The Attic Red Figure Stamnos is a vase that typically was used to hold wine or grains. Since this vase is in such good condition it is unlikely that it was used for anything other than decoration. This vase was made ca. 490 BCE and depicts Heracles fighting the Nemean Lion. Legend has it that Heracles went to fight the lion and none of his weapons or armor worked, which is why he is naked fighting the lion. His nudity is seen as very heroic of that time. Many people had tried to kill the lion but only Heracles was able to defeat the beast. The artist uses Heracles’ strength, naturalism, and body position to show the hero’s domination of the Nemean lion. All of these elements work together to demonstrate his divinity and limitless capabilities. …show more content…
Heracles shows his strength by shedding his armor and fighting the lion in the nude. From the first moment of looking at this image, there is a sense of pure strength and domination. Heracles has his club, quiver, and armor to go up against the lion but instead chooses to put all of that to the side just to show how strong he really is. These were the weapons that men went into battle with, this greatly adds to the heroic nudity of Heracles. After closer examination, the battle is not a struggle for Heracles. His facial expressions are in a neutral position, not showing any signs of distress or discomfort. He clenches the lion in a choke hold and his hand grasps the beast’s snout demonstrating his dominance over the animal. The lion on the other hand, struggles for his life. The lion’s red tongue naturally draws the eye. The significance of the tongue being out shows that the lion is out of breath and gasping for air. The lion also shows that he is desperately trying to escape Heracles grip, with his paw pushing against Heracles …show more content…
The flex in his arm shows that he has a strong grip on the lion’s snout, pulling the snout upwards in an attempt to get a better position on his choke hold. Looking closely at Heracles hand, only three of his fingers are visible, leaving his other two fingers either missing or in the lions nostrils. In an attempt for Heracles to gain every advantage over the lion, it is logical for Heracles to have his fingers in the lion’s nostrils. This blocks the lion’s ability to breathe out of his nose, forcing him to leave his mouth open, and thus Heracles being able to maintain his grip on the lion’s snout without the lion biting his fingers off. Heracles leg position makes it seem that he is pushing off the side of the vase in an attempt to keep his body pinned on top of the
These two statues are famous to the Egyptian art era. They represent the woman’s position and the man’s position at that day and age. Traditionally, the rulers of Egypt were male. So, when Hatshepsut, Dynasty 18, ca. 1473-1458 B.C., assumed the titles and functions of king she was portrayed in royal male costumes. Such representations were more for a political statement, rather than a reflection of the way she actually looked. In this sculpture, she sits upon a throne and wears the royal kilt and the striped nemes (NEM-iss) headdress with the uraeus (cobra) and is bare chested like a man. However, she does not wear the royal beard, and the proportions of her body are delicate and feminine.
Viewing the Lansdowne Hermes with a naked eye and what you will see is a larger than life-size statue depicting a man with an ideal body leaning with the majority of his weight on his right foot. His right arm is resting on his right buttock in an almost effortless pose. The left side of his body tells a different story. His left foot has barely any weight on it, and his left arm is supporting a pretty large portion of cloth wrapped so it perfectly wraps around the shoulder and rests just above the wrist. It appears that he was at one time holding some sort of sword or stick. To the naked eye that is what this sculpture seems to be, accepting a sculpture as a piece of art. Glancing at the Lansdowne Hermes you can appreciate beauty of art for beauty of art. However the sculptor had much more in mind when he created this figure from a large unscathed piece of marble.
The Votive Statue of Gudea depicts the ruler in his youth standing straight up with his arms holding a vessel of water in front of him. Two streams of water are flowing out of the vessel and down the statue while fish are depicted facing towards the vessel, promoting life and peace. Gudea wears a long garment that does not cover one of his shoulders and contains inscriptions written by Gudea himself. In the inscription he dedicates the statue to Geshtinanna, a goddess who interpreted dreams. Because the garment leaves on shoulder bare, viewers are able to see Gudea’s well-defined muscles. His eyes are wide open, symbolic of intense concentration, and he wears a wide brimmed hat. In the work, Gudea is seen as an amicable, strong, and righteous leader. The Augustus of Primaporta depicts the emperor standing with his arm raised and with all his weight shifted into one foot. This is slightly different than the Votive Statue of Gudea, both positions are symbolic of the way a rule from each time period would have addressed troops. Augustus along with his youthful features, is exactly how Augustus would have wanted to be remembered. This is also true to The Votive Statue of Gudea. There are many other symbolic details that relate to mythology and history incorporated into the statue of Augustus. The torso armor that Augustus wears
The image seen below is a Troezen Decree; an inscription proposed by Themistocles in preparation for the battle of Salamis. Within this primary artefact, he states that the Athenians should evacuate their homes and battle against the Persian invaders. Just as the previous sources and their implicit meanings, Themistocles was obviously a man who maintained influence over the Athenian people; he logically took the risk of forcing the entire community to leave Athens for the greater good of society. Though, it is the fact that the Athenians listened to Themistocles’ risk induced proposal that truly exemplifies his unconditional leadership. Reinforcing these ideals are that of Herodotus’ accounts of Themistocles during the Battle of Salamis. Acclaimed as a great historian of Greek history, Herodotus details that the Greeks were about to leave Salamis; however, by utilizing blackmail to enforce that the Athenians would be forced to sail to Italy, Themistocles convinced the entire population to remain at Salamis. Herodotus then explains that Themistocles sent a messenger to inform Xerxes that he should attack the bay of Salamis immediately; and, Xerxes fell for this devious plan, where the Persian fleet entered at nightfall. Because of the bay being too narrow, though, the Persians were under attack and were forced to retreat. Herodotus’ retellings of these events imply that Themistocles organized events so perfectly for a planned defeat. The manipulation of the Greeks to stay at Salamis through the means of blackmail reveals how intellectually intact Themistocles was and that he would stop at nothing to achieve his goal. Having the knowledge that Salamis and its narrow bay would be such a simple yet effective method of defeat, this solidifies that Themistocles
And just like the Greek the statue are both big and almost human size. A great example of this is the “Augustus of Primaporta, 1st century C.E. (Vatican Museums).” It truly shows the evolution of art sculpting. It is a full size very detailed sculpture of Augustus. It very detailed from his hair showing every curl and split to the small details in his armor that also depicts a story as well is shows the god of the sky looking down on him and the goddess of the earth looking up towards him as they watch the Parthians surrender to him and returning the standards shows the great power that Augustus has, and not just that but also the sculpture itself is a symbol for how Augustus wanted everyone to see him as, as god like. And it even has a little small cupid on the side which is also detailed which shows that Augusts is decedent from a
The statue is made of marble, instead of the bronze statue. This statue is one of the earliest marble statues of a human figure carved in Attica. The statue is a kind of symbol; he does not in any way a likeness. This is my first expression when I saw the statue: the statue is showing me a simple, clear action that was used by Greek youth sculptures throughout this period. Looking at this statue, he expanded into 3D space, because he is standing straight and facing forward without any exaggerated movements, thus the post makes him look closed-off and a column his limbs are locked in space. Therefore, the standing posture, the decorations on his body, his hair and knee’s texture and how the Egyptians impact Greek art, is what makes me interested in it. A question that has always been in my mind is
Where one is a bronze statue with a singular figure, the other is a painting with a central figure, from which the story is built. However, their contrasts go beyond what they are made of, to their different subjects and their complexity. Donatello’s David shows youthful beauty and strength, which he confidently exudes through his body language. Standing with one foot atop Goliath’s severed head while turning his body to balance his weight to the other leg, this statue is a clear example of Contrapposto, which the Greeks invented and introduced into their sculptures. Donatello’s statue of David stands triumphant and proudly atop his trophy, while telling the audience I am the conqueror of Giants. His expression is stern to match his
This is a copy of the sculpture of Athena Parthenos, dressed in battle attire, that was originally created by Phidias during the period of 447-39 B.C. The statue of Athena Parthenos was to be constructed, not of bronze, but of gold and ivory. The face, arms, and feet of the statue were to be made of ivory and the clothing, of thickly plated gold. The statue was an enormous size that towered thirty-three feet tall. The costly nature of the materials out of which it was designed was intended to overwhelm the viewer, creating a sense of religious awe.
The Palette of Narmer was created on a flat stone surface; the artists then carved the story into the flat stone in a very specific manor. This palette is known for representing the coming together of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt (Stokstad and Cothren, 52). At the top of the palette on both sides shows two bulls that were said to possibly represent the goddess Hathor. Hathor was known as the goddess of protection, and is depicted in other Egyptian art as a woman with cow ears (British Museum, no page). In between the heads of Hathor is the name of the King Narmer, written with iconography called serekh. In this serekh, one can see the Horus falcon head and below it is the name of the king. The falcon head is said to protect the Egyptian ruler (Kinnaer). Although this is just one small piece of the top of the palette, it already starts to depict an enormous part of history in Egypt.
My reaction to the Marble statue of Dionysos leaning on an archaistic female figure was it looked amazing and I feel like I could have written more about it. I also felt like there more than one symbolic meaning behind it. The other symbolic meaning I see is that Dionysos is always watching the protecting the small figure. My reaction towards the statue of King Sahure and Nome God was that who was more important the king or the God. The reason I say that is because the king is more focused on that the God. I would think they will be equal, or that the god should be more focused on.
Hercules, or known in Latin as Heracles, was the greatest of the Greek heroes, a paragon of masculinity. In art Hercules was portrayed as a powerful, muscular man wearing lion's skin and armed with a huge club. He was also described as being a macho man buffoon, who was very impulsive. Hercules’ home and birthing place is in Thebes, Greece. Thebes is a city in central Greece. It plays as an important setting in many Greek myths, such as the stories of Cadmus, Oedipus, Dionysus and many other important roles in Greek Mythology. The demigod, Hercules has an interesting origin, he is most famous for his 12 labors, and leaves a legacy in words and expressions.
By referring to himself as “Nobody” Odysseus forces Polyphemus to fail in alerting his friends because they become confuse at the threat Polyphemus is presenting. Odysseus utilizes his strengths as a hero, in his case his immense level of intelligence to save not only his own life but also the lives of his crewmates. The strength of a hero Heracles possess does not lie in his process of thought but in his physical power. Heracles has faced countless obstacles in form of labors some described such as “What sort of lions or three-bodied/ Typhons or Giants or war against/ Four legged Centaurs did I not dispatch?/And after killing the dog with heads all around that kept growing back,/ The hydra, I both went through herds/ Of thousands of other labors arrived among the dead ( Eur. Her. 1271-1276). In most of these labors Heracles uses his bare hands to overcome his enemies, his physical strength is greatly overpowering against all , animals and people alike. In one his labors Heracles defeats a multi-bodied lion just by seizing the neck of the animal with his bare
Yvain the knight of the Lion, like most medieval tales is a coming of age story. The young, careless thrill seeking Yvain is transformed into a adult and a king that assumes responsibility while taking care of others. This transition can be credited on part to the Lion he encounters on his journey.
Since the days of mythological origin to the origin of pop culture, various mythological stories have been adopted and presented to newer generations. Some of these presented adaptations of mythological stories have significantly been modified in order to be deemed entertaining by audiences in a pop culture generation. Thus, my study will seek to compare mythological hero's during their time to how they have been depicted in modern day. Moreover, my study will analyze the similarities and differences between the Greek hero Heracles and his replica character, Hercules, depicted in Disney's adaptation of this myth. Although there are few similarities between the two versions, the differences between Heracles and Disney's Hercules are prominent. These differences help modern day audiences relate more easily to the characters in the story. Furthermore, the alterations have enabled a new aspect of heroism to emerge since Disney tailors it's movies towards youth who can seek valuable lessons from animated movies. Disney's choices through these alterations will be determined by focusing on the main plot, characters presented in the movie, peripheral details, and the notion of being a "true hero" that Disney presents.
Heracles VS Hercules The legend of Hercules has been told and retold thousands of times; it is by far one of the best known Greek myths of all time. In fact, it was so well known that Disney made it into a movie. Like any story that’s adapted into a movie, there are some differences and similarities between the myth and the movie. This paper will go over the main differences and similarities between the two versions of the same myth.