Mycenaean Mask Foil Relief

Submitted by: Christene Sandeson, South Colchester Academy, Brookfield, Nova Scotia
UNIT: Mycenaean Masks - Low Relief Sculpture- Foil Tooling
Lesson: Copper Tooling
Grade Level: Middle School through High School

Summary:

Mycenaean masks (any ancient Greek or Middle Eastern culture could be substituted)

Nova Scotia (Canada) general curriculum outcomes:

Creating and making art: (CM)

CM 1.1 Students will be expected to independently plan and realize art works using knowledge of art and design elements and principles

CM 1.2 Students will be expected to assess and utilize the properties of various art media and their ability to convey intended meaning

Understanding contexts: (UC)

UC 4.5 Students will be expected to create images that communicate the influence of local national and global artists from a variety of cultural and historical context.

copper Perceiving and responding: (PR)

PR 6.1 Students will be expected to demonstrate independent thinking in interpreting and making judgments about subject matter

PR 6.5 Students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of how meaning is embedded in works of art

Materials needed for this lesson:

Sketchbooks
Rulers
Ball point pen
Blunt ended wooden tool, such as the rounded handle of a brush, or Popsicle stick
Popsicle sticks with one end sharpened into a "V" point (or foil modeling tools)
Copper Tooling Foil about 15 cm X 25 cm
Pad of newspaper
20 X 30 cm black Bristol Board or Mat board for mounting
White Glue for mounting (or Glue Gun)

Overview of Mycenae - a Hellenistic city state
The foundation of Greek culture developed from various tribes, including the Egyptians and Minoans, who arrived on the Greek mainland about 2000 BC. The Minoans came from the Island of Crete, from where the myth of the Minotaur (hidden under the palace at Knossos) originated. We will begin our study of ancient Greece with an introduction to the art of Mycenae, an acropolis (Greek city) built on a hill on the south eastern shore of the Greek mainland, about 2300 - 1100 BC. If we have time, subsequent lessons will explore the legendary labyrinth of Knossos, classical Greek sculpture, and finally, Roman portraiture.

At Mycenae, The Palace of Agamemnon was discovered in 1876 by the German archaeologist, Heinrich Schliemann. Here, circular shaft graves built into the sides of hills were unearthed, around the city. In these graves, beautiful gold masks (which were made to cover the face of deceased royalty) were found, along with golden cups and daggers. These, plus items for daily use suggest that the ancient Mycenaeans were highly skilled as metal workers.

For a general overview the history of Mycenae with good photographs and diagrams of the city location and diagrams of the tombs can be found at: http://wadsworth.com/art_d/templates/

To view pictures pictures of the shaft graves, examples of the gold masks found at Mycenae, as well as other objects, view the following site and it’s links to architecture, tombs, and objects from the tombs:
http://www.ou.edu/finearts/art/ahi4913/aegeanhtml/mycenaen.html

For an enlarged view of the mask of Agamemnon, visit:
http://college.hmco.com/history/west/mosaic/chapter2/image33.html (Archive)

Mycenaean Civilization (outline) http://www.portergaud.edu/cmcarver/myce.html

Is Mask of Agamemnon a Hoax? http://www.archaeology.org/9907/etc/calder.html

Image of Mask of Agamemnon http://www.webtopos.gr/eng/art/periods

Mycenaean Art Images http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/aegean/ (Archive)

More gold masks http://www.ou.edu/finearts/art/ahi4913/

Books

Minoan and Mycenaen Art - The magnificent works of ancient Crete, Mycenae, and the Cycladic Islands are awe-inspiring in their richness and variety. All the significant works of art and architecture from those great civilizations are described and illustrated.

Use and Appreciation of Mycenaean Pottery - Pottery provides one of the main sources of information on Mycenaean trade and interregional contact, but the role of pottery in international exchange during this period is still not properly understood.

DVD

Legacy of Ancient Civilizations: The Mycenaeans - The Mycenaeans became the subjects of the finest works of literature to be handed down from antiquity -- Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and the dramas of the great Greek playwrights. In addition, archaeologists have unearthed the remains of the great fortified cities of the Mycenaeans.

Discuss:

Why do you think these masks might have been created

(To provide wealth in the afterlife (Egyptian influence)?

To preserve personality just as photographs preserve memories of faces ?

To honor a king?

To protect the face against decay, a symbol of armor or protection? )

What kind of design idea might you want preserved in memory of you?

What kind of image would be suitable as a subject for your memorial what numbers or letters are most meaningful?

What kinds of things could constitute a border design?

What background textures would need to be created in order for your designs to stand out.

Activity #1:

Create a meaningful design (later we will use this as a study to develop a repoussé) that has these broad parameters:

A boarder design

A main idea or a subject

Some pertinent letters or numbers

A textured background

Sketch several ideas on paper in formats that measure about 15 X 25 cm (this is the approximate size of the your copper foil that you will receive). Choose your best idea and draw your composition as completely as possible. This is important because when you receive the foil to work on, it is possible to overwork the material if you are uncertain of your design. Remember to consider the rules of composition as you plan your final drawing.

About Repoussé:

The art activity we will attempt is known as repoussé. We will create a low relief image in metal (copper foil) using engraving techniques of pushing back the metal. Metal working procedures were developed in ancient times, and these replaced the natural materials used by Prehistoric people (such as bone, wood, seeds, stones, shells and hair). Metal can be extended or shaped by hammering and repoussé is a technique where lines and shapes are pressed into one side of a thin sheet of metal using modeling tools, then flipped over and the shapes are reinforced on the other side.

Once your design is developed on paper, we will transfer it onto copper foil. This foil is heavier than household tin foil, yet fairly malleable (easily stretched). When we work with the foil, you will use a coffee stir stick that has been pointed or sharpened at one end with a Utility Knives (Foil modeling tools may be used - available in art supply catalogs like Sax) The round end of the wooden stir stick will be used to push the shapes away from you (some areas can be pushed out quite far, while others can remain fairly shallow). The depth of the pushing depends upon the amount of pressure you apply to the stick and the number of times you go over the area. The pointed ‘V’ end will be used to refine the edges of your shapes and to apply a stippled (or other kind of texture) to the background areas. In this way you will create convex (pushed forward) and concave (hollowed inward) areas in the metal. The lines and shapes that you use to design your concavities and your convexities should be planned so your eye easily travels from one area to the other over the shiny surface of the metal. The features on the Mycenaean masks were created in raised relief using a similar technique.

View what professionally crafted repoussé looks like

http://www.artmetal.com/brambush/forging/proj04/worsley.htm
(Permission has been requested for my students to use this web site)

Enter Copper Repoussé in Google images for more images. Here is a Pre-Columbian tunic from Peru: http://www.sptimes.com/peru/graphics/tunic.jpg

Activity:

Make make personal plaque, coin, or memorial design in copper foil using the repoussé technique. The art activity we will attempt is known as repoussé. We will create a low relief image in metal (copper foil) using the technique known as repoussé. Once your sketch has been refined and in the same format as your copper foil, and you understand the technique as one of creating convex and concave forms, decide how best make the transfer from sketch to copper, and how you will best depict your idea using these materials.

Procedure:

Place a pad of newspaper under your foil so you have a soft surface

Tape your design over the metal

Use a ball point pen to impress the main components of your design

Decide which shapes will be convex (puff out) and which will be sunken inward (concave)

Reinforce the pushed out areas by applying pressure to the stick and review the area a number of times to stretch the metal.

Flip the metal over, and reinforce the outlines of your design using the point of the V- tipped Popsicle stick

Continue indenting the metal by working on it

Work both sides of the metal to form the relief sculpture

Add texture to some areas, creating patterns of parallel lines, dots, circles, etc.

Continue to work both sides to see what is possible

When complete, brush a thin coat of Indian ink and wipe it off, allowing the ink to nestle into the crevices of your design

Mount the metal on black mat board for an effective display

Evaluation Rubric for Repoussé

For each of the points below will be noted as
superior (4), well done (3), satisfactory (2) or, in need of more effort (1)
(circle score)
Your design is well composed, (fits the rule of thirds) and contains 4 3 2 1

A central, not too complex, meaningful, subject such as a human, animal, or object (such as flower)

Significant letters or numbers

A textured background.

Possibly consider using a labyrinthine border (provided students have had a previous lesson on what a labyrinth is (you can associate this with the Palace of Knossos on the Island of Crete, using the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur)

Overall composition shows good proportion of the following in your design: 4 3 2 1

Concavity (areas pushed back)

Convexity (areas pushed forward)

There is variation in the depth of concavity and convexity 4 3 2 1

Overall composition shows good proportion of the following in your design: 4 3 2 1

concavity (areas pushed back)

convexity (areas pushed forward)

There is variation in the depth of concavity and convexity 4 3 2 1

concavity (areas pushed back)

convexity (areas pushed forward)

Details are found in 4 3 2 1

The labyrinthian border (signifies a path or a journey) along the edge of the metal

The textured background

Clarity of the edges around each form

Techniques used in detailing include 4 3 2 1

Patterned line --^--.....--^--.....--^-- ..!.--^--..!.. --^--..!..--^--.....--^--.....--^--

Hatches ////// or cross hatches #####

Stippling .:.`.:..

Art work by Kaitlyn Mackenzie, grade 10. The repoussé has been glued (mounted) on a piece of black bristol board. Suggestions for using the repoussé in a different way are appreciated Email Christene.

Repousse Defined:

Repousse [rə poò sáy], the process or the product of ornamenting metallic surfaces with designs in relief hammered out from the back by hand. Gold and silver are most commonly used today for fine work, but copper and tin are suitable for the purpose, and bronze was extensively used in past times. The process is of ancient origin, having been employed by most early civilizations. Among the finest examples of repousse are the famous bronze armor of Greece of the 4th cent. B.C., Byzantine religious works, and much of the gold and bronze work of Benvenuto Cellini. The process is distinct from embossing, in which the relief ornament is produced by use of dies. (Copied from http://www.1upinfo.com/encyclopedia/R/repousse.html - Archive)

Metalwork in General: Copper, gold, and silver were probably fashioned into ornaments and amulets as early as the Neolithic period. Goldwork and silverwork have since employed the talents of leading artisans and artists in making jewelry, plate, inlays, and sculpture. The first great advance in metalworking occurred when techniques for making bronze sculpture were developed during the Bronze Age. Brass, an alloy of copper with zinc, came into use later (see brasses, monumental; brasses, ornamental). The Iron Age provided a cheaper medium used chiefly for tools and ornamental ironwork until modern times, when improved methods, alloys, and machinery made iron available and essential to the industrial and structural trades. Pewter, tin, and lead have been used in industrial and art metalwork. Methods of shaping metals include drawing, spinning, hammering, and casting; various decorative processes include chasing, damascening, embossing, enamel work, filigree, gilding, inlaying, niello, and repousse.

Click on the different processes on the page for more)

Copied from http://www.1upinfo.com/encyclopedia/M/metalwor.html (Archive)

Also Bronze age: http://www.1upinfo.com/encyclopedia/B/BronzeAg.html (Archive)