British Museum

 Piece 1 fits perceptual criteria of art - Babylon (700BC) Babylonian Chalcedony

Cylinder Seal [stone]. London, England: The British Museum
o Artistic form (structure; medium)
 Hard stone. Carving (reliefs; indented images created raised images in
clay)
o Content (what is being depicted; helps derive a basic meaning)
 In this one, there are men or deities wearing typical Babylonian
clothing (a feathered head-dress). The deities shown have wings and
there are small animals in a contorted pose
o Subject matter (what the art is about)
 This one has deities that the owner likely worshiped and revered.
Symbol of status.
o Participation (how viewers interact)
 Viewers can place this as Babylonian by the specific head-dress.
Originally it was used to “sign” things. Each cylinder was specific to
the owner with a unique design.

 Piece 2 does not fit perceptual criteria of art –Anglo-Saxon (600AD). Roman Coins
Reused as Weights in an Anglo-Saxon Balance [metal]. London, England: The British
Museum.
o Artistic form
 Metal. Old coins
o Content
 The coins probably used to depict a symbol for the amount it was
valued at and maybe an image of a ruler. Not inherently artistic in any
way
o Subject Matter
 If there was an image of a ruler it would be purely to show who the
ruler was
o Participation
 They were used as weights after they served their purpose of being
money. The coins were not used in an artistic way and were not
created for the purpose of art. They were created for value and trade,
and now are used as paper weights.
Part 2 - National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea

 Art piece: “Wave-Ripple” by Cho, Yong-won, 2009

1. Made of wood
2. Variations in smoothness of each ripple
3. Three ripple zones total
4. Lighting is key to this piece (comes from an upper angle to mimic the moon)
5. Line work draws eye to center of each ripple
6. Grain of wood plays into the feeling of ripples
7. Varying heights in the splash of each ripple creates dimension and depth.
Adds life and movement. Can almost hear it
8. Ripples overlap well – adds to the realism
9. Contrasting shape – overall piece is rectangle with harsh edges and ripples
are repeating circles with soft lines
10. Contrast in colour – bright light makes raised edges look nearly white while
low parts look nearly black
11. Entire piece is raised – adds depth
12. Entire piece is thick – adds depth. Makes it look like it is part of a river that is
deeper
13. Dark wood was a unique choice for representing water rippling, but makes
sense give the artist wanted it to look like a river in the moonlight and water
looks dark at night
14. Leaves viewer wondering what caused each ripple