"Hostility in Art" by Sarah Broniscer

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

art history class

Art is often used to convey the sentiments of the time, especially in times of war and conquest. Throughout history, this principle has remained true and even gives the modern viewer insights into the culture and attitudes towards hostility and violence of the time. The Narmer Palette from Ancient Egypt glorifies murder as a byproduct of war and conquest, while the Statue of Laocoon and his sons from Ancient Greece adds the idea that violence is often unfairly distributed and that death came cone very violently and without glory.

The Narmer Palette came from Ancient Egypt, where the land was originally divided into the Lower Kingdom and the Upper Kingdom. Narmer, the subject of this palette, conquered both kingdoms and united them into one Egypt, of which he was the first pharaoh. This palette, which would have been used for makeup, shows the Egyptian record of Narmer’s conquests and reign. On the left side of the palette, Narmer is depicted as large in comparison to the other figures on the palette, on any of the registers. He is depicted as the epitome of Egyptian power, with the falcon of Horus at his side and servants tending to him. He is also depicted holding a club, his arm raised to mortally wound the prisoner of war lying at his feet. On the second register, the conquered people are shown either cowering or dead under his feet, which represent his power and the violence he inflicted. The right side of the palette elaborates on the story of his conquest, using all three registers to elaborate on the hostility and violence that was used to conquer the kingdoms. On the top register, decapitated bodies of the enemy are piled up on the side. In the middle register, servants tend two lion-snake hybrids. The implication of these creates is that they can wreak absolute havoc on the enemy if released. Finally, on the bottom register, a bull is shown goring a man. Historical records tell us that Narmer was often compared to a bull, so the implication is that the image is symbolic of the death Narmer caused.

These images suggest a correlation between violence and power. Egypt was the great world power of its time, so many historians have pondered how they maintained their power. First, were united in their polytheistic beliefs. They also believed their pharaohs to be gods, which gave the pharaoh absolute power to inflict punishment and suffering in the same way that the gods did. This palette is the historical account of how Narmer exercised this right. Although he is celebrated in history as the ruler who united Egypt into the great nation that it ultimately became, he accomplished this through bloodshed, violence, and terror. In Egypt, the prevalent belief was that those with more power could inflict more suffering and pain. This palette celebrates the story of Narmer’s conquests as a means to a great end. This belief was the prevalent one in ancient Egypt and justified the deaths caused throughout the process of conquest.

Ancient Greece, another great civilization of the ancient world, shared this core belief with ancient Egypt. In its time, Greece was divided into city-states that ruled themselves, such as Athens and Sparta. Culturally, war and glorious death were huge parts of society, with many men training as warriors to fight for their city-states and for glory. Mythology and religion reflected these views, with many stories emerging of men, demi-gods, and gods battling each other. Art followed suit in the Hellenistic period, when Greek sculptures became less perfect and more emotional and realistic. The goal of Hellenistic sculpture was to make the audience feel the emotions of the figures depicted. Mostly, these works showed violent scenes of death and agony, with the emotion evident in the body language and facial expression of the subjects. One such work is the statue of Laocoon and His Sons, which shows the three figures being killed by snakes. Instead of being perfectly calm and composed, their bodies are contorted in painful ways, their muscles tensed in fear and agony. The snakes are also wrapped around their bodies, poised to bite the men and kill them. Most notably, though, are the facial expressions. All three figures look the way they will look the moment before they die, and the look is of absolute pain. When I look at this statue, I feel their pain and fear.

This statue is particularly interesting because it doesn’t depict a scene from a famous battle, where Laocoon and his sons were killed fighting for their homeland. According to the legend, Laocoon angered the gods, so they sent the snakes to murder him and his sons. Their deaths came without the glory of conquest or the rush of battle, but rather as an ambush attack that led to immense pain and suffering. Although the Ancient Greeks glorified death and violence, this sculpture suggests that there’s another side to the story: the side of the victim. The agony written all over Laocoon’s face makes this quite clear. While the fighting may lead to glory, it will inevitably lead to pain, suffering, and immense loss.

As different as Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece were as societies, both societies believed in violence, and specifically in battle, as a means to achieving greatness and glory. While the Egyptian take on violence focuses solely on the glory of the Pharaoh as brought about by violence, the Greek take is more nuanced and suggests that there are two sides to the story.