Comparing The Metropolitan Museum Of Greek Art: The Bronze Man And Centaur

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art is located in New York City and is the one of the largest, and most visited museums in the world. The museum contains both the art and the architecture of medieval Europe. The Greek and Roman Art exhibit features 17,000 different pieces of art, the size of the pieces range from smaller, portable figures, to larger statues. Both the Bronze Man and Centaur and the Terracotta Hydria pieces, dating before 1300, are located in the museums Greek and Roman art exhibit. By examining both pieces of art one can better understand the common themes within Ancient Greek art (The Metropolitan Museum of Art). The Bronze Man and Centaur was created during the Geometric period of Greek Art. Following the downfall of Mycenaean …show more content…

The bronze man and centaur, dating back to mid-eighth century B.C., represents the Geometric period of Greek art. The figure is small, only about eleven centimeters, and is made of a bronze medium (The Metropolitan Museum of Art). This figure consists of a mythological creature that was half man, and half horse, known as a centaur (Janson, 107). During the Geometric period, Greeks believed that centaurs were mythological beasts that lived within woodsy areas (Janson, 107). The Parthenon in Athens Greece contains paintings with a vaster representation of the nature of a centaur, however the small statue within The Metropolitan Museum of Art is an excellent way to display the physical characteristics of this creature (The Metropolitan Museum of …show more content…

A major concern of Greek artists during the Archaic period was that they would create a clear representation of the human body, meaning that the sculptures they created began to look more realistic during this time (Weir, Dec. 1st). During the archaic period an architectural revolution took place. They began to build temples for worship and religious sacrifices. These temples were now made of stone, as oppose to the wood they were made of prior to this advancement (Janson, 109). During the archaic time period, the Greeks also made the transition from wooden statues, to stone (Janson,

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