Origins and Transformations of Western Art - Essay Example

History: Neolithic Artifacts The ancient art of the stone age is fascinating not just because of the artistic quality that is demonstrated in such old works, but also because of the limited tools these people had to make their art and in what this art has to say about their civilization and the way they lived their lives. By looking at ancient Neolithic art and comparing it, one can learn a great deal about how these cultures were similar as well as how they differed from one another. Two examples of Neolithic art that can be compared and contrasted in this way are the Palette of King Narmer dated at approximately 3000 B.C. from Egypt and the Victory Stele of Naram-Sin (2254-2218 BC, Akkadian Dynasty).

Both images depict a moment in their respective nations history, inscribed in stone to project an image of power and influence of the nations respective leaders and their gods. There is a distinct difference, however, in the way in which the two images are presented, which can be used to identify the cultural and geographical differences that lie between the graphic representations of the two societies. The Palette of Narmer presents a continuous telling of the story of Narmer’s unification of Upper and Lower Egypt.

Narmer’s presence, presented in frontality form, overshadows that of those who surround him. The images are portrayed over three sections, upper, middle and lower, each of which presents a different aspect of the story. The symbolic representation of the Narmer, as a conquering bull, is used in concordance with an abstract sense of perspective, in which the figure of Narmer presides over the majority of the front of the palette, causing it to remain the focal center. The summation of images gives off the impression of chaotic struggle held tightly under the reigns of authority.

In contrast, the image of the Victory Stele of Naram-Sin is presented as one singular event in time. Where the Narmer Palette is divided into clear sections that detail different elements of the general story, the stele of Naram-Sin depicts a singular event when the king expanded the boundaries of his dynasty further than they had ever gone before. The image on the stele depicts the king leading his army up the treacherous sides of a mountain slope, trampling the Lullubi enemy beneath their feet as they go or tossing the dead bodies over the cliff edge.

There are similarities with the palette of Narmer, though, in the fact that the king remains the largest figure in the image as a means of denoting his importance, and there is a degree of importance placed on the pitiful state of the enemy as they beg for mercy as well as the hard line adopted by the king in which a clear vision to the top is maintained and no mercy for anything standing in the way is considered. Both images reflect the mythologized feats of the cultures’ kings. The use of chaotic, tightly spaced imagery in The Palette of Narmer creates a sense of the divisive battles that occurred in Egypt, before Narmers unification of upper and lower Egypt.

The image of the Victory Stele of Naram-Sin shows similar importance given to the concepts of dominance and determination, but concentrates on the single battle deemed most emblematic of the king’s great deeds and then providing this battle with the level of detail and imagery required to illustrate the king’s most salient characteristics.