"Hostility in Art" by Noga Finkelstein

Here is an essay by a student in Dr. Kennon's AP 

art history class.

Hostility and violence are aspects that have been used by artists to convey a variety of information, whether it be concerning a culture or transferring personal messages. Oftentimes, cultures were very focused on the glory of war, while others deplored its nature and chose to remain peaceful. However, hostility and violence are eventual byproducts of maintaining a society, and artists were given the opportunity to transmit this through their works. Two such pieces of art are: the Stele of Naram Sin, an Akkadian work, and Laocoon and His Sons, sculpted by Athanadoros, Hagesandros, and Polydoros of Rhodes and produced in the Hellenistic Age of Greece. Although the Stele of Naram Sin and Laocoon and His Sons each regard hostility and violence in different manners, the works themselves accurately communicate the culture/time period’s perspective on the subject of hostility and violence.

The Stele of Naram Sin, made of mud-brick, was produced in a culture that valued the concept of violence. In fact, the Akkadians valued it to such an extent that their civilization is remembered for their warlike tendencies. The stele is a hierarchical scale, showing Naram Sin, the grandson of Sargon (known as the first world conqueror), at the top, followed by the Lullibians, a mountain people, a group he had just conquered. It focuses on his victory in battle, and represents him as the supreme. The peoples he had just defeated stand helpless at the bottom, naked, while Naram Sin confidently perches at the top, near the Sun, waving his weapon in the air. The artist, although unknown, clearly conveys the attitude the Akkadians possessed towards hostility. The idea of the “winner in battle” coming out on top is manifested in the position of Naram Sin versus the state of his enemies. The artist is trying to transmit the idea that winning a battle is representative of success, and hostility and violence are the only ways to approach and achieve this goal.

Laocoon and His Sons, takes a different approach to hostility and violence by depicting the famous tragedy following the Trojan War. Laocoon and his sons were journeying homewards when they were attacked by serpents. Since the sculpture, which was crafted by many sculptors,  was made during the Hellenistic period, there is a strong emotional response that occurs when viewing it. The sculpture conveys the agony of Laocoon as he struggles to free himself his sons from the grasp of the serpents, to not avail. The violence is evident, yet the emotion that follows is equally as clear. The number of people in the sculpture, which is contrary to the usual “one person piece” of ancient Greece, also shows the impact such a war has on every individual. No one is exempt from the troubles of hostility. The despair shown in the sculpture is also not merely physical, but mentally taxing. Laocoon knows his attempts are futile; he and his sons will not survive. The artists here are not focusing on the glory of hostility and violence, and its conquests, but rather the core emotional aspect. The agony and loss is still there, no matter how much one represses it. Since the Hellenistic period was very concerned with emotion, this sculpture accurately conveys the thoughts of the artists towards hostility; it leads to suffering and death, and it is inescapable.

Although Laocoon and His Sons and the Stele of Naram Sin show different depictions of hostility and violence, the message they send is clear. Something to memorialize hostility and violence was necessary in order to keep the ideals of the culture alive. Throughout history, civilizations have come and gone, but their principles remain the same. Hostility and violence were always there, and the artists capitalized on it and were able to communicate their thoughts, and thus, their civilization’s thoughts on the matter, and each in their own unique way.