Several communities have very different mindsets and this makes the concept of value highly relative. The perception of an individual is dependent on one’s cultural background and disposition, thus the measurement of an artwork’s value highly depends on personal experience rather than a single rationale. Growing up in a small coastal town near the Aegean Sea and in a country that holds the privilege of possessing a rich cultural accumulation, I was never aware of how, as a country, we were beyond dispute, void of the self-devotion to conserve and stand for our cultural heritage. As I step out of my comfort zone by meeting new nations and studying abroad, I came to a realization where I grasp how people’s understanding can differ in relation to their experiences and nationality. From my perspective, one can feel millions of emotions including rage, jealousy, or maybe enthusiasm. Similar to what I felt when I first saw the marble column from the Temple of Artemis in the Metropolitan Museum of Art years ago, I could not help but wonder why that particular column was not preserved and exhibited in the country where it originally belongs. It compelled me to think and come up with one thought: How could we categorize art into two parameters when our perceptions are first and foremost guided by our past experiences? As an international student, I wish to explore how one can perceive an artwork differently than others.
With the alteration in the art world, the perception of the public has changed. On the basis of the concepts of “cult” and “exhibition”, one can intuit the distinction between those two values. Walter Benjamin, a German philosopher who is also a cultural critic, depicts the concept of cult value as a such concept that relies on sacrament and enchantment, and he declares “what mattered was their existence, not their being on view”. Herewith, cult value and exhibition value can be perceived as two antipoles, since the exhibition value is solely based on the extent of the audience. Benjamin often employs instances such as ritual statues and petroglyphs, being the work of art that was once created for the pure and simple intention of deification, to further explain his statement. One can effortlessly comprehend that the cult value and the size of the audience are inversely proportional since the perception manner is a personal experience for each individual looking at an artwork.
Once I was curious about those two values, it compelled me to think and I finally came up with one question: To what extent the value of an artwork can be explained with two parameters?
As Walter Benjamin suggests the value of an artwork is measured through solid concepts, being cult and exhibition, I believe that feeling an aura and assessing a value by looking at an artwork is a highly personal experience, regardless of how many people see it and how beneficial the piece is to the society. Through interpreting an artwork, one can think very differently and may assess otherwise values than the rest. Contrary to what he defends, I believe that assessing a value is independent of the artwork being cult or exhibited, but I think that it is dependent on one’s considerations.
To prove my claim, I tried to look for the artworks which were once cult and are now exhibited in order to show how the appreciation of an artwork is independent of it being hidden or accessible to the public. The value one assesses to an artwork is related to the perception one employ through experiences. When looking at an artwork that was once cult but currently in the exhibition, one may find it valuable and may feel a similar aura as a priest did centuries ago when entering a temple that was closed off to the public. Even if Benjamin defends that cult artworks create a deeper sense in the viewer rather than exhibited artworks, I strongly believe that the deepness of the effect on the viewer is solely contingent upon their perceptions. Thus, one can surely say that the art value is unique, personal, and relative.
I believe that the concepts of cult and exhibition are invented by mankind to further explain art in a more complex way but actually are ineffective in terms of evaluating value. One may think that if an individual is convinced that they are somehow privileged to see a sculpture, they would have a higher chance of assigning a deeper meaning to the artwork and would feel a different aura, however, the perception and valuation are comprised of one’s background and contingent upon disposition. The perception is constituted collaboratively by both one’s nature and nurture and individuals attempt to interpret an artwork by their experiences. Herewith, even though the artwork is open to the public lacking cult value, one may also experience a strong aura through their approach. Our perception is the sole indicator we employ in terms of our appraisement of a particular artwork.
Thus, in this project, I aim to demonstrate that assessing the value of artwork has no concern with the artwork being excluded from the public, which means holding cult value, but valuation is simply dependent on one’s perception.
The first piece of my exhibition would be the Statue of Gudea from Mesopotamia. The reason why I chose this particular art piece is that it was created for the purpose of idolatry. Even though the Mesopotamian community was not in the permanent settlement, the Statue of Gudea seems to be pleasantly preserved with care and attention with its well-conserved and maintained texture, exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the Sumerian art section. The conscientiously reserved artifact indicates that in its times it was respected and esteemed with elaboration, thus I ascribed a cult meaning to that particular art piece.
Thousands of tablets, statuettes and various other treasures were unearthed from the ancient ruins as many valuable artifacts from Mesopotamia. Among the countless statues and statuettes carved from hard rocks known as diorite, there were statues that were thought to be depicting a king-priest or a ruler king of the city of Lagash. The common point of these sculptures was that they were carved in unfamiliar forms in Mesopotamia back then, which makes them interesting.
Made of diorite rocks, different kinds of sculptures and masterpieces were also found which are thought to belong to the dates between 3000 BC and 4000 BC.
The Akkadian Empire cleared out after several centuries of governing and ruling, and the domestic emperors ruled the city-states in the southern section of Mesopotamia, for the following fifty years.
Located in southern Mesopotamia, in the midst of the desolations of the ancient city Lagash, some other remains were unearthed. It included anthems, divine literature, prayers, and different Sumerian literature which were thought to belong to the times of the enforcement of Gudea and his son Ur-Ningirsu.
The epigraphs lay emphasis on the triumphs and accomplishments of Gudea in relation to the establishment of Nippur, Adab, temples, Uruk, canals, and acclaim to the gods.
Specifically, in the zone of restorations, temples, and other constructions, the complete set of the statues as a whole that was discovered in the excavations discloses and exposes the comprehensive piety of Gudea as well as the numerous victories and prosperity. The remains indicate that the Sumerian rulers were thriving and skillful.
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Through his twenty years glorious of sovereignty, the prospering ruler Gudea accomplished a splendid influence on the Sumerian community, further with the reputations of King of Lagash and Gu Gudea. Such as it is, Gudea went for sense, meaning the city governor, rather than to be called the king particularly. This particularly expresses the progressive and puissant impact of Gudea on the Sumerian body, as well as its political influence throughout the years of ruling the community.
In its times holding cult value, the statue of Gudea is now exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the main motive of this particular art piece taking part in my exhibition is to show that even though it is now in the exhibition, people viewing the artwork may be able to interpret it through their experiences and may value and appreciate it as the Sumerian community did centuries ago. My main aim is to show that it may not be convenient to reduce the value of artwork into two cults and exhibitions, but it is more reasonable to take the art value as sole, leaving the jurisdiction to the viewers only. As a viewer visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I found this particular art piece memorable, as I reminisced about it from the memory of my visitation back in 2014.
My choice of the second artwork would be the marble column from the Temple of Artemis at Sardi's. The ruins of the Temple of Artemis are in western Turkey, thus I had the chance the see the original artwork in the elementary school during a school trip. The texture of the column indicates that it took place inside of the temple, rather than outside, giving a limited number of people the chance to observe it back then. Since the number of people who had access to the column was narrowed down and it took place in a temple, the column held a substantial cult value millions of years ago.
To be exact, the location of temple is about 0.2 miles away from the Kusadasi road, located in Izmir, Turkey. The temple is respected to be one of the seven wonders of the world, making it well known throughout the world, particularly through the years 3434-250 BC. There was thought to be a sanctuary of the Mother Goddess taking place in the site of the Temple of Artemis before now the Ionian exploitative carried over to Ephesus. Uniting the native Mother Goddess of Anatolia with Artemis, the Ions came to be known to worship this Goddess, thus it is comprehensible for them to build a particular altar for the Goddess.
It is brought to light that there were four different building periods in the Temple of Artemis on the basis of the outcomes of the excavations and the research in recent years. However, there were no findings other than some vase remains reflecting the first period. It could be brought forward that perhaps the altar for the Goddess was the only artwork that was in existence. To give more cultural context, this particular altar was destroyed by the Kimmer invasion. Numerous valuable pieces including coins and figurines made of gold, ivory, and electrons were unearthed from the sanctuary where the altar and square pedestal were found, through 600 BC.
The pedestal may present a depiction of the goddess. The altar and the pedestal were joined and afterward, this section was enlarged in size through the beginning of the 6th century BC. This expansion process took place during the times of Pythagoras, the tyrant of Ephesus, and probably after the prophecy in Delphi which was to ensure that his daughter who lost her competence of speaking, would speak again. The construction of a temple that would compete against the Temple of Hera in Samos began when Ephesus was taken over by Lydian king Croesus in the middle of the 4th century BC. Two architects called Kersiphron and Metagenes endeavored to establishment of this temple, which was 197 X 410 feet in size, with a column height of 59 feet and also rounded by double row columns.
The temple of Artemis, which took a total of 120 years to establish was absolutely an impeccable art monument when it came to a close, making it one of the seven wonders of the world still. Rounded by spacious Ionian-style columns, nowadays there is nothing more than an altar. The statues taking place in the Temple of Artemis were selected and placed in some competitions. Moreover, it is known that serving as a bank was one of the characteristics of the Temple of Artemis. Back then, the priest was in charge of obtaining credits from the temple budget and determining the valuable items that were given to the temple. The Temple of Artemis held some concessions such as the right of immunity which gave high-order communities the privilege of exterritoriality involving the abode period.
The third and last piece of my exhibition would be the Temple of Dendur, the sole Egyptian temple that has come through to the present day in the western hemisphere of the world, holding two thousand years of glory and being one of the museum's most recognized monuments.
The Temple of Dendur is an Egyptian temple that was transferred to the US in mid 20th century as a gift from the Egyptian state. Today exhibited in New York the visitors can view the incredibly ornate temple. This temple is thought to be the sole Egyptian temple on the exhibition in the Western Hemisphere, making it truly notable and significant.
Even so, the Temple of Dendur is depicted as Egyptian, it was actually established by the Romans and had never been built in Egypt, today taking place in the Nubian region of Southern Egypt and Northern Sudan. The temple was originally built by Emperor Augustine, as a matter of fact, there are many carvings of Augustine inside and outside the temple.
It comprises a rectangular temple texture with an independent major door, an open yard and an entree, and an altar. From the gate to the back of the temple, the Temple of Dendur is 269 feet long, and the temple blocks are sculpted with classical Egyptian motifs including the animus and the Horus disk of the sun. For sake of one particular matter, these carvings were decorated with colorful paints and were repelled by various visitors with graffiti in the 19th century.
The temple of Dendur was dedicated to the goddess Isis from her husband Osiris and another Egyptian god Harpocrates. Two of the sons of a well-known Nubi tribe were honored in temple art.
As extra knowledge, the construction of the Aswan Dam threatened a series of priceless Egyptian essences in the mid-20th century causing many governments including the US to send teams of archaeologists to investigate and preserve antiquities, the Temple of Dendur was such a structure, and it is gifted to the United States meant an appreciation for helping to preserve Egyptian culture.
Among many competitor museums which wanted to hold the Temple of Dendur within their exhibition, around when it came to the US, the Metropolitan Museum won the contract. Over a decade was spent building a suitable facility with glass walls, designed to awaken Nubia's light and a reflector pool demonstrating the Nile river. The temple has been a popular appeal ever since.
In its times, the Temple of Dendur held a cult value, being dedicated to the goddess Isis, and now being exhibited in one of the most well-known museums in the world, it does not seem to lose any of its glory. The main reason why I chose this particular artwork is to show my visitors that the value of an art piece is only dependent on perception. And in my perception, one can feel a similar aura while experiencing an artwork, as an Egyptian did centuries ago, even if they do not hold the privilege of viewing the artwork among many others.
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