The Musée du Louvre is hosting the “Archaeology Goes Graphic” exhibition at its Petite Galerie through July 01, 2019. The exposition is meant to spark a dialog between archaeology and comic book art. Around a hundred works of art as well as a selection of actual pages by many comic book artists, with interests in archaeology, invites visitors to follow in amateur or professional archaeologists’ footsteps with passion for antiquity. They are invited to see how archaeologists discover “treasures”, bring to light objects buried in different eras, classify them, and attempt to understand what these treasures tell us about the bygone times.
In theme-based Louvre Museum rooms, the exhibition shows how the comic book art, with a blend of fiction and fact, has taken cues from the archaeological discoveries that have added to the Musée du Louvre’s collections. When on Louvre Museum private tours, the themed-galleries you need to explore are as follows.
Artists and Archaeologists: Archaeology became a profession in the nineteenth century. In this period, archaeologists started to use surveys, drawings, and publications. Comic book artists and archaeologists use sketchbooks in order to record the places, characters, and objects, that interest them – but comic book characters tend to be detectives, adventurers, or reporters rather than scientists.
Archaeological Treasures: Throughout history, the profession is dotted with unexpected and amazing discoveries. However, the word “treasure” holds a special meaning for all archaeologists. While it can describe precious metalwork pieces that were buried underneath the earth to save them from war or natural disasters, it can also refer to divine objects hidden under the foundation of a temple, situated in ancient Egypt and Near East, for instance. Several comic books feature the discovery of items, whether unexpected or otherwise, with characters in search of lost civilizations or treasure.
Classifying and Understanding: With methods of both description and comparison that are derived from archaeologists’ identity and natural science, classify and suggest material’s typologies as per technique, decoration or shape. To date the artifacts, these professionals study their discovery’s conditions, such as burial depth and traces of destruction, and attempt to relate them to known events. While some comic book creators use their heroes’ thoughts to evoke different past periods, other such artists compose their own objects’ typologies.
Interpreting and Imagining & Comic Book Creativity: Following an excavation, archaeologists study their finds and publish them. They bring together all the available material data, and attempt to interpret it. As said, comic book artists have taken cues from legendary heroes and historical figures, in addition to imaginary places and archaeological sites. Historical accuracy is at times respected, though fact typically gives way to either science fiction or fiction.