Amanda Duchesne museum visit

For my formal analysis of art I decided to visit the Dallas Museum of Art and explore the King Tut exhibit. Ancient Egypt has always been of interest to me so I relished the opportunity to see these artifacts in a different way. I would normally not consider the artistic elements of these items, but after looking at them as a piece of art I can see the beauty and artistic elements. I chose the Canopic Stopper of Tutankhamun because the detail and beauty amazed me.
The Canopic Stopper is a sculpture in white calcite stone. There is some painting on the sculpture for the facial features. As this piece is extremely old I am unsure of what kind of tools would have been available during this time period to carve such a piece. The sculpture is relatively small as it is designed to cover a jar that would contain an organ of King Tut. The sculpture has many horizontal lines throughout with the only exception being the top of the headdress. They are seen not only in the sides of the headdress but also in the face. The lines that make up the eyebrows, eyes and mouth are slightly curved. The lines in the face contribute to an almost expressionless gaze, however as I continued to examine the face it looks sad. The eyes also seem to create an invisible psychological line as they are the first thing I noticed and drew me in.
The stopper is three dimensional and is clearly recognizable as a human face, although not necessarily Tutankhamun. I can find no apparent limitations in the artist’s medium and style perhaps because it is both functional and artistic. The headdress has both a cobra and vulture which are specifically related to King Tut. The sculpture is a bust and was sculpted in a subtractive manner in the round. It is meant to be seen from all sides. Since it is a sculpture light is not a major consideration. However since the artist used paint for the facial features the presence of light accentuates these features more than if it was just sculpted. The sculpture is made of white calcite stone. The artist’s use of color for the face draws the audience to the eyes. The eyes are outlined in black. This addition of color transforms what might be a nondescript piece to a more human and relevant work by adding a hint of emotion and intensifying the gaze. The choice of red on the lips is just a touch of realism. The other painted portion is the vulture. By painting the vulture and part of the cobra the artist accentuates the most important identifying elements of King Tut.
The artist uses balance in the sculpture because it is an accurate representation of a human face. The sculpture is vertically symmetrical with equal elements on both halves. The use of paint makes those areas the focal points. The primary focal point is the eyes while the secondary are the vulture and cobra. The only element of rhythm is found in the headdress. There are repeating horizontal lines. These lines indicate the decorative ornamentation found in the pharaoh’s headdress.