Peg Figure c. 2500

This Sumerian peg figure now lives at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The unknown artist made a green figure, both otherworldly and familiar. I wonder if it was a solitary act, or a communal effort, a ritual? I see someone standing proud with their hands held to their chest, and the patinated surface of the peg makes me think of the passage of time. I imagine the Sumerian craftsperson carefully carving and shaping the figure with simple tools, each mark a testament to their skill and vision. The figure is elongated with an odd texture, which reads as a kind of inscription of time itself. The artist was probably thinking about what lasts, what remains, and what it means to leave a trace of oneself behind. I feel the figure’s solidity, its strange proportions, and the way it makes me want to reach out and touch it. It reminds me that art is nothing if not a form of embodied expression.