Art, is an element which has existed for centuries, dating back to prehistoric times. It allows one to express their feelings, beliefs, and talents onto various forms of mediums. Ranging from sculptures, to paintings, and even writing, art is a powerful tool to showcase one’s thoughts. At the metropolitan museum one of the most noticeable pieces of art work was The Metternich Stela. Dating back to Dynasty 30, 360-342 B.C, this stela belongs to the ancient empire of Egypt. The Metternich Stela represents a super naturalistic story due to its inscriptions, vivid imagery, and hierarchal proportions. The medium of the Metternich Stela appears to be stone. The slab itself is rectangular, with sharp corners, and is vertically upright. There is
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This indicates that the purpose of the art piece was supposed to be viewed from all angles. Towards the upper part of the stela there is an apparent indentation that arises from the surface. It appears that the artist used an additive technique to create sculptures of four main characters, some animals and symbolic objects such as staffs and relics. The rest of the stela is covered in an ancient Egyptian writing called hieroglyphics. Engraved all around the stone from top to bottom and all five sides, the hieroglyphics are inscribed within the grey stone. In ancient Egypt hieroglyphics was used in paintings, sculptures, walls, tombs, and slabs to indicate a divine story. Usually some sort of painting or sculpture would accommodate the writing. This particular stela also seems to continue that tradition. Upon further inspection, one can observe that the stela is subdivided into smaller sections. Each row is telling a story which overall contributes to one message. For example, on the first row there is a circular object located directly at the center. All of the animals and humans are facing this object and appear to be praising it. As you continue to glance down, each row gets more sophisticated with its
This indicates that the purpose of the art piece was supposed to be viewed from all angles. Towards the upper part of the stela there is an apparent indentation that arises from the surface. It appears that the artist used an additive technique to create sculptures of four main characters, some animals and symbolic objects such as staffs and relics. The rest of the stela is covered in an ancient Egyptian writing called hieroglyphics. Engraved all around the stone from top to bottom and all five sides, the hieroglyphics are inscribed within the grey stone. In ancient Egypt hieroglyphics was used in paintings, sculptures, walls, tombs, and slabs to indicate a divine story. Usually some sort of painting or sculpture would accommodate the writing. This particular stela also seems to continue that tradition. Upon further inspection, one can observe that the stela is subdivided into smaller sections. Each row is telling a story which overall contributes to one message. For example, on the first row there is a circular object located directly at the center. All of the animals and humans are facing this object and appear to be praising it. As you continue to glance down, each row gets more sophisticated with its