Polykleitos

This technique, used by Greek sculptors for the head and other parts of the statue began as early as the Archaic Period. ( The period in Greek history lasting from the eighth century BC to 480 BC, post Greek Dark Ages and succeeded by the Classical period.) The work has many signs of damage and decay, among these are missing body parts such as the capital and the right wing. The surface is worn down, although still shows clear creases and details throughout the texture of the piece. The head, wings, and the drapery were carved separately before the work as a whole was eventually assembled. The wings were attached with no external support and it's a marvel that one is still managing to adhere

The overall all renditions are block-like and sculpted with geometric reduction of details. The anatomy is made up of planes, completely symmetrical. The hair, ears, and eyes have been reduced to simple shapes – again, all identically symmetrical. Kouros is depicted nude, symbolic of Archaic Greece's emphasis on the ideal individual male and autonomous Greek citizen. In contrast, Aphrodite is a considerably large female (7 feet tall and substantially wider than the Kouros). Given the larger than real-life scale, this statue probably served as a cult image in a temple. The statue's excellent state of conservation also suggests that it was kept indoors. It is free standing but also in an anatomical, not just mechanical sense. The pose is full and rounded, not solely frontal. You get a sense of the body being relaxed, with one hand extended in a gesture that gives a sense of it moving forward.

Ancient Greek art is something to be admired; the accuracy of the figures, compared to Egyptian art is commendable. The art works show great depths of emotion and detail. The “Grave stele of a little girl” is a beautiful relief of what appears to be a small child holding two birds. The forearm resembles a young child’s arm because it seems that the “baby fat” is still present, but it is strange that the face has less-childish features. The figure is in strict profile, which possibly suggests a Greek sculptor, in addition to the intricate detail and the contrapposto. Egyptian sculptors did not have

This paper will focus on the Statue of Dionysos leaning on a female figure. Also known as the Hope Dionysos. The statue is displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art and is located on the first floor Roman and Greek art chamber. Upon entering this sector, you will notice a grand statue that catches your eyes and captivates you as it welcomes you in gracefully. The exhibition is set up in the back center of the room, and is noticeable due to the largeness in scale and the enigmatic yet calming disposition the statue portrays. My first impression of the sculpture was how detailed and realistic the statue is. Since the statue was so defined you would be able to identify what he was wearing and how his body was shaped to how long his hair was during this time period. I was profoundly intrigued by how peaceful the statue of Dionysos embodied and found myself coming back to it and looking in awe. In curiosity, I would choose this statue for my assignment because I wanted to learn more about the history of the Hope Dionysos. In this essay I will be describing my formal analysis of the artwork, the subject matter behind it, the artist and the historical content of the statue of Dionysos.

The statue of Hatshepsut seated down is made with the material limestone. This limestone is lightly colored, which created a larger contrast with the other statues nearby. Her face was carved bringing out her eyes, eyebrows and other facial features. Her eyebrows also come slightly together towards the middle. Her lips forming a slight archaic smile. The dimensions are larger than an average female size. The statue is of great size, yet still in proportion. The body and head fit well with each other overall. However, it is greatly exaggerated in size.

Ancient sculptures bring on endless philosophical arguments regarding what is an appropriate form of perfection, defined as a fit body guided by a keen mind. This paper will approach a visual essence of the sculpture of The Lansdowne Athlete, by Lysippos, Rome 340-330 B.C. marble after a bronze original, that I viewed at the LACMA. This sculpture is located in the left wing of Greek exhibition Building, 3rd floor. I selected this sculpture as an example of an idealized body. Therefore, I will be explaining the historical background of the sculpture and address why I think it would make a good addition to our text. I will provide an analogy with other sculpture of idealized body from our textbook chapter 12 on “Mind and Body” mainly. I will impart more information about the essence of idealized human form as well as cultural ideals during this time period in Greece.

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

Greek art, especially sculpture, was a common way to explore and reach past the confines of mankind’s natural appearance be it through penises, huge muscles, or generalized unrealistic body standards. Hercules and the Hydra, a sculpture by Mathias Gasteiger, presents an image of masculinity through the expressive posture and form of Hercules once you look past those gleaming bronze pectorals, and into the intricate details of the piece.

The body of Adam, fully nude with the exception of a leaf, is very realistic and accurate, greatly detailed from his tightly curled hair to the creases in his knuckles. Without even touching the work I can “see” the purity of its marble and the smoothness of its carving. The muscle and facial expression of Adam are remarkably convincing qualities, showing the overall tense feeling of Adam’s pose. He stands on a flat base, and it is seen there that he is leaning forward because both feet are slightly lifted off the ground. He seems to be moving in a forward direction. That encouraged me to explore the back of the sculpture, where I found the same remarkable realism through muscles depiction and perfected proportion.

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.

In general, Nero has a noticeably flat face, which is emphasized by the lack of a nose. When looked at from the side, the forehead of this sculpture extends about half an inch further outwards than the chin. The entire face subtly slopes inward from the top to the bottom. This portrait is completely devoid of wrinkles, which when combined with the fullness of the cheeks gives the appearance of a very young man. The sculpture’s eyes are very sunken in this sculpture, which is partially due to the fullness of

This is very similar to other Hellenistic in that the figures seemingly engage with the viewer by their expressive figurative motion and in the way that they interact with the space. The sense of agony is also expressed through the theatricality of the sculpture, which is emphasized by the diagonal and curving lines, which can be seen in the twisting bodies of the figures as well as the entangled forms of the serpents. The placement of the Laoccon’s head in relation to the rest of his body also evokes a strong sense of agony with his head being tilted back, and with his expression being full of sorrow and anguish. The emotional and chaotic pain of the scene is conveyed through the use of writhing movement within the piece. All three figures are joined together by the serpent, and all writhe in pain, and it is the similar movement of the figures and snake that creates a cohesive display. There is a sense of harmony through the repetition of curving lines, which makes the sculpture compelling and disturbing. The movement quality of this piece not only exemplifies the expressive and complex poses seen within Hellenistic sculptures, but it also shows the sculpture’s attempt to evoke the emotional suffering and anguish of the figures in order to stir the

By observing this figure, the first observation one might notice from Diadoumenos is his ideal body. As a Classical Greek sculpture, Diadoumenos is completely nude and his body is very realistic and proportional; he looks like an actual human being and if one blink, he/she can miss a twitch of movement. His body is also solidly-built; one can see his abdominal muscles, and the muscles in his arms. There are even details in his ribs and the skin around the knees to make him look more realistic. Although Diadoumenos appears very human, he is the idealized version of the human male. Classical Greek artists were heavily focused on the realism and bodily proportions of the human body to the point of idealism; this means they created sculptures of

Comparing both portraits have realistic facial expression, facial structure, detail on each facial part like ears, nose, eyes, lips to get all the feature on it. Both also show the ages on their facial to bring more a likeness of the character of the portrait. The portrait of the man (fig.6.18) is made from terra cotta. With the influence of the geek technique, it features on its own is the aging facial, with a casual expression, and one part of the ear look crooked or broken from its view. The way they did Etruscan sculpture like this one, using the material for it, lent itself in easy to modeling of distinctive facial feature and sensitive treatment of the flesh and textures of their sculpture (pg.177). The Delos portrait is a rare art from

The bodies of these men show the importance Neoclassic society placed on portraying the ideal male body from Greece. “The male figures have taut muscles and determined gazes and the repetition of the male form symbolizes their unity and seriousness” (Bluffington.edu). The men in this painting also appear statue-like, another characteristic of the Neoclassic male image. Transitioning from Baroque to Neoclassicism, the male form went from portraying the average, everyday male to focusing more on showing the strength and heroism of men.