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12/23/2005: "HATSHEPSUT" by Michael Corbin
She was what you might call, "a woman with balls." Almost literally.
That's just one of the conclusions observers may draw from "Hatshepsut: From
Queen to Pharaoh," the colossal exhibition now showing at the deYoung Museum
in San Francisco.
Hatshepsut (Hat-shep-soot) was an Egyptian queen who was also the
step-mother and aunt (that's a whole other story) of future Pharaoh
Tuthmosis III. The exhibition teaches that she married her half-brother
Tuthmosis II, who had Tuthmosis III with another woman before he and
Hatshepsut "hooked up" and ruled together.
The exhibition portrays Hatshepsut as an ambitious woman. When Tuthmosis II
died, he appointed his son heir to the throne, however, "Little T" was too
young and Hatshepsut ruled with him until she "officially" declared herself,
"Pharaoh." Certainly a ballsy move not without controversy given the lack
of precedent and the constant jockeying for power amongst the power hungry.
There are literally dozens of artifacts on display in the Hatshepsut
exhibition. Many of them are worthy of mention, however, none moreso than
two giant statues that are definitely the hilights of the entire museum
visit.
The monuments, which sit side by side, show Hatshepsut as she appeared (or
had herself portrayed) as queen and later on, as she looked (or had herself
portrayed) as pharaoh. As queen she looked small, quite feminine, curvy,
almost frail and feline-like. However, as pharaoh, she's quite large,
decked out in masculine garb and even has a beard. I'm tempted to say,
"Lion King," but I won't. Quite literally, she must have been one of the
first cross-dressers! It's weird, but I guess it was required back then.
Putting these two statues together is a common-sense approach on the part of
the curators, yet brilliant nonetheless. It raises so many questions. Was
Hatshepsut a power-hungry, cross-dressing lesbian? Or was she just defying
the all-male order the best way she could? Was the beard simply her
equivalent of shoulder pads? Why didn't she just rule as queen and
surrender the thrown when young Tuthmosis III came of age? How did she even
get away with the get-up? People aren't stupid. They had to have known.
Did they accept it? The exhibition says that she ruled for a long time
during major societal advancement. Perhaps her subjects were benefitting in
ways that made it all worth it to them. Who knows?
Historians certainly have their theories, but we'll probably never really
know the full story. The exhibition also teaches that when Tuthmosis III
aspired to the throne, he had Hatshepsut's monuments (the ones depicting her
as pharaoh) mutilated and Hatshepsut herself vanished. Clearly, this was a
woman who was WAY ahead of her time ... and OURS.
"We have a way to go," said a San Francisco gallery manager with whom I
later spoke about the exhibition. The gallery manager is also a man who
reached the same conclusion I did after seeing, "Hatshepsut: From Queen to
Pharaoh." Why Hollywood hasn't made a film about this is beyond me. Too
expensive?
Funny thing about history. We look back and view the past as if the people
were so backward and ignorant. "How could they have thought that?" we ask.
However, the most important questions about this exhibition are the ones we
should be asking about our society TODAY. What makes the Hatshepsut
exhibition so stunning is not what happened back then, but how WE are living
NOW.
How can it be that an "ancient" society had a female ruler and we, the
United States of America, supposedly the most advanced nation in human
history, has yet to even come close? Women must also share some of the
responsibility here. American women wield serious power. If they truly
wanted a female president, it would happen. Of course, no one wants a
leader JUST because they're a particular gender or race, but haven't we
reached a point where those considerations can be assets rather than
liabilities?
If nothing else, our examination of art history, history in general, should
give us the insight and tools necessary to push our own society forward. We
can learn from history's mistakes and build on its success.
"Hatshepsut: From Queen to Pharaoh" is mind-boggling because it so clearly
turns the mirror back on US. Despite all of the questions we want to ask
Hatshepsut, she is asking US from her deep entombment, "How far have YOU
really gone?"
Yes, we have the technology, but have we progressed? Hatshepsut's spirit is
alive in many women and people in general today, but you have to wonder ...
For all of our empty gazing and gawking at royal Egyptian treasures, will we
ever catch up to ancient Egypt?
MICHAEL CORBIN IS A WRITER AND AVID ART COLLECTOR
