Within Greek Mythology there are many sculptures that depict their gods and goddesses. This gallery is not distinct to and time era but only the medium. We will explore the look behind each piece as well as the emotional feelings they evoke. I invite you to share this gallery with me and leave you feedback and thoughts about what these Greek works of art mean to you.
Statue of a Greek God or Hero, Unknown, Roman, mid-1st century AD, From the collection of: Cincinnati Art Museum
To begin this gallery I have a larger than life statue of a Greek God or Hero. The statue is one that uses some unique drilling techniques, mostly on the hair, that where invented around the Roman emperor Nero. Although it is not specific to any particular Greek God or Goddess it is a relatable to the theme of sculptors depicting the era.
Ganymede and the Eagle, Bertel Thorvaldsen, 1817/1829, From the collection of: Minneapolis Institute of Art
This sculpture is depicting Ganymede tending to an eagle, which is also his form when on Earth. This sculpture holds true to the smooth marble style of much of the pieces in Greek mythology. The sculpture, Bertel Thorvaldsen, studied in Rome in the early 18th century. This artwork is an example of the side of my theme that is not as directly noticed since Ganymede is not a main god or goddess.
Venus with the Apple, Bertel Thorvaldsen, 1813/1816, From the collection of: Thorvaldsens Museum
This sculpture depict the Greek Goddess Eris holding a token of beauty in one hand and the other on her clothing on a tree stump. Eris was the one goddess who was not invited to party of the gods and for revenge she threw a golden apple with the inscription “To the fairest goddess” in among the party guests. This caused there to be a dispute between Juno, Minerva and Venus. This relates to my sculptures because of the sleek marble finish that is know in mythology art.
This statue is one of Apollo holding a kithara, a stringed harp like instrument. He stands their with a robe over his back which leads down to the owe half of his body. With Greek beliefs being a large part of history the want for Greek statues was large in the Greek colony at Canosa in South Italy.
Hebe, Bertel Thorvaldsen, 1815, From the collection of: Thorvaldsens Museum
This piece of art was created by Thorvaldsen depicting Hebe the goddess of youth. He job was to pour the drink to the other gods and goddesses but one day, as myth has it, she spilled the drink and was fired from the position. This artwork was one of two statues created by Thorvaldsen and follows that of the classical Greek marble statue.
Atalanta defeated (Atalanta and the golden apples), Paul MONTFORD, c.1900, From the collection of: National Gallery of Australia
This statue is a different one from those shown earlier. It depicts Atalanta who was a huntress that promised to marry anyone who beat her in a race. The style is much different from that of the typical Greek statue. It is not made out of marble but bronze instead. It does keep true to the clean look that most of the artworks have.
This sculpture is depicting the Trojan prince Paris abducted Helen and carried her off to the city of Troy. This caused king of Sparta to mount an attack on the city and thus begun the Trojan War. The three figures depict a scene that is full of struggle with Helen on top attempting to escape the grasp of Paris and a female servant attempting to stop him as well.
Circe, Bertram Mackennal, circa 1902-circa 1904, From the collection of: Art Gallery of New South Wales
This remake of Bertram Mackennal's 'Circe' is the favored 'femme fatale' for nineteenth century Symbolist art. It is depicting the moment where she turned Ulysses' crew into swine. This like another piece in the gallery is not the typical Greek statue. It is also made out of bronze and it much larger in size, life sized to be exact.
Modello for the Fountain of the Moor, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 1653, From the collection of: Kimbell Art Museum
This statue of Triton, minor sea-deity, grappling with a fish atop a gigantic shell. The work of art was created with virtuosity and brio that gave it the title of the greatest sculptor of the Roman Baroque. This is one of the unique statues because of the material if was made out of, Terracotta.
The final piece of art in my gallery depicts a giant who is the child of Ge (Earth) and Uranus (Sky). This piece of art because popular for it’s representation of the battles between the Greeks and the barbarians which was similar to the battle of the giants and gods. With the third piece of art being made out of bronze it concludes this gallery.
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This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.
