A range of sculptural styles appeared during the Hellenistic period. For example, a highly academic style, which tells a story through a range of symbolic figures, was used in a relief carved by Archelaos of Priene, The Apotheosis of Homer (150? BC, British Museum, London). The relief was dedicated to the Muses or to Homer and shows the poet along with figures representing the World, Time, Homer’s great epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey, and other literary images and ideas.
But perhaps the most distinctive Hellenistic style is one sometimes called Baroque. Hellenistic Baroque, like the Baroque style of 17th-century Europe, is defined by its melodramatic, exaggerated effects. It is especially associated with the ancient city of Pergamum, and its masterpiece is the so-called Great Altar of Zeus built atop the city’s acropolis sometime from about 190 to 156 BC. (A reconstruction of the west facade of the Great Altar is housed in the Pergamum Museum in Berlin, Germany.) The monument may in fact be a shrine to Telephus, Pergamum's legendary hero and founder, rather than to Zeus. The life story of Telephus, from his birth to his exploits as a mature hero, unfolds in a continuous frieze inside the monument. A podium supports the monument and around it an even larger frieze recounts the Battle of the Gods and the Giants. Some figures seem ready to leap off the wall. Some even crawl up the sides of a staircase that visitors use to reach the altar. The muscles of the figures are taut and pronounced, the drapery sweeping and tumultuous, the poses violent and dramatic, the faces expressive and pained. In one scene, the goddess Athena has caught a giant by the hair; he gazes helplessly toward the sky as he tries to free himself from her grip. His expressive pose resembles that of a Trojan priest, Laocoön, in a later statue of Laocoön and his Sons (Vatican Museums), shown as he struggles to free himself from giant snakes.
Although the names of the sculptors of the Laocoön are known (Athanadoros, Hagesandros, and Polydoros of Rhodes), the exact date of the statue is a matter of dispute.
The difference between an archaic statue such as Kroisos (fig. 5-11) and a classical statue such as Doryphoros (fig. 5-42) may not seem very great in a single glance. In fact, you may not notice any differences in that one glance. Yet, if you were to look at them closely, you can see that these two statues actually have very little in common.
The two works of art that have been chosen to compare and contrast are The Palette Of Narmer and Apollo of Veii. The Palette Of Narmer dates back to the Hierakonpolis Dynasty 1 in 3100 BCE. The Palette of Narmer is interesting because it is the oldest historic work of art that names a person, and is the earliest piece of art that uses hieroglyph. This artwork depicts the dawn of a new age of man and his use of writing and pictographs in art. The statue of Apollo, from Veii comes from the Etruscan art period Apollo was created around 500 BCE. It was created by a very popular sculpture of his time, by the name of Vulca. The delicate technique of firing clay is fascinating. A sculptor of Vulca’s ability was required to know how to construct a large figure so that it did not fall under it’s own weight. He had to know how to precisely regulate the temperature of a kiln large enough to fit a statue of almost 6 ft tall, for a long period of time. The fact that to this day, Vulca is the only Etruscan Sculpture whose works of art have survived the test of time, show his genius in his creations.
Ridgway, Brunilde S. Hellenistic Sculpture II: The Styles of ca. 200-100 B.C. Madison, Wisc.: The University of Wisconsin Press, 2000.
This statue is the most well known sculpture, made during the transition period between the late archaic and classical period. It allows modern viewers to see the transition between the stoic Kouro and Kourai to the more sensual, defined and human-like figurines of the later periods Sculptures like Kritios Boy filled friezes in elite Roman villas and magnificent buildings like the Parenthon. It is seplucated that this statue was made between 400-480 BCE, by the artist Krito a philosopher, teacher and artist. They're many ideas relating to sculptures representation, most historians agree that it may represent the youth and virility of a victor returning from war. Due to the location the statue was found it is safe to assume that Athenians
To better compare the sunken relief of Horus and the Torso of Aphrodite, the backgrounds of these pieces must be first taken into account. Each piece of artwork can be broken down into two parts: the type of art which it is and its subject matter. The sunken reli...
The statue of Menkaure and a Queen was made by the Egyptians. This was made with greywacke and is 54 ½ “tall. In the double portrait we can see the power of the kingdom in the king’s stance. He is standing stiff and is getting ready to walk, he holds cylinder shaped objects in his hands that he holds very tightly.
The Greeks believed the deities provided the city protection and allowed them to be successful in their endeavors while in time of war. Phidias, a master bronze worker, was commissioned to create the sculpture of Athena Parthenos, the goddess of wisdom to show tribute to the gods by creating a large scale sculpture in Acropolis. The Acropolis was the most important site in the city of Athens, and was well recognized as the hilltop of protection. It is also the most significant reference point of ancient Greek culture as well as the symbol of the city of Athens. Some of the greatest architectural masterpieces of the period were erected on its ground.
Let’s begin with what was going on during the time period for each sculpture. During the 2458-2446 BCE. Userkaf was thriving over his brother Sahure, and he became the new ruler of Egypt. In the start of 2446 BCE, Neferirkare beings his dominant over Egypt. King Sahure and Nome God is a high relief it is still attached to a surface of a stone. The Pharaoh sitting on his thorn wearing a Nemes headdress (it is usually blue and gold striped), fake beard. The king has an emotionless facial expression. It was made for a decoration for the king pyramid complex. The symbol behind this statue could be the gathering of the Nome gods form Upper and Lower Egypt around t...
In the world today, there are many spectacular sculptures and artworks. The statue of Zeus at Olympia was possibly the most famous statue in the ancient world. It is known to be one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The Greek sculptor Phidias made it about 435 BC, and dedicated to Zeus the king of gods. The statue of Zeus was the greatest statue to be built in Greece. The artists of this statue captured the royalty of the king by seating Zeus on a throne to inspire tremendous awe in all that witnessed this statue.
Similarly, from the Terracotta amphora and the Marble column, it is easy to conduct that the Ionic culture also had huge influence on the Archaic Period of Greek Art. Therefore, we could prove that the Archaic Period Greek Art is actually a product of two different cultures and the inner creativity of Greek artists. On the other hand, this period of art also gives people some life advise: in order to be successful, it is not only important to gain the advantages of others but also to be creative, and this advise suits not only for an individual but also suits for a society as a
...r. "Ancient Greece." Gardner's art through the ages the western perspective. 13th ed., Backpack ed. Boston, Mass.: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010. 101, 123,129. Print.
Greek art is considered as a turning point for the development of all aspects of cultural art history, such as architecture, sculpture, pottery and painting. The ancient Greek civilization was famous for its mythical and aesthetic principle in the art culture. Renowned for the pottery, Greek had developed its unique painting technique called the black-figured. “Achilles and Ajax playing Dice” by Exekias is the most significant black-figure amphora for its iconography and that represents the ideal art principle and history of the ancient Greece.
The sculpture is a good example of the recurring trends and subjects that were prevalent in the art of the Hellenistic period. Darker subjects, such as death, pain and sorrow, were just as popular as the more optimistic themes of patriotism, courage, and heroism. Usually these themes were explored in relation to intense events such as wars. Interestingly, the sculpture of the dying Gaul touches on themes related to pain, suffering, valor, patriotism, and death at the same time. Even though the agony communicates visibly to the viewer by the crooked lines on the dying Gaul’s forehead, painful eyes, its genital...
Conlin, Diane Atnally. The artists of the Ara Pacis: the process of Hellenization in Roman relief sculpture. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1997. (P. 4)
According to Marilyn Stokstad and Michael W. Cothren in Art History some artists of the Hellenistic period portrayed the world as they saw it, by representing people from every level of society. (Stokstad and Cothren, 2014). An example is a sculpture which is referred to as “the old woman”, produced by an unknown artist. This sculpture is not from Greek myth but instead is a portrayal of an elderly woman of the era. The marble statue of an old woman was originated in the late second century BC and is a perfect depiction of daily life in ancient Greece due to the beauty of its intricate detail and the artists portrayal of a member of society.