In the  previous two assignments, we have worked with the concept of formal  analysis.  Remember that formal analysis is performed through careful  looking, and requires no outside sources to be complete. 

The next level of art historical analysis, according to a system  devised by art historian Erwin Panofsky, is iconography.  While formal  analysis focuses on the APPEARANCE of the artwork, iconography focuses  on its MEANING.

Here is a helpful link: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/i/iconography (Links to an external site.)

For your response this week, please select one artwork from  our module.  First, perform a brief formal analysis of the work (around  one page).  THEN, devote around one page to explaining the work’s  iconography.  What is the MEANING of the work?  

Here is a sample student iconographical analysis:

Walking through the Egyptian galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of  Art, I found representations of the Egyptian king, a pharaoh, depicted  in many different ways.  There were pharaoh statues, mummies, coffin  cases, figurines, reliefs, and drawings, all of which had key details  that identified the figures as an Egyptian pharaoh.  The three statues I  selected show the pharaoh wearing a traditional headdress.  The first  work is Head of a King, possibly Mentuhotep III (66.99.3).   From about 2000-1988 BCE, it is made of limestone and is just under life  size.  It has been damaged.  The second work, Bust from Statue of a King (no number, Gallery 23), under life-size, was made of granite between 664-595 BCE.  The final statue I chose was Head of King Amenmesse (34.2.2), made of quartzite around 1200 BCE, and it seemed to be about life size. 

      The three statues display an elaborate head covering. Both Head of a King, possibly Mentuhotep III, and Bust from Statue of a King have  one that begins from the middle of the forehead and rises up before  stretching across the top of the head, with flat sides projecting out  from behind the ears. In the first one, the headdress ends just below  the chin, while in the second example, the headdress ends just above the  chest.  Both also are decorated with chiseled lines, vertical (on the  top) and horizontal (on the sides), spaced about a centimeter apart.   The third statue wears a headdress that rises above his head in a tall,  oval shape.  It is larger than the pharaoh’s head, and the crown is  rounded at the top with a flat back.

      The headdresses are adorned with a standing cobra, called a  uraeus.  The uraeus was a symbol of royalty and divine authority in  ancient Egypt.  The first statue has been damaged and the uraeus itself  is missing, but the place where it once was is clear.  The cobra is very  noticeable in the other two sculptures.  Many of the people represented  in images and statues throughout the Egyptian galleries are wearing  headdresses, but only the royal figures (and very few important gods  like Osiris) also have the uraeus. 

      These statues depict very regal and powerful men, who look  straight ahead, with their heads held up, blank eyes wide open, and very  solemn expressions.  The right shoulder of Bust from Statue of a King indicates  that his posture was tall and straight.  The symmetry of their features  and the smoothness of their skin make them seem removed from us, their  viewers.  They are not part of our world.  This also suggests their  authority and power. 

THIS IS THE ARTICLE ABOUT 

https://smarthistory.org/ancient-near-east-cradle-of-civilization/