The Cycladic Female Figurine has an overall interesting and fascinating shape, which in a room of ancient art drew the most attention. Because of its simplistic and smooth design this figure captures an essence of meaning that is overall hard to understand. There is no definite reasoning of what this object was originally used for, whether it was decorative, an idol or a comfort item, this figuring is beautiful aside from the many questions it leaves the viewer. While a different version of the object was described in class, actually seeing the figurine in person brought upon a new love to the Cycladic Female Figure. Made of marble and coming from Cyclades Greece, this human form not only comes with a mysterious past but also a striking representation …show more content…
The neck is extremely thick being around a third of the width of the widest part of the body. For a figure of a woman, the shoulders are very broad as well, which winds down into an hour glass shape of a torso, where the hands cross under the breast region. Almost as though the figure has a stomach ache the woman slightly hunches forward. The arms are depicted as very small and almost obsolete, and they are straight over the abdomen area. The form of the figure seems to be in a comforting position, almost like a 'self hug’. There is a defined pubic region that goes down into a larger thigh area, down into thinner and smaller lower leg area leading to two feet placed in a ballet first position. The ankles are together and so are the knees, however the quadriceps and calve regions almost slightly bow out, making an eight …show more content…
The entirety of the form is simplistic; however the viewer can understand that it is a female based on its triangular pubic region and the slight hints of breasts. Because the shoulders are so broad it seems like the emphasis is on the breast region, the arms seem the frame the shoulder chest area, in almost the idea that this part of a female body is important. The same is true for the pubic region, which is clearly defined with the triangle; the shape is defined in these areas. The head seems to sit very far from the rest of the body on the large neck, seeming to show less of a connection from the head to the rest of the body. Even though they are connected by such a prominent neck, because to the line at the base of the neck, the head seems like it could be interchangeable, while the body is one for the individual woman.
Overall the shape is smooth and fluid and almost wants to be held. The figure stands with the help of a museum given support; however this figure would not be able to stand on its own without it. The carved form itself looks to be too top heavy to stand on such small feet. The form looks as though it would be found lying on the ground and for this reason could be depicted as a toy, or a funerary
The marble Statuette of Youthful Dionysos stands about 30 inches tall. The arms, legs, nose, and
The Statue of a kouros represents a Greek male. With one foot forward, the statue at the same time, represents movement and is able to stand on it own. This also gives the over life size figure, visible weight. In this early figure, geometric forms seem to predominate, and anatomical details, such as the chest muscles and pelvic arch, are presented with somewhat of exaggerated lines. Although the exaggerated lines show where these muscles belong, the detail is still missing. Looking up and down this nude body, at this miss proportioned and lacking of detail body, the hair is what grabs my attention. The hair is carved with detail not noticeable in the rest of the body. As well, although the fists are clinched and still bonded to the body, the legs and elbows are separated. The ability to move around and inspect the statue makes a big difference than if it was up against a wall, or just looking at its picture. The legs, which support the weight of the statue, have a visible strength which is seen in the knees. The head is what carried the most detail, the ears although to far back, are intricately designed. It is the ability to walk around the entire statue that allows me to see the different aspects and places where attention to detail was placed. However, he does not expand into three dimensional space; he has a closed-off, column-like appearance
Doryphoros by Polykleitos was originally a Greek bronze made around 450-40B.C. The only way we can see it today is through the Roman marble copies (which is common of many Greek statues.) Some supports had to be added for the change in material, resulting in the addition of the form resembling a tree trunk, the support on the left foot, and the small bar bridging the gap between his right wrist and hip. Doryphoros was originally holding a spear in his left hand; appropriate, given that his name means, literally, “spear-bearer.” The sculpture is a well-known and early example of classical Greek contrapposto (the shifting of weight onto one leg and off-axis shoulders and arms.) One leg nearly appears to be lifting off the ground, giving the effect of movement. The perceived weight shift adds more dynamism to the piece, and contributes to the realism of the figure. The resulting slight “s-curve” of the figure is true to what we might see in life, and reflects an interest in proportion and anatomy, as seen with many Greek sculptures of the age. This is made particularly clear in the defined muscle groups of the figure and attention to details such as the structure of the knees, hands, and feet. Polykleitos sculpted many athletic male bodies in the nature of his personal aesthetic canon, which we can see exemplified here through the intense attention to the mathematics of the human body. The contours of the figure are visually interesting and although the figure does not hold much facial expression, his body language and presence speak volumes of his existence as the epitome of masculinity.
As she is mostly naked except for a loin cloth, she appears like a war captive would: bare and humiliated. Similarly, this relief’s location is at the base of a structure, so individuals walk right over her as if they are stepping on a war captive, like many works of art depict captives. Her body is in broken down pieces with bones protruding out of certain limbs, and the tongue sticks out as a convention for death. On her joints are fanged masks, suggesting the she is trouble and evil. Furthermore, snakes tie her up, which act as a parallel to how war captives are bound in many images.
Even just quickly paging through the six images, the viewer will notice how the images are made to look similar and resemble each other; all having a warm tone, hiding the neck region and some hair, and models displaying a neutral expression. Every image is lacking signs to point the viewer to one or the other gender. Looking at the fifth image in the series, the model has red, fuller lips which are more associated with females, yet the structure of their face is squarer like a male’s. In image three, the model has a flat, larger forehead and wideset eyes like a male’s, but again the fuller lips and defined cheekbones point towards
of the book. USA: Simon and Schuster, Inc. 2000. The.. Print. The.. Blundell, Sue. Women in Ancient Greece.
The body of the Power Figure is bumpy and slightly disproportionate due to the fact that it, along with many other Nkisi Nkonde, is carved from wood and adorned with additional metals, beads, shells
6. Shear, Ione Mylonas. “Maidens in Greek Architecture : The Origin of the « Caryatids ».” In: Bulletin de correspondance hellénique. Volume 123, livraison 1, 1999. pp. 65-85.
Although my museum paper was based on the “Marble Lion” from the Late Classical period in the 4th Century, which was created to guard tombs with a ready to pounce-like appearance, it was difficult in researching more history to its existence so my topic has been changed to “Marble Statue of a Kouros (Youth).” The kouros was created to express the concerns of the human form. It recorded the sculptors’ progress of mastering the art of the human body. The kouros was created in the Archaic period that lasted from 800BC to 480BC. Athens became established by the 8th century, thus leading to its people being able to invest in time and re to create art which was limited in the Dark Ages.
I think this sculpture was made to portray the deep love of Vishnu and Lakshmi as oneness who are fulfilling the responsibility towards each other as an husband and wife. What I find emotional and inspirational about this icon is the way it depicts the love story of Vishnu and Lakshmi. The combined form also depicts the two body parts having one soul. I was also fascinated by this sculpture. The costumes worn by Vishnu and Lakshmi, the eight arms in two people, icon standing on the lotus pedestal were really an amazing experience for me.
It has stylized diamonds shapes to portray braided hair. Although the long, curly beard from the Head of a Man and the curly, flowing hair of the Portrait of a Ruler are both stylized, the beard appears much more solid and firm than the curly hair. Therefore, the curly hair appears more life-like and natural. On the other hand, the sizes of the sculptures express the opposite idea. Since the Head of a Man is life-sized, and the Portrait of a Ruler is beyond life-size the Head of a Man appears more human-like in that aspect.
This discussion will first describe a marble statue of the emperor Augustus Caesar (27 BC-14 AD) dating from 15 AD during the reign of his successor Tiberius. It is thought to be a copy of an original statue from 20BC, and is located at the Villa of Livia, the then-home of Augustus’ wife, at Prima Porta. The statue portrays an idealised and youthful version of Augustus, as he is shown to have a full head of hair and young facial features, including the traditional Roman aquiline nose and a rounded mouth. This reflects a Greek style of art and subverts the traditional expectation of Roman statues, which usually portrayed their subject as old in order to convey their experience and conservatism. Therefore, this statue of Augustus is a political
Stebbins, Elinor. "Athena." Sweet Briar College { History of Art Program }. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. .
Changing an individual’s body defies nature and the concepts of Darwinism. Darwin, “was himself unconvinced by his own explanation that ‘beauty’ resulted from a ‘sexual selection’ that deviated from the rule of natural selection; for women to compete with women through beauty is a reversal of the way which natural selection affects all other mammals” (Wolf 12-13). Thus, the mannequin that stands in the window serves as a symbol of merchandise to be purchased and not a natural structure. Varo’s is illustrating that that curves, hair, breasts, and other physical parts are what a woman should be appraised by. Consequently, the painting has created an unrealistic woman that rejects nature and natural selection, but is socially desirable.
I will be discussing the themes and functions of three images of female deities from three different cultures, the culture/religion that they represent, the function they have served, and how women are represented, and those are, Venus of Dolní Věstonice, the Yakshi bracket figure, and the Innana/Ishtar with Lions and Owls. With regards to the Venus of Dolní Věstonice, it is a sculpture molded of clay and bone ash and is 11.5 cm high and 4.3cm from its widest point, the pelvis, and it is located in in the Czech province of Moravia. According to the lecture notes, it was made approximately 26,000 years ago, when in the warmer time period of the last ice age Moravia was established by bundles of hunters and gatherers, and created Gravettian,