Museum Essay #1

The two works of art I have chosen for this blog post date about 3000 years apart but both depict men posing. The first artwork is titled "Relief from Battle Scene", it dates back to the reign of Amenhotep II circa 1479-1400 BC,the medium is painted sandstone and the artist's name is unknown. The second artwork is titled "The Builders" (1920) by Fernand Leger, his medium is oil on canvas. Although these two scenes were created thousands of years apart there are some similar themes, the first painting depicts a battle scene, something that happened fairly often in ancient Egypt, the second painting depicts men at work on a building site, something we see often in todays world. Both of these artists were depicting what they saw in the world around them.

The first painting is representational art, it has two dimensional figures painted on rock, the stylized way ancient Egyptians always drew figures. The colors that the Egyptian artist used were chosen because they are the closest to realistic they could be. 

The second painting is much more abstract, it was created during a time when artists were creating a new way of representing people and objects with geometric shapes and avoiding using any realistic forms. The colors that Leger has used are also unnatural and the bright colors mixed with the black and white figures gives this artwork a very warm feel. Leger's artwork also seems to have more depth, the figures overlapping the colors in the background give this painting this illusion. In ancient Egypt, artists did not have the ability to paint figures and give them the illusion of depth. Although these two paintings are stylistically completely different there are some similarities in the shapes that these artists have created. At first glance you can tell that both of these artworks are of human figures, the shapes that the artists have drawn make that clear. 

These two artworks were made in completely different eras, Leger had the benefit of thousands of years worth of art technique at his disposal but the themes in both these artworks are still similar. Stylistically, these two artworks are certainly different and many would say that Leger's painting is much more sophisticated and technically superior but it seems that throughout history artists tend to render the world around them as they see it. Styles and mediums of art have changed but generally, with the exception of very abstract, non-representational art, artists have always depicted nature and their world in a way that they are best able and comfortable with.

Both of these artworks represent two very different eras in art, the ancient Egyptians created art for centuries, it is regarded as one of the most advanced ancient civilizations. The art they created is on display in museums across the world, the artwork above is a significant piece of ancient art from a time when many parts of the world were not creating art solely for the purpose of viewing. The cubist painting by Leger represents a completely different period in art. It was painted in an era where abstract art was being created in contrast to the representational art that preceded it for centuries. This is the reason both these artworks are in the museum today.