Formal Analysis assignment: “God Horus Protecting King Nectanebo II”

Description

The topic for formal analysis is “God Horus Protecting King Nectanebo II” Late Period, 360–343 BCE Ancient Egypt Medium: Meta-Greywacke Dimensions: h. 72 cm (28 3/8 in); w. 20 cm (7 7/8 in); d. 46.5 cm (18 5/16 in); Weight 55.3 kg (122 lb.) (info can be found at Metropolitan Museum) (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/544887) Here’s the instruction for the assignment: So, go to the museum link I provide! Read/listen (there’s a short recording if you scroll down the page). Open up the photos. You may describe the expression, the stance, all of the details (big & small), or perhaps lack of details in some places, the clothing, the base (what is on the base?) Are the incised lines thick, or fine; is it tall, short; what about color, condition, texture? Where does your eye travel when observing this piece (top to bottom?, left to right?, from the large to the small?)  What is obvious, or not so obvious? Is it complex or is it straightforward in its execution? Is it elegant, clumsy, subtle powerful, etc etc etc???? (Try using a Thesaurus if you can’t quite find the right words to help you describe or, as importantly, to help you find different ways of describing the piece so that your writing doesn’t sound repetitive!!! It is not a good thing in writing to use the same descriptive words over and over again!) Also, is the sculpture conveying a certain “message” and if yes, how? Is it, then, successful in conveying this message? If it is symbolic of something(s), what are those things—how is it communicating to you/us? In other words, it could be just a bird and a man OR it could be much more than simply a representation of a bird. If it is, tell me about that too. How does it communicate these ideas in the very way it is sculpted, or visualized? Imagine that the original viewer(s) would have automatically understood all these things! (In the museum, for the contemporary viewer, the object has been placed upon a pedestal, and it is ABOVE eye level. This placement, too, could be a vehicle for the museum to communicate something to us. There is also some dramatic spot lighting, from above, which accentuates the object’s shadows and the deep gray color of this beautiful stone.) What do you see??? All these details are things we usually take for granted. But, if you were the artist, you would be making very deliberate decisions about how every little component should appear. So, tell me about all of these decisions. Perhaps consider describing the object first, and then tell me how it’s visual details communicate certain ideas. Also, use the measurements provided by the museum to help you better visualize its size! And remember, the basic museum label information—title, date, material, measurements, country of origin, etc.—may simply be put on your title page (I’ve provided the title page template in Modules.) You don’t have to repeat this information in the paper, though you might mention the dimensions since this will help me imagine what the sculpture looks like!