ares, and Hermes. The gods in the piece are identifiable because of distinguishable traits that certain characters
The portrait is displayed horizontally with a gold trimmed frame. The subject is a female that looks to be in her early 20’s sitting upright on a large brown chair. If the viewer travels up the painting the first indication of the woman’s class is her satin, blue dress. The saturated blue shines and falls in the light like water. Paired with the dress are her exceptionally detailed endings to her sleeves. The lace is even painted as though it is translucent, allowing a little of the blue dress to show through the sleeve. Flowers throughout history have symbolized innocence of a woman and her virginity. The repeating theme of flowers, in the sleeve cuffs and ribbon) in the woman’s attired suggests her purity or innocent nature. Another very details section of the painting includes the corset/torso details. The sewing suggests texture in the torso with small beading in between. Towards the top of the chest in the center, the female seems to bear an extravagant, ribbon piece with a tear drop bead in the center. The light pink
This essay aims to investigate two different time periods in the history of art. It will scrutinize the influence that the respective societal contexts had on the different artists, which in turn, caused them to arrange the formal elements in a specific way. I will be examining an Egyptian sculpture of the god Isis nursing Horus, her son, as well as the Vladimir Virgin icon, which dates from the Byzantine era. Experts vary on the precise ‘lifetime’ of the Ancient Egyptian civilization, but according to Mason (2007:10) it existed from 3100 BCE up to 30 BCE. The Byzantine era, which
It is moreover pyramidal in structure with the vertex coinciding with Mary’s head. The base of the sculpture depicts the rock of Golgotha and is broader than the progressive
When examining the statue, there is an old woman bent and weary. Her posture helps clue us in, with her age and the state of her health. The figure is dressed in cloth that drapes off her body as she carries a basket that is filled with what we may think are offerings. On her head, there are vines that create a band around the top of her head used to signify the festival that was going on during that time. The specific detail that is seen on this statue persuades us to want to know the story of this woman. Doing so, the process involves lots of research about the time and art. During the hellenistic period, artists begin to introduce more inner beauty than physical beauty. There is an opportunity to learn more about the structure itself, then settle for what is given and seen.
Sometimes it can be easier to let others make decisions. People find comfort in letting others decide deadlines or goals. People can find direction in others’ choices for them that they could never have possibly come up for themselves. That having been said, life also requires ownership. A person’s life is full of options and can mean so much more if personal decisions are made within. It certainly is difficult, but the struggle often makes the result all that much sweeter. Such is the case in E.M. Forster’s novel A Room with a View. Throughout the story Lucy is stuck within the rigid, cookie-cutter class system. She finds herself surrounded by people who mindlessly go with expected actions and must walk in step behind all the adults in
The artwork is portrayed as a naked man holding the head of Medusa in his left hand and in his right hand he the sword that beheaded Medusa and he were wearing the cap of darkness and the winged sandles. It was all carved in marble. This sculpture was made by Antonio Canova, he was born in Passagno. This marble was carved in Rome in 1804-6.