Human Form: Paleolithic Art Through Ancient Greece Thesis

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human form: Paleolithic art through ancient Greece

Over the course of human history, the artistic representation of the human form gradually became both more 'realistic' and 'idealistic.' Although this may sound like a contradictory statement, when viewing the shift from the highly stylized, anonymous figures in Paleolithic art to the anatomically correct, near-perfect representations of the human form in Classical Athens, a gazer can see a clear change in the intentions of the artists. Instead of attempting to render the human form in spare and symbolic terms, artists instead grew intent upon celebrating the unique nature of the human spirit and anatomy.

Art of the Paleolithic era "concerned itself with either food (hunting scenes, animal carvings) or fertility (Venus figurines). Its predominant theme was animals" (Esaak 2010). The meaning of Paleolithic art was purposeful, to either gain food through creating a symbolic representation of an animal, or to gain control over nature's bounty. Paleolithic Stone Age Venus 'fertility' figures were almost indistinguishable from one another, except in size. The rotund Venuses looked consistently the same, as did the stylized representations of hunters on caves. Strikingly, in many early cave paintings, representations of humans were almost wholly absent, because of the all-encompassing focus upon the animals.

Egyptian art and architecture manifests a notable advance from the art of the past in terms of its sophistication of construction. Yet, much like earlier art, figures were highly representational, often one-dimensional in style. They represented 'types' rather than actual persons with distinct qualities. And the most elaborate art of ancient Egypt focused on creating architectural structures to ensure a safe passage from the world of the living to the dead, rather than existed for the pleasure of the living. Gods and goddesses often had half-human, half-animal shapes in Egyptian art. The journey depicted of the dead individual's soul was relatively uniform on the walls of tombs: a "Ba bird offers praises to the mummified form of the god Osiris. It was hoped that if the dead were identified with Osiris he would provide them with protection in the afterlife" ("Gods and goddesses in coffin art," Still more art, 2011).

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Ancient Greek art, such as early Minoan figures, was also relatively stylized. Kouros and Kore statues detailed young men and women who were almost indistinguishable from one another. "Kouros, as was the case with the Kore statues, were almost always approximately life-size (some much larger), and with few exceptions were made of marble. They are depicted standing in a frontal pose with their left leg moved forward, their arms close to their bodies touching the side of their thighs, and they exhibit an almost strict symmetry as the different parts of the anatomy are depicted as simple geometric forms. In this respect, the Kouros statues have a great deal in common with Egyptian monumental sculpture that undoubtedly influenced their development" ("Kouros," Ancient Greece, 2011).

However, notable differences from Egyptian art began to become evident with the greater freedom the Kouros began to exhibit in their demeanor. Gradually, Kouros depictions became more accurate, softer, and they exhibited more and more personalized gestures and activities, including going on horseback The Kouros always depicted human beings, rather than gods or animal-like spirits as before, and even when gods and goddesses were shown in ancient Greek art, they resembled real people, unlike the half-animal creations of ancient Egypt. "Greek Kouros were freestanding and always nude, a feature that helped detach the Kouros from a specific historical setting. It is this nudity that allowed the individuals depicted in the sculpture to be seen in a context that transcends time and elevates each figure to a universal symbol for humanity" ("Kouros," Ancient Greece, 2011).

The notable shift in tone from archaic to classical Greek art is embodied in the victorious Charioteer of Delphi. The Charioteer of Delphi is one of the most important sculptures of ancient Greece because it vividly represents the passage from the archaic artistic conventions to the Classical ideals. Unlike the Kouros statues, the feet of the charioteer are highly extremely detailed, and his facial structure and musculature….....

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