Post #5 Aegean Art

For this weeks post I am going to compare the Harvester Rhyton  from the Minoan culture (page 89 of the text), with the the Palette of Narmer made by the Egyptians (page 52 of the text). I want to start with what these two pieces have in common. Both are relief carvings of human beings set on dark stone. The harvester is in higher relief than Narmer, but both show the figures highlighted by the light against the dark background. These pieces are both art created on objects commonly used by people of the time, one being a vessel for liquid and the other a palette for grinding makeup. They are both connected to ceremonies or rituals important to their respective cultures.

 Though similar in some ways, these two pieces are very different from one another. To start, the way that humans are depicted by each culture. As we talked about, the Egyptians had very set conventions for depicting people. The composite pose, the hirearchy of scale and their canon of proportions. All come into use on the Palette of Narmer. Narmer is huge compared to the other figures, he has a profile-front-profile pose to his body, and he is proportioned to the style of the time. On the Harvester however,  the people are much more naturalistic, both in the way they are detailed, muscles, hair and clothing, and the way they are posed. It is interesting that this relief or carving is the way Minoans depicted people, not in painting, as the Egyptians are known to have done.  Also different is the number of figures fitted onto the Harvester, 27 men that overlap and run all around the vessel is contrasts the space and respect given to the over sized Narmer figure on the palette.

Different also are the scenes depicted in each piece and what they mean to the people of that culture. The Palette of Narmer is a piece of political propaganda set to show his dominance of all Egypt, upper and lower. Also shown is the god Horus helping Narmer do so, telling the people that the gods are in support of his rule. There are images of Narmer's enemies cowardly running away and stacks of decapitated foes as a warning to all those who want to challenge him. The overall feel of the Palette of Narmer is dominance, power, and leadership. This is opposite of the celebration dance shown on the Harvester. There is a sense of joy and movement created by the figures different poses, the way they interact with one another on the vessel and the way they wrap around its curves. Whether it is a celebration of spring planting or fall harvesting, the men on the vessel show their gratitude. Their  individuality and lack of formation also helps give the feeling excitement and dance, combined with with the open mouths of many of the men, showing a shared song or chant. It is also suggested that the vessel may have been decorated with gold leaf or paint when it was still in use, this would very much set a different tone from that of Narmer. The feeling of joy and celebration given by the Harvester is almost opposite that of the Palette of Narmer.

There is no doubt these two pieces come from two different parts of the world and two different cultures. At first glance one can find a few simple similarities, but after a longer look the two become very distinct works of art. Very different styles and conventions used by the two peoples. Then, with some knowledge of the history and symbols of the culture the two begin to move even further apart. The Egyptians were not the Minoans, nor the Minoans the Egyptians and it shows through the artwork that the two created.