chapter10 power politics&glory
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War and Rulers in ArtTRANSCRIPT
Rulers and WarChapter 10
Power, Politics and Glory
The Glory of the Ruler
• Idealized Image– without flaw– Youthful– wise or dignified
• Symbols: authority, divine, power
• Compositional devices: center, focal point
Royal Portraits
• Menkaure and His Wife, Queen Khamerernebty, Gizeh, Egypt, 4th Dynasty, c. 2600 BCEslate, height 4 feet 6inches
• Egyptian ideal of beauty and maturity
The Power of the State
• Places and Spaces of Power:– Grand size– Lavish ornamentation– Height– Symbolic art featured
Hall of Supreme Harmony, Forbidden City, Beijing, China.
Signs of power…
Warriors, Weapons & Fortifications
• Fierceness shown in emphasis of armor, weapons, or regalia of power
Plaque: Warrior and Attendants, 16th–17th centuryNigeria; Edo peoples, Court of BeninBrass H. 18 3/4 in. (47.6 cm)
WAR SCENES
• Memorable, glorious, action-filled event
• Document battles from different points of view
Detail of Mural by Diego Rivera.
Scenes of war between the native peoples of the
area of what is now Mexico and the Spanish
conquistadors.
Guernica, Pablo Picasso
Contemporary Artists on WarGerda Meyer BernsteinExercise in Futility, 2008
walk-in installation, mixed media
Glorious vs. Realistic Images of War
Napoleon Crossing the Alps, Jacques-Louis David, 1800, France.
And they are like wild beasts, Disasters of War Series, Francisco Goya.
Conclusion
• In what ways can art be used in the service of the state and rulers?
• How do politics influence art? • How has art documented war?