Artworks "Nike of Samothrace" and Essay

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"Snakes are symbols of both death and fertility in many cultures" (No author). Therefore, it is highly significant that "Her head is made up of the joined heads of two snakes, and the skirt that she wears is made of snakes woven together" (No author). In keeping with the motif of the life that she is emblematic of, the breasts of this goddess are substantially enlarged to illustrate her role as nurturer. However, such effervescence is also tempered with death and its fearsome appearance and role within life, which is demonstrated in the statue by the "garment of human skin" (No author) Coatlicue wears as well as the eminent skull in her midsection. There is a definite aura of gruesomeness manifested by the statue, typified by the goddesses' necklace of hearts and hands, and the claws of her hands and feet (better to dig graves with) (No author), that is decidedly missing from Nike of Samothrace.

Still, although Nike's clothing is not nearly as severe or as eccentric as those of Coatlicue, there is a vibrancy in her clothing that is reminiscent of the liveliness depicted in the latter's. This fact is mostly due to the setting of this sculpture, which is elucidated within the following quotation.

The Nike of Samothrace originally stood on the marble bow of a sculpted warship, a monument that commemorated a naval victory… This monument was erected in a grotto on a hill overlooking the Sanctuary of the Great Gods on the northern Aegean island of Samothrace. A reflecting pool created the illusion that the warship was sailing out of its rectangular base while a misting fountain simulated sea spray (Curators).

As this quotation indicates, this statue was originally set upon a ship. Therefore, the sense of motion, and fluidity, that can be found in the angle of the goddess, as well as in the numerous, lifelike ripples on her clothing, is in accordance to the high winds and movement that characterize life at sea r life on board a ship. The goddesses' outstretched wings seem to reinforce this notion, and give her the appearance as if she were just alighting or perhaps even considering taking off into flight.

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Although statues are static by nature, this rendering of Nike was done with every intention to show both the motion of the figure as well as the elements of nature that were responsible for some of the former. The effect produced by this intention is similar to that of the statue of Coatlicue -- it allows for a focus on the clothing of the goddess, which "both clings and billows dramatically" since it is "heavy with sea spray" (Curators).

In many ways, the artistic attention to detail required to illustrate the billowing, rippling clothing is as nuanced and as intricate as the many different symbols of fertility and death that are present on Coatlicue. However, the fact that Nike is merely wearing a simple "chiton" (Curators), whereas her Aztecan counterpart is adorned with elaborate necklaces, skirts of snakes, and is herself composed of different animals, certainly allows for a more cluttered presentation in the imaging of Coatlicue. Still, there is tremendous detailing of both of these statues of goddesses of Greek and Aztecan cultures, respectively. Nike's alighting on the ship with her wings outspread is a rather ostentatious presentation of what she symbolizes, victory, since she is depicted as coming in triumphant from the joys of flight. Similarly, the representation of Coatlicue as life and death within Aztec culture is demonstrated by the numerous symbols that are adorning her.

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