Context is Important (Especially with Art) Art throughout history has served many purposes; intimidation, expression, guarding of a sacred space, or a show of power to name a few. But as a piece of art is moved from its original space, whether it be taken to a museum or simply taken, the context and deeper understanding of the piece is somewhat lost on the viewer. This has happened over the course of time with many pieces, such as the Ishtar Gate and Nike of Samothrace. Originally, the Ishtar Gate was built as an expansion of the city of Babylon, which is modern day Iraq, in 575 BCE (Ayerbe). On the gate, which was made of brick and covered in lapis lazuli, are the Babylonian gods of Marduk, the patron god of the city represented by dragons,
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The gate had to be downsized due to restrictions of the museum, so what museum patrons view today does not even come close to how large and significant it was originally. The movement of the gate and also the downsizing affected people's understanding, or lack thereof, for how this piece was originally intended. Background knowledge of this piece is essential for fully understanding that its purpose was to keep out would-be invaders, symbolize the gods leaving the city with the people and warning those who enter, and also serve as a gateway for a celebratory procession, such as New Year's …show more content…
The Nike of Samothrace was created in the Hellenistic Period, which was marked by many naval battles fought over the Aegean Sea, and in the piece, the messenger goddess Nike, or Victory, is standing on the prow of a ship (Hamiaux and Marmois). The ship appears to be moving very swiftly through the water, as a viewer of the piece can see that her dress billows behind her and her wings are blown back, and there is a certain transparency to the piece that shows her clothes might have been wet from the spray of the sea, due to the fact that her belly button is visible and her dress clings to her midsection. These features are all characteristic of the Hellenistic era of Greece, where art was given more emotion and movement to better show its purpose in the culture of the time. Though the statue's arms are missing, Marie-Bénédicte writes that her right hand would have been cupped around her mouth as "she announced the event she was dedicated to
The gate had to be downsized due to restrictions of the museum, so what museum patrons view today does not even come close to how large and significant it was originally. The movement of the gate and also the downsizing affected people's understanding, or lack thereof, for how this piece was originally intended. Background knowledge of this piece is essential for fully understanding that its purpose was to keep out would-be invaders, symbolize the gods leaving the city with the people and warning those who enter, and also serve as a gateway for a celebratory procession, such as New Year's …show more content…
The Nike of Samothrace was created in the Hellenistic Period, which was marked by many naval battles fought over the Aegean Sea, and in the piece, the messenger goddess Nike, or Victory, is standing on the prow of a ship (Hamiaux and Marmois). The ship appears to be moving very swiftly through the water, as a viewer of the piece can see that her dress billows behind her and her wings are blown back, and there is a certain transparency to the piece that shows her clothes might have been wet from the spray of the sea, due to the fact that her belly button is visible and her dress clings to her midsection. These features are all characteristic of the Hellenistic era of Greece, where art was given more emotion and movement to better show its purpose in the culture of the time. Though the statue's arms are missing, Marie-Bénédicte writes that her right hand would have been cupped around her mouth as "she announced the event she was dedicated to