Obelisk

Akhenaten and Nefertiti

This relief sculpture, called the Wilbour Plaque, is an artist’s reference—a sketch in stone that was hung in the workshop by the hole at the top of the stone to be studied and copied by students. The figure on the left is probably Akhenaten, due to his ‘hatchet-faced’ bone structure, and opposite him queen is Nefertiti. Both wear uraeus headdresses bearing the sacred serpent, an emblem of supreme power. read more

The Etruscans, 400BCE

Chimera of Arezzo

This is an undeniably modern interpretation. The chimera, like most beasts of antiquity, was the bad guy. Child of the giant serpent Typhon and the half woman half snake Echidna (you know her from the Starbucks logo) the Chimera was an abominable thing, unnatural combination of lion and goat, with the head of a snake for a tail. Her brothers and sisters live in legend. read more

Toyen

What's in a name?

Names are assigned to us before we are aware of their meaning, and we grow into them as much as they come to reflect us. In Japan artists often changed names after milestones in their lives, but in the west, once you've been given a name, you're usually stuck with it—a rigidity that makes claiming a new name even more powerful magic. read more

Sascha Schneider, 1904

Hypnosis

To Sascha Schneider the male body was perfection, and the world its antagonist. Schneider worked in Germany in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, during the development of Freikörperkultur, free body culture, also called the Health and Hygiene movement. Freikörperkultur aimed to counteract the restraint and stress of industrialization with a restorative mix of open air nudity, exercise, and healthy diet. read more

Born on June 2

Théo Kerg

Eating the canvas

Esch-sur-Alzette is the second-largest city of the European country of Luxembourg, yet its population would barely fill a modestly large sports stadium. Théo Kerg was born into this small city in 1909, as generations of farming were being thrown off in favor of a new, thriving steel industry—an energetic place to grow up. read more

Artwork

Artists

Movements

By continuing to browse Obelisk you agree to our Cookie Policy