"At the same time, they were foreign in ways we can barely imagine, ruled by kings they referred to as "junior gods," and by gods who had power over all, but had to be flattered, pampered and fed."
Not at all foreign to African historians.
G
From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com [mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of kenneth harrow
Sent: Thursday, October 08, 2015 7:19 PM
To: usaafricadialogue
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - egyptian art exhibit
holland carter, my favorite art columnist, wrote this wonderful review of the current show at the met of egyptian art, mostly middle kingdom. makes one want to be there.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/09/arts/design/an-ancient-egyptian-show-thats-low-on-bling-but-high-on-beauty.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=mini-moth®ion=top-stories-below&WT.nav=top-stories-below&_r=0
Ancient Egypt is box office gold: Do a show, and people will come. Why? Mummies, Hollywood and Queen Nefertiti certainly contribute to its allure. Also, we tend to identify with Egyptians of thousands of years ago. In art, they look exotic, but not out of reach. They drank beer, collected cats, and wore flip-flops. They yearned to stay young and to live forever, with loved ones nearby and snack food piled high. Who can't relate to that?
At the same time, they were foreign in ways we can barely imagine, ruled by kings they referred to as "junior gods," and by gods who had power over all, but had to be flattered, pampered and fed. As for art, they had no word for it. What to us is gorgeous, to them was useful, a ticket to the other side, the life beyond.
Few institutions have done a better job at illuminating that art than the Metropolitan Museum. And it returns to the subject in "Ancient Egypt Transformed: The Middle Kingdom," an exhibition notably low on King Tut bling and high on complex beauty. Opening on Monday, it's a classic Met product. It assembles some 230 top-shelf objects from more than 30 international collections, with about a third from the Met itself, to tackle an impossibly broad and complicated piece of history.
ken
--
kenneth w. harrow
faculty excellence advocate
professor of english
michigan state university
department of english
619 red cedar road
room C-614 wells hall
east lansing, mi 48824
ph. 517 803 8839
harrow@msu.edu
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