Ιn this reunion we find the summation of the most important phenomena of the history of Greek sculpture given form in Greek statues, and once again it is important to stress how brief the period was, to emphasize therefore the intensity and the decisiveness of the artistic developments linked to it.Īnd what finer symbol could there be of the intimate fusion of ethical-philosophical values with politics and artistic creation than the portrait of the Athenian statesman Pericles, undoubtedly by Cresilas, who has sculpted an ideal commander for an ideal city rather than portraying the likeness of Xanthippe's son as in other Greek statues of ancient Greek heroes The legacy of Phidias and its impact on the future of ancient Greek statues Ιn this last example of Greek statues, the female figures, who are generally believed to be the goddesses Aphrodite and Dione, are astonishingly natural with their rippling robes and drapery, so skillfully rendered that it is difficult to identify the means used to create these effects.Īthens is once again glorified in the Greek statues of the frieze depicting the Panathenaic Way, where it is represented in a manner which today we probably consider more direct and complete, since the city's past and present are reunited here. Ιn the Athenian Acropolis, thanks to the impetus of the Attic master, Early Classical sculpture passed in less than twenty years from the somewhat fixed rigidity of Greek statues and of certain scenes of the Centauromachy of the metopes on the southern side, to the Assembly of the Gods present at the birth of Athena, οn the eastern pediments. A major moment in the evolution of Classical ancient Greek statues and sculpture The careful according of methods and styles, and likewise the spurts of evolution in the forms are undoubtedly the handiwork of the master Phidias who, by supplying plans, designs, and models, undoubtedly gave the sculptors full indications as to the results they were to achieve. However, if we first examine the metopes, then the frieze, and finally the two pediments, we see that despite this variety, from the start the execution of the work has a uniformity which was progressively reinforced as work proceeded. The variety of technique, which is discernible to the observant eye, testifies to the presence of many different artists, some of whom noticeably still comply with the Severe style of Greek statues, while others show bursts of inspiration that open up unexplored avenues of expression. With its 92 metopes, its continuous frieze comprising of 350 Greek statues and two pediments, this immense work, completed in only fifteen years, saw the united efforts of all the marble-carving talent that the Greeks possessed. Sheds important light on his art as a whole. The fundamental role that Phidias played in the decoration of the Parthenon The importance of Phidias's Parthenon work in ancient Greek statues and sculpture It is frustrating not being able to experience firsthand the skill with which Pericles' friend Phidias managed to conserve the sense of composure and the restrained wisdom (the nucleus of the Classical ethos) in the execution of these two masterpiece Greek statues, which were splendidly decorated almost to the point of being gaudy and were situated in their respective temples, the Temple of Zeus (Olympia), and the Temple of Athena Parthenos (the Parthenon). If we accept the traditional reconstruction of Phidias' career we notice the large variety of subjects on which he worked and, unfortunately, we regretfully acknowledge that there survives only a faint echo of the two great chryselephantine Greek statues that consecrated his fame, namely the Zeus from the temple at Olympia, and the Athena Parthenos from the Athenian Acropolis. Olympian Zeus & Athena Parthenos – Two magnificent examples of ancient Greek statues
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