Comparison Between Menkaure and His Wife, and Nike from Samothrace

Photographical equipment at this pictorial was still primitive and many photographers felt that their lens’ recorded too much detail. Photographers started to employ different techniques to soften their images, their main goal was to create images that looked more abstract and with similar characteristics to paintings. This movement then transformed into naturalism where it was encouraged to treat photography as an independent art form. There was a belief that photography should be used to communicate something personal, and that the environment would be used as an inspiration.

This work of art is from the Greek, Hellenistic period, c. 270- 250 B.C.E. This fifteen inch marble bust corresponds to a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty according to the typical facial features of the ruling family at that time. The Ptolemaic dynasty occurred when there was a succession of Macedonian Greeks over Egypt from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C. until the annexation of Egypt by Rome and the suicide of Cleopatra VII in 30 B.C. Therefore, this head was most likely created to symbolize a Ptolemaic Queen. Its subject matter, the themes or ideas in a work of art distinct from its form, is not evident

When looking at the Sculpture of Menkaure and a Queen as well as Augustus of Primaporta, one can see some strong similarities as well as some vast differences in the way the Egyptians and Ancient Romans portrayed the desired qualities of their rulers. Some of the similarities include more detailed sculpture. You can see some fine details in the Sculpture of Menkaure and a Queen, but the Romans took this detailing to the next level. Both cultures also used symbolism. The usage of symbolism differed a lot, but it is seen in both cultures. I can also see that both cultures had a tendency to idealize what they wanted to see in their ruler. Both cultures focused on a broad-shoulder, strong, youthful leader. However, there are certainly more differences than there are similarities between the two cultures.

The Winged Victory (Nike) of Samothrace is a powerful statue built by the Greeks around 190 BC. She was discovered on the Island of Samothrace in the northern Aegean. This statue stands at 10.76 feet which is very tall for a woman. She stood on the bow of a ship, poised and ready for action. The sculpture procures the strength and beauty of a woman. The pose, constitution, and her make up all contribute to the works powerful statement.

The statues, Heyl Aphrodite and Capitoline Gaul, both contain human-like features, but only one shows the ideal woman figure. By observing Heyl Aphrodite, viewers notice her soft, curvaceous figure. Her body is proportional creating balance and harmony. Fabric hugs the goddess’s body, draping over her right breast, while exposing the left, conveying a sense of sexuality. Her lack of eye contact expresses weakness, while her body posture, with the aid of the fabric, shows movement. Merker compares the artwork in her book, when she writes, “The raised right shoulder gives a sense of movement; although there is no torsion, one feels there ought to be and is reminded of the unstable, twisting movement of the Heyl Aphrodite in

This sculpture is comprised of marble, and due to its large size it was easier for me to develop an impression about the piece because I can focus on specific parts in more detail. To understand the piece, a very visual and detailed perspective is needed. Judging by the way the thighs are represented, it appears as though she is striking a contrapposto pose, which makes her appear static. She has most of her weight shifted on her left leg, but not all of it The focal point of this piece I believe is her robe. It skillfully falls down her left side, while leaving other parts exposed, drawing the main attention of this piece. Few different types of shapes are displayed, except the shape of her legs and the form of the robe. The physical texture was smooth throughout the entire piece, partly due to the material it is made of. There is only this one texture, as her robe and body parts all feel the same.

I chose this bronze sculpture because it reminded me of Aphrodite of Knidos in that in both sculptures, Aphrodite is depicted as naked but covering her genitalia with her hand. Women are normally shown as clothed in Ancient Greek art, but Aphrodite is the exception since she is commonly the only female figure presented in the nude. The sculpture is in references the cause of the Trojan war when Paris chose Aphrodite as the most beautiful goddess and given the apple she is shown holding as a prize. Aphrodite then gives Paris Helen in return.

The relevant outgrowth of American realism, another relatable writing tendency derived in 1880s. Similar as the purport of realism, Naturalism detailed theto suggest that social heredity and the environment had an inevitable effect in shaping human characteristic (Elliot 497). It opposed to literacy movements in the early period, such as Romanticism or Surrealism, in which subjects receive highly symbolic, idealistic disposition. However, naturalism contained relatively passive and obscure view of the world. Unlike the realism, it focuses more on literary technique, which insinuated a philosophical position: the human beings are considered as "human beasts" (Elliot 502). By utilizing a version of the scientific method to illustrate the surrounding, naturalism writers construct the laws behind the forces that govern human lives, which could be studied and understood by the audience. From the naturalism literature, nature was sculptured as an indifferent force acting in the lives of human beings (Elliot 507). The universe, typically, has been described as

The Statue of Asklepios is a classic Greek sculpture that portrays a person of the most perfect and athletic form. The piece is of a man standing beautifully while draped in a toga. The toga is draped over his left shoulder and cuts across to the right side of his body near his lower abdomen and then continues to cover his legs until his ankle. The toga also is draped over the pieces entire back. The piece is missing his head, his left arm and both his right foot and almost its entire right arm. The piece has a smooth, but not glossy, exterior in all of the areas except for the parts that have been broken off. Asklepios is portrayed as an incredible fit and beautiful being. The abdomen is extremely muscular and shows off the miraculous fitness of the model. The toga has many wrinkles, creating a lot of shadow and darks and lights. It also is wrapped in a way that is both loose and tight in different areas of the sculpture. It is tied right next to the left pectoral and the left armpit. This piece emphasizes the muscular body of this man while at the same time portraying him standing in such a nonchalant way through the curvature and relaxed look of the figure. And unlike the Torso of a God, this piece clearly shows movement through the shape of the body and the folds of the toga because

Naturalism began as a literary movement in the early 1890’s all throughout 1915. Naturalism is meant to imply a philosophical position. For writers, characters can be studied through their relationships to their surroundings. Naturalists believed that human beings are meant to be studied like they were just “products”, that are to be studied impartially, without moralizing about their natures. Ethan Frome was first published in 1911.

The Bronze Statuette of a Veiled and Masked Dancer is a small bronze statuette, measuring just over eight inches, that dates from the 3rd to 2nd century B.C., Hellenistic Greece. The Dancer is displayed in a glass box, just below eye level, which makes her accessible to be viewed all the way around. She is completely covered save for her eyes, hands, and one foot. Wearing a dress and a veil pulled taught by a corner in each hand, the woman is said to be dancer from Alexandria, Egypt. Both the undergarment and veil fall in deep pleats across her body; in some areas, the fabric is thin enough to reveal the movement of her muscles under the fabric.

When examining the statue, there is an old woman bent and weary. Her posture helps clue us in, with her age and the state of her health. The figure is dressed in cloth that drapes off her body as she carries a basket that is filled with what we may think are offerings. On her head, there are vines that create a band around the top of her head 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 the hellenistic period, artists begin to introduce more inner beauty than physical beauty. There is an opportunity to learn more about the structure itself, then settle for what is given and seen.

Charles Champoiseau uncovered pieces of masterfully worked Parian marble in April of 1863.1 On Samothraki, the island from which Poseidon is said to have watched the fall of Troy, these segments of stone came together to form four main sections: a torso, a headless bust, a section of drapery, and a wing.2 The sections were shaped to be assembled though the use of cantilevering and metal dowels, allowing the sculptor to extend beyond medium’s gravitational limitations (fig. 2). Just one year later, the pieces were assembled (and those missing were remodeled), and the Greek goddess Nike was revealed at the Louvre.

Beginning in the late 19th century, two separate movements spread across America know as realism and naturalism. While the two were very similar in their beliefs and ideals there were still many apparent distinctions to differentiate the two. Realism and naturalism showed themselves in many aspects of life, from art and sciences to new math techniques and even religion. However, above all else these movements may have been most evident in the literature of this time. Reading through American literature of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it becomes perceptible which short stories portray realism and which represent nationalism.

Naturalism was a literary movement that took place from the 1880s until the 1940s. It used realism as a mechanism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and environment had a monumental impact in changing or defining human character. Naturalism exposes the dark areas of life and how they affected people, such as sex, violence, disease, prejudice, abandonment, disease, and even death. Naturalism, in short, is a need to return to the earth. (Williams, 571) A prime example of this literary theory