Cleopatra's Death: Edmonia Lewis' Majestic Statue - Essay Sample

Introduction

The death of Cleopatra is a statue that represents the queen of Egypt after having a dramatic suicide case derived from a fatal bite from a snake. The art which was designed by Edmonia Lewis portrayed the moment of her death while wearing her royal attire to show her majestic repose at the throne. The statue also depicted her identical sphinx head to represent how she gave birth to Roman Maria when the Hieroglyphics had no meaning. During this time, Lewis was working when Neoclassicism was famous in artistic styles that revolved around literary, Biblical, or classical themes (Budge, 2013). Even though her contemporaries had idealized Cleopatra's suicidal case, the artist made the statues of the queen to have a realistic presentation.

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Lewis' piece was also the first statue that acclaimed the Centennial Exhibition where it was first seen while still in Philadelphia. After it's a debut, the figure was presumed to be lost for almost a century but later seen at a Chicago, at the suburban racetrack and the marking of the horse grave at the salvage yard. One reason why the statue was designed was to pass a message to show the contemplating suicide of the queen after the venom snake made her go through a lot of pain and suffering (Budge, 2013). The statue also confirmed the position the queen died while seating down to show how the venom made her weak.

One thing that motivated the artist was after the accusation of the poisoning of the Queen. This made Lewis travel to Boston and established herself as a professional artist. Most of her experiences were derived from local sculptors and famous antislavery heroes. Later, Lewis began curving statues form a few years until she became a professional. By the late 1980's Lewis became famous after she was asked to do a sculpture of President Ulysses S. Grant (former U.S president). Lewis began creating alter pieces given by the Roman Catholic. By 1901 Lewis moved to London (Budge, 2013). However, she lost her fame after she became eclipsed by history, and this made her later years to be unknown.

Most of Lewis' art was recognized because of her stylistic choices, which targeted the white audience. Even though most of her works were misread as self-portraiture, most of her female statues possessed European features. The success of Lewis began when she started to balance her identity with her social, national identity, and artistic nature through tiring activities that challenged her life. Lewis works have influenced many artists to do what she does (Budge, 2013). For instance, when she began sculpturing with marble, she relied on the abolitionist patronage. As a result, Italy allowed her to design her sculptures in the international art world. A few years later, the surroundings which comprised of the classical world influenced and inspired her work after she created the traditional art style. An excellent example is how she represented people in her actions by outing draped robes in contemporary clothes.

Conclusion

The death of Cleopatra is a statue that represents the queen of Egypt. The figure also depicted her identical sphinx head to describe how she gave birth to Roman Maria when the Hieroglyphics had no meaning. Even though her contemporaries had idealized Cleopatra's suicidal case, the artist made the statues of the queen to have a realistic presentation. The success of Lewis began when she started to balance her identity with her social, national identity, and artistic nature through tiring activities that challenged her life. An excellent example is how she represented people in her works by outing draped robes in contemporary clothes. In other words, Lewis managed to fulfill her desires of being an artist.

References

Budge, E. A., (2013). A History of Egypt from the End of the Neolithic Period to the Death of Cleopatra VII B.C. 30 (Routledge Revivals). doi:10.4324/9780203068786