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| King Ashurnasirpal II C.T. Rasmuss, gouache (2010) King Ashurnasirpal II (870AD; Northern Mesopotamia) |
I painted this artwork from a sketch I rendered after a stone relief of King Ashurnasirpal II at the Cincinnati Art Museum. After some later research in returning from the museum, I found out that he was the king of Assyria and "he is perhaps best known for the brutal frankness with which he described the atrocities committed on his captives...The details of his reign are known almost entirely from his own inscriptions and the splendid reliefs in the ruins of his palace at Calah (now Nimrūd, Iraq)." Encyclopedia Britannica.
I had no idea what type of ruler he was or anything about this ancient ruler, I was just curious of how to translate such an ancient art form to a more modern medium; to understand some real history by viewing it through modern eyes. No matter his faults or strengths as a ruler, it's even easier for me to see now that he was considered an idol and a type of god to his people; thanks to my talents as an artist that I was blessed with to bring the past into better focus. It's just another trait the artist possesses in which I've realized that we have through our ability to create and re-create, because of this exercise.
Follow the link below for some more information on this type of ancient art-form, slabs large stone carved in relief.
This watercolor is inspired by an Alabaster tablet excavated from palace ruins in Nimrud, Mesopotamia; follow the link for more information on find. This particular tablet of inspiration is located in the Cincinnati Art Museum.
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