Art > Wounded Amazon and Bronze Heracles - Museum Assignment - Greek Classical Art Example

Identification

Artist (if known):the original Greek bronze statue thought to be made by Kresilas

Title: Wounded Amazon

Period/culture: Roman marble copy (1st-2nd century AD) of the Greek original bronze statue ca.450-425 BCE

Medium/material: marble

Dimensions: height, including plinth 80 ¼ in. (203,8 cm)

Description

The Amazons were a mythical race of warrior women, noted for their skills in archery and horsemanship. In Greek art, the Amazons were often depicted battling such heroes as Heracles, Achilles and Theseus. The society dominated by women, at the outer edges of the world known to the Greeks. Classical Greeks never ceased to be astounded at such role-reversals. Women in classical Greek society were expected to be passive and dependent on males. This statue represents a refugee from battle who has lost her weapons and bleeds from a wound under her right breast.

The original bronze may have stood in the sanctuary of Artemis at Ephesus on the coast of Asia Minor, where the Amazons had legendary and cultic connections with the goddess.

The Roman writer Pliny the Younger describes a competition held in the mid-fifth century B.C. between five famous sculptors, including Phidias, Polycleitus, and Kresilas, who were to make a statue of an Amazon for the temple of Artemis. This type of statue, which is reproduced in other marble copies, is generally associated with that contest.

Describe the piece in detail

She is graceful and composed, leaning lightly on a pillar. Despite her plight, her face shows no sign of pain or fatigue, and her tidy hair no evidence of the exertion of battle. Such emotional restrain was characteristic of classical art of the second half of the fifth century BCE. The short garment she wears is typical of male horsemen and soldiers, but hers is in disarray, falling from her left shoulder, and baring both her breasts. She raises her right arm to rest it on her head in a gesture associated in Greek art with sleeping and dying.

Describe stylistic features that are familiar to you

The Amazon is standing in a classical contrapposto pose, reminding us to the Doryphorous (Spear Bearer) of Polycleitus. Weight shifts as the figure rests upon one leg, while the other leg is bent at the knee, appearing more lifelike with suggesting movement, than the archaic statues with strict rigidity and symmetry. Greek sculptors portray the most perfect human, the ideal. This means that there is no place for individual portrait, instead a composite of all the perfect part in one piece.

The bronze casting of the original statue represents greater freedom in art. The calm, expressionless face is called the “Severe Style”, showing the character, who has self-discipline, self-control, attributes of the Greeks themselves. This sculptor, believed to be Kresilas, fully understood the anatomy of human being, and mastered to visualize the clothed body. We notice the “wet drapery” style, although not much clothing is covering her, the left is revealing the shape of the body. Greek Archaic Art Example

Identification

Title: Bronze Heracles, Statuette of Heracles

Period/culture: Archaic Greek

Date: last quarter of the 6th century B.C.

Medium/material: bronze

Dimensions: height 5 1/16 in. (12.80 cm)

Description

Heracles (Hercules in Latin) is presented here as a hero of extraordinary strength and vitality and also as civilized individual(at this time). This aspect is emphasized in Archaic art.

Heracles was the mightiest son of Zeus. The greatest of Greek heroes, he was known for his Twelve Labors, feats of outstanding power and courage. Many statuettes of him were votive offerings.

His struggles made Hercules the perfect embodiment of an idea the Greeks called pathos, the experience of virtuous struggle and suffering which would lead to fame and, in Hercules' case, immortality.

Describe the piece in detail

It is a freestanding bronze statue of Heracles in a strictly rigid, frontal pose.
He is holding a club, Heracles was famous for wielding a club, perhaps the simplest of all true weapons.Upper body seems too small, compared to the head and legs. The proportion of the head is too large for the body; the eyes are emphasized. His features are idealized, depicting a youthful, energetic hero.

He is showing nude, celebrating the beauty of human forms. Also removed clothes mean removed class.

The Archaic period is emerging from the Geometric, highly abstract, schematic period with figural sculpture reappearing as votive figures in sanctuaries. These statues derive from Egyptian Ka statues, and have similarities, and differences. The pose is alike, rigid striding pose with strict formality. Symmetry and stylized details (face, hair) are also similar. The huge changes are that the Greek statue is nude and freestanding. Both emphasize individuality!

Describe stylistic features that are familiar to you

The details of the face, hair and muscles are very stylized. Although comparing to the Metropolitan Kouros, Heracles is represented more naturalistic especially with rounded muscles.The body is very symmetrical, similar to the Kroisos.
Archaic Greek statues always smile; this called “Archaic smile”, the way sculptors indicated life.

Comparison

The Herakles statue is from the earlier Archaic Greek period, while the Wounded Amazon is from the Classical Greek age. The difference of the time period is about 100-150 years. There are some stylistic resemblance and distinction as well.The subject matter of Greek art were Gods, heroes, warriors. These two works are similar, because they depict legendary figures. These two were noble enemies, fighting each other. Herakles is a well-known character in mythology, while she is not an individual, she is only one of the Amazons.

The woman is clothed, the man is nude. This would reflect women's lower status in Greek culture. The Amazons were taking such manly roles, as battling with heroes, they were shifted out of the shadow perspective of women in Greek society.Nudity brings individuality into prominence, and solemnize the human form.They both idealized, look perfect, young, although she looks more realistic, naturalistic.

In both artworks the finding way to represent motion is noticeable. As the latter piece, the Amazon shows more movement, this stage is more developed than Herakles' only arm-movement. The Archaic statue rigid, frontal, while the Classical statue's posture looks more natural with the contrapposto pose, which suggests the movement of human being; This is a radical change from the stiff, tense posture of Herakles standing. He also looks directly straight, the Amazon is looking away.Even the proportion of the body differs, she appears more lifelike, while the hero doesn't have the exact measures of human, he has large head, long legs.

Classical style is remarkable of increasing naturalism, anatomical preciseness.Herakles' “Archaic smile” disappears, and with the new classical style the face is becoming motionless, no sign of pain is visible on the Amazon.

Relate to Cultural Background

Greeks formed independent, competitive city-states, started to trade, have wars, compete in sport at the Olympic games. In Athens they founded democracy, what was based on the philosophy of freedom and independence of the individual (only males).Greeks worshiped many Gods, who lived on Mount Olympos. They gave Gods human form, and Gods behaved as humans.

Greeks celebrated human form in their art. That is why they removed clothes, what is representing the removal of social rank, concentrating on the individual, valuing human nature by itself.

As they were trying to show more motion and detail they evolved from the highly abstract Geometric period through rigid, stylized, frontal Archaic, to arrive at the more naturalistic Classical style of perfect world with ideal forms of human body, where everything is organized, ordered, even bloody wars.

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