The Iconography Of The Laurel Wreath

Throughout the history of art, the human body and figure has captivated both artisans and their audiences. This can be said especially of the Greeks and their sculptures. Even from the earliest periods, Greeks motivation for the search of the ideal human body can be seen through the sculpture Metropolitan Kouros (c 120-50 BCE), created in the Archaic period and said to be found in Attica, Ancient Greece (Richter 1931, p. 220). However, it is not until High Classical period that they truly achieve their goal with Polykleitos’ The Spear Bearer (c. 120-50 BCE) or the Doryphoros (its Greek name). The sculpture, found in a Palestra in Pompeii, Italy is said to be the epitome of perfection during its period. Although there is exquisite rendering and beauty in both sculptures, there are also a vast number of differences that make each work unique.

Ancient sculptures bring on endless philosophical arguments regarding what is an appropriate form of perfection, defined as a fit body guided by a keen mind. This paper will approach a visual essence of the sculpture of The Lansdowne Athlete, by Lysippos, Rome 340-330 B.C. marble after a bronze original, that I viewed at the LACMA. This sculpture is located in the left wing of Greek exhibition Building, 3rd floor. I selected this sculpture as an example of an idealized body. Therefore, I will be explaining the historical background of the sculpture and address why I think it would make a good addition to our text. I will provide an analogy with other sculpture of idealized body from our textbook chapter 12 on “Mind and Body” mainly. I will impart more information about the essence of idealized human form as well as cultural ideals during this time period in Greece.

The sculpture portrays the God of Harvest, Dionysus, with his loyal satyr follower, Pan. A considerable amount of detail when into the carving of Dionysus; the multiple grapevines in his hair, his ceremonial staff Thyrsus, the goatskins and the cup of wine he’s holding are all symbols of Dionysus. The composition is very asymmetrical, and creates a contrapposto arrangement, which is distinctly Grecian (Gardner). It was carved out of beautiful fine marble, which also had another purpose in the way of making this piece of art last for many years. Along with the tree trunk between the two men providing support at the base, and the elongated arms providing more structural stability. The God’s head is even reinforced by his hair to make sure the head doesn’t break off. This sculpture is visually and aesthetically pleasing, but doesn’t serve a useful function, like textiles or furniture. Therefore, it is considered a figurative piece of art, which art that is very clearly modeled after real object or person(s), and is therefore representational

In her illuminating commentary, “The Temple of Zeus at Olympia, Heroes, and Athletes,” Judith M. Barringer introduces Olympia and sets the scene of the famous ruins in ancient times. She forces you to imagine the reverence one would feel by simply visiting the Temple of Zeus.   When peering into the temple, many would have first focused on the labors of Herakles that were portrayed before turning their attention to the magnificent, gold and ivory adorned statue of zeus, implying that these representations were quite exceptional for their time. When viewed, they gave off a sense of being larger than life.

This paper in particular discusses two of the statues exhibited at the Power and Pathos exhibit at The Getty Center in Los Angeles. It analyses and compares the statuette of Alexander the Great on

This paper will focus on the Statue of Dionysos leaning on a female figure. Also known as the Hope Dionysos. The statue is displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art and is located on the first floor Roman and Greek art chamber. Upon entering this sector, you will notice a grand statue that catches your eyes and captivates you as it welcomes you in gracefully. The exhibition is set up in the back center of the room, and is noticeable due to the largeness in scale and the enigmatic yet calming disposition the statue portrays. My first impression of the sculpture was how detailed and realistic the statue is. Since the statue was so defined you would be able to identify what he was wearing and how his body was shaped to how long his hair was during this time period. I was profoundly intrigued by how peaceful the statue of Dionysos embodied and found myself coming back to it and looking in awe. In curiosity, I would choose this statue for my assignment because I wanted to learn more about the history of the Hope Dionysos. In this essay I will be describing my formal analysis of the artwork, the subject matter behind it, the artist and the historical content of the statue of Dionysos.

The traditional view of the Parthenon Frieze, based off the work of James Stuart and Nicholas Revett, is that it depicts the panathenaic procession which occurred every four years and was part of the Panathenaea festival to commemorate the birth of Athena. This view is based off of the seeming procession and sacrificial animals included in it as well as the Greek gods either side of the giving of the Peplos where a statue of Athena would be draped with a shroud. (5) However we believed the Frieze depicted a different story as there were several inconsistencies with the depiction of the giving of the Peplos. For

This paper is a formal analysis of the Marble grave stele with a family group relief sculpture. It is a pentelic marble style relief standing at 171.1cm tall carved by a master. It is from the Late Classical period of Greek, Attic which was completed around ca.360 B.C. . I chose to analyze this piece as apposed to the others because I’m mainly attracted to art and sculptures from the Greek era. The overall color used in this relief is ivory with a few cracks and pieces broken off. There is some discoloration which causes the color to come off as slightly light brown for most of the relief. The sculpture appears larger compared to the other sculptures in the art room. It represents a family which includes a man, his wife, and their

Bill Mize, my great grandfather, watched in awe everyday as his father did the difficult job of being a railroad conductor in the 1940s. “I was completely fascinated by my father, he worked tirelessly to provide for the family, and was an incredible man,” Bill recalls. At the young age of fourteen Bill suffered the devastating loss of his father, the man he spent most of his childhood admiring. His father died abruptly of tuberculosis at the age of fifty-nine the family was completely shocked and devastated by this loss. Without his father Bill watched everything in his once normal life quickly fall away; the family’s finances were slim to nothing and his mother could no longer support Bill and his sisters. Throughout

The first work of art we were required to look at was a grave stele. There were a collection of them against a wall on the second floor of the Getty Villa. The one that stuck out the most to me was titled Grave Stele of Herophanta and Posideos which was dated around 150 B.C. It is a Greek grave stele that was made in Smyrna, which is what we today call Turkey. The stele was around 4 feet tall and made out of marble. The back of the stele was not viewable, but the front had a lot of detail. On the front at the top displays what resembles a triangular pediment typically seen in Greek temples. Underneath that are two wreath-like objects. In the center, there is a portrait that shows a family consisting of a husband and wife with two children. The woman is holding a wreath and the two kids are crowded around the father. Each member of the family is wearing stylized drapery. Underneath the

Greek mythology played a large role in Greek artistic styles and functions. In the case of this study, the mythological god Apollo is the subject of the artistic works of the votive known as the “Mantiklos Apollo” and the statue of “Apollo” that was found in Pireaus. These figures show a natural progression in style and technique. They are important because they represent the sacred beliefs and superstitions of their respective cultures and time periods.

When examining the statue, there is an old woman bent and weary. Her posture helps clue us in, with her age and the state of her health. The figure is dressed in cloth that drapes off her body as she carries a basket that is filled with what we may think are offerings. On her head, there are vines that create a band around the top of her head used to signify the festival that was going on during that time. The specific detail that is seen on this statue persuades us to want to know the story of this woman. Doing so, the process involves lots of research about the time and art. During the hellenistic period, artists begin to introduce more inner beauty than physical beauty. There is an opportunity to learn more about the structure itself, then settle for what is given and seen.

The Birth of Athena represents one of the most stunning births of Olympian deities, being immortalized on countless pottery objects. Athena’s status of goddess protector of Athens certainly provides an explanation for the numerous vases dedicated to her. The Yale amphora is not an exception. This Group E black-figure amphora is among the works of the greatest black-figure vase painter, Exekias, and its two panels vividly tell the story of Athena’s birth. While divine births are spectacular ipso facto, the birth of the goddess of wisdom is remarkable in that she emerged from the head of Zeus. Unlike Dionysus’s birth from the thigh of Zeus, which lead to the death of Semele, a mortal woman, Athena’s unusual birth came as a result of the swallowing of

The whole world is affected by the anthropocene or a man-made structures such as technology. Scientists studying the changes in Earth's ecosystems have recently taken to the term "Anthropocene", which describes the geological epoch in which mankind developed the ability to radically change Earth's environment through technology. Starting from the time that humans began farming on a large scale and escalating with the massive environmental effects of the industrial revolution, the Anthropocene accounts for changes in earth, oceans, and atmosphere that have affected the many biospheres beyond just the ones we live in. A new educational project aims to document these changes with satellite imagery and computer-generated visualizations, and

Greek culture is the source from which many of the characteristic elements of Western culture derive. Their explorations and innovations in art have both fascinated and inspired other civilizations for centuries. For this assignment I chose two Greek sculptures viewed at the Getty Museum. The first is Kouros circa 530 B.C. made of Dolomitic marble from Thasos and is approximately 200 cm (80 in) in height. The second is Cult Statue of a Goddess, (most likely Aphrodite) South Italy, 425 - 400 B.C. made of Limestone and marble. It stands at a height of 220 cm (86 5/8 in). There is some dispute to the authenticity of the Getty Kouros