Art and design The human form Portraits and Adornment

1. Art and design The human form Portraits and Adornment

2. 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 want to portray emotions and feelings We are interested in ourselves We want to communicate the power of an individual We try to understand and record unfamiliar or new peoples We wish to celebrate and remember a person We want to depict the people we admire – heroes, heroines, idols We want to give our children something to play with We strive to create a perfect human

3. Art and design: the human form Portraits

4. Portraits on objects What is a portrait? What objects might a portrait be displayed on? Portraits can be made for many purposes. What purposes can you think of? to display and celebrate someone living to honour someone to legitimise power and authority to spread the image of a leader to create a sense of group identity to remember what someone looked like Portraits may be for private or for public display. How might this affect the image?

5. Portraits for the afterlife • Both these masks are from Egypt and were placed over the face of the mummy of a dead person. • What is similar and what is different about these portraits? • Think about where they would be displayed. How do you think this influences the portrait?

6. Portraits for the afterlife • This mask of Satdjehuty dates from about 1500 BC. • Satdjehuty was the wife of king Ahmose I. She was therefore very important and received a lavish burial for her journey to the afterlife. • Her mask is decorated with lapis lazuli and gold leaf, both very valuable materials. The crest may suggest protection by a deity. • The almond-shaped eyes seem to dominate the mask.

7. Portraits for the afterlife We don’t know the name of this woman who died around AD 120 – over 1500 years after Satdjehuty – when Egypt was ruled by the Romans. Cultural influence from Greece and Rome led to this style of depicting people. Artists used this new style while continuing the traditional Egyptian practice of placing a portrait panel over the face at burial. Examine how the flesh has been created with dark and light areas on the face. Where is the source of light? Which part of her face is your eye drawn to most? Why is this?

8. Portraits and power • What is the name of this view of the human face? • Where else do you commonly see this view? • Where do you think this object comes from? • What kind of object do you think it is? • How has the face been given prominence? • What might the colours indicate?

9. Portraits and power Portraits and power Mao Zedong (1893-1976), was leader of the Chinese Communist Party. This is a badge from the 1960s when they were worn by almost all Chinese people to show allegiance to the Party. The face of Mao, in profile like on a coin, stands out in silver against the red background, with barely visible golden rays coming from his face. 'Respectfully wishing Chairman Mao a long life without obstruction' 'Long live Chairman Mao'

10. Art and design: the human form Adornment

11. The human form can be altered by the addition of different forms of adornment – think of as many ways of adorning the body as possible. jewellery piercing wigs make-up body paint scarification footwear headgear and hats tattooing clothing masks Why do we do this?

12. What kind of adornment can you see on this figure? What effect does this have? Describe the form and style of the object. Where do you think this object is from and why? This figure is nearly 1 metre tall - what might it have been used for?

13. Did you find: • hair in a topknot? • the facial markings? • necklace? • Tattooing occurs all over the world and has a wide variety of meanings and symbols. Moko (facial tattoos in Maori)uses various techniques, such as chisels to make grooves or points to puncture the skin. • For Maori, moko: • adds a protective layer to the body • shows family and ancestry • denotes status and role in society • The designs are considered taonga (treasures) and belong to certain families and their ancestors. This figure of an ancestor was a central housepost in a Maori meeting house.

14. What kind of adornment can you see on these figures? What are the figures made from? What are the challenges of working with this material? What are the figures doing? How does the drapery help to show us? Discuss whether these bodies look realistic.

15. These famous sculptures from the Parthenon in Athens are considered very fine examples of naturalistic drapery carved in marble. Examine how the sculptor shows the anatomy of the body through the fabric. Compare these figures with the figure on the right from a Greek monument in Turkey – how is the drapery different? What effect does this have? How is movement suggested?

16. The human form: art and design Additional images

17. Painting on paper of a lady standing by a flowering tree India Late 18th century

18. The Chinese warrior Yan Qing Colour woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) Japan About1827-1830 Loaned by Professor Arthur R. Miller

19. Ceramic tile showing a female figure holding a bottle Iran About1700

20. Self-portrait William Alexander (1767-1816) Watercolour and grey wash over graphite England About 1792-4

21. 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