Tut Ananlysis by Margie Clark

Visual / Formal Analysis of Works of Art:

I picked an art piece from the Tutankhamun exhibit Dynasty 18, currently on display at Dallas
Museum of Art. This display is on loan from Egypt. This art work from this time period is
Extraordinary not only in workmanship but in design and colors used to enhance the features.
MATERIAL: Gessoed (plaster of paris & glue used as a base for low relief or to prepare surface
for paint) & Painted Wood.
SULPTURE: This image of King Tut in the round is life size of the upper torso only. It is
unknown if it had purpose but speculation by Howard Carter, explorer of the great tomb,
thought that it may have been used as a mannequin to hold robes & jewelry. My thought is that
it was used for much more based on the detailed work put into this object of art.
LINE: Outlines were used in the piece of artwork to define the facial expressions. Eyes, eyebrows,
nose, & lips. It is easy to tell from the sculpture that King Tutankhamun was youthful and full of
joy and happiness as represented by the defined features. No matter where you stand you can feel
his gaze upon you with eyes that are full of expression. His headpiece is defined in such a way to
indicate this was a person of importance. A uraeus represented by Cobra on the Crown, was a symbol
worn by Kings in Egypt.
SHAPE: The image of volume was used to suggest this was a real person vibrant, and healthy with
a slight frame indicating that he was soft not accustomed to hard work.
SPACE; Using lines to portray clothing and headdress are all implied. It is life size in stature but not
overpowering as to dwarf those viewing the object.
LIGHT: Shading was used just a light would have been to features the depth of the eyelids and add
Dimension. The corners of the mouth are slightly indented to indicate expression. The nose is high
lighted to indicate a fine narrow bridge not overpowering indicating all the facial features to be in
Equal proportion to the rest of the face. The ears stand out away from the face with shading under the
Ear lobes and lighting to indicate that piercing on the ear lobes.
COLORS: Vibrant and rich colors are used to enhance the headdress to suggest that it may have been
Color a color worn by royalty. The color on the torso implies that he is wearing a garment made of
sheer material. Dark colors were used to color the skin which were frequently used by artist to indicate the gender. The darker colors during this era were used for males and light colors for female.
Black color to enhance the brow and outline the eyes. Kohl was a color frequently used by royalty to
Enhance eyes for added expression.
TEXTURE; There is no implied texture in this art piece. The torso surface is smooth with the exception
of wear from the ages of time. Chipped paint interrupts the implied smooth texture of the skin on the
face.