Comparing The Chacmool With The Woman Of Willendorf

Throughout the history of art, the human body and figure has captivated both artisans and their audiences. This can be said especially of the Greeks and their sculptures. Even from the earliest periods, Greeks motivation for the search of the ideal human body can be seen through the sculpture Metropolitan Kouros (c 120-50 BCE), created in the Archaic period and said to be found in Attica, Ancient Greece (Richter 1931, p. 220). However, it is not until High Classical period that they truly achieve their goal with Polykleitos’ The Spear Bearer (c. 120-50 BCE) or the Doryphoros (its Greek name). The sculpture, found in a Palestra in Pompeii, Italy is said to be the epitome of perfection during its period. Although there is exquisite rendering and beauty in both sculptures, there are also a vast number of differences that make each work unique.

The Paleolithic age or Old Stone Age is of an astonishing variety that ranges from simple necklace to monumental paintings. Therefore, art historians can only speculate on the function and meaning of one of the oldest sculptures, which Venus of Willendorf. However, this sculpture dates back to a time before history and writing. Nevertheless, the preponderance of female over male indicates a preoccupation with the woman, whose childbearing capabilities ensured the survival of species (Kleiner, F. S.2013). None the less, a description of the Willendorf figurine suggests too many scholars that this and other prehistoric statuettes of women serve as fertility images because the figurine breasts are enormous and larger in proportion. None the less,

Double pieces that have lasted over thousands of ages to offer scholars with references to human existence during the Paleolithic period are the Woman of Willendorf figure and the Lion Man of Hohlenstein-Stadel. Each figure is condensed with amazing features, even though they are not thorough to the level of realism. The Woman of Willendorf is one of the best instances of the small ‘Venuses’ that have been uncovered meaning that her persistence was a part of a ethnic set of views about women and fertility. The Lion Man, is a more exclusive artifact that recounts to the complex figures that are recognized from other cultures within which the related mythologies that have been revealed. The Lion Man has no known mythology that is obtainable in known written history to this day. The two pieces propose the unknown about the Paleolithic era, recognizing a sagacity of religion and rituals that were part of the lives of those who lived during that era and enlightening recent scholars on some aspects of the people during that time.

Various pieces of art found thousands of years ago depict characters based on certain events and legends. I will be analyzing two works of art: The Sound Box of the Great Lyre, a wooden music box (33 x 11 cm) found in present-day Iraq c. 2600-2500 BCE, and Lapith Fighting a Centaur, a high metope relief (1.42 m) on the side of the Parthenon in Ancient Greece c. 447-432 BCE. The former represents a bull with a low relief under its head, depicting animals mimicking the lifestyle of humans. The latter exemplifies a nude man struggling against a mythical creature that is half-man half-horse2. Although these works are from across the world with completely different cultures, they both have similar

This essay aims to investigate two different time periods in the history of art. It will scrutinize the influence that the respective societal contexts had on the different artists, which in turn, caused them to arrange the formal elements in a specific way. I will be examining an Egyptian sculpture of the god Isis nursing Horus, her son, as well as the Vladimir Virgin icon, which dates from the Byzantine era. Experts vary on the precise ‘lifetime’ of the Ancient Egyptian civilization, but according to Mason (2007:10) it existed from 3100 BCE up to 30 BCE. The Byzantine era, which

The “human form” has changed through art over long periods of time and how each civilization uses their own style to create these pieces is how art gets its depth. I'm going to be talking about one of each sculpture from every major period and explain how each one has its own flavor and own unique style. I will be talking about the Prehistoric period, Egyptian style, Greek style and Roman styles. I also have a list of vocabulary words i will be pointing out in bold to explain how these are used in sculptures.

During my visit to the Tampa Museum of Art, I observed and viewed various pieces from The Classical World exhibit. While I observed numerous works, I was drawn to a specific piece due to its uniqueness when compared to the other pieces in the exhibit. In this paper, I will be describing The Torso of Aphrodite, using my own viewpoints and the elements of formal art analysis, in order to explain the uniqueness when compared to other pieces in The Classical World exhibit.

Throughout different time periods and civilizations come many different types of art that would never be comparable to those of another time or place. There are also the pieces that come from a completely different time and place, but yet they can still be compared to one another. The Torso of a God (Egyptian, New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, last decade of the reign of Amenhotep III, Granodiorite, 1359-1349 B.C.) and the Statue of Asklepios (Greek, Hellenistic period, Pentelic Marble, 2nd century B.C.) are two sculptures made hundreds of years apart, yet they both display many similarities and show how art is constantly changing whilst keeping the same core ideas.

With works in every known medium, from every part of the world, throughout all points in history, exploring the vast collection of the Museum of Modern Art was an overwhelming experience. The objects in the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts are an important historical collection, reflecting the development of a number of art forms in Western Europe. The department's holdings covered sculpture in many sizes, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, jewelry, and tapestries. The gallery attracted my appreciation of the realistic qualities of the human body often portrayed in sculpture.

Throughout Mesoamerica, we’ve noticed a common thread throughout the various civilizations; which include; divine kingship, common deities, and similar rituals. But two of these civilizations stand apart from the others because of their divergent way of living. The Zapotec civilization was located in Monte Alban celebrated death by generating elaborate burial sites; by creating immense wall motifs and placing countless amounts of detailed censers in the likeness of the departed, for example the Seated Deity with Glyph C Headdress. For the inhabitants of Teotihuacan, unity was a major part of living, which is clearly depicted in their living compounds. In every living compound there was an open courtyard where the multiple families living there would practice rituals and socialize with one another. Every courtyard held a ceramic depiction of a deity who they would worship, for instance, the Censer would be an illustration of this. Both the Seated Deity with Glyph C Headdress and the Censer may appear similar in medium, but are of great contrast in technique and subject matter.

During my time at the museum I took many photographs of the works of art so that I could later choose something in my book that would allow me to write about an interesting comparison and contrast. For my first choice, from the museum, I chose to analyze a storage jar from Greece called “Storage Jar with Herakles Threatening the centaur Pholos”. The Jar was made in Athens located in Greece during the Early and High classical period, 480-460 B.C., and the medium is terra-cotta. The piece is a terra-cotta jar with a painting of a man (Herakles) fighting a center, half man half bull (Pholo) painted in the style Black-Figure technique, which is roughly 18 inches tall. The reason why I choose to write about this jar was because the style in which it was created was some how original yet somehow influenced by Egyptian art which interested me.

Both Etruscan and Roman tomb sculpture function to memorialize the departed allowing them to move on from the world of the living and seeks to comfort those who have lost the ones they love. The two societies have differing practices in regards to death and therefore sculptures concerning the subject are somewhat different with a few identifiable similarities. While both societies seek to comfort the living and commemorate the dead this is achieved through different approaches. The Etruscan Sarcophagus with reclining couple from Cerveteri, Italy and the Mummy of Artemidorus from Roman Egypt are two examples of contrasting representations of the dead. When analyzing tomb sculpture one of the main questions is whether the work adapts a retrospective approach (presentation of the deceased as they were in life) or a prospective one (the viewpoint of looking forward to life beyond the grave). While the Etruscan sarcophagus gives a more retrospective memorialization through the depiction of the couple in a state of regularity the Roman Mummy of Artemidorus presents a more prospective approach concerning the deceased through the emphasis of funerary practices.

This paper will discuss relative points and insights relating to sculpture of the Paleolithic era, specifically the Venus of Willendorf, through the essays of Christopher Witcombe.

Further on, we will discuss in great depth the purpose and symbolism in each of these artworks, but it is important to know that both the Model of a house and a pig as well as the Tomb Guardian are important burial pieces. This alone says something very important about their cultures, and that is that there is a

Being one of the first art shows, that I have ever had the pleasure of viewing, I am pleased to write, that the works displayed, at the Beyond Art Gallery on the evening of September 30th the finest, and certainly most impressive I have ever seen. It was made so by the awe inspiring works of one Andy A. Villarreal, a San Antonio native, whose excellent artwork is heavily influenced by Mesoamerican/Yucatan culture. On this particular night his work was showcased as the main attraction of the exhibit ‘A Tribute to the Mayan Culture’. The centerpiece of this exhibit was an oil paint on canvas work, which is clearly religious. Yet it is coupled with elements of culture in such a way that each man or woman who views the work shall interpret both the blatant and the seemingly insignificant details differently. This work has been