Descriptive Art History Essay Example
Jade Richards-Butler
Professor Jonathon Farris
ARTH 100
Descriptive Essay
This work resembles a four-legged animal wearing a mask with human features. It is a sculpture in the round created using an additive method. The smooth, highly polished texture and reddish colour of the sculpture give the impression that the material is ceramic.
The sculpture’s head displays both human and animal qualities. The ears are positioned symmetrically, slightly off center of the head. They are of a triangular shape and stand erect in a pointed manner resembling ears similar to those of some dog breeds. They are slightly concave and face frontwards.
Around the face there is a raised layer of the material creating the illusion that a mask has been superimposed onto the sculpture. The “mask” is a slightly different colour than the head and covers what would be the sculpture’s face. Right in the center of the “mask” are human features. The eyebrows are slightly raised and low set, sitting unusually close to the eyes. The eyes protrude slightly from their sockets. They are almond shaped with incisions outlining the eyeballs. The top of the nose begins between the two eyes, lengthwise it occupies about a third of the “mask”. It is highly protruding with a sharply defined bridge. Under the nose there are two raised areas denoting lips. There is an indentation representing the space in between the lips, which is curved slightly upwards suggesting a smile.
The ears sit half way down the “mask”, they are proportional to the mask features with slightly exaggerated ear lobes. There is a hole in the right lobe that appears to be an artistic choice rather than a preservation problem. The inner edges of the hole seem scratched, perhaps there was previously an item sitting in the hole.
The front legs are short in comparison to the rest of the body. There is an outward bend half way down each leg. The base of the legs taper off slightly, resembling paws. There are three equally
Professor Jonathon Farris
ARTH 100
Descriptive Essay
This work resembles a four-legged animal wearing a mask with human features. It is a sculpture in the round created using an additive method. The smooth, highly polished texture and reddish colour of the sculpture give the impression that the material is ceramic.
The sculpture’s head displays both human and animal qualities. The ears are positioned symmetrically, slightly off center of the head. They are of a triangular shape and stand erect in a pointed manner resembling ears similar to those of some dog breeds. They are slightly concave and face frontwards.
Around the face there is a raised layer of the material creating the illusion that a mask has been superimposed onto the sculpture. The “mask” is a slightly different colour than the head and covers what would be the sculpture’s face. Right in the center of the “mask” are human features. The eyebrows are slightly raised and low set, sitting unusually close to the eyes. The eyes protrude slightly from their sockets. They are almond shaped with incisions outlining the eyeballs. The top of the nose begins between the two eyes, lengthwise it occupies about a third of the “mask”. It is highly protruding with a sharply defined bridge. Under the nose there are two raised areas denoting lips. There is an indentation representing the space in between the lips, which is curved slightly upwards suggesting a smile.
The ears sit half way down the “mask”, they are proportional to the mask features with slightly exaggerated ear lobes. There is a hole in the right lobe that appears to be an artistic choice rather than a preservation problem. The inner edges of the hole seem scratched, perhaps there was previously an item sitting in the hole.
The front legs are short in comparison to the rest of the body. There is an outward bend half way down each leg. The base of the legs taper off slightly, resembling paws. There are three equally