Famous Greek Statues: The Venus de Milo

There are many myths about Hera, but one very important one is called “The Judgment of Paris”. One day Eris gave Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena a golden apple with words on it that say “to the fairest”. So the three started fighting over which one of them is the fairest. They decided to let a human decide who was the fairest. This human was Paris, the king of Troy’s son. Every goddess tried to bribe Paris. Hera offered him power, Athena offered him wisdom, and Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful woman in the world, which, at that time was the queen of Sparta, Helena. Paris chose Aphrodite as the fairest goddess from the three goddesses. When Paris went to get Helena from the king, the people of Troy were not happy, so, the Trojan War

In ancient Greece, around 500 B.C.E, the culture was revolving around gods and goddesses. The lifestyles and actions of the people of Greece had an interdependence with the common belief of Hellenism. By understanding that many Greeks looked to their gods and goddesses in most aspects of their life, we can better understand how Greek culture worked as a whole. This can be seen specifically in Athens Greece. In Athens they looked to the Goddess Athena in particular because she was their patron Goddess. During this time a sculptor, named Phidias, sculpted a grand statue called the Athena Parthenos. The Athena Parthenos was viewed as an actual incarnation of the Goddess Athena, and symbolize victory in wars that ultimately create peace and harmony.

Aphrodite statues were very popular in Greece during the Hellenistic period. The marble Aphrodite of Knidos was the most renowned among the many Greek goddesses. Also written as the Aphrodite of Cnidus, the marble sculpture was created by an Attic sculptor known as Praxiteles during the 4th century BC. Arguably, it is believed to be the earliest major sculpture to show the goddess in the nude. Praxiteles also created another draped version of the marble Aphrodite of Knidos. It is said that the draped version was the first to be sold, while the nude version remained rejected

The Mazarin Venus at the Getty has been restored extensively. Scholars believe the head actually belonged to another ancient statue. Nevertheless, it is still a beautiful piece that demonstrates how the ancients viewed their gods. Venus has a beautifully proportioned and shapely figure. She has a lovely face, also classically proportioned, that is framed by curls. Her hair cascades down her back and falls over one shoulder. She gazes off to the side. She is graceful and elegant, showing herself with neither boldness nor undue modesty. She represents the female ideal of her times. Her beauty mirrors the beauty of love. The Greek sculptor who originally created the figure and the Roman sculptor who copied it did

Socrates in using statues of Daedalus as an example discuses a relationship between opinions that happen to be true and actual knowledge or hard facts. Socrates’ point is that opinions can be decided by countless questionable factors and can heavily vary from moment to moment and go in unpredictable directions if they are not held in place. Opinions are perceptions of the world and it is possible that some align with how the world really is but often times it is quite removed from reality and therefore an ignoble outlook to see the world through. The opinions of a person, particularly uneducated and foolish opinions that are have little relation to the truth should not be respected and can be dangerous. A person may be of the opinion that the moon is hollow or is a projection made to fool the people of the world, and most would not consider this to be in any way a fact nor would they consider the person claiming this to be worth listening to besides for amusement.

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was believed to have been made by the Greek sculptor Phidias around 435 B.C. in Olympia, Greece. The statue was a massive seated figure towering over 43 feet. The stunning representation of the god Zeus was made from ivory plates and gold panels which covered its wooden framework. The sheer size of the statue was so immense that legend says that if Zeus stood up inside the temple, he would have put his head straight through the roof. The Statue of Zeus cannot be seen today and it has been said that after the destruction during the 5th century A.D. that to date, no copies have been discovered. The Statue of Zeus importance to world history is that it is one of greatest sculptural feats of the ancient world.

The visual work that will be included is the Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli. The Birth of Venus was created in 1486, it is a tempera on canvas and measure roughly 5ft x 9 ft. It represents the story of the birth of Venus, the Roman goddess of Love. She was born from the seafoam and blown across the ocean by Zephyrus in a seashell. She epitomizes the beauty standards of this time, beautiful, soft and voluptuous. Botticelli used two different approaches in style when painting Birth of Venus. The characters in the foreground represent the chiaroscuro style of painting, adding light and dimension to the focal point of the piece while the background remains flat and uninteresting. Although there is a lack of perspective in Botticelli’s work, it does not take away from its overall appeal. (MindEdge, 7.07) The art was commissioned by a member of the Medici family and currently resides at the Galleria degli Uffzi in Florence, Italy. ("Birth of Venus | artble.com," 2017)

“Some time later, Zeus chose me to decide which of three goddesses was the most beautiful. Eris, the goddess of strife or discord, had tossed a golden apple inscribed with the phrase "For the Fairest" into the midst of the guests at a wedding. Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena all claimed the prize. Each goddess promised me a special gift if he decided in her favor. Hera promised to make him a powerful ruler. Athena promised him wisdom and victory in battle. Aphrodite offered Paris the love of the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Sparta. I was awarded the golden apple to Aphrodite. His decision, known as "the judgment of Paris," enraged Hera and Athena, who began to plan their revenge” (Myths Encyclopedia). I abandoned my wife Oenone, and went to Sparta. King Menelaus welcomed me and introduced me to Helen,

Thus, Venus De Milo was made around 150 BC in Milos, Greece. “Alexandro’s statue portrays the goddess known as Aphrodite when she won victory. This is a missing arm that was outstretched and her hand help an apple. Also, her other hand held up her garment that is about to slip off her hips” (Bleiberg, Edward I.). Even after the original pieces were found, the mystery of the missing arm had already developed popularity, so the arms were not attached to the body. Also, Venus De Milo was mimic to be like Aphrodite because she was known as beautiful goddess. More, Venus De Milo is topless and the artist depicts seduction because she is only wearing a drape. The twisting stance and projection of the knee adds erotic tension that is Hellenistic in concept and intent. “The Venus De Milo still retains mystery. As many people assume that she represents Aphrodite because of her curves and nudity, some assume that the artist depicts the dea goddess Amphitrite who worshipped on Milo” (Curtis, Greg). Even though many people are assuming that the artist is trying to depict Aphrodite or Amphitrite, Venus De Milo is a goddess that shows love and beauty. She resembles a beautiful women who seduces men such as Aphrodite. Aphrodite seduced Tory as he reward the most beautiful goddess, and she appears to win the golden apple. However, Venus De Milo was holding an apple, which many people assume that she is Aphrodite based on the lingering of the drapery and she is

One very noteworthy statue of the Classical Period was called “Aphrodite of Knidos”. The original sculpture inspired various amounts of copies, but sadly the original itself did not survive. “Aphrodite of Knidos” was created by Praxitele and is thought to be the most famous sculptures of Classical Greece. The sculpture depicts Aphrodite just have taken off her clothes and was about to step into the bath. She may have had an onlooker and she covered her pelvis from their view.

In reading Rachel Kousser’s Creating the Past: The Venus de Milo it is interesting to see the varying opinions and theories surrounding the Venus de Milo. Kousser begins by discussing the history surrounding this work and the various theories that have been used to discuss the Venus de Milo. It is in part due to its rich history that there is contention over what is considered accurate to the work and what isn’t. Kousser divulges these perspectives clearly in her writing to give a strong sense of context for the Venus de Milo and where her work falls into the timeline of perspectives. Kousser also looks heavily into the archaeological record and the value of the gymnasium in context to Aphrodite. It is

However, naming this figurine “Venus of Willendorf” leads the viewers to a misconception of the figure’s purpose. Naming the figurine after the greek goddess of love and beauty is simply an attempt to fill in the gaps of what we don’t know nor understand. As there is no knowledge about her purpose, origins, and who made her. The most we can say about her is she is an anthropological object. As Conkey and Tringham states, in order to categorize these statues with a certain meaning we “ need to take into account the fact that there are certain...multiple perceptions and interpretations of the figurines by the prehistoric social actor themselves.” There is absolutely no evidence to indicate that the figure shared a function similar to that of

First they went to ask Zeus who deserved the apple, Zeus did not want to cause any more trouble so he sent them in search of Paris. He was the most handsome mortal in the world. He was also the Prince of Troy He was to decide who really deserved the apple. (Murphy 541).

Venus of the Rags is a larger than life sized classical statue of the Roman goddess of love with a large pile of colored clothes that are simply piled up on each other on the floor. The viewer can see the back of the Venus statue. The statue’s face and body somehow touch the pile of clothes that accumulate in front of it, hence the front of the statue is not shown, but only the back. This statue is not an original statue from Rome but Pistoleto has purchased this cement Venus from a garden center. He has made several versions of this artwork throughout his life. He had done his first in 1967. He later made three further versions in the same year using plaster casts of this original Venus statue and they are housed in the De Bennardi Collection, Naples, a private collection in Germany, and the Giuliana and Tommaso Setari Collection, Milan. He later made two other versions year 1970 using a larger plaster Venus and then the other one covered with gold

The gods called upon Paris to award the prize of beauty. Hera promised him power and riches if he decided in her favor. Athena offered him wisdom and glory in war. Then Aphrodite said she would give him the love of the most beautiful woman in the world. Paris gave Aphrodite the apple, and Hera and Athena became bitter enemies of the Trojans.