¶ … art from three different cultures. Specifically it will discuss pieces from the Classical Greek, Indian Civilizations, and Egyptian Civilizations, including the meaning of the work and an art analysis of the work. Each of these different cultures produced very different works of art that were meant to entertain, enlighten, and be viewed for enjoyment. They used different techniques, but there were commonalities, as well. They represent some of the best and most beautiful artwork the world has ever seen.
The Classic Greek work of art I have chosen is the marble sculpture the Venus of Arles, which now resides in the Musee du Louvre in Paris. It is made of Hymettus marble and is thought to be as old as the third century BC. It is thought that the Venus was created by the sculptor Praxiteles, in an attempt to recapture his sculpting career. It is often called the Aphrodite of Arles, too. It was made by painstakingly chipping away bits and pieces from a solid block of marble (the original size of the block is show at the base of the statue, which shows how long this process must have taken). This is a visual art form that I interpret as meant to be visually appealing and decorative.
It was found in 1651 in the Roman theater in Arles, France. It was presented to King Louis XIV, who kept it in the galleries of Versailles until it was transferred to the Louvre. It was restored by the French sculptor Francois Girardon, who added the apple and mirror in her hands. There are thoughts that these may not be representative of the original statue at all (Bens, 2009). The French sculptor recreated many other areas of the statue, as well. An early art historian writes, "Restorations: the tip of the nose, part of the hair ribbon, the right arm, the left fore arm, both hands, numerous fragments of the drapery, and the big toe of the right foot" (Von Mach, 1905, p. 202). This piece well represents the classic art of the time, and shows how the Greek culture valued art and decoration in their cities. They used art as architecture and design, and it was a major part of their culture. The original sculptor, Praxiteles, worked almost exclusively in marble and in larger than life Greek gods and goddesses. He did many Aphrodite's, and did Apollo and many other important gods, as well. This illustrates what a central position the gods and goddesses had in Greek life, because they were so often honored with statues and other artwork.
There have been many discussions that this artwork was inspired by previous works by Praxiteles, who was known for sculpting Aphrodite in many different ways. It was also inspired by the Greeks' love of their gods and wanting to memorialize them. Many people believe the work on display in the Louvre is a Roman copy of a Greek piece that has never been discovered, while others believe it is an original. This classic piece of art is clearly related to other artwork of the time, which shows the same style, the same attention to detail, and the same subject matter. Since the piece was found in a theater, it is clear that it was meant for enjoyment and entertainment. It is not known who originally commissioned the piece, or how it came to the theater, but it is still an important and vibrant piece of art from the Classic Greek era.
This piece still has great meaning and value in our modern-day culture, I believe, because it illustrates how advanced the Classic Greek artists were, their attention to detail, and the lasting beauty of their work. This statue is literally thousands of years old, and yet it is still arresting and incredibly beautiful. She is also one of the first semi-nude Aphrodites, which makes her a very special specimen, and she was the first nude statue to appear in the Louvre. That makes her very historical, as well. She is so popular that there are other copies of her in museums around the world.
The Indian Civilizations encompassed a wide variety of different artworks. I have chosen to highlight a specific group of artworks known as the Bani Thani paintings, which form a major part of the Kishangarh School of paintings, discovered in 1952 by a professor in Kishangarh, India. They were a group of landscape miniatures, but there were also several different paintings depicting the "ideal" Indian woman, and these were the Bani Thani paintings. Many people...
Ancient Indian art starting from the 3-century BC experienced a considerable influence of Hellenistic traditions In general, Greek state-cities in Middle Asia had a number of typical features of Greek urban culture so that life of its inhabitants was quite similar to traditional life of Greeks in Mediterranean. Urban architecture, ethics, dress code and social relations in Asian Hellenistic colonies were quite similar to classical Greek traditions. For example, Greek-Bactrian city
It is only human for cultures to borrow from successful societies. It has been a common practice throughout human history, especially within the context of the Classical periods, where many major nations were developing themselves as world powers. Many of these traditions still live on today either in their own right, or through the perpetuation by other cultures. In fact, Western society owes much of its foundations and philosophies to
Another notable development and contribution of ancient from Greek is the Olympics. The event was begun in Greek as an entertainment session but later evolved into an international event. Additional invention of Greek is the architecture. The Greek were immensely talented in art and, therefore, the exemplary architectural inventions and developments in the modern world today. They all can trace the history of the building system in this ancient
History Of Egyptian and Mayan Writing Egyptian writing The Egyptian language is one of the first languages to be put into written form. Some scholars have claimed that the earliest form of writing is the Sumerian language, but this contention has been put into doubt by more recent findings. Egyptian writing first appears on stone and pottery and dates back to 3,000 B.C. (Mysteries of Egypt) The earliest alphabetical writing was found
Greek HistoryGreek history is typically divided into several distinctive periods, each with its own characteristic features and significant figures.The Bronze Age (c. 3300-1150 BC) was characterized by the rise of powerful city-states such as Mycenae and Crete, with an emphasis on palatial architecture, bureaucracy, and sea trade. Innovations during this time included advanced sea navigation and the development of writing systems, Linear A and B. Though we lack historical records
Aristotelian influence predominated together with the wisdom and learning of other ancient writers, while the former was often used as a framework for intellectual debates which readily expanded both philosophy and other areas of knowledge (Grant 127-131). The European university system was established alongside monasteries as centres for the propagation of knowledge. Scholars like Robert Grosseteste, Albertus Magnus, and Roger Bacon wrote about natural science to a growing audience.
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