Idealism In Ancient Greek Art

1248 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Idealism and realism simmilarietis

Perhaps one of the most defining and easily identifiable aspects of the ancient Greek culture was the immortalization of humans and gods in sculpture. Sculpture had existed in the world for thousands of years before the ancient Greeks made their stake in the art, but the Greeks added an entirely new set of aspects to their sculptures. Unlike the Egyptian and Mesopotamian sculpture centuries earlier, the Greeks set forth not just to capture the image of a man but to capture that which made him a man. The Greeks set in place three base tenants to display the tone of a sculpture. Through the use of Humanism, Realism, and Idealism the ancient Greeks were able to capture humans and gods forever in marble. The basis of all ancient Greek sculpting …show more content…

The sculpture Kroisos demonstrates many good examples of how the ancient Greeks used Idealism in their works. Kroisos is a statue of a young warrior, by the same name, who died heroically in battle. The sculpture depicts the warrior standing up straight, shoulders broad with pride, with arms at his side suggesting military might, and his left foot forward with an authoritative gait. Much attention was given to the sheer size and definition of his muscles, specifically his thigh and calf muscles, further leading the viewer to the conclusion that Kroisos was a mighty …show more content…

a shift can be seen from idealized and nearly perfect sculptures to sculptures that had a natural and real feel to them. These newer statues were sculpted with the notion of Realism weighing more than the concept of Idealism. The subjects’ body was not in a state of military attention, they were placed in a more natural, yet still graceful position. Realistic sculptures also did not embellish the muscular physique of the subject; the muscle definition was displayed more subtly and naturally. The weight of Realistic statues is not distributed in a balanced, geometric fashion like the Ideal statues. The Realistic statues balance their weight just as a real person would in motion which gives the sculpture a more graceful and natural

Show More
Related

  • Comparison of Ancient Greek Pottery

    1060 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the history of Ancient Greece thousands of great works of art were produced. Works were created in many different media, ranging from life-size statues to larger than life architectural structures. One type of art that can sometimes be overlooked, though, is pottery. There are many examples of great Greek pottery, but the two that will be used as a sample are Artemis Slaying Actaeon and Woman and Maid. By considering the backgrounds of these works, and comparing them directly we are able get a taste not only of the artistic styles of the time, but also a taste of ancient Greek culture.

    Read More

  • Kroisos vs Doryphoros

    556 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first glance you’ve taken at those two statues, you just see a man standing there. They are not doing anything in particular, just standing there. That was only in the first glance of course. Now take a good look at each one. In the archaic Greek kouros figure, the pose of the figure is very frontal. The entire figure is relatively stiff with the exception of the left leg, which is in front of the body giving it the early contrapposto pose. Even though it does have a much more natural pose to it with the one leg out, the rest of the body is not in a pose as if the weight of the body was put into one leg. The head is stiff with the hair being geometric and with the hair falling back on the body. The physical stature of the body is moderately realistic. The muscles are not quite as well defined but they are still semi-realistic. They are portrayed as if they were tense. The arms are also at the side.

    Read More

  • Woman From Willendorf Analysis

    554 Words  | 2 Pages

    The human form transcends throughout time persistently present in art. Dating all the way back to Paleolithic human beings our renderings of idealized forms have served many purposes. Though the Neolithic and Paleolithic purpose of these renderings is widely speculative the range of reason for these depictions ranges from idolization and worship to assertion of aristocratic and economic status even to simply serving as statements of self-expression. Amongst ruins and artifacts, sculptures of ancient cultures demonstrate the ways in which humans perceptions of what is aesthetically desirable have progressed. Two idealized sculptures the Woman from Willendorf and the Khafre statue with approximately 21,500 years separating their individual gestations this demonstrate the stylistic progression of idealized imagery through time.

    Read More

  • The Statue of Kouros

    782 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Lansdowne Hermes

    1076 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Head of Poseidon

    1325 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...r. "Ancient Greece." Gardner's art through the ages the western perspective. 13th ed., Backpack ed. Boston, Mass.: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010. 101, 123,129. Print.

    Read More

  • Kleos In Greek Mythology

    593 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout Greek history and mythology, the greatest heroes have been driven by the desire to gain heroic glory. For them, kleos served as a fundamental indicator of their personal value. A warrior’s worth was defined by how they were viewed and discussed by their peers. Personal glory was more important than life itself. Warriors would rather die young with renown than live a long life of little consequence. However, once they reached the underworld, many found their struggle for kleos by way of personal gain never earned them what they desired. True glory goes beyond an individual’s accomplishments and lives on after their death through their posterity as demonstrated by Agamemnon and Achilles who, upon being visited by Odysseus in the underworld, inquire after the

    Read More

  • greek and roman art history

    501 Words  | 2 Pages

    -     Priest of Troy being punished by the Gods for warning against accepting horse from the Greeks. Sea serpents attacked him and his sons. Beautiful anatomy.

    Read More

  • Athena Parthenos: The Goddess of Wisdom

    861 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Greek believed the human body was the measure of all things, therefore the artists created sculptures in a very detailed fashion which made them very life-like although the size of

    Read More

  • Roman and Islamic Art and Architecture

    527 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

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

    1424 Words  | 3 Pages

    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,

    Read More

  • How Did Phidias Influence Greek Culture

    598 Words  | 2 Pages

    Phidias was seen to be the greatest sculptor in Greek history by many sources. As stated, he was “one of the world's aesthetic masters” (Morris and Powell). Little is known about Phidias’ early life, but it was when Pericles rose to power circa 449 that he placed Phidias in charge for the building program in Athens making him responsible of all artistic undertakings (Britannica). Through this all of Phidias’ artistic contributions had a huge impact on Greek art and culture; as seen through his work in culture and material sculptures. Considering he may be called the initiator of the idealistic and classical style that distinguishes Greek are in the fifth century (Britannica).

    Read More

  • Artist's Statues: The Early Classical Greek Sculpture

    347 Words  | 1 Pages

    Throughout earliest sculpture, artist’s renditions were unrealistic until the Early Classical Greek sculptures in the Classical Period around 450 BCE, especially when compared to the earlier Egyptian sculpture. Artists’ started to bring more realistic forms to their work, making the sculptures look very human and appropriately proportioned. The detail included but was not limited to defining muscle mass throughout the nude body as well as creating life-like facial features. The arms of the statues were also molded in realistic fashion with arms protruding from the body in in action stances, sometimes holding items. We also see the legs modelled to make the viewer believe that the statue was in motion. The fingers and feet on the statues

    Read More

  • Ancient Greeks And Archaic Art

    222 Words  | 1 Pages

    They met the Egyptians, the most advanced civilization at the time. The Ancient Greeks were impressed with the Egyptians. It is conceivable to say that the Greeks might have seen the Egyptians as parents, for the Egyptians heavily influence Archaic art. Similar to Ancient Egyptian artworks, which focus on permanence and strength, Archaic art lacks movement and fails to represent humanity. As the Ancient Greeks evolved, they developed strong beliefs in clarity and balance. These strong held beliefs were catalysts that encourage the Greeks to hunger for “individuality” as a rebellious teenager. Eventually, this hunger leads to the Classical period (c.440 B.C.), a period of democracy, literacy, advancements in science, and especially Humanistic

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Greek And Roman Art

    2107 Words  | 5 Pages

    Even the few sculptor’s names known to us, usually by chance, from the imperial period are Greek names and seem to confirm the assumption that these artists’ work should be regarded simply as a late phase of Greek art” (Hanfmann, 12). The Greeks were the first western culture to figure out how to accurately depict the human form which they did through the use of geometric ratios. It is also widely accepted that it was even Greek artists who first made marble portraits for the Romans as the Romans originally had no skill with the stone. “It was certainly at first Greek artists who were entrusted by eminent Romans with the execution of portraits of themselves and of important personalities in the Roman state, just as it was Greeks who depicted Aemilius Paulus victory at Pydna and later were largely responsible for the portraits of the emperors” (Kahler 16). The Romans mainly used terracotta for their sculptures and it was only when Augustus reigned that the marble quarries at Carrara were opened and marble was used on a large scale. The Romans inherited the use of realistic proportions, the sense of movement (contrapposto), and the overall beauty of Greek sculptures. A great example of Roman sculpture that was clearly carved by a Greek artist who was familiar with the Hellenistic styles of Greece, is the Relief of the Wedding of Amphitrite and Neptune. It “shows a mythological

    Read More

More about Idealism In Ancient Greek Art

Open Document