So far, my favorite work of art is a stele from the Late Classical period thought to have been created by Skopas of Paros. This grave stele, found near the Illissos River, evoked a much different sentiment than the pieces we have seen in the past. The emotion, focus, and style are different from anything we have seen before. By exploring the elements of the piece and contemplating the possibility of why the sculpture was depicted in the manner it was, I will explain why this particular sculpture has impacted me more than other works. The suspected architect and sculptor, Skopas of Paros, reflected the Late Classical movement of humanization with his trademark being intense emotionalism. The grave stele to which I am referring, displays a deep, concentrated psychological tension. The stele reflects an earlier work, but Skopas’s stele echoes a noticeable change in mood. This work does not focus purely on the deceased. Instead, much of the emotion stems from the survival of those surrounding the …show more content…
For lack of a better description, some of the older works were “busier” adorned with warriors, weapons, animals, etc.,. In the Illissos stele, a very minimalistic representation of the hunter’s life is shown. Because of this, the mind of the observer roams from the concrete figures to more abstract considerations of the people in the figure. With a lesser amount of figures, the viewer is provoked to rely upon their own imagination to interpret what is unknown. This means that the spectator generates his or her own story, which is very likely to be an augmented version of the truth. Thus, the person who is being remembered, gains a greater posthumous reputation than maybe they had when they were alive. By leaving room for interpretation the audience may digress and formulate their own account of the subject’s life, it honors the dead in a greater
Every year, more than two million new works of literature are issued in the world. This number is, of course, no surprise, as literature has been, for many centuries, an extremely efficient way of communicating and telling stories. It is quite a challenge, however, to write an interesting, beautiful, and powerful piece of literature, yet analyzing it can be even harder. One piece of literature that, I believe, demonstrates these qualities is Magus Magnus’s poem, “An Old Soldier Cleans His Rifle for the Last Time.” The poem’s movement, for instance, is an important aspect to this work.
In my examination of the works, I came across a particular sculpture that portrayed both beauty and craftsmanship. A 15th century sculpture (1490), made in Venice, Italy by Tullio Lombardo, shows a life-size figure of Adam. Titled Adam, the work is the most prominent in the gallery mostly because of its 6-foot standing. It immediately caught my attention and gave me a very realistic impression. One beige color and made of marble, Adam is depicted simply, yet the statue has intense emotions. His meaningful glance is seen in the upward and tilted head position. Adam has almost lifeless looking eyes and seems to be staring into the distance. With these sagging eyes, parted lips, and lacking posture I feel Adam’s guilt is displayed in this figure.
The abundance of works of art that depict the labors of Herakles certainly makes it a difficult task to select which work of art to study. The range of labors is vast and the depictions numerous. Thus, it is quite daunting to have to pick one work of art out of the seemingly infinite collection on the Classical Art Research Centre. The example chosen for the purpose of study here is from this database is a depiction of Herakles slaying the dreaded hydra. It is certainly one of the less well-known depictions of this particular labor of Herakles. If searched for either in publications or online in databases, it is not as popular as some of the other representations of Herakles with the hydra. Yet, it is a magnificent work of art with a certain
Through the means of commemorating and remembering those of prestige and importance, tombs and sarcophagi are produced of these individuals. This funerary manner and distinctive burial practice was initiated Etruscan culture and it developed through the means of cremation and inhumation in earns. The concept of placing the remains of individuals in elaborate, thought out spaces was a valuable attribute of these people. The Etruscan objective of creating the best possible outcome in the afterlife dictated the way in which individuals ornamented and became portrayed in their tombs. Presen...
More specifically, Apollonian art forms tells stories through images and are rooted in dreaming. Much like dreams, apollonian art encourages one to continue living. While contemplating apollonian images, an individual is temporarily detached from her normal sense of self and daily struggle. Here, Nietzsche once again references ancient Greece. The Iliad and the Odyssey illustrate idealized illusions of war with great heroes. The language used is able to idealize a bloody war scene and turn it into something more desireable. Similarly, when one gets a tattoo to cover up a scar, they are transfiguring the reality to create something ideal. But the scar and the world do not disappear by these transfigurations and the objective harshness remains. However, our attitude towards the real thing is changed. We see the world in a more hopeful and positive light. As beautiful art is placed in front of the terrors of everyday life, reality may seem less awful and thus art makes life worth living. But Nietzsche realized the limitations of apollonian art. For once we see reality again, the illusion art created breaks and reality seems worse than it appeared
Death has been widely portrayed in Art throughout the centuries, the most depicted death scene possibly being the death of Christ. Every death scene is not created equal, despite the fact that the works of Art focus on death. The feelings, symbolism, and themes that are conveyed by the scene are diverse. To see how varied the effect can be from different death scenes we can look at The Sortie made by the Garrison of Gibraltar by John Trumbull in 1789 and The Death of General Wolfe by Benjamin West in 1770. It’s interesting to see how these artists depicts their own view on death in these specific works, since in fact West acted as a teacher to Trumbull yet their styles differ dramatically.1, 2 Although both works of art put death at the center of the scene and take place during a War; with the aid of the Artists’ unique styles and directions, completely different interpretations are invoked in the viewers.
“The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe is a story of revenge on the outside, but when on the inside, it is something deeper. His stories are dark and sometimes, like in “The Cask of Amontillado,” deadly. Poe’s main focus in “The Cask of Amontillado” is revenge, but if examined more closely, the irony that is present foreshadows the end result for Fortunato. In “The Cask of Amontillado” the Montresor is planning to seek revenge on Fortunato for “the thousand injuries.” The revenge results in the live burial of Fortunato, the actual reasoning is left a mystery, but this story goes to prove that things that one does can always come back ...
The writing style of Edgar Allan Poe shows the writer to be of a dark nature. In this story, he focuses on his fascination of being buried alive. He quotes, “To be buried alive is, beyond question, the most terrific of these [ghastly] extremes which has ever fallen to the lot of mere mortality.” page 58 paragraph 3. The dark nature is reflected in this quote, showing the supernatural side of Poe which is reflected in his writing and is also a characteristic of Romanticism. Poe uses much detail, as shown in this passage, “The face assumed the usual pinched and sunken outline. The lips were of the usual marble pallor. The eyes were lusterless. There was no warmth. Pulsation had ceased. For three days the body was preserved unburied, during which it had acquired a stony rigidity.” page 59 paragraph 2. The descriptive nature of this writing paints a vivid picture that intrigues the reader to use their imagination and visualize the scene presented in the text. This use of imagery ties with aspects of Romanticism because of the nature of the descriptions Poe uses. Describing the physical features of one who seems dead is a horrifying perspective as not many people thing about the aspects of death.
The Marble Grave Stele is a horizontal piece that was embedded in a larger piece of marble. The inscriptions of the names of who died have long been lost. Thus, we must interpret for ourselves what the full meaning of the piece is. The artist of the piece is unknown, but it was constructed in Greece in around 360 B.C. during the Classical Era and stands at 171.1 centimeters in height. Its original location, as its name suggests, was at a gravesite; currently, it is located in New York City at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Stele was carved from marble. Overall, it is in good condition; however, the body of the woman on the left is missing with only her head surviving. Its stone frame in which it was set is also missing. This frame more than lik...
The works of art from the Archaic Period, Classical Period, and Hellenic Period developed physically and mentally, and the study of their aesthetic differences from period to period allow for a decided contrast and comparability. This interpretation has had a profound effect on the art world and that continues even in today’s world. The importance of Greek sculptures is evident in the storytelling of the gods, the people, and the culture. We use these sculptures as a tool to go back into the past of the Greek people, letting us admire how far mankind has truly come, whether it is in art or intelligence. Generation after generation has been and will continue to be able to see for themselves the society, culture and uniqueness of these periods through the wonderful sculptures that came out of ancient
As the first poem in the book it sums up the primary focus of the works in its exploration of loss, grieving, and recovery. The questions posed about the nature of God become recurring themes in the following sections, especially One and Four. The symbolism includes the image of earthly possessions sprawled out like gangly dolls, a reference possibly meant to bring about a sense of nostalgia which this poem does quite well. The final lines cement the message that this is about loss and life, the idea that once something is lost, it can no longer belong to anyone anymore brings a sense...
The sculpture I choose is named Nydia, “The Blind Girl of Pompeii.” When I first seen this I immediately liked it, once again this piece of art spoke to me I could kind of relate to it in a sense. When I first look the name of this piece I thought it read “The Blind Girl of Power,” I instantly started thinking of what type of life she once had and how she is blind and still hold power in her village. I hear once someone loose one of your six senses our other senses become stronger because, we rely on them more to survive. I also heard when someone lose the ability to see there are two senses that get stronger than the others. Hearing and feeling, the ability to hear a further distance and the ability to touch an object and know what it is and the form of it without seeing it.
This sculpture was one that I found to be very interesting. This artwork depicts the image of a male figure carrying a bag. The bag could represent a traveling stage in one’s life. The bigger idea of this sculpture is the man’s missing internal structure. Growing up I’ve always heard people state that they feel empty in life or that something is missing, but I never understood until becoming a young adult. This sculpture to me means traveling throughout life trying to gather your emotional losses. This sculpture could have been the artist’s way of showing how empty he felt as a man living in this world. It is evident that when missing several major organs, you’re dead. When we as humans go through emotional down points
In a psychological perspective, the author’s life is linked with the behavior and motivations of characters in the story. The author’s name is Edgar Allan’s Poe who portrayed his self in his writing. The miserable life of Poe can be measured through “The Cask of Amontillado” in which character named “Montressor” showed indifferent feeling towards his victim. After burying Fortunado alive, Montressor felt bad after burying his victim alive but then he attributes the feeling of guilt to the damp catacombs. To the character and to the author, it seems that ghastly nature murder and the immoral approach of treachery is merely an element of reality. This story is a true representation of author’s anguish and torment nature.
His admiration for great artists can be seen through his appreciation as art and poetry as forms of entertainment, beauty, and education. We revere artists in a similar manner as Sidney does—placing them on high pedestals as we analyze and dissect their works. In other words, it is a form of critique that simultaneously expresses our respect and appreciation for art. Much like illustrations, stories can be faulty with wording and over-the-top speeches. Since stories do not follow historical facts, the writer may not properly express certain ideologies and thus miscommunication occurs. Sidney addresses this issue when he discusses the laws of poesy and its connection to tragedies, as such “…many things may be told which cannot be showed,—if they know the difference betwixt reporting and representing,” (77). What it seems that Sidney is trying to explain is that some stories can only be told through tales instead of painted on a canvas, but the artist must be skilled enough in order to present their morals. In other words, if a person were to just report what they saw in a walk through the forest, it would not be the same as a representation, rather just a mere report. A representation is more befitting as a means of educating the masses because it broadens the imagination and thus creates more