Red Figure Technique ( Herakles And The Nemean Lion )

There are two sides to every story, a formal analysis is one side of these sculptures’ story, and content is the other side of their story. Just as human beings experience different phases throughout their lifespan, so did Ancient Greece. These phases greatly influenced and inspired Greek artworks. Although the styles changed over time, the Greek’s Humanistic philosophy that “man is the center of the universe, the greatest creation of the Gods” became the focus of their culture. Ancient Greece evolved through three periods of art: Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic. The Archaic period (c.600 B.C.), was a time of discovery and wonder for the

Greek culture is the source from which many of the characteristic elements of Western culture derive. Their explorations and innovations in art have both fascinated and inspired other civilizations for centuries. For this assignment I chose two Greek sculptures viewed at the Getty Museum. The first is Kouros circa 530 B.C. made of Dolomitic marble from Thasos and is approximately 200 cm (80 in) in height. The second is Cult Statue of a Goddess, (most likely Aphrodite) South Italy, 425 - 400 B.C. made of Limestone and marble. It stands at a height of 220 cm (86 5/8 in). There is some dispute to the authenticity of the Getty Kouros

Greek mythology played a large role in Greek artistic styles and functions. In the case of this study, the mythological god Apollo is the subject of the artistic works of the votive known as the “Mantiklos Apollo” and the statue of “Apollo” that was found in Pireaus. These figures show a natural progression in style and technique. They are important because they represent the sacred beliefs and superstitions of their respective cultures and time periods.

The Minoans were recognized for their symbolism relating nature and their culture. This was evident during the Prehistoric Aegean, where Minoan art was immense with motifs of nature present in their art. Some examples range from the snake goddess, the bull, the horns of consecration, and other animal associations of the like. The rhyta present in Minoan art were used in religious rituals consisting of liquid offerings being poured and were widely prominent with the elite and at the palace at Knossos. The “Terracotta vase in the form of a bull's head”, demonstrates the importance of the bull in relation to their culture and religious rituals that took place during the Late Minoan II period on Crete.

Herakles has the upper hand. The giant’s face is a mask of pain. His eyes roll and his teeth are bared. His right arm is paralyzed, with the fingers limp.” This vase is the most expensive vase ever purchased. Euphronios’s panel is not creating a two-dimensional one; instead, his panel is to bring imagines moving into three-dimensional space—a new conception of what a picture is supposed to be. It shows a very detailed story connected to the gods. According to the Britannica, “Euphronios experimented with new ideas, forms, and designs within the context of the Archaic tradition, especially the adoption and exploration of the new red-figure technique. Generally, Euphronios’s earlier works were signed as painter and his later works as potter.”(Euphronios, Britannica, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/195461/Euphronios)

Throughout history, many civilizations have risen and fallen carrying along with them their perspectives and beliefs manifested in works of art. All civilizations have erected monuments to not only prove they existed, but because they believed they would remain permanently. The Ancient Greeks were no different, portraying their ideal standards of beauty and proportion into their sculptures. Their ideal perception of adulation “represented the highest form of perfection, comparable to the infinite impeccability of their gods and goddesses” ( ). Evidently, the Ancient Greeks ideals served as a prerequisite that transcended into the ideals of their successors, the Ancient Romans.

Maybe after reading this, you will ponder the originality as well. In the beginning, Greek art was rigid, stiff, lacked emotion in facial expressions, and no body movement existed. Kouros (5.15) is a figure that displays the Archaic smile and absence of body movement which was prominent during this time frame. The Dying Warrior (5.23) from the West pediment is a good example of the lack of despair and agony in sculpture. I think the Laocoon has lots of details in the muscular torso and bodies of the images.

Both sculptures give a few views of how these individuals were looked at. They were gods so the sculptors portrayed them as such and they did it with great skill. We will observe and pick apart these “Gods” doing things that normal humans cannot no do. Such as holding the world on their shoulders or sleeping on a snake with ease. This idea of mythical beings has been around for many years along with their religious beliefs, no one honestly knows if they ever existed but through evidence found, we think otherwise. We think this because the viewer sees one of the "Gods" asleep on a serpent(snake), then the other sculpture is of "Gods" assisting another holding the world (heavens). Two examples of mythical "beings" would be the sculpture of

This is a formal analysis of the work, “Hercules Strangling the Serpents”. This piece was created anywhere between 63-79 AD, and is made from fresco. It was found within the House of the Vettii in Pompeii. One of the first things you may notice is the piece’s extremely hellenistic, and dramatic composition. It is almost reminiscent of “Laocoön and His Sons”, an extremely famous sculpture also depicting serpents. The bottom half of Hercule’s body is practically identical to Laocoön’s, it even follows the same implied path of movement. His left leg, planted firmly into the floor also forms a diagonal in which our eyes follow directly to Amphitryon’s foot which forces our eyes upwards to his body draped in an exuberant and vibrant robe.

Athens, one of the chief city-states of all of ancient Greece, was a city greatly desired by two powerful deities: Athena and Poseidon. The myth that shows how this dispute was settled is depicted in many ways. This story can vary depending on which depiction is being observed. There are slight discrepancies between the Greek version of this myth, the Roman version, and the sculpture shown on the Parthenon in Athens. With close scrutiny of this myth, it is clear that culture, time period, and genre all are reasons for this myths disparity.

Massive structures like the Parthenon in Athens, and the Zeus Statue in Greece were crafted by the Greek artists to depict and provide a place of worship for their many gods and goddesses. Tails of the conquests of great heroes like Hercules and his defeat of the Hydra were carved and crafted into stone walls and on the sides of pots and vases. One type of art that was developed in ancient Greece is called black figure ware. This is the act of engraving black colored figures into red pottery. A similar style entitled red figure ware is the act of engraving red colored figures into black backgrounds on pottery.

Much like previous Greek works of art, the muscles are well defined and highly realistic. Yet, unlike “Riace Warriors” where the figures were just standing in a relaxed and calm way, this figure is trying to hold himself up, and the realistic muscles make it easy to see that this figure is using all of his strength to keep from collapsing. While it could be considered overly dramatic, the way extreme emotion is used in this piece makes the audience feel the pain and sorrow of the person in front of them even though he was the

A Black Figure Amphora attributed to the Antimenes painter (Museum of Fine Arts, Houston) of c. 520 B.C. portrays a composite view of mythological scene between the fight of Theseus slaying a Minotaur, an anthropomorphic figure based on a half human, half bull creature that “devoured young Athenians.” According to the description of the work, “the monster lived in a labyrinth which was designed by a clever inventor Daedulus” who is standing on the left side, next to the Minotaur. Another viewer, on the right side, next to Theseus, is the Princess Ariadne “who helped Theseus escape the maze by following a ball of thread.” In reverse to that, the divine hero, Hercules is driving a chariot while holding a spear, facing him is a woman with curly

Whether in the fifth century B.C.E or the first century C.E, Greek art has maintained continuity among its theories since its inception. Throughout history, the Greeks have been perfecting their human sculptures. The Metropolitan Kouros (600 B.C.E) and the Spear Bearer (450 B.C.E) are made centuries apart but have the same Greek interest of the human anatomy. However, because of the time difference, it is clear that the Spear Bearer is more advanced. The same idea goes to the marble grave Stele of a Little Girl (440 B.C.E) and the bronze statue of Eros Sleeping (1st century C.E). They share many similarities such as the Greek touch; conversely, they have their differences.

the origins of the myth of the miraculous suckling of Romulus and Remus. It analyses previous examples and iconographic models and traces the development, during the period of Ancient Rome, of its artistic representation, which kept its symbolic value right up to the end of the ancient period.