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.
In honor of the ancient Olympic Games, Phidias built the statue of Zeus. Zeus, king of the Greek gods, was shown in larger-than-life form in the Temple at Olympia in ancient Greece. The monument was carved by Phidias, considered
Zeus’ head was decorated with an olive wreath that symbolized peace. In his right hand he held Nike, symbolizing the importance of winning. In his left hand, a golden scepter representing royalty, topped with a golden eagle. His feet rested on a golden footstool that reached the eye level of his worshippers. A layer of gold flowed across his ivory shoulders. His face was calm, commanding, and bearded that represented the face of the powerful god. The temple represented Greek architecture 's fascination with proportion. Large bronze doors housed the wonders held within the temple. One of the most extraordinary things about the statue was Zeus ' expression. His eyes were so detailed that it was said that they could pierce your soul. Zeus ' throne was carved showing images from mythology of gods, demigods and other
Just as United States ' currency represents important monuments and faces, ancient Greek coins featured the famous statue of Zeus. This currency gives us details about his appearance; researchers can judge how strong an attraction the statue had to tourists based on how far they traveled with the coins from Olympia. And in 1950, a major archaeological breakthrough came when Dr. Emil Kunze and his team found the remains of Phidias ' workshop next to the temple 's ruins. Using evidence from inch-long to 18-inch-long terra cotta and iron molds, Kunze was able to reconstruct what the statue might have looked like and how it might have been built. Kunze theorized that the statue was built from thin plates of gold stretched across a wood
Within a Greek city, in a complex of temples, lays a marble relief panel known as the Nike Adjusting Her Sandal. Famous for its elaborately carved details and high level of skill, this Classical Greek sculpture stands 3 feet 6 inches tall and has been a subject of discussion between art historians for decades. The panel originates from the city of Athens’ Acropolis in Ancient Greece circa 410 BCE. Prior to the sculpture’s carving, the Athenians faced hardship when the Persians destroyed their original temples in 480 BCE. However, this prompted the leader of Athens, Pericles, to rebuild the Acropolis under a new, classical, principal. Pericles was an exceptional orator, general, politician, and patron of the arts. His rule lasted from 495 BCE
The marble Statuette of Youthful Dionysos stands about 30 inches tall. The arms, legs, nose, and
The Statue of a kouros represents a Greek male. With one foot forward, the statue at the same time, represents movement and is able to stand on it own. This also gives the over life size figure, visible weight. In this early figure, geometric forms seem to predominate, and anatomical details, such as the chest muscles and pelvic arch, are presented with somewhat of exaggerated lines. Although the exaggerated lines show where these muscles belong, the detail is still missing. Looking up and down this nude body, at this miss proportioned and lacking of detail body, the hair is what grabs my attention. The hair is carved with detail not noticeable in the rest of the body. As well, although the fists are clinched and still bonded to the body, the legs and elbows are separated. The ability to move around and inspect the statue makes a big difference than if it was up against a wall, or just looking at its picture. The legs, which support the weight of the statue, have a visible strength which is seen in the knees. The head is what carried the most detail, the ears although to far back, are intricately designed. It is the ability to walk around the entire statue that allows me to see the different aspects and places where attention to detail was placed. However, he does not expand into three dimensional space; he has a closed-off, column-like appearance
Sculpture is a medium that artists in ancient Greek commonly used to express spoken truths in an unspoken form. Every piece of ancient Greek sculpture has more than what the eye sees to explain the story behind the [in this case] marble.
The original Laocoön statue was constructed by Athanadoros, Hagesander, Polydoros from Rhodes in the Hellenistic era. The large marble group that we now know as Laocoön Group was unearthed in 1506 CE, currently resides in the Vatican and may be a Roman copy of the famous Greek sculpture that Pliny the Elder described. , If the statue is a Roman copy, it was most likely commissioned by Augustus as a public works project to celebrate the fall of Troy that eventually led to the founding of Rome. However, if the marble statue is the original that was constructed by the sculptors from Rhodes, then the reasons for its construction could be as shrouded in mystery as its travels from Titus’s palace to Rome. Nonetheless, the origins of the statue
Charles Champoiseau uncovered pieces of masterfully worked Parian marble in April of 1863.1 On Samothraki, the island from which Poseidon is said to have watched the fall of Troy, these segments of stone came together to form four main sections: a torso, a headless bust, a section of drapery, and a wing.2 The sections were shaped to be assembled though the use of cantilevering and metal dowels, allowing the sculptor to extend beyond medium’s gravitational limitations (fig. 2). Just one year later, the pieces were assembled (and those missing were remodeled), and the Greek goddess Nike was revealed at the Louvre.
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
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.
The foundation of Greek culture was balance, reason, and harmony which can be unveiled in their art. As the civilization heavily revolved around religion, massive temples were built to serve the Gods. Greeks believed in many Gods, meaning they had polytheistic views . This notion of polytheism passed down to the Romans who adopted nearly the exact same deities and built similar architecture as well. One of the most famous buildings of worship was the Greek Parthenon built around 447-432 B.C.E, worshipping the goddess Athena . While building these brilliant pieces of art, concepts regarding laws and the natural world from philosophers were being incorporated in the structure. Pillars were often built in temples and various buildings in both Greek and Roman cultures. Doric, ionic, and Corinthian stand as the main three pillars built; each of them becomes increasingly more elaborate by order. For example, the Corinthian was the most intricate. Romans quickly developed a taste for this form of architecture and incorporated into theirs later on. The Romans however were very inventive, and began to develop the arch, vault and dome to add to what they emulated from the Greeks. Using these elements the Romans built what is known as the Coliseum, built over a 10 year span from around 70 AD to 80 AD. The Coliseum was said to hold 50,000 spectators and was used for entertainment
Sculpture is one of the most important parts of Greek art since it is almost the only art form that has survived in some quantity. The ancient Greeks were especially known for their sculpture because their sculptures were extremely life like and beautiful. It was important to the ancient Greeks to combine passion and reason in their sculpture. Greek sculptures were mostly of the human form since they looked at their gods as having a human form. All of the sculptures were nudes of males because society looked down upon female nudity until latter on in time when you started to see sculptures such as the Venus di Milo, which was modeled after Aphrodite (Wikpedia the free encyclopedia. Wikpedia.11 Nov 2004. 12 Nov 2004 http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Greek_art ). One of the most amazing sculptures is the colossus sculpture of Zeus in Olympia it was one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. Ancient writers said that it stood 12.40 meters high, 6.65 meters long and 9.76 meters deep the body of Zeus was made of ivory followed by a robe made of gold topped with a silver olive wreath and his throne was decorated with mythological scenes painted by Panainos and Kolotis the statue itself was created by Phidos. Michael Lahanas. 25 Dec 2002. 11 Nov 2004 (http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Arts/ZeusStatue.htm). Another great sculpture is the colossus Athena Parthenos. This sculpture just like the colossus statue of Zeus was made of gold and ivory and had various mythological engravings in her shield, helmet and pedestal.
Nike of Samothrace is a beautiful winged sculpture also referred to as the Winged Victory of Samothrace is estimated to have been created between 200-190 BC. The BC marble sculpture of the Greek goddess Nike who was also known as Victoria (Victory) was not discovered until 1863. The sculpture was created to honor the Greek goddess and the sea battles of that time. On the other hand, the fearsome looking sculpture called the Coatlicue was created 1300-1500 in Tenochtitlan, Mexico. The Coatlicue was once buried because of the way it looks and Christians thought that images of the Aztec Gods were of the devil. The Christian were also afraid that if the Indian people were to see the stone images then they would start to worship them and abandon
The Nike of Samothrace captures the essence of the goddess in a dramatic pose. Her body leans forward as her robust wings heave upwards, creating a magnificent balance and sense of motion. Recovered in the Sanctuary of the Great Gods by a French explorer in 1863, the statue stands 8 feet tall. The deep lines and contrasting textures of the feathers, fabric, and skin allude to the elegance of past Greek style. Of all similar remains from ancient Greek art, this famous Hellenistic sculpture best reflects the sense of pride, honor, and victory associated with the goddess.
The Parthenon in Athens is the most important and characteristic monument of ancient Greek. It is an Athenian temple to the goddess Athena and considered to be a great architectural achievement of world history. It is a unique symbol of freedom and democracy. Built between 447-432 BC, it was a symbol of Athens when the city was at the height of its power.
http://www.pentheon.com/articles/z/zeus.html 2 page, accessed April 7, 2004. Created on March 3 1997, Modified March 19. 12, 2004. Encyclopedia Mythica 1995-2004
...ing and closing the five days with sport shunted in between. The statue of Zeus created by Pheidas, arguably the best artistic offering to Zeus, standing at 13m and crafted from solid gold, was located at Olympia for a reason – the Olympics were a hive of activity and worship, more so than a hive of activity and sport/politics. The Games were held in honour of Zeus, and attending the Games was seen as making a pilgrimage to his most sacred place (i.e. the grove, known as the Altis).