The Cycladic Female Figurine has an overall interesting and fascinating shape, which in a room of ancient art drew the most attention. Because of its simplistic and smooth design this figure captures an essence of meaning that is overall hard to understand. There is no definite reasoning of what this object was originally used for, whether it was decorative, an idol or a comfort item, this figuring is beautiful aside from the many questions it leaves the viewer. While a different version of the object was described in class, actually seeing the figurine in person brought upon a new love to the Cycladic Female Figure. Made of marble and coming from Cyclades Greece, this human form not only comes with a mysterious past but also a striking representation …show more content…
The neck is extremely thick being around a third of the width of the widest part of the body. For a figure of a woman, the shoulders are very broad as well, which winds down into an hour glass shape of a torso, where the hands cross under the breast region. Almost as though the figure has a stomach ache the woman slightly hunches forward. The arms are depicted as very small and almost obsolete, and they are straight over the abdomen area. The form of the figure seems to be in a comforting position, almost like a 'self hug’. There is a defined pubic region that goes down into a larger thigh area, down into thinner and smaller lower leg area leading to two feet placed in a ballet first position. The ankles are together and so are the knees, however the quadriceps and calve regions almost slightly bow out, making an eight …show more content…
The entirety of the form is simplistic; however the viewer can understand that it is a female based on its triangular pubic region and the slight hints of breasts. Because the shoulders are so broad it seems like the emphasis is on the breast region, the arms seem the frame the shoulder chest area, in almost the idea that this part of a female body is important. The same is true for the pubic region, which is clearly defined with the triangle; the shape is defined in these areas. The head seems to sit very far from the rest of the body on the large neck, seeming to show less of a connection from the head to the rest of the body. Even though they are connected by such a prominent neck, because to the line at the base of the neck, the head seems like it could be interchangeable, while the body is one for the individual woman.
Overall the shape is smooth and fluid and almost wants to be held. The figure stands with the help of a museum given support; however this figure would not be able to stand on its own without it. The carved form itself looks to be too top heavy to stand on such small feet. The form looks as though it would be found lying on the ground and for this reason could be depicted as a toy, or a funerary
... Other images have survived and many of them are similar to the Venus of Willendorf. The existence of these other sculptures of similar design found from France to Siberia is very interesting. More figurines reflecting the female form have been found than of the male form leading experts to suggest that the Paleolithic societies may have been based on a matriarchal society (Witcombe, sec. 4.
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
Stebbins, Elinor. "Athena." Sweet Briar College { History of Art Program }. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. .
Certain parts of her body are heavily exaggerated; she has overly huge breast, her stomach is large and as well as her butt. She appears to be smooth and her parts of her body I would consider to be very symmetrical. The artist that created her has chosen to exaggerate her breast and make them appear large and full. As well as they have done with her stomach, by making it appear overly large and to symbolize fertility or a late stage of pregnancy for women. The artist carriers, this plumpness and roundness of the female figure throughout out the stature. The artist has demonstrated plumpness of the female figure through her legs and carries it to her back side as well. The one aspect of this figure the artist had heavily rendered in detail, is the figures female genitalia. The genitalia is heavily rendered to show a female reproductive organs. It’s this aspect of the sculptural nature that makes me think that the artist had created her for fertility reasons.
of the book. USA: Simon and Schuster, Inc. 2000. The.. Print. The.. Blundell, Sue. Women in Ancient Greece.
6. Shear, Ione Mylonas. “Maidens in Greek Architecture : The Origin of the « Caryatids ».” In: Bulletin de correspondance hellénique. Volume 123, livraison 1, 1999. pp. 65-85.
As she is mostly naked except for a loin cloth, she appears like a war captive would: bare and humiliated. Similarly, this relief’s location is at the base of a structure, so individuals walk right over her as if they are stepping on a war captive, like many works of art depict captives. Her body is in broken down pieces with bones protruding out of certain limbs, and the tongue sticks out as a convention for death. On her joints are fanged masks, suggesting the she is trouble and evil. Furthermore, snakes tie her up, which act as a parallel to how war captives are bound in many images.
The body of the Power Figure is bumpy and slightly disproportionate due to the fact that it, along with many other Nkisi Nkonde, is carved from wood and adorned with additional metals, beads, shells
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
Although my museum paper was based on the “Marble Lion” from the Late Classical period in the 4th Century, which was created to guard tombs with a ready to pounce-like appearance, it was difficult in researching more history to its existence so my topic has been changed to “Marble Statue of a Kouros (Youth).” The kouros was created to express the concerns of the human form. It recorded the sculptors’ progress of mastering the art of the human body. The kouros was created in the Archaic period that lasted from 800BC to 480BC. Athens became established by the 8th century, thus leading to its people being able to invest in time and re to create art which was limited in the Dark Ages.
It has stylized diamonds shapes to portray braided hair. Although the long, curly beard from the Head of a Man and the curly, flowing hair of the Portrait of a Ruler are both stylized, the beard appears much more solid and firm than the curly hair. Therefore, the curly hair appears more life-like and natural. On the other hand, the sizes of the sculptures express the opposite idea. Since the Head of a Man is life-sized, and the Portrait of a Ruler is beyond life-size the Head of a Man appears more human-like in that aspect.
This discussion will first describe a marble statue of the emperor Augustus Caesar (27 BC-14 AD) dating from 15 AD during the reign of his successor Tiberius. It is thought to be a copy of an original statue from 20BC, and is located at the Villa of Livia, the then-home of Augustus’ wife, at Prima Porta. The statue portrays an idealised and youthful version of Augustus, as he is shown to have a full head of hair and young facial features, including the traditional Roman aquiline nose and a rounded mouth. This reflects a Greek style of art and subverts the traditional expectation of Roman statues, which usually portrayed their subject as old in order to convey their experience and conservatism. Therefore, this statue of Augustus is a political
The stele is composed of the god Vishnu and goddess Lakshmi in androgynous form i.e. combined male and female parts as one structure. This sculpture is in the form of Archway. The right part signifies the male part while the left part signifies the female parts, both standing on the lotus pedestal as oneness.
Changing an individual’s body defies nature and the concepts of Darwinism. Darwin, “was himself unconvinced by his own explanation that ‘beauty’ resulted from a ‘sexual selection’ that deviated from the rule of natural selection; for women to compete with women through beauty is a reversal of the way which natural selection affects all other mammals” (Wolf 12-13). Thus, the mannequin that stands in the window serves as a symbol of merchandise to be purchased and not a natural structure. Varo’s is illustrating that that curves, hair, breasts, and other physical parts are what a woman should be appraised by. Consequently, the painting has created an unrealistic woman that rejects nature and natural selection, but is socially desirable.
I will be discussing the themes and functions of three images of female deities from three different cultures, the culture/religion that they represent, the function they have served, and how women are represented, and those are, Venus of Dolní Věstonice, the Yakshi bracket figure, and the Innana/Ishtar with Lions and Owls. With regards to the Venus of Dolní Věstonice, it is a sculpture molded of clay and bone ash and is 11.5 cm high and 4.3cm from its widest point, the pelvis, and it is located in in the Czech province of Moravia. According to the lecture notes, it was made approximately 26,000 years ago, when in the warmer time period of the last ice age Moravia was established by bundles of hunters and gatherers, and created Gravettian,