Sunday, April 26, 2020

Winged Genius is an astonishing work of art from t Essays

Winged Genius is an astonishing work of art from the Mesopotamian palace of Ashurnasirpal II created between 883 -859 B.C.E . It was not uncommon for a king ruling during the Ancient Near-Eastern period to have large pieces of art created on their behalf, as they believed it showed their power and strength when carved larger than life . Made out of limestone and cut into three parts , Winged Genius has dimensions of approximately 72 inches tall by 40 inches wide . Overall, i t is a carving of the profile of a winged man with a beard, and shoulder length , tightly braided hair, holding a sma ll basket or pot in his left hand while his right hand is open and held in the air as if waving to someone. On his wrists are bracelets with one flower in the middle, making it look comparable to a watch. He wears a long robe lined with tassels and thin-strapped sandals o n hi s feet similar to what Jesus a n d his contemporaries would wear. The placard next to the relief carving states: This panel was taken from th e remains of an imperial palace at Nimrud, the capital of the Assyrian empire, now located in modern Iraq. The walls of the palace, constructed by Ashurnasirpal II (883-859), were decorated with stone panels carved in low relief, narrating hi s hunting and military exploits. This genius, or demi-god, was part of a grouping of winged creatures facing a stylized tree, a scene repeated numerous times in the palace. They appear to be performing fertility rites associated with the date palm, a tree held sacred by the Assyrians because it provides food, drink, wood, and shelter. The cuneiform text which covers the surface is part of a standard inscription that extol the victories and greatness of Ashurnasirpal and describes the building of his palace. Traces remain of the bright colors with which the panel was painted, increasing its visual impact. The palace at Nimrud was excavated between 1 845 and 1851 A.D. by Sir Austin H . Layard working on behalf of the British Museum. This panel was among a number of palace scul p tures acquired at that time for a private and public collections in the United States, making them the first examples of ancient Mesopotamian art to reach the wester n world. ( MIA placard) From what we have learned in the textbook and class, I believe that Winged Genius came out of the culture of Assyria. In Gardner Kleiner , ( 2013 , pg. 46) , we notice that there is a painting on glazed brick (f igure 2-2 1) that was created during of the same timeframe. Another created work is 2-22 Gardner Kleiner , (2013, pg. 47 ) , which is a horizontal relief piece from the same time and culture. The top section of the relief sculpture contains many tiny details a person does not notice u ntil star ing at it for a very long time. At first you just see a human head, a large hand and beard and a shoulder. The relief is huge and we can notice earrings and a small type of headpiece when studying further. The largeness of the body tells the people that this subject larger than life and cannot forget that this is a demi-god. The large hand can remind people that the demi-gods are here with them and can either help or harm them at the demi-gods whim. The earrings and headpiece remind the people of the richness and prosperity of their calling as a demi-god. The long, flowing braided hair and decorated beard remind the people of the prosperity and higher station of a demi-god, so u nlike the working class culture that slaves away for the king and his palace. The large empty eyes remind the king and his people that the demi-god is all seeing and can contr ol them at his whim. The flowered bracelets are another way to show the king and his subjects the overindulgence of the demi-god. The bracelets are unneeded by common folk, but remind them of the demi-gods need to be showered with gifts

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