"Exploring the Ancient World of Sculptures" (Egypt, Africa, South America, Roman, Greece)

        Since I've been always fascinated by ancient history, for my curator project I’ve decided to pick 10 artworks from Metropolitan Museum of Art which reflect that time and it's cultures.  All the sculptures I picked from MET collection are of ancient time, besides the African artwork. Each of them holds some sort of meaning behind and/or symbolizes something. As we all know, ancient art was always highly symbolic and intended to keep history alive. Some of the sculptures represent man, while others represent the culture of the place people lived in or the way they looked like. 

I find the different techniques used in all those countries to create these sculptures very interesting and fascinating. I would even say that some of them seem to be created in such a way, that they give me an idea on how art influenced their cultures. I feel my breath being taken away as I look at life size sculptures. Imagine the original Sphinx which you can see only if you go to Giza, the sculptural abilities of Egyptian artists have no limits. 

        I found Roman and Greece sculptures very look alike. The same techniques have been used by the artists who created them. The way they’re made is just astounding. Figures of people are almost “coming out” of the stone. 

        I’ve also found similarities among South American and African Sculptures. Although the “bench figure” is made of ceramic, it looks like it was made of wood, just like African wood sculpture, because of the color it was painted with. Both figures wear earrings. The kind of red they chose for the earrings makes me wonder. Is it possible that the colors they chose have some sort of correspondence with the climate? 

       I absolutely loved all of them because it's very interesting to analyze these sculptures and find what similarities they share. Even though all of these artworks were created in different sides of the world, we’re still capable of finding some kind of connection amongst them. 

       As I said before, I'm in love with ancient history and I think that art plays a big part in the development of every culture and its country. When I see immense sculptures like those I found in Metropolitan Museum of Art, I start longing to go to those countries and explore their mysterious ancient worlds and their cultures. 

       Metal-implements and wood paintings are approximately of the same time and from the same countries I mentioned above have lots of similarities too, but they also have differences that make them unique to the places they are coming from. I found a connection among them as well and the techniques that were used to create them seem to be very similar which again shows how cultures influence and interact with one another.

"Sphinx of Hatshepsut"
Granite, paint; stone sculpture
ca. 1473–1458 B.C.
"Egyptian Art" Section
 

"Marble sarcophagus with the                           Triumph of Dionysos and the Seasons"                      Marble, stone sculpture                                        ca. A.D. 260–270                                         "Greek and Roman Art" Sec.

 

 

"Ten marble fragments of                                                             the Great Eleusinian Relief"                                                          ca. 27 B.C.–A.D. 14                                                                 Marble, stone sculpture                                                                "Greek and Roman Art" Section

 

                     

"Bench Figure" 
1st century BCE–4th century CE
Ceramics-Sculpture
"Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas" Section 

"Commemorative Mother and Child Figure"
19th–20th century
Wood-Sculpture
 "Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas" Section

Dagger handle (with 22.3.75a)
ca. 1580–1479 B.C.
Wood
“Egyptian Art” Section

Ceremonial Knife (Tumi)
9th–11th century
Metal-implements
"Arts of Africa, Oceania and
the Americas" Sec.

     Ceremonial Knife
     19th–20th century
     Metal-implements
     "Arts of Africa, Oceania and
     the Americas" Sec.









  
                                             


Portrait of the Boy Eutyches
A.D. 100–150
Encaustic on wood, paint
"Egyptian Art" Section 


 










Portrait of a thin-faced, bearded man        
A.D. 160–180                                   
Encaustic, limewood                          
"Egyptian Art" Section