How does studying the work affect how you understand this history?

In a 2-4 page paper, I would like you to reflect on what you see. Choose one work that is currently on view at Mathaf by an Egyptian artist and one work that is currently on view at Mathaf by an Iraqi or Syrian artist. Make sure to choose pieces that you feel are relevant to our class based on the listed learning objectives for weeks six, seven, and eight – be cognizant of the dates of the work and the dates of the history that we have studied, as what was relevant in Egypt in the 1920s, for example, is different than what was relevant in Egypt in the 2000s.

Spend time with the works – the goal is to see these works deeply and focus on the objects themselves. In your paper, I would like you to describe these works and put them into the contexts that we have studied.
You are required to cite one reading for Egypt and one reading for Iraq/Syria. (For each chosen artwork: include artist, title, date, medium.) How does the history and art history that you have learned affect how you read your chosen artworks? How does studying the work affect how you understand this history? Does your chosen artwork fit into this history, or does it diverge from the history that we have studied? In other words, your goal is to both analyze the work and critically reflect on the ways that the physical artworks connect with and diverge from the narratives offered within our readings.
NOTE: you will see attached the two artworks I picked and you will see multiple sources to be used pick one for Egypt and one for Iraq.