The abundance of works of art that depict the labors of Herakles certainly makes it a difficult task to select which work of art to study. The range of labors is vast and the depictions numerous. Thus, it is quite daunting to have to pick one work of art out of the seemingly infinite collection on the Classical Art Research Centre. The example chosen for the purpose of study here is from this database is a depiction of Herakles slaying the dreaded hydra. It is certainly one of the less well-known depictions of this particular labor of Herakles. If searched for either in publications or online in databases, it is not as popular as some of the other representations of Herakles with the hydra. Yet, it is a magnificent work of art with a certain …show more content…
magical quality in its simplicity. It is simply titled Herakles and the Hydra, Iolaos With Torches, Athena Seated. This fascinating work of art dates from circa 400-300 B.C. It is currently located in the collection of St. Petersburg’s State Hermitage Museum. Its shape is certainly a different one and the different shape is the first characteristic one notices upon first viewing. This red-figure chous is in fantastic shape and still displays its marvelous craftsmanship without the interruption of cumbersome cracks or chips. The entire scene unfolding for us is totally preserved. The story illustrated takes place on a single ground line. There is a simple, yet lovely motif under the figures that helps to frame the scene and point the viewer’s eyes towards the subjects of the story. Compositionally, there are many interesting details that make this work of art intriguing to study. The background is very clean without any motifs or scenic additions. No trees, flowers, or any other distractions are present here. This stark background pointedly places all the focus on the subjects of the scene. The artist wanted the viewer to pay very close attention to the characters and nothing else. Yet, though there are only characters to study, it is difficult indeed to choose where to begin. The scene could be viewed left to right, vice versa, or even in a random order. For the purpose of this paper, the subjects are evaluated from left to right. On the left side of the chous, there is a seated woman. She sits with a graceful, almost languid posture as she watches Herakles fighting the hydra. She is so relaxed that she is almost reclining in her chair. She even has one leg crossed nonchalantly over the other, gracefully portraying her attitude. Her spear is cradled in her arm, leaning uselessly to the side. It is quite odd to see a woman with such composure looking on unconcernedly as a young man fights a menacing monster. Yet, this woman is completely unperturbed. Her face mirrors the serenity of her body and she complacently gazes on. The calm attitude that is apparent in this woman makes much more sense when the viewer realizes that the seated woman is actually the powerful goddess Athena. Even though Athena holds her spear, she wears no armor. This lack of armor is uncommon for depictions of Athena. It is not surprising to see Athena watching Herakles, however, as Athena is, of course, Herakles’ patron. Athena is often found in portrayals of Herakles’ endeavors. One might well think it odd that Athena shows such disinterest in the well being of one of her favorite heroes. Those who have seen other such depictions of gods and goddesses following the activities of mortals, be they heroes or ordinary individuals, will know that this detached stance was common in such stories. Gods and goddesses rarely, if ever, intervene in such efforts. Characters like Herakles must learn to fight on their own, and that is precisely why Athena is allowing Herakles to fend for himself. Athena shows no concern for Herakles as she has great faith in his abilities. She has no fear of Herakles losing this battle and she believes that Herakles’ power and ability will triumph. Since Herakles is one of Athena’s favorite heroes, she follows his pursuits with alacrity. Athena’s attentiveness towards Herakles is often exhibited in works of art depicting Herakles’ labors. Therefore, it is no surprise to see her viewing the spectacle as it unfolds with an air of pride as Athena is often illustrated in a similar light. To the right of Athena, there is a figure that stands holding torches above the hydra.
Those familiar with Greek mythology will recognize the name of Iolaos, as he is the nephew of Herakles. In many renderings of Herakles’ labors, Iolaos is nearby. Sometimes, Iolaos is in the center of the action of Herakles’ endeavors, just as he is in the thick of this fight on this chous. Some versions of the story of Herakles and the hydra say that Herakles asked for Iolaos help to cauterize the decapitated stumps of the hydra. Perhaps this is why Iolaos is displayed holding torches at such an odd angle over the hydra as Herakles attacks the hydra. If this is the reason for Iolaos’ presence, one suspects that Iolaos’ help is a vital part of Herakles’ venture. One of the most interesting details to note about the depiction of Iolaos is the similarity in appearance to Herakles. In fact, the resemblance is shocking. Though the two are related, one would not expect for Herakles to look exactly like his nephew. Yet, the artist chose to present the viewer with very similar young males. The only clear distinctions are Herakles’ cloak and the fact that Herakles has a bit more muscular development than Iolaos. Otherwise, these two could easily be mistaken for each other in this work of
art. The next figure in line is the hydra. The artist truly has created a hideous monster for Herakles to defeat. The size of the creature is surprising, however, as the hydra is often depicted as being almost as large as Herakles. This particular hydra is comparatively small. Regardless, it is still rendered as a fearful opponent. The hydra is, of course, known for having many heads, and the artist chose to create heads that look like snakes, a common choice for representations of the hydra. The slithery heads definitely adds to the disturbing quality given to the hydra by the artist. Half of the hydra writhes on the ground, presumably in agony. Iolaos is grabbing the hydra by some of the heads while Herakles forcefully attacks. The hydra, according to some stories, had nine heads, and as Herakles cut off one head, two more would grow to replace it. To add to this difficulty, there was an immortal head in the midst of the others. Thus, Herakles had multiple opponents with just one creature and he had to discover how to defeat the monster as he was fighting it. Lastly, of course, we see Herakles fighting the hydra with what appears to be great strength and capability. His cloak is billowing in the wind behind him, increasing the appearance of his valor and power. There is clear determination in his carriage and in his face, and his focus is completely on the hydra. He does not look fearful in the least, and he seems aware that he is winning this battle. After all, Herakles is a mighty warrior who has accomplished a great deal. Herakles is very much aware of his past successes and his pride is visible in every line of his body. It is of some interest to note the artist’s choice to portray Herakles as such a young person. Though he is very athletic in appearance, he still looks to be quite young. The fact that he does not even look older than his own nephew is quite odd, as well. Herakles is beardless here, too, which is a departure from a lot of the other portrayals of Herakles where he has a full beard. A beard would certainly give him a much more manly appearance. Still, there is a certain power of showing such a young man slaying such a fearsome creature. By making Herakles a youth, the artist certainly attributes more skill to Herakles. Indeed, it is much easier to believe that the robust, older Herakles of many other depictions could defeat a creature like the hydra. Herakles is a mighty youth, however, and it seems as though the artist wants the viewer to know this. He will be able to defeat the hydra, regardless of his lack of age or experience. There are many different decisions that were made by the artist in this work of art that are somewhat curious. Why did the artist include Athena? Though she was central to Herakles’ pursuits, there are many different depictions of Herakles that do not involve Athena. Why is Iolaos included? He is, of course, a central part to Herakles’ labors; however, there are depictions of this story without Iolaos. What did the artist hope to achieve by including these characters? Why did the artist choose to leave the background of the scene empty and without decoration or scenic setting? Of course, the viewer cannot know exactly what the answers to these questions are. The artist left no clues as to the decision process behind this work of art. The Classical Research Centre does provide the information of two publications that might offer more insight into this work of art. The first publication is The Twelve Labors of the Hero in Ancient Art and Literature by Frank Brommer (Translation, New York, 1986). The second publication is entitled Kertscher Vasen by Karl Schefold (Berlin, 1930). There is, however, a distinct lack of information or analysis of this particular chous as it does not seem to be one of the more popular portrayals of Herakles and the hydra. Thus, there will undoubtedly be unanswered questions about this work. Yet, though many questions will remain unanswered, the mystery surrounding various parts of the work of art adds to the appeal of this exceedingly exciting chous of Herakles. So, although this chous of Herakles with the hydra is a less popular work of art, it is still a powerful and interesting work of art to study. Its simplicity magnifies its remarkable composition and its different artistic choices add a certain level of intrigue to the work. This chous is an extraordinary example of a work of art depicting the labors of Herakles. Indeed, the viewer is provided with all the important information that is needed to understand the story and the visual representation of it. Thus, it is a very successful rendering.
The durability of clay has brought forth an immense abundance of Greek pottery, a craft mastered by Athenian artists. Archeologists have found hundreds of varieties in creation, shape, function, style, and artwork in Archaic vases. The museum has been blessed with one of these priceless artifacts; it is the duty of this establishment to accumulate as much data as possible surrounding the vase. In first identifying technique, dimensions, and condition, as well as describing shape, ornament, and figural scenery, one may then begin to analyze the vase. This serves the general purpose of understanding where the artifact stands in Greek culture and history. Through the examination and research of figural scenes, it is then possible to compare these to other scenes and styles of the same and other painters. Finally, one can then hypothesize where, why, and how this piece was used.
Change in Greek Art Greece is famously known world widely for its spectacular artworks. People are familiarized with its sculptures, paintings, and mosaics, but not many know how its art has been transforming from time to time. An explicit example would be the drastic changes from Aphrodite of Knidos to The Old Market Woman. The Egyptians had influenced Early Greek art for several years; it was during the time of war (Archaic Period) and art was not their top priority. Most of their sculptures were similar to those in Egypt and there was no sense of personal style.
Greek art is considered as a turning point for the development of all aspects of cultural art history, such as architecture, sculpture, pottery and painting. The ancient Greek civilization was famous for its mythical and aesthetic principle in the art culture. Renowned for the pottery, Greek had developed its unique painting technique called the black-figured. “Achilles and Ajax playing Dice” by Exekias is the most significant black-figure amphora for its iconography and that represents the ideal art principle and history of the ancient Greece.
It is understandable that Vout took on a discursive tone when attempting to explain her point of view regarding the depictions of the youths in the Hellenistic age. The subject’s content is far too broad to be encompassed within a small range of thinking. This observation is evident in Vout’s temporary straying from the main points to wider subjects; however, she always brings her tangents back to the principal objectives. The primary ideas that she focuses on concern the rendering of children in art forms during Hellenistic times. This idea is then divided into differen...
In conclusion, although Mycerinus and Kha-merer-nebty II and Augustus of Primaporta, do appear very different, come from entirely different geographic regions and were separated by thousands of years, they do have many things in common. When we consider subject, style, and function; perhaps other works of art have more in common than they appear to have.
Perhaps the most interesting period in Greek sculpture is the Classical period. During this glorious period of unbelievable craftsmanship, numerous pieces celebrated the Greek’s infatuation with fable and war. The sculpture, nicely titled Centaur Abducting Lapith Woman and Fallen Lapith Man, is a wonderful symbol of the artistic period and image of war. Sculpted somewhere around 447-438 B.C., the sculpture was carved out of solid marble to produce a beautiful, and yet horrifying scene from a battle.
Lysippos’s Weary Hercules is sculpted from marble and stands an impressive ten feet, five inches tall.(Farnese Herakles). Herakles is depicted as an extremely muscular human-like and god-like being. He has the body of a god and the weariness of a human. Herakles,exhausted, leans on his club for support after completing the last task of The Twelve Labour's. He holds in his right hand the apples of the Hesperides behind his back, and draped over his club is a lion skin.(,,,) This statue was loved by the Romans and this copy was made for the Baths of Caracalla.(…) Romans saw this statue as an inspiration to exercise, and the closer they got to this image the closer they could be compared to gods. Herakles is still a mortal and we know this because of the nudity in the statue,and it was this human aspect which inspired the Romans to achieve this ideal form. Since the creation of the Weary Hercules (Farnese Herakles) sculpture men have pursued this cultural ideal of the perfect man. The pursuit of the idyllic masculine body has had an interesting journey.
Winckelmann like Vasari dealt greatly with the artistic problems concerning representation and imitation of nature including the need for the human beauty in a figure. However he also was interested in art criticism based in historical timelines and causes for the change and evolution of modern art. This greatly seen in this article not only in his thesis that great contemporary art is based in antiquity but also in his explanation for why the Greek art was so well done and why it has risen back into the hands of modern art. First, Greek work came back to contemporary society greatly by the monarch led by Titus who brought authentic work from Greek masters for his artists to learn from and imitate. He also discusses the correlation between the bodies, like that of the Theseus model, with the Greek lifestyle they lived based heavily on training for the Olympic games and the resemblance of youth’s bodies to godlike figures. Great masters of contemporary work use these same bodily model and ideal of beauty in their work. Winckelmann states that their present good taste is due to the fact that they, “partook of good taste at its source.” Overall the Greeks set up rules of art that could be imitated to capture nature and its ideal form of beauty, an idea that many sought to accomplish.
Castriota, David. The Ara Pacis Augustae and the imagery of abundance in later Greek and early Roman imperial art. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1995. (P. 64)
The primary focus of ancient Greek sculptures was that of the human body. Almost all Greek sculptures are of nude subjects. As the first society to focus on nude subjects, Greek sculptors attempted to "depict man in what they believed was the image of the gods and so would come to celebrate the body by striving for verisimilitude or true – likeness (realism and naturalism!)."(Riffert) Not only did the Greeks celebrate the human form in their art but also in everyday life. (Riffert) One of the favorite topics for sculptors was that of the athlete. In Greek culture athletes were described as "hero–athletes". (Riffert) This shows that athletes were revered and looked upon as heroes. The influence of athleticism is evident in many famous sculptures. I will attempt to show how the human form influenced Greek art. It is important to note that many of the Greek sculptures discussed do not exist in their original form but rather in Roman copies of the original bronze sculptures. (Riffert)
While walking the Greek Art Section in the Metropolitan Museum, people could easily be captivated by the grandiosity of one Archaic Period sculpture named Kouros(Youth), as you could see in figure 2, a beautiful male nude stone statue. Although it is true that, at the first glance, most people would mistreat this statue as an Egyptian one, for its straight and simple style, which derives from the Sinai Peninsula, this statue is actually from Athen, the center of Greek. Nevertheless, this similarity still arouses people’s curiosities: why and how the Archaic Period Greek statues resembled with the Egyptian one? Is there any other culture also influenced the Greek Art? Thus, this essay is going to discuss how two main foreign cultures: the Egyptian culture and the Ionic culture influenced the Archaic Period Greek Art.
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
Byzantine art had many basic characteristics. The first was expressionistic using color and emotion. Many of the are lacked depth in a two dimensional fashion. The art was symbolic in nature, decorative, detailed. The figures are stiff and ...
The ineffaceable impression which Sophocles makes on us today and his imperishable position in the literature of the world are both due to his character-drawing. If we ask which of the men and women ofGreek tragedy have an independent life in the imagination apart from the stage and from the actual plot in which they appear, we must answer, ‘those created by Sophocles, above all others’ (36).
The Laocoon and His Sons is a Greek and Roman art sculpture of the Hellenistic era that illustrates pain. This monument portrays the agony of a father (Laocoon) and his two sons on each of his left and right side being surrounded and attacked by sea serpents. By their facial expressions, as spectators we can easily get a feeling of the pain they were feeling. Looking at the sculpture, this sculpture is full of dynamisms. The sense of agony, the sense of tragedy that is so dramatic and all of that energy we associate with the Hellenistic era, that is the second or third century.