Ancient greek sculpture

1. First created 15 Mar 2012. Version 1.1 -5 Apr 2012. Jerry Tse. London.
Ancient Greek
Sculpture
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free for non-commercial and personal use.

2. Cycladic
2500-2000BCE
ThestoryofGreeksculpturebegan
around4000yearsagointheGreek
islands,wheretheymadesimplewhite
marblemodelsofgodsandgoddesses.

3. Minoan
1700-1500BCE
TherewerefewstatuesfoundinMinoan
Crete.Thisisthe„SnakeGoddess‟found
inafamilyshrine.

4. Mycenean
Therewasnosculpturefoundin
Mycenae.Thisfemalepaintedplaster
headisbelievedtobetheheadofa
sphinx.

5. 700-500BCE
Thisstatuewasamongstsomeofthe
earliestGreekstatue.Itdepictedan
archaicgoddess.Statuesatthistime
werestiff,unlikethoseofAncient
EgyptandoftencarriedanArchaic
smile.
TheLadyofAuxerre.650-625BC.
75cm.Limestone.Archaic.Cretan.
MuseeduLouvre.
Archaic

6. Mostofthesculptureswerecreatedprimarily
forthepurposeofidolworships.Mostwere
lessthanlife-size.
Demeter,goddessoffertilityonathrone.6C
BC.Terracotta.Archaic.Cretan.Foundin
Grammichele,Sicily.
Archaic

7. Funeralmarkersbeginto
appear inGreece.The
similaritywiththeEgyptian
sculpturecanbeseenhere.
ButtheGreeksculpture
carriesasmileandthegenital
isclearlyshown.TheGreek
statueisslightlylargerthan
life-size.

8. BytheMiddleArchaicperiodfrom
580BC–535BC,attentionswere
shiftedtokourosandkore
sculpturesofyoungmenand
women,withemphasisonbodily
beautybuttheposeswerestill
stiffand conformed to
stereotypes.
Archaic

9. Kore.530-520BC.Marble.Height
2.01m.Archaic.AcropolisMuseum
Athens.
Archaic

10. Kore(no680).530-520BC.Marble.
Archaic.AcropolisMuseumAthens.
Unlikehermalecounterpart,she
isfullydressed,withelaborate
draperyandhairstyle.Shestill
carriesthearchaicsmile.
Archaic

11. This was an unusual subject
matter,showingamanfromAttic,whocame
toAthenstomakeasacrificialofferofacalf
tothegoddess.
Archaic
TheCalf-Bearer(TheMoschophoros).570
BC.Marble.Height1.65m.Archaic.Acropolis
MuseumAthens.
Itisapleasingsculpturewiththecalfgently
carriedontheshoulderoftheowner.

12. WoundedWarriorfromTempleofAegina.C490-480BC.Marble.Length1.78m(Life-size).LateArchaic.OntheEast
PedimentofAeginaTemple.StaatlicheAntikensammlungenundGlyptothek,Munich.
Archaic

13. ThearrivaloftheSevereStylemarkedthe
beginningoftheendoftheArchaicstyle.
Greeksocietyunderwentatransformationto
becomealeadingcivilisationintheeastern
Mediterranean.
Archaic
TheAthenaofAegina,wearingahelmet.c460
BC.Aeginetan.Greek.MuseeduLouvre.
Duringthistime,theMediterraneanmarkets
werefloodedwithGreekpottery.Schoolsof
philosophywereflourishing.Thecityof
Athenswasintheascent.Greekartwas
changing.

14. Archaic
TheSulkyKore.480BC.Marble.Height
1.65m.Archaic.AcropolisMuseumAthens.
Thisisawellproportionedandbeautifully
sculptedKore,inseverestyle.Itiscalled
„sulky‟becauseshedoesnotcarrythe
Archaicsmile.Carvedbythesameartist
whomadetheKritiosBoy(onalaterslide).

15. 480-336BCE
Classical
Theconceptofbeautywasanexpressionof
theinnerbeauty.Artistsusedtheirpowerof
observation,createdevenmorenaturalistic
sculptureswithincreasingdetails.
BlondBoy.480BC.Marble.Classical.
AcropolisMuseumAthens.

16. KritiosBoyorCritinBoymarkedtheemergence
ofanewsculpturalstyle,theClassicalstyle.The
proportionoftheboy‟storsowasnear
perfection,withlife-likeaccuracy.Classical
Sculpturesbegantoshiftawayfromthestiffness
ofthearchaicstyletoamorelife-likeposture.
Theweightofthesculpturewassupportedbythe
leftleg,whiletherightlegwasbentattheknee.
Thespineacquiredan“S”curveandtheshoulder
linedippedtothelefttobalancetheactionatthe
pelvis.

17. Classical
These„movements‟were
achievedbydividingthe
bodyintofourmain
sections.Thearmsand
thelegswerebent
independently.Thebody
abovethewaistwas
twistedtoproduceamore
naturalposture.
AresBorghese.5CBC
(Roman copy).Marble.
Classical. Height2.1m.
MuseeduLouvre.

18. Classical
Horsehead.ArchaicStylefrom
theAcropolisMuseum,Athens.
HorseheadofSelenefromthepedimentoftheParthenon,
Athens.447-432BC.BritishMuseum,London.
Thetwohorses‟headssummarisedtheadvancesmadebythe
ClassicalGreek.ThehorseofSelene(above)hadjustpulledthe
chariotofSeleneacrossthesky.Itwasabsolutelyexhausted,with
bulgingeyes.Itsveinswereclearlyvisible,withopenedmouthand
nostrilsenlarged,graspingforair.

19. Classical
OnthetympanumoftheTempleofMarasa.Late5CBC,Marble.NationalMuseumofReggiodiCalabria

20. ThestatuewasofferedbyatyrantofGela
(Sicily)totheDelphicsanctuaryto
commemoratehisvictoryinthechariotrace
attheGames.
Classical
TheCharioteerofDelphi.474or478BC.Bronze.
Height180cm.Classical.DelphiMuseum.

21. TheoriginalwasmadebyMyron
Classical

22. Classical
BronzeheadofApollo(?),foundintheTamassos,Cyprus.470-460BC.Bronze.
Classical.BritishMuseum.

23. Anexceptionalbronze
witharmsfullyextended,
anachievementshowing
theadvancemadebyonly
agenerationofsculptors
later,sincetheaustere
Archaicstyle.
Classical
ArtemisionBronze(Zeus
orPoseidon).460BC.
Bronze.Height2.1m
Classical. National
ArchaeologicalMuseumof
Athens.

24. Classical

25. Classical
Twofullsizebronzesofexceptionalqualitywerefoundin1972
offthecoastofItaly.TheyareknownastheRiaceBronzes.

26. Classical
The Riace
Bronzes

27. Classical
TheRiaceBronzeshadgonebeyond
thedepictionoflife-likeproportions,
asintheKritiosBoy.Thegrovein
thebackwasexaggeratedtoshowa
„anideal‟bodyform.

28. Classical
PhilosopherofPorticello.420-410BC.
Bronze. Classical. Museo
ArchaeologicoNazionaldiReggio
Calabria.

29. Classical
BustofPericles.c430BC.Marble.
Classical.VaticanMuseum,Rome.
PericleswasaprominentAthenian
statesman,whosuccessfulcreated
theAthenianEmpire.

30. Classical

31. Classical
Praxiteleswasawell-known4CBC
sculptor.
HermesFarness.Romancopyofac325BC
sculpture.Marble.Height2.01m.Classical.
OriginalbyPraxiteles.Greek.BritishMuseum.

32. Praxiteleswasthe
firsttosculptthe
nudefemaleinlife
-sizestatue.
Classical

33. Classical
Aphrodite or Venus

34. Classical
DancingSatyr.Romancopyofa4CBCstatue.
Marble.AttribtoLysippus.Classical.Greek.
GalleriaBorghese,Rome.

35. 336-146BCE
Hellenistic
WiththearrivalofAlexandertheGreat,
Greeksculptorshadtakentheirartto
anotherlevelofrealismandexaggeration.
Theirsculpturesbecameevenmore
expressive.
TheBronzeHeadofDelos.Mid-Late2CBC.
Bronze.Hellenistic.Greek. National
ArchaeologicalMuseumAthens.
Theheadshowedanewlevelofrealistic
individualizedfeatures,withahintofan
emotionalexpression.

36. ThebronzewasfoundinOlympia,
sculptedbySilanion.Itisanexceptional
piece,showingthebatteredbruisedface
ofaboxer,markedbyswellingsand
wrinkles.
Classical
HeadofaBoxer.330-320BC.Bronze.
Hellenistic.Greek.NationalArchaeological
MuseumAthens.

37. Hellenistic
SleepingHermaphrodite,showingthefemale(top)aswellasthemaleside(bottom).Romancopyofa2CBCGreek
sculpture.Marble.Hellenistic.Greek.MuseeduLouvre.

38. Hellenistic

39. Hellenistic
Thisisthestorytelling
sculptureofLaocoonwithits
exaggeratedfeelingofpain.
Laocoon&Hissons.Roman
copyofa175-150BCsculpture.
Marble. By
Agesander, Polydorus and
Athenodorus of Rhodes.
Hellenistic.Greek.Vatican
Museum,Rome.

40. Hellenistic

41. Hellenistic
WingedVictoryofSamothrace.c190BC.Marble.
Span3.3m.Hellenistic.Greek.MusesduLouvre,
Paris.

42. Hellenistic

43. Hellenistic
MolossianHound.Probably2CBC.
Marble.Hellenistic.Greek.British
Museum,London.
TheGreeksculptorsextendedtheir
expressiveportraitofhumanto
animals.OnlyfiveRomancopiesof
thisGreekbronzeareknowntoexist.

44. Hellenistic
VenusdeMilo.c120BC.Marble.Height2.02m.Alexandrosof
Antioch.Hellenistic.Greek.MuseeduLouvre,Paris.

45. Hellenistic
Lely‟sVenus(AphroditeCrouchingather
Bath).Romancopyof1CBCGreekoriginal.
Marble.BritishMuseum,London.

46. Hellenistic
Lely‟sVenus(AphroditeCrouchingather
Bath).Romancopyof1CBCGreekoriginal.
Marble.BritishMuseum,London.

47. Amongsttheancientcivilisationsofthe
world,onlytheGreekhadproduced
suchnaturalisticandlife-likesculptures.
Some1500yearslater,withthearrival
ofMichelangelo,thesesculptureswere
finallysurpassed.

48. All rights reserved. Rights belong to their respective owners.
Available free for non-commercial and personal use.
The
End
Music–Zobra,theGreekcomposedbyMikis
Theodorakis.