For this project I sculpted some of the main characters from The Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient Mesopotamian story about the quest for immortality.
Since clay was the material on which data and stories were usually written in ancient Mesopotamia, I was interested in making the busts look like clay, in order to mark the personality and experiences of each character in the sculptures.
Below are the characters (Sculpted in ZBrush and rendered in Blender Cycles) that belong to this fascinating story. Despite its antiquity, it shows themes and aspects that are still relevant today.
Gilgamesh, the abusive and arrogant king of Uruk. Even today, his story gives contemporary readers a wise lesson on life.
Ishtar, a powerful and multi-faceted Mesopotamian goddess. She loved Gilgamesh, but how did the king of Uruk feel about her?
Enkidu, the savage sent by the Mesopotamian gods to teach Gilgamesh a lesson in humility.
Shamhat, the woman who led Enkidu to civilization.
Humbaba the giant, guardian of the Cedar Forest.
Utnapishtim and his wife gained immortality after surviving a flood and preserving life on Earth.
Ninsun. Goddess, queen and mother of Gilgamesh.
