Staff room

Design a Mesopotamian style work of art

	To enable pupils to understand some of the features of Mesopotamian art and what they considered important
	Pictures of Mesopotamian objects, drawing paper, coloured card, modelling clay
	Whole group discussion, then individual or partner work

Remind the pupils of the sort of images found on objects from Mesopotamia. Explain how artists represented people and objects. They could choose their favourite period and try and recreate the most important images of that time.

Examples:

Create a Sumerian-style mosaic, like the Standard of Ur, using different coloured card. Ask the pupils to think about the colours used and what materials they represent.

Create an Assyrian relief using card cut and stuck to a card backing to represent the raised area of the relief. The reliefs could then be coloured like the originals.

Discuss with the pupils what they will need to do to make the work of art attractive so that the shop could sell it.

How would you make it attractive to buy?
Is it made of precious expensive materials e.g. lapis, or cheap materials e.g. reeds and clay?
How would this affect the number sold?

Tell pupils about the rediscovery of Mesopotamia and how the Victorians wanted to own objects (e.g., vases, book ends, jewellery) with Assyrian style decoration (see: Time Story, page 5).

see: Art, Costume