The History of the Gargoyle: Architectural Significance to Ornamental Choice

The purpose of this paper is to closely analyze the Lansdowne Herakles, or the Statue of Hercules (c. 125 C.E.), a statue by an unknown artist that is on exhibit at the Getty Villa, and give reasons as to why it should be included in Exploring Art: A Global, Thematic Approach. As one of J. Paul Getty’s most prized possessions, it is the piece that inspired the Romanesque layout and design that the Getty Villa is famous for today. The statue is located to the left of the Herakles room, standing tall among smaller works of art that praised Herakles. Similar to Getty, the artwork stood out to me, speaking heavenly volumes louder than any other work I saw. Standing in front of the marble piece, I felt almost blessed with the presence of some

All over the world statues have been a common form of art among many civilizations throughout history. Two examples of these historical pieces of work would include, The Royal Acquaintances Memi and Sabu, and Statue of Gudea. According to The Metropolitan Museum of Art (2017), the first sculpture dates back during the fourth dynasty of ancient Egypt between 2575 and 2465 BC. The second statue, according to The Metropolitan Museum of Art (2017), which was made of diorite was created around 2090 BC, during the Neo-Sumerian period, near Mesopotamia. Looking further into the background and composition of these two sculptures it can be found that The Royal Acquaintances Memi and Sabu, and Statue of Gudea share some characteristics while at the same time differing in some important details.

Today we will be comparing and contrasting two works of art. The first work is a statue called “The Royal Acquaintances Memi and Sabu" (The Met, n.d.). The second statue is called the “Statue of Gudea” (The Met, n.d.). Both statues share a number of similarities and differences between each other. We will discuss the comparisons and then the contrasts while identifying the the purpose behind each one.

Gargoyles in Gothic Cathedrals were once thought of as protecting the building from evil spirits, they also serve as water spouts.

types of arch designs that are commonly found within Gothic architecture are the lancet arch, which is simply a steeply pointed arch, the equilateral arch, the flamboyant arch and the depressed arch as seen in the King’s College Chapel. (see figure 5) Due to the new design of supporting the weight of the ceiling through the columns and flying buttresses, there was no need for walls made of heavy materials. With all the columns and archways in place, the structure took on a skeletal look. This gave way to expanding the once small openings for windows to an expanse of window space providing plenty of light to the interior of the structure. This space was commonly filled with stained glass. From this, stained glass

The sculpture portrays the God of Harvest, Dionysus, with his loyal satyr follower, Pan. A considerable amount of detail when into the carving of Dionysus; the multiple grapevines in his hair, his ceremonial staff Thyrsus, the goatskins and the cup of wine he’s holding are all symbols of Dionysus. The composition is very asymmetrical, and creates a contrapposto arrangement, which is distinctly Grecian (Gardner). It was carved out of beautiful fine marble, which also had another purpose in the way of making this piece of art last for many years. Along with the tree trunk between the two men providing support at the base, and the elongated arms providing more structural stability. The God’s head is even reinforced by his hair to make sure the head doesn’t break off. This sculpture is visually and aesthetically pleasing, but doesn’t serve a useful function, like textiles or furniture. Therefore, it is considered a figurative piece of art, which art that is very clearly modeled after real object or person(s), and is therefore representational

There have been countless duels between two opposing sides in the history Roman artistry. This sculpture relief signifies the classic battle of good versus evil. Time and time again, benevolent heroes find themselves in a struggle to combat worthy yet malicious adversaries. The Roman sarcophagus, a two by five feet marble coffin, is certainly no exception. It represents another division to this timeless good-evil epic, its visual characteristics, emphasis on contrasts, and its extensive array of details give it an identity that is uniquely its own. It portrays a sense of legendary fantasy to the viewer, one pertaining to hostility, violence, and pure anger. The sculpture seems overly shallow due to

The castle has pointed tips and windows. It also has flying buttresses. Another thing it has are tall spires and a gloomy look to it. Therefore, the castle would be classified as Gothic. Relating to the castle where Fiona is captures, the textbook tells us that gargoyles are carved figures that serve as waterspouts that drain water from the roof.

Kinda pathetic” (Welty 48). Leota also mentioned a petrified man who was, “turning to stone. . . All he can do, he can move his head just a quarter of an inch. A course he looks just terrible"(Welty 48). Both of these examples fit the description of a person with a freakish appearance and qualify as

The idea of the grotesque is seen in the story “Hands.” This is the first story of the book and is about a man named Adolph Myers, however he is better known as Wing Biddlebaum. This nickname was given because of his defining features, his hands, had “restless activity, like unto the beating of the wings of an imprisoned bird” (6). His hands are what makes him known in Winesburg. It is said that “Winesburg is proud of the hands of Wing Biddlebaum” (6), but this is mostly because the constant activity of the hands allow Wing to pick a record amount of berries. Besides his distinguishing feature, many people in town did not know much about Wing and this is mostly because Wing felt the need to isolate himself. To Wing, his hands are something to be concealed. He felt that his hands moved too much compared to the hands of other people in town which were never expressive (6). This is the truth that Wing carries and which runs his life. His truth is further explored when it is revealed that he was ran out of his old town in Pennsylvania twenty years ago. When Wing was a school teacher “here and there went his hands, caressing the shoulders of the boys, playing about

Sculptures came in a variety of shapes and sizes. They were often made of wood, metal, cloth, or clay. These sculptures served as personal protection figures, symbols for supernatural powers, and representation of ancestors. Most sculptures were made to represent the human body, but some cultures never carve human faces so it resembled any individual in fear of accusations of witch craft. A great example of one such sculpture is Cango and Zaire.

Sculptures have been a part of human cultures for many centuries. They have been depictions of gods, tell stories, honor spirits, and celebrations. Today many sculptures have helped tell the way of life and history of prehistoric times. Sculptures can be described as “the art of carving, modeling, welding, or otherwise producing figurative or abstract works of art in three dimensions, as in relief, intaglio, or in the round.” (Dictionary.com, 2017)Two ancient sculptures include the Statue of Memi and Sabu and Seated Statue of Gudea, which have unique physiognomies.

In the history of our civilization, there have been many great civilizations that have helped shape the world as we know it today. The ones that immediately come to mind are the Egyptian, the Greek, the Persian, and the Roman. These civilizations have paved the way for education, science, music, art architecture and much more.  In this piece of work, we will zero in on two of these illustrious societies the Greeks and the Romans, more specifically their on historical architectural contributions. We will do so by looking at two of the most famous Greek and Roman buildings respectively, the Parthenon in Athens and the Pantheon in Rome.

What is a grotesque character? In literature, a character or location that is irregular, extravagant or fantastic in form. When used as a device, the purpose is often in the style of expressionism, making the grotesque a parody of human qualities or a distorted reflection of a familiar place. In many ways grotesque characters have some kind of problem in society, and example would be a veteran who lost a limb in war and trying to fit back into society, or anything that we see as not normal in our society. Characters in this particular subject can be deformed, obsessed, or in our terms just not normal or right. Another definition of a grotesque

Like uncanny, monstrous has a few different meanings. The most obvious definition would be something extremely large or massive, such as a monster. Monstrous is