ArtsXpose #3
Apr 5th, 2009 by erynp
Title of Event: To Live Forever
Date & Time: Friday, March 13, 2009 at 5:00pm
Location: Columbus Museum of Art
Type of Event: Exhibition
1. While visiting Columbus, Ohio I was able to attend a new exhibition, titled To Live Forever, at the Columbus Museum of Art. The museum was showcasing ancient Egyptian artifacts from the Brooklyn Museum that were focused around the burial traditions of middle and lower class individuals. As I walked through the entrance, the life size sculpture of a camel kneeling in front of me set the mood for what was to follow. This sense of adventure took me upstairs to the first room where I immediately noticed a casket made out of wood inscribed with intricate designs and hieroglyphs. After reading the sign below the piece, I discovered that the coffin was commissioned for an individual who could not afford the gold and stone usually reserved for the kings and queens of Egypt. A more economic version of burial traditions was stressed by many of the artifacts throughout the room. Instead of gold and jewels, artists would create sacrificial works using paint, wood, and limestone as substitutes for the more precious materials, for the journey into the afterlife. While most of the show emphasized the burial objects placed within an Egyptian’s sarcophagus, there were several informative videos discussing the beliefs of the Egyptian culture.
2. As an art student in modern society it is hard to imagine how Egyptians were able to create such intricate and beautiful pieces of art. Each carving must have taken countless hours to produce and then to fill in each groove with a specific color of paint would have required great patience. I was most intrigued by the jewelry items and miniature models of gods and goddesses. One necklace which I was particularly attracted to was made up of shells and brightly colored turquoise stones which were placed in an alternating pattern. I wonder how much more colorful this piece was when it was originally made. Finally I found one simple statuette of a hippopotamus quiet interesting. The Egyptians apparently used the hippo as a reference to the god Seth who was the brother of Osiris the god of the dead. The only issue I had with the exhibit was the repetitiveness of the information given about each individual object. Every description or caption placed under the pieces seemed to discuss the purpose it posed in the afterlife for the Egyptians and the fact that the objects were cheaper than the same types of objects used by the rich. I would have appreciated more information about where the pieces came from and how exactly they were developed.
3. The piece that impressed me the most was a mummy cartonnage of a woman holding what looked like a bouquet of flowers. A majority of her was painted in gold, while her headdress was accented with black, green, and red paint. Furthermore, the woman’s hair and shawl covering her body looked as if it were meticulously constructed. It was interesting to learn that the woman was made only from linen, gilded gesso, and glass. Another aspect that impressed me was the display of mummified pets. Although not exquisitely painted like the mummified humans, the casings of the animals were created to resemble the animals tightly wrapped within.
4. (10 / 9 / 8 / 7 / 6 / 5 / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1)
5. I rated this event a 6 because, although I felt the information was interesting, I have attended many art exhibitions that have also displayed Egyptian artifacts. After comparing this event to other similar events, I felt this exhibit did not explore the Egyptian culture as much as it could have nor did it show as many large pieces of Egyptian sculpture. If the museum had improved upon these areas, my experience would have likely been enhanced. However, I did enjoy the hands-on/interactive section of the exhibit. At the end of my tour through the displays of artifacts, I came to a room where one was able to write out personal messages in hieroglyphs and try on actual outfits that might have been worn by the kings and queens of ancient Egypt. I hope to return to the Columbus Museum of Art again soon, for the next exhibition.