Transcript Slide 1

Art and design
The human form
Power and Devotion
We want to give a form to a god or spiritual being
We want to represent ourselves
We want to commemorate an ancestor
We want to define our own identity
We want to experiment with our bodies
Why do we create objects in human form?
We want to entertain
We are interested in ourselves
We want to portray emotions and feelings
We want to communicate the power of an individual
We try to understand and record unfamiliar or new peoples
We want to depict the people we admire – heroes,
heroines, idols
We strive to create a perfect human
We wish to celebrate and remember a person
We want to give our children something to play with
Art and design: the human form
Power
Power and the human form
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Who might use images of the human form to assert power? Why?
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How could these images be spread amongst a wider audience both in the past and nowadays?
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If an object or statue is an a public place, how can the effect of the object be enhanced?
This is a plaque which used to decorate the palace of the oba or king of
Benin. It probably dates from the 16th century.
How do you know which is the powerful figure on the plaque? What
does his pose suggest?
What is he wearing or holding that might denote power or status?
What material do you think the plaque is made from?
Why do you think it was placed where it was?
This statue is of Ashurnasirpal II, the King of Assyria in the 9th
century BC.
What does his pose suggest about him?
What is he wearing or holding that might denote power?
What material do you think the statue is made from?
What do the following facts add to your view of this statue?
The statue used to stand in the temple of a goddess.
The stone it’s made from was brought back from a military
campaign abroad.
The writing on the statue’s chest lists the king’s titles and family.
Compare what you have found:
Material:
both are made of imported or expensive materials – brass and
magnesite
Pose:
both stand tall and still, looking out at the viewer
Clothing and regalia:
both hold symbolic objects and wear important robes of office
Location:
both were located in prominent places for many people to see: the
plaque was one of many which would have created a powerful effect;
the statue was raised up on a base
Art and design: the human form
Devotion
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The human form is frequently used when creating images intended for devotion or worship – why might this be?
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Who might such images be of?
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What sorts of places are such images placed in?
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If the image is of a god or a deity, where might inspiration for the image come from?
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Think of examples of religious symbols being used on devotional images alongside the human form.
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This is a statue of A’a, a Polynesian god which dates from the
18th century.
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How has the human form been used in this case – how
many images of it can you find?
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What might this represent?
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Did you see that all the features are created
with small figures? There are 30 on the
front and back.
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In the back is a cavity in which 24 other
figures were kept.
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We believe this represents the god A’a in
the process of creating other gods and men.
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Picasso had a cast of this figure in his studio
and was greatly inspired by these multiple
images of the human form.
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Where do you think these figures come from?
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Where might they have been displayed?
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There are holes in the bases of the figures. What does this
suggest about how the figures could have been used
originally?
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What ideal elements of the human form are suggested for
the male and female figures?
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These are bronze figures from Tamil Nadu in India and date
from around AD 1000.
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They were placed in a temple as the focus of worship and
devotion.
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During festivals, they were decorated with flowers and
attached to a wooden structure through the hole at the
bottom. The figures were then carried through the streets
by male devotees.
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What impact would this change of colour and location
make?
These figures show Vishnu, the Hindu god and his consorts,
Bhu, the Earth goddess, and Shri, the goddess of
prosperity.
There are many symbolic details.
On the Vishnu figure try to find:
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a tall crown
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elaborate jewellery
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a conch shell
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a flaming discus in his upper hands
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his lower right hand facing out
This hand position is known as abhayamudra ('do not fear'). Find out what the other symbols mean and find other examples on
Hindu sculptures.
The human form: art and design
Additional images
The auspicious marks on the feet of
the Buddha
From the stupa at Amaravati,
southern India
2nd century AD
Ivory statuette of the Virgin and
Child
Paris, France
About 1310–1330
Roman silver coin
Emperor Hadrian and Victory seated holding wreath
and palm
AD 128-138
Granite head of statue of Amenhotep III wearing
the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt
From Thebes, Egypt
About 1370 BC
Height: 2.9 metres
Visit the main Museum website
www.britishmuseum.org
Explore contains over 4000 highlight objects from the Museum’s collection.
You can use Explore to search for more objects showing the human form.
www.britishmuseum.org/explore/explore_introduction.aspx