Joseph - Hellenistic Art
Introduction
King Alexander the Great, between 334 and 323 B.C., conquered most of the known world. His kingdom stretched from Greece to Asia minor, to Egypt and India. This spread Greek culture and influence far and wide. Greek culture came in contact with immensely different influences. After King Alexanders death, the generals of his armies, also known as Diadochoi which translates to "successors". They split the land he conquered into separate kingdoms of their own. King Alexanders death is known as the beginning of the Hellenistic Period and it ends when Roman captures the last Hellenistic city state. Hellenistic dynasties would emerge later down the line. Hellenistic art tends to portray extreme emotion or vulnerability. The artists practicing this style carve with greater detail and depth. Before, where sculpture wanted to show perfection with emotionless faces, this art style portrayed a wide variety of emotion. From despair, anger, happiness, sadness, or greed, it was all clearly visible in this style and its influences lasted far longer past the end of the period.
Image 1 is a marble head of Meosthenes. It was created during the imperial period. It is dated 2nd century A.D. It is a Roman sculpture and its dimensions are 11 x 8 5/8 x 9in. "Demosthenes (ca. 384–322 b.c.), of Athens is widely considered the greatest orator of ancient Greece. Early on in his career, he recognized that the rise in power of Philip II of Macedonia was a threat to Greek independence, and he initiated a lifelong aggressive anti-Macedonian policy, which he pleaded publicly to the Athenians and the citizens of other Greek city-states. More than fifty Roman portraits of Demosthenes are known, an eloquent testimony to his continued popularity in Roman times. All the existing portraits appear to reflect a single Greek original, most likely the posthumous portrait statue by the sculptor Polyeuktos erected in the agora (marketplace) of Athens in 280 B.C. The fine head captures the orator in a characteristically harsh, unhappy yet determined expression—the countenance of a noble fanatic, great mind, and passionate patriot."
Image 2, the Three Graces, is also from the Imperial period 2nd century A.D. It is a Roman Marble statue and its dimensions are 123 x 100 cm. "These young girls, linked in a dance-like pose, represent The Three Graces: Aglaia (Beauty), Euphrosyne (Mirth), and Thalia (Abundance). They bestow what is most pleasurable and beneficent in nature and society: fertility and growth, beauty in the arts, harmonious reciprocity between men. They enjoyed venerable cults in Greece and Asia Minor. In mythology, they play an attendant role, gracing festivals and organizing dances. Their closest connection is with Aphrodite, whom they serve as handmaidens."
Image 3 is a bronze statuette of hermes. Its period is late Hellenistic or early Imperial 1st century B.C. to 1st century A.D. Its stand 29.1 cm. “Hermes—messenger of the gods. He likely originally held his kerykeion (herald's staff) in his left hand. A pair of wings are strapped to his feet, and the small rectangular cuttings at the top of his head once held wings that sprang from his laurel-crown. The eyes, once inlaid with silver, glass paste, or stone, would have added vitality to the figure.”
Image 4 is a statuette of Aphrodite. It is from the Hellenistic period, dated 3rd to 1st century B.C. It is a Greek bronze statuette that stands 20.9 cm. "Aphrodite holds up in contemplation the apple given to her by the Trojan prince Paris as a prize for being the fairest of the Greek goddesses. This poignant image reinforces that distinction but also recalls the cause of the Trojan war. In exchange for the apple, Aphrodite offered Paris the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen, the wife of the Greek king Menelaos. In Classical Greek art, scenes of the myth do not illustrate the apple, which appeared first in the Hellenistic period."
