On the Acropolis of Athens, there are a large number of votive images dedicated to Athena the city goddess in various medium, including marble, terracotta, bronze, relief and vase painting. Among these votive images of Athena, most of them are represented in a standing pose, either frontally facing the viewers or showing her profile (e.g. the bronze Athena Promachos (figure 1)); some of them are captured in the middle of an action (e.g. Athena in Gigantomachy on the pediment of the Parthenon (fg. 2)). However, the so-called Endoios Athena is a statue of Athena represented in a seated position. Although the seated position is not rare in reliefs, such as Athena on the East frieze (fg. 3) and on the metopes of the Parthenon (fg. 3), the so-called Endoios Athena is the only seated marble statue of Athena on the Acropolis in the history. (Mylonopoulos, The Acropolis of Athens in the 6th and 5th Century BCE, Lecture Notes at Columbia University, March 31)
Found on the N. slope of the Acropolis below the Erechtheion in 1821, the so-called Endoios Athena statue is made of Island marble and is usually dated around 530-20 BCE. (Catalogue, Acropolis Museum) Due to the long exposure to open air and the destruction of wars, Athena’s head, her lower arms and the font of her left foot are completely lost, whereas much of the incision of decorative pattern on her kolpos, her right foot, left side of chair and most of the edge of the heavy base are weathered or damaged. Despite these damages, based on the gorgoneion on her breast and her aegis, we can safely identify her as Athena. we can still observe four bundles of pearl-like or “zig-zag incised” hair on each shoulder, following the curve of the goddess’s breast.
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...ltiple kinds of transformation on one statue. After all, Art History is a history about transformation, and how to merge different transformations into a novel category and style.
Works Cited
1. Pausanias and James George Frazer. Description of Greece. vol. (3 vols. available) History and Geography. London: Macmillan, 1898. E-copy.
2. Keesling, Catherine M., The Votive Statues of the Athenian Acropolis, Cambridge: The University Press, 2003. Print.
3. Kroll, John H. The Ancient Image of Athena Polias. Hesperia SupplementsStudies in Athenian Architecture, Sculpture and Topography, Vol. 20: pp. 65 – 76 + 203. 1982. E-journal.
4. Mylonopoulos, Joannis. Divine Images and Human Imaginations in Ancient Greece and Rome. Boston: Leidon. 2010. pp. 1-20. E-copy.
5. Akropolēs, Mouseio. Catalogue of the Acropolis Museum. Cambridge: The University press, 1912-21. Print.
The Nike Adjusting Her Sandal was added to the Temple of Athena Nike in 410 BCE after the completion of the the entire Acropolis. The intricate carvings and elaborate nature of this piece illustrate a tremendous amount of skill on behalf of the unknown artist. In this sense, even though Pericles had died by the time the relief was carved, the sculpture was still a continuation his desire to show Athens’ power, strength, and wealth through elaborate construction and ornamentation. However, the Nike Adjusting Her Sandal’s historical significance goes beyond a desire to show skill. The relief was carved during the Athenian’s battle against Sparta in the Peloponnesian War. Athens had already suffered several defeats which placed the fate of their empire in jeopardy. Thusly, the low relief carvings on the parapet of The Temple of Athena Nike was a sort of political propaganda. The parapet’s various depictions of Nike symbolized victory, and thusly, served as a method of reminding the Athenians of their past victories along with the fact that the goddess of victory was on their side—lifting their spirits and encouraging them to fight on. The second aspect of the Nike Adjusting Her Sandal that makes the piece so significant in the world of art history, is the fact that it hints at the presence of a new artistic era. The Acropolis’ reconstruction was in the height of the Classical Period in Greece. During this time, the Greek believed that mathematics manifested itself in beauty. Thusly, all the art produced was obsessed with idealizing bodies through the canon of proportion. A perfect example of this is Polykleitos’ Doryphoros, which set the standard for Greek art in the era due to its perfection of the human form and serene appearance through a relaxed
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
Looking deeper into the statue a trained (or imaginative) eye can see more than what is just given at a glance. The pose given by Hermes is the classical pose of contraposto. Contraposto is a pose developed where the majority of the weight is placed on one leg and the other leg in a relaxed with relatively no weight on it in a position that can both be relaxed and ready to jump to action in the same resting position. The virtually unnoticed half palm tree that Hermes is resting against gives a divine character an almost mortal because of the necessity of support on an earthly object. In the pose where the presence of strength and anticipation of a move, there is also the presence of a mortal presence. The balance of the counter limb activity is present in the contraposto stance expressing a certain diagonal symmetry. In the Lansdowne Hermes both the right arm and the left leg are in the resting position awaiting the next motion. The right arm is resting on the right buttock anticipating some sort of motion or action to be carried out by the seemingly dormant arm.
This Amphora was sculpted and painted between 540-530 B.C. by the same artist, Exekias. The shape of the piece
Hunt, Lynn and Thomas R. Martin, Barbara H. Rosenwein and Bonnie G. Smith. “ The Greek golden age,” in the making of the west volume 1 to 1750 2012, edited by Denise B. Wydra, 75-108. Boston: Beford/St. Martin’s, 2012.
Athena is a very intricate and complex character who has a vital role in the epic poem. She is the Goddess of war and battle, a very interesting role for a female to possess. Because she is the Goddess of war, she has...
The Marble Grave Stele is a horizontal piece that was embedded in a larger piece of marble. The inscriptions of the names of who died have long been lost. Thus, we must interpret for ourselves what the full meaning of the piece is. The artist of the piece is unknown, but it was constructed in Greece in around 360 B.C. during the Classical Era and stands at 171.1 centimeters in height. Its original location, as its name suggests, was at a gravesite; currently, it is located in New York City at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Stele was carved from marble. Overall, it is in good condition; however, the body of the woman on the left is missing with only her head surviving. Its stone frame in which it was set is also missing. This frame more than lik...
The works of art from the Archaic Period, Classical Period, and Hellenic Period developed physically and mentally, and the study of their aesthetic differences from period to period allow for a decided contrast and comparability. This interpretation has had a profound effect on the art world and that continues even in today’s world. The importance of Greek sculptures is evident in the storytelling of the gods, the people, and the culture. We use these sculptures as a tool to go back into the past of the Greek people, letting us admire how far mankind has truly come, whether it is in art or intelligence. Generation after generation has been and will continue to be able to see for themselves the society, culture and uniqueness of these periods through the wonderful sculptures that came out of ancient
This is a copy of the sculpture of Athena Parthenos, dressed in battle attire, that was originally created by Phidias during the period of 447-39 B.C. The statue of Athena Parthenos was to be constructed, not of bronze, but of gold and ivory. The face, arms, and feet of the statue were to be made of ivory and the clothing, of thickly plated gold. The statue was an enormous size that towered thirty-three feet tall. The costly nature of the materials out of which it was designed was intended to overwhelm the viewer, creating a sense of religious awe.
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.
"Statuette of a standing maiden [Etruscan] (17.190.2066) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art." The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.
The Nike of Samothrace captures the essence of the goddess in a dramatic pose. Her body leans forward as her robust wings heave upwards, creating a magnificent balance and sense of motion. Recovered in the Sanctuary of the Great Gods by a French explorer in 1863, the statue stands 8 feet tall. The deep lines and contrasting textures of the feathers, fabric, and skin allude to the elegance of past Greek style. Of all similar remains from ancient Greek art, this famous Hellenistic sculpture best reflects the sense of pride, honor, and victory associated with the goddess.
Aphrodite leg is creating a V shape. Hera seems to be modeled after Aphrodite of Knidos, with her hand somewhat modestly place to cover the female part and her body shape is also quite similar too Aphrodite of Knidos. Athena on the other hand, is giving the audience her full back. Her body creates “s” shape with gives a sense of motion. All four females depicted in the painting have that ideal female body congruent with Greek ideal at that time, 0.7 waists to hip ratio, unfit, non-muscular body. Same can be said with all the males depicted in the painting, they all adhere to the male ideal body; they are all extremely muscular and ripped, ready to protect their town and women, even Eros, a child has an extremely muscular body. Paris is seen horizontally extending his arm towards to Aphrodite granting her the apple, show casing every arm muscle just like in Discus Thrower, as if the artist just capture the exact moment of motion. There is an implied line, directing the viewer’s eyes towards the focal point, Aphrodite and Paris. All the character’s eye direction in the painting is going towards Paris choice of giving the apple to Aphrodite instead of choosing to give it to Hera or Athena. Furthermore, a dog, next to Paris, is seen horizontally lying down on the floor, which according to Greek culture, dogs were the protectors, they are calm, loyal and devoted to their masters. The viewer based on location and proximity of the dog to Paris can conclude that he will protect Paris from harm, foreshadowing the Trojan War, which Paris escapes alive. There is also iconography in the painting such as Eros, to identify Aphrodite, a peacock to identify Hera, and armor for
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