PROFESSIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL ILLUSTRATION
Valerie Woelfel – St. Paul, MN USA – 651 955-7198 – [email protected]
This illustration depicts a section of the Gigantomachy frieze from the monumental Pergamon Altar. The altar was constructed in the Hellenistic period (c. 180 – 160 BCE) in the ancient city of Pergamon, now Bergama, Turkey. It measured nearly 36 meters (117 feet) by 33 meters (109 feet) deep and ranks among the greatest surviving masterpieces of Hellenistic sculpture. It was excavated in the 1870s and is now located in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.
Hellenistic sculpture emphasizes dramatic emotion, dynamic composition, expressive facial features, and deeply carved, flowing drapery. Capturing these characteristics was vital in creating this drawing. At the same time, the relief contains numerous overlapping figures and complex folds of drapery that can make the piece seem crowded and difficult to interpret in a photograph. I used varying line weight and controlled shading to establish a clear visual hierarchy that allows the viewer to focus on individual figures while also tying them together into a single composition. In creating this drawing, I called on my skills as a fine artist and my knowledge of art history. I enjoyed studying the frieze in depth in order to create the drawing.
This Greek red-figure vase depicts a scene from Homer’s Odyssey. Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, sits at her loom as their son, Telemachos, prepares to leave.
Greek red-figure pottery, developed in Athens around 530 BCE, was created by painting the background with a black slip while leaving the figures in the natural red color of the clay. Red-figure scenes show up beautifully in black and white, as in this drawing created in Adobe Illustrator. Because painted scenes wrap around the curved surface of a vase, they can be difficult to view in a single photograph. By carefully “unwrapping” the scene, I can present it without distortion in crisp, clear vector illustration.
One of the rewards of archaeological illustration is that you become intimately familiar with the pieces you draw. I stumbled on the Penelope vase while visiting the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Chiusi in Italy. It felt like being reunited with an old friend.
This reconstruction illustrates the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem as it would have appeared during the Crusader period. The image was created for A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Holy Sepulchre and Golgotha in Jerusalem by Emily Tobler Cavins as part of a series of four reconstructions showing the church at different stages of its architectural history.
Few historic buildings have gone through as many alterations as this one. Reconstructing its Crusader-period appearance required extensive research. I combined evidence from historic objects, images, and documents with the work of other scholars in trying to unravel which features have changed or disappeared since Crusader times. The illustration is a vector graphic created in Adobe Illustrator. Vector graphics demand a high level of precision because every architectural detail remains sharply defined at any magnification. There are no soft edges in the background to hide uncertainty. Every stone course, molding, window, and carved architectural element must be accurately rendered. Projects such as this demonstrate that archaeological illustration is as much a process of investigation as it is of drawing.
Illustrations created for books and publications aimed at general audiences play an important role in making archaeology and history accessible, engaging, and memorable. By helping readers visualize people and events from the past, they spark curiosity and interest in cultural heritage. This illustration was created for the children’s book Daily Life in Bible Times by Dr. Pamela Gaber. It depicts a well-equipped, professional Roman soldier confronting a poorly trained opponent.
To achieve natural poses for the figures, I used still frames from movies. The original Gladiator film was a great source for action poses during sword fighting. I then researched the weapons and gear of a Roman soldier and added that to the figure. The artwork was drawn in pen and ink before being scanned and the color added in Adobe Photoshop. Projects for a general audience allow me to explore a broader range of artistic approaches while still embracing the archaeological illustrator’s commitment to historical accuracy.
One of the most rewarding aspects of my work as an archaeological illustrator is creating evidence-based reconstructions. This requires research and close collaboration with the archaeologist to evaluate the evidence and work out the details of the image. The process often prompts new questions as the reconstruction develops and there can be many iterations of the drawing before the final version is ready to go to the publisher.
This reconstruction is another illustration from the children’s book Daily Life in Bible Times, and depicts life in an ancient Israelite house. These are sometimes called four-room houses, although the number of rooms can vary. This particular house is a two-story mudbrick and stone dwelling with domestic animals sheltered off the central courtyard and members of the household carrying out daily activities throughout the rest of the house. Similar houses were used from approximately the 12th century BCE until the Babylonian Exile in the 6th century BCE. I enjoy creating illustrations like this one that focus on the daily lives of ancient people and I hope this illustration encourages children who read the book to explore more of what archaeology can teach us.