ARTH111Z / Midterm 1 (Art Works)

Khafre

EGYPTIAN, 2520 - 2494 BCE Khafre, of the Old Kingdom's Dynasty IV, is best known for his pyramid (one of the three Great Pyramids of Gizeh) and the Sphinx which bears his likeness. The material of this statue, which is approximately life-size, is diorite, an extremely hard stone and chosen for its sense of permanence—the permanence of kingship. Here we see Khafre as a god-king—ruler of his subjects not just in the present but in the afterlife as well. He is eternal and as such he is depicted with an athletic physique in the prime of life regardless of his actual age at the time of the statue's carving. This is a convention that most pharaohs followed in their royal images with the most notable exception being the "heretic king" Akhenaton in the New Kingdom. The overall effect is of profound dignity. His divine authority is projected by: - His royal linen headdress (similar to the one worn by the Sphinx). - He is wearing the royal artificial beard (even the female pharaoh Hatshepsut is shown in her portraits wearing a beard). - He is sitting on the throne of Egypt which is decorated with powerful looking lions and intertwined lotus and papyrus plants, symbols of a unified Egypt. - The falcon god, Horus (refer back to the Palette of Narmer) is sitting on the back of Khafre's throne with his wings protectively around the king's neck. This pose illustrates Khafre's close relationship with his fellow god. The statue looks very rigid, the face looks confident, right hand symbolizes power, left hand symbolizes mercy, the shape is very straight and rigidity, and we can observe negative space which means there's no opening or open space in the statue

Great Pyramids of Gizeh

EGYPTIAN, Old Kingdom, ca. 2551 - 2472 BCE For centuries, they were the tallest structures on the planet. The Pyramids of Giza, built over 4,000 years ago, still stand atop an otherwise flat, sandy landscape. One of the Seven Wonders of the World, the pyramids defy 21st-century humans to explain their greatest secrets. How could a civilization that lacked bulldozers, forklifts, and trucks build such massive structures? Why would anyone have spent the time and energy to attempt such a task? What treasures were placed inside these monuments? Only a powerful pharaoh could marshal the necessary human resources to build giant pyramids. During the flood seasons, farmers became builders. Huge stone blocks averaging over two tons in weight were mined in quarries and transported to the pyramid site. Egyptologists theorize that the workers used either rollers or slippery clay to drag the blocks from the quarries to their eventual placement on the pyramid. Construction of the larger pyramids took decades. Pyramids were built for religious purposes. The Egyptians were one of the first civilizations to believe in an afterlife. They believed that a second self called the ka lived within every human being. When the physical body expired, the ka enjoyed eternal life. Those fortunate enough to pass the test of Osiris wanted to be comfortable in their lives beyond earth. The Great Pyramids were simply grand tombs of powerful pharaohs. Three pyramids were built at Giza, and many smaller pyramids were constructed around the Nile Valley. The tallest of the Great Pyramids reaches nearly 500 feet into the sky and spans an area greater than 13 acres. The Great Sphinx was sculpted nearby to stand watch over the pyramids. It stands 65 feet tall and consists of a human head atop the body of a lion. Many believe that the Sphinx was a portrait of King Chefren (Khafret), who was placed in the middle Pyramid. The lion symbolized immortality. Great precautions were taken to protect the tombs from looters. Egyptians believed that a defiler of a pharaoh's resting place would be cursed for eternity. The entrance to the inner chambers was carefully hidden. The pharaoh's mummy was placed in a huge coffin called a sarcophagus, which was made of the hardest known stone blocks. But despite such warnings and precautions, tombs were raided over the years by grave robbers.

Akhenaton, Nefertiti, and three Daughters

EGYPTIAN, ca. 1353 - 1335 BCE Form: bas-relief (sunken-relief) carving limestone 32.5 cm high Content: depicts King Akhenaten, his wife Nefertiti, seated on thrones holding three of their daughters on their laps Iconography: monotheistic god, "Aten", represented by the sun disc in the center Cobra in the sun disk implies SOLE leadership, ONLY ONE GOD (monotheism); Aten is the supreme deity ankhs (symbol of life) radiate out from the sun disc and reach toward the king and his wife this shows that Aten connects directly to the royal family, and to them alone Function: this piece was meant to be a house altar the iconography of Aten and the depiction of the royal family of Akhenaten was propagated to encourage people to embrace the new monotheistic religion works such as this relief carving were present and central to everyday life; the house altar serves a practical function as well as an artistic one, so the underlying message becomes present and visible in the family's daily life. Context: Egyptian art and culture generally experienced little change; the Amarna period is an exception pharaoh Akhenaten changed state religion from worship of god Amun to monotheistic worship of a new, sun god, Aten Pharaoh and his wife, Nefertiti, were made to be the only earthly representatives of this new god this upsets the entire Egyptian priesthood because it takes all their power and influence away and leaves it in the hands of the royal family. The change in religion was not made because of the pharaoh's real, religious beliefs, but for purely selfish reasons: to make himself and his family more powerful after Akhenaten dies, Egypt returns to traditional religion so, brief "blip" in Egyptian history There are also significant stylistic changes: domestic focus, tenderness more informal softer, less rigid and permanent than what we see in typical Egyptian artwork disproportionate bodies art historians once thought that perhaps Akhenaten and his family had some genetic disease that mutated the shape of their bodies however, it is now believed that the artist just did not have the skill to proportionally render the human body, and that the sloping, relaxed forms, were meant to be an encouragement of curvilinear forms in artwork Akhenaten encouraged this stylistic change from rectilinear forms to curvilinear as another hallmark of his "new era"

Laocoön (& his sons;)

GREEK, Athanadoros, Hagesandros, & Polydoros of Rhodes, early 1st C. CE Laocoӧn and His Sons illustrate a scene from Virgil's Aeneid (29-19 BCE), which describes the death of the Trojan priest of Apollo, Laocoön, and his two sons. According to the epic poem, when the Greeks delivered the Trojan Horse to the gates of the city of Troy in the hope of breaching their defenses, Laocoön attempted to warn the Trojans of the ruse saying, "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts." The goddess Athena, who sided with the Greeks, sent giant sea serpents to kill Laocoön and his sons for their interference. Hellenistic ( Greek like), not pure Greek art because this is mixed with other cultures it's 7' 10'' made out of marble and is different than Greek art because it's not static, tells a story it's not simplistic excessiveness and emotional/ dramatic strong use of diagonals very deep carving in the beard.

Euthymides - Three Revelers

GREEK, ca. 510 BCE amphora (an amphora is a type of Greek vase in this shape), Euthymides worked mainly between 515 and 500 B.C.E., in a time when artists were exploring the possibilities of red-figure technique, invented in Athens around 530 B.C.E. Both Euthymides and Euphronios belonged to a kind of camaraderie of artists, often dubbed the "Pioneer Group" by art historians—referring to their innovative efforts in the new technique. In the red-figure technique, an artist sketches figures on the red clay of a freshly fashioned vessel, then covers all the background with a slip (a liquid clay), which turns black after final firing. Details, like elements of anatomy, folds of drapery, etc., can be freely added with a thin brush; the slip can be darker, sometimes more diluted, brownish, adding even more variety. In the black-figure technique which was used previously, an artist had to fill the figures with slip, and then incise the details with a sharp burin, which was much more difficult to handle. At the time of the "Pioneers," there is a general trend in Greek art to observe the reality and represent human body more realistically, leaving the more stiff archaic models behind. On the other side of the vase, which is probably better known, the artist gave way to his keen sense of observation, giving us a glimpse into everyday life. Three rather tipsy men dance around, enjoying their moment during a long symposium. The one on the left still keeps in his hand a kantharos—a wine cup with long handles. Euthymides made an effort to show them neither completely frontally, nor completely in profile, but rather in three quarters view, using foreshortening to convey a vivid, realistic image. The poses are very diversified, the man in the center is represented in a twisted view. The artist brought his keen sense of observation to describing human anatomy and movement. Greek vase painters often give us clear insight into everyday life—allowing us to understand daily habits, details of clothing and customs. Of course, these painted vases cannot be treated as documents, since we would not expect men to be naked at a symposium. However, appreciation for the human body and nudity was a usual part of ancient Greek culture, and it provided a way for the artist to showcase his ability. The vase displays balance and harmony of proportions, with its elegant and graceful shape, and carefully planned pictorial decoration. The main scenes on both sides of the amphora are complemented by a delicate ornament. Despite the beauty of the vase, the potters and painters in ancient Greece did not have the status an artist has in our modern society. Their work was looked upon as a physical labor, not as an activity inspired by the muses. In fact, there was no muse of painting. The decorated vases were produced in large amounts to answer the growing demand of the markets, both in Greece, as well as abroad (especially in Etruria, and in Greek colonies). The Euthymides vase was in fact found in an Etruscan tomb at Vulci in Italy. Many Greek vases survived untouched because the Etruscans buried their deceased in large underground tombs with many everyday objects.

Kroisos (Kouros from Anavysos)

GREEK, ca. 530 BCE The Kroisos Kouros (Ancient Greek: κοῦρος) is a marble kouros from Anavyssos (Ανάβυσσος) in Attica which functioned as a grave marker for a fallen young warrior named Kroisos (Κροῖσος). Freestanding, The figure is freed from the block of stone it was made out of. The Anavysos kouros, named after the village in Attica where he was found and dating to about 530 B.C.E., shows advances towards more naturalistic proportions and more supple contours. The sculptor has penetrated the block to a greater depth, and thus achieved greater three-dimensionality. Individual forms are more rounded and naturalistic, and there is a greater unification of the parts of the body and a more strongly felt corporeality. Details are seen in the round and indicated as modelled shapes with less emphasis on linear patterning. The head reveals an increased ability to render anatomy realistically - having been given a more natural shape and greatly improved detail (note the tear ducts). However, it is still executed in the stiff, upright, one foot forward, rigidly frontal stance. The so-called Archaic smile, not a reflection of an emotional state but an index of vitality, has appeared. Two generations later, without rejecting the Egyptian stance, the Greek sculptor rendered the human body in a far more naturalistic manner. The head is no longer too large for the body, and the face is more rounded, with swelling cheeks replacing the flat planes of the earlier work. T he long hair does not form a stiff backdrop to the head but falls naturally over the back. The V-shaped ridges of the New York kouros have become rounded, fleshy hips.

Parthenon

Iktinos, Kallikrates, & Phidias, GREEK, ca. 447 - 438 BCE The Parthenon is a resplendent marble temple built between 447 and 432 B.C. during the height of the ancient Greek Empire. Dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, the Parthenon sits high atop a compound of temples known as the Acropolis of Athens. It was the largest and most lavish temple the Greek mainland had ever seen. Throughout the centuries, the Parthenon withstood earthquakes, fire, wars, explosions and looting yet remains, although battered, a powerful symbol of ancient Greece and Athenian culture. Today, it is one of the most recognized buildings in the world and an enduring symbol of Ancient Greek. Function: dedicated to athena place of worship and importance symbol of wealth Context: top of rocky outcropping overlooking city all cities had hill period was good for athens so they built parthenon high classic detailed huge perfect incarnation of greek ideal neo classical birth place of demo reforms allowed more people to let people participate in govt 50,000 citizens out 300-400,000 inhabitants Iquitos and kallikrates built the parthenon 447-432 BCE around this time artists started signing their work (not everyone but some people) Content/Form: trad greek temple (marble) - doric with ionic features doric - fluting vertical indentations on the columns doric - vertical lines doric - columns go straight into the ground (styloblate) doric - capitols are simple doric - little flare that gives way to rectangular block abacus -- above triglyphs and metopes friezes on all four sides scultpure in peidmonts and metopes 4 ionic columns inside temple parthenon contained giant sculpture athena frieze around building under — ionic on outside frieze maybe showed Panathenaic Procession religious procession for Athena at entrance had a story of athena vs poseidon athena gave the olive tree (peace and prosperity) poseidon gave a spring -salt water (naval superiority) metope showed battles both real and not greeks vs amazons greeks vs torjans greeks vs titans etc. frieze similar to stained glass windows in churches parthenon used to be full of color athena made of gold and ivory everything distorted to makeup for flawed perception

Fowling Scene

New Kingdom, EGYPTIAN, ca. 1400- 1350 BCE This painting is form the tomb of Nebamun, a minor official and aristocrat in the Egyptian government shortly before or after the reign of King Akhenaton. The practice of creating tombs for the deceased was wide spread among the priestly and aristocratic classes in Egypt because their religion was devoted to the idea of survival in the afterlife. Although the bodies of the dead were preserved through mummification, frescos and sculptures depicting the inhabitant of the tomb were placed throughout it so that the individual's animated spirit or "ka" would have a replacement body to inhabit in the afterlife. The figure of Nebamun is central in this mural dry painted mural (paint on dry plaster is referred to as fresco secco). He is rendered with idealized body in typical composite view and his size is exaggerated in accordance with hieratic scale. The scene is surrounded by hieroglyphic writing which either describes his activities or are prayers taken from the "Book of the Dead." The idealized body and composite view of the figure is probably based in the desire to create an image that is the most perfect and complete and therefore the most magically potent. The scene is a genre scene. (A scene of everyday life.) Although a scene of everyday life, the iconography indicates his importance and his place in Egyptian society. He is larger than the figures of his wife and daughter and he is depicted going about a leisure activity hunting on the Nile. The genre elements represent his status, the types of activities he enjoys, and his abilities (has caught three birds) he enjoys as one of the elite in the afterlife. Fresco secco (a mural painting technique involving permanent (limeproof) pigments on a freshly dried lime plaster wall) This is also meant to be a script teaching the Ka how hunting is done.

Lascaux Cave Paintings (Hall of Bulls and Well Scene)

PALEOLITHIC, ca. 15,000 - 13,000 BCE Hall of Bulls, Cave Painting, Lascaux, France. Dated between 28,000 and 10,000 BCE, the beautiful paintings on cave walls found near Lascaux, France represent the earliest surviving examples of the artistic expression of early people. Magic hunting theory: men are hunters, they drew to gain power over animals, capture their spirit, own them, killing them before the hunt. Paintings weren't at the entrance, paintings did not see light, they might be decorative (not everyone agrees with this theory). We can observe "twisted perspective" which is when horns are twisted to display both of them. Adolacent boy theory: boys drew these. In these paintings, we can conclude that a naturalistic theme is being depicted which is why these animals are drawn in a believable way. Another theory: these animals for worshiped. Unfortunately, all we know about these paintings is what we see.

Venus of Willendorf (Nude Woman)

PALEOLITHIC, ca. 28,000 - 23,000 BCE This Old Stone Age statuette exhibits exaggerated female features. This statue is made out of lime stone it's 4.25 inches does not display human figures a lot but this is a representation of a goddess is found in Austria. Subtracter method is used for the figure which is an artist starts with a material then he or she carves into it. Additive method is also used for the figure which is building as scripture on an armature or framework casting or using plastic clay or other flexible materials. This figure does not display naturalism no face no arms thighs are short and very thick however it might be a symbol for fertility

Doryphoros (Spear-Bearer)

Polykleitos, GREEK, ca. 450-440 BCE made of white marble subtractive sculpture lifesize aprox. 84 in. (213 cm.) The Doryphoros of Polykleitos is one of the best known Greek sculptures of Classical antiquity, depicting a solidly built, muscular, standing warrior, originally bearing a spear balanced on his left shoulder. Context: found in a palestra (a place for athletes to work out in) in Pompeii one of the most copied Greek sculptures everyone want Greek art because it was representative of a luxurious and leisurely life + they were super high quality and when they raided, they got them for free! created at time when the Greeks were in awe of the mathematical perfection of the human body Polykleitos created a canon (a set of guidelines) outlining the ideal man based on ratios and measurements experts believe the Spear Bearer was made to represent the idealized version of the perfect Greek man (men should aspire to be him even though it's impossible) as outlined in Polykleitos' canon extremely significant because of it's relative realism when compared to the Anavysos Kouros shows an ever-advancing understanding of the human body depicted normal life, a sculpture of a man walking shows that human potential was/is hugely important to this society manipulated symmetry Content: naked = celebrates the nature human body, its beauty, and its strength marks this as a Greek sculpture one of the earliest examples of contrapposto includes a strong a sense of harmony and counterbalancing: left arm and right leg = relaxed right arm and left leg = tensed the man has with broad shoulders and thick torso and is just generally muscular used to hold an iron spear the face isn't individualized he's made to depict everyone's ideal self Function: for enjoyment: to showcase the beauty of the human body

Hermes and the infant Dionysos, ca. 340 BCE

Praxiteles, GREEK, ca. 340 BCE Male figure with legs missing from just below the knees. Right arm missing above elbow. Small, childlike figure sits on left arm. Draped trunk for support. Punch/chisel marks on the back. May be a copy of a Praxitelean original. Plaster replica; Parian marble original. Height 215 cm, width 100 cm, depth 70 cm. This sculpture is the work of Praxiteles of Athens (c. 390-332). He seems to have been the most highly regarded sculptor in antiquity. Considered to be a "sensual" artist, Praxiteles is said to have represented with refinement the feminine body and the body of theephebe, the somewhat effeminate young man. Praxiteles was not what one could call a sculptor of gods and heroes; his work reflects the secular, worldly trend of the Late Classical epoch. (See also: Aphrodite of Cnidos; Aphrodite of Arles; Apollo Lykeios.) Though this sculpture was found at Olympia and was certainly commissioned for that sanctuary, it is worldly in concept and effect. The Classical restraint and poise is replaced by an undulating body in a defined S-curve which defies equilibrium. While the proportions of the infant Dionysus are not quite lifelike, the inclusion of babies/children in Late Classical sculpture is significant of social changes, of the prevailing secularism and sentimentalism from this point on. (See: Child and Goose.) The present cast was made from an unfinished statue, as is apparent from the back, which shows still unpolished traces of tools. This suggests to some that the copy in this collection is a copy of a copy, since the original would not have been unfinished. This is not necessarily logical, but much hair-splitting characterizes the discussion of such problems. In any case, it is interesting to see unfinished works as they help us to learn about ancient techniques. Hermes, equivalent to the Roman god Mercury, was a messenger to the gods and a trickster. He is often depicted in Classical art with the herald's wand, winged hat and boots (or sandals). Dionysus is a god associated with emotion. His devotees, mostly women, were often seized by an ecstatic state, and abandoned their homes and families to wander and dance in the mountains. At the height of their frenzy they were known to tear apart animals and devour them. (See:Maenad Rending Her Prey.) Dionysus' Roman equivalent is Bacchus. 'Escaping reality' as after losing a battle, the statue and the baby reminds people of their home and family since times are bad. Controposto + S-curve, the exaggeration of the tilt of the hips.

Palette of King Narmer

Predynastic EGYPTIAN, c. 3000-2920 BCE The Predynastic period ended with the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt, which until recently historians thought occurred during the First Dynasty kingship of Menes, identified by many Egyptologists with Narmer. King Narmer's image and name appear on both sides of a ceremonial palette (stone slab with a circular depression) found at Hierakonpolis. The palette is one of the earliest historical (versus prehistorical) artworks preserved, but Egyptologists still debate exactly what event(s) it depicts. No longer regarded as commemorating the founding of the first of Egypt's 31 dynasties around 2920 bce (the last ended in 332 bce), the scenes probably record the unification of the two kingdoms. Historians now believe that this unif ication occurred over several centuries, but the palette presents the creation of the "Kingdom of the Two Lands" as a single great event. Narmer's palette is an elaborate, formalized version of a utilitarian object commonly used in the Predynastic period to prepare eye makeup, which Egyptians used to protect their eyes against irritation and the glare of the sun. The palette is important not only as a document marking the transition from the prehistorical to the historical period in ancient Egypt but also as a kind of early blueprint of the formula for figure representation that characterized most Egyptian art for 3,000 years. At the top of each side of the palette are two heads of a cow with a woman's face, whom scholars usually identify as the goddess Hathor, the divine mother of all Egyptian kings, but who is more likely a predecessor of Hathor, the sky goddess Bat. Between the heads is a hieroglyph giving Narmer's name (catfish = nar; chisel = mer) within a frame representing the royal palace, making Narmer's palette the earliest extant labeled work of historical art. On the back of the palette, the king, wearing the high, white conical crown of Upper Egypt and attended by his official foot washer, who carries his sandals, is shown slaying a captured enemy. T he slaying motif closely resembles the group at the lower left of the Hierakonpolis mural and became the standard pictorial formula signifying the inevitable triumph of the Egyptian god-kings over their foes. Above and to the right, the king appears again in his role as the "Living Horus"—here as a falcon with one human arm. The falcon-king takes captive a man-headed hieroglyph with a papyrus plant growing from it that stands for the land of Lower Egypt—a retelling of Narmer's victory in symbolic form. Below the king are two fallen enemies. On the front, the elongated necks of two felines form the circular depression that would have held eye makeup in an ordinary palette not made for display. The intertwined necks of the animals (a motif common in Mesopotamian art) may be a pictorial reference to Egypt's unification. In the uppermost register, Narmer, now wearing Lower Egypt's red crown topped by its distinctive wiry projection, reviews the beheaded bodies of the enemy. The dead are seen from above, a perspective reminiscent of the Paleolithic paintings on the ceiling of the Altamira cave in Spain representing bison lying on the ground. The Egyptian artist depicted each body with its severed head neatly placed between its legs. By virtue of his superior rank, the king, on both sides of the palette, performs his ritual task alone and towers over his men and the enemy. In the lowest band, a great bull, symbolizing the king's superhuman strength, knocks down the fortress walls of a rebellious city (also seen in an "aerial view"). Double scale can be observed in the palette with Narmer being the largest.

Victory Stele of Naram-Sin

SUMERIAN, 2254 - 2218 BCE To commemorate his conquest of the Lullubi, Naram-Sin set up this stele showing him leading his army up a mountain. The sculptor staggered the f igures, abandoning the traditional register format. A stele is a monument composed of a single column or shaft typically erected to commemorate an important event or person. The Akkadians under Sargon dominated the Sumerians about 2300 BC. Naram-Sin was Sargon's grandson. The god-like Akkadian kings ruled with absolute authority. Naram-Sin's title was "King of the Four Quarters" meaning "Ruler of the World." Damaged on both the top and bottom, Naram-Sin's stele depicts the king's defeat of the Lullubi peoples of present-day Iran. The representation of the gods as star images appear at the top of this stele. The fact that Naram-Sin has rammed a spear through the neck of an enemy could indicate the act as a sacrifice to the gods (represented by the star-like figures) above him. Naram-Sin's position in relations to the gods above and the people below is particularly significant—he is halfway between his soldiers (mere mortals) and the gods. Not only is he himself a god on earth but also the humans' intermediary between them and the other gods. This is not just an early example of the "divine rights of kings" but of the actual "divine king." The king also has numerous accoutrements signifying his status and authority: He is wearing the horned helmet showing his god-like status and is carrying numerous weapons including spears and a bow. We can observe 'single scale' in this monument, Naram-Sim is larger than everyone else.

Ziggurat at Ur

SUMERIAN, ca. 2100 BCE The ziggurat was built by the Sumerian King Ur-Nammu and his son Shulgi in approximately the 21st century BCE (short chronology) during the Third Dynasty of Ur. The Great Ziggurat was built as a place of worship, dedicated to the moon god Nanna in the Sumerian city of Ur in ancient Mesopotamia. Today, after more than 4,000 years, the ziggurat is still well preserved in large parts as the only major remainder of Ur in present-day southern Iraq. The Ziggurat was a temple. The ancient Sumerians, believed their gods lived in the sky. In order for the gods to hear better, you needed to get closer to them. Ziggurats were huge, with built in steps. People pay to have their sculpture be in the cella, the holy room.

Sumerian Statuettes (Statuettes of worshippers)

SUMERIAN, ca. 2700 - 2600 BCE All of them are carved in soft gypsum and represent mortals. These statues were created to symbolize the eternal devotion of the Sumerians. The statues were meant be in eternal prayer and devotion, filling in for the Sumerians when they had to leave the temple for other responsibilities. The oversized eyes probably symbolize the perpetual wakefulness of these substitute worshipers offering prayers to the deity. The beakers that the figures hold were used to pour libations for the gods. The Sumerian sculptors employed simple forms, primarily cones and cylinders, for the figures. The statuettes, even those bearing the names of individuals (for example, Urnanshe), are not portraits in the strict sense of the word, but the sculptors did distinguish physical types. At Eshnunna, the sculptors portrayed at least one child, because next to the woman in fig. 2-5 are the remains of two small legs. Most striking is the disproportionate relationship between the inlaid oversized eyes and the tiny hands, which represents a conscious decision on the part of the sculptors to vary the size of the parts of the body—a kind of hierarchy of scale within a single figure complementing the hierarchy of scale among figures in a group. Scholars have explained the exaggeration of the eye size in various ways. Because the purpose of these votive figures was to offer constant prayers to the gods on their donors' behalf, the open-eyed stares most likely symbolize the eternal wakefulness necessary to fulfill their duty.