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The Ancient Middle East the Roman time periods brought about many different works of art. The Votive Statue of Gudea, an Ancient Near Eastern work, and the Augustus of Primaporta, a Roman work, are good representations of art from their respective time periods. The two works have many similarities and differences within their formal elements, iconography, and historical significance to the time periods in which they were crafted.
The Votive Statue of Gudea and the Augustus of Primaporta have similar formal elements through their subjects and differ through their styles and size. The Votive Statue of Gudea is a statue of Gudea, a ruler in the Ancient Near East. The work was constructed in 2090 BC. It was made from diorite and stands two and
The Votive Statue of Gudea depicts the ruler in his youth standing straight up with his arms holding a vessel of water in front of him. Two streams of water are flowing out of the vessel and down the statue while fish are depicted facing towards the vessel, promoting life and peace. Gudea wears a long garment that does not cover one of his shoulders and contains inscriptions written by Gudea himself. In the inscription he dedicates the statue to Geshtinanna, a goddess who interpreted dreams. Because the garment leaves on shoulder bare, viewers are able to see Gudea’s well-defined muscles. His eyes are wide open, symbolic of intense concentration, and he wears a wide brimmed hat. In the work, Gudea is seen as an amicable, strong, and righteous leader. The Augustus of Primaporta depicts the emperor standing with his arm raised and with all his weight shifted into one foot. This is slightly different than the Votive Statue of Gudea, both positions are symbolic of the way a rule from each time period would have addressed troops. Augustus along with his youthful features, is exactly how Augustus would have wanted to be remembered. This is also true to The Votive Statue of Gudea. There are many other symbolic details that relate to mythology and history incorporated into the statue of Augustus. The torso armor that Augustus wears
The statue of Augustus, like many others at the time, is a work used to glorify Augustus. The same can be said for The Votive Stature of Gudea, it was crafted in a way that made Gudea seem like a better ruler than he may have actually been. Both works have a great significance in their respective time periods because they are in remembrance of great leaders. While the works may exaggerate the roles each men played, both accomplished many great things for their countries. Augustus DID THIS and Gudea rebuilt many temples. The pieces differ because of their historical contexts. In roman art, propaganda was huge. The Augustus of Primaporta serves as a reminder and justification of some of the things Augustus did as a ruler, all the while incorporating the religious and peaceful themes that were so used by Roman artists. The work communicated Augustus’s connection to the past, to the military, and to the gods in a propagandistic way. While the Votive Statue of Gudea may not have been crafted for a propagandistic purpose, the statue of Gudea presents a lot of the same ideals as the Augustus of Primaporta. The work presents Gudea as a strong and peaceful leader who was worthy of divine favor. This is a common theme for depicting rulers throughout art history and in modern times today. Rulers want to seem god-like, or at least prove that God
We find that, in conclusion, that these pieces are very similar in many ways. They are both originally created in the same style and time period. They are Hellenistic and dramatic, although in their own, individualistic way. Each sculpture was created in different mediums and have different stories. These are both very individualistic pieces of Greco/Roman sculpture that has influenced many artists throughout time and will
Many art works such as statues are placed throughout the world in different settings. The most common setting for statues is found in funerary settings. The importance of statues in funerary settings is that they are use to project the power the person had before his death. The seated statue of Khafre enthroned from Gizeh, Egypt, illustrates the idealized pharaoh. Another sculpture is Kouros, from Anavysos, Greece that depicts the heroism of Kroisos dying in battle. The Kouros and Khafre are similar in the way that they both radiate power and serve the purpose of honoring the dead men, yet Khafre has a greater significance because it illustrates the pharaoh in a flawless form and the audience can tell that he was a great ruler by the perfect cut sculpture.
The pharaoh named Khafre was an ancient Egyptian king of the 4th dynasty during the old kingdom. Khafre enthroned shows the pharaoh is shown in a seated potion on a throne with a look of deep serenity in his face. The king is sitting rigidly upright with one of his hands on his knee and the other one making a fist on his thigh. Khafre is also wearing a headdress as well as a strapped on beard. Khafres’ face and body are both idealized with the help of bilateral symmetry. Khafre is perfectly symmetrical on both sides; his pose is also both frontal and ridged. The Sculptor shows all movement, however, still showing eternal stillness (Kleiner, 2013). The statue of Khafre is an image of unbridled power. This work, life-sized and carved from diorite (an extremely hard and difficult-to-work stone) portrays the Pharaoh Khafre, sitting immobile. This piece of art uses the Egyptian canon of proportions, creating a very idealized figure (Kleiner,
The portrait of Claudius as Jupiter is a marble statue that was made during the Roman Imperial period from 42-43 AD. It is currently on display at the Musei Vaticani in Rome as it stands as a larger than life-size portrait. The original location of this portrait was Olympia, Rome. Although we know that Claudius commissioned this portrait, the sculptor remains unknown. The purpose of this statue was to imply Claudius’ divine connection to Augustus and
When first looking at George Washington by Horatio Greenough first thought that came to mind was Roman Art! George Washington by Horatio Greenough is a unique piece looking much like many Roman sculptures you may have seen, but upon the statues shoulders dawns George Washington’s signature non-smiling, tightly clenched face. From the neck down you’d never think that this sculpture wasn’t created in the liking of our first president George Washington, but more that of a god like Jupiter. With his bare chest exposed and muscles chiseled, you’d think George Washington was a statue of a god if his face wasn’t so recognizable. With his face determined, brows lifted and his eyes always looking at you at whatever angle, this statue surely grabs your attention.
The trip to the metropolitan museum was a great trip to learn and to study art. What is art you may ask, well art is an expression you use to show a visual picture. It can be through painting or through sculptures. Some other example of art is music, literature and dancing. For today 's paper we will be talking about art as a sculpture. The two sculptures in this photo are King Sahure and a Nome God and Marble Statue of Dionysos leaning on archaistic female figure (Hope Dionysos). You can find these statues in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. King Sahure and a Nome God is an Egyptian art that was made in 2458-2446 BCE. The artist is unknown. It was during the 5th dynasty and it also belong to the old kingdom. The Marble statue of Dionysos Leaning in the archaistic female figure is a Greco-Roman art. Belonging to the Roman imperial period of the late first century A.D. Augustan or Julio-Claudian period 27 B.C., to 68 AD. It is classified as a stone sculpture and it is made out of marble. The height of the statues is 82 ¾ inches. There is no evidence who was the original artist.
This cult statue represents the Anatolian mother goddess Cybele, one of the many Roman goddesses as for Roman religion was polytheistic. Cybele was introduced later in Rome, during the second Punic War in the late third century and lingered on still beloved until early christian times. Unlike many deities of this time period who were present but not recognized, Cybele had been given rites as part of the official recognition of state, being a goddess whom was even worshipped in private ministries. She had even been given a temple on the Palatine Hill, one of Rome's most sacred spots. Her followers mainly women and farmers knew her as the goddess of untamed nature, fertility and protection in war. In this particular piece, when examining Cybele closely you can notice she is wearing a chiton, a crown, a veil or cloak of a sort that overlays the crown, and has pierced ears, though no actual earrings as for most of this piece is no longer here. Her crown is square like, in the effort to symbolize fortress walls as she is a protector of the
The sculpture represents a warrior from the Early Classical Greek period and was most likely going to be used as pieces outside of a temple. The sculpture might represent the brute strength of Greece and it’s brave warriors. It is in superb condition with all of its technical beauty on full display. This statue would hold much importance because it would be an example of some of the last remaining examples of it’s kind. The sculpture was most likely erected during a transitional period from Archaic to Classical based off of its idealized Geometry and realistic exterior.
The primary function of monumental portraits in Ancient Rome was to honor political figures of power through repeating social and political themes. The Romans expressed these themes through a form of “realism”. Relics of this era were found depicting the elderly conservative nobility that lived through civil disruptions and war, elaborately individualized through detail of the face expression. Through the features of grimacing heaviness, wrinkles, and effects of old age, the Romans were able to express the reality of their political situation felt by the people whose faces were sculptured into stone. Furthermore, Nodelman discusses the use of sculpture portraits to depict the ideology behind Roman conservative aristocracy. Artists would portray the virtues of gravitas, dignities, and fides, through the use to physical expression and symbolic meaning, rather than through words. A statue of Augustus, for instance, displays the militaristic, powerful, godly perception of the conservative ideology through the use of symbolic detail. The decorative, rich, military outfit on Augustus, represents the power of the military and Augustus’s role as imperator in it. The freely held masculine arm and pointing gesture towards the horizon are Rome’s expanding dreams, clashing with the overall powerful and sturdy stance of the body. The bare feet bring about the impression
The Seated Statue of Gudea is a statue depicting a man sitting. A ruler before his subjects, he has his hands clasped to depict the traditional pose of greetings and prayer. The statue come from the city state of
Here, we will be looking at a rendition of the high marble statue of Augustus Caesar known as “Augustus of Prima Porta.” Originating from 1st Century A.D., it is said that there is a possibility that the original sculpture could have been of greek descent. Upon a general overview of the sculpture, one can see that Augustus fulfils a millitarial role of some kind. From his very stance to the garments portrayed on him, Augustus is draped in a decorative cuirass and a tunic, accompanied by a figure of Cupid clutching on to his right calf. After taking the general themes of the work into account, one can then began to start unraveling the many symbolic elements embedded into the sculpture that allude to godly themes. Starting from the crown of his head, the very chiselment and structure of his face gives the work a youthful element to it, even though some say that Augustus was around 40 years old. A recurring theme within Greek and Roman culture is the matter of godliness and immortality amongst idolized figures themselves. This idea is usually depicted by displaying powerful human being in a younger light. This
Roman art was also deeply influenced by the art of the Hellenistic world, which had spread to southern Italy and Sicily through the Greek colonies there. The Etruscans and Babylonians can also be seen as inspirations. “With the founding of the Republic, the term Roman art was virtually synonymous with the art of the city of Rome, which still bore the stamp of its Etruscan art” (Honour and Fleming,1999). During the last two centuries, notably that of Greece, Roman art shook off its dependence on Etruscan art. In the last two centuries before Christ, a distinctive Roman manner of building, sculpting, and painting emerged. Indeed, because of the extraordinary geographical extent of the Roman Empire and the number of diverse populations encompassed within its boundaries, “the art and architecture of the Romans was always eclectic and is characterized by varying styles attributable to differing regional tastes and the...
The Romans have adopted many features from the Greek style of art and architecture during the third and second centuries B.C. During that time period the Romans discovered that they have taking a liking to Greek statues, which they placed in many different places. The Roman sculptors then decided to also start making statues alongside the Greeks. The statues that the Romans created were realistic looking with, sometime, unpleasant details of the body. The Greeks made statues with, what they thought of, ideal appearances in the statues figure. Sculpture was possibly considered the highest form of art by the Romans, but figure painting was very high considered as well. Very little of Roman painting has survived the tests of time.
Upon reviewing different photos of Horatio Greenough’s marble statue of George Washington, I immediately thought of The Iliad and The Aeneid. The large sculpture of Washington with a god like body, dressed in a Roman toga and sitting upon a Grecian style seat embellished with mythical symbols, related to the Greek gods and Hercules, initially invoked these thoughts. His statue is also holding a sword, which brings to mind an overall image of a warrior and hero. Initially, Greenough was commissioned to create the piece as a commemoration of the centennial of Washington’s birth , but to me this is a way to truly immortalize the great George Washington. Upon further evaluation, I see a relationship between the great founding father and hero of
Zanker, Paul. The power of images in the Age of Augustus. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1988. (P. 158 ~ 159)