Month: September 2021

The code of Hammurabi is one of the oldest and well known written forms of law to exist. Though it was not the first code of law discovered, it is the first to state the idea of innocent until proven guilty. Today, innocence until proven guilty is one of the most popular ideologies in modern law and order. Though it doesn’t look like much at surface level, Hammurabi’s Code is over 8 feet tall and has over 30 laws engraved in it. In total, King Hammurabi had created over 280. Most of the laws follow the idea of an eye for an eye. The concept explains that if someone, for example, stole something, they would get their hand cut off as punishment. This general idea applies to a plethora of societies today. Though the seeming harshness, Hammurabi’s code also established the first minimum wage for workers. Minimum wage was a rare concept while looking at the treatment of middle-class workers in other societies. I chose Hammurabi’s code as it has always interested me and that I have had the pleasure to learn the concept in many history classes. As I have read and researched Hammurabi’s code on many separate occasions, I’ve also had the privilege of seeing the actual code in the Louvre when I was 12. While my memories of that trip are limited, I remember seeing the code and being starstruck. To finally see something that I’ve only heard about or seen in textbooks made it almost surreal. I was standing in front of a very influential piece of history. To this day, I still remember that feeling of realizing that I am a part of history. Though I may not be as influential as the code of Hammurabi, it inspired me to try and make the change I knew the world needed. While that does sound pretty dramatic for a 12-year-old, that moment changed my life.

Citations:

• Andrews, Evan. “8 Things You May Not Know about Hammurabi’s Code.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 17 Dec. 2013, https://www.history.com/news/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-hammurabis-code?li_source=LI&li_medium=m2m-rcw-history. 
• King, L. W. “The Code of Hammurabi.” The Avalon Project : Code of Hammurabi, 2008, https://avalon.law.yale.edu/ancient/hamframe.asp. 
• Stanford University. “Hammurabi’s Code.” Stanford History Education Group, 20 Apr. 2020, https://sheg.stanford.edu/history-lessons/hammurabis-code. 
• Gill, N.S. “What Was the Ancient Babylonian Law Code of Hammurabi?” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 11 Sept. 2018, https://www.thoughtco.com/babylonia-117264. 
• “Stele with the Code of Hammurabi.” Wikidata, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12397781. 

C

The principles I chose to focus on were: Contrast in texture, Repetition, Figure/Ground, and Closure

Contrast In Texture- Sunrise by Geogiana Paraschiv in the image that I chose to represent the design principle of contrast in texture. The the smooth gradient in the yellow circle and the rough gradient in the grey circle creates a nice contrast. The overlaying of the two circles also create a sense of connection between these two contrasting objects.

Repetition- Love Saves the Day by Paul Rand is a great example of repetition. The diagonal repetition of colour along with the repetition of shape and direction is very well represented in Rands piece.

Figure/Ground- In the Food and Wine festival poster, Gestalts principle of figure/ground is prevalent. The shape of the fork moving down on the left side has prongs that are created by the shape of vine bottles in the negative space between them. This conveys the ideas of food, through the symbol of a fork, and wine, through the symbol of the wine bottles.

Closure- Gestalts principle of closure is conveyed through the image of spikes, creating th idea of them being attached to a circle. Though there is no outline of a circle, the way the spikes are placed creates the shape of a circle within the white.

The three elements of design I decided to focus on were direction, colour, and shape.

Direction: I chose a piece by Paula Scher (Bottom). The different directions the text is being displayed frame the man as the centre piece, which was the purpose. The different sizes as well helps capture your eye and lead us towards the same man we are supposed to see.

Colour: I chose a piece by Takashi Murakami (Left) to display the element of colour. The usage of pastel colours is used to soften the hard lines of each flower. There are also different petals of the flowers that are a deep red, allowing our eyes to search across the whole piece instead of just the big flower in the centre

Shape: For shape I chose this piece by Allan Fletcher (Right) to represent shape. Fletcher does a great job of conveying shape because even though each figure lasts details and shading, the simple shape of the silhouette alludes us to the idea that they are all cats. each shape is very clear and concise so each cat is very clear and prominent in the piece.