Analysis Of The Aphrodite Of Melos

785 Words2 Pages

The Aphrodite of Melos (Venus de Milo) is a statue discovered by Oliver Voutier and Julius Dumont d'Urville in 1820, on a tiny Greek island named Milos in Cyclades, Greece. Out of fear that the French would seize or take the statue by force, the Turkish government allowed the French naval officer and farmer to buy it. While being in the aids of the French, the Aphrodite of Melos ends up in the hands of Louis XVIII, who donates the statue to its current location, the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, in 1821. This sculpture reflects the Greek Hellenistic Age, along with the Winged Victory of Samothrace and Laocoön and His Sons. Alexandros from Antioch is said to be the person who carved the Aphrodite of Melos, inspired by a statue of Aphrodite …show more content…

This period is a passionate, dramatic, and expressive era. Her pose is an example of contrapposto, which is an asymmetrical composition of the body between the arms and shoulders and the hips and legs. Venus de Milo's elongated body and pose are simple; meanwhile, it conveys an easy and inattentive desire. Her form exhibits a delicate and civilized response to modern female sexuality, which involves both suppression and display of physical aspects. Any indication of sparse or absolute nudity is considered to be erotic tension. This sculpture is not the only piece of artwork that provides this type of tension. Works like, the Sleeping Hermaphroditus and Nike of Samothrace are, also, exceptional models of erotic tension because of the placement of drapery, just like the Venus de …show more content…

I would like to show improvement in the time that I turn in assignments because a lot of procrastination develops when I begin assignments. The measures that I should take for improvement are: beginning the assignment when it is assigned, cutting out distractions around me, and do not push off the assignment for another day. Overall, the Aphrodite of Melos (Venus de Milo) is considerably interesting. This assignment's straightforward point is at the opening, but when most of my facts began to dwell down, it became difficult. There are a lot of things on the internet and in books about this artwork. I found this sculpture very refreshing to research about. My favorite part about the Aphrodite of Melos is that we don't know about the remains in her left hand; ultimately, that gives the statue a deeper mystery to research on. If she held the apple in her hand, it would've made sense, being that the word apple means Milos is

Show More
Related

  • Kroisos vs Doryphoros

    556 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the other figure, Doryphoros, there seems to be much more expression. The contrapposto pose is very realistic. The weight is shifted all throughout the body. Arms are not stiff at the sides, but one is relaxed while the other is at a forty-five degree angle from the elbow. There is tension in the calf from the leg, which is being raised up. The torso is also somewhat at an angle because of the hips. The head is not frontal, but at an angle. The muscles are very defined but very relaxed. The hair is not naturally flowing, but not geometric.

    Read More

  • Andrew Stewart and the Meaning Behind the Two Pieces, Doryphoros (Spearbearer) and Aphrodite of Knidos

    1230 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...e of Knidos, created by Praxiteles, can only be found in copies today, but at the time was the first sculpture of a goddess nude. He had transformed marble into the soft and radiant flesh of the goddess of love and taking on a worldly sensuousness. Originally located in a rotunda where it could be seen from all angles. Female nudity was very rare to the Greeks, especially that of a goddess. The sculptor made it look like Aphrodite’s nudity was nonchalant, which made it more sensuous with a welcoming look on her face. With several copies, all being found to be slightly different, all still capture the goddess’s womanly beauty that is not too sexually aggressive. With he hourglass torso, sloped shoulders, large hips and thighs, slim calves and ankles, and small feet and hands, this statue is the polar opposite of any manly figure, which is why it is known to be luring.

    Read More

  • Marble Statue Of A Koouros, Greek, Attic

    1154 Words  | 3 Pages

    Also, the sculpture named Kroisos (Kouros from Anavysos). ca. 540-525 BCE. Compare with the Kouros, both of them are freestanding, painted sculpture. Kroisos has a greater body than Kouros, and I can image that the flesh, sinew and bones inside the stone. And as for Kroisos’s facial expression is more naturalistic than Kouros. His lips are drawn up that becomes an artificial smile, I mean the archaic smile, but not reflect in his

    Read More

  • Strength, Serenity, and Idealism

    665 Words  | 2 Pages

    When beginning my sketch, I took a moment to analyze the work of art and found that the statue illuminated a sense of serenity. Like most viewers my initial reaction was to explore the statue from head to toe as I sought out the different elements and principles of art. The statue was close to life-size and just about my height, so looking straightforward we were eye to eye. I noticed the softness gathered about the facial structure, but all the same time the depth and complexity that was engulfed around the muscularity of the body. The rigorous symmetry was accounte...

    Read More

  • Aphrodite

    2164 Words  | 5 Pages

    HEPHAESTUS AND APHRODITE APHRODITE Aphrodite is one of the most famous figures of Greek mythology. Because Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love, beauty, and sexual rapture,1 she was desired by. nearly all of the Greek gods. Aphrodite was one of the twelve main gods on Mt. Olympus,2 and she was the most powerful goddess when it came to members of the opposite sex of the sex.

    Read More

  • Athena Parthenos: The Goddess of Wisdom

    861 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • 'Pilgrimage To Cythera' By Watteau

    241 Words  | 1 Pages

    "Pilgrimage to Cythera" by Watteau (1710s) is said to have been the birthplace of Aphrodite. The color of the overall painting was giving off a strong "formal garden" scene. Throughout the painting there are numerous of people surrounded by cupids. Since this is the location of what people believe to be the birthplace of the Goddess of Love, there should be no surprise to find cupids everywhere. The painting also captures a cameo of a quick still life. On the right side, there appears to be a statue with a cupid on the bottom.

    Read More

  • Relative Points and Insights Relating to Sculpture of the Paleolithic Era

    1027 Words  | 3 Pages

    The small, crudely carved statuette of an obese woman contrasts heavily with the graceful classical forms of sculpture such as Aphrodite of Cnidos, Praxiteles, 350 BCE. Although it would be difficult to associate the word beautiful with this statuette, there can be no doubt that it reflects the female form. The statuette has also been known as “la poire” or “the pear” due to its size and shape and more recently was donned the Woman from Willendorf. The removal of the title Venus served to take away the figurine’s status as a goddess and lower it to the human level, therefore allowing more consideration of the figurine’s purpose (Witcombe, sec. 3. The adage of the adage.

    Read More

  • Formal Analysis: The Venus Of Willendorf

    1026 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Venus of Willendorf was believed to be created 25,000 years ago, is none-freestanding sculpture and is sculpted out of oolitic limestone. The subject matter, I believe it to convey a fertility figure for men and woman to gaze upon. The Venus of Willendorf is a none-freestanding female nude stature, which is an 11 centimeters high, made out of oolitic limestone and now resides in Naturhistorisches Museum. She was found in 1908 in Austria in a village called Willendorf. The stature has been carved out of oolitic limestone and has been given a red ochre tint. This small oolitic limestone figure representing a woman in the nude has no known artist and no information on why it was created. I believe that

    Read More

  • Venus Of Willendorf Vs Venus De Milo Essay

    873 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Venus of Willendorf and the Venus de Milo are two ancient day venus sculptures representing two different views on beauty. The Venus of Willendorf is a small 4.5 inch limestone figure of a Goddess which is believed to be used as a fertility symbol, while the Venus de Milo is a tall ancient Greek statue of a Goddess which is said to represent love and beauty. The Venus of Willendorf’s body structure is very different than that of Venus de Milo. The venus of Willendorf appears to be a short lady with a large emphasis on her reproductive organs, breasts and stomach area whereas the Venus de Milo appears to be very tall with smaller breasts, and a really athletic build. She appears to have abs and looks as if she has not had children before, while the Venus of Willendorf looks like she has had children due to her huge breasts and stretched out belly button. The Venus

    Read More

  • Aphrodite and Demeter

    1488 Words  | 3 Pages

    Aphrodite was one of the nine that were known as the Great Goddesses, “an awful and lovely goddess,” according to Hesiod (Theogony), born of the foam that ensued when Kronos cut off Uranos’ genitals and they fell into the sea. She first walked ashore in Cyprus, and was welcomed by the Seasons (Hours):

    Read More

  • The Human Body in Ancient Greek Sculptures

    1006 Words  | 3 Pages

    The primary focus of ancient Greek sculptures was that of the human body. Almost all Greek sculptures are of nude subjects. As the first society to focus on nude subjects, Greek sculptors attempted to "depict man in what they believed was the image of the gods and so would come to celebrate the body by striving for verisimilitude or true – likeness (realism and naturalism!)."(Riffert) Not only did the Greeks celebrate the human form in their art but also in everyday life. (Riffert) One of the favorite topics for sculptors was that of the athlete. In Greek culture athletes were described as "hero–athletes". (Riffert) This shows that athletes were revered and looked upon as heroes. The influence of athleticism is evident in many famous sculptures. I will attempt to show how the human form influenced Greek art. It is important to note that many of the Greek sculptures discussed do not exist in their original form but rather in Roman copies of the original bronze sculptures. (Riffert)

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Athena And Aphrodite

    1450 Words  | 3 Pages

    What makes the depiction between Athena and Aphrodite interesting is the different ways they are portrayed even sharing the similarity of being born strictly from male only. Athena from the all-powerful king of the gods Zeus and Aphrodite from Ouronos. Though they were both born from man alone, the content of these births caused Athena to be expressed in a more dignified, respected, and superior way. Hesiod’s recount of the births of Athena and Aphrodite in his Theogony reveals the source of Athena’s superiority. According to the Theogony, Ouranos’ genitals are thrown into the sea where they mix with the sea foam to result in Aphrodite (Hesiod 180-192). Aphrodite is said to be called, by Hesiod, “Philommedes, fond of a man’s genitals” ( Hesiod, 200-201). In contrast, Hesiod writes that Athena is born from Zeus’ head (Hesiod 924) after Zeus consumes her mother Metis, the goddess whose name means wisdom, for fear of her giving birth to someone who was destined to be his match in wisdom (Hesiod 894-900).

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Judgement Of Paris

    1329 Words  | 3 Pages

    Aphrodite leg is creating a V shape. Hera seems to be modeled after Aphrodite of Knidos, with her hand somewhat modestly place to cover the female part and her body shape is also quite similar too Aphrodite of Knidos. Athena on the other hand, is giving the audience her full back. Her body creates “s” shape with gives a sense of motion. All four females depicted in the painting have that ideal female body congruent with Greek ideal at that time, 0.7 waists to hip ratio, unfit, non-muscular body. Same can be said with all the males depicted in the painting, they all adhere to the male ideal body; they are all extremely muscular and ripped, ready to protect their town and women, even Eros, a child has an extremely muscular body. Paris is seen horizontally extending his arm towards to Aphrodite granting her the apple, show casing every arm muscle just like in Discus Thrower, as if the artist just capture the exact moment of motion. There is an implied line, directing the viewer’s eyes towards the focal point, Aphrodite and Paris. All the character’s eye direction in the painting is going towards Paris choice of giving the apple to Aphrodite instead of choosing to give it to Hera or Athena. Furthermore, a dog, next to Paris, is seen horizontally lying down on the floor, which according to Greek culture, dogs were the protectors, they are calm, loyal and devoted to their masters. The viewer based on location and proximity of the dog to Paris can conclude that he will protect Paris from harm, foreshadowing the Trojan War, which Paris escapes alive. There is also iconography in the painting such as Eros, to identify Aphrodite, a peacock to identify Hera, and armor for

    Read More

  • Essay About Medusa

    1057 Words  | 3 Pages

    On and on Medusa talked about her beauty to anyone and everyone who stopped long enough to hear her -- until one day when she made her first visit to the Parthenon with her friends. The Parthenon was the largest temple to the goddess Athena in all the land. It was decorated with amazing sculptures and paintings. Anyone who entered was awed by the beauty and intricacy of the fabulous temple. They couldn’t help but think of how grateful they were to Athena, goddess of wisdom, for inspiring them and for watching over their city... Athens. Everyone, that is, except

    Read More

More about Analysis Of The Aphrodite Of Melos

Open Document