Favorite Class Image

This image is my favorite image from class. It is my favorite image from class because as we discussed in class, it shows "the equality between male and female by them being the same height". I believe that that is so important to me because equality between man and woman is something that we have fought for in history, and I like the fact that this sculpture embodies that idea. "They are united as one. They are further united by the queens symbolic gesture of embrace" (p.59), which shows togetherness. This is a wonderful symbolic statue. The king is taking a step forward and his queen takes this step with him. This shows that even though the two are one unit, the male figure is still the one that is in control, and I just really love that because it is so true.

This statue was created during the Od Kingdom, along with the Pyramids at Giza, which meant that it was built during a "period of economic and political stability" as we discussed in class. This meant that the people of this time period were able to build things that were very sturdy and were going to definitely last for a long time because of the fact that they had the money to get the materials needed. The king and his queen were both "idealized and stylized" as we discussed in class. The king embodies the "athletic youthful figure that is nude to the waist" because those were the main characteristics of males at that time. That is what every male was expected to look like to show strength and masculinity. His queen is wearing a "sheer close-fitting garment revealing the soft curves of her gently swelling body". This shows that the women of this time period were expected to be beautiful, work in the house, and to bare children. They were not expected to do much. This is not my only favorite structure from class, but I chose this one because I can relate to it.