Women In Greek Art Essay

1051 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Gender roles of women in greek culture

Women in Aegean and Greek Art During the Aegean and Greek periods of art, women were depicted differently than they had previously been in different parts of the world. In art of the prehistoric period and art of the ancient near east, women had been depicted as fertility symbols. The statuettes such as the Venus of Willendorf, the woman’s features were swollen to show the desired qualities for a woman who was fertile. The statues were also used as a portable tools for luck in fertility, not only an example of the ideal woman (Prehistoric Art). During the Aegean period of art, 1,900 BCE to 1,450 BCE, women were depicted to be freer than in previous periods. The Aegean Islands are islands off the coast of Greece and Turkey. Women were often …show more content…

One example of the depiction of women in Aegean art would be Bull Jumping. Bull Jumping is a fresco showing three human forms, two presumably female and one presumable male figure. The female on the far left is in the process of grabbing the bull by the horns, the man in the middle is in the process of jumping over the bull, and the woman on the right is seemingly just finishing her jump. Another example of free women in the Aegean islands would be Young Girl Gathering Crocus Flowers. This fresco depicts a woman picking flowers which could be used for food flavoring, food dye, or menstrual cramps. This gave a personality to women rather than the previous expressionless images of rulers. Through the art pieces like Bull Jumping there are many different possibilities for the purpose of the frescos. Some of the purposes could be a fertility ritual, display of human courage, or an initiation. This showed that women were seen as equals to men during the time because of the display …show more content…

The Greeks had not yet embraced the nude sculpture. During the archaic period of Greek history, women were seen in static positions, standing upright, same as male counterparts. Women were fully clothed and led the viewer to only see a modest appearance. This is apparent the archaic period of Greek art, from around 700 BCE to 480 BCE, when the kouros sculptures were produced. The statues were made with the arms close to the body and a smile that was present in both male and female sculptures. Another characteristic of these statues were the almond shaped eyes. This style of static sculpture was closely related to the Egyptian sculptures of the same stance. Unlike the Egyptian sculptures, the Greek sculptures began to change (Kuros). The change in Greek sculpture started rather subtle with the appearance of the contrapasso, S curve, in the body of the sculpture. The contrapasso appears to show one foot more forward than the other and a curve in the body. This style of sculpture marked the beginning of classical age of art. During the classical period, around 480-323 BCE, women were being portrayed with wet drapery, a less modest but a continuation of being fully clothed. One example of this would be a woman with wet drapery style clothing. This is seen in Nike Adjusting her Sandal. In this sculpture, Athena is seen clothed but the fabric appears to be sticking to her features,

Show More
Related

  • The Role of Women in Greek Mythology

    429 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Role of Women in Greek Mythology In learning about the feminist movement, we studied the three articles, discussed and reviewed the different authors perspectives on the topic, and learned how important the role of woman in Greek mythology is. In presenting the feminist theory to the class, we analyzed the three articles, Women in Ancient Greece; Women in Antiquity: New Assessments; and Women in Greek Myth, and discussed how although the three articles provided different views on Feminism in mythology, they all essentially are aiming to teach the same basic concept. In order to understand the feminist theory, we have to understand the notion that although myths are invented and that they involve fantasy, the concept of mythology does not necessarily imply that there is no truth of history in them. Some of the humans may have lived while some of the events may have taken place. Most importantly, the social customs and the way of life depicted in the myths are a valuable representation of Greek society.

    Read More

  • Comparison of Ancient Greek Pottery

    1060 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the history of Ancient Greece thousands of great works of art were produced. Works were created in many different media, ranging from life-size statues to larger than life architectural structures. One type of art that can sometimes be overlooked, though, is pottery. There are many examples of great Greek pottery, but the two that will be used as a sample are Artemis Slaying Actaeon and Woman and Maid. By considering the backgrounds of these works, and comparing them directly we are able get a taste not only of the artistic styles of the time, but also a taste of ancient Greek culture.

    Read More

  • Women In Ancient Greek Society

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the Greek society women were treated very differently than they are today. Women in ancient Greece were not allowed to own property, participate in politics, and they were under control of the man in their lives. The goddess Aphrodite did not adhere to these social norms and thus the reason the earthly women must comply with the societal structure that was set before them. Aphrodite did not have a father figure according to Hesiod, and therefore did not have a man in her life to tell her what to do. She was a serial adulteress and has many children with many men other than her husband. She was not the only goddess from the ancient Greek myths to cause doubt in the minds of men. Gaia and the Titan Rhea rise up against their husbands in order to protect their children. Pandora, another woman in the Greek myths, shows that all evil comes from woman. Aphrodite, Gaia, Rhea, and Pandora cause the ancient Greek men to be suspicious of women because of her mischievous and wild behavior.

    Read More

  • Greek Sculpting Essay

    982 Words  | 2 Pages

    The definition of sculpting is, according to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “to make or represent a form by carving, casting, or using other shaping techniques”. Though, one could easily argue that in ancient Greek culture, sculpting meant more than just the craft of carving, casting, or shaping. Sculpting was the expression of imagination, an illustration of passions and storytelling, and a means of communication. The early Greek sculptures that we view today are incredibly important to the study and interpretation of history. This is because we are able to analyze these sculptures and theorize why the Greeks sculpted a certain way during certain eras. The different styles of Greek sculpting can be broken down into three separate periods:

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite

    2587 Words  | 6 Pages

    of the book. USA: Simon and Schuster, Inc. 2000. The.. Print. The.. Blundell, Sue. Women in Ancient Greece.

    Read More

  • The role of Women in Greece

    1539 Words  | 4 Pages

    Greek women, as depicted as in their history and literature, endure many hardships and struggle to establish a meaningful status in their society. In the Odyssey, Penelope’s only role in the epic is to support Odysseus and remain loyal to him. She is at home and struggles to keep her family intact while Odysseus is away trying to return to his native land. The cultural role of women is depicted as being supportive of man and nothing more. Yet what women in ancient Greece did long ago was by far more impressive than what men did.

    Read More

  • Treatment Of Women In Ancient Greece Essay

    1762 Words  | 4 Pages

    When thinking of ancient Greece, images of revolutionary contrapposto sculpture, ornate lecture halls, and great philosophers in togas are sure to come to mind. As the birthplace of democracy and western philosophy, ancient Greece has had an inordinate influence on the progression of the modern world. However, the ancient Greeks’ treatment of women is seemingly at direct odds with their progressive and idealistic society.

    Read More

  • Ancient Roman Women Essay

    1673 Words  | 4 Pages

    What would do if someone raped you or sexual harassed you? Most likely you would prosecute them in court. What would you do if you were told you couldn’t prosecute them because you were a lower class woman? This was the scenario in Ancient Rome. Everything depended on your gender, status, and job. Even though women have fewer rights than men, women still had a legal and social position in Ancient Rome. Women had a position in marriage and family life. There were also a lot of women that were in religious groups, were prostitutes, and were slaves.

    Read More

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

    1027 Words  | 3 Pages

    Venus is a term that has long been associated with artwork, most specifically the classical forms of beautiful women. The term Venus has also come to represent female sculptures of the Paleolithic era. The most notable of these female sculptures is the Venus of Willendorf, 24,000-22,000 BCE. The age of the figurine has been changed several times. Originally when found the date was estimated to be 15,000 to 10,000 BCE. During the 1970’s the time period was adjusted to 25,000 to 20,000 BCE; the date was again recalculated in the 1980’s to 30,000 to 25,000 BCE; the most recent estimate of age was in the 1990’s and was placed at 24,000 to 22,000 BCE after scientific research was performed on the rock stratification. This statuette was discovered by Josef Szombathy in 1908 near the town of Willendorf, Austria, in an Aurignacian loess deposit, which loosely defined is a yellow brown loamy geological deposit dating to the Paleolithic period. The name Venus was first associated with the figurine as a joke. The small, crudely carved statuette of an obese woman contrasts heavily from 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 of goddess and lower it to the human level, therefore allowing more consideration of the figurine’s purpose (Witcombe, sec. 3).

    Read More

  • Greek Women in The Odyssey

    425 Words  | 1 Pages

    The women in The Odyssey are a fair representation of women in ancient Greek culture. In his work, Homer brings forth women of different prestige. First there are the goddesses, then Penelope, and lastly the servant girls. Each of the three factions forms an important part of The Odyssey and helps us look into what women were like in ancient Greece.

    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

  • Women in Ancient Greece

    992 Words  | 2 Pages

    Euripides, one of Ancient Greece’s most famous playwrights, could be considered as one of the earliest supporters of women’s rights. With plays such as Alcestis and Medea, he clearly puts an emphasis on the condition of women, and even integrates them in the Chorus of the latter play, a feat that was not often done in Ancient Greece. Throughout the years, it has been argued that the two central characters in each of those plays offer conflicting representations of women in those times, and I can safely say that I agree with that argument. I will expand on my view by pointing out an important similarity between Alcestis and Medea, followed by a key difference, and will finish it off by contrasting them with the Ancient Greek depiction of an “ideal woman.”

    Read More

  • The Human Body in Ancient Greek Sculptures

    1006 Words  | 3 Pages

    Greek art progressed through four divisible periods from ninth century B.C. to the second century B.C. The primary subject matter for all of these periods was humans. (Sowerby, 150) Each period progressed further than the last with developing the human form and making it continually more realistic and natural. (Boardman, 275) The most basic human forms were depicted in the Geometric period where triangles and ovals were used to make a rough human form. The Archaic period came next with artists slowly moving away from set geometric figures and incorporating more human detail into their art. Great change in art came in the Classical period. Sowerby states this by saying: "The classical artist concentrates up...

    Read More

  • Tenea Kouros Analysis

    749 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ancient Greek sculpture has been regarded as significance art history. Nowadays, many art works from Greek still have remained to continued to influenced the western civilization art and architecture model. It centralized how were Greek people thought of beauty, artistic sense and the intensive observation of the human bodies. In the period of Archaic, Greek female statues were called Kore, which is meant “girl”, and Greek male statue of this period was called Kouros, which represented the word of “young” in Greek. The purpose of Kouros could symbolize the act of dedication to the gods in the sanctuaries and as a grave monument, and even characterize the person making the offering. Tenea Kouros was found in Tenea

    Read More

  • Human Figure Essay

    758 Words  | 2 Pages

    From the oldest identified pieces of art to those created during the modern era, the depiction of the human figure has played a monumental role in conveying the ideals, desires, and creeds of the artists that created them. Whether the human figure displayed the artist’s view of "perfection" i.e., a young handsome man with an athletic build or the frailty of a subject i.e., a venerable woman grimacing in pain, art concentrating upon a body reflects the thought of not only artists but also provides some insight from the nation, culture, sect, or time period from which the artists came from. An example can be found in the form of a marble sculpture simply referred to as the "Steatopygous female figure" which has been determined to have been constructed during the Final Neolithic period, ca. 4500–4000 B.C., by those of the Cycladic civilization. Another paradigm is the "The Birth Of Venus", painted in France in the year of 1863, by Alexandre Cabanel (French, 1823–1889) exhibiting Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty, but originally a vegetation goddess and patroness of gardens and vineyards. Later, under Greek influence, she was equated with Aphrodite and assumed many of her aspects.

    Read More

More about Women In Greek Art Essay

Open Document