Comparison Of Head Of A Ruler And A Woman's Head
October 15, 2009
Sasha Kuznetsov Head of a Ruler and a Woman’s Head
Head of a Ruler: Woman’s Head:
Ca. 2300-2000 B.C. 1909
Iran or Mesopotamia, Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973).
Arsenical Copper. Bronze.
(MMA, 47.100.80). (MMA, 1996.403.6).
The piece on the left, known as the “Head of a Ruler”, depicts a beautiful portrait of a mighty king, most likely one of the most powerful …show more content…
Most importantly, both pieces are sculptures, both depicting human portraits, although of different race and gender. Both pieces are also almost identical in size, both are cast, and both from very similar metals- copper and bronze. Nevertheless, the way each piece was sculpted is the main contrasting factor between the two: the “Head of a Ruler” is a quite realistic representation of the human face, perhaps even too realistic if compared to other royal or godly representations of the same time and culture. On the contrary, the “Woman’s Head” is a very wild and rough depiction of a female face, with exaggerated features. The complete opposite from the very symmetrical and smooth Mesopotamian sculpture, Picasso’s statue has no symmetry to its haphazard formations and texture, and even conveys an impression of movement. The smoothness and symmetry of the ancient work in comparison to the modern sculpture create the sensation of stasis in one and movement in the second. This impression is supported by the very firm appearance of the solid-cast “Head of a Ruler” and the frantic arrangement of the broken up falcate segments, which seem to almost be moving across the woman’s
Sasha Kuznetsov Head of a Ruler and a Woman’s Head
Head of a Ruler: Woman’s Head:
Ca. 2300-2000 B.C. 1909
Iran or Mesopotamia, Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973).
Arsenical Copper. Bronze.
(MMA, 47.100.80). (MMA, 1996.403.6).
The piece on the left, known as the “Head of a Ruler”, depicts a beautiful portrait of a mighty king, most likely one of the most powerful …show more content…
Most importantly, both pieces are sculptures, both depicting human portraits, although of different race and gender. Both pieces are also almost identical in size, both are cast, and both from very similar metals- copper and bronze. Nevertheless, the way each piece was sculpted is the main contrasting factor between the two: the “Head of a Ruler” is a quite realistic representation of the human face, perhaps even too realistic if compared to other royal or godly representations of the same time and culture. On the contrary, the “Woman’s Head” is a very wild and rough depiction of a female face, with exaggerated features. The complete opposite from the very symmetrical and smooth Mesopotamian sculpture, Picasso’s statue has no symmetry to its haphazard formations and texture, and even conveys an impression of movement. The smoothness and symmetry of the ancient work in comparison to the modern sculpture create the sensation of stasis in one and movement in the second. This impression is supported by the very firm appearance of the solid-cast “Head of a Ruler” and the frantic arrangement of the broken up falcate segments, which seem to almost be moving across the woman’s