Classical Greek Sculpture Analysis Riace Bronzes (Statue A) This classical Greek sculpture is titled the Riace Bronzes. The Riace statues are two life-size bronze statues each weighing nearly a ton. Statue A which is depicted above is of a young warrior, while statue B which is not depicted is of an older warrior wearing a helmet. In this analysis I will be concentrating on Statue A. The sculptor of this statue remains unknown; however most experts attribute this statue to Polyclitus, an expert Greek sculptor and mathematician, or one of his many disciples. The Riace is from the early Classical Period, made around 445 BCE. It was unexpectedly discovered in the Ionian Sea along with an …show more content…
The soft S-shaped lines form a realistic human form giving it a graceful but still powerful human figure. The high definition of the pectorals and the abdominal muscles are indicative of someone who is in prime physical condition and aware of a fine-toned body. The firm grip of the left hand and the outward gaze convey energy and alertness to his surroundings. He is standing in a Contrapposto stance, meaning that most of his weight is balanced on one leg, in this case the right leg is behind the left. His physique is however, an exaggeration. In his book How Art Made the World, Nigel Spivey writes about the Riace Bronze, “Division between top and bottom has been exaggerated by a crest of muscle across the waist that is more defined that can ever be on a real person” (Spivey). He also states how the “central channel of the spine is deeper than you will ever see on a real person and to improve the line of its back; this man has no coccyx bone at the base of its spine” (Spivey). This shows that the sculptor, whoever he was lived in a time where human perfection was heavily admired. Even though the statue is naturalistic, it is unrealistic due to the incredible symmetry and perfection being displayed. The median used for this sculpture was bronze. The only part of this sculpture that was not bronze was its teeth that were made out of silver. The Riace however was hollow and not made of solid bronze, which is essential for a piece of art that was meant to
The statue is pure white and is lying on its side clutching a shield. I hope to analysis this sculpture to gain a deeper insight on the culture that it came from and why they may have
The first thing you notice about sculpture is the texture of it, it feels smooth, like its made of a clay yet it has a lot of depth and value, the skull itself isn’t proportional since it is tilted to
The sculpture portrays the God of Harvest, Dionysus, with his loyal satyr follower, Pan. A considerable amount of detail when into the carving of Dionysus; the multiple grapevines in his hair, his ceremonial staff Thyrsus, the goatskins and the cup of wine he’s holding are all symbols of Dionysus. The composition is very asymmetrical, and creates a contrapposto arrangement, which is distinctly Grecian (Gardner). It was carved out of beautiful fine marble, which also had another purpose in the way of making this piece of art last for many years. Along with the tree trunk between the two men providing support at the base, and the elongated arms providing more structural stability. The God’s head is even reinforced by his hair to make sure the head doesn’t break off. This sculpture is visually and aesthetically pleasing, but doesn’t serve a useful function, like textiles or furniture. Therefore, it is considered a figurative piece of art, which art that is very clearly modeled after real object or person(s), and is therefore representational
The fact that the sculpture is a bronze also impacts the meaning of the piece. Not only does the medium help make the piece more structurally stable and prevented it from breaking, but it also creates a more rigid and
Looking at the sculpture carefully I did not observe many shapes, but I did see specific lines which were meant to emphasize smoothness and beauty. For example,
The work is a three-dimensional additive statue made entirely of bronze. The statue is life-size, although it is not too obvious because of its seated position. Being made of gray-ish bronze, the statue is monochromatic, no other colors are present, but due to
When examining the statue, there is an old woman bent and weary. Her posture helps clue us in , with her age and health. The figure is dressed in cloth that hangs off her shoulders. She carries a basket that is filled with what we may think are offerings. Then on her head, there are vines that create a band around the top of her head maybe used to signify the festival that was going on during that time. The specific detail that is seen on this statue persuades us to want to know the story of this woman. Doing so, the process involves lots of research about the time and art. During this period, artist begin to introduce more inner beauty than physical beauty. We get to learn more about the structure itself, then settle for what is given and seen.
The sculpture is slightly larger than a real human would be. The the body and the clothing are very detailed. The face shows no emotion. The face is true to life, and the muscles are not shown since the arms have fallen off and the legs are covered by fabric. The body is in contrapposto and it is clothed. The woman is wearing a peplos. The upper half of the clothing covers the body, and the bottom clings to the body. The hair is short and
Even The Doryphoros (Spear Bearer) is so new, However, people can still see the influence from the early period sculptures in it, such as the Early Classical period sculptures. The famous bronze sculpture Riace Warrior is a great example of stylistic influence can be seen in the Spear Bearer. The pose of the figure is
The artwork that I decided to pick was Riace Warrior A, c. 460 BCE. Broze with copper, silver, and ivory, 6'6" high. Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia, Reggio di Calabria, Italy. The lines in the art work show definition within the structure of the body. They also show movement, shape, form, structure, and a range of emotions. The author uses continuous lines and thick lines to convey different expressive qualities. The shape in the sculpture are man-made, regular, solid,representational, opaque, symbolic and smooth texture. The shapes in the sculpture describe strength, stability and continuous movement. The tone of the sculpture creates the sense of depth and tranquil atmosphere. Color in the sculpture is very undescribable, the
The marble statue of Diadoumenos is a copy of the original bronze statue displaying a young man tying a fillet around his head. The original was created in c.a. 430 B.C. by a man called Polykleitos of Argos. Polykleitos was a Greek sculptor who worked during the mid-fifth century B.C. . he was one of the most famous artists of the ancient world. Polykleitos' figures are carefully designed with special attention to bodily proportions and stance. The statue of Diadoumenos has its thorax and pelvis tilt in opposite directions, setting up rythmic contrasts in the torso that create an impression of organic vitality. The position of the feet, (poised between walking and standing), give a sense of potential movement.
Her complex clothing calls attention to her exposed breast, very slim waist and wide hips, exaggerating her sexual features. These exaggerated features are caused by her ornamental dress. The naturalism shown in this sculpture is common in Minoan art, just as the patterns, colors and folds bring the typical Minoan dresses alive. Her body is mostly proportional, except for her hands which seem to be too small for her body. Not a common detail on Minoan sculptures so it's most likely not intentional. The Nike of Samothrace is an example of Hellenistic sculpture. Nike's wings are open and the diagonal thrust of her body makes it seem as if she's turning while moving forward. The details on the marble show her gown still tugged by the breeze created as she landed on the front of a ship. Her body is farily Classical, except for the thickness of her hips. The texture of her feathers, the flutter of her clothing and the openness of her body gives an illusion that captures attention as never
The material that the sculpture is made from is stainless steel placed on top of each other in different positions to express his thoughts. In other words words the artist did not produce or create these objects, he probally just told the
(Ancientgreece) As college students it is our duty that we understand this sculpture and what a perfect depiction of Classical art it is. Artist of the Classical period worked hard to represent the anatomy of humans realistically. “It was the first time that
The dying trumpeter marble statue is a huge feat when it comes to Greek development in male form. This statue is seen lying down on his leg, “who collapses upon his large oval shield as blood pours from the gash in his chest” (Kleiner, F. 2014, 155). This statue’s posture is realistic in the way he is turned and also in the way is arms and legs are laying. His right arm is hold him upright, while his left arm is on his right leg. His upper body is turned in order for him to place his hand on his left leg. There are lines in his stomach, where a human would have if they were sitting down and turned. There is also lines and ridges in his feet, showing that he has joints in his toes. This statue portrays the correct human anatomy by having a rounded